Chart shows what GOP budget blockade is costing North Carolina
By Rob Schofield, NC Policy Watch North Carolina Republican lawmakers have been traveling around a good bit of late making claims that Gov. Cooper is somehow preventing a host of essential state services from a being funded by his refusal to sign the draconian budget that they sent to him in June. The truth is just […]
Memo to young Mormons: Vaping is not OK, says LDS Church
Jana Riessjanariess, Religion News A couple of years ago I had an interesting conversation with a full-time seminary teacher in Utah who told me that a number of his otherwise faithful students had taken up vaping with e-cigarettes. Since I was researching how young adults are (or are not) keeping the standards of the Word […]
With town of Eureka drowning in sewage bills, state takes control
BY KIRK ROSS, Carolina Public Press During a July 29 meeting to discuss the state’s takeover of Eureka, Wayne County Commissioner Ray Mayo encourages residents to be patient. Kirk Ross / Carolina Public Press In early June, the small northern Wayne County town of Eureka, got its official warning letter from the N.C. Department of […]
We Got Mail! Solar energy has drawbacks as well
To the Editor: I read with interest in the print paper of Rutherford County a front page article regarding the terrific merits of solar energy. In my career as an instructor of Environmental Science at the high school and university level, all forms of energy have benefits and drawbacks. Thin film solar technology allows the […]
Hours wasted and a flip-flop on hemp in the Farm Act befuddles House committee
By Lisa Sorg, Progressive Pulse Farm Act: Four months, seven editions, at least a dozen hours of committee hearings and legislative staff time, reams of paper, hundreds of miles of travel by the public, some from as far away as the mountains — and today the bill is back to its original Senate form. “Why is […]
The budget, the veto and Medicaid
By Joe Killian, NC POLICY WATCH Democratic Senator who initially supported the budget says it’s time for the GOP to negotiate The political stand-off over whether to expand Medicaid is stretching the state budget stalemate deep into summer with no end in site. But this week Sen. Gladys Robinson (D-Guilford) said she’s worried about how the […]
McHenry to hold Town Hall Meetings in 10th District
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patrick McHenry will hold annual town hall meetings in the Tenth District. During the town hall meetings, he will update on the recent legislative activity in the U.S. Congress and what to expect in the coming months. McHenry will be taking questions directly from Tenth District residents on the issues that are […]
Lawmaker unwittingly sums up the insanity of NC marijuana/hemp laws in a single quote
By Rob Schofield, NC Policy Watch In case you missed it this morning, be sure to check out the WRAL news story about yesterday’s state House committee action on the issue of smokable hemp. As you’ve probably heard, the issue of hemp cultivation and sale has sparked controversy because the plant is essentially indistinguishable from marijuana, which unlike […]
Looking to the Future, Public Sees an America in Decline on Many Fronts
Majorities predict a weaker economy, a growing income divide, a degraded environment and a broken political system BY KIM PARKER, RICH MORIN AND JULIANA MENASCE HOROWITZ, Pew Charitable Trust When Americans peer 30 years into the future, they see a country in decline economically, politically and on the world stage. While a narrow majority of the public (56%) say […]
Lawmakers bring forth another bad budget for kids
By Rob Thompson Progressive Voices House and Senate leaders released their compromise budget proposal Tuesday. With a few exceptions, the proposal fails to include important funding and policy changes, including Medicaid expansion, that are sorely needed to help children and families thrive in North Carolina. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’re most concerned about: […]
