North Carolina treasurer running for governor in 2024
March 25, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced on Saturday he will run for governor in 2024, a bid that will likely require him besting Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to earn the Republican nomination.
NC approves Medicaid expansion, reversing long opposition
March 24, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Medicaid expansion deal in North Carolina received final legislative approval on Thursday, capping a decade of debate over whether the closely politically divided state should accept the federal government's coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income adults.
Transgender youth: ‘Forced outing’ bills make schools unsafe
March 23, 2023 GMTTULSA, Okla. (AP) — Al Stone-Gebhardt worked hard in school to make sure he graduates in May, and he spent hundreds of dollars on commencement regalia, but he is fully prepared not to participate in the ceremony.
North Carolina lawmakers nearing final Medicaid expansion OK
March 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An agreement to expand Medicaid in North Carolina neared final legislative approval Wednesday as the House agreed to a bipartisan plan to ease or eliminate regulations that block the opening of new hospital beds or operating expensive equipment.
Sports gambling legislation advances in North Carolina House
March 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation authorizing and regulating sports gambling in North Carolina advanced through two more House committees on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for key chamber-wide votes next week.
Oversight changes to NC schools for deaf, blind go to Cooper
March 21, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly approved again on Tuesday legislation changing the governance of the state’s two residential schools for the deaf and one for the blind.
North Carolina House advances ban on COVID vaccine mandates
March 21, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's public schools, colleges and universities would be prohibited from requiring a student to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill that advanced Tuesday in the state House.
Cooper urges company to keep North Carolina paper mill open
March 16, 2023 GMTCANTON, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday urged the operators of a large western North Carolina paper mill set to shutter to find a way to keep it running, saying a closure would have a “devastating effect” on the region and its people.
Advice from attorneys general remains secret in some states
March 16, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — When officials in Wyoming faced public pressure to allow a citizen recount of election results, they reached out to the state attorney general for legal advice about how to proceed.
N. Carolina justices could revive voter ID previously tossed
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A photo voter identification mandate first sought over a decade ago by North Carolina Republicans could be revived after the state Supreme Court reheard on Wednesday a case that led a different combination of justices a few months ago to strike down a voter ID law.
North Carolina Medicaid expansion agreement clears Senate
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bipartisan agreement to expand Medicaid coverage to more low-income adults while loosening or ending several regulatory hurdles to building more health care facilities could get its final votes next week after clearing the Senate on Wednesday.
N. Carolina governor’s big budget increase scoffed at by GOP
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Democratic governor released his state government spending plan on Wednesday that would increase spending by 20% over the next two years, double the increase favored by Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
With GOP majority, North Carolina court revisits voting maps
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A newly formed and now Republican-majority North Carolina Supreme Court listened on Tuesday to arguments that could determine the extent to which state legislators can create electoral districts that could help lock in their political power.
Medicaid agreement in North Carolina closes in on passage
March 14, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The details of a deal reached by North Carolina legislative Republicans to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults received overwhelming initial approval from the state Senate on Tuesday.
N. Carolina governor orders efforts to fill more gov’t jobs
March 13, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — With continued challenges to fill employee vacancies, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told the state personnel office on Monday to act to ensure that more positions don’t necessarily require a college degree for applicants.
Democrat Harris running for N. Carolina treasurer in 2024
March 13, 2023 GMTCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic state Rep. Wesley Harris announced on Monday that he's running for state treasurer next year.
Harris, an economic consultant and adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, released a video to kick off his campaign.
Judge lets N. Carolina lawmakers defend abortion pill laws
March 13, 2023 GMTDURHAM, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders can defend in federal court the state restrictions on dispensing abortion pills that are being challenged by a physician, a judge has ruled.
N. Carolina justices quickly revisit redistricting, voter ID
March 13, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Supreme Court is revisiting this week whether a previous combination of justices got it wrong three months ago when declaring that the legislature produced illegal district lines tainted by excess partisanship and a photo voter identification law infected with racial bias.
Tougher riot punishments approved by legislature a 2nd time
March 9, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina legislature gave final approval on Thursday to more severe punishments for rioters for the second time in three years — a response to 2020 demonstrations about racial injustice that while largely peaceful at times turned violent.
House GOP votes to overturn Biden rule on water protections
March 9, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, advancing long-held Republican arguments that the regulations are an environmental overreach and burden to business.
North Carolina House OKs election changes for Wake County
March 8, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill changing the election process for county commissioners in the state’s most populous county passed the North Carolina House on a unanimous vote Wednesday after the Republican sponsor announced a compromise earlier this week.
Cooper details mental health plan; GOP sets budget limits
March 8, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled on Wednesday a $1 billion plan to address the state's mental health and substance abuse needs, which have spiked amid increasing overdose deaths and spiraling rates of suicide among young people.
N. Carolina hotel guest rules bill approved, heads to Cooper
March 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly gave final approval on Tuesday to legislation designed to help hoteliers and innkeepers remove longer-term guests determined to be violating establishment rules.
Arkansas Senate OKs bathroom bill that critics call extreme
March 7, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A bill that would criminalize transgender people using restrooms that match their gender identity won initial approval in the Arkansas Legislature on Tuesday, introducing a restriction critics said would be the most extreme in the country.
North Carolina Medicaid expansion consensus moves forward
March 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The details of a consensus North Carolina Medicaid expansion deal reached last week by top Republican lawmakers cleared a Senate committee Tuesday.
Siemens Mobility to build rail car plant in North Carolina
March 7, 2023 GMTLEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A division of German engineering giant Siemens AG will build a passenger rail car manufacturing plant in central North Carolina, creating over 500 jobs by 2028, Gov. Roy Cooper and the company announced on Tuesday.
