By Lucas Tomae Carolina Public Press Civil legal aid organizations, which provide tens of thousands of North Carolinians with free legal services each year, have been forced to close offices and reduce client intake after the state legislature froze millions of dollars in grant funding to them earlier this year. A small provision in a public […]
Posted inEnvironmental Health
Plastic waste is costing society billions, Duke study finds
By Will Atwater When it comes to the American landscape, litter is nearly as ubiquitous as trees and waterways. Now new research indicates it’s expensive too. A recent Duke University study estimates that litter costs society between $400 million and $1 trillion every year, once public health, environmental and economic damages are factored in. Unlike […]
Posted inMedicaid
Stein restores Medicaid rates amid budget shortfall, urges legislature to act
By Jaymie Baxley and Ashley Fredde Gov. Josh Stein put an end to North Carolina’s Medicaid brinkmanship Wednesday, restoring funding and abandoning efforts to reduce payments to health care providers brought about by the legislature’s falling hundreds of millions of dollars short of the state health and human services department’s request for the annual Medicaid […]
Posted inChildren's Health
NC inventor/former teacher’s 3D-printed tiles are helping children learn to read
By Jennifer Fernandez CONCORD, N.C. — In Meagan Beam’s dining room, a dozen 3D printers whir and clack away as they crank out plastic tiles with colorful raised letters, letter combinations and pictures on them. The tiles are part of a system the former teacher created as a way to teach reading to students, especially […]
Posted inEnvironmental Health
Chemours cannot keep documents sealed, federal judge rules
By Trista Talton Coastal Review Online A district court judge has ruled that Chemours and its predecessor company cannot conceal thousands of pages of documents from the public. The manufacturing giant failed to provide sufficient evidence the documents include commercially sensitive information that, if released, could competitively undermine the companies, Judge James Dever III concluded […]
Posted inCharlotte Ledger
Surprise! Your health care provider added a fee for that questionnaire you filled out
By Michelle Crouch Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger When Steve Hardman of Charlotte checked in to see a Novant Health sleep doctor earlier this year, the receptionist handed him a survey to fill out. Hardman, 66, had seen the questions before — Do you feel safe in your house? Can you afford food? He spent a […]