October 2020
On the cover
• Pay attention! Outcome of N.C. Supreme Court races could alter political landscape for years
News
• Graduation rates continue to increase, Page 2
• Quick Takes, Pages 3-5
• Governor’s lawsuit against Rules Review Commission could unleash executive power, experts say, Page 6
• Cooper’s permission slip does little to help this small-town bowling alley, Page 7
• USGA deal at Pinehurst is cronyism at its worst, experts say, Page 8
• Nurse’s union win in Asheville could be a loss for patients, Page 9
• But wait … there’s more! Court of Appeals races, Page 10
• N.C. Supreme Court election candidates, Page 11
Features
• Civitas Poll, Page 2
• Timeline: A crumbling republic?, Pages 12-14
• Q&A with Adam Griffin: Lawsuit challenged Wilmington’s restrictions on vacation rentals, Page 15
Opinion
• Amy Cooke commentary: The confessions of a judiciary junkie, Page 2
• Terry Stoops commentary: The case against public sector union bargaining, Page 16
• George Ehrhardt commentary: Of academic freedom and false alarms, Page 17
• Preston Cooper commentary: When student debt is a good thing (and when it’s not), Page 17
• Becki Gray commentary: For North Carolina voters, the choice is clear, Page 18
• Mitch Kokai commentary: Five-year-old court ruling should raise concerns, Page 19
• Donald Bryson commentary: Republicans face tough fight for state’s highest court, Page 20
• John Trump commentary: Gov. Cooper knows best, so who are we to question him?, Page 22
• Andy Taylor commentary: Ever-changing districts portend interesting results, Page 23
• Michael Walden commentary: Did a third of the economy disappear?, Page 23
• Jordan Roberts commentary: Funding gap in Cooper’s Medicaid expansion plan, Page 24
Commentary by John Hood
• Cooper faces test on voter ID, Page 2
• State economic recovery is sputtering, Page 21
• COVID response creates policy options, Page 21