John Locke Foundation President John Hood discusses themes from his new book, Our Best Foot Forward: An Investment Plan for North Carolina’s Economic Recovery, including tax reform, and investment in physical capital and human capital. Then we turn to a key property rights issue. State lawmakers thought they had finalized annexation reform in 2011, but lawsuits from a number of North Carolina cities have prompted the General Assembly to revisit that reform effort this year. You’ll hear a recent N.C. Senate debate about measures designed to give people targeted for annexation a greater voice in the process. Next is a debate over education policy. Some state lawmakers would like to emulate Florida by boosting participation in public school Advanced Placement courses. The idea is running into opposition. Reps. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, and Paul Luebke, D-Durham, put forward opposing views on the issue during a recent N.C. House committee meeting. That’s followed by comments from a nationally known security expert about drone warfare. Drone warfare is certainly safer than conventional air strikes or ground action involving American troops, but the idea raises certain policy and legal questions. Scott Silliman, Duke law school professor, director emeritus of the Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security, and a career Air Force attorney, lays out the case for using drones. And finally, John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies Terry Stoops discusses opportunity scholarships. He explains what they are, why they help empower parents, why they’re growing in popularity, and why common criticisms by progressives are misguided.
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Private schools drop appeal in Opportunity Scholarships case
Sixteen private schools in Cumberland and Durham counties have withdrawn their appeal of trial court rulings in a now-dismissed lawsuit that targeted North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. Among the challenged rulings was one that blocked the schools from seeking more than $25,000 in sanctions against scholarship critics. A court document filed Monday mentions a settlement agreement.
NC lawmakers could boost Opportunity Scholarship funding in short session
Leaders in the General Assembly say they are in discussions over whether to boost funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Program due to surging demand.
The Debrief: Opportunity Scholarships, Early Voting, and Hog Farm Spin
This week on ‘The Debrief’: Demand for Opportunity Scholarships sets a record, early voting starts next week, tackling the spin about North Carolina’s hog farms, and the political lessons we can learn from Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey. Be sure to visit CarolinaJournal.com each day for the latest on North Carolina politics and public...