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Weekend reads: A costly delay by UNC, shrinking early voting, and suit filed over NC abortion law
1. Ida B. Wells Society canceled programs for young journalists after UNC withheld millions in funding In an exclusive interview, society co-founder Nikole Hannah-Jones expresses frustration with the inexplicable delay By Joe Killian Nearly six months after the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting notified UNC-Chapel Hill it would be moving to Morehouse College, […]
NC Newsline reporter Lynn Bonner on some big changes coming to the laws governing NC elections
North Carolina is about to implement some big and dramatic changes to the way it regulates voting and conducts elections. Going forward, all voters – even those who vote by mail – must produce a photo ID. Meanwhile, another bill recently introduced by Republican lawmakers would impose additional restrictions on voting by mail and same-day […]
Senator Lisa Grafstein shares her worries about proposed election law changes
The laws governing voting in our state are about to undergo some big and controversial changes, including the introduction of a photo ID requirement for all voters – even those who vote by mail. Proponents claim that the changes are about making our elections more secure, but skeptics argue that the real motivation is to […]
Educator and policy analyst Justin Parmenter on the plans to dramatically expand school vouchers
Under legislation making its way through the General Assembly this session, North Carolina will soon dramatically expand its controversial private school vouchers program so that households of all incomes will be eligible to receive a state subsidy to send their kids to private school. The multi-million-dollar expansion comes at the same moment that the state’s […]
Weekend reads: Voting rights take center stage, a glimpse at the issues driving the 2024 elections, and a big infusion of cash to help aspiring NC teachers
In this issue: 1. “A jumbo jet of a voter suppression bill.” NC Democrats denounce Republicans’ proposed voting restrictions. By Lynn Bonner and Chantal Brown Democrats in the North Carolina legislature are rebuking a new Senate bill that would make it harder for voters to cast mail-in ballots that would count toward candidate totals. Legislative […]
North Carolina gives final approval to mobile sports wagering bill
In a world in which safe bets are few and far between, Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) liked his odds Wednesday when House Bill 347 topped the House Calendar. The Sports Wagering/Horse Racing bill that he filed in mid-March had made its way through numerous committees, both chambers of the General Assembly, and now was back […]
Reporter Lisa Sorg discusses her new special series on Robeson County’s environmental plight
As NC Newsline investigative reporter Lisa Sorg has been detailing in a new series of special reports, the county of 100,000-plus residents – most of whom are poor and/or people of color – is literally inundated with mind-boggling quantities of toxic chemicals and animal waste. What’s more, as we learned in a conversation with Sorg, […]
SEANC director Ardis Watkins on NC’s chronic public employee shortage and pending state budget
Among the many vexing challenges facing state government agencies in North Carolina these days is this: finding and keeping qualified workers. Across the state, job vacancies and turnover are extremely high. Even when agencies find good people, keeping them from departing for better paying jobs in the private sector is often impossible. Fortunately, the causes […]
Tim Curry of the Fines & Fees Justice Center: How court fines and fees hurt working families
The Fines and Fees Justice Center recently worked with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke University Law School to produce a new and damning report entitled “Debt Sentence: How Fines and Fees Hurt Working Families.” As the title implies, the report explains how the runaway costs of court fines and fees often […]
Weekend reads: Big changes for voting rights, Blue Cross Blue Shield, sports betting and the UNC Board of Governors
In this issue: 1. Senate gives final approval to Blue Cross NC bill the insurance commissioner says is bad for policyholders By Lynn Bonner The state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill allowing nonprofit Blue Cross NC to act more like a for-profit insurance company over the objections of the state Insurance Commissioner and despite […]
NC Senate gives final approval to mobile sports wagering bill
Legislation that would allow North Carolinians to place bets on professional and college sports as well as horse racing won final approval (37-11) in the state Senate Thursday. The measure drew both bipartisan support and opposition. Sen. Jim Burgin joined Democrats to speak against the bill. He dismissed the argument that the state was losing […]
Some NC House members warm to medical marijuana, but the bill’s outlook remains hazy
North Carolina’s medical marijuana bill has been largely dormant since passing the state Senate in early March. But members of the state House showed signs Tuesday that they were becoming more comfortable with the Compassionate Care Act. The bipartisan bill would allow doctors to authorize cannabis in treating more than a dozen debilitating medical condition […]