The recently passed NC state budget contains a provision that would not allow local governments and municipalities to establish minimum wage and other employment-related requirements for private employers. The text, referred to as the “Wage and Hour Act” in N.C. General Statute § 95-25.1, resurfaces a discussion about the balance of power between the General...
Gov Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley announced Monday that Medicaid expansion will begin on Dec. 1. This will add hundreds of thousands of working-age, able-bodied adults to the state's Medicaid program, making it the largest single expansion of an entitlement program in state history.
Gov. Roy Cooper has declared the week of Sept. 25 "Clean Energy Week." Whether that indicates he will sign Senate Bill 678, "Clean Energy/Other Changes," remains unclear.
A Republican candidate in the 2024 race for North Carolina’s next attorney general has changed course and has decided to run for a different office. Tom Murry announced over the weekend that he has decided to run for a seat on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, leaving current Republican Congressman Dan Bishop (NC-08) to run...
The nation’s highest court will consider Tuesday a pair of petitions related to a legal dispute surrounding North Carolina’s “ag-gag law.” Both state Attorney General Josh Stein and the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation have asked the court to take the case in its upcoming term.
The General Assembly, through our schools, can put North Carolina front-and-center in the lead in restoring American greatness.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation warns that a trial judge's decision in a utility easement dispute could lead to billions of dollars in future taxpayer liability.
In 2026, NC legislators have an opportunity to solidify critical protections for workers. No North Carolinian should be forced to join or pay dues to a union just to earn a living.
Even at 1% year-to-year growth, our job-creation rate exceeds that of most other states and far exceeds the national average of 0.2%.
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.
A federal judge will allow state and national Republican groups to move forward with their lawsuit challenging 225,000 voter registrations in North Carolina. An order issued Friday denied requests from the State Board of Elections and Democratic National Committee to have the case dismissed.
President Donald Trump’s tariff policies have returned to the headlines because of a recent spat with Canada. Carolina Journal published this week the first in a series of articles about tariffs’ real-world impacts in North Carolina. We chat with the series author about her findings. State legislators are gone from Raleigh for the summer but...
We’re just two weeks away from the absentee ballot deadline in North Carolina’s general election. Early voting is less than two months away. Political columnist, author, and John Locke Foundation board member John Hood joins us to discuss the hot topics in the state’s election season. Does Republican Michael Whatley have a shot against Democrat...
John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson discusses the factors contributing to Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike. Bryson offered these comments during the July 24, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Donna King, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses key pieces of North Carolina’s new state budget. King offered these comments during the July 10, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
In this special episode of The Debrief, Jeff Moore sits down with Bob Rosser to discuss Running the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge and the Revolutionary War history behind one of North Carolina’s most important early battles. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, this conversation explores the people, places, and legacy of Moores Creek —...
Marriage, far from just being a social issue, by which many mean a matter of religious or moral opinion, is a foundational institution of economic and cultural stability.
Mount Airy has an Andy Griffith Museum and an annual Mayberry Days, which has now expanded into a 10-day affair, running this year from Sept. 19-28.
Teens need purpose and meaning in their lives, and they need role models who don’t blame them for being susceptible to products that were meant to be addictive.
Amidst this paralysis among many county school boards around the state, Catawba County shines a light of hope for these girls and their families.
To restore healthy public discourse, each of us must become better listeners. Civil discourse is not a competition with winners and losers; it is a deliberate and respectful exchange of ideas.
Outrage won’t solve our problems. And it won’t prepare us for tomorrow. What is needed now is a sense of redemption and reasons to feel hopeful.
What YMCA's Youth and Government program is doing is remarkable. This year’s conference garnered interest from NC state legislators, mayors, policy analysts, and state officials.
Times change. When we introduce IOPL to potential fellows, partners, and donors, some hear the word “political” and think “toxic,” or at least “partisan.”
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.
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