The N.C. Senate bill that would legalize sports betting on phones and at various venues is stuck in the House, and it may not see action until next year’s session. Senate Bill 688 passed the Senate by a 26-21 vote on Aug. 19. After introduction in the House Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations, the...
The N.C. Department of Transportation continues to be under the watchful eye of the state auditor, who in a report released this week says that department failed to exceed its developed spending plan only by pure luck. The report from State Auditor Beth Wood’s office said that while the DOT didn’t exceed the spending plan...
The N.C. House will take up sports betting legislation after a bill to expand wagers statewide passed in the Senate last week. Senate Bill 688 was read for the first time in the House on Tuesday, Aug. 24. The legislation was then referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. The...
State Auditor Beth Wood’s office has found the town of Gaston is at significant risk for fraud and accounting errors, which could go undetected due to sloppy recordkeeping. A lack of oversight allowed questionable financial decisions by a former town clerk, examiners said. The audit for the 2019-20 budget year is now more than six...
A new study commissioned by the N.C. Cable Telecommunications Association warns that red tape regarding utility pole access could cost the state $3.5 billion in consumer value due to the resulting delays in broadband deployment. After examining broadband expansion programs underway in North Carolina, the report found that if changes aren’t made to address unreasonable...
The state auditor found that the town of Hertford made several questionable financial decisions, under the guidance of its former Mayor Pro Tem Quentin Jackson. In a report released this week, State Auditor Beth Wood’s office says the Town Council awarded a contract for a street light fixture project to the highest bidder in 2019,...
State Auditor Beth Wood’s office found a glaring lack of transparency in the town of Plymouth due to the nonexistence of meeting minutes for the Town Council for most of 2020. Plymouth Mayor Vershumn Hawkins blamed the problems on the sudden departure of the town clerk and a ransomware attack on the city’s computers. The...
A bill that would legalize sports betting across North Carolina has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. After waiting its turn during this legislative session, Senate Bill 688 is quickly making progress. It initially passed the Senate Finance Committee on Aug. 4. The legislation was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate....
Sports betting legislation passed the state Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, clearing an initial hurdle on its way to the full Senate. The primary sponsor Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir County, has gotten support for Senate Bill 688 by pointing out that many North Carolina residents already bet on sports with black market websites or apps...
State auditors found Roanoke-Chowan Community College issued more than $10.3 million in checks with invalid signatures between August 2019 and August 2020, putting the school at increased risk of fraud. A report released Friday by the Office of State Auditor Beth Wood said the college didn’t have proper policies and procedures in place to detect...
A bill that advocates say would boost access to dentistry, especially in the state’s rural areas, is sailing through the General Assembly. Senate Bill 146, sponsored by Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, has received nearly unanimous support in both chambers. After minor revisions in the House, the Senate could reconsider the legislation Wednesday, July 21. From...
The General Assembly may allocate hundreds of millions in federal relief toward closing the digital divide this session, but a John Locke Foundation expert says lawmakers still need to reduce regulations to further help the expansion of broadband infrastructure. The budget passed by the Senate would allocate $330 million for Growing Rural Economies with Access...