Hospital merger, Canes in the playoffs and best Italian food: Today’s top stories
Here’s a roundup of today’s top stories from The News & Observer on Monday, May 4, 2026, covering major developments in healthcare, politics, public safety and sports.
Here are key takeaways:
• WakeMed merger delayed: Wake County commissioners voted Monday to delay a decision related to WakeMed Health’s proposed merger with Atrium Health for up to 90 days following pushback from state and local officials. WakeMed says the merger would bring a $2 billion investment and 3,300 new healthcare jobs to Wake County.
Read more: Wake County commissioners delay decision related to WakeMed’s merger with Atrium
• State funds under investigation: Former state Rep. Cecil Brockman secured $2 million in state funding for High Point autism nonprofit Puzzle Play, with $350,000 going to his predecessor and former boss Marcus Brandon’s consulting firm. The state is now investigating whether taxpayer money was improperly used to pay for lobbying.
Read more: NC lawmakers gave autism nonprofit $2 million. Much went to a former colleague.
• Teens push tobacco age law: North Carolina teens are advocating for Solly’s Law, which would raise the minimum tobacco purchase age to 21. The bill would also require retailers to obtain permits, but faces an uphill battle in the legislature. The law is named after 15-year-old Solomon Wynn who died in 2023 from a vaping-related illness.
Read more: Why these teens are pushing NC to make it illegal for them to buy tobacco
• Trump threat charges filed: Daniel Rodney Swain of South Carolina could face up to five years in prison after being arrested April 29 for allegedly writing threats against President Trump on a BMW at an Apex car wash. Police say they also found methamphetamine and a drone in the vehicle.
Read more: Man accused of writing Trump threat on BMW could face up to 5 years in prison
Canes in Stanley Cup playoffs
• Hurricanes stay perfect: The Carolina Hurricanes have won all five of their playoff games without trailing at any point, the first team to accomplish that since the 1986 Washington Capitals. Logan Stankoven’s line has combined for 10 goals and 11 assists heading into Game 2 Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Read more: Carolina Hurricanes find winning formula for NHL playoffs. Can they keep it up?
Readers vote: Here’s the Triangle’s best Italian restaurant
• Best Italian restaurant named: Pomodoro’s Italian Kitchen in Durham was named the Triangle’s favorite Italian spot by N&O readers, edging Anthony’s La Piazza by about 300 votes out of nearly 15,000 cast. Owners Carlo and Josephine Finazzo opened the restaurant in 2007 in a former Shoney’s overlooking I-85.
Read more: A beloved Italian joint and pizzeria is the best in the Triangle, readers said
Evening read
• Boxcar survival story revisited: Sixty years ago, two Fayetteville boys, ages 12 and 13, survived 13 days locked in a Schlitz beer boxcar that traveled from North Carolina to Milwaukee, sipping dregs from empty bottles to stay alive. The Army kids from Fort Bragg sparked a frantic statewide search before being discovered in a Wisconsin rail yard.
Read more: How two NC boys survived 13 days in a train boxcar on nothing but stale Schlitz
The summary above, based on reporting by Nolan Wilkinson, Dan Kane, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Virginia Bridges, Chip Alexander and Drew Jackson, was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.