The list of candidates filing for the 2024 primary election in North Carolina continues to grow. As of Dec.7 at 6:30 pm, in addition to local and county races, the following candidates for Congress and statewide offices have registered:
School choice advocates thought it couldn’t get any better than the successes and growth of the movement in 2022. But then 2023 came along. Both in North Carolina and across the nation, 2023 was a banner year for school choice. On the legislative front in the Tar Heel State, lawmakers approved a massive expansion of the state’s...
A lawsuit challenging portions of North Carolina’s new abortion law could head to trial as early as May 6. A federal judge’s injunction in late September has blocked two pieces of the law from taking effect.
Evan Wilkerson, a 17-year-old Wake Forest student of the NC Virtual Academy, recently competed in the 2023 Parapan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, from Nov. 17-26, taking home silver and bronze medals as a member of Team USA. The Parapan American games, a multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, was held in Chile for...
Conservative and very conservative parents are more likely to raise mentally healthy teens compared to liberal parents, according to a new study from the Institute for Family Studies and Gallup.
Everyone knows the famous adage that “All politics is local.” But looking back at the year’s stories for major themes, it was clear one story from across the globe had generated more articles on our site in the last third of the year than many others did over the full 12 months (although we do...
Many years ago I had a conversation with a professor at the London School of Economics, that remains fresh in my mind to this day. “In addition to learning French, my son is also learning Mandarin,” said the gentleman. “After all, with the way the world is going, we will all be speaking Mandarin soon....
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the final stages of advancing a proposed rule that would ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. Such a draconian prohibitionist policy is not necessary, because smoking rates are among their lowest levels ever recorded in the Tar Heel State. More problematic is that the FDA is...
For those who missed my previous article, let me catch you up on where we left off. Free speech on college campuses is alive, but certainly not well. In 2023, students still want to engage one another intellectually, but universities and college students alike no longer encourage genuine, open, and honest dialogue. Thankfully, there is...
Headed into the 2024 presidential election year, President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains underwater among North Carolina voters.
Nikki Haley got a boost in her bid for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday in an endorsement from Americans for Prosperity Action. The Koch group pushed out a campaign to promote the former South Carolina governor and former United Nations ambassador.
Republicans are pushing to get more party faithful to vote early and mail in their ballots, while also trying to assure them of ballot security. An initiative from the Republican National Committee, Bank Your Vote, is aimed at tapping into turnout tactics that Democrats have been nurturing for years.
On Tuesday, voters cast ballots in the last of three municipal contests in the state's first elections with Voter ID requirements in place. On Wednesday, state elections staff will conduct statutorily required random accuracy checks.
Two Democratic members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are ranked among the most likely to be picked off in 2024, according to a new analysis from Roll Call.
This week on “The Debrief”: *A new Civitas Poll is out this week – Voter ID retains strong approval among voters. *As 2024 looms, Gen Z could really start shifting electoral outcomes. *The State Board of Elections is preparing for a high stakes election year. *A stabbing at a local high school takes a young...
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s state Senate election map. Kokai offered these comments during the Nov. 24, 2023, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses top political issues in North Carolina as families gather for Thanksgiving. Kokai offered these comments during a Nov. 23, 2023, appearance on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”
This week on “The Debrief”: *The cost of your Thanksgiving meal should be lower this year than last, but it’s still much higher than in the recent past. *Candidate filing starts Dec. 4, but we already have some crowded primaries for the 2024 elections in North Carolina. *Now that the General Assembly has finished its...
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses highlights from North Carolina’s 2023 municipal election results. Kokai offered these comments during the Nov. 10, 2023, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
The North Carolina 19-foot Fraser Fir selected last month to grace the Blue Room in The White House this Christmas was delivered Tuesday.
One of North Carolina’s most famous and historic landmarks will be on full display this weekend as the Hallmark Channel debuts “A Biltmore Christmas” this Sunday.
While consumers may see a slight dip in food costs for this Thanksgiving, prices are still up compared to pre-pandemic 2019. The American Farm Bureau says this year’s classic feast for 10 family and friends should cost, on average, $61.17. However, in 2022 the nation saw a dramatic 9.9% increase in food prices.
Today marks North Carolina’s 234th birthday! U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, was among those remembering the Old North State’s special day on social media. On Nov. 21, 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution and the only state with two ratification conventions. In 1729, the state started as a...
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses the New York Times’ column warning about America’s “free-speech problem.” Kokai offered these comments during the March 25, 2022, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “Front Row with Marc Rotterman.”
Canadian professor, author, and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson on Thursday offered a non-political and largely academic lecture on the psychology of beauty, dreams, and purpose. The reaction from city officials and activists to the address at the Durham Performing Arts Center was night-and-day from the one leading up to his appearance four years earlier. It...
As the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine continues to escalate, North Carolina’s local Ukrainian population is rallying to bring attention to the suffering of people in their homeland and to gather supplies to help them. Donna Goldstein, co-president of the Ukrainian Association of North Carolina, finds herself at the forefront of these efforts. Goldstein has...
The fourth estate, journalism, is racing to receivership unless we can rescue it from its rapacious self. The hubris hasn’t always been this bad, this blatant, or this biased, yet it worsens daily. In the town I grew up in, Nashville, Tennessee, there were two newspapers in the 1950s and 1960s, one for the morning,...
One of the goals within our cultural wars is to push Christmas aside, to make even more room for divisive politicized agendas that tear us apart.