The state auditor’s office found that a former accounting technician in the town of Spring Lake misappropriated more than $430,000 in taxpayer funds for personal use and has referred its report to the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation for a possible criminal investigation. In the scathing report released Thursday, March 17, State Auditor Beth...
Lawyers representing N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican legislative leaders want the state Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit linked to now-repealed Mecklenburg County judicial districts. In a joint filing, both sets of lawyers say the case is moot. The General Assembly voted in 2020 to repeal the law that created the judicial districts....
The opioid epidemic is killing more than 100,000 Americans each year. Fentanyl alone — not counting other opioids such as heroin, oxycodone, and morphine — now tops the list as the No. 1 cause of death for adults 45 and younger. That’s more than suicides, car wrecks, or COVID-19. The second-largest attorney-general settlement in history...
Gov. Roy Cooper said North Carolina’s state of emergency will continue, despite declining COVID numbers. The announcement came during a news conference Thursday, March 17, announcing new guidelines to measure COVID-19 levels. Cooper has shifted responsibility for dealing with the pandemic to the General Assembly. He explained the move like this: “It’s a legal tool...
Legislative defenders of North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program are asking the N.C. Court of Appeals to block “burdensome” trial court activity in a lawsuit challenging the program. They say trial court discovery should remain on hold until the Appeals Court resolves other issues in the case. In a lawsuit, “discovery” refers to the exchange of...
The girls of Cabarrus County deserve the same Spartan courage Union County showed against Cooper, Cohen, and the left-wing administration in Raleigh.
Experience is the oracle of truth; and where its responses are unequivocal, they ought to be conclusive and sacred.
The documents that reflect the ingredients of good government have been preserved because of their importance to all North Carolinians.
As lawmakers finalize the details of that budget, I hope they take one more factor into consideration: NC is not adequately prepared for another natural or economic disaster.
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.
Carolina Journal reporter David Bass speaks with former University of North Carolina at Asheville research assistant Aidan Settman about his whistleblower complaint against the university.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina’s high-profile US Senate race. Kokai offered these comments during an April 21, 2026, interview with WNCN (CBS17).
John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson discusses current ideas for raising teacher pay in North Carolina. Bryson offered these comments during the April 10, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses Sen. Phil Berger’s concession in his primary election loss to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Kokai offered these comments during the March 27, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Nick Craig of the Carolina Journal News Hour and the John Locke Foundation’s Mitch Kokai discuss Senate Leader Phil Berger’s election concession on March 24, 2026.
“The world does not need another cover song, it needs an original,” Church said.
Following the rally, Vaughan confirmed the NC Values Coalition is speaking with lawmakers about possible legislation this session to protect females in bathroom facilities.
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.
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...