U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, has the NCAA’s attention when it comes to fair pay for student athletes. But he wants action from the collegiate sports giant — and from Congress. The NCAA’s board of governors voted Tuesday, Oct. 29, to…
To understand the educational zeitgeist of voters, start here: Most want choice and change. Republican or Democrat? Gen Xer or millennial? It doesn’t matter much. Views on initiatives or implementation may differ, but conceptually, school choice garners broad bipartisan support. It’s time to push past political polarization…
If North Carolina’s nebulous criminal code isn’t confusing enough, the “elephant” metaphors lawmakers use to describe them are even less enlightening. At a reform-oriented summit hosted Monday, Oct. 21, in Cary by the Cato Institute and the John Locke Foundation, several lawmakers excoriated the state’s criminal…
Twelve years ago, the General Assembly gave counties the option to ask residents if they wanted more government spending. The county commissioners’ response this year in Mecklenburg? Spend an extra $50 million on the arts and parks. The General Assembly passed legislation in 2007…
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.
