Rules are important. Whether it’s a sporting event, a corporate meeting or a board game, rules set the parameters of the interaction. Without rules there’s confusion, uncertainty, ambiguity with participants jockeying for an advantage. Nowhere are rules as important as in apportioning districts to ensure fair and equal representation in government. Our state…
The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has released its initial 2018 annual report, the pages of which are filled with colorful photos of smiling people and happy numbers. Proponents of our ABC system make so much of the commission’s power and propensity to “control”…
Throughout my career in journalism, I’ve tried to make it a point to learn something from all each of my editors, even those I often questioned, or even disliked. One such editor, who falls into that latter category, sometimes made points that were both salient…
Teachers and parents, we have a trust problem. Just 36 percent of public school teachers express “complete” or “a lot of” trust in parents, EdChoice’s new “Schooling in America Survey” says. What’s eroding trust? One likely culprit: Parental expectations are sky-high. Harried millennial parents want schools to teach skills once considered part…
Michael Jacobs, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, discusses his research into the negative impacts of progressive local government policies. Jacobs offered these comments during an interview for Carolina Journal Radio.
Legislators recently loosened restrictions on North Carolina’s targeted tax incentive program, allowing companies to claim as much as $16,000 for every job created in connection with a Job Development Investment Grant. That’s a 246 percent increase from the old cap of $6,500 per job. The change passed without much opposition…
I don’t write much about what happens inside of the classroom simply because there is so little information about it. Content standards adopted by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction outline the sequence, topics, and learning goals for each grade and subject. Curricula and instructional decisions are made on…
Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly discusses his priorities. Connelly offered these comments during an interview for Carolina Journal Radio.
Voters have broken veto-proof Republican supermajorities in the N.C. General Assembly. The November election results ensure a more powerful role for both the Democratic minority and Gov. Roy Cooper. Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation senior vice president, analyzes the election’s significance. The United States and other Western nations are choosing…
The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission is trimming the number of products it lists because, to be blunt, some of those items — i.e. bottles — just aren’t selling. In an email to suppliers Wednesday, sent on behalf of ABC administrator Agnes Stevens, the goal is providing “the optimum selection of…
