Opinion
On road funding, something’s gotta give
So long as North Carolina remains an attractive place to live, work, invest, and rear children, highway usage will go up.
News
NC Senate revives open-enrollment study
A North Carolina Senate committee advanced Sen. Michael Lee's sweeping K-12 bill after amending it to study open enrollment. The same amendment also mandates weekly "released time" for off-campus religious instruction.
Opinion
Expand choice among public schools
For all the satisfied smiles among school-choice supporters, and the gnashing of teeth among its opponents, North Carolina is not one of the top-ranked states for educational freedom. That’s how the American Legislative Exchange Council sees it, anyway. Its latest Index of State Education Freedom, published in January, gave the Tar Heel State a B+....
News
NC lags other states in public school open enrollment policies
North Carolina ranks last among the 50 states in public school open enrollment policies, according to a Reason Foundation analysis, even while new research shows that these programs are reshaping the educational choice landscape in other states.
January 2026 — North Carolinians want to choose their public school
RALEIGH — This week marks the 16th annual National School Choice Week. Every year, in recognition of National School Choice Week, the Carolina Journal Poll surveys likely North Carolina voters on matters of education. In this year’s poll, voters continued to show strong support for school choice programs, such as open enrollment, the Opportunity Scholarship...
Opinion
Washington can’t come to the rescue
If NC needs to spend $120 billion on water and sewer over the next 20 years, that’s a matter for local boards and the General Assembly to address, not Congress.
Opinion
Low debt burden aids North Carolina
Because I’m a fiscal conservative, you might think I reflexively oppose government borrowing. You’d be mistaken. I believe that public finance and toxicology share a common rule: the dose makes the poison. That phrase is traditionally attributed to Paracelsus, a physician and philosopher of the German Renaissance, but the underlying notion, that something can be...
Opinion
Let parents choose their public schools
Having expanded its Opportunity Scholarship program and strengthened its charter-school laws, North Carolina got a solid “B” in the latest American Legislative Exchange Council ranking of educational freedom. About a quarter of our students attend chartered public schools, private schools, or home schools. So, why weren’t we one of the eight states earning “A” grades?...
Opinion
NC could have the chance to double down on education freedom
With this new federal provision, tens of thousands more families could send their children to the school of their choice without drawing from state revenue. However, there are concerns about strings that might come with it.
Opinion
AI will aid transit, not transform it
Outside of a few highly dense markets, transit’s primary function is to provide essential mobility for those who cannot drive or afford their own vehicles.
Opinion
Employment gains reflect policy success
North Carolina’s strong economic performance persists — as do the lessons it reveals about politics and public policy. The latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that North Carolina added 76,700 net new jobs over the last 12 months, an increase of 1.5%. Only five states posted larger employment gains. Expanding beyond...
Opinion
Set clear priorities for road funding
North Carolina’s No. 1 ranking in road performance reflects both low administrative costs and relatively high performance in output measures.
