Cary spending, Eric Church’s viral speech & faulty gas pumps: The Triangle’s top stories
Here’s a digest of today’s top stories from The News & Observer for May 18, 2026, covering breaking news from across the Triangle and beyond.
From criminal cases and government spending to a viral commencement speech, here’s what readers need to know.
- Cary’s Harvard spending under scrutiny: The town of Cary spent at least $84,900 sending senior staffers to executive leadership courses at Harvard, Vanderbilt and other universities after former Town Manager Sean Stegall took over in 2016. Three officials completed Harvard’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government certificate course between 2022 and 2024, with tuition alone totaling $51,700.
Read more: Cary spent $85K to send town officials to courses at Harvard, other schools
- Ex-Broughton teacher faces life sentence: Former Broughton Magnet High School teacher Steven Robert Kohls, 57, was ordered held without bond Monday after his first court appearance on multiple sex charges. He faces six counts of statutory sex offense of a child, which carry a minimum 25-year sentence and a maximum of life, along with additional charges involving incidents between 2005 and 2014.
Read more: Ex-Broughton High teacher could face life in prison if convicted on sex charges
- Durham PAC chair indicted in embezzlement: Cassandra Stokes, former chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People’s Political Action Committee, was indicted Monday on two counts of felony embezzlement and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses. Prosecutors allege nearly $75,000 was stolen through unauthorized checks, ATM withdrawals and personal debit card charges, discovered during a 2024 leadership transition.
Read more: Former Durham Committee PAC chair indicted in $75K embezzlement case
- Husband sentenced for killing wife: Omar Matthew Ibrahim Drabick, 37, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder for killing his wife Hadeel Ghadhanfer Hikmat in 2023 and dumping her body in Jordan Lake to escape an arranged marriage. He was sentenced to 25 to 31 years in prison plus six to nine additional years for concealing a death.
Read more: Husband gets prison for killing wife in Chatham Co. to escape arranged marriage
- Eric Church’s UNC speech goes viral: Country singer Eric Church delivered a commencement address at UNC-Chapel Hill using six guitar strings as metaphors for life values including faith, family, partnership and community. The speech went viral on social media, with one outlet calling it the “greatest commencement speech ever.”
Read more: Why country star Eric Church’s commencement speech at UNC has gone viral
- Faulty gas pumps flagged across Triangle: Inspectors with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found problems with pumps at more than a dozen gas stations across Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties between March and early May. Some pumps were tagged and removed from service when meter errors exceeded tolerances, meaning customers would pay for more fuel than dispensed.
Read more: Pumps at 12+ Triangle gas stations were recently flagged for problems. Here’s where
Sports
- Hurricanes defensive duo bonds over faith: Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield have developed a deep partnership rooted in friendship and shared faith, with Slavin serving as Chatfield’s best man and performing his baptism. The pair has been instrumental in the Hurricanes’ playoff run, allowing only 10 goals in eight games as Carolina swept Ottawa and Philadelphia.
Read more: Inside a Carolina Hurricanes defensive duo’s chemistry: Friendship forged in faith
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.