Following the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announcement that North Carolina won’t be ending the mask mandate for public school children, N.C. Speaker of the House, Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, stated that the House would be advancing legislation to give parents the ability to opt-out of the mask requirement. Legislation is expected after redistricting.
Vigilance but not panic is being advised for poultry farms and others with poultry in their backyards after a strain of Avian Flu was recently detected in 65 hunter-harvested wild waterfowl at three sites in North Carolina and other nearby states as of Feb. 4. It’s also the reason why the North Carolina Zoo closed its aviary to the public on Jan. 26.
Catherine Truitt is concerned the state isn't doing enough to prepare students to work if they choose not to go to college after high school. As the state's superintendent of public instruction, Truitt raised her concerns at the Council of State meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 1, saying the DPI is tackling the problem in a project with the N.C. Chamber of Commerce to elevate new K-12 Workforce goals.
The N.C. Commission for Public Health denied a petition from UNC-affiliated universities requesting that all 17-year-old seniors entering the college system be vaccinated against COVID-19. The action occurred at the commission’s Wednesday, Feb. 2 meeting. At the same time, groups called Citizen Advocates for Accountable Government and Moms for Liberty held a protest outside the state Division of Public Health’s building along Six Forks Road in Raleigh.
State Treasurer Dale Folwell is once again sounding the alarm on some nonprofit hospitals in the state, with a new report that shows low-income patients are being billed when they were eligible for charity care. This comes on the heels of a similar report released in October by Folwell, who oversees the State Health Plan for government employees, the largest health insurance plan in the state.
Democratic U.S. candidate Cheri Beasley tweeted Wednesday that if she had been in the Senate, she would have voted in favor of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Beasley doesn’t respond to questions this week on how she would have voted on keeping the filibuster, despite questions from her supporters and Carolina Journal.
Nicholas Curry just wrapped up his first semester at Appalachian State University. It’s a moment to celebrate for any student, but for Nicholas, the victory is particularly meaningful.
Whether it is filling up at the pump, paying more for goods and services, or not finding your favorite item on the grocery store shelves, there is no denying that inflation and supply chain issues have affected everyone in one way or another. Mike Walden, professor emeritus in economics at North Carolina State University, said prices unfortunately look like they'll be getting worse before they get better.
Do you know where your food comes from? Aside from saying Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or Wegman’s, it is an important question to many North Carolinians.
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper signed three bills into law Thursday, Dec. 9, but also vetoed three bills. Getting the veto stamp were House Bill 220, Choice of Energy, and Senate Bill 725, Prohibit Private Money in Elections Administration, which would have banned private groups from funding local elections offices in North Carolina. The issue came up when a group founded by Mark Zuckerberg provided money for elections in 2020 in communities that leaned Democrat.