Members of the University of North Carolina System’s Board of Governors want you to know something. They’re ready to move past the drama. Members projected that message Friday, Nov. 15, at a regular board meeting hosted by Elizabeth City State University. The gathering —led by the body’s newly installed chairman, Randy Ramsey — followed a...
Harry Smith, the former leader of the University of North Carolina System board, during his tenure was publicly described as “hands-on,” or “very involved” in the operations of the university system and its 17 campuses. A new trove of emails released by the UNC System Friday, Nov. 8, show exactly what that means — and...
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses what we think are some interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s a week in review: Testy Exchange: The Oct. 2 N.C. State Board of Education got heated when members questioned State Superintendent Mark Johnson’s recent purchases of...
East Carolina University Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach was placed on administrative leave after photos and videos emerged showing him drinking and dancing at a Greenville bar with students. In a news release, UNC System Interim President Dr. Bill Roper said Gerlach would be on leave while an investigation continues. The images show Gerlach chugging beer...
In an email to faculty and staff, East Carolina University Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach and Brody School of Medicine Dean Dr. Mark Stacy urged Vidant Health and Pitt County commissioners to back off in their fight with the UNC System over Brody School of Medicine. The email, sent Monday, June 10, was clear: The ECU...
The North Carolina Solar Power Association is battling the perception that utility-scale solar installations, also called solar farms, are “just plain ugly,” the group’s spokeswoman, Caitlyn Vines, told Carolina Journal. The group announced a two-phase campaign, named “Sun to Sip,” linking the state’s solar farms with its vineyards and wineries. The state’s lead tourism promoter...
ELIZABETH CITY — Pasquotank County public officials learned in February that they will receive a $9 million grant from the Golden LEAF foundation to build the Amazon Wind Farm Welcome Center and Bird Sanctuary Headquarters adjacent to the recently completed wind project. The total project budget is $9.2 million, with the county and the wind...
RALEIGH — Others grants include funds for renovating a vacant structure in Winston-Salem to house a “green business incubator” and an initiative to encourage consumers to spend at least 10 percent of their grocery budgets on locally grown foods.
RALEIGH — A few days ago, my wife — who’s not at all ashamed of her liberal sensibilities — read Carolina Journal's most recent news story about a real estate scandal involving former Gov. Mike Easley, and said, “Good lord, we’ve moved to Chicago!”
RALEIGH — As federal prosecutors investigate alleged campaign finance violations and other suspected wrongdoing by embattled former Gov. Mike Easley, his law partners and other associates continue to play key roles in the management of the Golden LEAF Foundation, which distributes half of the state’s tobacco settlement money.
RALEIGH — An economic incentives bill eligible for consideration in the General Assembly’s short session next year, known as the Life Sciences Development Act, would establish a private company to make taxpayer-funded loans of up to $30 million apiece to biotechnology and pharmacy startups in North Carolina.
