Scholarly fund pulled, Woodhouse resigns, Mama Kelce visits Raleigh

A prominent Black family pulled a $1 million scholarship fund from UNC Wilmington after the university said it could no longer direct the money toward African American students. Linda Upperman Smith said the school could not keep the promise tied to her father’s gift, telling The News & Observer, “The university wasn’t able to meet the terms of the agreement it made with my father.”

The withdrawal lands in the middle of broader UNC System changes on diversity, equity and inclusion that have already changed how donor money can be used. For students and families watching higher education policy in North Carolina, the dispute shows how a scholarship can be altered after the fact, even when the money was set aside for a specific purpose. The $1 million fund had been tied to UNC Wilmington, but the family decided to pull it once the university said it could no longer direct it toward African American students.

In state politics, Dallas Woodhouse resigned Monday from his elections liaison role in State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office. Woodhouse, the former executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, had already been reassigned last week after criticism that he had contacted county election officials about early voting locations and hours. His exit removes a partisan figure from a post that touched directly on election administration, a sensitive issue in Wake County and across the state ahead of future voting periods.

The day’s lighter local note came from Donna Kelce, who spent time in Raleigh and the Triangle this week. Kelce, the mother of Travis Kelce, dined with friends at Coquette in North Hills and attended an event at the Ritz Raleigh. Coquette posted a thank-you message, and Kelce responded on Instagram that “the food and service were great.”

Taken together, the stories pointed to a day in which Wake County’s headlines ranged from higher-education accountability to election oversight and a celebrity sighting that drew attention to two of Raleigh’s most visible destinations.