The North Carolina Arts Council is awarding $11 million in grants for fiscal year 2025–26. A total of 373 awards will support nonprofit arts groups, schools and after-school programs, municipalities, and individual artists in all 100 counties. Grants range from $2,000 to $347,014. DNCR Secretary Pamela Cashwell says the state’s investment in arts and culture is “critical for our communities and our economy.” Funding priorities this year include c...

A Canton man is accused of stealing a Canton Police Department Humvee before dawn and driving it until it became disabled downtown. Police say 35-year-old Jacob Tyler Forrest entered the Humvee from the shared police and town hall lot along Asheville Highway around 5 a.m. on Sept. 21, started it, and headed toward town. Along the way, the vehicle ran off the right side of the road and struck a parked wrecker, causing heavy front-end and suspensio...