Immigration & Courts: A growing group of U.S. citizens and immigrants are seeking damages over alleged injuries during Trump-era immigration raids, including claims of pepper-spray, rubber bullets, and tear gas. Business Expansion: Woworks hired former Lunchbox CEO James Walker as chief growth officer and promoted Nolan Woods to COO as the company pushes franchising, including new multi-unit deals in the Raleigh-Durham area. Local Economy & Retail: A new “Mercantile Collective” is opening in Fort Wayne to help creatives displaced by Painted Tree Boutiques closures—an example of how retail churn is reshaping small business space. Energy & Utilities: Duke Energy’s proposed natural gas plants in Davidson and Davie counties drew early pushback over water use concerns, with approvals still ahead. Small Business Relief: The SBA opened low-interest disaster loans for North Carolina small businesses and nonprofits hit by drought starting Apr. 7. North Carolina Jobs: Judco Manufacturing moved its HQ to Greene County, bringing 60+ jobs and a $5.3M investment. Legal/Policy: An NC court ruled an architect’s cabinet design wasn’t copyrightable, a win for the defendants in a design-rights dispute. Public Safety: A North Carolina-based charter bus crash in Virginia killed five and injured dozens after the driver failed to slow for traffic in a construction zone.