UPDATE: Gov. Roy Cooper says he is “considering all of the options” when it comes to House Bill 589. Cooper told reporters Tuesday morning that he fully supported the original House version of the bill but has concerns about the bill as approved. The governor plans, “in the next week…
For North Carolina counties, fiscal 2018 starts July 1, meaning counties have to pass and publish budgets. They also have to set property tax rates for the coming year, which are really important for county governments. The most obvious reason is property taxes make up just more than half of…
Senate Bill 155 would, among many other things, allow restaurants to sell alcohol before noon on Sundays. That’s good news for restaurants, but only those open for Sunday brunch and only those with a permit to sell alcohol. Many media outlets reporting about…
The State Health Plan is “on life support” and will require more state and employee contributions to meet massive unfunded obligations, state Treasurer Dale Folwell said Monday in his first Ask Me Anything monthly teleconference call with reporters. Since taking office in January, Folwell said, he has been…
North Carolina saw a 10.5 percent decline in the number of people signing up for insurance on the federal health marketplace under Obamacare for 2017. Only two other states had larger drop-offs. According to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 613,487 North Carolina residents…
RALEIGH — State Superintendent Mark Johnson will kick-off his listening tour of North Carolina’s public school system Friday. Johnson last month promised he would travel the state to hear concerns from each district. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County district — where Johnson previously…
State Rep. John Torbett has filed a bill aimed at giving motorcyclists equal access to roads and parking lots or decks that are open to the general public. Torbett, R-Gaston, said the bill (House Bill 28)…
A panel of federal judges has denied a request from North Carolina lawmakers to delay an order to redraw state House and Senate districts by no later than March 15 and hold special legislative elections later this year. This upholds a ruling by the court Nov. 29. In August,…
Lawsuits. Veto threats. Power grabs. Protests. My rights, his rights. No one’s right. What a way to end 2016. Recovering from one of most contentious elections and a special session of the General Assembly tarnished by constitutional challenges, most North Carolinians are left asking, can’t we all just get…
Hyperbole is alive and well in Raleigh. The superlatives, at one point this week, were flying. Tuesday, lawmakers unanimously approved a $200.9 million disaster relief package for North Carolinians whose lives were uprooted this fall by Hurricane Matthew and western wildfires. The package, as we reported, includes $20…
