Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday, May 29, to include current numbers on COVID-19 deaths, as reported the NCDHHS. A bill to reopen private bars and clubs, as well as expanding outdoor seating in restaurants and brewpubs, is awaiting a decision from the governor.
It’s not certain whether COVID-19 will continue to spread through North Carolina this fall, but one thing is likely: The 2020-21 school year won’t be typical. North Carolina public health and education officials have been working to determine what the 2020-21 school year…
Health clubs, gyms, spas, and karate dojos have joined to file a lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order keeping their businesses closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lawsuit is the latest challenge of Cooper’s response to COVID-19. In the…
The state Department of Transportation defended its overspending and planned reforms to a skeptical Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, May 27. Lawmakers asked department officials how, in fiscal year 2018-19, the DOT spent $742 million more than its budget, based on a May audit…
A bill forbidding all-mail elections passed unanimously Wednesday, May 27, out of the House Elections and Ethics Law Committee. It’s heading to the House Rules Committee. House Bill 1169 eases some restrictions on absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also tightening oversight…
The N.C. Senate Committee on Commerce and Insurance on Tuesday, May 26, approved duplicate amendments to a pair of bills revising state alcohol laws as they apply to outdoor seating in restaurants. The two bills, which do similar things but apply to different businesses, would…
Jeff Brooks was watching the governor in a news conference. Brooks, who owns a gym in Onslow County, immediately realized he was in trouble. “I remember turning to my wife and saying, ‘He’s going to screw us.’” Brooks, co-owner of Swansboro Health and Fitness, told…
Republican lawmakers filed legislation to ban mail-only elections and tighten oversight for voting by absentee ballot. House Bill 1169 would permanently ban the State Board of Elections from shifting to all-mail elections and sending ballots to voters who did not request to vote.
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s this week’s review: Budget buster: The Office of State Budget and Management and the legislature’s Fiscal Research Division opened the Memorial Day weekend…
The N.C. Rules Review Commission unanimously voted to reject a State Board of Elections’ request for emergency powers on Thursday, May 21. Commissioners said the requested temporary rule changes were ambiguous, unnecessary, and outside of the board’s statutory authority. The board said it needed more flexibility…
