Amid all the debate about teacher pay in North Carolina, a much more important issue continues to be ignored. That’s the opinion of Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation director of research and education studies. Stoops says people interested in improving public education should spend more time addressing the “persistent failure” to raise academic achievement among male African-American students in the state’s public schools. Much discussion on the campaign trail this fall involves the “Carolina Comeback.” Republican Gov. Pat McCrory uses that name to describe the state’s economic growth during his term in office. Meanwhile, McCrory’s Democratic opponent, Attorney General Roy Cooper, disputes the notion of a comeback. State Budget Director Andrew Heath looks at the numbers and shares facts about North Carolina’s recent economic performance and its impact on the state budget picture. University of North Carolina system President Margaret Spellings recently completed her first session working with the N.C. General Assembly. She recounted the session’s higher education highlights during a presentation for the university’s Board of Governors. It doesn’t attract as many headlines as taxes or education, but North Carolina’s infrastructure is attracting attention from state legislators. A blue-ribbon commission is looking into the state’s infrastructure needs. One idea involves a state infrastructure fund. You’ll hear highlights from the commission’s initial discussions about setting up a special fund designed solely to address basic government infrastructure. A movement dubbed “ban the box” targets questions on employment application forms that ask an applicant to indicate whether he has a criminal record. Some employers have decided to drop those questions, and advocates want government agencies to step in force other employers to follow suit. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, analyzes key elements of the “ban the box” movement and explains why a government mandate could end up causing more problems than it solves.