On the cover

• DOT betting Ocracoke travelers will abandon cars in favor of boat ride

• Is business down in Ocracoke?

 

News

• Quick Takes, Pages 2 and 3

• Locke scholar calls North Carolina entry into U.S. Climate Alliance ‘virtue signaling,’ Page 4

• Teacher absences bigger problem in public schools than charter schools, study finds, Page 4

• Partnership of health care giants raises concern over antitrust issue, Page 5

• Repealing N.C. CON laws would cut costs, boost access, study says, Page 6

• School scores show continued progress overall, low-income schools still lagging, Page 7

• UNC chancellor: Reputations are at stake, Page 8

• Proponents of High Point stadium continue to rally for plan, Page 9

• Enter the code, Page 10

• Ferry Division activities, Page 13

 

Interviews

• Brent Woodcox: Share Raleigh aims to hold City Council candidates accountable on short-term rentals, Page 18

• Ilya Shapiro: Supreme Court returns to work after relatively low-key term, Page 19

 

Opinion

• Julie Tisdale commentary: Dillon or home rule? In the end, individual liberty is key, Page 14

• Mitch Kokai commentary: Constitutional laws versus constitutional language, Page 15

• Mitch Kokai commentary: Less costly oversight for N.C. universities, Page 16

• Kristen Blair commentary: New study a wake-up call for opponents of later start times, Page 17

• George Leef commentary: American schools should avoid Confucius Institutes, Page 17

• Editorial: Partisan decline is nothing new, Page 20

• Becki Gray commentary: Safer tobacco product available, but feds slow to offer a light, Page 20

• John Trump commentary: Candidate’s post about race has no place in political discourse, Page 22

• Michael Walden commentary: Teaching humanities in a high-tech world, Page 22

• Andy Taylor commentary: State economy strong, Republicans still deserve credit, Page 23

• On assignment: Don Carrington, Page 24

 

Commentary by John Hood

• Campuses ought not breed contempt, Page 21

• Four dates Carolinians should know, Page 21

• On reform, quicken the pace, Page 21