While the all-important $19.7 billion state budget labored its way through the General Assembly en route to Gov. Bev Perdue’s historic June 12 veto (the first time a North Carolina governor has ever rejected a budget), legislators also pushed a number of other bills along the Statehouse corridors toward the June 9 crossover deadline (after […]
Tag: North Carolina
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Tallyho! Riding herd on the legislative record
While budget and redistricting plans for the state are boiling in the Legislature, the back burners are currently full of legislation that has been neither enacted nor discarded this session. As a result, the rules were changed last week to stretch the crossover deadline.
Destroying trees along the highway is a low thing to do
All the trees on [Interstate] 40 along the sloped median strip from Exit 64 to Exit 55 are being clear-cut. Not trimmed, but totally destroyed. I do not believe road hazard — or visibility or whatever explanation the North Carolina Department of Transportation chooses to present — justifies this total destruction of the environment. Now […]
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.
The candidates speak: Video of the League of Women Voters Forum ***UPDATED***
The League of Women Voters just celebrated its 90th birthday, and here in Asheville, celebrating means doing what they always do at election time: host a candidate forum. On Tuesday, Oct. 12, that’s just what happened. This post contains video of the entire forum and Twitter dispatches from Xpress staffers Jake Frankel and Michael Muller.
N.C. pushes again on air-pollution front
The state attorney general has renewed a legal bid to curb incoming pollution from 13 other states.
Rays of hope: Solar energy expands in North Carolina
Several solar-power plants are in operation or on the drawing boards across the state of North Carolina. Proponents declare that the industry is coming of age — from residential to small-company to large-utility applications.
Males, war and PTSD
Our VOINCAs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on, another threat is growing here at home. And though it’s invisible, it has the same potential to spawn abuse, maiming and death. This threat targets the families and loved ones of untreated or poorly treated soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and other emotional conditions […]
State of emergency
Asheville wants to end homelessness, right? That’s a noble cause, and I support the good intentions behind this effort. But if Asheville is ever going to achieve this lofty goal, we need to be honest about a few things first. 1) There’s a segment of Asheville’s homeless population that chooses it as a “lifestyle.” Take […]
Fanfare for the common man
“A vale of humility between two mountains of conceit.” You may have heard that expression describing the position of North Carolina and its relationship to Virginia and South Carolina. You may even have heard some North Carolinians claiming this “valley of humility” as something we should be very proud of. And maybe we should be. […]