The war metaphor is often overused in politics, with people talking of battles, clashes, victories and defeats. But the cable industry is waging nothing less than war against Salisbury and other municipalities that have developed their own broadband networks. If the industry succeeds, it will defeat not only city government but also city taxpayers and […]
RALEIGH – With gas prices averaging more than $3.50 a gallon this spring, a bill in the North Carolina House seeks to give relief to drivers by limiting the gasoline tax.
But such a move would cut revenue for highway construction, meaning Fayetteville’s Outer Loop could face more delays.
North Carolina capped the gas tax in 2006, […]
RALEIGH — Driving along the Interstate 85-40 corridor from Raleigh to Charlotte, a motorist will find – in the judgment of Wall Street – the greatest concentration of fiscally healthy cities in America.
The cities are fast-growing economic engines filled with new shopping centers and residential subdivisions, not the depressed urban areas of so much of […]
Sharing isn’t always easy, particularly when you’re talking about one railroad track and two trains. Slow-moving freight behemoths often get in the way of faster passenger trains.
Until that issue could be resolved amicably, the federal government was reluctant to hand over to the state the millions of dollars in stimulus money it wants to improve […]
The bill would allow outdoor advertisers to replace existing billboards with electronic ones – up to seven per mile – and expand the area around them that could be cleared of trees from 250 feet to 400 feet.
It would gut Durham’s existing billboard ban and nullify other local regulations that govern tree removal or sign […]
This billboard advertising the Dixie Gun & Knife from summer 2010 on the Durham Freeway sparked controversy over its placement.
Several state senators expressed concern Wednesday over a bill that would allow digital billboards across the state’s interstates and highways, regardless of local rules that might prohibit them. The bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown […]
Seeking compromise, Senate panel delays vote on signs bill.
In Charlotte, the bill would reduce the space between digital billboards from 2,000 feet to 1,500 feet.
Critics say it could add thousands of distracting digital billboards to N.C. roadways, clear-cut trees and strip Charlotte and other local governments of the power to regulate their own landscapes.
Supporters call […]
RALEIGH — As the state Department of Transportation gears up to spend $461 million in federal grants for beefed-up train service from Raleigh to Charlotte, some Republican legislators say North Carolina should send the money back to Washington instead.
Rep. Ric Killian of Charlotte warned Tuesday that new passenger trains will hurt the state-owned N.C. Railroad […]
RALEIGH — While farm life has never been easy, at one time it was significantly harder. In the mid-1930s, over 97 percent of North Carolina farms had no electricity, many because private electric companies couldn’t make enough money from them to justify running the lines.
Aware of the transformational effect of electrification and recognizing the need […]
Internet-service providers can’t have it both ways. They can’t delay bringing high-speed service to North Carolina communities but then turn around and lobby the legislature to deny local governments the authority to establish municipal service if their residents want it.
That’s exactly what cable and phone companies are doing, however. Ever since a 2005 N.C. Court of […]
