Headshot of NC Newsline Deputy Editor, Clayton Henkel

Clayton Henkel

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Clayton Henkel, Deputy Editor at NC Newsline, is one of North Carolina’s most experienced and accomplished multimedia journalists. She is responsible for NC Newsline's daily and weekly newsletter management as well as production of the weekly News and Views radio program/podcast. Prior to joining NC Newsline, she worked as a special projects reporter, assignment editor and managing editor for Raleigh-based Capitol Broadcasting.

UNC-Chapel Hill trustees celebrate NC budget funding even as campus faces more cuts
North Carolina

UNC-Chapel Hill trustees celebrate NC budget funding even as campus faces more cuts

5:25pm ET
Clayton Henkel
As students prepare to return to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, trustees are celebrating a new state budget while voicing some concerns about cuts they’ve promised to make. Nate Knuffman, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Vice Chancellor for Finance and...
NC Auditor: $111 million spent on Hurricane Helene emergency camps
North Carolina

NC Auditor: $111 million spent on Hurricane Helene emergency camps

Jul 28, 2026
Clayton Henkel
A new rapid response report from the North Carolina auditor found that more than $111 million was spent on 55 camps set up in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to help victims and storm responders. The 1,100 page report released...
WCU political scientist Chris Cooper on the ongoing battles over election laws and voting rights
North Carolina

WCU political scientist Chris Cooper on the ongoing battles over election laws and voting rights

Jul 27, 2026
Clayton Henkel
With the 2026 midterm elections less than 100 days away, it a great time to check in with one of the state’s foremost experts on politics and elections, Western Carolina University Professor of Political Science, Chris Cooper. This past week...
Sara Walker and Melissa Evers of Wake County Meals on Wheels discuss food insecurity among seniors
North Carolina

Sara Walker and Melissa Evers of Wake County Meals on Wheels discuss food insecurity among seniors

Jul 27, 2026
Clayton Henkel
One in four Americans is 60+ and one in two lacks the income to pay for basic needs. That’s where “Meals on Wheels” makes a difference serving 13 million seniors nationwide. Recently, NC Newsline sat down with two staff members...
GOP leaders say the NC budget offers ‘historic’ raises. A top education panel says it’s not enough.
North Carolina

GOP leaders say the NC budget offers ‘historic’ raises. A top education panel says it’s not enough.

Jul 27, 2026
Clayton Henkel
Just weeks after the North Carolina General Assembly passed a $34 billion state budget that included 8% average raises for teachers over two years, the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education said it’s not enough. The bipartisan panel, assembled...
How to get a handle on NC healthcare costs? Affordability experts agree it’s no easy feat
North Carolina

How to get a handle on NC healthcare costs? Affordability experts agree it’s no easy feat

Jul 24, 2026
Clayton Henkel
North Carolinians pay more than many Americans for healthcare. The state ranks 38th nationally in healthcare access and affordability, according to a 2025 scorecard by the Commonwealth Fund. A separate study by RAND found North Carolina had the 15th highest...
North Carolina goes out of state for its new community college system president
North Carolina

North Carolina goes out of state for its new community college system president

Jul 23, 2026
Clayton Henkel
Dr. Monty Sullivan is poised to become the next president of the North Carolina Community College System. Sullivan led the Louisiana Community and Technical College System for 12 years after holding leadership roles in the Virginia Community College System. The...
Cyclosporiasis outbreak surpasses 560 cases in North Carolina
North Carolina

Cyclosporiasis outbreak surpasses 560 cases in North Carolina

Jul 21, 2026
Clayton Henkel
North Carolina is reporting 561 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 20, 2026, but the cause of the state’s growing outbreak remains a mystery. Dr. Carl Williams, state public health veterinarian for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services...
Stitching a life back together: North Carolina’s push to improve reentry services
North Carolina

Stitching a life back together: North Carolina’s push to improve reentry services

Jul 21, 2026
Clayton Henkel
It is hard to imagine finding hope in a steel cargo container. But Shirlye Grandy sees life, fellowship and beauty in the metal box that sits on the Dix Park campus in Raleigh. Grandy served nearly six years in the...
Public Ed Works executive editor David Rice on education funding in NC’s new state budget
North Carolina

Public Ed Works executive editor David Rice on education funding in NC’s new state budget

Jul 20, 2026
Clayton Henkel
After more than a full year of delay at the legislature, North Carolina finally has a new state budget and as is almost always the case, what the new budget does and doesn’t do for public education is among the...
Rep. Marcia Morey discusses budget shortcomings, election law changes and ‘teen takeovers’
North Carolina

Rep. Marcia Morey discusses budget shortcomings, election law changes and ‘teen takeovers’

Jul 20, 2026
Clayton Henkel
State Rep. Marcia Morey of Durham County is one of the many experts who’ve expressed concerns about how the state budget debate played out. While she’s happy about raises that some teachers will get, she’s concerned about those teachers and...
UNC Hussman dean to step down in August
North Carolina

Dean of UNC journalism school to step down in August

Jul 17, 2026
Clayton Henkel
Raul Reis, dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, will step down from his leadership position Aug. 1. The announcement was made Friday by Magnus Egerstedt, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. Reis joined the Hussman...