Members who serve on the 168 boards that control local alcohol sales in North Carolina are doing good work. Know how we know? Because state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission officials, including one who’s no longer with the agency, say so. The ABC…
A common justification for more government spending on public schools is that such “investments” are a critical factor in driving businesses to a state. Presumably, the increase in spending leads to an increase in quality, and higher quality schools produce a more capable workforce. While there is some merit to…
N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein has launched an investigation into Juul, a fast-growing e-cigarette company, but a consumer freedom expert warns the attempted crackdown could backfire. The attorney general’s office Oct. 15 sent to Juul a “civil…
The 2018 ACT scores are in, and they don’t paint a pretty picture. North Carolina graduates continue to score below national averages, and the percentage of graduates meeting math and English college readiness scores are…
While High Point University was surveying North Carolinians about their political opinions and voter preferences, the country was embroiled in a divisive battle over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Yet the hearing, which featured allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, probably didn’t…
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,…
The way North Carolina governs alcoholic spirits must change, for myriad reasons. It breeds favoritism and corruption. It’s archaic, monopolistic, and, when comparing the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control system to its counterparts in neighboring states, downright embarrassing. Clearly, lawmakers need to reconfigure, if not…
In the “summer of plastic straw bans,” North Carolina’s restaurant industry is feeling the heat. “Drunk people, they are walking around without straws and they are confused,” Hibernian Assistant General Manager Susan Kemben said. After a video of…
People conducting voter registration drives in three North Carolina counties are suspected of fraud, and investigators at the N.C. Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement are reviewing the allegations. The elections board received reports from New Hanover, Pitt, and Robeson counties that voter drive participants…
Time Magazine’s Aug. 6 special issue focuses on the American South. One of the articles is about Georgia’s film production incentives, entitled “How Georgia Became the Hollywood of the South.” The Twitter account G.H. Davey asked me about it. “Having seen some of you criticism re film incentives in…
