The Local Government Commission is stepping in to help the town of Spring Lake in Cumberland County. The move by the commission, which voted Wednesday, March 23, will avoid payment processing problems, a news release says.
All in Opinion
OPINION: ‘Truth is not hate speech’ and other lessons from the Babylon Bee
Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee, likes to say, “The world has become too absurd to be satirized.” He's right, of course, and it was a line Dillon repeated as keynote speaker at the Carolina Liberty Conference last month. Anybody who consumes news knows that many cultural celebrations championed today were absurdities just a few years ago.
Golden Leaf got $83 million in COVID relief, but failed to properly monitor it, audit finds
The Golden LEAF Foundation failed to monitor how $83 million in federal money from the COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program were used, a new audit finds.
OPINION: Pistol permits and Jim Crow?
Was the pistol permit law of 1919 an important part of "Jim Crow" efforts to deny access to arms for African Americans?
WakeEd partnership’s latest initiative making an impact on students in the classroom
Jennifer Pride, a language arts teacher in the Heritage Middle School, Wake Forest, can’t say enough good things about the WakeEd Partnership’s Tools4Schools store in Cary. “Things that I would normally have to pick up on my own or ask my school for, they are offering it to us free of charge,” she said. “Every teacher I know spends money out of pocket to support their classroom.”
Dispute over $1.7 billion education spending order assigned to new judge
The fight over $1.7 billion in court-ordered N.C. education spending is heading to a new judge. Court records confirm that the long-running legal case known as Leandro is heading to Special Superior Court Judge Michael Robinson.
We need more housing options
As post-COVID shifts in work arrangements and living preferences continue to motivate many Americans to relocate, North Carolina will continue to be a popular destination. Indeed, we can attract even more professionals, families, retirees, and other folks to our state if we lean into one of our competitive advantages: housing options.
OPINION: A look into the different expressions of conservatism
As someone who tends to fall on the libertarian end of the political spectrum, I used to struggle with understanding the term "conservative" as a political category. I have noticed the term expresses a broad political ideology.
Durham case gives N.C. Supreme Court chance to clarify economic rights
The case of a fired Durham police sergeant gives the N.C. Supreme Court a chance to consider constitutional protection of economic liberty.
Unaffiliated voters surpass Democrats in N.C.
Unaffiliated voters have overtaken Democrats as the largest voting group in North Carolina, according to the latest data from the N.C. State Board of Elections.
OPINION: Popular ed school fads fail students who need help the most
The fight over Critical Race Theory grabs headlines. But there’s a more fundamental problem plaguing public schools.
N.C. auditor details alleged embezzlement, some $430K, in Spring Lake
The state auditor’s office found that a former accounting technician in the town of Spring Lake misappropriated more than $430,000 in taxpayer funds for personal use and has referred its report to the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation for a possible criminal investigation.
State of emergency continues with new ways to measure COVID
Gov. Roy Cooper said North Carolina's state of emergency will continue, despite declining COVID numbers.
Why Carolinians liked strong legislatures
How should North Carolina be governed? The same question can be asked about any other state in America, or any other country in the world. It’s a critical question. It lies at the heart of every political dispute you can think of, from education reform and environmental protection to tax policy and economic development.
OPINION: Time to celebrate and protect worker freedom
Happy anniversary to North Carolina’s right-to-work law!
Seventy-five years ago, on March 18, 1947, North Carolina became one of the first states in the country to give workers the freedom to choose whether or not to pay a union.
Drug money: How NC will spend the $750M opioid settlement
The opioid epidemic is killing more than 100,000 Americans each year. Fentanyl alone — not counting other opioids such as heroin, oxycodone, and morphine — now top the list as the No. 1 cause of death for adults 45 and younger. That's more than suicides, car wrecks, and COVID-19.
College majors vary widely in cost
It costs a lot more to train a future engineer than to train a future journalist. Some smart aleck might suggest the cost differential is entirely understandable, since a poorly trained engineer will tend to wash out of her profession while a poorly trained journalist might well rise to the top of his.
N.C. Appeals Court rules Greenville red-light camera program unconstitutional
A unanimous three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals has ruled Greenville's red-light camera program unconstitutional. The judges agreed the program does not provide enough of its proceeds to local schools.
Daylight Savings clock-shifting continues in NC despite legislative effort
There aren’t many things that bring people from all sides together politically these days. But ending the practice of putting our clocks forward in the spring then backward in the fall is one that enjoys wide, bipartisan agreement.
Late COVID unemployment checks tangled in red tape, according to new state audit
Nearly half a billion dollars in first-time unemployment benefits in North Carolina were not paid out in a timely manner during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to an audit released from State Auditor Beth Wood’s office on Monday. The Division of Employment Security didn’t issue $438 million of first unemployment benefit payments during the period of January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021.