Elizabeth City could go broke in August if Gov. Roy Cooper doesn’t lift restrictions on utility payments. The city isn’t alone. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy, Cooper banned utility providers from disconnecting or fining non-paying customers. His two executive orders shield people from…
An executive order giving people a break on utility payments threw local governments across North Carolina into financial havoc. In late March, Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order banned utility providers from disconnecting non-paying customers. The executive orders aimed to protect people from losing water, electricity, natural gas, sanitation, or wastewater…
Lawmakers moved to restrict pensions for public officials who commit crimes while performing their official duties. Senate Bill 719 passed unanimously from the House Pensions and Retirement Committee on Wednesday, June 3. It targets elected government officials convicted of a felony offense connected…
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. Here’s this week’s review: Bond proposal: House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, wants a $3.1-billion bond for education and transportation needs. Reps. Jeffrey…
The N.C. Department of Transportation overspent its budget by $742 million last year, a new state audit report shows. The DOT is in hot water over poor money management, which, in 2019, sent its bank accounts plummeting close to a legally required cash floor.
N.C. House members took on a host of time-sensitive issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic during a Wednesday, April 29, meeting of the House Pensions and Retirement Committee. They also voted to more than triple their death benefits, despite worries that raising payments from $15,000 to…
During Sunshine Week — seven days highlighting the public’s right to know about what happens behind the government’s closed doors — much of North Carolina’s health care system remains in the shade. State Treasurer Dale Folwell wants to rescue the State Health Plan with…
On St. Patrick’s Day, Cary’s Carolina Ale House — decorated with Irish food and drink ads — wasn’t teeming with its usual swarm of thirsty, hungry customers. Instead, at 7:30 p.m., the rough hewn doors creaked open to an empty dining room. Empty bar. Empty waiting area. The…
State retirees and their dependents beginning next year won’t pay premiums on Medicare Advantage plans. The State Health Plan awarded Humana a new contract that will save taxpayers $590 million over three years. The savings will allow the State Health Plan to erase retirees’ monthly premiums…
Fears of a global economic slowdown, fueled in part by the coronavirus outbreak, took a $4.2 billion chunk out of North Carolina’s state pension plan. The coronavirus has sent stocks tumbling worldwide. North Carolina’s pension plan is more conservatively managed than most, so it slid only…
