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With COVID hospitalizations rising, Duke experts urge people who are eligible to get the next COVID booster
The rise in hospitalizations and the report that First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 is a reminder that the virus is still with us, though not wreaking the kind of havoc it did in the first two years of the pandemic. A daily average of 501 patients with COVID were hospitalized in North […]
NC Gov. Cooper to veto expansive GOP elections bill
Gov. Roy Cooper will veto a sweeping elections bill that would limit ballot-counting and allow partisan election observers to walk freely within polling places. “This legislation has nothing to do with election security and everything to do with Republicans keeping and gaining power,” said Cooper. “It requires valid votes to be tossed out unnecessarily, schemes […]
Researchers, state Treasurer highlight plight of NC residents with medical debt
Each month, Donna Lindabury pays $35 on a hospital bill for her husband, Gary’s, 2009 quadruple bypass surgery. The Lindaburys knew Gary was gravely ill when he was airlifted from a hospital in Boone to Charlotte 14 years ago. They also knew they could not afford a big medical bill. Gary wasn’t working and Donna […]
Massive bill tightening NC voting laws moves toward adoption
A bill that tightens rules for voting while guaranteeing partisan observers more access to polling places and voting records is closer to legislative approval. Senate Bill 747 is a bundle of proposed restrictions that legislative Republicans have promoted this year. The bill passed the House Committee on Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform on Tuesday. […]
Most people in NC who lost Medicaid health coverage in the last two months were cut for “procedural” reasons
North Carolina and other states are stripping government health insurance coverage from thousands of people who stayed on Medicaid rolls during the COVID-19 pandemic but may no longer qualify. More than 68,000 people lost Medicaid coverage in North Carolina in June and July. Of those, about 87% lost their coverage for “procedural reasons,” because they […]
More people with disabilities in NC wait for services while a court fight continues
It’s the dilemma at the center of the frustration and worry for people with disabilities and their families in North Carolina. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities wait years for services that help them live in communities rather than institutions. The wait list has grown to 17,000 people. There’s not enough money for all of […]
NC elections board certifies the No Labels Party despite questions about its link to a dark money group
The state Board of Elections voted 4-1 to certify No Labels as a political party despite board members’ questions about its connections to a Washington group that does not reveal its donors’ identities. The national group No Labels has said it may offer a presidential ticket in 2024, but is waiting until after Super Tuesday […]
High staff vacancies meant NC agencies left budgeted money unspent
North Carolina agencies left untouched more than $1 billion set aside for them, partly because of the state employee staff shortage, the state budget office said Monday. Appropriated funds that state agencies don’t spend are called “reversions.” Reversions amounted to $1.17 billion, or 4%, for the state budget year that ended June 30. The state […]
Video gambling companies keep losing NC courts, but the legislature could make some machines legal
As North Carolina legislators consider expanding casino gambling beyond those owned by American Indian tribes, the latest chapter in the years-long court battles over electronic sweepstakes in the state ended this week with a loss for gaming companies operating in Catawba County. The legislature has passed several laws since 2000 to limit — and then […]
NC county boards of election offering free photo IDs for voting
Registered voters can now obtain free photo ID from their county boards of election. Voters will be asked to show photo identification when they cast ballots in municipal elections this fall. Drivers licenses, state ID cards, passports and other forms of identification can be used. The state Board of Elections announced Wednesday that county election […]
Less federal money coming to NC for childhood immunization program
A federal cut to states’ childhood immunization grant programs will mean North Carolina will get $3.3 million less than expected for its data systems. The CDC told public health officials last month that it is reducing funding for childhood vaccine programs, KFF Health News reported. The CDC linked the cut to the debt-ceiling deal between […]
With voter ID requirement looming, a look at the DMV
Some rural residents looking to obtain driver’s license or state ID before voting this year will have to cross county lines to obtain them. Seventeen North Carolina counties don’t have DMV offices, according to Carolina Demography. Of those 17 counties, 11 have proportions of Black voting-age residents that are higher than the state average. Three […]