House vs. Senate
First the House got its arms twisted by the Senate and cried uncle. WRAL’s Mark Binker described what happened last week after even Republicans in the House couldn’t swallow the Greensboro... Read More
NC Spin Articles
The disturbing, "little noticed provisions" stuck in the Senate budget
One of the most often used phrases these days by the media outlets that cover the General Assembly is “a little-noticed provision in the Senate 500-page budget bill…” Tuesday the News & Observer... Read More
Want to know where NC is heading? Look at SC, circa 1995
For the past 50 years or so, most of the country looked at the two Carolinas and saw two distinctly different states. North Carolina was a beacon of progress in an otherwise backward South. Its... Read More
An indictment of the state's broken campaign finance system
The most shocking disclosure made in a recent hearing by the State Board of Elections about Sen. Fletcher Hartsell's campaign spending wasn't that the longtime Republican legislator from Concord... Read More
Sue 'em, Greensboro
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, July 8, 2015. The city of Greensboro should take its case to federal court. It can challenge the election system dictated by the state legislature last week on... Read More
Few magistrates opt out of same-sex marriage duties
Only 2 percent of North Carolina magistrates have taken advantage of a new state law allowing them to express their opposition to same-sex marriage by opting out of performing all weddings. Senate... Read More
Tough negotiations expected over teacher assistant funding
Funds earmarked for school districts to hire teacher assistants are once again a sharp negotiation point between Senate and House leaders trying to hammer out a two-year state government budget. The... Read More
Study: N.C. fiscal health has room to improve
Even though North Carolina ranks behind its four neighboring states in overall financial condition, the state’s fiscal health is mostly sound, said the author of a just-released national study... Read More
Build on Constitution Avenue
As someone who views constitutional government as a basic institution of freedom, and constitutions as wielding near-divine authority, I retain what to some might be a surprising or even cavalier... Read More
A breathtaking attack on the environment
The astonishing scope of the Senate’s latest polluter protection bill Quick: What’s the most terrifying environmental threat that confronts long-term human wellbeing? Global warming? Loss of... Read More
