RALEIGH — A news article in The Daily Tar Heel April 24 contained a shocking lead: “A woman is raped every two minutes. Almost one in every four women between the ages of 18 and 24 is a survivor of sexual assault.” No sources for this information are given —…
CHARLOTTE — N.C. Department of Transportation officials are examining the possibility of rebuilding Interstate 95 through toll collections under a never-before-used federal pilot program. It will be several years, however, before anyone pays their nickel (or dollar) to drive on the interstate. I-95 is something of an oddity, a major…
RALEIGH — The school-choice decision in Zelman vs. Simmons-Harris gave the U.S. Supreme Court's blessing to well-designed programs. The success of Zelman for voucher advocates hinged in large part on the legal concept of “true private choice.” Parents needed market-type options, both within and without the public schools, voucher advocates…
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s rainfall is a source of the lush landscape and natural beauty that attracts thousands of tourists each year. But for residents, rain and the ensuing runoff have become yet another excuse used by cities and towns to raise taxes. Municipalities call them stormwater utility fees, but…
CHARLOTTE — Local governments have been debating growth controls, panhandling, and other issues this spring. After experiencing lower than anticipated growth, for example, Cary is reconsidering the amount it charges in water, sewer, and transportation impact fees. Cary adopted the impact fees in an attempt to control the rapid growth…
RALEIGH — The National Commission on Excellence in Education reported in 1983 in A Nation at Risk that the “intellectual, moral and spiritual strengths of our people” were in trouble. A follow-up study, “Our Schools and Our Future: are we still at risk?” examines the changes that have taken place…
RALEIGH — Many North Carolina communities are raising taxes with little apparent regard for the economic consequences, say taxpayers. “The people who pile these taxes on us have little or no regard for people who are aged,” one said. “How far can it go in this country before people realize…
RALEIGH — As Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad, and other communities debate the addition of light rail to their transit systems, it may be worthwhile to consider its success where systems are already in place. With the release of the 2000 Census data, an analysis of light-rail trends that prove…
GREENSBORO — A recent N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s two-and-a-half day conference was titled “Closing the Achievement Gap: Improving Minority and At-Risk Student Achievement.” Several thousand educators filled the lobby and meeting floors of the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. They gathered from around the state to hear about the…
RALEIGH — North Carolina needs a new partnership between the state and local governments to restart its economic engines and facilitate growth, an author and investment advisor said Monday at a John Locke Foundation luncheon. There has been too much emphasis on business incentives for companies that do not reinvest…
