News
Questions surround much of NC’s $12.3 billion in PPP loans
Questions surround Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans that were forgiven, including some in North Carolina, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
News
Wilson women are latest to plead guilty in nationwide COVID fraud scheme
Two women from Wilson are the latest North Carolinians to plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Act (PPP) loans in a nationwide multi-million COVID-19 fraud scheme.
News
N.C. has run up less taxpayer debt than most states, financial watchdog says
One of the nation’s leading financial watchdogs says North Carolina has fared better than most states in terms of balancing its budget, but the picture isn’t all rosy as the state has an average debt burden of $1,400 per taxpayer. In its annual report, Chicago-based Truth in Accounting ranks North Carolina 14th in the U.S....
News
N.C. school districts have spent just 13% of federal COVID-19 relief, analysis finds
Public school districts in North Carolina have received about $5.3 billion in COVID-related relief from the federal government. But, on average, school leaders have spent just 13% of that money. That’s according to an analysis of data from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction compiled by Dr. Bob Luebke, senior fellow for the Center for...
Opinion
Getting North Carolina back to work
It’s summertime in North Carolina. The weather is improving, COVID cases are declining, students have finished their school years, our favorite bars and restaurants are finally ready to open but are unable to fill critical positions on their staff. You don’t have to look far to see short-handed small businesses with “Help Wanted” signs in...
Opinion
Answering the $600 million question.
In NC, about 130,000 companies with 1.27 million employees have received PPP loans, totaling over $12 billion.
News
GOP lawmakers want to know why Cooper grabbed rural broadband money
Senate Republicans are asking Gov. Roy Cooper to reverse a move to eliminate relief money for rural broadband, hurting children and seniors. A new education partnership may be the reason for the move, but 15 Republicans who wrote the governor still want an explanation. The money was originally targeted for their districts, and they say...
News
Legislative roundup, week of June 8-12, 2020
Each week of the General Assembly’s short session, CJ staff will look back at several important bills lawmakers handled. Elections: An election bill awaits Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature. House Bill 1169, Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020, sends money to the N.C. State Board of Elections for COVID-19 expenses, and includes temporary reforms to absentee and vote-by-mail...
News
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 free-market policy groups. U.S. Reps. George Holding,...
Opinion
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 13.5% of the labor force, filed initial claims for...
Opinion
Federal grant highlights ongoing dispute over control of N.C. government spending
The federal CARES Act places some relief money under the governor's control, but the N.C. Constitution says legislators control all spending decisions.
News
N.C. House speaker applauds move to increase loan pool for small businesses
Thousands of small business loan applications from North Carolina businesses and pending, but state lawmakers are broadening the pool of applicants. House Speaker Tim Moore said a proposal to help cash-strapped small business owners will be money well spent. “This kind of loan is the difference between a business staying open or closing, between people...
