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  • A Board of Elections Power Grab
  • A Peaceful Protest
  • A New CEO for GoTriangle
  • A Threat to Health Care Access
  • A New Raleigh Bus Station
Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Good morning, readers.

The Republican Party has officially seized control of elections boards across North Carolina.

Shortly after the 2024 elections concluded last November, Republicans in the state house passed Senate Bill 382, which stripped power over the state Board of Elections away from incoming Democratic governor Josh Stein and gave it to newly-elected State Auditor Dave Boliek, a Trump devotee with ties to staunch election deniers.

On May 1, Boliek assumed power over the state elections board, appointing a 3-2 Republican majority to serve in office.

And on Tuesday, Boliek appointed Republican board chairs in all 100 counties in the state, making each county elections board a 3-2 Republican majority, even in democratic strongholds like Durham. The shift gives the Republican Party overwhelming power over how elections are conducted in North Carolina.

Some folks, including Governor Stein, consider the move a serious overreach by Republicans. But it remains unclear what effect the move will have in places like Durham, where Democrats and Republicans have worked together cordially, according to county officials. Still, after the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and the failed attempt by Jefferson Griffin to discard 60,000 votes in his state Supreme Court race against Allison Riggs, voters have a newfound appreciation for what it takes to uphold election integrity.

Read more below about the shift in power and what local officials expect in the coming months. Enjoy your weekend, readers.

—Justin

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) announces new Performing Arts and Film Events Inspired by the People’s Collection in Place of Summer Outdoor Concert Series. The NCMA offers performing arts and film series and events both on and off its campus, reimagining ways in which audiences can engage with the People’s Collection and bridging music, dance, film, literary arts, and theater experiences to the visual arts. Upcoming highlights include pop-up music performances in West Building, commissioned dance performances in partnership with local and regional university dance programs, outdoor movies in Moore Square in partnership with Downtown Raleigh Alliance and more.

Learn More
Credit: Courtesy of Muslims for Social Justice

“Don’t Be Silent”

Human rights groups and other local activists gathered in Raleigh Thursday to speak out against U.S. wars and attacks on vulnerable communities, INDY’s Jane Porter reports.

Credit: Courtesy photo

Meet GoTriangle’s New CEO

INDY’s Chloe Courtney Bohl talked to Brian Smith about regional transit, improving bus service, and what riders can expect from the transit agency under his leadership.

Barriers to Care

The Assembly reports on five ways Congress’s proposed budget bills would make it harder to get health insurance in North Carolina.

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OP-ED: For the future of the sport, Major League Baseball should not only bring a new team to Raleigh—it should move its research and development to the Triangle too, Walt Barron writes for the INDY.

DUKE: Duke has lost millions in National Institutes of Health funding, including grants that contained the word “trans”—as in disease transmission, The Chronicle reports.

STATE: Legislators passed a bill that would freeze funding that helps low-income residents get legal services via Legal Aid of North Carolina, NC Newsline reports.

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  • The new Raleigh Union Station Bus Facility—RUS Bus—will be ready earlier than expected. Next to Raleigh’s Union Station rail facility, RUS Bus will incorporate housing, retail, and multi-modal transit.
  • Once again, it’s hot y’all. Here are some ideas for keeping your dog occupied around here when it’s too soupy outside for a walk.
  • Raleigh’s Moore Square transforms into a pop-up skate park this weekend. Read up on skaters’ efforts to build a new skate park in Raleigh in Jane Porter’s story on the skaters of Graveside DIY.
  • Join us for: ANTICONFESSIONAL : MISTRIAL a 90-minute participatory performance and political workshop by queer artists Telmo Branco and Ren Mauney on July 6th at the Fruit, questioning state allegiance and practicing queer abolition through immersive artistic intervention.
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