Free Republic

Two voters lacked standing and, additionally, failed to show how Blacks were weakened by maps for the North Carolina Senate, a federal judge has ruled. “Plaintiffs ignore the progress that North Carolina has made over the past 60 years and seek to use Section 2 to sort voters by race in order to squeeze one more Democratic Senate district into the map,” wrote Judge James Dever of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The ruling in Rodney D. Pierce and Moses Matthews v. The North Carolina State Board of Elections, et al. says racial gerrymandering...

SOUTHPORT, N.C. — Authorities have identified the suspect in Saturday night’s mass shooting at the American Fish Company in the Southport Yacht Basin as 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge of Oak Island, North Carolina. Edge, a former U.S. Marine veteran, is accused of opening fire from a boat anchored on the Cape Fear River around 9:30 p.m., killing three people and injuring at least nine others. Witnesses say patrons were dining and socializing at the popular waterfront restaurant when shots suddenly rang out, creating chaos along the busy marina district. Investigators confirm that Edge, who was accompanied by a spotted dog...

Matt Van Swol @matt_vanswol 🚨#BREAKING: Democrat NC Governor Josh Stein DODGES a simple yes-or-no question on whether he’ll sign Iryna’s Law. The law would eliminate no cash bail and force mental health evaluations. Stein did not answer whether he will sign it into law… Insanity

A Charlotte, North Carolina, city councilman said Tuesday that he doesn't believe that the Trump administration should send in National Guard troops in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.

The first Emerson College Polling survey of the 2026 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina finds former Governor Roy Cooper starting the race with a six-point edge on Republican National Committee Chair, Michael Whatley, 47% to 41%, with 12% undecided.

Gov. Josh Stein vetoed a slew of anti-Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) bills and a gender bill on Thursday but signed a licensure agreement bill and one that protects parents and caregivers from legal consequences for raising children in alignment with their biological sex. Among the bills he vetoed was SB 558, Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed. The legislation prohibits UNC System schools and community colleges from promoting discriminatory policies and practices. Under the measure, public colleges and universities would be required to eliminate offices and staff dedicated to DEI initiatives. The bill prohibits promoting “divisive concepts,” such as...

28 illegal aliens arrested in North Carolina worksite enforcement operation — aggravated identity theft and other federal crimes suspected. 2 other subjects arrested on state charges and numerous documents seized in this ongoing investigation. Details: https://ice.gov/news/releases/ice-executes-federal-search-warrant-buckeye-fire-equipment-company

There might soon be another elected Trump in Washington. President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is “seriously considering” a Senate run in her native North Carolina, a source told NOTUS. Another source close to the Trump family told NBC News that there is a “high” chance she will run. Word of the younger Trump’s ambitions came hours after Thom Tillis, one of the state’s two Republican senators, announced he would not

A student in North Carolina just got $20,000 richer. His school district was forced to apologize to him and make the cash payment because he was suspended for using the term ‘illegal alien.’ The left is so triggered by the topic of illegal immigration, that you can’t even use accurate language when talking about the issue without someone going crazy. FOX News reports: North Carolina school district to issue apology, pay $20K to student suspended over ‘illegal alien’ comment. .....Snip...... The teen received a three-day suspension last year after asking his teacher if a conversation in class was centered around...

Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown told reporters Thursday morning she won't resign after being federally indicted with her daughters. "Why would I resign," Brown said. "I haven't been convicted of anything." Why it matters: Brown, who represents District 3 in west Charlotte, plans to run again later this year. Catch up quick: Federal prosecutors indicted Brown on wire fraud charges, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In a release Thursday morning, prosecutors described Brown and her daughters' alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain federal money during the pandemic. The intrigue: In the indictment, prosecutors...

The federal authorities want to know who decapitated a dolphin that had been stranded on an island off the coast of North Carolina last month, and they are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that could help them find out. The 8-foot long bottlenose dolphin was found dead on Lea-Hutaff Island, N.C., on April 15, according to a statement from the Office of Law Enforcement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reward notice included a photo of the dolphin, which was missing its head, as it lay on the shore of the remote, undeveloped barrier...

