In newly insane North Carolina women could be slapped with an assault charge for using drugs while pregnant, bringing it ever closer in resemblance to more well-established insane states like Alabama, where fetuses have lawyers. S297— introduced Tuesday by noted obstetricians Republican Sens. Brent Jackson, a farmer, and Sen. Louis Pate, retired—would criminalize a woman […]
Jane Porter
Jane Porter is Wake County editor of the INDY, covering Raleigh and other communities across Wake County. She first joined the staff in 2013 and is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief, first joining the staff in 2013.
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Wake gerrymandering, weak fracking rules and the GOP trying to rebrand itself as the party that cares
After clearing the Senate Redistricting Committee Tuesday, S181, which would split Wake County into two super-districts and place County Commissioners’ elections into the same districts as the school board, passed the Senate on a 32-16 vote. Wake County Sen. Josh Stein and Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue urged the 45 other members of the Senate […]
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Durham Rep. introduces bills addressing early voting days, voter ID
On Tuesday, Rep. Larry Hall introduced two bills to combat the disenfranchisement of voters that has occurred and will continue to occur under North Carolina’s 2013 omnibus elections bill. The first bill, H239, restores early voting days that were cut. That provision was in effect for North Carolina’s 2014 midterm elections. The second bill, H240, […]
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Hofmann owners endorse plan to conserve, retain ownership of forest
Hofmann Forest, or most of it anyway, is no longer for sale In a letter to students in N.C. State University’s College of Natural Resources, Dean Mary Watzin says Hofmann’s current owners—the University’s Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund and the Natural Resources Foundation—will retain ownership of “the majority of the property,” and will […]
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N.C. Reps. file bill to take on food desert zones
On Monday, members of the North Carolina House of Representatives filed H250, the Healthy Food Small Retailer/Corner Store Act. The bill will provide funding assistance of up to $5,000 to independently-owned corner stores and small retailers to upgrade their refrigeration equipment and provide employee training, to enable the stores to sell fresh fruits and vegetables […]
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NC GOP needs initiative to convince Wake, Mecklenburg voters to “connect” with their candidates
Instead of adhering to what the voters of the state’s two largest counties say they want (with their votes!) and respecting the democratic process, North Carolina Republicans will launch an initiative to make their candidates more attractive to such voters. This initiative will be called Project Listen. Probably upset by last fall’s elections in which […]
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Today in Disappointment: Wake County Commissioners in the Senate, fracking in the House
Updated: S181 passed the Senate Thursday morning in a 32-16 final vote. After clearing the Senate Redistricting Committee Tuesday on a voice vote, S181, which would split Wake County into two super-districts and place County Commissioners’ elections into the same districts as the school board, passed the Senate on an initial 31-16 vote. The Senate […]
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Glenwood, Moore Square businesses struggle while Warehouse District, Fayetteville Street improve
Nora and Nicky’s, a women’s clothing consignment shop on West Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh, feels more like an urban boutique than a thrift store. An inviting storefront window and a few well-organized racks of designer clothes and locally made goods create an intimate setting with a friendly vibe. Owner Cathy Brooks opened the store […]
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This week in disappointment: More fallout on marriage bill; judicial system handcuffed by budget
Ideology met real life at a House Judiciary committee public hearing, where representatives from the state’s Registers of Deeds offices told lawmakers that Senate Bill 2 would cause a host of staffing and administrative problems. Guilford County Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen said he is concerned that the bill, which allows magistrates with “sincerely held […]
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N.C. Reps. file bill prohibiting discriminatory profiling
Last month, 20 year old Janisha Fonville was shot and killed by a Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer, because she was wielding a kitchen knife at officers in her apartment. Fonville was black. The officer who shot her is white. On Tuesday, Rep. Rodney Moore, D-Mecklenburg, filed a bill that prohibits discriminatory practices by law enforcement […]
