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Five standout speeches from North Carolina’s final public hearing on redistricting
It might be easy to think the average person doesn’t know or doesn’t really care what legislative district they live in. But North Carolinians both young and old proved that was not the case Wednesday as they patiently waited their turn to speak up for democracy and reject efforts to further gerrymander the state’s voting […]
Senator Natasha Marcus weighs in on the state budget, Medicaid expansion and casino gambling
After an extended period of inactivity that’s left the state without a new budget for the first quarter of the new fiscal year, the state legislature kicked things into high gear last week passing a $30 billion budget and a series of lengthy, momentous, and controversial proposals. The sudden deluge of contentious ideas — most […]
North Carolina Budget & Tax Center director Alexandra Sirota on the latest poverty data
One of the very few silver linings to accompany the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant decline in American child poverty. Thanks to various relief initiatives and, most notably, the expansion of the federal child tax credit that the Biden administration championed, poverty numbers fell significantly for a time as the federal government provided what was, […]
Reporter Joe Killian on the effort by Republican lawmakers to remake our public universities
For several years now, North Carolina’s Republican-dominated state legislature has been pursuing a determined effort to overhaul the state’s university system. Whether it’s the makeup of the boards and chancellors that oversee the system and its various campuses, or the actual academic programs the campuses house and the professors they hire and fire, conservative politicians […]
Weekend reads: What to know about NC’s new $30 billion budget
Gov. Cooper will let state budget bill become law without his signature By Lynn Bonner Gov. Roy Cooper said he will allow the state’s new $30 billion budget to become law without his signature. He made the announcement Friday morning, shortly after the Senate gave the plan its final approval. Pursuant to the state constitution, […]
Senate leader folds his hand. Casinos will not be part of North Carolina’s budget.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) rarely loses a hand in the political games that play such a prominent role in the work of North Carolina General Assembly. But on Tuesday, Berger seemed to abide by the admonition in the famous Kenny Rogers’ song, “The Gambler”: “You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when […]
Rep. Marcia Morey on the budget saga, casino gambling, gun violence, and election law changes
When state lawmakers returned to Raleigh last week, the word on the street was that, at last, two-and-a-half months into the new state fiscal year, a budget agreement between House and Senate Republicans had finally been achieved. As it turned out, however, this rumor proved inaccurate as a dispute over whether to introduce casino gambling […]
Ana Pardo of the NC Justice Center discusses the 2023 State of Working Women
For the past two years, unemployment in North Carolina has done more than return to pre-pandemic levels; it’s actually dropped to the lowest level in more than 20 years. A closer look, however, reveals a more complicated picture — especially for the state’s women. Indeed, in Oxfam America’s recently released ranking of the Best and […]
Weekend reads:Tenured faculty under review, changes on the bench, lockdown generation speaks up
UNC System examining tenure review, incentivizing faculty retirements UNC System President Peter Hans speaks in a Wednesday committee meeting. (Image: PBS NC live feed) By Joe Killian The system wants a more rigorous review process for tenured faculty The UNC System Board of Governors is asking for a more uniform and rigorous tenure review […]
How much influence should college students have over local elections?
In the waning days of the 2023 legislative session, there seems to be no shortage of ideas of how to reshape North Carolina’s elections. From ballot signature verification to giving the General Assembly appointment power to the State Board of Elections, Republican legislators maintain their changes will instill voter confidence in the system. On Tuesday, […]
Photo gallery: UNC-CH students call for gun reform at General Assembly
Two weeks after a fatal shooting on their campus, dozens of UNC-Chapel Hill students gathered in front of the Legislative Building Tuesday to demand the General Assembly pass legislation to tighten access to guns. Students spoke of the trauma they have endured since the school shooting and the failure of state lawmakers to consider ‘red […]
Gov. Cooper selects Judge Allison Riggs to fill NC Supreme Court vacancy
Nine months after Governor Roy Cooper appointed Allison Riggs to serve on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Cooper turned to Riggs again today, asking her to fill the vacancy created by the recent resignation of state Associate Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan. In announcing the promotion Monday afternoon, the governor voiced unwavering confidence in […]