If the separation-of-powers undertones in the judicial redistricting process weren’t already obvious, state Rep. Justin Burr, R-Stanly, left no doubt Tuesday. The General Assembly is exercising its authority to redraw district and Superior Court maps “not for the benefit of lawyers, but for the benefit of the…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell has awarded BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina the Third Party Administrator contract for the State Health Plan. The TPA negotiates contracts with health-care providers and processes claims paid with taxpayer money. BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina holds the current TPA contract,…
If you see a crime, who are you going to call? If you’re civic minded, the state’s toll-free 911 system. In the near future, 911 callers also will be able to send photos, videos, and text messages of a crime in progress.
Federal regulators are getting increasingly uneasy with proposals such as a partnership involving UNC Health Care and Carolinas HealthCare System. Such arrangements, critics say, inhibit competition and raise the potential for anti-trust violations. Devon Herrick, a health economist and policy adviser to the Heartland Institute in…
The debate over short-term rentals in Raleigh has continued for a couple of years without a clear solution. Brent Woodcox is special counsel to the General Assembly and former co-chair of the city’s short-term rental task force. He created Share Raleigh, a political action committee focusing on the…
A typical North Carolina medical patient would save nearly $300 a year and have more competitive options for lower-cost treatment if outdated regulations didn’t exist, research shows. Matt Mitchell, a senior research fellow and director of the Project for the Study of American Capitalism at the…
A three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court granted an extended 30 day stay requested by the State Board of Education in the lawsuit between the board and State Superintendent Mark Johnson while appeals are pending. The board filed a lawsuit last December over the General Assembly’s decision…
The U.S. House of Representatives just took a knife to funding for the federal civil asset forfeiture program — a move that could help protect innocent North Carolinians and their property. Lawmakers on Tuesday passed an amendment — part of a larger appropriations bill — that puts a clamp…
RALEIGH — The Wake County Superior Court has a new leader. Chief Justice Mark Martin has appointed Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway to succeed senior resident Judge Donald Stephens, who will retire Nov. 1. “Judge Ridgeway has served with distinction as Superior Court judge,…
Democrats on the House Select Committee on Judicial Redistricting on Tuesday tried to raise objections to the comprehensive judicial redistricting plans in House Bill 717. They got a detailed history and civics lessons instead. Rep. Joe John, D-Wake, asked if there…
