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North Carolina Democrats push for early 2028 primary

North Carolina is one of 12 states allowed to bid to be one of the first primary states in 2028.

Politics

North Carolina Democrats are lobbying to make the state one of the first presidential primary contests in 2028, arguing the state reflects the rest of the U.S., given its growing and diverse <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="population" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/01/29/north-carolina-kept-growing-last-year-despite-immigration-slowdown" data-vars-content-id="3aa3de09-b521-4564-befe-543e59dd7aa1" data-vars-headline="North Carolina Democrats push for early 2028 primary" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/01/29/north-carolina-kept-growing-last-year-despite-immigration-slowdown" target="_self">population</a>.Why it matters: If selected, North Carolina could hold a large influence over which candidate ultimately secures the nomination. It could also attract tens of millions of dollars of investments into statewide campaigns.

Why young North Carolina entrepreneurs are buying up Boomer businesses

In North Carolina and beyond, young entrepreneurs are buying up small businesses from founders nearing retirement.

Business

Rob Belk, 35, grew up in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Charlotte" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte" data-vars-content-id="7a6faaac-45d5-40be-af90-2649b31e3c01" data-vars-headline="Why young North Carolina entrepreneurs are buying up Boomer businesses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte" target="_self">Charlotte</a>, selling ladies&#x27; shoes at the SouthPark mall Belk, his family&#x27;s eponymous department store — a grind that instilled in him an entrepreneurial bug. Earlier this year, he purchased Sales Factory, a Greensboro marketing and insights agency that&#x27;s been around since 1984.Why it matters: In North Carolina and beyond, young entrepreneurs are buying up small businesses from founders nearing retirement — part of a phenomenon dubbed the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="silver tsunami" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/29/retirement-crisis-social-security-2026" data-vars-content-id="7a6faaac-45d5-40be-af90-2649b31e3c01" data-vars-headline="Why young North Carolina entrepreneurs are buying up Boomer businesses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/29/retirement-crisis-social-security-2026" target="_self">silver tsunami</a>&quot; that&#x27;s resulting in a massive transfer of wealth.

The Triangle's college grad boom

The Triangle's universities continue to power the region's growth

News

The Triangle has been one of the leading regions for adding residents with college degrees since the pandemic, a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html" data-vars-content-id="49637436-34a4-46c4-b872-bb6949543d3e" data-vars-headline="The Triangle&#x27;s college grad boom" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html" target="_blank">report</a> from the U.S. Census Bureau finds. Why it matters: The Triangle has long prided itself on how much talent its universities produce, helping make the region one of the biggest areas for job growth <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="over the past decade" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/03/the-top-10-us-cities-for-job-opportunities-and-earning-potential-according-to-new-report.html" data-vars-content-id="49637436-34a4-46c4-b872-bb6949543d3e" data-vars-headline="The Triangle&#x27;s college grad boom" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/03/the-top-10-us-cities-for-job-opportunities-and-earning-potential-according-to-new-report.html" target="_blank">over the past decade</a>.

Chapel Hill businesses still dealing with effects of tropical storm flooding

Renovations are ongoing at many businesses, while others have closed completely.

More than seven months after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tropical Storm Chantal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/tropical-storm-chantal-north-south-carolina-flood" data-vars-content-id="1cc3490d-4976-4d4f-a3fa-bca1c4e5b2b0" data-vars-headline="Chapel Hill businesses still dealing with effects of tropical storm flooding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/tropical-storm-chantal-north-south-carolina-flood" target="_self">Tropical Storm Chantal</a> significantly flooded parts of Chapel Hill, businesses at the popular Eastgate Crossing shopping center are still working to clean up the mess.Why it matters: The lingering effects of Chantal, which dumped more than 7 inches of rain in 12 hours, have shown just how damaging <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fast-forming tropical storms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/07/07/tropical-storm-chantal-tropical-weather-triangle-north-carolina-carrboro-chapel-hill-durham" data-vars-content-id="1cc3490d-4976-4d4f-a3fa-bca1c4e5b2b0" data-vars-headline="Chapel Hill businesses still dealing with effects of tropical storm flooding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/07/07/tropical-storm-chantal-tropical-weather-triangle-north-carolina-carrboro-chapel-hill-durham" target="_self">fast-forming tropical storms</a> can be amid intensifying climate change.<ul><li>Chantal caused <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more than $56 million worth of damage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article310619555.html" data-vars-content-id="1cc3490d-4976-4d4f-a3fa-bca1c4e5b2b0" data-vars-headline="Chapel Hill businesses still dealing with effects of tropical storm flooding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article310619555.html" target="_blank">more than $56 million worth of damage</a> in Orange County, much of that at Eastgate Crossing. </li></ul>

The Newsagent's is a celebration of the analog world in downtown Raleigh

The store is a delightful throwback to the days before we were online every minute of the day.

