RALEIGH, N.C. - Today, as millions make their way to work in North Carolina, many are driving farther and spending more time in traffic. What's labeled by many as an inconvenience is called "sprawl" by analysts, and a new report from Smart Growth America has found that several metro areas in the state are crawling with sprawl. The Triangle region is one of them, ranking in the middle of the 221 areas surveyed in the U.S.

Jennifer Dean, grassroots and membership coordinator with the group Wake Up Wake County, said the value of surveys like this comes in the follow-through.

"It's important to make sure we're monitoring our growth, because we're one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Then, we're using that information to make sure we put policies in place that will help to mitigate sprawl," Dean said.

Hickory ranked number one as the area in the country with the most sprawl. In its analysis, Smart Growth America examined residential and employment density, mixed-use neighborhoods, the strength of activity centers and downtowns - all of which are seen as helpful in reducing sprawl.

Charlotte also ranks high on the list, at number five. That comes as no surprise to Shannon Binns, who heads the organization Sustain Charlotte. For the last three years, his group has been part of "Connect Our Future," a 14-county effort to alleviate sprawl and work on other issues related to growth.

"There is a recognition among many city and county leaders, as well as other towns in the metro area, that the way we've grown in the past is not the way we can grow going forward," Binns said.

The report also highlights strategies to curtail sprawl, including creating "mixed-use" communities and expanding public transportation. Dean pointed out that the benefits go far beyond spending less time in traffic.

"With more compact communities, in the long term, the people living there have longer, healthier lives; they also have lower household costs, more transportation choices, better public health," he explained.

Raleigh and Durham join the Triangle in the middle of the list of cities studied. Greensboro fared better, at 208 on the list, and Asheville is at 193. Dean added that Durham and Orange counties' decision to move ahead with their public transportation plan should help, and she said Wake County should do the same.

The report is available at www.smartgrowthamerica.org.



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This Saturday is a National Day of Protest in response to the Trump administration's recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cuts funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other programs.

Hundreds of peaceful protests are planned across the country, including at least nine in Washington state.

Liz Moore, executive director of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, is organizing an event with local health care unions, highlighting how federal cuts will hurt health care access and rural hospitals.

"This bill robs hospitals and clinics of funding, including rural hospitals and makes our already tenuous health care system strain and probably break at the seams," Moore contended. "It steals health care coverage from 16 million adults and children."

Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, praised the act's $50 billion allocation for rural health care, though the act is expected to cut total rural health spending by $155 billion.

In Eastern Washington, more than half of children rely on Apple Health, the state's Medicaid system. Moore called the act a heist.

"It really bankrolls massive tax giveaways for the ultrarich and for greedy corporations at the same time that our communities are going to be hurt," Moore asserted. "We say 'no.'"

Many may be feeling overwhelmed in the face of mass deportations or cuts to food aid across the country, Moore added but people need to keep pushing against the policies.

"When we see that we're not alone, when there's somebody you know at the rally, you didn't know was going to be there, those feelings can keep us in motion," Moore emphasized.

Members of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas are collecting signatures to add a constitutional amendment to the November 2026 ballot.

The amendment would give voters a chance to approve or reject election laws passed by the legislature.

Bonnie Miller, president of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas and chair of the coalition Save AR Democracy, said lawmakers have been enacting restrictions since 2013, making it harder for the direct democracy process to work.

"We now have to read a ballot title out loud to somebody or watch them read the entire ballot title. We're not just talking about a sentence here. In some instances, this could be pages of text," Miller outlined. "We now have to see a photo ID, we have to tell them that petition fraud is a crime."

Arkansas lawmakers said the added measures would help prevent voter fraud. There have been five Arkansans convicted of election fraud over the past 20 years.

Earlier this year, the league filed a federal lawsuit attempting to strike down five bills passed by the legislature which it said are unconstitutional and restrict the work of canvassers. Miller pointed out if the amendment is passed in next year's election, any changes to voting laws must be approved by voters.

"It would keep them from being able to refer out amendments that would change the process," Miller explained. "It means that during (the) legislative session, if they pass any bills, that affects the process that those laws don't go into effect until they're on the ballot the following year. "

Volunteers with the "Ballot Measure for Ballot Measure" campaign must collect more than 90,000 signatures by July 3, 2026.

AARP Oregon has opened up nominations for its prestigious award for volunteerism.

For the Andrus Award for Community Service, the organization will select a person or couple, age 50 or older, performing services without pay in their communities.

Geneva Craig, a volunteer for AARP Oregon, won the award in 2019 for her work organizing educational sessions for her community around Medford in Southern Oregon. She said when she was a child, her mother taught her to volunteer by supporting their sick neighbors.

"There's no age group where you can say, 'Oh, I don't have a skill, I don't have a talent,'" Craig emphasized. "You have something to offer, if only to give some support and let somebody know you care."

Oregonians do a lot of volunteering. Data from 2023 show nearly 36% of Oregonians formally volunteered through organizations, about eight points higher than the national average.

Research shows volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anxiety and depression, while making people feel more connected and happier. Craig added it is important that volunteers inspire others.

"I'm happy because I'm seeing the rise in people who are stepping back out and offering to volunteer," Craig explained. "I tried to let them know, we're not going to work you to death, OK? This is teamwork."

The deadline for Andrus Award nominations is Sept. 1. The winner receives $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit of their choosing.