by Julie Havlak , Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH, N.C. — On August 26, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper proposed a $25 billion General Fund budget to expand Medicaid, increase unemployment benefits, give teachers higher bonuses, and cut funding to Opportunity Scholarships. Republ
by Julie Havlak About a dozen protesters stood in the rain on an Asheville sidewalk at Mission Health on Friday, Aug. 21. Some held umbrellas or “Vote No” signs. A white banner draped over the medical center’s logo urged nurses, “don’t give your voice away.” Passing drivers occasionally honk
by Lindsay Marchello Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Education team-up: Three N.C. families are joining the Institute for Justice , intervening in a lawsuit threat
by Julie Havlak, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — North Carolina has safeguards for voting by mail that other states lack. But the state also must anticipate explosive growth in mail voting, potential delays with the postal service, and a system designed for a much lower volume of mai
by Julie Havlak, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — Lawmakers are trying to fix the Department of Transportation’s spending problems that triggered mass layoffs, project delays, and chaos in the transportation industry. The department’s overspending exposed failures in oversight, b
by Julie Havlak North Carolina is home to one of the biggest union battles in the South. Mission Health in Asheville is fighting efforts to unionize 1,600 registered nurses. The clash pits HCA Healthcare, the largest hospital system in America, against the National Nurses Organizing Co
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Dropped lawsuit: Lt. Gov. Dan Forest has dropped his lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper over the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders. Josh Stei
By Julie Havlak Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — North Carolina is home to one of the biggest union battles in the South. Mission Health in Asheville is fighting efforts to unionize 1,600 registered nurses. The clash pits HCA Healthcare, the largest hospital system in Am
by Julie Havlak , Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — The COVID-19 pandemic could still threaten the long-term stability of state employee pensions, even though the state pension plan has recovered from the stock market crash, the state treasurer says. The stock mark
“We do have a conflict between the economy and health,” Walden said. “If you allow more businesses to reopen, you are going to add to the economic activity of the state, which would help increase income and jobs. But you have to balance that with concerns about the spread and the deaths.” Michael
by Julie Havlak As death rates spike across the nation, no one knows how many North Carolinians have died since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. New York City’s deaths from all causes soared 663% for the week ending April 11, while deaths rose 41% across the U.S. That’s comp
by Julie Havlak RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolinians know more about COVID-19 hospitalizations than they did a week ago. But data critical to the fight against COVID-19 remain missing from North Carolina’s dashboard, researchers say. North Carolina’s new dashboard shows a regional pic