Stepping into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Newsagent&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://thenewsagentsshop.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopDwi_Wbt5W-4WSUzfh-55xJjLWvDB-B5lIg3vEOL7yc_XRJdfy" data-vars-content-id="30899223-b43c-46ff-985f-cf664c97014c" data-vars-headline="The Newsagent&#x27;s is a celebration of the analog world in downtown Raleigh" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thenewsagentsshop.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopDwi_Wbt5W-4WSUzfh-55xJjLWvDB-B5lIg3vEOL7yc_XRJdfy" target="_blank">The Newsagent&#x27;s</a> new storefront is a delightful throwback to a time before logging onto the internet became a daily occurrence. Why it matters: The new downtown Raleigh store, at 228 Fayetteville St., is a big bet that in a time when every bit of life is saturated by the presence of the online world, a celebration of the analog media can make waves. Driving the news: The Newsagent&#x27;s softly opened to the public this past week, and by the weekend it was already attracting a buzzy crowd. <ul><li>The store, the brainchild of Neetzan Zimmerman and Yulia Shamis, sells everything from pulpy paperback books and vinyl records to vintage magazines, comics and VHS tapes. </li></ul>Zoom in: The Newsagent&#x27;s is also positioning itself as a new hangout spot for Fayetteville Street. <ul><li>The shop features a small coffee bar and plenty of seating around the store, including a cozy mezzanine floor. </li></ul>Between the lines: Don&#x27;t expect anything new in the store. It&#x27;s all used. <ul><li>The Newsagent&#x27;s plans to begin a robust buying program to keep a rotating cast of thrifted goods coming in and out of the store. </li></ul>Stop by: The Newsagent&#x27;s is still operating under soft open hours. The goal is to add more in the coming weeks. <ul><li>Right now, you can shop from noon to 5 p.m. every day of the week but Monday. </li></ul><figure><img alt="Interior of a busy bookstore with wooden shelves filled with books, round white hanging lights, orange patterned wall, tables with green dividers, and people browsing and talking." height="3024" id="1612dabb-1007-49bf-97f8-4ec6a24d440d" src="https://images.axios.com/kI4cxHoQ-f410hTJA9XMOFbNQbg=/2026/02/23/1771860824776.jpeg" width="4032"/><figcaption>Inside The Newsagent&#x27;s in downtown Raleigh. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios</figcaption></figure>

The Triangle continues to see homicides fall from the pandemic peak

The number of homicides in the Triangle's biggest cities have stabilized.

The Triangle&#x27;s two largest cities joined a national trend in seeing declining homicides since the pandemic, according to local and national data. Why it matters: After <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="surging during the pandemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/02/26/triangle-homicide-numbers-fall-post-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="c43b7b40-67cb-4639-b8a0-075f437aa400" data-vars-headline="The Triangle continues to see homicides fall from the pandemic peak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/02/26/triangle-homicide-numbers-fall-post-pandemic" target="_self">surging during the pandemic</a>, homicides in Raleigh and Durham remain down significantly from their peak in 2022.

Why one of North Carolina's top school districts is eyeing closures

CHCCS is considered one of the best school districts in the state, but enrollment is declining.

The board of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools could close up to two elementary schools as the district grapples with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="declining enrollment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/12/16/leandro-school-funding-lawsuit-in-limbo-north-carolina-charter-public-private-education" data-vars-content-id="1dc1b59c-b8b9-4b64-9b46-107d3ab248c1" data-vars-headline="Why one of North Carolina&#x27;s top school districts is eyeing closures" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/12/16/leandro-school-funding-lawsuit-in-limbo-north-carolina-charter-public-private-education" target="_self">declining enrollment</a> and budget shortfalls.Why it matters: CHCCS is considered <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one" data-vars-click-url="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article195097919.html" data-vars-content-id="1dc1b59c-b8b9-4b64-9b46-107d3ab248c1" data-vars-headline="Why one of North Carolina&#x27;s top school districts is eyeing closures" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article195097919.html" target="_blank">one</a> of North Carolina&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="best" data-vars-click-url="https://www.niche.com/k12/d/chapel-hill-carrboro-city-schools-nc/rankings/" data-vars-content-id="1dc1b59c-b8b9-4b64-9b46-107d3ab248c1" data-vars-headline="Why one of North Carolina&#x27;s top school districts is eyeing closures" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.niche.com/k12/d/chapel-hill-carrboro-city-schools-nc/rankings/" target="_blank">best</a> school districts. But its academic excellence doesn&#x27;t shield it from some of the same headwinds facing public school districts nationwide. <ul><li>School officials say closing a few aging facilities can help the district right-size itself to suit its current student population.</li></ul>

