The House budget is a gamble and lawmakers knew the odds were bad, so they tried to keep them secret. The News and Observer reports that a key House budget negotiator, Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, told the executive director of the North Carolina lottery to keep quiet about concerns that increased advertising spending would not […]
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.
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N.C. House passes toned-down environmental reform bill
Lawmakers in the N.C. House of Representatives gave final approval to a bill that makes several changes to the state’s environmental rules Thursday morning. The House bill, passed in a 105-12 vote, is a milder version of a Senate bill that made a number of harsh changes to environmental laws. “We appreciate the thoughtful and […]
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Wake County Schools’ police officers will get training
The Wake County school board unanimously approved a measure last night that requires in-service training and certification for School Resource Officers. Officers must also attend annual training sessions on topics that uniquely pertain to school environments, including cultural competency, alternatives to incarceration programs and mediation and conflict resolution processes. Additionally, officers will be required to […]
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Gambling on the lottery to increase teacher pay
Download a copy of the 2013 North Carolina Education Lottery Report House lawmakers need to call the gambling hotline. That’s what Sen. Tom Apodaca, a key budget negotiator, said this week after the House passed its $21.1 billion budget proposal that includes shoring up teacher pay with lottery proceeds. “They’ve got a gambling problem,” he […]
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Water utility surcharge rules won’t protect ratepayers
The N.C. Utilities Commission has released final rules for implementing a law that allows utilities companies to increase rates without public input. Water and sewer utilities can hike rates twice a year, in 5 percent increments, to pay for infrastructure improvements without having to hold public hearings. North Carolina’s two largest investor-owned utilities, Aqua NC […]
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Raleigh Metal Recycling submits clean-up plan to DENR
The Raleigh scrap metal recycling facility that has been discharging PCB-polluted water into a local stream finally has a plan to clean up its mess. Raleigh Metal Recycling sent a letter to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources on May 2nd, outlining “a comprehensive approach” to stabilize PCB and metal contaminated soil and […]
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Raleigh food distribution center to open this weekend
The long-awaited Oak City Outreach Center will have a soft opening this Saturday at the warehouse at 215 South Person Street, starting at 9 a.m. The Center will hold an official opening ceremony in July but anyone needing food assistance on weekends from now until then can stop by the center between 9 and 6 […]
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State takeover of Asheville water system ruled unconstitutional
Updated: Attorneys from the state Attorney General’s office do plan to appeal the judge’s decision on behalf of the state, according to an email from Noelle Talley, a public information officer with the N.C. Department of Justice. A judge struck down a 2013 bill Monday that allowed the state-ordered transfer of Asheville’s water system to […]
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N.C. Senate teacher pay raise plan cynical on many levels
We wrote this week about how the Senate budget sneakily pegs teacher pay raises to unpopular provisions: taking away tenure, slashing education and kicking 14,000 needy people off of Medicaid. This makes teachers look greedy and Democrats anyone who votes against the budget look like they don’t care about teachers. In a blog post reprinted […]
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N.C. Senate takes up McCrory’s coal ash plan
DENR Secretary John Skvarla was confused today about exactly how much coal ash Duke Energy spilled into the Dan River earlier this year. During a presentation of Governor McCrory’s Coal Ash Action Plan to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the Environment and Natural Resources, Skvarla said 35 to 39 million tons of coal ash spilled […]
