Hurricane Florence Coverage

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NEWS 3/7/26 11:43am

Gas leak prompts evacuations in Historic Neighborhood

By Virginia Vance and Anjolina Fantaroni

At 10:42 a.m., an E-Alert sent out by Elon University warned the campus of a gas leak and told the community to stay clear of the Historic Neighborhood until further notice. The smell of gasoline had begun to waft over the neighborhood twenty minutes earlier. Soon after, five fire engines congregated on East Haggard and blocked off street access. Students in buildings around the Duke Building were evacuated to the outside throughout the Historic Neighborhood, staying clear of the leak. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/6/26 5:30pm

Local quilt guild creates community through craft

By Abigail Hines

Dressed in patchwork sweaters, carrying hand-stitched shoulder bags and wearing name tags made from scrap fabric, the Alamance Piecemakers Quilt Guild meets every month at the Burlington Elmira Community Center. The group, made up of about 50 women, shares their latest crafts, plans upcoming workshops and discusses new techniques they’ve learned. The guild, for many of these women, is about more than quilts; it’s about kinship and collaboration.

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NEWS 3/6/26 3:41pm

Elon town police remind drivers of parking law

By Abby Gravely

Elon drivers are returning to their parked cars to find white slips of paper tucked under their windshield wipers. But these aren’t tickets. The Town of Elon Police Department left “courtesy notices” on the windshields of cars parked in downtown Elon. These notices contain reminders of eight parking laws Administrative Sergeant Scott Swink said are often violated.

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SPORTS 3/6/26 1:54pm

Elon hockey embraces new era of camaraderie, consistency

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon University men’s club hockey head coach Travis Harris didn’t promise the team championships. He promised them accountability. What it is today looks dramatically different from what he inherited at his first team meeting in May. The Phoenix won two out of 10 games in the 2024-2025 season — the year before Harris arrived. Players were missing practices and games. The program had burned through its budget a month and a half before the season ended, according to Harris, who said that Elon essentially handed the team a final opportunity to prove it could survive. 

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NEWS 3/5/26 7:45pm

13th annual Elon Day sparks day of giving

By Fiona McAllister

As donations continue to roll in on Elon University’s 13th annual Elon Day, students and faculty are excited about the day of giving. Events were happening all over campus — like a special College Coffee, senior toast and a performance from comedian Leslie Jones.Last year, Elon raised the most money in Elon Day history, with over $3.1 million and a total of 6,385 gifts. This year, as of 6:13 p.m., Elon had only raised a little over half of that — $1.6 million with 3,835 total gifts — with less than six hours left to raise more money.

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NEWS 3/5/26 5:00pm

Man acquitted in 2021 Green Level shootout

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Garyonded Stepney, 46, was found not guilty of first-degree murder in a 2021 shootout at a Green Level trailer park, which left two people dead. Stepney had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

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NEWS 3/3/26 10:27pm

Biscuitville CEO discusses career path, leadership

By Elissa Leka

Elon students gathered in LaRose Digital Theatre to hear Elon alum and Biscuitville CEO Kathie Niven’89 discuss her leadership journey and career path. The discussion was part of the university’s “Lessons from Leaders” series, which provides students access to senior leaders with insights in marketing, management and becoming a professional leader. 

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NEWS 3/5/26 1:57pm

Elon freshman saves student with CPR, encourages others to get trained

By Abigail Hines

When freshman Nikki Guevara realized sophomore Lucy Sharp had gone into cardiac arrest, she sprang into action. After using her skills to save another student’s life, she encourages everyone to get trained. 

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NEWS 3/4/26 12:11am

November elections loom as primary races end

By Miles Hayford

As the 2026 primary elections come to an end in North Carolina, eyes are turning towards November. But for many races, the primary elections are the determining factor in the race, according to Elon University political science professor Jason Husser.

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NEWS 3/3/26 11:46pm

Alamance County Board of Elections handles election night returns

By Lily Mosbacher

After polls closed on election night, sealed ballot bags, memory drives, and paper tapes began arriving at the Alamance County Board of Elections office, where officials prepared to count the results.At 8:05 p.m., the first election judge pulled into the parking lot. Within 10 minutes, a line stretched behind them as precinct workers waited to check in provisional ballots and hand over the materials that would determine the night’s outcome.

