Jan. 17, 2024

I learned about bank overdraft fees in my early 20s like a lot of you probably did: Living paycheck to paycheck.

I might not have gone to college without a scholarship from the Coast Guard (where my father was enlisted). And when I got there, I depended on the money I earned from my summer job running the projectors at the local movie theater. The pay was $5.15 an hour, the federal minimum wage then. It’s not much higher today.  

When I graduated, I started working at a local paper, which paid—like most little, local papers— about $25,000 or so a year.

It was tough to balance. Sometimes you’d get a $35-40 overdraft “service” fee for accidentally spending 30 cents too much on a bag of Cheetos or a sandwich. Lots of people know that frustration.  About 1.3 million North Carolinians live in poverty. Millions of others live on a very tight budget. 

A new Biden policy seems to get that. The White House announced a proposal this week that could limit overdraft fees to as low as $3. It’ll cost the banks billions, so don’t expect them to take it laying down. 

A new Biden administration proposal could limit bank overdraft fees sharply. (Associated Press)

“For too long, some banks have charged exorbitant overdraft fees — sometimes $30 or more — that often hit the most vulnerable Americans the hardest, all while banks pad their bottom lines,” President Biden said in a statement. “Banks call it a service — I call it exploitation.”

Read that story here. 

And here’s what else you need to know today, NC:

Happy Wednesday, friends. Stay warm out there. 

NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley, right, talks about Medicaid expansion in September 2023 while Gov. Roy Cooper listens. (AP Photo/Gary Robertson)

It’s only been a month and a half since Medicaid expansion launched in North Carolina, but it’s already been life changing for many residents. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services automatically enrolled nearly 273,000 people into the program on Dec. 1, including more than 67,000 who live in rural areas, with a plurality of those being between the ages of 18-29.

We talked to a local doctor and to the head of NC’s top health agency about why expansion has been such a game-changer. 

More NC news:

Get ’em Hanley!

Raleigh teen Hanley House won the crown over the weekend in Florida. She’s a junior at Cleveland High School. Hanley’s a dancer, so she did a dance to the hit song “Don’t Stop Believin’.” 

Imagine going back to high school after winning something like this? 😆

Winter re-introduced itself to NC this week, especially up in the mountains.

The National Weather Service reported more than a foot of snow in parts of the mountains as a polar vortex wreaked havoc.

In lower parts of NC, locals didn’t see snow. But the wind chill dropped below 20 degrees (in Fahrenheit, y’all), causing some schools to close or to delay their opening. To check out the snowfall totals, go here.

We did this list in 2023. And it’s still one of my favorites.

NC has some of the best trails and hikes. Some of them have amazing things at the end too.

We help you pick a destination, download the map, and plan out a trip. If you like a beer, a live concert, wildlife, or a culinary treat at the end of your trail, we’ve got you covered.

It wasn’t just Woolworth’s.

The Civil Rights Movement’s path through North Carolina was paved in many places in the 1950s and 1960s. For the history-lovers, check out our guide to 7 of NC’s lesser-known civil rights events.  

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