News

Lawmakers insist DMV improve operations amid ongoing failures

Pressures were high Thursday at a Transportation Committee hearing in Raleigh as state legislators criticized Commissioner Wayne Goodwin’s ‘broken’ operations at the DMV that have caused major frustrations for North Carolina customers.  The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is the largest customer-facing agency in the state government, but legislators condemned ongoing dysfunction and questioned...

Brianna Kraemer
News

Gastonia replacing fixed-route buses with microtransit

The Gastonia City Council recently announced plans to phase out its fixed-route bus system in favor of a new microtransit system with the ability to reach more of Gastonia’s residents. Microtransit is comparable to current rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft. In a press release, the city council stated that a 36-month, $1.65 million...

Zach Rounceville
News

Stretch of Blue Ridge Parkway closed over bear concerns

An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced. Recently, visitors to this area have been documented “feeding and attempting to hold a young bear,” which led NPS officials to restrict access to this scenic route. ...

Sherman Criner
Opinion

North Carolina ranks high on roads

North Carolina can add another item to its crowded shelf of accolades: according to a newly updated study, our state’s road system ranks second in the nation in performance and cost-effectiveness. The Reason Foundation has just released the 27th Annual Highway Report. It was brainchild of my longtime friend and colleague, the late UNC-Charlotte professor...

John Hood
News

Second Greenville red-light camera case appealed to N.C. Supreme Court

The N.C. Supreme Court could decide whether Greenville’s red-light camera enforcement program is based on an unconstitutional local law dealing with health. A plaintiff making that claim filed paperwork Monday asking justices to take up her case. That notice of appeal arrived less than a month after a unanimous N.C. Court of Appeals panel rejected...

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News

Greenville’s red-light camera opponents urge inaction from N.C. Supreme Court

Plaintiffs challenging Greenville’s red-light camera enforcement program are asking the N.C. Supreme Court to stay out of the case. The state’s highest court agreed Wednesday to block an Appeals Court ruling against Greenville’s red-light program. That decision was labeled a temporary stay. Now the Supreme Court must decide whether to grant a “writ of superseadas.”...

CJ Staff
News

State Supreme Court blocks ruling against Greenville’s red-light cameras

The N.C. Supreme Court has agreed to block a lower court ruling against Greenville’s red-light camera enforcement program. The court granted a temporary stay Wednesday. It will allow the program to proceed as a lawsuit against red-light cameras continues. Greenville and the Pitt County school system jointly requested the stay Tuesday. A unanimous three-judge panel...

CJ Staff
News

Court ruling against Greenville red-light cameras raises questions for Raleigh, other cities

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information about Raleigh’s red-light camera enforcement program. A court ruling this week against the funding scheme for Greenville’s red-light camera enforcement program could lead to questions about similar programs in three other N.C. cities. Raleigh, Fayetteville, and Wilmington all have red-light camera enforcement systems that could...

Mitch Kokai
News

N.C. Appeals Court rules Greenville red-light camera program unconstitutional

A unanimous three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals has ruled Greenville’s red-light camera program unconstitutional. The judges agreed the program does not provide enough of its proceeds to local schools. In a separate case, the same panel rejected an argument that Greenville’s Red Light Camera Enforcement Program violated a constitutional ban on local...

CJ Staff
News

Greatest show’s over? Abandoned N.C. circus train burns in Nash County

YouTube video/Southern Nash News North Carolina’s abandoned circus trains are burning. Several train cars the state bought but subsequently abandoned on tracks in Nash County woods were on fire Thursday morning, according to WRAL. The Raleigh TV station said someone reported the fire near the old Masonite Plant in Spring Hope. It appeared at least...

John Trump