U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler (D) of Western North Carolina’s District 11 has been appointed to the powerful House Budget Committee, which is responsible for setting federal spending priorities and proposing an annual federal budget for the country. And in legislative action, the WNC congressman has introduced a reform bill to require independent, bipartisan congressional redistricting.
Author: Nelda Holder
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Republicans step up to bat
The new Republican majority in the North Carolina General Assembly came ready to play on the first day of the 2011 session yesterday, Jan. 26, with WNC legislators in the starting lineup. Sen. Tom Apodaca (R) of Hendersonville even changed the traditional rules of the game.
Front row seats
On Jan. 26, Republican majorities will be seated in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly for the first time since 1898. The Republican power surge comes at a time when both major parties are seeing their shares of the registered voter pool shrink: Unaffiliated voters now account for almost a quarter of the […]
N.C. fiscal woes include $2.5 billion debt for unemployment benefits
To pay unemployment benefits, the state has borrowed approximately $2.5 billion from the federal government since 2009.
County’s newest legislator, Tim Moffitt, gives CIBO his take on the work ahead
It’s all about the economy . . . and the budget deficit and job development, says Buncombe County’s newest legislator, Tim Moffitt, who predicts a “philosophical shift” from a spending philosophy to one of saving at the state level.
photo by Margaret Williams
Republican leader Chad Nesbitt bows out of second county chairmanship race
Chad Nesbitt, current chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party, has notified executive committee members he does not plan to seek reelection this spring. He may, however, seek a different office soon.
McCullough wins Court of Appeals seat in round three
The unofficial tally is in from the N.C. Court of Appeals instant-runoff recount, and the winner is challenger Doug McCullough.
Close call: Recount for statewide instant-runoff, judicial election
Instant runoff voting in the statewide contest for N.C. Court of Appeals has yielded an outcome too close for comfort. Originally in first place by some 100,000 votes, incumbent Judge Cressie Thigpen is now trailing opponent Doug McCullough by some 6,000 votes. Thigpen wants a recount.
Buncombe County Board of Elections finishes weeklong hand count
The Buncombe County Board of Elections finished a full week of counting judicial ballots by hand on Monday morning, Dec. 6. It was the second round of instant-runoff voting for the N.C. Court of Appeals seat originally contested by 13 candidates. The close results might lead to a statewide recount.
Not so instant
The voters may have spoken, but the State Board of Elections is still trying to figure out what they said. Although North Carolina's first stab at statewide instant-runoff voting should avoid the trouble and expense of a conventional runoff election, the winner in the 13-candidate N.C. Court of Appeals race won’t be decided until sometime […]
State Republicans complete their leadership team for 2011
Charlotte’s Rep. Thom Tillis was tapped by the N.C. House Republican caucus yesterday to stand for speaker of the House when the General Assembly convenes in late January.
Republicans’ leadership taking shape for 2011 General Assembly
The anticipated president pro tem of the N.C. Senate’s next session has announced his primary goals for the upcoming legislative session beginning Jan. 29.
“Instant” Court of Appeals decision takes a while
The 13-candidate race for N.C. Court of Appeals remains unwieldy and undecided, with a “runoff” vote tally set for Nov. 29.
Amazon to N.C. revenuers: Don’t ask, won’t tell
If you've ever ordered a book or a DVD online, you probably imagined you were conducting a thoroughly private transaction. But a flap between Amazon.com and the state of North Carolina has shone a spotlight on the thorny question of where, exactly, personal privacy gives way to the government’s power to levy taxes. The resulting […]
Amazon to N.C. revenuers: Don’t ask, won’t tell
The N.C. Department of Revenue just lost a battle with retail giant Amazon and local intervenors over disclosure of purchasing records.
Benchmarks
Four races in Buncombe County's 28th Judicial District involve more than one candidate competing for a judgeship: both Superior Court openings and two of the five District Court positions (Judge Sharon Barrett, candidate Julie Kepple and Judge Rebecca Knight are running unopposed for District Court). Mountain Xpress asked candidates in the four competitive races to […]
Local family feels vindicated by breakthrough research
Editor’s note: Earlier this year, we reported on a Black Mountain family's experience after an unidentified source accused Lisa and Rodney Baldwin of medically neglecting Ryan, their only child (see "Home for the Holidays," Jan. 6, and "Home for Good?” Feb. 24 Xpress). Although he’d been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and declared medically disabled […]
Instant what?
Buncombe County voters will elect 13 judges this fall from a field of 34 candidates; one late-breaking statewide race has 13 people vying for a single seat. To help deal with the logjam, the state will employ instant-runoff voting in that contest, a first for North Carolina. The method will also be used in three […]
Looking for an absentee ballot? You’ll have to wait . . . .
Absentee ballots for the upcoming election have been delayed but should be available by mid-September, the state Board of Elections indicates.
Steny Hoyer, U.S. House majority leader, to speak at Vance-Aycock Dinner
The 50th Vance-Aycock fundraising dinner for state Democrats will host U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Oct. 9, at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn.
Instant-runoff voting debuts in state, county elections
North Carolinians will get their first taste of instant-runoff voting on Nov. 2, when a 13-candidate field for the N.C. Court of Appeals appears on the statewide ballot. And according to an N.C. Bar Association report, this marks the first time nationally that the new form of voting will be used by a state. Early voting begins