Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed bipartisan legislation to reopen N.C. public schools statewide. The governor announced his decision at 4:54 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. That’s nine days after state lawmakers presented him the reopening bill, Senate Bill 37, and one day before he faced a constitutional deadline to…
A Superior Court judge asked repeatedly Thursday, Feb. 18, for evidence that would justify state government orders that keep private bars closed across North Carolina. The judge will decide soon whether to block the orders from Gov. Roy Cooper. A ruling against Cooper would free private bars to reopen under…
A Greenville bar owner heads to court this afternoon to seek permission to reopen. Her case hinges on whether Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 executive orders discriminate illegally and unconstitutionally against private bars. “The vast majority of bars in North Carolina are open and serving patrons indoors,” according to the…
The N.C. House and Senate have come to terms on legislation to reopen schools for in-person instruction. The measure, Senate Bill 37, says schools shall provide the option of in-person instruction to students in grades kindergarten through 12 for the remainder…
Update: The N.C. Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 9, passed Senate Bill 37 on its third reading, 29-15. The measure heads to the House. The N.C. Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 9, is expected to pass Senate Bill 37, giving K-12 students the option of returning to the…
Editor’s note: This story was updated 2:30 Thursday, Jan. 28, to include comments from panelists who took part in a discussion about the Civitas Poll. North Carolina voters don’t approve of the governor’s restrictive rules on school reopening, and they want their children to return to…
Marc Basnight, perhaps the most powerful figure in N.C. politics during the first decade of the 21st century, has died. Basnight, 73, led the state Senate as president pro tempore for 18 years from 1993 through 2010. The Democrat represented his home Dare County and other parts of eastern North…
Bar owners from six counties across North Carolina are going to court to challenge the governor’s executive orders shutting down their businesses. Their lawsuit seeks to have a key piece of the state Emergency Management Act declared unconstitutional. The suit filed in Carteret County Superior Court arrives the day after…
Owners of a popular Greenville bar claim Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 shutdown orders violate their constitutional rights. They’re taking the governor to court with help from a national group. News of the lawsuit arrives as Cooper’s latest executive order permits bars and restaurants to sell mixed alcoholic drinks to-go in…
The N.C. Supreme Court has affirmed the General Assembly’s control over state spending decisions. A new 6-1 ruling rejects the governor’s attempt to bypass lawmakers in determining how federal block grants should be spent. A 43-page opinion from Justice Sam Ervin IV affirms earlier court rulings upholding state lawmakers’…
