Home Care In Center, NC

The Education Law Center released its annual review of each state's school finances and how they rank in the country.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina ranked last in a public school funding report and received failing grades in two out of three categories, according to the Education Law Center.

The ELC released its "Making the Grade" report, an annual overview that looks at state public school funding data and whether it sets their students up for success. The data in this report comes from 2022-23 school year.

North Carolina ranked last in effort to fund state public schools. Effort is considered the percentage of state GDP invested in public education.

North Carolina invested 2% of its GDP into education while the highest ranked state, Vermont, invested nearly triple by percentage at 5.4%, despite the Tar Heel state earning a higher GDP and higher economic growth.

This adds up to North Carolina spending $12,193 to Vermont's $27,067.

One category North Carolina ranked better on is funding distribution. This measures the difference in funding per pupil from low-poverty districts and high-poverty districts.

"Progressive" states provide equitable funding while "Regressive" states provide unbalanced funding, more for low-poverty districts.

For example, the lowest ranked state, Connecticut, has a funding disparity that leads to impoverished areas receiving $4,000+ less than other districts.

North Carolina ranked on the low end of progressive, with a C grade, providing about $600 more for high-poverty areas.

However, North Carolina received an F grade in the third and final category: funding level.

The Education Law Center ranked it 49th, just above Idaho. In comparison, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia all ranked at least a D grade. Overall, North Carolina's funding has worsened from year to year.

The North Carolina Association of Educators says the failing grades exemplify state lawmaker's failure to support public education.

“North Carolina’s failing grades reflect years of deliberate neglect," NCAE president Tamika Walker Kelly said. "Lawmakers have refused to fully fund our public schools, denied educators meaningful raises, and the Supreme Court has allowed Leandro to languish. Our children cannot afford this continued failure of leadership.”

Leandro refers to the decades-old state Supreme Court case in which five low-wealth school districts claim North Carolina failed to provide enough funding to support an adequate education for their students.

The Leandro case had some movement in the last few years, with a statewide decision to release $5 billion to school in 2022 and the state Supreme Court hearing arguments in February 2024.

But, requests from Republic lawmakers have paused the release. Meanwhile, the case has stalled and remained in limbo since 1994.

Funding for public schools also remains unclear as the North Carolina General Assembly has still not passed a state budget.

Work on the potential $1B development around the home of the NC State men’s basketball program and Carolina Hurricanes hockey team was expected to start this month.

RALEIGH — The multi-phase development to include parking decks, retail and office space as well as a hotel and housing around the Lenovo Center won’t impact parking for NC State football games in 2025.

Originally, work on the potential $1-billion development was scheduled to begin at the end of 2025 football season with one parking deck built in time for the 2026 season at the adjacent Carter-Finley Stadium.

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Lenovo Center is home to NC State’s men’s basketball program and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes as well as concerts and other arena programming. Carter-Finley Stadium is the Wolfpack’s football home.

NC State fans were sent two slightly different versions of a letter alerting them to the construction. One said that “redevelopment plans will not start before the end of the 2026 football season.” The other, more accurate version, said “district development construction will not impact parking for the 2026 football season.”

The Hurricanes said Thursday that construction on the Lenovo Center District development is set to begin in 2026 and it will be staged in a way as to not impact parking for the 2026 football season.

The City of Raleigh approved a rezoning of the property, but individual projects on the site still must receive permits.

The Hurricanes have development rights to the 80 acres around the arena, which they obtained as part of a deal that extended their lease and secured $300 million for renovations inside the arena.

The first phase of those renovations — including a view bar and concourse upgrades on the 300 level, new suites at the arena level and a multi-purpose room for events — are ongoing and could be ready by January or February during the basketball and hockey season.

But a longtime member of the Centennial Authority board, which was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1995 and owns the arena, expressed frustration at the pace of progress.

“It’s somewhat difficult … we’re not able to show our larger community,” said Doyle Parrish, the chairman of the board’s building committee. “Bingo, this is the view bar. It’s delivered. Bingo, this is the bunker suites. They’re delivered now. Or this is our fifth level and we’ve gotten these concourses redone. We are a year-plus into the project and $100 million into the project and we really haven’t had much to show off.”

