VOLUME 10 ISSUE 31 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
COURTESY @NC_GOVERNOR ON X
Gov. Josh Stein, center pointing, went to Washington, D.C., last week in an effort to get more Hurricane Helene relief funds from the federal government.
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Stein asks feds for $13.5B more in Helene relief
BRIEF this week
Greensboro man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump Fort Pierce, Fla. A Greensboro native accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course was found guilty Tuesday. The jury found Ryan Routh guilty on all counts he was facing after two hours of deliberation. Routh, 59, pleaded not guilty to the charges and defended himself in court. Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
House Judiciary to hold hearing in Charlotte over light rail murder Charlotte Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) announced that a U.S. House Judiciary field hearing will be held in Charlotte on Sept. 29 regarding the murder of Iryna Zarutska that took place on the city’s light rail system. The hearing will happen at 10 a.m. and will be held at the Charles. R. Jonas Federal Building in Charlotte. The hearing will be live streamed on the House Judiciary GOP YouTube channel. Zarutska’s murder made national headlines following the release of footage from the light rail train car showing a man stabbing Zarutska not long after she boarded the train for home after her shift at a pizzeria. Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was indicted on first-degree murder charges Sept. 15. He also faces additional federal charges.
The governor has asked federal agencies for more than $23 billion to date
HAVA consent order faces challenges The Democratic National Committee and North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans filed motions By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The Democratic National Committee and the NC Alliance for Retired Americans filed motions last week asking the federal judge to reconsider his final approval of a consent order in a lawsuit
See HAVA, page A3
RALEIGH — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein submitted a new request to the federal government for $13.5 billion in additional relief for counties in the state hit last year by Hurricane Helene. Stein’s new Sept. 15 request came just ahead of the one-year anniversary of when the storm devastated western counties last Sept. 24. The governor followed up by heading to Washington, D.C., on the anniversary of the storm to press his point. Stein wants the funds previously granted by Congress in the American Relief Act of 2025 to flow more quickly to the state. “Nearly a year has passed since Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina, and it’s been nearly nine months since Congress last appropri-
UNC System sees record enrollment gains “Higher enrollment is good for our universities, of course, but it’s also good for North Carolina.” Peter Hans, UNC System president
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brought by the Trump administration against the North Carolina State Board of Elections. The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) over missing driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers for certain North Carolina voter registrations required by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The 13-page approval order issued by North Carolina’s Eastern District Chief Judge Richard Myers on Sept. 8 ended the
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Preliminary data showed a 3.4% increase By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The UNC System saw record student enrollment gains this year, according to a Sept. 17 press release. Total preliminary student enrollment was reported at 256,438 for 2025, a 3.4% increase over 2024’s total of 247,927. The release did not break down the totals by undergraduate and graduate enrollment, but a final enrollment report is expected to be released later this year. “We’re happy to welcome more students than ever at our
state universities,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “We have been focused on providing affordable, accessible education to all North Carolinians, while raising graduation rates and lowering student debt. Families recognize that the UNC System delivers opportunity and value.” The 2025 total enrollment count is more than 31,500 higher than it was a decade ago. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, UNC System enrollment dipped between 2021 (244,500) and 2022 (239,663) but rebounded significantly in 2023 (256,483). The enrollment increases were credited in part to changes in transfer policies and NC See UNC, page A3
ated money toward recovery,” Stein said in a press release. “Just like folks in the gulf states, the mid-Atlantic, and Puerto Rico, the people of western North Carolina deserve federal support after a major hurricane, and the time to act is now. “Western North Carolinians are counting on the federal government for help to rebuild homes, support small businesses, and repair roads. I call on Congress to deliver for western North Carolina its fair share and appropriate an additional $13.5 billion in funding for Helene recovery.” The total requests made by Stein to Congress come to $23 billion, which includes his new request for $13.5 billion. Stein said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated or obligated $5.17 billion to the state. Stein’s request includes $8 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) See AID, page A2