From state politics and higher education to a courtroom reckoning and a viral State Fair video, these are the headlines from The N&O drawing attention today.
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Former campaign worker’s allegations against Mike Causey. A woman who helped Mike Causey’s 2016 campaign for North Carolina insurance commissioner told a private investigator in 2019 that Causey leaned over her car’s console and kissed her on the lips, prompting her to cut off contact. Her account, which The N&O obtained from a legal file in the Greg Lindberg bribery case, echoes a former Insurance Department employee’s sexual harassment complaint against Causey, who is serving his third term.
Read more: Former campaign worker says she fended off advance by future NC insurance chief
UNC’s deal with the Trump administration. UNC-Chapel Hill’s agreement with the Trump administration took a full year to negotiate, general counsel Paul Newton said. It resolves 18 federal investigations without the university admitting wrongdoing or paying any money. The deal commits UNC to combatting antisemitism and pursuing race-blind admissions, and it installs an internal Merit and Civil Rights Administrator — current compliance officer Elizabeth Hall — who will report quarterly to the Justice Department.
Read more: UNC deal with Trump administration took a year to negotiate. How it came together
Alienation of affection lawsuit dropped. Jan Poole has voluntarily dismissed her alienation of affection suit against Susan Mercer Gaines, who is now married to Poole’s ex-husband, Gaines Oil Co. CEO Todd Gaines. The dismissal was filed with prejudice, meaning Poole cannot refile the complaint she first brought a year ago under North Carolina’s long-standing alienation of affection law.
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Driver sentenced in N.C. State professor’s death. Jack “J.T.” Etheridge, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to reckless and careless driving in the November 2025 crosswalk death of N.C. State assistant professor Natalia Duque-Wilckens. She died 70 days from her wedding. Judge Rashad Hauter sentenced Etheridge to a year of unsupervised probation and 35 hours of community service. The professor’s fiancé, Trevor Huffman, publicly forgave him in court.
Read more: Tearful driver sentenced in N.C. State professor’s crosswalk death
Wood blocks under State Fair rides. A TikTok video showing wooden blocks propping up the Dragon Coaster at the N.C. State Fair drew nearly 750,000 views and alarmed many viewers. But N.C. Department of Labor spokesperson John Waugh said such blocks are routinely used to create a level, stable foundation for amusement rides. Inspectors have logged more than 1,000 hours checking all 94 rides at the fair, which runs through Oct. 25.
Read more: A viral TikTok shows wood blocks propping up a NC State Fair ride. That’s common
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.
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