Construction began on July 1 after final contracts were signed. The board has been discussing renovations to the arena for more than a decade.

Parking around the Lenovo Center and Carter-Finley Stadium has been one of the most discussed aspects of the development project. Plans for the first phase call for two three-story parking decks with a combined 1,800 spots that overlook a new tailgate area.

Sections 317-319 at Lenovo Center remains a work in progress. Will be view bar and have seats above it when finished. pic.twitter.com/FbXIo33FJH

— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) December 13, 2025

“We have unbelievable parking and anything that changes is going to change that,” NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan said in late July. “I think that is the single biggest issue: people are worried about the parking.”

In August 2024, Corrigan said that NC State has “the best parking in college football. People love to talk about other places around the country that have these tailgating zones and these great areas. I try to be quick to remind people that's because they don't have any parking. It will change. It's not going to change tomorrow. It's going to change over time. As it does change, we're going to be a part of it.”

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Western North Carolina glass blowers are busy using their craft to create unique gifts.

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Firing up her torch, glass artist Deb Rich is making miniature turtles.

“You look at something and you wonder what it could become,” she said.

For 25 years, Rich has created glass art. She now shares her passion with others, teaching classes at the North Carolina Glass Center in Asheville. She says giving people the gift of an experience can unwrap the joy for a new hobby and a new way of thinking.

“People really get into it and they enjoy it and they feel like they are real artists, and they are! They get the experience of doing it and you may open up a whole other world of artistic fun for them,” Rich said while turning the glass piece.

These turtles are only some of the many things she makes, like garden stakes and sun catchers, or as she calls them, “window jewelry,” which are sold in the connecting gallery in the River Arts District.

“It’s something fun, it’s something to bring your spirits up especially during the dead of winter. It’s kind of gloomy, so you see all the sparkles and it makes you smile,” Rich said.

She is one of about 80 artists who create and sell their work at the Glass Center’s gallery featuring things like glassware, jewelry and home decor.

The River Arts District was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene. Though the studio building was not damaged, many artists’ studios were ruined, including Rich’s home studio.

“I was able to work here, which was great," she said. "You still get the artists that come in and you get to talk to everybody and you get to talk to people walking by.”

The nonprofit is a low-cost glass studio and gallery, giving new and seasoned artists a chance to practice their craft using spaces like a hot shop, cold shop or flame shop.

Glass Center manager Joe Nicholson says glassblowing requires teamwork and sacrifice, qualities which help the art form shine.

“It’s just a magical material. It’s the only material that kind of acts in it’s own way like that. It can last forever or you can drop it and it’s all gone at once and that’s kind of a beautiful thing and scary all at the same time,” Nicholson said.

The Glass Center has locations in Asheville and Black Mountain.

“It’s a piece of our culture, you are buying a part of someone. They say you don’t buy art, you buy the artist,” Nicholson said.

Learn more about the studio here.

Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Preparations are underway to ensure everyone has a way to escape the cold as the temperatures begin to drop

A Cold Weather Advisory will be in effect across Central North Carolina starting Sunday evening.

Over in the Bull City, the Durham Rescue Mission is activating Operation Rescue: Warm Shelter. Durham Rescue Mission CEO, the Rev. Rob Tart, said they want people to know they have a warm place to stay.

"Operation Rescue: Warm Shelter is when we open our doors to any and everybody that can come in, and we have no restrictions on them, essentially just come in and get out of the weather," he said. "I think we're getting well down into the low teens this coming week. That's deadly weather."

Joshua Shifflett is staying at the shelter. He said the Durham Rescue Mission provides him and others with more than just a warm bed and a hot meal.

"It's really cold outside to be sleeping outside," he said. "I don't have any identification because all my stuff was stolen. I'm from Virginia, so to get my stuff back is kind of complicated. So, I needed a warm place to stay to be able to, you know, get my head in the right place."

