State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s proposed cost-cutting reforms for the State Health Plan have drawn praise from state employees’ representatives and a nationally recognized free-market health finance expert. But medical providers aren’t too happy with the treasurer’s plans. The State Health Plan has a $3.3 billion annual budget, though costs exceed…
A legislative panel is hiring a special outside investigator to get answers from Gov. Roy Cooper about his creation of a $57.8 million discretionary fund tied to payments from Atlantic Coast Pipeline partners. A Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations subcommittee voted Wednesday, Nov. 14, to…
Occupational licensing may have cost North Carolina more than 42,000 jobs and millions in economic losses, a new study from the Institute for Justice says. The study from the nonprofit, libertarian public interest law firm looked…
A special legislative investigative panel wants to know if Gov. Roy Cooper was in line to benefit personally from solar energy companies by creating a $57.8 million “slush fund” paid for by Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers. Shortly before the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations subcommittee…
The results of this month’s legislative elections haven’t been certified. Yet Common Cause, the N.C. Democratic Party, and 22 individual plaintiffs are seeking a court order to overturn some of those General Assembly districts. The parties filed the lawsuit Tuesday, Nov. 13, in Wake County Superior…
North Carolina officials insist the state is prime territory for the next big industrial manufacturing facility — most likely an automaker. Auto assembly plants can attract billions of dollars in investment, create hundreds of high-paying jobs, and revitalize a local economy. But we keep losing the competition for…
The University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors awarded thousands of dollars in raises to 10 of the system’s 17 chancellors. Several who didn’t get a boost are notable. One is UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt, who took office in July 2013. Folt is eligible…
In addition to choosing representatives, and deciding six statewide constitutional amendments Tuesday, Nov. 6, North Carolina voters approved more than $1.8 billion in local bonds for K-12 and community college projects, parks and open spaces, low-income housing, and street improvements. Voters also weighed in on sales…
Editor’s note: This story was corrected after initial publication to note that Margaret Spellings ordered the 360 review of Cecil Staton. The leader of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors says he’s cutting ties with East Carolina University. “After consultation with my…
Did state approval of the North Carolina segment of the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline depend on Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration securing a $57.8-million discretionary “mitigation fund” with the pipeline operators? Documents obtained by Carolina Journal suggest it did. The federal…
