Carolina Journal News Reports | 2012 Archive

RALEIGH — For more than a year, historians and history buffs have been recognizing the 150th anniversary of various battles and other significant events in the Civil War. Much of that Civil War history involves North Carolina. N.C. History Project Director Troy Kickler discussed the topic with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.

RALEIGH — Among the obstacles facing the Pantego project in Beaufort County are the potential for a Mitt Romney victory in the November presidential election, conflicts with military aviation training, and the prospect that the wind turbines will cause the death of too many birds.

RALEIGH — North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson is traveling across the Tar Heel State to educate voters about the relationship between smaller class sizes and improved student performance. But studies conducted over the last 30 years show conflicting results.

RALEIGH — As North Carolina prepares to host its first major party presidential nominating convention, beginning Monday, staff members of Carolina Journal will be in Charlotte covering the proceedings.

RALEIGH — State lawmakers have little interest in embracing the full-risk, managed care programs used in other states. Health care provider organizations also oppose tinkering with a CCNC plan they say has improved patient outcomes while reimbursing them at higher rates than the national average.

RALEIGH — In an order dated Aug. 7, U.S. District Court Judge Max Coburn denied Steve Cooksey’s request for a preliminary injunction against the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition, which Cooksey claims is stopping him from giving nutritional advice on his blog, Diabetes-Warrior.net.

RALEIGH — Three GOP congressional challengers gave a preview of their speeches before the Republican National Convention during a morning press teleconference. They said they planned to draw contrasts between Democratic President Barack Obama’s policies and the vision of the Romney-Ryan GOP ticket.

KERNERSVILLE — The attorney for a Kernersville property developer says a condemnation under eminent domain will increase the value of land. Only problem is it’s not his client’s land that would become more valuable. Meantime, his client would receive considerably less than market value in compensation.

RALEIGH — North Carolina's so-called "Amazon tax" fails on all counts and deserves to be repealed when state lawmakers return to work next year. That's the conclusion of a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.

RALEIGH — Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms or, in modern language, to own and keep guns. Commit a felony, and the government can limit your gun rights. But what happens once a felon has served his sentence? Attorney Dan Hardway addressed that question during a presentation this year for the John Locke Foundation titled “Felons, Firearms, and the Second Amendment.” Hardway also discussed the issue with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.

RALEIGH — Republican Secretary of State candidate Ed Goodwin accused incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall of backing what he labeled a subversive organization with revolutionary goals during a candidate forum Thursday night.

RALEIGH — Appearing before an estimated 1,500 people at a public rally at SMT Inc., a woman-owned-and-operated metal fabrication and painting factory just north of RDU with a work force of 80 employees, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., said it is imperative to elect Mitt Romney president.

RALEIGH — Cabarrus County proponents of a statewide virtual charter school cling to longshot hopes that their unprecedented e-learning institution can open this year. For that to happen, the North Carolina Virtual Academy may have to prevail in a legal battle against the State Board of Education.

RALEIGH — Charlotte’s refusal to reimburse the apartment complex for use of an outside vendor led to the lawsuit. If the city prevails, it could limit the incentive for business owners to seek bids from service providers that compete with those approved by municipal governments.

RALEIGH — Democrat incumbent Beth Wood said she deserves re-election on the strength of her vigorous campaign against wasteful spending and sloppy, expensive state contracts. Her Republican opponent, Debra Goldman, attacked Wood as a poor manager with a spotty record of investigating corruption who has carried water for Gov. Bev Perdue.

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s public university system faces a number of challenges. Taxpayer funding has become more limited. Academic expectations are higher. The struggling economy has made it harder for recent university graduates to find jobs. The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy has offered the University of North Carolina system some ideas for dealing with this new environment. Pope Center President Jane Shaw recently discussed those ideas with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.

RALEIGH — The tables have been turned in the political money wars. North Carolina Republicans, who traditionally lag behind their Democratic rivals in fund-raising, are leading their opponents in most races across the state, although there are some notable exceptions.

PITTSBORO — The new conservative majority on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners says its focus has been to restore funding to the core functions of governemnt, such as public safety and education, while eliminating programs unrelated to those goals.

RALEIGH — Two of the debates will be held at the UNC Center for Public Television in Research Triangle Park. The other will be held at N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. These debates will be carried statewide on the UNC-TV system. They also are likely to air on at least one commercial station in each market.

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently ruled that a trial judge may close some court proceedings from the public. Before doing so, however, the judge must provide a detailed factual record justifying his decision.

RALEIGH — The wild swings in North Carolina’s higher education budget may have come to a halt. Last year, the University of North Carolina system absorbed roughly $400 million in cuts — a few years before that, higher ed was getting annual increases of 5 percent and more.

RALEIGH — Even capitalism’s biggest fans have to admit that industrialization has made our world dirtier. At least that seems to be conventional wisdom. Dr. Donald Boudreaux, professor of economics at George Mason University, challenges that notion. Earlier this year, he spoke to the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society on the theme “Cleaned By Capitalism.” Boudreaux discussed the topic with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.

RALEIGH — Recent years have seen some tough times for employees and students in the University of North Carolina system, with a number of layoffs, repeated tuition hikes, and few raises. But one group of employees has weathered the storm rather well: campus diversity administrators.

WILMINGTON – The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to place a $37 million bond referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot. If voters approve the bonds and all goes as planned, a Class A Atlanta Braves affiliate could begin playing in a 5,500-seat riverfront stadium by 2014.

RALEIGH — Joined by the powerful North Carolina League of Municipalities, Lumberton officials are advancing the novel legal argument that the judiciary has no constitutional authority to review legislative branch decisions setting rates for business privilege taxes.

RALEIGH — North Carolina taxpayers could be out almost $9 billion if the Bush-era tax rates and a patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax aren’t extended, a report by the Tax Foundation says. Nationwide, the total tax relief is estimated to be $403 billion, or about 2.7 percent of the economy.

RALEIGH — Advances in military technology have made it easier for the United States to use unmanned drone aircraft to target enemies. While so-called “killing by drone” is certainly safer for the American military, the practice raises important legal and policy questions. Scott Silliman, professor of the practice of law at Duke University Law School, director emeritus of the Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security, and a career Air Force attorney, addressed those questions earlier this year in a presentation to the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society. Silliman also discussed the issue with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.

RALEIGH — In not seasonally adjusted or unadjusted terms, the U.S. unemployment rate rose by 0.2 points, from 8.4 percent to 8.6 percent. The number of employed civilians fell by 76,000 and the number of unemployed rose by 216,000.

RALEIGH — The more technologically savvy method of navigating legislation was introduced as a pilot program during this summer’s short session. It is aimed at saving paper, paying for paper and supplies, and making the General Assembly operate more efficiently.

GREENSBORO — Plans call for an airplane taxiway over the proposed Interstate 73 that will run along the airport’s west side. PTI already owns 900 acres there, but Bryan Boulevard is “sort of an impenetrable barrier right now,” said Kevin Baker, PTI’s executive director.