A bill that would align laws for North Carolina craft distilleries more closely with rules governing wine and craft beer easily cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, June 18. It now heads to Senate Rules. Senate Bill 290, Distiller Regulatory Reform Bill, would allow N.C. distilleries to sell malt beverages and unfortified and fortified...
A measure that North Carolina craft distillers are counting on to help them thrive and, in some cases, simply survive is moving in the General Assembly. Senate Bill 290 was amended and debated Wednesday, June 5, in the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee, but no vote was taken. It’s expected to be approved at the next...
RALEIGH — A state legislative oversight committee soon will look into whether state regulations need to be updated as passengers increasingly arrange rides using a smart-phone application rather than a phone call to a taxi company. Uber and Lyft are two companies that are meshing technology and transportation to offer ride-sharing services.
RALEIGH — In a North Carolina primary season crowded with Republican candidates, state House District 34 in north-central Wake County is one of the most crowded. Four GOP candidates are throwing elbows for a chance to face three-term Democratic Rep. Grier Martin in the midterm election this fall. EDITOR'S NOTE: Jamie Earp dropped out of the race late Friday afternoon after this story went to press.
RALEIGH — For the first time in over a century, minority Republicans have a shot at wresting control of the legislature from Democrats, and it’s banking on a string of competitive races to do it.
RALEIGH — North Carolinians appear to be more committed to voting this November than they have been in the past four elections, but there is no clear consensus on some issues and races, according to the Agenda 2004 poll released Thursday by the John Locke Foundation. About 85 percent of respondents said they were “extremely” likely to vote this year. The comparable number in 2000 was 70 percent. The poll found strong opposition to Amendment One, which would allow tax-increment financing in North Carolina. In political races, it showed Bush leading Kerry among state voters, Burr and Bowles statistically tied, and Easley leading Ballantine for governor.
Questioning mass transit plans in Charlotte brings criticism that reveals a misunderstanding of how our federal system must work.
RALEIGH — When Gov. Mike Easley did his back-to-school shopping this year with son Michael Jr., he chose popular locations for consumers who look for deals on clothing and textbooks. And like many other NC parents, he took advantage of the sales tax holiday that began Aug. 6. He set out from Raleigh at 10:50 a.m. and arrived in Concord — a driving distance of 122 miles — at 11:30 a.m. Easley and son continued their travels at 12:05 p.m, reaching New Hanover County by 12:50 p.m., scooping up supplies at UNC-Wilmington. “He can really fly, can’t he?” said Rep. Linda Johnson, a Kannapolis Republican. “He probably did fly.” Yes, he did — at taxpayers’ expense.
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Republican Party went into the July 20, 2004 primaries divided. It emerged divided. In the primary for governor, North Carolina Republicans showed no clear preference among the leading candidates, giving former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot and former NC Senate minority Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington nearly the same number of votes statewide and gave nearly as many votes to former US Rep. Bill Cobey. But in House primaries, GOP voters did offer a clearer message, with candidates opposed to tax hikes and Co-Speaker Richard Morgan prevailing by a nearly two-to-one margin.
RALEIGH — It was a feat that pirate Captain Jack Swallow of the Black Pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean) would have envied. A horde of about 9,000 people slipped into town and took over every bed in the city’s largest hotel, its convention center, and nearly every eating establishment and parking space in the city. They did all this without raising a single alarm in the local press. Too bad, because the media missed some significant stories. A number of politicians worked the crowd, for example, including gubernatorial candidates Dan Barrett, Bill Cobey, and Patrick Ballantine; Brooke Burr, wife of U.S. Senate candidate Richard Burr; and Jeanne Smoot, running for state school superintendent.
RALEIGH — The race for the Republican nomination for NC governor has been a festival of harmony so far, but a discordant note on business incentives appeared among the candidates Thursday in Greensboro. State Senate Minority Leader Patrick Ballantine broke from the anti-incentives stances of his opponents at a manufacturing executives summit. “I’m not going to say I’m opposed to all incentives,” Ballantine said. The position taken by the Wilmington lawyer was a marked difference from the three other candidates who participated: former state GOP Chairman Bill Cobey, Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett, and former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot.
