A 600-acre waterfront property in Southport set aside for a state-run “megaport” remains vacant, and the N.C. State Ports Authority has no plans to develop or sell it. The property’s most recent tax appraisal also shows the land is worth half its original purchase price. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, details the latest news surrounding this government project that has gone nowhere since the Ports Authority purchase the property in 2006. News media outlets have enjoyed longstanding exemptions from federal and state campaign finance restrictions. It makes sense to extend those exemptions to nonprofit social and civic groups that also inform the public. That’s the argument from Jon Riches, director of national litigation for the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. Riches says extending the media exemption would help encourage more information about important public policy issues. Riches makes the case for protecting educational nonprofit groups’ donor privacy. North Carolina lawmakers continue to look for a long-term alternative to the state gas tax. They heard suggestions recently from Joung Lee, policy director for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Lee explained that state governments have identified more than 50 potential sources of state transportation funding. N.C. lawmakers recently heard a progress report on the nearly $1 billion in bond funding voters approved for new building construction and renovation projects throughout the University of North Carolina system. Several legislators raised questions about a single data point: the $464 average cost per square foot of new construction. You’ll hear their concerns, along with the response from the UNC system associate vice president overseeing bond-funded projects. North Carolina’s public charter school movement has seen great success in recent years. Success appears to have bred some complacency. That’s the assessment from Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research. Stoops explains why charter school advocates need to be prepared for potential pushback against recent reforms that have opened up charter school enrollment in the state.