A collection of House Republicans on Thursday, Feb. 28, introduced House Bill 241, which would place a $1.9-billion school construction bond on the March 2020 primary ballot. Of that money, $1.5 billion would go to public schools. Community colleges would get…
A decision by Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins to invalidate two constitutional amendments isn’t necessarily tarnished by partisanship or judicial activism, former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr says. In some ways, Orr told Carolina Journal, Collins’ ruling poses critical…
The House approved a bill Wednesday, Feb. 27, asking voters to enshrine eminent domain restrictions in the state constitution. The measure passed easily, by a 94-21 vote. House Bill 3 would restrict eminent domain in the state to “public use” and require just…
Leslie McCrae Dowless, the alleged mastermind of an election fraud scheme in the 9th Congressional District, was arrested Wednesday and jailed in Wake County. Dowless refused to testify last week at a State Board of Elections evidentiary hearing into widespread election…
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a writ of election and proclamation Wednesday setting the special election for North Carolina’s 3rd U.S. Congressional District on July 9. The seat has been vacant since U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr. died earlier this…
A requirement for every North Carolina public school student to learn about civic responsibility is one step closer to becoming law after an education committee approved the bill. House Bill 73, the civic responsibility education requirement bill, was one of two school safety…
The North Carolina League of Municipalities is making a push to allow local governments to build broadband infrastructure and lease it to private internet service providers, but critics warn the plan would harm taxpayers’ pocketbooks. The league tried and failed to get the same concept through the North Carolina General…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell says the state pension plan hemorrhaged $4.1 billion in 2018. Officially known as the N.C. Retirement Systems, the plan reported losses of 1.47 percent for the just-completed calendar year, underperforming its actuarial assumed rate of return of 7 percent. The…
Sens. Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg, and Andy Wells, R-Catawba, have filed legislation that would take a big step toward reforming the alcohol control system in North Carolina. The bill is based on recommendations by the N.C. Program Evaluation Division, which presented a report — “Changing…
Student IDs across the University of North Carolina System aren’t fully eligible for use under the state’s new voter ID law, but the university is working to make sure qualifying students and employees can vote, a top UNC official says. Under the state’s voter ID…
