After earning the notorious 'Black Hole Award' from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in 2024 for its lack of transparency, the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) avoided the limelight in 2025.
A unanimous North Carolina Supreme Court will allow students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University to move forward with a lawsuit seeking refunds from the university. The students challenged mandatory fees they paid in fall 2020, when the two flagship UNC System campuses closed for most students.
The North Carolina Supreme Court split, 3-3, in the case of a Currituck County employee fired in 2017 after uttering a single racial epithet to a supervisor. The split decision Friday means that Judith Ayers can return to her job and collect back pay and attorneys’ fees.
A North Carolina Court of Appeals panel spent more than 90 minutes Friday morning listening to arguments related to state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin’s challenge of more than 65,000 ballots cast in last fall’s election.
In a bold move that signals a significant shift in US education policy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will drastically reduce the size and influence of the U.S. Department of Education. While the order does not fully dissolve the agency, it will significantly scale back its operations and responsibilities, shifting those responsibilities to the states.
Primary care is so vital partly because it prevents unnecessarily usage of more-expensive health services — like ERs, ambulances, hospitals, and specialists.
The framers disliked the immense power of the Roman chief legal official, or “praetor." Considering the praetor's power on injunctions could give the court a window into original intent.
SB 299 and HB 322 are litmus tests. Passing them would signal that the people's representatives value trust over convenience, reversing a legacy of secrecy that’s left us lagging behind other states.
This series of name changes reflects a congeries of politics, ideology, national and regional pride, and even, you might say, a play on words.
On Wednesday, Dave Boliek was sworn in as the new state auditor of North Carolina and announced his hires for senior staff and says he will start work with an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The year 2024 was marked by significant developments across politics, the economy, education, and energy in North Carolina. As one of the nation’s most dynamic and closely watched states, it played a pivotal role in shaping regional and national conversations.
"Dan has been a tireless fighter for our MAGA Movement in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees," Trump said in a press release issued Tuesday night. "Dan will implement my cost-cutting and deregulatory agenda across all Agencies, and root out the Weaponized Deep State."
The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Friday to ensure challenges of 60,000 ballots in the state's latest election are addressed in federal court. Republicans filed the challenges with the State Board of Elections. The challenges could affect the outcome of the state Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Jefferson Griffin, along with a handful of state legislative contests.
Republican North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is turning to North Carolina’s second-highest court for an order that would force state election officials to make a final decision about Griffin’s election protests Tuesday. The State Board of Elections had planned to hear oral arguments about the protests the following day, according to a document Griffin filed Friday with the state Court of Appeals.
This week on The Debrief: Governor Josh Stein’s State of the State address, featuring plans for free community college, a $4 billion school construction bond, and more. Plus, new poll numbers show Stein’s strong start, but most North Carolinians want a state-level watchdog to keep an eye on their tax dollars.
Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation testifies about the impact of occupational licensing on North Carolina’s economic freedom. Sanders directs Locke’s Center for Food, Power, and Life. He offered these comments during a March 11, 2025, presentation to the state House Regulatory Reform Committee.
This week on The Debrief, we’re pulling back the curtain on North Carolina’s state government! Newly elected State Auditor Dave Boliek joins us to reveal what he’s uncovering as he steps into office—and what needs to change to make government more transparent and accountable. Don’t miss this inside scoop!
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses a bill that would require North Carolina state government agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials. Kokai offered these comments during the Feb. 28, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
The Debrief this week will transform how you see your groceries – As food prices climb, Robert F Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as the nation’s new US Health and Human Services secretary, bringing his commitment to “Make America Health Again.” But how do we build a healthy and secure food supply? In the John Locke Foundation’s Sowing...
The largest lab-grown meat production facility in the world is opening in North Carolina, and legislators want to ensure food labels are clear.
North Carolina could soon recognize November as Military Appreciation Month after the state House passed a bill unanimously on Tuesday aiming to honor those in the military.
This series of name changes reflects a congeries of politics, ideology, national and regional pride, and even, you might say, a play on words.
The North Carolina House Judiciary Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion agenda in state and local government across the state. House Bill 171 bars state agencies from promoting, supporting, funding, or maintaining DEI programs, including in hiring, staffing, or training. Moreover, the measure prohibits state agencies, local governments,...
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.
Political and cultural causes are important. They motivate us to make the world around us better and hone our sense of justice. Also, the excitement of fighting the good fight can be, for lack of a better word, fun. But everything has its time and place. And even if we think a particular political issue...
On Good Friday state offices will be closed in North Carolina for Holy Week, along with 10 other states. However, that has not always been the case in North Carolina. The Monday after Easter — rather than Good Friday — was a legal holiday in North Carolina for 52 years, and for many years before...
Donna King, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses Disney’s controversial programming changes. King offered these comments during the April 8, 2022, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “Front Row with Marc Rotterman.”
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.”