News
NC budget allocated $48.9 million for farmland preservation
Almost $50 million has been allocated for farmland preservation, in the state budget.
News
NC budget raises sports-betting tax, adds prediction markets
New NC budget raises sports-betting taxes, redirects revenue to public universities, and creates a new tax on prediction markets.
News
Former Dunn housing director sentenced to two years in prison
A former executive director of the Dunn Housing Authority faces two years in federal prison and must repay $238,448 to the federal government after sentencing this week on a charge of conspiring to commit federal program theft.
News
NC budget reshapes governor’s appointment power
Gov. Josh Stein signed the state budget despite appointment changes that shift power from the governor to lawmakers and other officials.
News
Duke professor’s new book explores freedom and diversity
This free process of arranging diverse elements by merit in a hierarchy is how nature finds successful solutions to problems.
News
NC law enforcement agencies pan latest video sweepstakes appeal
State law enforcement agencies are urging the North Carolina Supreme Court to reject legal arguments from a video sweepstakes operator in a Robeson County case.
Opinion
Opinion
Healthcare monopoly myth: Why CON’s ‘cream-skimming’ defense fails
Hospitals undoubtedly provide services that are difficult to finance. But forcing patients to pay more for unrelated services is an extraordinarily indirect way to subsidize them.
Opinion
Founders were far from unanimous
Any political coalition broad enough to obtain and wield power will necessarily include multiple factions. Our Founders found ways to work together despite their many differences. We can, too — and should.
Opinion
Pharmacy regulations will make NC’s healthcare problem worse
Arkansas and Tennessee recently passed laws that force pharmacies to divest from owning affiliated companies. North Carolina lawmakers would be wise not to follow their lead.
Opinion
The impulse to back the weaker party, no matter what
Many have absorbed a view that the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden are pure of heart and should be presumed to be in the right; and the rich, the strong, and the ones imposing their will should be presumed to be in the wrong.
Elections
News
2024 in review: A year of civic engagement in NC
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.
News
Trump nominates Bishop to be deputy director for budget at OMB
"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."
News
Democrats want federal court to address GOP challenge of 60,000 NC ballots
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.
News
Griffin asks Appeals Court to order decision on election protests by Tuesday
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.
News
Federal judge allows challenge of 225,000 NC voter registrations to move forward
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.
Videos
Video
CaptiveAire president, Robert Luddy: ‘Tariffs are devastating to economic growth’
In this Carolina Journal interview, CaptiveAire founder and president Bob Luddy discusses how tariffs have affected his commercial HVAC manufacturing company and the broader business community. Luddy says CaptiveAire is spending roughly $15 million annually on tariffs, largely on internationally sourced components such as motors, compressors, electronics, and filtration products that he says are not...
Video
Coastal small business owner talks tariffs, retail, comparative advantage
Danny Batten, owner of outdoor retailer Surf, Wind, & Fire, which has locations in both New Bern and Edenton, spoke on a panel for the John Locke Foundation about the impact of tariffs on his small business and comparative advantage.
Video
G20 In Asheville + New Medicaid Work And Renewal Requirements
This week on The Debrief, the world comes to Asheville as G20 finance leaders gather to confront Iran, global trade, debt, and economic growth. We examine new Medicaid work and renewal requirements that could affect hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians and the legal fight pitting North Carolina against the Trump administration’s tariffs. Plus, an...
Video
Locke’s Jeff Moore discusses CON’s impact on NC healthcare costs
Jeff Moore, John Locke Foundation vice president of communications, discusses the negative impact of North Carolina’s certificate-of-need law on state healthcare costs. Moore offered these comments during the Aug. 28, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Video
The Debrief: Tackling tariffs’ costs + NC lawmakers look past November
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...
Culture
Opinion
Fertility is a valid policy concern
Human flourishing requires a political culture that nurtures freedom and a civic culture that nurtures family and fertility.
Opinion
For the joy of a book…
I want to see children reading — that is my great and lasting desire. I want to see them fuel their imaginations and feed their hunger for knowledge. And I sincerely believe that books can do this for them in ways other things never will.
Opinion
Reflecting on America 250 as a North Carolinian in Turkmenistan
Today, political division in our country runs high — with mass media channels across the country harnessing words like "dictator" and "fascist" to describe our political leaders. This vocabulary of tyranny has become diluted in its meaning, and in cheapening it we insult the millions who live under the genuine article in countries like Turkmenistan.
Opinion
Real diversity means diversity of thought, not just demographics
The choice is no longer between diversity and merit. The real choice is between superficial diversity that checks boxes and meaningful diversity that delivers results.
Civil Society
Opinion
Civil discourse and the art of disagreement
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.
Opinion
A post-Thanksgiving reflection on gratitude over grievance
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.
Opinion
The importance of civic engagement 250 years after the founding
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.
Opinion
Institute fosters stronger public leadership
Times change. When we introduce IOPL to potential fellows, partners, and donors, some hear the word “political” and think “toxic,” or at least “partisan.”
Opinion
NC leaders champion post-election unity through ‘Civic Saturdays’
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.