During this year’s budget debate, officials for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the governor’s office found themselves answering questions before a state Senate committee over what some said might be a deliberate misrepresentation by the governor’s office about several toll road projects. Rick Henderson, managing editor of Carolina Journal, explains the facts of the controversy that ended in a referral to the state Ethics Commission. Then we turn to transportation issues. North Carolina state government might need to work more closely with the private sector in the future to move forward with improvements to Interstate 77 and other well-traveled public highways. Lawmakers recently debate the merits of public-private transportation projects. You’ll hear highlights from their discussion. Next is the controversy in the legislature over studies and proposed regulation about sea level rise off the North Carolina coast. Before state lawmakers left Raleigh for the year, they finalized a bill blocking regulators from taking any steps to address rising sea levels before 2016. Reps. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, and Deborah Ross, D-Wake, offered opposing views on the topic. You’ll hear their key arguments. That’s followed by a fascinating look at the benefits of capitalism. Whether you like capitalism or consider it evil, you have to admit that large-scale industrial processes tied to capitalism have made our world dirtier. That’s true unless you have discussed the topic with George Mason University economist Donald Boudreaux, who explains how our world has been “cleaned by capitalism.” And finally, we often hear the claim that giving parents more choice in where the child attends school will hurt the traditional public school system. John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies Terry Stoops studied that claim based on data about school choice around the world and right here in North Carolina. He details his results about the market share for private, charter, and home schools.
DOT Letter Scandal Reveals Ethics Concerns
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Map Act plaintiff challenges DOT’s ‘calamitous’ claims about recent ruling
A plaintiff in a Map Act dispute with the North Carolina Department of Transportation disputes the department’s claims about a recent state Court of Appeals decision. DOT argued that the decision could produce “calamitous” results for taxpayers.
Lead 2010 Map Act plaintiffs, lawyer support DOT in current dispute
Plaintiffs who helped launch Map Act litigation against the North Carolina Department of Transportation back in 2010 are supporting the DOT in a current Map Act dispute. They filed paperwork Friday at the state Supreme Court to submit a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.
Map Act plaintiff opposes DOT appeal in Wake County case
A Wake County property owner involved in a Map Act dispute with the North Carolina Department of Transportation opposes DOT’s request to take the case to North Carolina’s second-highest court.
DOT appeals Wake County cases with major Map Act implications
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is asking the state’s second-highest court to take up two cases that could have a significant impact on payments to property owners targeted by the Map Act. In both cases, a Wake County judge issued rulings in June 2023 that favored property owners over the DOT.