Once upon a time in a forest, close to the village of Efland, stood a cottage where two bears lived. They were not really “proper bears,” but this being Orange County, most of the neighbors were very respectful to them, and people raised their hats when they went by. But then the male bears, who […]
Jeffrey C. Billman
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State higher ed funding down 23 percent. Sure, let’s have another tax cut!
So there’s this new report out today from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities bemoaning all the cuts made to higher-education funding throughout the country since the Great Recession took hold in 2008. Adjusted for inflation, the report finds: Forty-seven states — all except Alaska, North Dakota, and Wyoming — are spending less per […]
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Josh Stein being stalked
How do you know it’s already campaign season? Here’s a clue: State Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, has a stalker. Though he hasn’t announced, it’s an open secret that Stein will run for attorney general, assuming ROY COOPER abandons that post to run for governor, which he will. And that’s fine by us: Stein is a […]
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Wait list at Wake County Maternal Health Clinic is too long
Wake County’s public health building off Sunnybrook Road is nothing if not conspicuous. Three stories of red brick, it contrasts sharply with the white WakeMed facilities that surround it. Inside it’s conspicuous, too. Sure, it’s spartan, like public health buildings tend to be, adorned only with the occasional reminder to wear a condom or get […]
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Liberty Counsel, a Christian group, sues Wake County Public Library
Anita Staver makes her living suing in Jesus’ name. She’s president of the Orlando, Florida-based Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit that for the last quarter-century has taken on the mantle of God’s law firm in the culture war, fighting various legal battles related to abortion and gay rights. Staver’s outfit has also championed its notion of […]
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N.C. GOP hasn’t bankrupted the state yet, very proud of self
The headlines yesterday were dominated by Republicans’ self-proclaimed victories: paying off the state’s Unemployment Insurance debt to the federal government, and new revenue projections indicating a $400 million surplus, rather than a feared $270 million shortfall. The GOP, of course, immediately claimed vindication—happy days are here again, etc. Gov. Pat McCrory (R-Duke Energy) blasted out […]
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10 smart bills that went nowhere in the North Carolina Legislature
The General Assembly’s crossover deadlinethe date by which legislation that doesn’t involve taxes or spending has to clear one chamber to be considered by the otheris now in the rear view. It’s as good a time as any to take stock of the first half of the 2015 legislative session, which for the most part […]
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Raleigh’s Downtown Experience Plan exposes weaknesses in transit, housing
You couldn’t go three minutes without hearing an urban-planning buzzword”authentic,” “connected,” “walkable,” etc.but that’s to be expected at events like this. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s State of Downtown is an annual pep rally for the civic booster set of power suits and bearded tech geeks, bankers and developers, planners and politicians. About 500 strong, they […]
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Charlotte discovers one weird trick to solve homelessness. (Give them some place to live.)
Four years ago, the city of Charlotte, following the lead of Utah and a few others places, unveiled something of an innovative strategy for dealing with its chronically homeless population: give them a place to live. Period. Full stop. There and across the country, this is referred to as Housing First. In 2012, the first […]
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North Carolina Legislature disses the EPA, women and abortion rights
How did you celebrate Earth Day last week? Did you pray to Gaia like a good hippie? Strip naked and hug a tree? Trade in that coal-rolling behemoth for a shiny new Chevy Volt? If you’re like state Sen. Chad Barefoot or Ralph Hise, you spent the day bitching about the EPA and its 300 […]
