Questions and concerns are growing over the new education standards being implemented in North Carolina classrooms. The Common Core standards were developed several years ago, and the federal government has tied adoption of the standards to grant money states are eager to receive. John Locke Foundation Director of Research and Education Studies Terry Stoops explains the high level of concerns necessitate that legislators delve further into what North Carolina has gotten itself into. He explains why he’s recommending two commissions. Then we turn to a key environmental issue. North Carolina lawmakers have been looking for ways to avoid a cost of up to $1.5 billion to clean up Jordan Lake, a prime drinking water source in the Triangle. You’ll hear highlights from a recent legislative discussion of the issue. Next is a look at the McCrory administration’s plan to privatize portions of the N.C. Commerce Department. Those plans have slowed, and a state legislative committee recently questioned top Commerce officials about steps they have taken to put a new public-private partnership in place. That’s followed by a look at state regulation. Legislators want to know whether North Carolina needs to maintain its current certificate-of-need law, which limits construction of new medical facilities, provision of new medical services, and purchases of some medical equipment. A study committee recently heard public comment from people concerned about the state’s current CON restrictions. And finally, we look at the role government intervention places in the price we pay for electricity. John Locke Foundation Director of Regulatory Studies Jon Sanders explains the issues that will be discussed at an upcoming public forum: lack of competition and an item known as Construction Work in Progress (CWIP), which allows utilities to collect construction costs from customers even if the power plant is never completed.