Recently released Civitas Institute polls show two Republican state Senate incumbents hold significant leads over their opponents. The polls, which look at the races in N.C. Senate Districts 17 and 18, each surveyed 400 registered voters from Oct. 3 to…
Recovery from Hurricane Florence will be long and hard. But as the waters recede, the strength of North Carolinians shines. We’ve been here before. From 1851 to 2018, North Carolina has been hit by 65 hurricanes. Hurricane Hazel in the 1950s set a benchmark, and Hurricanes Fran, Floyd,…
In North Carolina, state law empowers county commissions to oversee school facilities and the collection and appropriation of local tax dollars to school districts. Unlike other states, cities and towns in North Carolina have few direct responsibilities for the public schools in their jurisdiction. Traditionally, municipalities have undertaken infrastructure, zoning, and…
The N.C. Senate followed the House’s lead Monday, Aug. 27, as it voted along party lines to address court concerns and pass a pair of proposed constitutional amendments. The House on Friday passed the bills creating a new state elections board…
Two replacement constitutional amendments have sailed through the House, but whether voters ever see them is far from decided. The Republican-led General Assembly made clear it doesn’t intend to shift thousands of state board appointments from the governor to the legislature or to severely weaken the…
Environmental concerns are real and warranted, particularly when it comes to public health. The GenX chemical produced by Chemours has been found in water supplies and the impact on human health is still being explored. The company has installed carbon absorption units and promises a $100-million pollution reduction project. In…
With an election deadline looming, Republican legislative leaders are calling a special legislative session Friday, Aug. 24, to rewrite two constitutional amendments a three-judge Superior Court panel removed from the Nov. 6 general election ballot. GOP leaders maintain the panel erred by issuing…
After a historic protest that ended in the illegal takedown of Silent Sam, a Confederate statue at UNC-Chapel Hill, the university faces tough inquiries about campus security and law enforcement. A striking question — about how a handful of people tore down a weighty statue…
The General Assembly has so far failed to pass a bill to ensure nationally accredited school psychologists can get licensed. House Bill 933 would have instructed the State Board of Education to grant licenses to people certified by the National Association of School…
We’ve had no shortage of goofiness at the General Assembly in the past few weeks. And we’re not just talking about the recently convened short session, which seems to have little purpose other than trying to fix embarrassing mistakes in the election process the same General Assembly…
