Two N.C. businesses help tell tale of government thwarting innovation
The owner of a meat company has enjoyed freedom to adapt to COVID-19. Government blocks a fitness center owner from having the same chance.
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Archive: Coronavirus and N.C.'s response
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Neighboring states are opening fitness centers, but N.C. facilities remain closed
The coronavirus pandemic has kept North Carolina’s gyms and fitness centers closed, even as the state enters Phase One of reopening the economy. Meanwhile, gyms in neighboring states can open with safety precautions. Gov. Roy Cooper in a news conference Friday reiterated the importance…
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Education debate need not be vicious
For most parents, there is no practical alternative to enrolling their children in public or private schools. So, our schools will reopen. And North Carolinians are going to have lots of arguments about it.
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National unemployment rate reaches more than 19%
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released “The Employment Situation — April 2020” Friday stating the seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 14.7%. But on page three of the report, the agency explains that due to the unique nature of the coronavirus, “the overall unemployment rate would have been almost…
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CJ politics week in review, May 4-8
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s this week’s review: DRIVE Task Force: Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed members to a new task force with the goal of…
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Federal bill would give North Carolina more flexibility to spend CARES Act money
Three North Carolina members of the U.S. House of Representatives say they’ll back a bill giving states and localities flexibility under the CARES Act to replace lost tax money. The bill was inspired by a letter sent to congressional leaders from the John Locke Foundation and other state-based…
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Lawyer takes issue with governor’s decision about outdoor church services
A Raleigh lawyer is criticizing Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to allow only outdoor church services. The lawyer, Anthony Biller, with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, says an executive order Cooper issued Tuesday continues to discriminate against religious practice. Biller criticized the…
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Help and hope for the emergency homeschool parent
Millions of parents are emergency homeschoolers now. They’re adapting gamely to school closures necessitated by COVID-19. But parents are worried about learning in this brave new world. In a Gallup poll released April 8, 49% said they’re concerned the pandemic will negatively impact their child’s education. …
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Election lawsuit challenges North Carolina’s absentee-by-mail requirements
A small group of N.C. voters are suing the state and the N.C. State Board of Elections over absentee voting regulations, but demands in the lawsuit may lead to election fraud, or the appearance thereof, legal and political analysts say. Marc Elias, a Democratic campaign attorney,…
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The private school plight with public school consequences
The coronavirus recession, the Great Lockdown, and the Great Suppression are all terms used to describe the global economic downturn produced by COVID-19 mitigation measures. As elected officials issued stay-at-home orders and closed “nonessential” enterprises, unemployment skyrocketed. From mid-March to mid-April, about 22 million Americans, or roughly…