I have written about gerrymandering in these pages before, but the recent Superior Court ruling that the state’s legislative districts constitute an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander makes me want to do it again. This is a prime example of judicial overreach and regrettable encroachment of quantitative social…
Coastal communities are no strangers to the heavy winds and the massive storm surges hurricanes bring. Hurricane Dorian was no different when it hammered North Carolina’s barrier islands at the start of September. The people are resilient. They will rebuild, as they always do, after…
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses what we think are some interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s a week in review: Testy Exchange: The Oct. 2 N.C. State Board of Education got heated…
Partisan polarization has been a fixture of American politics for several decades now. Recently, analysts have argued it’s asymmetric. To be sure, Democrats have moved to the left. But they have not drifted from the middle ground as much as Republicans have to the right. …
Rural hospitals are finding it more difficult to stay open. Since 2006, 11 rural hospitals in North Carolina have closed — seven in the past six years, as more people move to cities and suburbs. “Access to Health Care in Rural Areas” was the…
It’s hard to imagine, but did you know regular people can get as excited about new choices as Raleigh media get about new grocery store options? It’s true. I know, I know, that’s saying a lot, when you consider how excited Raleigh media have been to have new grocery options.
Partisanship often dominates contemporary political dialogue, but it’s possible for Republicans and Democrats to find at least some common ground. A panel of thought leaders met Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Salisbury’s Norvell Theatre for the second of four events in the Hometown Debates Series. …
The pillars of the Fourth Estate, i.e. the press, are taking a beating. “Fake news” has become a ridiculous cliche, yet the mantra is starting to damage those pillars like so much wind and rain. The stately columns are weathered. Cracked and chipped. Tweets and social…
Once again, a group of influential green groups and corporations are promoting a global climate strike. Today’s strike pushes young students to walk out of school and workers to leave work to protest the energy sources that keep us alive and thriving. Stunts…
The nation’s largest employer of the blind hasn’t decided which employees will lose their jobs, but 47 people will go in the first round of cuts. After a federal court ruling downgraded the preferential status of nonprofit employers of the blind and disabled, IFB Solutions lost…
