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2016 Elections
NEWS & OBSERVER: N.C. Lawmakers contend congressional districts not gerrymanders
State lawmakers defended their new congressional districts in a response submitted Monday evening to a three-judge federal court panel.
WRAL-NEWS: University foundations, engineering firms among major donors to bond campaign
The bulk of the $2 million raised on behalf of the Connect NC bond referendum came from foundations associated with the state’s universities and communitycolleges, which stand to benefit from the $2 billion referendum.
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES: Common core, immigration at play in Baldwin-Edwards race
After years of easy victories for retiring Sen. Tom Apodaca, Senate District 48 is seeing a tough campaign ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary to replaceone of the General Assembly’s most powerful members.
WXII-12 NEWS: Governor candidate Roy Cooper unveils education plan
Attorney General Roy Cooper says he’d work to raise public school teachers’ salaries to the national average, increase pre-kindergarten funding and helplower student loan debt burdens if elected North Carolina governor.
WILMINGTON STAR NEWS: McCrory shoots hoops, talks bond on visit to UNCW
Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday reiterated the state’s claim that the $2 billion bond initiative on the March 15 ballot will not result in a tax increase andsaid there is no backup plan should the bond question fail.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Three N.C. downballot races with competitive fundraising numbers
Campaign finance reports were due this week for the first two months of 2016, and for many statewide and legislative primary contests, the numbers aren’teven close.
MORGANTON NEWS HERALD: Voters unhappy with congressional map get in last words
Voters who successfully got the state’s congressional district map redrawn have put in their last words on why the General Assembly did another bad job andwhy federal judges should rework the boundaries themselves.
WRAL-NEWS: Voters without photo ID run into new election rules
Lisa Guraya wasn’t surprised earlier this month when poll workers at an early voting site near Duke University told her she didn’t have the right kind ofphoto identification, but the sophomore knew she should be allowed to vote anyway.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Slicing, dicing the money in the N.C. governor campaign
A lot of money has been spent already by the men who want to be North Carolina’s governor starting in 2017, and the fun — and fundraising — is justgetting started.
WRAL-NEWS: Early voting racks up big numbers
Maybe it was the new, earlier primary date.
Economy & Economic Development
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: New sales tax prompts confusion, ‘uneven playing field,’ legislators say
The recent expansion of the state sales tax base to repair, maintenance and installation services is creating an uneven playing field among some taxpayers,as similar transactions are treated differently depending on who provides the service.
WRAL-NEWS: Lottery officials: new games would bring in more money
N.C. Education Lottery officials on Thursday gave legislators an overview of possible new games — Keno, “iLottery” and video lottery — that couldgenerate more sales and more cash for education causes.
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES: Movie companies bring $41 million to Asheville area
Three major film production companies projected to spend more than $41 million have worked in the Asheville area this year.
Energy & Environment
WRAL-NEWS: State Oks water from 235 wells near coal ash ponds
Months after telling the owners of hundreds of wells near coal ash ponds that their water was unsafe to drink, North Carolina public health andenvironmental officials are now telling them the water is fine.
WILMINGTON STAR NEWS: Belville joins opposition to offshore oil exploration
Belville joined 100 other North Carolina communities in the fight to stop offshore oil and gas exploration along the coast.
Public Safety
NEWS & OBSERVER: Should legislators regulate police body cameras?
State legislators are grappling with how — or if — they want to regulate the use of police body cameras and video footage.
WRAL-NEWS: More resources needed to reform solitary confinement, advocates say
Two years after a mentally ill inmate died of thirst in the custody of the North Carolina prison system, civil rights advocates say the state hasn’t doneenough to reform practices that landed him in a solitary confinement cell, handcuffed and alone for days before his death.
Transportation
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Road worrier: sloppy data drove N.C. Highway Patrol’s ‘data-driven’ crackdown
The Highway Patrol overstated safety hazards and seized upon sloppy crash statistics to justify its “data-driven” crackdown on truck drivers who parkbeside interstate highway ramps — often for sleep mandated by federal truck-safety rules.
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