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…
More than 2,000 North Carolina elementary teachers have failed the math portion of their licensing exam since the state started using a new test in 2013. The test itself may be the problem. Before the 2013-14 school year, North Carolina required all elementary teachers to…
A North Carolina distiller who got into trouble with N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission distributed more than 70 letters to colleagues warning them against running afoul of state laws. The ABC alleges the distiller, Knightdale-based Gentry Lassiter, broke state statute when he posted on his website…
I think a lot about the job market this time of year. This is because of all the graduations of high school and college seniors, and the fact many of them will be looking for their first full-time job. It’s a cliché to say these young people will be entering…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell gave a chilly reception to issuing a statewide school construction bond even as Gov. Roy Cooper hit the road Tuesday, July 10, pitching one. North Carolina has $50 billion in unfunded retirement system and State Health Plan liabilities. More debt is pending…
