by Heidi Reid | Jan 7, 2026 | Buzz, December/January 2025
What went into effect Jan. 1.
Several laws quietly rang in the New Year in NC, officially going into effect Jan. 1. The new legislation covers a wide range of policy, from pension plans to prescription prices to sex and gender issues.
It’s worth noting that despite this wave of legislation, the state gov has yet to pass a budget for this fiscal year, which began six months ago in July 2025. Fun fact: NC is the only state in the country to head into 2026 with no budget. While legislators remain in a deadlock over the state’s piggy bank, here are a handful of notable laws they were able to push through.
HB 805 overcame Gov. Josh Stein’s veto thanks to a NC Republicans rallying a supermajority, and the content struck a nerve with many. The controversial law, inspired by an executive order via President Trump last January, excludes gender identity from state definitions of biological sex.
Earlier provisions included in the legislation went into effect Dec. 1 and allowed lawsuits against medical providers who perform gender-altering medical procedures and banned state funds from being used for transition surgeries. It also allowed students to opt out of school activities conflicting with religious beliefs and gave parents more control over which library books their children can access.
Republicans flipped three Democrats to enact the law: Nasif Majeed and Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, and Edgecombe County’s Shelly Willingham.
HB 67 expands opportunities for internationally trained doctors to practice in NC, plus sets new standards for filtering “hidden killer” surgical smoke from operating rooms.
SB 479 (aka the SCRIPT Act) attempts to protect small pharmacies and make prescription drug costs more transparent by barring pharmacy benefit managers from steering patients to specific practices, as well as giving price cuts to certain pharmacies.
HB 506 formally shifted control of NC’s $139B pension plan to a new state agency, the North Carolina Investment Authority. In short, the legal authority for pension fund management belongs to a board now, rather than being solely in the Treasurer’s hands.
HB 74 excludes all temporary UNC employees—including instructional and research facilitators—from minimum wage and overtime regulations.
Clouded by less controversy, these laws also took effect: HB 388 allows electronically stored wills, SB 248 provides easier access to new birth certificates for adopted children and S.B. 321 makes becoming a public accountant more accessible.
Other much decried legislation, including the Freedom to Carry NC Act, North Carolina Border Protection Act, and multiple bills eliminating DEI in public ed, may be soon to follow. Stay tuned for coverage of bills on the docket for Jan. 12.
by Heidi Reid | Dec 8, 2025 | Arts & Culture, December/January 2025
RM talks lyrics, home and Leonard Cohen with Lily Seabird.
When listening to Lily Seabird sing, it’s easy to tell her lyrics come from small bursts of inspiration, written bluntly after seeing something mundane in her hometown of Burlington, Vermont, that ignites a curdled beauty within her.
To the genre-hopping indie-rock musician, there is always more to see than what meets the eye, and her music takes you on a winding tour of a landscape that subtly grows as familiar as your own hometown. Come Dec. 12, Seabird will grace our own backyard via a performance opening for Robert Lester Folsom at Cat’s Cradle’s Back Room.
Her most recent album, Trash Mountain, stole its namesake from her home in Vermont overlooking the former site of a town dump—and won her a Rolling Stone Artist You Need to Know title to boot. The nostalgic alt-country sound sets a soft and striking ambiance, but in the words of Seabird, right now, “it’s time to rock.”
“Trash Mountain was a quieter moment in my life,” Seabird tells RM. “I just try to follow the way I’m feeling at the moment, but if you come to the show, it’s pretty loud live. There’s not a lot of people that do both these days, but I feel like singer-songwriters like Neil Young were always playing acoustic guitar then rocking out.”
Through her writing, Seabird covers all the bases—the good, the bad and the ugly—building a raw intimacy with her listeners through stories unmarked by complicated diction. “I used to always feel like, ‘Oh, I wish I could write about things that had nothing to do with me,’ but some of my favorite songwriters are very personal,” notes the Pennsylvania native. “I’m inspired by poets and writers like Leonard Cohen, John Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams.”
The process isn’t uniform—Seabird seems to just hold what she likes and lets the rest sift through her fingers. “I’ll start by singing the words into nothing,” she remarks. “Sometimes I’ll write stuff down.
I just try to catch it while it’s falling through space.”
Alongside a striking discography, Seabird’s whimsical mannerisms bring her music full-circle: She saunters through without portraying a hint of anything other than who she truly is. Stop by Cat’s Cradle Dec. 12 for a taste of Seabird’s whimsy, a touch of blunt truth and a lot of rock and roll. @lilyseabird, catscradle.com
by Heidi Reid | Dec 4, 2025 | Arts & Culture, December/January 2025
Cue the Carolina sound.
It’s that time of year again—the era of Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay is upon us. Whether you treat the drop like a national holiday or you only hit repeat on the same handful of artists, one thing is certain: Any NCer can find comfort in the audacious sounds of their home state. To toast to the end of a fab year—and an even better soundtrack—we took a long scroll through our playlists to spotlight our faves from NC bands across genres. Listen in.
Elderberry Wine by Wednesday | Asheville
Thomas Kinkade’s Grand Delusion by Coma Cinema | Asheville
Skullsgiving by Qwilt | Raleigh
Gateleg by Fust | Durham
Evergreen Lover by barrett | Boone
In The Sun by Watchhouse | Chapel Hill
Hush Hush by Solomon Fox | Durham
Long Face People by Cor de Lux | Kill Devil Hills
HOMECOMING by Reuben Vincent and 9th Wonder | Charlotte, Winston-Salem
Fade Into Grey by Emerson Bruno | Raleigh
by Heidi Reid | Dec 4, 2025 | Buzz, December/January 2025
This article is being updated as additional information is released.
