Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed a high-profile bill that would have ended North Carolina's pistol permit requirement. The governor also nixed a hotel safety bill.
All in Opinion
Sports betting bill passes Senate, moves to House
The N.C. House will take up sports betting legislation after a bill to expand wagers statewide passed in the Senate last week.
Senate Bill 688 was read for the first time in the House on Tuesday, Aug. 24. The legislation was then referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.
Families are swinging suburban
It’s my go-to slide. I’ve shown it to all the classes I teach at Duke University. The slide is striking. It’s revealing.
And now it’s out of date.
Utility pole regulations hurt broadband growth in North Carolina, report warns
A new study commissioned by the N.C. Cable Telecommunications Association warns that red tape regarding utility pole access could cost the state $3.5 billion in consumer value due to the resulting delays in broadband deployment.
N.C. Senate passes anti-indoctrination bill after emotional debate
A bill that would prohibit public schools from promoting controversial viewpoints related to Critical Race Theory cleared the N.C. Senate on Thursday. Debate about the bill featured rare personal attacks among senators.
Senate sends ‘sweeping’ criminal justice reform bill to governor
Criminal justice reform is a bipartisan issue, a phrase lawmakers frequently use when noting the parties coming together and advancing legislation. True to form, Senate Bill 300, Criminal Justice Reform, was approved by the General Assembly with strong bipartisan support and awaits the governor’s signature.
N.C. House passes unanimous resolution on Afghanistan evacuation
The N.C. House voted unanimously Wednesday, Aug. 25, to pass a resolution urging Congress and the Biden administration to take additional steps to ensure all U.S. troops, American citizens, and Afghan allies are evacuated from Afghanistan before withdrawing a U.S. presence there.
CON laws are too risky
I’ve long thought the North Carolina General Assembly should reform our state’s archaic and anti-competitive requirement for certificates-of-need. In the post-COVID world we are entering, however, CON reform is no longer just a good idea. It’s an imperative.
Rowan County’s Gold Hill fights plans for massive solar farm
In the 1820s, a gold rush brought people from across the state to Rowan County to try to strike it rich. Now, energy companies are coming for much the same reason: To cash in by building solar farms.
N.C. unaffiliated voters souring on Biden, split on masks, vaccine
A new poll of North Carolina unaffiliated voters shows President Joe Biden is tanking with voters who claim no allegiance to any political party.
Auditor uncovers troublesome financial decisions in Hertford
The state auditor found that the town of Hertford made several questionable financial decisions, under the guidance of its former Mayor Pro Tem Quentin Jackson.
College students face epidemic of uncertainty as COVID-19 fears spread
College students are returning to campus amid delta variant fear spikes, restrictions, and, now, some University of North Carolina faculty pushing for a return to remote instruction. But how does a return to campus affect students psychologically?
Biden’s tumble unnerves Democrats
In a nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll taken on August 11 and 12, approximately 51% of Americans approved of President Joe Biden’s job performance, while 43% disapproved. Just one week later, the same pollster found a strikingly different result: 46% approval, 49% disapproval.
Lawmakers on verge of sending criminal justice reform bill to governor
An omnibus criminal justice reform bill is on the verge of heading to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk after clearing the N.C. House in a nearly unanimous 100-2 vote on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
Poll: Voters’ trust in authorities sinks, as do Cooper's approval ratings
A new Civitas Poll of 600 likely voters conducted between Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 produced one of the more interesting survey results in recent memory. That’s according to John Locke Foundation senior political analyst Mitch Kokai, who discussed the poll results with JLF president and chief strategy officer Donald Bryson on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Cooper wants budget provisions removed that would curb a governor's powers
Gov. Roy Cooper wants a provision to curb a governor’s powers removed from state budget plans. Cooper, a Democrat, responding to a question during a press conference Wednesday, Aug. 18, said he plans to talk with Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, as well as House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, about his concerns.
Medicaid fraud conviction will force $2 million payment, 3 1/2 years in prison
An Angier man faces 3 1/2 years in federal prison and restitution of nearly $2 million for his role in a Medicaid fraud scheme. Ruben Samuel Matos learned his sentence today, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in North Carolina's Eastern District.
Parents revolt over Buncombe County school board's mask mandate
Mask wars have once again erupted in Buncombe County after the school board voted during a specially called meeting last week, without public comment, to require all students and staff to wear masks while inside, regardless of vaccination status.
Op Ed: Laurie Moody - American Families Need Access to Paid Family Leave
Benjamin Franklin gave us many great words of wisdom. One of his best lines is that we should “do well by doing good.” While this ideal may have worked in the politics and government of early American history in the 1700’s, we don’t see much of that sentiment in today’s public policy. People of all political stripes (right, middle, left and those not involved at all) are tired of the fighting and looking to support policies that exemplify the words of Mr. Franklin.
Voters would end racial preferences
The University of North Carolina systemically discriminates by race and ethnicity in student admissions and faculty hiring. Arguably such behavior is already forbidden by federal and state law. Now a group of state lawmakers has proposed an amendment to the state constitution that would eliminate all doubt on the matter.