New prospects are emerging for North Carolina’s next Senate leader, setting up a potential reshaping of power in Raleigh. In recovery news, Rutherford County has been reimbursed $9.39 million for Hurricane Helene efforts, as lawmakers convene a subcommittee hearing focused on ongoing response and recovery. In legal developments, a gun rights group is backing a defendant in a Second Amendment case now before the North Carolina Supreme Court. Meanwhile, some lawmakers are pushing back on the Department of Public Instruction’s latest math report, calling for a return to traditional textbooks in classrooms.