Beth Wood
Governor Cooper makes history with appointment of new state auditor
Governor Roy Cooper tapped a familiar figure in Wake County political circles Thursday to complete the remainder of Beth Wood’s term as state auditor. Cooper selected attorney Jessica Holmes who currently serves as Deputy Industrial Commissioner and was the former chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “Jessica understands how government can be a […]
Democrat Luis Toledo declares candidacy for NC state Auditor
With incumbent Democratic state Auditor Beth Wood bowing out of the 2024 race, Democrat Luis Toledo announced Friday he would seek the office. Toledo is a former assistant state auditor who has run before. He ran for state Auditor in 2020 in the Democratic primary where Wood, the incumbent, defeated him. She was elected to […]
COVID-19 pandemic exposed state unemployment office flaws. Audit says state failed to meet federal standards for timely payments.
The state Employment Security Commission took too long to pay unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs in the first year of the pandemic. The lapse meant that $438 million in first payments were late getting to unemployed people between Jan. 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, according to a new state audit report. […]
Plagiarism, copyright infringement and “low rigor”: State Auditor gives lawmakers an earful about failings of NC Virtual Public School
A complaint lodged by John Scanlon and his family was the catalyst for a damning state audit that found courses offered by NCVirtual Public School lacked quality and rigor, and that educators hired to create content for an honor’s history course engaged in plagiarism and copyright infringement. The state Department of Public Instruction is the administrator for the school. State Auditor Beth Wood cited the family’s role in the investigation while presenting the findings to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on Tuesday.
McCrory wants surplus state money to go to Medicaid
Republican Gov. Pat McCrory issued a memorandum this afternoon to state agencies directing them to stop salary increases and send extra dollars to the state Medicaid office to offset an anticipated budget shortfall. McCrory’s memorandum came with a critical reference to his predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, and how her office dealt with Medicaid […]
McCrory’s “blood from a turnip” Medicaid demands
Adam Searing has an important op-ed today over on the main Policy Watch site about the bogus attacks leveled against the state Medicaid program last week by Governor McCrory, HHS Secretary Aldona Wos and State Auditor Beth Wood. Critics of North Carolina’s Medicaid program – the publicly-funded health insurance program for adults and children of low income […]