News
All roads lead to Ronda: Italian-style vineyards aim to put NC wine on map
In the tiny town of Ronda, an Italian-style winemaking movement seeks to restore the NC to its pre-Prohibition grandeur.
News
NC board rules Dupre ineligible for GOP Senate ballot
At a lengthy hearing on Wednesday, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) voted 3-1 that a candidate in the state’s March 3 primary election cannot run on the Republican ticket in the US Senate race.
News
A symbol of joy after Helene: White House Blue Room Christmas tree coming from NC
For the second year in a row, a North Carolina Christmas tree farm was chosen to have one of its trees appear in the Blue Room of the White House this Christmas.
Opinion
Western NC town comes for residential property rights
NC courts have never allowed amortization for low-intensity uses in residential zones. Highlands would be pushing the boundaries.
News
Sowing Resilience Heroes: Durrant Farms
Tom and Whitney Durrant have faced some unique challenges as first-generation farmers in a post-pandemic world, and alpacas are one of their unique solutions. Durrant Farms is on 86 acres just outside of Asheville. When the Durrants purchased the farm, it was in pretty bad shape. They have rehabilitated several pastures and renovated a small apartment...
Opinion
North Carolinians deserve clarity on the legal status of poolsharing
Homeowners should have the opportunity to make use of their private property to make ends meet. Consumers should have more choices for spots where they can swim. But above all else, the law should be clear to all.
Opinion
Deja vu all over again for NC’s 3rd parties
An ugly tactic — that of a major party trying to bully third-party candidates off the ballot to improve their own chances — has returned in North Carolina.
Opinion
‘Regulatory dark matter’ could sink swimming pool app
On July 24, at the peak of a hot summer, a local news station in North Carolina reported on a new example of the sharing economy. It’s a swimming pool app that connects homeowners saddled with expensive swimming pools they rarely use to neighbors who’d like to take a peaceful dip in a private setting...
News
Backyard pool owners clash with government regulators over new private rental market
As the dog days of summer heat up backyards across the state, some North Carolina families with private pools are turning to a new online platform to rent them out on an hourly basis. However, this new rental market is stirring the waters with state and local regulators who consider their pools “public.” With the...
Opinion
What Senate Bill 667 means for North Carolina and its visitor economy
North Carolina’s sizzling visitor economy continues to be a top economic driver for the state and, judging by several new legislative conversations in the General Assembly, the impacts of this burgeoning economy are being heard loud and clear on Jones Street. Among the many sectors within the visitor economy, few if any are as topical...
Opinion
Why data privacy is a top issue for NC small businesses in 2023
National Data Privacy Week came and went in January. Although most people don’t mark it on their calendars or celebrate it, data privacy is a critically important issue, and how it is regulated greatly matters to businesses. Unfortunately, the federal government has been stifled for several years in enacting a single national privacy standard that...
News
Raleigh City Council moves on some short-term rentals; stalls on whole-house rentals
The Raleigh City Council Healthy Neighborhoods committee approved a draft ordinance for regulating short-term rentals, but it failed to find a consensus on what to do about whole-house rentals in the city. Short-term rentals, like Airbnb, are technically illegal in Raleigh, but the city hasn’t enforced the ban while regulations are in the works. City...
