According to the Raleigh News and Observer, State environmental regulators say the process of extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits, known as “fracking,” can be done safely if adequate protections are in place. That’s the conclusion the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources reached in a study released Friday that legislators last year […]
Author: Nelda Holder
Showing 106-126 of 443 results
State notes: water study hearing, redistricting costs, billboards in court, and would-be governors
The fate of the Asheville water system is back on the legislative docket; the state’s new billboard rules have moved to the court docket; a number of WNC officials have lined up behind WNC candidate for governor; and a steep redistricting price tag gets scrutinized.
Scenic NC requests legal block to new tree cutting in billboard zones
A temporary restraining order is being requested today to keep the N.C. Department of Transportation from permitting vegetation removal—primarily trees—under new state rules that allow larger zones and clear-cutting in the public right-of-way by outdoor advertising agencies.
Cheaper by the dozen? Candidates pile up on last day of registering
There will be at least a dozen candidates for N.C. governor, a dozen for the 9th Congressional District (Charlotte), and 11 for the 11th District (Heath Shuler’s WNC seat) as the numbers of those running for office stack up on the last day for registering — today, Feb. 29.
Panel puts brakes on cutbacks for state parks and cultural attractions
Recommendations to close or cut back on the operation of the state’s parks and other cultural resources have been rejected by a legislative subcommittee , although the fiscal proposal must still be reviewed by the full committee. “The need for attractions is significant … particularly at a time when the need for low-cost activities for […]
Perfectly clear: New billboard rules allow increased tree cutting
There are 8,000 billboards along North Carolina’s highways, and the rules just changed for cutting trees that affect the “viewing zone.” (photo by G. Pace)
Perfectly clear: New billboard law allows increased tree cutting
There are 8,000 billboards along North Carolina’s highways, and on March 1, all of them will be subject to a new state law that greatly expands their “viewing zone.” And for the first time in decades, that will mean clear cutting (up to 380 feet) in the state rights of way.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes)
Legislature adjourns without action
The N.C. General Assembly reconvened today at noon, only to adjourn again until 9 a.m. on Saturday in accordance with the adjournment resolution. No legislative action is expected on Saturday. About two-thirds of the House and half the Senate were in attendance today — many being Democrats who did not trust the no-action promise by […]
Don’t look now, but your polls are trailing
As various members of the N.C. General Assembly point their cars towards Raleigh for their — could it be? — eighth mini-session tomorrow, they carry the extra weight of a January poll that found only 19 percent approval from North Carolina voters for their last time together.
It’s a date: Water study committee comes to town on Feb. 23
The legislative study committee examining the Asheville water system’s fate will hold a public hearing here on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the WNC Agricultural Center.
State political tremors continue; Myrick steps down, Blue may step up
Nine-term Congresswoman Sue Myrick of Mecklenburg County has announced that she is stepping down and will not run in the upcoming election. Her position is considered a “safe seat” Republican stronghold, and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Jim Pendergraph is expected to run for the Republican nomination with Myrick’s blessing. In the Democratic aisles, state Sen. Dan […]
Scrutiny of Asheville water system begins today in Raleigh
The study committee reviewing the Asheville water system and contemplating its future begins its series of four meetings today in Raleigh. Audio of the 2 p.m. meeting will be live streamed.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes)
NC Matters: Now what?
The future of Asheville's water system will be on the table when a legislative study committee holds its first meeting Jan. 23 in Raleigh. Chaired by Rep. Tim Moffitt, a first-term Buncombe County Republican, the Metropolitan Sewerage/Water System Committee is delving into the politically troubled history of the city-owned system and considering potential changes. Moffitt’s […]
Legislative committees focus on Asheville, Buncombe County
With constitutional arguments concerning the Jan. 4 and 5 convenings of the N.C. Legislature now in the court system and the next scheduled session a month away on Feb. 16, the legislative calendar is currently dense with committee activity. And three committees specifically affecting Asheville and Buncombe County are part of the out-of-session action.
Heads up: Legislative hearings involving Asheville water system begin
Hearings of the Legislature’s Metropolitan Sewerage/Water System Committee, headed by Buncombe County’s Rep. Tim Moffitt, are set to begin Jan. 23 in Raleigh. The study grew out of legislation filed by Moffitt that would have demanded “conveyance of a city water system to a metropolitan sewerage district” under certain conditions — conditions that happened to specifically match Asheville and Buncombe County.
Grim forecast overshadows WNC budget briefing
Armed with grim statistics on a cloudy day in Western North Carolina, Alexandra Sirota of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center introduced herself on Tuesday morning, Dec. 6, by saying, “Hopefully by the end, we won’t leave you with too much discouragement.”
N.C. Justice Center programs head west
Two presentations through the anti-poverty lens of the North Carolina Justice Center are headed west in the coming week. One examines the state’s economy and current budget. The other features journalist Chris Fitzsimon and researcher Rob Schofield in a series of “Crucial Conversations” on this year’s Legislature.
Identity theft
I sometimes used to ride the mail route with my daddy when I was a little girl. Mother would pack us a lunch, and I would meet him when he came down Highway 50 to my grandmother's country store. I got to sit in the back seat on top of the sorted mail, which was […]
Senate’s post-midnight recess means state gas tax cap expires
The N.C. Senate adjourned in the wee hours this morning, holding a post-midnight procedural session in order to send themselves home from a special called session that started at 8 p.m. on Sunday. In abeyance as the Senate members scattered was the proposal to continue the current cap of 35-cents per gallon on the state’s motor fuels tax. In other special-session action, the 2009 landmark Racial Justice Act was replaced.
Downhill from here: Legislators roll back to Raleigh
In 2009, North Carolina became the second state to enact a Racial Justice Act to combat bias in death penalty convictions. Senate Bill 9, on the agenda for the newest short session, challenges the premise of that act.
Toe in the water
With a third short session convening Nov. 7, the N.C. General Assembly's leadership has now announced a fourth, slated for Nov. 28-30. Meanwhile, January will bring the first meeting of the study committee considering the Asheville water system’s sensitive history — and its future. Rep. Tim Moffitt, the Buncombe County Republican who chairs the Legislative […]