VOLUME 11 ISSUE 30 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
NSJONLINE.COM
TONY GUTIERREZ / AP PHOTO
Laurie in the Lone Star State Pennsylvania police officer Sam Elias, left, joins Laurie Buckhout — who is running for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat — onstage at the Republican midterm convention last week, in Dallas, Texas. See more from the GOP’s convention on A10.
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Education Lottery sales surge, public education contributions drop
BRIEF this week
First Lady Melania Trump touts AI as she tours Ashe County elementary school Jefferson First lady Melania Trump visited an elementary school in northwestern North Carolina Tuesday, where she said the U.S. must lead on artificial intelligence. Her trip Tuesday comes as tech and political leaders debate about how best to regulate the AI industry. Prominent tech leaders have said they’re worried about the dangers of AI and called for more oversight. But President Donald Trump has dismissed that idea, calling it a “hoax.” The first lady said students need to learn about AI for the U.S. to continue to lead in the technology, but said they need to learn to be vigilant, too.
4 supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran’s tour after Macklemore is dropped over pro-Palestinian comments on stage Four supporting acts have quit Ed Sheeran’s tour after Macklemore was removed for his pro-Palestinian comments onstage. Hours after Sheeran said he refused to be drawn into a discussion about the war in Gaza, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, Denmark’s Lukas Graham, and Finneas posted separately on social media that they would withdraw from the tour. Rowe was one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band. Finneas was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year. Sheeran stated the decision to remove Macklemore was solely the tour promoter’s. Macklemore claimed he was dropped after expressing support for Palestine during a concert in New Jersey.
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NC K-12 testing sees wide gains Composite scores are at or above pre-pandemic levels By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina K-12 public school students posted their strongest statewide testing results last school year, their strongest since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The gains pushed the statewide composite above the last pre-pandemic benchmarks, with grade-level proficiency ris-
ing to 59.2% across all subjects and grades while the four-year graduation rate hit a record 88.8%. The 2025-26 results continue a multiyear recovery following the pandemic. After the sharp 2021-22 drop to 51% proficiency, scores rose modestly in 2022-23 and 2023-24, then another point in 2024-25. The figures, released Sept. 2 by the Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) at a State Board of Education meeting, mark a 4.2-point jump from See TESTING, page A3
Sales increased by 51% from 2023 to 2025, but school funding transfers dropped from 23% to 16% By Jessica Taylor For North State Journal A recent performance audit report of the North Carolina Education Lottery found that while lottery sales surged due to digital gambling, the share of revenue directed to public education dropped from 2023 to 2025. “Last December, the State Auditor’s Office released a financial audit of the Education Lottery, and we were left with questions on the amount of money going toward our public schools,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek in a press release. “New online slot machine gaming, which has an 87% payout rate, now dominates the market.
Report: Adults, not school-age children, fueling NC growth The Charter School Review Board statistics show that school choice options are gaining momentum By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A September student enrollment report prepared for North Carolina’s Charter School Review Board shows that while the state is still growing, the growth is mostly among adults, not school-age children. Births in North Carolina have fallen about 6%, sig-
nificantly less than the 16% drop nationwide. While those numbers make the state look healthier than many peers, the child population in North Carolina is projected to rise 5% by 2035, or by about 80,000 more kids, while the 65-and-over population is on track to jump far faster. The report notes last year’s high school class was much larger than the kindergarten class that recently entered schools. In statewide age counts, there are about 16% fewer 3-year-olds than See CHARTERS, page A2
33% Increase in charter school enrollment in North Carolina since 2019
“Online slot machine gaming grew from generating 0% of the Education Lottery’s revenue to 40% in just three years. The Education Lottery today isn’t what it used to be, prompting auditors to recommend the primary policy objective of the lottery be revisited.” The North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) introduced online slot machine-style games in November 2023, which drove new lottery sales, according to the audit. Between fiscal year (FY) 2023 and FY 2025, the NCEL’s gross reported sales climbed from $4.3 billion to $6.6 billion, a 51% increase. During the same period, sales transferred to the Education Fund fell from 23% to 16%. Total transfers to the Education Fund increased from $1.02 billion in FY 2023 to $1.09 billion in FY 2024 but then declined to $1.08 billion See LOTTERY, page A3