https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article316508640.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/2d82d3b3-1531-4a54-b9f1-5be1075415df/1_th.jpg Why has Raleigh launched Oak City Sparkle sparkling water? Raleigh created Oak City Sparkle, a canned sparkling tap water made with Trophy Brewing, distributed at events and aimed to support the city's water sharing program. Here's why the city is canning this exclusive beverage. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article316508640.html/video-embed 60 2026-07-15T12:30:00Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article316269876.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/6b4f3dff-1266-4ffa-8dea-6432d0a86437/1_th.jpg Raleigh Midtown redevelopment quietly erases affordable housing Residents at The Pointe at Midtown in Raleigh, built in the 1960s, face phased nonrenewals as Kane Realty clears Los Navaho for a 28‑acre North Hills expansion, intensifying a local affordability crisis. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article316269876.html/video-embed 91 2026-07-15T09:15:00Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/article316490736.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/787b5c20-d555-4473-8619-e8c1463d404b/1_th.jpg Jordon Hudson asked UNC for records in June. Here’s what they revealed. UNC-Chapel Hill fulfilled Jordon Hudson’s public records requests, returning mainly contracts and audits; few documents revealed outside communications about boyfriend Coach Bill Belichick. https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/article316490736.html/video-embed 116 2026-07-14T14:00:00Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article316510862.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/17f96a6a-74b3-4313-b896-5f1abe53a9d0/1_th.jpg Donors pull scholarship fund over UNC System DEI policy Jane Winik Sartwell, higher education reporter at The News & Observer, explains how a family is pulling a $1 million scholarship fund from UNC Wilmington after the school said it could no longer gear their money toward African American students. The change stems from the UNC System's Equality Policy, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article316510862.html/video-embed 57 2026-07-14T21:13:24Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article316494885.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/2bb032db-a21a-4dbc-909a-3cf9cde72b7e/1_th.jpg Funding approved after 3 Wake County elementary schools deemed unsafe due to structural issues Emergency repairs will be made at three Wake County elementary schools that have been deemed unsafe for students due to settling and wall cracking issues on the campus. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article316494885.html/video-embed 97 2026-07-13T20:06:16Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article314323282.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/d13c25c8-52e5-4e48-b1a2-02dfdcd71afe/2_th.jpg 'Fund public schools. It is not money wasted, it is money invested.' Public school advocates rallied in front of the General Assembly on Wednesday Jan. 14, 2026, to lobby for more school funding and for restrictions on charter schools and private school vouchers. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article314323282.html/video-embed 31 2026-01-14T20:07:13Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article316496397.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/35013346-45c9-4158-874b-7085adcad3e0/3_th.jpg Three wounded after ‘retaliation’ shooting outside Wilson courthouse Wilson County Sheriff C.L. Woodard, Jr. tells reporters that a man is in custody after police say he shot a woman outside the Wilson County Courthouse and then traded gunfire with police — an incident officials believe was in retaliation for a fatal shooting last month. Abdul Karim Mustafa, 21, of Wilson, faces four charges, including attempted first-degree murder and going armed to terror of the public after police said he approached a 19-year-old woman who was entering the courthouse and shot her several times before fleeing. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article316496397.html/video-embed 84 2026-07-13T21:56:39Z no https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article316488118.html https://img.thecontentserver.com/1966cf24-46cb-4604-aaff-7696a28f8826/1_th.jpg Wake County Animal Center is overcapacity and needs your help The Wake County Animal Center is at overcapacity for a variety of reasons and needs help from volunteers, adopters, and those able to foster an animal. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article316488118.html/video-embed 54 2026-07-13T13:28:19Z no