Republicans have been able to cut tax rates, balance budgets, and increase spending on high-priority items since taking control of the N.C. General Assembly in 2011. But they will face some new challenges as they return to the budget process in the new year. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior…
Legislators recently loosened restrictions on North Carolina’s targeted tax incentive program, allowing companies to claim as much as $16,000 for every job created in connection with a Job Development Investment Grant. That’s a 246 percent increase from the old cap of $6,500 per job. The change passed without much opposition…
A recent Civitas poll suggests North Carolina will continue to play a role as an election battleground state in 2020. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, dissects the poll’s key findings. Henderson assesses the implications for Tar Heel politics during the next two years. Partisans on both the left and right…
A state legislative committee plans to hire an outside investigator to look into a controversial $57.8 million fund tied to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes the decision to seek outside investigative help. Henderson explains why the fund has raised concerns about North Carolina’s environmental permitting…
The U.S. economy has posted impressive gains recently. Both President Trump and former President Barack Obama are claiming credit. Roy Cordato, the John Locke Foundation’s senior economist, puts the competing claims to the test. A Winston-Salem surgeon is taking North Carolina state government to court because of a law that…
Voters have broken veto-proof Republican supermajorities in the N.C. General Assembly. The November election results ensure a more powerful role for both the Democratic minority and Gov. Roy Cooper. Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation senior vice president, analyzes the election’s significance. The United States and other Western nations are choosing…
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order calling on state agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to have North Carolina follow through on dictates of the Paris climate agreement, even though the Trump administration has pulled the United States out of that agreement. Donald van der…
Voters will choose all 170 members of the N.C. General Assembly Tuesday. The elections will determine whether Republicans maintain veto-proof supermajorities in both the state House and Senate. Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation senior vice president, explains how the legislative elections could affect state policy. That includes relations with Democratic…
From Carolina Journal Radio Program No. 805: State lawmakers are offering contrasting assessments of hog lagoons’ environmental performance during Hurricane Florence. Dan Way, Carolina Journal associate editor, reported those assessments from one of the General Assembly’s top agricultural advocates and one of its most vocal environmental watchdogs. Way shares…
