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wetlands

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Biden wetlands regulation, ruling for Idaho couple

BY: - May 25, 2023

This story has been updated. The U.S. Supreme Court in a major environmental decision on  Thursday overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of wetlands that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, siding with an Idaho couple who’d said they should not be required to obtain federal permits to build on their property that lacked any navigable […]

The NC Legislative Building

Legislators advance bills giving more powers to prosecutors

BY: - May 25, 2023

Members of the Senate Rules Committee advanced two bills Thursday that would allow district attorneys to file a petition to modify a person’s probation and permit prosecutors to appoint at least one special investigator. House Bill 116 would allow district attorneys to recuse themselves from cases for “good cause” and permit each prosecutorial district across […]

Rep. Garret Graves, left, and Rep. Patrick McHenry

After years of bipartisan spending boosts, U.S. House GOP won’t lift debt ceiling without cuts

BY: - May 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress together brokered dozens of debt limit agreements, including several during the past decade, marked by a desire in both political parties to increase federal spending. But U.S. House Republicans now are pushing for the federal government to spend less next year than it will this year in order […]

Rep. Virginia Foxx

Biden student debt relief plan revoked in U.S. House vote

BY: - May 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is currently on hold awaiting a Supreme Court decision expected within weeks. Before the 218-203 vote on the resolution, the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it, arguing that the U.S. Department of Education […]

a nurse at work in a hospital

States see record low unemployment across the US

BY: - May 25, 2023

Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]

Senate budget would expand medical release for aging, sick prisoners

BY: - May 25, 2023

State senators have proposed expanding the eligibility criteria for the medical release of people in North Carolina prisons, potentially giving thousands of sick and aging people in state custody an opportunity to go home before they die. The law change, which can be found on page 310 of the Senate budget, comes after an NC […]

Aerial over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dean shares more details as controversial new school proceeds at UNC-Chapel Hill

BY: - May 24, 2023

Now that the academic year has ended, UNC-Chapel Hill leaders are sharing more information about the new and controversial School of Civic Life and Leadership with faculty who thus far, have questioned and opposed its creation. This includes additional details about the school’s creation, the hiring of faculty, and the formation of a curriculum. In a […]

a "sweepstakes sign outside a video gambling location

Proposal to authorize video gambling machines draws mixed reviews in state House committee

BY: - May 24, 2023

Representative Harry Warren (R-Rowan) has been trying for more than a decade to address the proliferation of video gambling machines that can be found in bars, restaurants and “sweepstakes parlors” across the state. Warren hopes this year with House Bill 512, he’s found a winner. The “Forgivable Loans/HBCU Supplemental Funding” bill, first discussed Tuesday in […]

In the hot seat: Development, climate leads to increased risk of wildfires near NC cities and suburbs

BY: - May 24, 2023

More than 2.1 million homes in North Carolina lie within the “wildland urban interface” — populated areas on the fringe of forests, scrub and other vegetation — and are at a greater risk of wildfires because of development patterns and climate change, according to a new national report by Climate Central, a science-based nonprofit organization. […]

immigrants seeking asylum

New bipartisan immigration legislation proposed in U.S. House

BY: - May 24, 2023

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of six U.S. House lawmakers on Tuesday described details of proposed legislation that would create a legal pathway for citizenship for undocumented people through work requirements, and would also fund border security measures.  The two Latinas who spearheaded the bill, Reps. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, and María Elvira Salazar, […]

Rep. Abe Jones on the House floor

State lawmaker was angered by colleague’s racist comments, but chose to forgive

BY: - May 24, 2023

A white, Republican colleague’s question about whether Rep. Abe Jones was admitted to Harvard University in 1970 because he was a minority and a track athlete was only the second time the Wake County Democrat had experienced such an encounter. The first incident occurred several years ago during a party at UNC Chapel Hill when […]

US Capitol dome

Progressives try to persuade Biden to use the 14th Amendment to resolve debt crisis

BY: - May 24, 2023

WASHINGTON — Progressives are pushing hard for President Joe Biden to take the unprecedented step of invoking the 14th Amendment as a way to avoid financial calamity if the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy do not strike a deal on the debt ceiling in the coming days. The lawmakers and legal scholars argue […]