Month: March 2024

1. NC farm fined $187,500 for labor violations after death of worker

The North Carolina Department of Labor last week fined a farm in Nash County $187,509 after the death of a seasonal farm worker last September. The department cited Barnes Farming with what’s called a “willful serious violation,” along with two other “serious” violations, fining the company the maximum penalty. The fine was issued March 4, […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

3. North Carolina judges block elections board changes pushed by Republicans that weaken governor

North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature unlawfully tried to seize from the governor the power to choose elections board members in the battleground state, trial judges ruled while saying portions of a new election law must be permanently blocked. The three-judge panel sided unanimously with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in his lawsuit filed days after the GOP-controlled […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

4. Housing coalition speaker myth busts homelessness causes, warns of worsening problem in Wilmington

A crowd of elected officials and local stakeholders were given insight into the future of Wilmington homelessness if more housing isn’t built at the Cape Fear Housing Coalition’s annual affordable housing event. Gregg Colburn, an associate professor of real estate at the University of Washington and researcher and author on housing and homelessness, warned that […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

5. New legislation creates fear for some students, but LGBTQ+ school clubs provide community, advocates say

Amid what they call “direct attacks” from the North Carolina legislature against LGBTQ+ students, Brennan Lewis recalled how one club at their former Wake County high school helped them in a special way. The club was a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), more commonly known now as Gender and Sexualities Alliances. “The Gay Straight Alliance was […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

7. Virginia has banned legacy admissions at its public colleges

After July 1, the University of Virginia and other public institutions in the state will no longer be able to give an admissions advantage to students who are connected to alums or donors. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a new bill into law on Friday that will end the use of legacy admissions at the […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

8. One of Haywood County’s largest employers isn’t even located here

More than 4.5 million visitors flock to the mountains annually for one attraction, making it the single most-visited attraction in North Carolina — and the region’s single largest employer. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is a massive operation requiring 3,000 employees at the flagship location — which lies just over Soco Mountain from Maggie Valley — […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

9. Funding resolution omits $14M for national wildlife refuges

The nation’s wildlife refuges have taken a federal funding cut that is expected to shutter more visitors’ centers, diminish wildlife management capabilities and further trim an already wafer-thin force of wildlife officers. With just hours looming before a government shutdown, the Senate on Friday approved a resolution to fund about 30% of the federal government […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

10. NIL executive order rescission welcomed by Big Four leaders

Big Four athletics directors welcomed North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s rescinding of an executive order nearly three years old and now outdated by the Tennessee v. NCAA preliminary injunction. Cooper’s order July 2, 2021, followed the NCAA allowing students who are athletes to start earning money based on their name without damage to their amateur […]

Written by on March 12, 2024

1. State Board receives data on educator prep programs, which continue to decline

Fifty-five educator preparation programs (EPPs) in North Carolina enrolled a total of 15,865 candidates pursuing initial teaching licenses in 2022-23, according to data presented at the State Board of Education’s March meeting. Those numbers reflect a 10% decrease from 2021-2022, and a 43% increase over the last decade. However, new enrollment at programs continued to […]

Written by on March 11, 2024

2. Officials decry dredging red tape at Environmental Review Commission meeting

Frustration boiled over during public comments at a March 6 Environmental Review Commission meeting (ERC) described as a Presentation to the Dredging Process and Permitting. The meeting was held at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Permitting to dredge Oregon Inlet continues to be plagued by conflicting rules and regulations that some speakers felt […]

Written by on March 11, 2024

4. High demand means tens of thousands may be shut out of NC school vouchers

Critics of North Carolina’s school voucher programs like to say that even millionaires can now get public money to help pay their children’s private-school tuition. And technically that’s true, since the General Assembly voted this summer to remove income caps for Opportunity Scholarships. But the state has seen a surge of applications for 2024-25, when […]

Written by on March 11, 2024