The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida came to North Carolina April 11-12 to discuss jobs, business investment and the country’s relationship with the Southeast United States. Kishida landed in the Tar Heel State on Thursday, April 11 after attending a White House State Dinner with the Bidens and many other star-studded guests. On Friday, Kishida traveled around the state with Gov. Roy Cooper to talk jobs and business investments, according to a press release. To solidify the leaders' relationship, Cooper proclaimed April 12 as North Carolina and Japan Friendship Day....

Raleigh author Heather Frese made a splash with her 2021 debut novel "Baddest Girl on the Planet," which won the Lee Smith Prize. She returns to that book's territory -- modern-day Hatteras Island -- for her follow-up, "The Saddest Girl on the Beach." This is no sophomore slump -- far from it. While "Baddest Girl" was basically a slim volume of interconnected short stories, "Saddest Girl" is a fleshed-out, mature novel with compelling themes. The heroine of "Baddest Girl" was Evid Austin, one of those rare BOIs (Born on the...

Two forces for good in Charlotte — Manolo Betancur of Manolo’s Bakery and 99-year-old Myers Park United Methodist Church — are joining forces to launch the nonprofit coffee shop Higher Grounds by Manolo’s in the church’s new Center of Hope building off Queens Road in May. Britt Yett, the program director for missions and food ministry at the church, said, “The goal was to be a nonprofit, mission-centered cafe, and then, obviously, the next call was Manolo. That’s a no brainer. He personifies what we want to be in the...

North Carolina has the fourth largest military presence in the country, with approximately 21,000 of those individuals enrolled at UNC institutions. A new credit transfer tool for military service members enrolling in the University of North Carolina System is helping a target group of adult learners translate their technical on-the-job experience into college-level academic credit.

The Biden campaign hosted a number of North Carolina student journalists Thursday morning for a virtual discussion of the role reproductive rights will play in the upcoming presidential election. Moderated by Natalie Murdock, Democratic state senator representing North Carolina’s 20th district, the event featured insights from Amanda Zurawski and Kaitlyn Joshua — two women who were personally affected by the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the summer 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision.

A young South Carolina mother died Wednesday after becoming trapped in the machinery at the fabric factory where she worked. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. at Carolina Cotton Works in Gaffney, about 55 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C. Brianna Danielle Coyle, 30, “became trapped at the machine where she was working,” Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler told WYFF. She was discovered by her co-workers and taken to a hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead at around 1 p.m. No other details about the industrial accident were released. Coyle...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WITN) - Jail records show East Carolina alumnus and professional golfer Harold Varner lll was arrested Thursday night in Charlotte. Police records say 33-year-old Varner was arrested and charged with driving while impaired last night by The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Court documents say he was driving on Providence Road. Records show he was breathalyzed, and his blood alcohol content read 0.16, double the legal limit. He was taken to the Mecklenburg County jail and given a $500.00 unsecured bond. Records show he posted bond around 9:45 p.m....

One person was killed and a second was critically wounded when gunshots were fired at 2:30 a.m. in a southwest Charlotte residential neighborhood, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Identities of the two victims have not been released and police have not said if there is a suspect. Detectives also discovered a home in the 16200 block of Long Talon Way was hit by gunfire, CMPD said in a news release. None of the people in the home were hit, officials said. Police responded to the scene around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec....