nc realtime

Sharing North Carolina Life in Real time. Tag your posts with the hashtag #ncrealtime.

[Benjamin Michael @RealBenMichael]

35% of Taybeh is in Area B which is OFF LIMITS to Israeli settlements per Oslo II. Their invasion of Area C was already questionable as the document gives no green light to displacement, but this attack on Area B is a blatant violation of the internationally recognized agreement.

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

That “pollinator seed mix” might be planting a problem.

A University of Washington study grew out 19 wildflower seed packets and found something wild: Every single packet contained invasive species. Not one or two bad mixes. All 19.

Some had 3 invasive species. Some had 13. Eight contained plants considered noxious weeds in at least one state. A third of the packets didn’t list contents at all. And only 5 accurately listed what was inside.

The most common species? Bachelor’s button. Pretty? Sure. But absolutely harmful. It can spread into native grasslands and crowd out the plants local insects actually evolved to use.

That’s the trap.

People buy “wildflower” mixes because they want to help bees and butterflies. But vague seed packets can introduce aggressive nonnative plants that make the problem worse.

Better move: Buy region-specific native seed mixes. Use local native plant nurseries. Check with your state native plant society. Look for packets that list every species by name.

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

The reason we think dandelions are weeds is because of a 1950s marketing campaign.

Dandelions, native to Europe and Asia, were brought to North America in the 1600s by European colonists who grew them deliberately.

Every part is edible. The leaves are a salad green, the flowers were made into wine, and the roots were roasted as a coffee substitute and used medicinally for liver and kidney conditions for thousands of years. They were a kitchen-garden staple well into the 1800s.

The shift happened after World War II, when 2,4-D (originally developed for chemical warfare research) was approved as a residential herbicide. Companies like Scotts built the modern lawn-care industry around the idea that a perfect green lawn meant zero broadleaf plants.

Dandelions, being bright yellow and resistant to mowing, became a visible enemy, and the campaign worked. By the 1970s, "dandelion-free" was synonymous with "well-kept."

They aren't native, but they aren't doing significant ecological harm either. The herbicides used to kill them, on the other hand, kill bees, contaminate groundwater, and have been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma in humans.

If you hate dandelions, it's most likely due to a marketing campaign that ran before you were born.

[Resolute Mama @ResoluteMama]

Stop increasing our property taxes.
I have been in this home since 2019 and property taxes have doubled.
Wake County has the largest homeschooling population in the state.
This vote doesn't represent your residents.

[Chris R @CR_RefBapt]

@nicholasmcraig When property is reassessed, the taxes go up already. Adding another tax increase further amplifies the burden. So the folks who have been living in Wake County for their whole lives, senior citizens, are paying higher taxes because of unfettered growth.
#AbolishPropertyTaxes

[Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh]

🚨 OMG. Data has been RELEASED showing the *exponential surge* in autism spending for North Carolina

2022: $121.7 million
Projected 2027: $1.141 BILLION DOLLARS 🤯

Increase: 837% PERCENT. In barely 5 years.

THAT. IS. FRAUD. Just in North Carolina.

"The use of this therapy FAR outpaces increases in autism diagnosis."

Nationwide audits!

[National Academies @theNASEM]

As the EPA revisits parts of its #PFAS drinking water regulations, questions about exposure and health monitoring remain central.

National Academies guidance outlines evidence-based approaches for PFAS testing and clinical follow-up: https://t.co/3pQWTPQXmH

[Localize - Farmers Market @Localizefoodapp]

PFAS are synthetic chemicals found in nonstick coatings, firefighting foams, and water-resistant textiles that persist indefinitely in soil and water.

Virginia’s General Assembly passed bills in 2026 targeting sewage sludge used as fertilizer on farmland, making it the first southern state with explicit PFAS rules for farm soil.

[Agri & Food Law @Agriculture_Law]

Forever Chemicals and the Family Farm: What NC Growers Need to Know About PFAS on Agricultural Land https://t.co/XdxEV4Bx0F | by @wardandsmith

[Alex Fasulo @alex_fasulo]

The land under these panels will never be farmed again.

