Gov. Roy Cooper moved North Carolina backward in economic reopening in another virtual news conference that shut out conservative publications. Cooper tightened restrictions on indoor mass gatherings, dropping the maximum allowed gatherings from 25 people to 10 people. He said he is targeting family groups and…
Diabetic state employees soon won’t have to swallow the rising cost of insulin. State Treasurer Dale Folwell waived co-pays on insulin prescriptions for members of the State Health Plan, starting Jan. 1, 2021. Folwell hopes to save members $5 million. …
The N.C. State Board of Education rejected a unanimous recommendation from the state’s Charter School Advisory Board to let 3,800 more students enroll at the state’s two virtual charter academies. The education board’s vote was 7-4. The advisory board said Wednesday, Aug. 12, that the state-run virtual charters should…
Lawmakers are trying to fix the Department of Transportation’s spending problems that triggered mass layoffs, project delays, and chaos in the transportation industry. The department’s overspending exposed failures in oversight, both in the department itself and in the Council of Internal Auditing. The department’s internal oversight…
The COVID-19 pandemic could still threaten the long-term stability of state employee pensions, even though the state pension plan has recovered from the stock market crash, the state treasurer says. The stock market’s comeback has lifted North Carolina’s pensions toward record levels, State Treasurer Dale Folwell…
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.
