The state of North Carolina requires more than 1,500 hours of training and a year of apprenticeship before a person can become a barber. Jon Sanders, John Locke Foundation director of regulatory studies, says those requirements stem from the racism that helped guide North Carolina’s earliest occupational licensing. Sanders discusses the history of barber regulations. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic threw hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians out of work, state government has faced problems getting unemployment checks into people’s hands. A recent legislative hearing highlighted public concerns about the slow pace of unemployment relief. State lawmakers added new funding for public school enrollment growth in 2020-21, though some questioned the increased spending. You’ll hear their questions about the COVID-19 pandemic’s potential impact on future public school enrollment. The pandemic has generated new interest in health care innovation. Josh Archambault, senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, discusses ways North Carolina could reform its laws to help innovation flourish. The University of North Carolina System has selected Peter Hans as its new president. Hans had worked for the past two years as president of the state Community College System, and he’s a former UNC Board of Governors chairman. Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, assesses UNC’s decision to hire Hans as its new systemwide leader.