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.

Cooper maintains lead over Whatley as pocketbook issues dominate NC’s critical US Senate race
North Carolina

Cooper maintains lead over Whatley as pocketbook issues dominate NC’s critical US Senate race

Sep 10, 2026
Clayton Henkel
With just over a month until early in-person voting begins on Oct. 15, North Carolinians are squarely focused on pocketbook issues. According to a new Elon University poll released Thursday, 86% of registered voters surveyed said inflation and the cost...
NC Supreme Court weighs whether state can pursue TikTok lawsuit
North Carolina

NC Supreme Court weighs whether state can pursue TikTok lawsuit

Sep 09, 2026
Clayton Henkel
Millions of North Carolinians routinely download and use TikTok for entertainment, news and advertising. But its popularity in the state doesn’t mean that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, should be tried here, attorneys for the social media giant argued Wednesday before...
New audit: NC Lottery sales up, but less is going to schools
North Carolina

New audit: NC Lottery sales up, but less is going to schools

Sep 08, 2026
Clayton Henkel
North Carolina’s lottery is selling more tickets than ever – but it’s putting less of the money it makes into schools, says Auditor Dave Boliek. A new audit found that gross ticket sales for the state’s Education Lottery rose from...
Senator Natalie Murdock discusses energy equity and voting rights
North Carolina

Senator Natalie Murdock discusses energy equity and voting rights

Sep 07, 2026
Clayton Henkel
As the cost of living continues to soar across the country and worsen the growing divide between the wealthy and everyone else, a major contributor to this troubling trend is the cost of energy and public utilities. Indeed, as North...
Oxfam’s Patricia Stottlemyer ranks the best and worst states in the country to work
North Carolina

Oxfam’s Patricia Stottlemyer ranks the best and worst states in the country to work

Sep 07, 2026
Clayton Henkel
Each year around the Labor Day holiday, the international nonprofit, Oxfam, conducts and releases a study in which it ranks the best and worst states in the U.S. to work. The researchers preparing the report examine a long list of...
Labor Day 2026: North Carolina ranks best for business economy, dead last for workers
North Carolina

Labor Day 2026: North Carolina ranks best for business economy, dead last for workers

Sep 07, 2026
Clayton Henkel
North Carolina is consistently ranked among America’s top states for business. But a new ranking by Oxfam lists the state dead last in this year’s 2026 Best States to Work Index. Oxfam, a global nonprofit focused on poverty and inequality...
Hunger crisis widens in North Carolina as food banks face more demand, federal cuts
North Carolina

Hunger crisis widens in North Carolina as food banks face more demand, federal cuts

Sep 03, 2026
Clayton Henkel
On a steamy September morning, all of North Carolina’s agricultural bounty is on display at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. The boxes and crates of neatly stacked fruits and vegetables stand in stark contrast to new data that reveals...
GOP Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. will not seek reelection to NC’s highest court
North Carolina

GOP Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. will not seek reelection to NC’s highest court

Sep 03, 2026
Clayton Henkel
North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Phil Berger, Jr. announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection to his seat on the court in 2028. Berger Jr., the son of Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, will serve out the...
As hemp’s future hangs in the balance, NC policymakers look ahead to regulate cannabis
North Carolina

As hemp’s future hangs in the balance, NC policymakers look ahead to regulate cannabis

Sep 02, 2026
Clayton Henkel
When members of the North Carolina House and Senate reconvene in November, they will be faced with having to decide how to regulate intoxicating hemp products. The two chambers were at odds in July over House Bill 328, which would...
US House censures NC Rep. Chuck Edwards for inappropriate conduct, harassment
North Carolina

US House censures NC Rep. Chuck Edwards for inappropriate conduct, harassment

Sep 01, 2026
Clayton Henkel
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday 413-2 to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican representing western North Carolina, for his inappropriate conduct towards two female staffers working in his office. Edwards stood in the well of the House to...
Common Cause of NC’s Brooks Fuller on efforts by election officials to erect new hurdles for voters
North Carolina

Common Cause of NC’s Brooks Fuller on efforts by election officials to erect new hurdles for voters

Aug 31, 2026
Clayton Henkel
With Labor Day right around the corner, it means that the fall election season is upon us, and this year, there’s another development that’s heralding its arrival – controversy surrounding voting rules. Republican officials at both the state and local...
NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty executive director Noel Nickle
North Carolina

NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty executive director Noel Nickle

Aug 31, 2026
Clayton Henkel
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the last time the state North Carolina put a person to death in punishment for a crime. And despite the many deep flaws in the death penalty – huge costs, systemic racism, convictions...