Catch up on the top stories from The News & Observer for Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. From an Outer Banks highway closure to a Durham brewery debut, here’s what you need to know.
UNC watch party attacker pleads guilty: Keegan Wilson, 45, pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct and simple assault after attacking UNC-Chapel Hill students at an Aug. 31 “Love Island” watch party in Greenlaw Hall. He received a suspended 60-day jail sentence, 12 months of unsupervised probation and remains trespassed from campus. His attorney said Wilson has schizoaffective disorder and was experiencing a mental health crisis.
N.C. 12 to partially reopen Wednesday: NCDOT plans to open a single northbound lane through the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, giving people trapped on Hatteras Island a way off after last week’s nor’easter washed out dunes and buckled about 1,000 feet of pavement. Officials warn of heavy traffic and urge drivers to use extreme caution…