Bill James

Charlotte Races Into Economic Impact Projection Hall of Shame

Dubious numbers helped provide political cover as politicians lured the money-losing NASCAR Hall of Fame to the Queen City.

Jon Sanders

Flashback: The Noble Rutabaga

Finally, a column about the merits of declaring a National Rutabaga Week. Excited about reading it? That's the point.

Counties, Metros Buy Abortions With Taxpayer Funds

RALEIGH — Tempers flared in Wake County Monday, when county commissioners met to consider nixing from their own health plan elective abortions, which are those deemed medically unnecessary. The meeting nearly deteriorated into a shouting match.

David N. Bass

Out-of-Wedlock Births an Issue to Be Addressed

CHARLOTTE — Preliminary numbers are in for the latest round of American birth statistics, and among the headline-grabbing news is that 39.7 percent of births in 2007 were to unmarried mothers. In North Carolina, that number was 41.2 percent, up about 1 percent from the year before. The bad news doesn’t stop there.

Colleen Calvani

Half of Sampled School Lunch Applicants Can’t Prove Eligibility

RALEIGH — A majority of sampled applicants enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch program in North Carolina can’t prove eligibility to participate, according to verification summaries from the state’s 115 school districts.

David N. Bass

Help Support Non-profit Journalism & Donate Today

Confusion Reigns on School Lunch Guidelines

RALEIGH — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been slow to respond to requests for clarification on whether a local school district can conduct a comprehensive audit of its free and reduced-lunch program if officials suspect widespread cheating among applicants.

David N. Bass

Consider the Noble Rutabaga

Finally, a column about the merits of declaring a National Rutabaga Week. Excited about reading it? That's the point.

Mecklenburg Faces Nov. Bond Vote

CHARLOTTE — Voters in Mecklenburg County will decide in November whether to spend $554 million for school bonds and other assorted projects. Despite hard questions posed by Republican county commissioners — and two members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education — the bond issue will be on the ballot in the fall election.

Sam A. Hieb

Campus “Bake Sale” Stirs Debate

CHARLOTTE — A planned College Republican-sponsored “affirmative action bake sale” at UNC-Charlotte has raised the ire of at least one school official, who said the event is offensive to minorities. Members of the Republican group want to set up a booth Feb. 15 to offer baked goods with different prices for various groups of students. This is the third year the group has held the sale. UNC-Charlotte’s associate director of academic initiatives upheld the students’ right to challenge affirmative action but said she was “offended by their egregious methodology.” There may also be safety concerns at the event.

Shannon Blosser

Time for Consistency on Ballot Counts

Republican champions of Steve Troxler argued for months that it was unjust to remedy a Carteret County elections error with a new statewide election. Now, the shoe appears to be on the other foot.

Right — and Wrong — on Poverty

The controversy surrounding Mecklenburg Commissioner Bill James’ comments about urban blacks living in a “moral sewer” has made news statewide — but hasn’t been particularly illuminating.