News

CJ politics week in review, June 21-26

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: Lawsuit alert! Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is suing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper over Cooper’s COVID-19 executive orders. Several sections of the Emergency Management Act require the...

Lindsay Marchello
News

Governor orders monuments removed from Capitol, won’t say who ordered police to leave

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper ordered Confederate monuments on the grounds of the State Capitol removed “to protect public safety.” But he won’t say who allowed a mob of protesters to take over the Capitol grounds earlier, toppling statues from two of those monuments. In a statement issued Saturday, June 20, Cooper said he was “concerned...

Rick Henderson
News

School reopening plans raise questions of feasibility 

People are scratching their heads over the state’s health guidance about how schools can safely reopen.  The upcoming school year won’t be normal, and COVID-19 is to blame, state officials have said. Schools will have to balance teaching students with curbing the spread of the virus. To prepare for the 2020-21 school year, state agencies...

Lindsay Marchello
News

Political tensions rise as RNC considers pulling away from Charlotte

As North Carolina grapples with President Trump’s call to pull the Republican National Convention from Charlotte, both Democrats and Republicans are seizing on the moment — using the fight to appeal to their respective bases.  But despite GOP attempts to bash Gov. Roy Cooper over his refusal to budge on COVID-19 and social-distancing conditions related to...

Kari Travis
News

N.C. officials call for strong leadership, but direction remains unclear

On a day when North Carolina officials called for strong leadership, it’s unclear who’s actually in charge.  In a series of meetings and news conferences Tuesday, June 2, the state’s top politicians volleyed questions, spoke in support of protests, and pointed to threats still posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  But while some, such as Gov....

Kari Travis, Lindsay Marchello

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News

State elections board loses request to ease rules for 2020 election

The N.C. Rules Review Commission unanimously voted to reject a State Board of Elections’ request for emergency powers on Thursday, May 21. Commissioners said the requested temporary rule changes were ambiguous, unnecessary, and outside of the board’s statutory authority.  The board said it needed more flexibility to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes would...

Julie Havlak
News

GOP lawmakers want to limit governor’s emergency powers

A handful of House Republicans have introduced a series of bills to limit the governor’s powers in a state of emergency, a move that’s likely to further divide politics in Raleigh, political scientists say. House Bill 1059 would prohibit the governor from preventing religious organizations from gathering in a place of worship during a state...

Lindsay Marchello
Opinion

Public records will shine light on Cooper’s response to employment security’s problems 

After Gov. Roy Cooper ordered restaurants and bars closed starting March 16 due to the coronavirus, unemployment benefit claims in North Carolina skyrocketed. More than 1 million North Carolina workers have filed claims for unemployment insurance as of May 3, the Division of Employment Security reports. The state’s civilian labor force is roughly 5 million....

Don Carrington
Opinion

Cooper’s proposals lack a critical fourth ‘T’: Transparency

“Today, I want to tell North Carolinians that in order to ease restrictions we need to make progress in three areas: testing, tracing, and trends,” Gov. Roy Cooper said during his Wednesday, April 15, news conference. At least one more “T” was missing from the governor’s outline: transparency. Yes, Cooper’s rival Lt. Gov. Dan Forest...

Rick Henderson
News

County’s order to shelter in place shouldn’t signal statewide shutdown, expert says

Mecklenburg County’s order to keep residents at home shouldn’t signal a statewide shutdown, one expert says. In a decision that spawned questions about public transparency and accountability, Mecklenburg County Commissioners announced a shelter in place to fight the spread of COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 24. The order means residents can’t go to work, leave their...

Kari Travis
News

Cooper shutdown rocks restaurant owners, policymakers

On St. Patrick’s Day, Cary’s Carolina Ale House — decorated with Irish food and drink ads — wasn’t teeming with its usual swarm of thirsty, hungry customers. Instead, at 7:30 p.m., the rough hewn doors creaked open to an empty dining room. Empty bar. Empty waiting area. The TVs were black. The music silenced. “You...

Kari Travis