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NEWS 3/3/26 6:49pm

Town of Elon casts votes for election day… or not

By Fiona McAllister

The North Carolina primary election started bright and early when polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and voters cast ballots for their candidates. However, talk of Election Day was quiet in the Town of Elon.Vivian Splawn, Burlington resident and employee at All That Jas, said she was disappointed not to see people in line to vote in the election, as she went to cast her ballot. “It's really sad that there's such a low turnout when you go there and you don't have to wait in line, but that's just how it is,” Splawn said. “And on the bigger ones, sometimes it's like that too.”

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NEWS 3/3/26 12:14pm

How unaffiliated voters impact elections

By Alannah Klingsporn

The North Carolina primary election starts today. With some voters being able to vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate, unaffiliated voters will have a different experience at the polls on election day. Unaffiliated voters can pick one party’s primary or choose a nonpartisan ballot. Voting in a party primary doesn’t change their unaffiliated status, and their choice carries into any runoff. 

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NEWS 3/3/26 8:00am

Election Center: Candidate profiles for the March 3 primary

By Elon News Network

Primary elections will be held March 3 in North Carolina. The Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate will be on the ballot. The winners of these races will face off in November during the general election for the open North Carolina Senate seat. Another race on the Republican ballot is Alamance County Sheriff, with incumbent Terry Johnson being challenged by two candidates. Other races for Board of County Commissioners, County Clerk of Superior Court and North Carolina Appeals Seat 1 are also on the ballot. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/5/26 10:18am

Elon Wind Ensemble gives a preview of their Carnegie Hall performance

By Mia Torres

The Elon Wind Ensemble gave community members a preview of its upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall during a concert on campus March 4, offering audiences a first look at the music the group will perform in New York. The Wind Ensemble is a contemporary group focused on performing at the highest level possible. The concert consisted of 5 songs, just over 50 students and over 15 instruments. The show was about an hour long. 

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NEWS 3/4/26 3:56pm

Elon University chief of police set to retire in April

By Miles Hayford

After five years as Elon University’s Chief of Police, Joe LeMire will retire April 3, according to an email sent to faculty and staff by Vice President for Finance and Administration Janet Williams. In an interview with Elon News Network, LeMire said that after 33 years in law enforcement work spanning across three states, it was time to take a step back from that world. He said it was time to turn things over to others who are working their way up. He also said that after 30 years, always dealing with people at the worst moments in their lives can be difficult.

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NEWS 3/4/26 2:21pm

AI & The Body: A discussion on artificial intelligence in professional industries

By Annie Thyfault

Following a rise in artificial intelligence, questions and concerns about its use have come up at Elon University. The school has implemented policies regarding AI use within the classroom and university operations, many of which consist of using AI as a tool in learning and staying within the ethical bounds of AI usage. The AI that these policies frequently refer to addresses generative AI.

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NEWS 3/3/26 3:09pm

Shuttle service aims to increase student voter access

By Mia Torres

Students looking to cast their ballots on Election Day will have transportation available through a shuttle service organized by Elon Votes.On Tuesday March 3, a shuttle will run from The Center for the Arts to two polling locations in Alamance County: Elon Elementary School and First Baptist Church of Elon.

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NEWS 3/3/26 9:49am

LIVE BLOG: 2026 primary elections in Alamance County, North Carolina

By Elon News Network

Polls across North Carolina opened at 6:30 a.m. March 3 for the 2026 midterm primary elections. In Alamance County, registered Democrats can vote for one candidate each for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives District 9 and NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 3, and two candidates for Alamance County Board of Commissioners. 

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NEWS 3/19/26 3:13pm

Primary elections bring changes to NC statehouse

By Trista Panagakos

The North Carolina primary elections have altered what the statehouse may look like in November. North Carolina, Wilmington, Aaron King said incumbents usually have an advantage when running for office because of name recognition, a record of accomplishments and organization. King said challengers are able to campaign as an outsider against an incumbent and explain to voters how the incumbent is failing them. Eight incumbent state lawmakers lost their primaries March 3, three Democrats and five Republicans.

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NEWS 3/4/26 7:47pm

Elon University expands AI education with summer camp

By Anjolina Fantaroni

This summer, Elon will offer a new program that aims to introduce middle school students to AI concepts. The university will host a weeklong summer day camp in June for middle school students focused on artificial intelligence through hands-on activities and digital game design. The camp, called AI Play, will be led by faculty from the Department of Computer Science and is now open for registration.

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