Today’s NC Political News briefs

Here are today’s North Carolina political and government accountability briefs, drawn from verified official sources and separate from today’s full article topics.

Governor appoints two district court judges

Gov. Josh Stein announced Friday that A. Michelle Lippert will serve on the District Court for Judicial District 36, covering Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties, and Christy Malott will serve on the District Court for Judicial District 16 in Durham County. Lippert fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard Holloway, while Malott fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Clayton Jones.

Stein highlights education budget provisions

Gov. Josh Stein used an Aug. 20 NC Strong Update to highlight education provisions in the new state budget, including an 8% average teacher pay raise and a 17% increase in starting teacher pay. The governor’s office also pointed to funding for Advanced Teaching Roles, literacy training, math screening and school safety upgrades, while noting that North Carolina remains below the national average in per-pupil K-12 funding.

State elections board names campaign finance director

State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes named Allen Norfleet as director of campaign finance, according to the board’s Aug. 20 press release list. The leadership change comes as the agency is also moving forward with a broader modernization of its campaign finance reporting system.