Perdue Picks Poker Over Liquor (Carolina Journal)
RALEIGH – I had an admittedly unorthodox reaction to Gov. Beverly Perdue’s announcement last week that she would not propose privatizing North Carolina’s government-run liquor stores.
The governor sided with a large, diverse array of interest groups opposing the idea: local politicians who want to keep the revenue and patronage, beer and wine wholesalers who don’t […]
Senate goal: Helping private firms create jobs (News and Observer)
This week marks a new chapter in our state’s history. For the first time since 1870, Republicans will lead both chambers in the N.C. General Assembly. We assume leadership positions at a time of great challenges, tremendous responsibility and with the opportunity to be agents of remarkable change.
The list of important goals for North Carolina’s […]
Democrats, GOP take new roles at NC session start (AP)
RALEIGH, N.C. — Democratic Sen. Linda Garrou used to have a key post in the Senate majority, a spacious corner office, extra research assistants and the ear of Senate leader Marc Basnight. People listened intently to what she said because she held sway on forming the state’s $19 billion budget.
Now, the longtime appropriations committee co-chair […]
The rise of Thom Tillis (Charlotte Observer)
Estal Fain had already rejected eight candidates for a job as a records analyst at a Chattanooga insurance company when a midlevel manager walked into his office.
“I think I’ve found the one you’re looking for,” she told him. “He’ll probably be my boss within a year.”
Fain hired 21-year-old Thom Tillis back in 1981, bypassing college […]
N.C. GOP will move fast on quick-hit list (Wilmington Star News)
Republicans spent a long time yearning for power in the state capital.
Now that they have it, they have no plans to waste it, or take their time using it.
When the General Assembly convenes this week for another lawmaking session, the Republicans, who now control both the House and Senate, plan to quickly parlay their 2010 […]
Berger: Budget, education are top action items in new session (WRAL)
When he was asked how this year’s historic legislative session will be different, incoming Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger couldn’t resist a quip.
“Well, I’ve never had as many of you show up for something like this before,” Berger laughed. “In fact, I couldn’t even give tickets away.”
For the past two sessions, Berger has been […]
Snow and Ice (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Though two months of winter remain, the state Department of Transportation and some local governments have nearly depleted their annual budgets for handling snow and ice. The transportation department had already spent more than $25 million on managing slippery roadways through the end of last week, much of it during the major storm that began […]
Juvenile Justice ( News & Observer)
Juvenile Justice ( News & Observer)
A coalition of child advocacy groups wants Gov. Beverly Perdue to alter her government reorganization plans so that the agency that deals with kids in trouble be sent to a department geared toward social services rather than one associated with criminal punishment. As part of a large-scale reorganization proposal, Perdue […]
Group to unveil legislative agenda to guide N.C. prison system (Wilmington Star News)
After a year spent crunching numbers and gathering input from an array of stakeholders, a national nonprofit organization is on the verge of rolling out a robust legislative package to guide North Carolina’s criminal justice system for decades, officials said.
Robert Coombs, a senior policy analyst at the nonprofit Council of State Governments, which has collaborated […]