Potato growing associations nationwide will not buy potatoes grown on ex-solar sites.

Why?

The panels leach heavy metals, as well as drop glass shards and microplastics onto the soil below them.

In a mass commercial arrangement, vegetation below the panels is soaked in herbicides.

The fertile farmland is gone forever.

[FBI Boston @FBIBoston]

🚨#BREAKING: #YourFBI has shut down a call center operation in India that defrauded hundreds of elderly victims here in the U.S. & abroad out of millions of dollars through tech support scams, & two senior executives who operated a business that enabled it, have just admitted to turning a blind eye to this widespread fraud.

This comes after an #FBI Boston investigation that has resulted in the arrests & convictions of a former employee of their call routing company, and five India-based telemarketing fraudsters.

Our senior citizens deserve honor, respect, and protection, and if you target them, we will do everything we can to bring you to justice. Read more @USAO_RI: https://t.co/WkP8Fp3pSj

[Hillbilly @JamesHu27192912]

North Carolina feels like a state standing in the middle of a four lane highway trying to remember the words to an old country song. Half of us are trying to hold onto the version we grew up with. The other half are arriving daily with Cali, Jersey, Texas and New York license plates and opinions about how things “should be done.” Small towns are becoming suburbs. Backroads now got traffic circles. Old tobacco fields got townhomes named after the thing they bulldozed to build them. Somewhere along the way, every town started getting: a brewery, luxury apartments, a boutique pet spa, and a place selling burgers for $19 with “aioli” on them. Meanwhile the old lady at the country diner still calls everybody “baby,” and somehow that feels more like North Carolina than half the new construction in the state. You can feel the tug of war everywhere right now. Old North Carolina. New North Carolina. One side wants growth. One side wants to recognize where they live again. And honestly? Most folks probably fall somewhere in the middle. Because we all want our kids to have opportunity. We just don’t wanna lose the soul of the place while it’s happening. North Carolina used to feel like a secret. Now it feels like everybody found it at once.

What’s one thing happening in North Carolina right now that perfectly explains where we are as a state...

[Baxter’s mom @55yjzvmrdy]

This is how America used to be. Communities & the churches helping the sick, elderly, widows & poor. Younger generations helping the generations that helped raise them. Using the skills they have to give back. Knowing your next door neighbor not someone half way around the world you will never actually meet or know. Not slaves to the internet or social media. Being outside & aware of the people & what was happening around your neighborhood. Noticing the elderly woman whose lawn needed tending, a child playing with others laughing. Experiencing friendships with others, block parties & BBQ’s. No phone on a leash. Work ended at 5pm on Friday and didn’t start again until Monday at 8am.

Yes we have a lot of options these days but look at how much we have lost to do so!

[NCDOT @NCDOT]

We got jobs.

If you're in the Hendersonville area, stop by our hiring event Tues., May 19 and talk to hiring managers about joining our team.

[NCDOT @NCDOT]

Supporting pollinator habitats is central to our Wildflower Program. 🐝

Last week, NCDOT joined fellow DOTs for the NCHRP Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways workshop, which focused on sharing strategies for pollinator habitat conservation.🌼 #WildflowerWednesday

[NCDOT @NCDOT]

Our friends need your help. Their families need your attention.
Move over for emergency and roadside service vehicles. It's the law.

Plus:
- Motorcycle safety a two-way proposition
- Litter Sweep nets +600K lbs. of roadside trash
- McDowell Express expands with demand

#NCDOTNow

[Margo @MargoinWNC]

Wow

[RDU Airport @RDUAirport]

Spirit Airlines has announced it is canceling all flights and winding down operations. Spirit guests should not come to the airport. Additional information for guests is available on their website: https://t.co/rsMzDiYZbe.

[Raleigh Police @raleighpolice]

⚠️ Traffic Advisory 05/02/26 11:00 AM ⚠️

The 2300 block of Garner Road is closed due to a fire investigation at Foss Recycling. Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes while the scene is cleared.

#Traffic #RPD #Advisory #RaleighPD

[nc realtime @ncrealtime]

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