UPDATE Nov. 28: Pro-immigrant group Siembra NC reported ICE is deploying 50 agents to Raleigh and the surrounding areas Dec. 1 for a monthlong operation.
***
“They went into the building where people were working, being productive members of society, pulled them out, put them in handcuffs and drove away,” says Cary resident Pamela Hoile. “It’s not giving anyone due process.”
Her account captures the fear that swept across Wake County Nov. 18 when Customs and Border Protection moved in with little warning—disrupting school days, shuttering businesses and grinding daily routines to a halt. The terror extended far beyond undocumented residents. With uncertain immigration policies and tactics perceived by many as racially targeted, entire communities shut their doors and stayed inside.
While the exact number of detainees from initial raids is unavailable,* locals witnessed agents making arrests. Hoile witnessed four men taken from a construction site. After spotting an all-black SUV with tinted windows and Texas plates, she followed it as a second vehicle joined, and both pulled into the site, where she says the men were detained. “I call them ‘kidnappings,’” she tells RM.
Across the county, sightings mounted—from Southeast Raleigh to a Cary Home Depot—and pro-immigrant group Siembra NC confirmed at least 20 sightings within the first 24 hours. While unofficial reports claimed the Raleigh raids wrapped up after a day, agent sightings continued, and the sudden appearance of an ICE HQ in Cary* further fueled anxiety as the city slowed across all major sectors.
“As immigrants, our reality is now masked vigilantes with no respect for human rights or the law,” Mala Pata owner Angela Salamanca tells RM. “What do you do with that? That is terrorism.”
Mala Pata quickly announced limited capacity for the week, with Salamanca saying they won’t fully reopen until their staff feel safe coming to work. The restaurateur stressed the importance of talking with impacted communities—not taking away their agency by assuming what they need.
The fear even touched workers with legal status. “I think it’s messed up that people come here, work and try to give their families a better life, and are then being taken,” says a local construction worker, noting many colleagues stayed home for days despite having documentation or DACA status. “I understand it for those with violent criminal backgrounds, but it’s messed up so many have to worry about even walking outside of their house.”
Nowhere was the disruption more visible than in Wake County Schools. A staggering 19,471 students—or 1 in 9—were marked absent the day after CBP operations began. At one local elementary school, an ESL teacher tells RM more than half of her students were out. Officials expect lower attendance to persist as long as CBP does.
Legally, public schools must remain accessible to all children regardless of immigration status under Plyler v. Doe, and Wake County Public School System says it doesn’t track student immigration status and will seek legal counsel before granting any law enforcement access to campuses.
“One thing we want to do is express to our parents that students have a right to be at school,” said Superintendent Robert Taylor in a statement.
The fear gripping the city—and the county—stands in stark contrast to statements from DHS, which maintained their focus is on removing “criminal aliens.” Gov. Josh Stein called on the agency to focus precisely on that: “Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin,” he admonished. Meanwhile, Mayor Janet Cowell strongly urged Raleighites to remain peaceful amid the pandemonium.
Raleigh heeded her call—and showed up. Peaceful protests formed almost immediately, with a clear message: “We aren’t going anywhere,” as one activist says.
“We didn’t ask for this presence,” says Cowell. With DHS refusing to discuss future operations, uncertainty lingers—regardless of whether ICE returns to Raleigh. For now, fear remains the constant, and communities across the state—and nation—are bracing for what comes next.
*As of press time
by Heidi Reid | Dec 4, 2025 | December/January 2025, Eat
Big Ed’s is built to last.
Can you even call yourself a Raleighite if you haven’t indulged in a big breakfast at Big Ed’s Restaurant? The country-cooking mainstay has been holding down City Market since 1989 for good reason: hearty authentic plates, affordable prices and an atmosphere so homey it’s practically kinfolk—all refusing to let Big Ed’s fade into the annals of time.
On my recent Saturday morning (post-barhopping) jaunt, the City Market mainstay was—as usual—abuzz with regulars and newbies alike. While I was able to waltz right in and be seated, a long but fast-moving line formed shortly after. Steamy cuppa black coffee later, the kitchen speedily churned out my choice of a farm-fresh country breakfast: scrambled eggs, cheese grits, a biscuit (buttered, natch) and bacon. No frills, just good comfort cooking—it’s one of the many down-home specialties that never miss. And, of course, I had to secure the hotcakes—thick, fluffy, fattening and the size of your head, they’re a staple on any visit to the longtime establishment.
The OG Big Ed who started the whole operation in 1958 retired in 2006—but his homestead-esque legacy lives on, not just through his recipes, but through the eatery’s ambiance. Big Ed’s is what Cracker Barrel wishes it was: the epitome of Southern Americana, right down to the rusted tools and antiques hanging from the ceiling, the red-checkered tablecloths and ever-wandering server with a fresh pot of coffee. That deep, generational legacy—the true heart of Big Ed’s—endures long after you’ve treaded past the uneven cobblestones of City Market.
Raleigh restaurants can often feel like trendy moments—coming in hot with what’s new while failing to feed lasting legacies. Surrounded by an ever-evolving skyline and the city’s constant craving for what’s next, Big Ed’s has held its ground. And while Raleigh is rightfully excited about the forward momentum of its bustling food scene (we see you, Michelin), lest we forget the OG restaurants like Big Ed’s that made us who we are. City Market, North Raleigh, Garner; bigedsnc.com
