In addition to choosing representatives, and deciding six statewide constitutional amendments Tuesday, Nov. 6, North Carolina voters approved more than $1.8 billion in local bonds for K-12 and community college projects, parks and open spaces, low-income housing, and street improvements. Voters also weighed in on sales tax increases, alcoholic beverage sales, and local government reforms....
A Dare County real estate developer with a history of financial troubles has made little progress in selling 900 vacant lots in the Pine Mountain development in Burke County. Critics say Ray Hollowell Jr. is a speculator who doesn’t pay his debts and neglects necessary infrastructure. The problems for Hollowell include unpaid property taxes, property...
Spindale Town Councilman Ben Edwards said he was agitated when he learned House Majority Leader Mike Hager was running unopposed in House District 112, which the Republican had represented since 2011. Edwards, who’s registered unaffiliated, expected someone else to step up to oppose Hager. When nobody filed, he went about the task of collecting the...
While voters in a number of North Carolina localities will have alcohol, tax increase, and bond referendums on their minds, citizens in the Forsyth County village of Tobaccoville will be deciding whether to recall their mayor. On Jan. 7, Tobaccoville Mayor Billy McHone resigned his office, but rescinded the offer before the Village Council could...
RALEIGH — The saga of Pine Mountain — featuring hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes, delinquent homeowners assessments, and overdue loans — has attracted little public attention and no news stories to date. And developer Ray Hollowell, along with homeowners in the development and officials in Burke County, hope that Pine Mountain doesn’t suffer a fate similar to that of the Randy Parton Theatre.
RALEIGH — Dare County developer Ray Hollowell told Carolina Journal that he and developer Rick Watson signed a promotion agreement in March 2008 with Dolly Parton’s sister, Cassie Parton King, and Cassie’s husband, Scott King, to push development at South Mountain in Burke County. The marketing plan was developed in 2009 not long after Gov. Bev Perdue took office.
RALEIGH — The campaign finance trials of two associates of and fundraisers for Gov. Bev Perdue have been placed on hold until a state appeals court can rule on motions filed by both defendants. The trials will not go forward until the N.C. Court of Appeals rules on the motions.
RALEIGH — Citing Gov. Bev Perdue’s widespread unpopularity, attorneys for Julia Leigh Sitton and Trawick “Buzzy” Stubbs — who played significant roles in Perdue’s 2008 campaign for governor — have filed motions asking for special treatment during the jury selection process in their upcoming trials.
RALEIGH — The latest version of House Bill 823 would give Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, a Democrat, more say in policy decisions, and the General Assembly more clout in who serves on the state Board of Education.
RALEIGH — Filed mainly to resolve a school-board scuffle in Burke County, House Bill 342 could elicit more uproar for how it would impact a debate over diversity in the Wake County Public School System. Sponsors say accreditation organizations penalize schools simply because the groups disagree with district policies.
RALEIGH — Proceeds from the plate would go to fund pregnancy centers that offer abortion alternatives. North Carolina currently offers around 100 special-interest license plates for a range of causes, including litter prevention, public schools, and sea turtles.
