North Carolina has a new program to attract teachers. TeachNC officially launched during an Education Cabinet meeting attended by myriad state and education officials. The initiative aims to address critical teaching vacancies by boosting teacher recruitment and retention efforts through a statewide media campaign…
We tend to think of U.S. Supreme Court justices as ideological, their views and actions mapping neatly onto the conventional liberal-to-conservative continuum of American politics. Their decisions are thought to conform to the party of the president who nominated them. The current conservative bloc is Chief Justice John Roberts…
A new school year is weeks away, bringing new strategies for keeping kids safe. Topping the list: A smartphone app leveraging the eyes, ears, and savvy of students. Called Say Something, the app enables students to submit anonymous tips about threats on social media or at school.
“Hey! Did you pay taxes on those drugs, mister? Probably not, right?” Unless you are buying your marijuana from a dispensary in a state where it’s legal, you probably aren’t paying taxes on your illicit substances. If not, you are likely committing two crimes: possession of a controlled substance and…
Hospitals have called the treasurer’s bluff. The deadline for hospital signups onto the State Health Plan expired Monday, yet the plan remains bereft of major hospital networks. “We have no news to report. Generally speaking, nothing has changed regarding the boycott of the State…
[This story has been updated with additional comments] Democratic lawmakers want the General Assembly to act on a pair of gun-control bills. In a morning news conference, Democratic lawmakers urged Republicans to sign discharge petitions, which would move two gun-control bills out of committee and onto…
[This story has been updated with additional information.] Education officials and lawmakers are scrambling to prevent the lay-offs of 220 teachers at the N.C. Virtual Public School during the upcoming fall semester. State law requires a mandatory 31-day break in service…
The debate that led to the passage of Senate Bill 290 wasn’t about alcohol. I’ve written and said this many times, as have my colleagues at Carolina Journal and The John Locke Foundation. Certain lawmakers, the Chuck McGradys, Jon Hardisters, and…
[This story has been updated with additional comments] Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed a bill that would allow a low-performing virtual charter school to add students. Senate Bill 392 contains a provision that would lift the maximum student enrollment cap for one of…
Editor’s note: This story was updated Monday, July 29, at 8 p.m. Senate Bill 290, originally filed as the Distillery Regulatory Reform Bill, will soon become law. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the game-changing measure at Graybeard Distillery in Durham on Monday, July 29.