As the temperatures begin to drop, doctors say take steps to stay safe before going outside, especially for vulnerable people such as the elderly or those with chronic medical conditions.

UNC Medical Center Emergency Medicine Department Vice Chair of Operations Dr. Abhi Mehrotra said layers of clothing are key to doing that.

"Some sort of moisture-wicking on the most inner layer, a middle layer that's more insulating, so something like wool or fleece that can be insulating, and then an outer layer that protects you from the elements," he said.

Mehrotra said it's also important to know the warning signs of when prolonged cold exposure could become hypothermia.

"As the hypothermia gets progressive and worse, you can actually have confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness," he said.

Doctors suggest checking in on elderly neighbors as the air gets colder.

Car care in frigid weather

The cold air also has an effect on cars.

Matthew Sanders is the owner of Encore Automotive Diagnostics & Repairs. He said drivers need to make sure they top off fluids in their cars and make sure their battery is in good shape.

"This time of year, you have a lot of batteries that are marginal, and cold temperatures bring them back down to failure," he said. "The cold temperatures create a quicker breakdown when it comes to batteries and also tire pressure."

Also, now is the time to make a cold-weather kit to keep in a car, too, equipped with blankets, some food, and rechargeable batteries for electronic devices.

Those looking for help from the Durham Rescue Mission can find out more information about the mission here and can contact it by calling (919) 688-964.

WhiteFiber (Nasdaq: WYFI) announced a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement with Nscale at the NC-1 AI data center campus in Madison, NC, with an estimated $865 million total contract value including escalators and non-recurring installation charges.

The deployment is in two 20 MW phases, with billing for the first phase targeted to start April 30, 2026 and the second phase May 30, 2026. WhiteFiber has invested approximately $150 million of equity to date and is pursuing a construction credit facility expected to be formalized in early Q1 2026.

Facility specs include Tier 3-equivalent design, targeted average PUE 1.3, support up to 150 kW per cabinet, and a 99 MW capacity agreement with Duke Energy with potential to support up to 200 MW over time.

Following this news, WYFI has gained 14.62%, reflecting a significant positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +7.7% during the session. Our momentum scanner has triggered 7 alerts so far, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. The stock is currently trading at $16.39. This price movement has added approximately $70M to the company's valuation. Trading volume is above average at 1.9x the average, suggesting increased trading activity.

WYFI fell 6.03% while peers showed mixed moves: PDFS (-2.07%), VTEX (-1.59%) and PRO (-0.04%) were down, but RSKD (+2.66%) and SPT (+0.63%) were up, indicating a stock-specific reaction rather than a uniform sector move.

Recent fundamental updates have often seen negative or muted price reactions, including a notable selloff after Q3 2025 earnings, while some positive Bit Digital news showed price divergences.

Over the last few months, the wider ecosystem around WhiteFiber featured multiple Bit Digital (BTBT) updates and WhiteFiber’s own IPO-driven growth story. WhiteFiber’s Q3 2025 report on Nov 13 showed rapid revenue growth but a wider net loss, and the stock fell 12.62%. Earlier, a WhiteFiber investor-conference update on Nov 17 coincided with a modest 1.39% gain. Several BTBT releases on crypto, staking metrics, and strong Q3 financial results saw share-price declines, underscoring a pattern where seemingly constructive fundamentals did not consistently translate into positive price reactions.

The stock is surging +14.6% following this news. A strong positive reaction aligns with the substantial visibility from a 40 MW, 10-year colocation agreement valued at about $865 million. Historically, WhiteFiber’s own Q3 earnings on Nov 13, 2025 led to a 12.62% drop despite revenue growth, showing prior skepticism around fundamentals. Investors would need to weigh execution risks at NC-1, construction and financing milestones in early Q1 2026, and concentration in a single flagship campus when judging sustainability.

12/18/2025 - 04:30 PM

NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WhiteFiber, Inc. (Nasdaq: WYFI) ("WhiteFiber" or the "Company"), a next-generation data center and colocation provider purpose-built for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), today announced its subsidiary, Enovum Data Centers Corp., has executed a long-term colocation agreement with Nscale Global Holdings ("Nscale"), an AI infrastructure and cloud services provider serving enterprise and public sector customers.