PORTLAND, Me. — Miss Congeniality, Jordon Hudson is not. Bill Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend fell short yet again in the Miss Maine beauty pageant, placing third Sunday — and she couldn’t hide her disappointment. Hudson — who came in second in the contest last year — once again didn’t have quite the stuff to strut all the way to the crown.

In defending the Biden DOJ's lawfare against his own constituents, Sen. Thom Tillis not only could sink interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin's confirmation but end ongoing investigations at the office. At the heart of the systemically corrupt Department of Justice beats the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Nearly every politically-driven prosecution in Washington starts and ends there: for example, the first official act of Matthew Graves, the Biden appointed DC US Attorney, was to hand up a criminal indictment against Trump confidant Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress in November 2021. The office is...

A leftwing school board member in North Carolina exploded in rage when a fellow member made a motion to start meetings with an invocation. “How much prayer do you need,” said Pam Escobar, a member of the Cabarrus County School Board. “How much God do you need?” Melanie Freeman, a newcomer to the school board, told me that it’s important to start meetings by seeking God’s wisdom. She ran for office by declaring her faith in God and she was determined to reinstate the pre-meeting prayer. “I knew there would be resistance, because any time you put back something that...

Three illegal immigrants have been arrested and charged in connection with the kidnapping of a young North Carolina mother and her baby. Two suspects were arrested on Tuesday, while a third was arrested on Friday. Per WRAL, siblings Paola Duran Duran, 25, and Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, were taken into custody by authorities on Tuesday and have been charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count of second-degree kidnapping each. 35-year-old Eleodoro "Leo" Estrada-Hernandez was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday morning and has been charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of...

One person was killed and six injured during an overnight shooting at Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black university in North Carolina. The shooting took place in the early hours of Sunday morning at the center of campus following events for “Viking Fest,” a week of school spirit events, according to a statement from the university. A 24-year-old man, who was not an Elizabeth City State University student, was killed, according to the statement. His identity is being withheld until his next of kin can be notified. Additionally, six people were injured, four of them with gunshot wounds, the...

The Camping World CEO claims he was forced to close down one of his North Carolina stores as he defied local politicians over the massive American flags flying over the locations. Marcus Lemonis made the shocking revelation that one of the national RV dealerships in Greenville, NC, was shuttered on April 18. Lemonis says he was forced to shut down operations at the smaller of the two locations after the city council sued him and the company for violating city ordinance with the larger-than-life flags, and continues to impose fines. “We think the ordinance is wrong,” Lemonis told local radio...

Recovery and rebuilding efforts from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene on towns like Chimney Rock, North Carolina has largely faded from the headlines and the public’s awareness. Over the past 6 months, however, a team of 2,000 volunteers from the Great Needs Trust, a Pennsylvania Amish community, have been quietly and steadily rebuilding the town’s homes, businesses and bridges. Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O’Leary told WCNC, “When we look around, we still see tremendous damage and realize it will take a long time to build back. But at the same time, we have made tremendous progress, and that is...

The North Carolina Supreme Court race is the only uncalled statewide race remaining in the U.S. after the November 2024 elections. The reason for that, as we've reported, is that challenges have been working their way through the courts (at times concurrently) after the GOP candidate, Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, questioned the validity of some 65,000 ballots after the initial count and recount showed him behind by 734 votes. Among the reasons for the challenges are voters who Griffin's legal team have said had incorrect/incomplete voter registration information or didn't include a photo ID (the latter of which...

Lawsuits can move forward against schools and medical clinics over Covid-19 vaccines given to children without their parents' permission, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday, overturning past rulings that had blocked the lawsuits. The ruling was 5-2 along party lines, with all the Republicans in the majority and all the Democrats dissenting. [snip] The case in question deals with a then-14-year-old Guilford County high schooler named Tanner Smith. He was given a vaccine even though he and his mother later said they were against it. Smith played football at Western Guilford High. After a 2021 outbreak of Covid-19 cases...