News

General Assembly passes COVID relief, to consider bill to fully reopen bars, restaurants

The General Assembly has passed with a unanimous vote a new COVID relief bill that would direct nearly $1.7 billion in aid across the state.  The legislature now will consider more contentious pandemic-related legislation, including a new bill that would allow the state’s bars and restaurants to fully reopen. The COVID relief bill is the...

Andrew Dunn
News

State lawmakers gear up for busy 2021-22 session; COVID-19 fallout in bright focus

COVID-19 and the ongoing fallout from the pandemic will likely dominate the 2021-22 session of the General Assembly. On tap for lawmakers is crafting a new budget for the biennium plus drawing new legislative and congressional maps for the next decade based on fresh census data. A divided government — with Democrats controlling the governor’s...

David N. Bass
News

Legislative leaders, governor announce deal on rural broadband funding

Leaders in the General Assembly and governor say they have reached a deal to ensure $30 million for the GREAT rural broadband program. GREAT is an acronym for Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology, which provides matching grants to internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives to provide broadband in poorer or rural areas....

John Trump
News

Cooper’s move to get local COVID help could help him expand lockdowns

Gov. Roy Cooper is setting the stage to have even stronger powers if he chooses to impose new COVID-19 rules, a legal scholar tells Carolina Journal. Cooper’s administration is asking local leaders to restrict restaurants, close bars, and fine businesses for failing to enforce mask mandates and other lockdown rules. Republican leaders slammed Cooper for...

Julie Havlak

Help Support Non-profit Journalism & Donate Today

News

A crumbling republic? The rise, fall of separation of powers in N.C.

North Carolina has been shut down for six months, 30 weeks, more than 200 days.   The N.C. Constitution created a feeble executive branch, and its governor remained among the weakest in the nation. Until now.   When the pandemic hit, Gov. Roy Cooper seized control of the economy, selecting essential businesses and shuttering the rest. His orders unleashed...

Julie Havlak
News

Critics say Durham schools’ ‘learning centers’ will widen educational inequities

Durham Public Schools won’t let your children attend class at their buildings for a while. But if you want to use their space as a “learning center,” you can … for a price. The move, called the “Durham Double Dip” by an education expert, has riled lawmakers who consider the fees illegal taxes. DPS is...

Rick Henderson
News

CJ politics week in review, July 27-31

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. N.C. State Fair: North Carolinanians won’t get to sample overindulgent fried foods or take a spin on some of the fair’s dizzying rides this fall. COVID-19 has killed the 2020 N.C....

Lindsay Marchello
Opinion

Delaying the implementation of ­Medicaid managed care

North Carolina state government is facing a severe cash crunch. The General Assembly needs to examine every part of the state budget to mitigate the problem through lower spending rather than higher taxes. N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced in April the Senate would not try to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto because...

Joseph Coletti