The agreement secures the first 40 megawatt delivery of critical IT load at WhiteFiber's flagship NC-1 data center campus in Madison, North Carolina. The contract represents approximately $865 million in contracted revenue over the initial 10-year term, including contractual annual rate escalators and required non-recurring installation services, but excluding electricity and certain other costs passed through to the customer. Nscale is deploying this capacity to power the AI infrastructure of leading, global investment grade technology customers.

WhiteFiber is in advanced discussions with several leading lenders, and anticipates multiple institutional financing options that address both immediate NC-1 construction requirements and broader growth objectives. The contemplated construction facility is expected to feature an accordion or similar structure, enabling access to additional capital and financial agility to support new opportunities both at NC-1 and across WhiteFiber's broader development portfolio. To date, WhiteFiber has invested approximately $150 million of equity into the site, significantly de-risking the debt financing. The Company expects to formalize a credit facility in early Q1 2026 and expects to achieve financing terms at an attractive spread to yield on cost. WhiteFiber is actively evaluating potential investment-grade credit enhancement structures in connection with this deployment. If implemented, such arrangements are expected to support debt financing on attractive terms.

"WhiteFiber has taken a prudent and cautious approach to client selection. We took our time, reviewing multiple offers before selecting Nscale, a partner with a proven track record of hyperscaler deployments," said Sam Tabar, CEO of WhiteFiber. "This agreement validates our strategy to engineer NC-1 to meet hyperscaler specifications and support the most advanced AI workloads. We look forward to working closely with Nscale as we plan for the potential expansion of this deployment toward double its initial size by the end of 2027."

"This partnership demonstrates the effectiveness of our retrofit model and how WhiteFiber can meet the exacting standards of leading AI providers with hyperscaler requirements on an accelerated timeline," said Billy Krasskopoulos, President of WhiteFiber. "We take a customer-first approach to every engagement, ensuring our partners can deploy at scale with speed and confidence. Having secured our anchor tenant for NC-1 positions us to unlock additional development sites in our pipeline."

Key Terms of the Agreement

About WhiteFiber, Inc.

WhiteFiber is a provider of artificial intelligence ("AI") infrastructure solutions. WhiteFiber owns high-performance computing data centers and provides cloud services to customers. Our vertically integrated model combines specialized colocation, hosting, and cloud services engineered to maximize performance, efficiency, and margin for generative AI workloads. For more information, visit www.whitefiber.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and X @WhiteFiber.

‍About Nscale

Nscale is a European headquartered global hyperscaler engineered for sovereign-grade AI infrastructure, delivering compute to the generative AI market at scale. Through its fully vertically integrated suite of AI solutions and GW+ greenfield data centres across Europe and North America, Nscale enables customers to run efficient and scalable AI training, fine-tuning, and inferencing workloads.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our ability to capture demand in the market, prospective customer demand, the timing for completion of our NC-1 facility. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These statements may be identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "will allow us to" "is anticipated," "estimated," "expected", "believe," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. WhiteFiber undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

Actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially, and potentially adversely, from any projections and forward-looking statements and the assumptions on which those forward-looking statements are based. There can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements contained herein are reflective of future performance to any degree. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a predictor of future performance as projected financial information and other information are based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to various significant risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. All information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise occurring after the date of this communication.

Contacts for WhiteFiberInvestor Contact: [email protected]Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE WhiteFiber, Inc.

The agreement is for 40 MW of critical IT load over a 10-year term.

The contract represents approximately $865 million in total contract value over the initial 10-year term.

Billing for the first 20 MW is targeted to commence April 30, 2026, and the second 20 MW on May 30, 2026.

WhiteFiber has invested approximately $150 million of equity to date in the NC-1 site.

WhiteFiber is in advanced discussions with lenders and expects to formalize a construction credit facility in early Q1 2026, but terms are not yet finalized.