How Dix Park evolved into Raleigh's favorite "third place"

Around 1.7 million people visited the park in 2025, driven by the new Gipson Play Plaza and troll statues.

Ten years ago, Hayes Permar, the owner of the Rialto Theatre in Raleigh, would use Dix Park as his personal driving range, lobbing golf balls across Flowers Field toward the Raleigh skyline. <ul><li>Permar, who visits Dix&#x27;s dog park nearly every day, says that if he did that today, he would be run off with expletives for putting someone in danger of a head injury. </li></ul>Why it matters: The Dix Park of today is woven into the fabric of Raleigh. It&#x27;s more crowded than ever, attracting people across generations, from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="children playing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/06/06/raleigh-gipson-play-plaza-opens-this-weekend-dix-park" data-vars-content-id="6b8e394b-20e6-42a2-9676-07a0c5c0a882" data-vars-headline="How Dix Park evolved into Raleigh&#x27;s favorite &quot;third place&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/06/06/raleigh-gipson-play-plaza-opens-this-weekend-dix-park" target="_self">children playing</a> to adults finding a moment of zen to curious teens admiring local art.

North Carolina's income growth has lagged behind its neighbors since 1970

The transition away from textiles and furniture has created unequal gains, one economist said

Between 1970 and 2023, North Carolina&#x27;s household income has grown at a slower clip than its southern neighbors, according to a new report from the Urban Institute. Why it matters: The report provides further evidence of the divergent nature of North Carolina&#x27;s urban and rural economies, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="as the Triangle and Charlotte have outperformed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/09/25/triangle-durham-chapel-hill-cary-income-average-median" data-vars-content-id="fa4f39db-bd3d-475c-a4c7-a796a7c8f552" data-vars-headline="North Carolina&#x27;s income growth has lagged behind its neighbors since 1970" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/09/25/triangle-durham-chapel-hill-cary-income-average-median" target="_self">as the Triangle and Charlotte have outperformed</a> the rest of the state by a wide margin in income growth.

Triangle's first major snowstorm in years expected this weekend

Snowfall will vary by location, but all of North Carolina will see freezing temps and strong winds.

Climate

Forecasters believe central North Carolina will get more snow this weekend than it has in years.Why it matters: The National Weather Service in Raleigh says most models are calling for 5 to 10 inches of snowfall — which in some places will coat ice stubbornly lingering from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="last weekend&#x27;s winter storm" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/01/26/raleigh-winter-storm-forecast-vs-reality-ice-sleet" data-vars-content-id="5d116d31-50ba-490f-91a5-6cfb64fba93b" data-vars-headline="Triangle&#x27;s first major snowstorm in years expected this weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/01/26/raleigh-winter-storm-forecast-vs-reality-ice-sleet" target="_self">last weekend&#x27;s winter storm</a>.

North Carolina kept growing last year despite immigration slowdown

North Carolina was the third-fastest-growing state last year.

North Carolina remained one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. last year, even as the country&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="population growth slowed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/us-population-growth-slows-immigration-trump" data-vars-content-id="549d7aef-0814-469d-84a7-907f2645c00f" data-vars-headline="North Carolina kept growing last year despite immigration slowdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/us-population-growth-slows-immigration-trump" target="_self">population growth slowed</a> significantly amid an overall slump in immigration. Why it matters: The U.S. population grew just 0.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, per new Census Bureau estimates, adding 1.8 million people.<ul><li>That&#x27;s the slowest rate since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by an anemic 0.2%.</li></ul>

News 🗞

Why young North Carolina entrepreneurs are buying up Boomer businesses

The Newsagent's is a celebration of the analog world in downtown Raleigh

Data center opposition grows across North Carolina

The Triangle's college grad boom

A Korean bakery is multiplying in the Triangle