On Tuesday, New Hanover County commissioners voted to end most, but not all, of its contract with Flock, citing insufficient guardrails against abuse of the powerful technology. The controversial license-plate readers and the broader use of AI-powered surveillance have prompted community pushback across party lines.

The campaign for incumbent Republican State Senator Michael Lee recently dropped an AI deepfake ad, mocking his opponent, Democrat Jessica Bichler. It’s not totally surprising, given that AI slop has made its way into almost every corner of our lives. But as some states move to regulate the practice, it’s worth unpacking some ethical, political, and even constitutional facets of AI-generated political messaging.

FEMA is awarding Graham nearly $16 million to repair the Graham-Mebane Lake Spillway, which was damaged during Tropical Storm Chantal last year.

With Superintendent Don Phipps retiring at the end of September, the school board has just a few weeks to find his replacement.