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Lessons from America’s energy crisis
As Trump has declared a national energy emergency, an examination of the handling of the energy crisis is in order.
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Green leads Morrow in fundraising 5-to-1 in NC superintendents race
Democrat Mo Green is handily besting Republican Michele Morrow in total fundraising to date in the state’s race for superintendent of public instruction, according to recent campaign disclosures. Green has $315,913 on hand compared to Morrow’s $58,265, which includes 48-hour reports for independent expenditures. The race for state superintendent is likely to become heated headed...
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Follow the Money: Cooper’s Green Agenda
As the North Carolina Utilities Commission works on a Carbon Plan that would dramatically shape the state’s energy future, the state grew by 133,088 people in 2022 alone, the third fastest-growing state in the nation. North Carolina’s tax climate is the primary draw, along with the quality of our work force and higher education system. One variable in the equation will keep the economic progress engine moving forward or stop it in its tracks: affordable, reliable energy.
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Cooper appoints new general counsel
Eric Fletcher is the new general counsel to Gov. Roy Cooper. Fletcher, a news release says, will advise the Office of the Governor on legal affairs. Fletcher replaces William McKinney, who served as the governor’s counsel from January 2017 until July 2021. “Eric’s background and extensive knowledge of North Carolina’s legal landscape make him the...
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Gov. Roy Cooper’s general counsel returning to private practice
The general counsel to Gov. Roy Cooper is returning to private practice. William Crum McKinney worked with Cooper for nearly five years, and before that was special counsel to Cooper when he was N.C. attorney general. McKinney returns to his previous firm, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, as a shareholder, a news release from the firm says....
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Democrats, unions fighting move to open disciplinary records as Cooper remains quiet
A bill that would open disciplinary records of government employees is crawling through the Senate, and employee unions and Democrats are determined to kill it. Lawmakers filed Senate Bill 355, the Government Transparency Act of 2021, in late March, and it has been mired in committee since. Republic Sens. Norm Sanderson of Craven County, Bill...
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Energy leaders, experts say N.C. too reliant on Colonial, Transco pipelines
North Carolina remains vulnerable to fuel shortages because it’s too reliant on a pair of pipelines for gas and energy, industry leaders and experts told lawmakers. The point is made even more crucial because of a recent rise in both the number and sophistication of cyberattacks, such as the one that recently crippled the Colonial...
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60% of Triangle gas pumps are empty after spree of buying
A disruption in East Coast gasoline supplies has sparked panic buying across the region, with North Carolina among the states hit hardest. Across the state, an average of 14.7% of gas stations report that they are on empty, but that number is higher in urban areas. In the Triangle, gasbuddy.com reports that about 60% of...
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Biden administration could push leftward on school choice, health care in N.C.
With President Biden in the White House and Democrats in control of both houses of Congress, conservatives are bracing for a flurry of policy changes on issues they care about. Already, the Biden administration has unleashed nearly two dozen executive orders related to immigration, climate change, and gender identity. When Congress comes back into session,...
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Appeals court decision may end ‘slush funds’ for governor, executive branch
The N.C. attorney general can’t keep and distribute money from a settlement over hog waste that leaked and overflowed from lagoons. A split 2-1 panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals, in an opinion issued Tuesday, Dec. 15, ruled money resulting from a settlement between Smithfield Foods and the N.C. attorney general must flow into...
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Atlantic Coast Pipeline deal, now defunct, shows Cooper’s pattern of overreach
The end of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline shuts the door on one example of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive overreach. But one policy expert fears Cooper might abuse his power again in a case involving school funding. Cooper’s many clashes with Republican lawmakers indicate the Democratic governor could collide with the General Assembly again over education...
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Education activists, Democratic lawmakers want to spend big on education despite COVID-19 budget constraints
Education activists and Democratic lawmakers want to spend more on education, even as the state faces a massive budget shortfall and is entering a potentially disastrous hurricane season. Every child in North Carolina has a right to a sound, basic education, according to the landmark Leandro case. The state for years has grappled with how...
