“Learning pods have introduced the concept and necessity of school choice,” Terry Stoops, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, said. “The system is not well-suited to meet the needs of individual children. These parents have found a way to do that, and I don’t think they’ll want to give that up easily.”
On Saturday, Governor Roy Cooper was sworn in for his second term as North Carolina’s Governor. Members of North Carolina’s Council of State also took the oath of office. The theme of the Inaugural ceremony was North Carolina: Strong, Resilient, Ready, and due to the ongoing pandemic, the ceremony was altered to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
North Carolina native Josh Dobson, who was elected in November as the 18th state labor commissioner, was officially sworn into office Saturday, Jan. 2. N.C. Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. administered the oath on the front steps of the Labor Building. Commissioner Dobson today announces 11 appointments that will make up his leadership team at the state Department of Labor. As an independently elected statewide official and member of the Council of State, Commissioner Dobson has the authority to appoint individuals to key positions within the agency.
Led into the building and encouraged by a cadre of alt-right provocateurs, the mob also produced priceless propaganda for the enemies of our country. “The celebration of democracy is over,” one Russian official wrote. “America no longer forges that path, and consequently has lost its right to define it. Much less force it on others.” A state-run Chinese newspaper headlined its coverage this way: “An iconic humiliation! The madness of the Capitol has dragged the U.S.’s standing into its Waterloo!”.
As Gov. Roy Cooper enters his second term as governor, he sees North Carolina dragged down not just by the COVID pandemic, but by racism, unaffordable health care, and unequal opportunity. In a sharp contrast, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson cast himself as an example of North Carolina’s successes as he was sworn in as the state’s first black lieutenant governor. In his North Carolina, the people of the state are locked in a larger, national battle for freedom.
Governor Roy Cooper on Friday announced two judicial appointments, one to the North Carolina Superior Court and one to the North Carolina District Court.
Quoting directly from Article 1 Section 18, constitution’s open court provision, Justice Paul Newby stated, “The courts shall be open, and that justice shall be administered without favor, denial or delay.”
North Carolina won’t fully open anytime soon. The governor’s curfews and shutdowns will continue for three more weeks. Dr. Mandy Cohen piled on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The head of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services enacted a “secretarial directive” warning people to stay home, especially those older than 65.
Nearly 4,000 air purifiers are being installed in the ductwork of 53 North Carolina prisons in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The year of 2020 will leave little for Brant and Karen Barnes. Their income vanished when the governor shut down North Carolina in March. Barnes suffered a heart attack in June. A tree toppled across their house in July, and their pottery studio burned down. The latest blow was losing the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival.
It might be a new year, but remote learning isn’t over. As the legislature enters a new session, students are leaving the classroom. Learning is back online in many of the state’s major districts. Learning loss is reaching historic highs, and lawmakers want to make sure students aren’t left behind.
Chief Justice Paul Newby has appointed Superior Court Judge Andrew T. Heath as director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC), effective today, January 8. His role will be to manage and oversee the administrative services provided to the Judicial Branch’s more than 6,400 employees and hundreds of courthouses and facilities in every county of the state.
