This November, lawsuits permitting, North Carolinians will vote in referendums on six constitutional amendments. The issues they will address are crime victims’ rights, a right to hunt and fish, the method for filling vacancies on the states’ courts, the establishment of a bipartisan elections commission, a cap on…
Classic literature has fallen from favor in English class. The movement away from the literary canon, begun decades ago, has accelerated rapidly following adoption of Common Core standards by most states eight years ago. Some states, including North Carolina, have revised these standards. But the devaluation of classic literature is…
An Aug. 27 federal court ruling throwing out North Carolina’s congressional maps has added new complications to an unsettled election schedule. The decision adds another wrinkle to the state’s 2018 election. Over the course of 321 pages, a three-judge panel raised…
Red4EdNC, a nonprofit education advocacy group, isn’t happy with the state of public education in North Carolina. The group, composed of public school teachers, on Friday, Aug. 24, shared a litany of concerns with how the General Assembly has handled public education. Angela…
The potential impact of unaffiliated voters on the upcoming election was the focus of the Thursday, Aug. 23 discussion of latest statewide poll by Civitas. “Unaffiliated voters are the fastest growing and second largest block of voters in the state,” Donald Bryson,…
Environmental concerns are real and warranted, particularly when it comes to public health. The GenX chemical produced by Chemours has been found in water supplies and the impact on human health is still being explored. The company has installed carbon absorption units and promises a $100-million pollution reduction project. In…
After a historic protest that ended in the illegal takedown of Silent Sam, a Confederate statue at UNC-Chapel Hill, the university faces tough inquiries about campus security and law enforcement. A striking question — about how a handful of people tore down a weighty statue…
I studied history at a college with a Confederate soldier monument during the biggest progressive social upheaval since the 1960’s. I know just about every single way that old boy can be interpreted. What those idealistic college kids and older antagonizers recently did in Chapel…
WILMINGTON — A new law in Carolina Beach cracking down on food trucks will be served in court. The Institute for Justice on Tuesday, Aug. 21, announced a lawsuit against the town over the move. The lawsuit is a…
There is a puzzling expression regularly being used by members of the Trump administration that, they argue, describes a major goal of their protectionist trade policies: “reciprocal trade.” The expression is troubling because, as an economist, I understand that all trade, by definition, is reciprocal. It is best to think of…