N. Carolina governor talks prosperity, culture war warning
March 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper urged legislators on Monday night to keep fueling opportunities for the state’s citizens to succeed through more monetary investments in K-12 education, mental health services and public safety.
Prepared text of N. Carolina Gov. Cooper speech to lawmakers
March 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The prepared remarks of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for the State of the State address on Monday night, as provided by the Governor's Office:
Wake County commissioners reach compromise on elections bill
March 6, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Wake County’s sole Republican state lawmaker said Monday that she and its Democratic-led Board of Commissioners have reached a compromise on a bill that would change how commissioners are elected in the state’s most populous county.
Paid express lanes grow more popular in once-reluctant South
March 4, 2023 GMTTrucker Tim Chelette has been making the same twice-daily drive for 16 years hauling empty whiskey barrels from Louisville, Kentucky, to the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee, yet his workday keeps getting longer due to time lost in Nashville traffic.
North Carolina Supreme Court to revisit school funding
March 4, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday siding with the state controller means the court will revisit a school funding case in which an earlier lineup of justices issued a landmark opinion just four months ago.
N. Carolina legislators reach Medicaid expansion deal
March 2, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislative leaders announced Thursday an agreement to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act.
The deal, which likely won't be voted on until later this month at the earliest, marks a milestone for Republican lawmakers, most of whom opposed expansion for a decade until recently, and for hospitals and patient advocates who sought it all that time.
N. Carolina education board seeks licensing pilot permission
March 2, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina State Board of Education wants legislators to allow for a multiyear pilot teacher licensure program that would pay instructors based on performance rather than years of experience.
Whale safety research planned near East Coast wind farms
March 2, 2023 GMTSEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) — As dead whales continue to wash ashore on the U.S. East Coast — and particularly the Jersey Shore — officials and academics are planning a wide array of monitoring and research aimed at preventing or minimizing harm to whales and other marine life during construction and operation of offshore wind farms.
North Carolina Senate backs legalizing pot for medical use
February 28, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Senate voted on Tuesday to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes, giving strong bipartisan support for the second year in a row to an idea that its supporters say would give relief to those with debilitating or life-ending illnesses.
Bill upping utility damage penalties advances in N. Carolina
February 28, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nearly three months after attacks on electrical substations caused a dayslong power outage in central North Carolina, a state Senate committee advanced legislation Tuesday that would stiffen penalties for intentionally damaging utility equipment.
Appeals court pulls back on N. Carolina “ag-gag” law ruling
February 24, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday scaled back a lower-court ruling that threw out portions of a North Carolina law designed in part to prevent undercover employees at farms and other workplaces from taking documents or recording video.
Mental evaluation ordered for man tied to Lyft driver death
February 23, 2023 GMTRUTHERFORDTON, N.C. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation at the request of the attorney for a man who was arrested in North Carolina while driving the car of a dead Lyft driver from Florida and who is also charged with murder in a separate case.
North Carolina lawmakers try again to make sheriffs help ICE
February 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly began a repeat effort Wednesday to require all sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration agents who are interested in picking up certain jail inmates.
McClellan makes history, becomes Virginia’s first Black congresswoman
February 22, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia voters on Tuesday elected Democrat Jennifer McClellan, a veteran state legislator from Richmond, to fill an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she will make history as the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress.
Bill changing elections in most populous NC county advances
February 21, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill that advanced Tuesday in the North Carolina House would change how county commissioners are elected in the state’s most populous county, drawing criticism from Democrats who do not want Republican state lawmakers interfering in their local elections.
N. Carolina courts director leaving, deputy replacing him
February 17, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina court system's top administrator is stepping down soon to join a law firm, and his top deputy will succeed him.
Andrew Heath became Administrative Office of the Courts director in early 2021 as Chief Justice Paul Newby was sworn in following his election the previous November.
Blue Cross files legal challenges to N. Carolina contract
February 16, 2023 GMTDURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina filed legal challenges Thursday to the state employee health plan's recent decision to replace the insurer with another company to administer the plan.
North Carolina House sends Medicaid expansion bill to Senate
February 16, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage in North Carolina to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults through the 2010 Affordable Care Act advanced to the Senate with House approval Thursday.
N.C. Central honored by elected officials for HBCU title
February 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state politicians honored the N.C. Central University football team on Wednesday for its Celebration Bowl victory.
Players, coaches and university administrators were invited onto the House floor at the Legislative Building, where a proclamation was read aloud praising the team's accomplishments.
Forecast: North Carolina expects $3B-plus surplus this year
February 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state government is on track to see a double-digit percentage increase in revenues by the end of the fiscal year compared to the total that legislators used in fashioning this year's budget, according to a report released Wednesday.
N.C. Democratic Party elects Anderson Clayton chair
February 11, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Party officials elected a new chair on Saturday.
The party's executive committee chose 25-year-old activist Anderson Clayton for a two-year term.
Ex-N. Carolina legislator Murry running for attorney general
February 10, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A local prosecutor, pharmacist and former state legislator announced on Friday he will run for North Carolina attorney general next year.
Republican Tom Murry of Wake County said he'll seek to succeed Democratic AG Josh Stein, who announced last month he's running for governor.
North Carolina Democrats to decide if Richardson stays chair
February 9, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Hundreds of North Carolina Democratic activists will decide this weekend whether they want to keep in place Gov. Roy Cooper’s choice to lead the party organization or give the job to someone else after mixed results in the November election.
North Carolina Medicaid expansion measure back before House
February 9, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina House will hear and likely vote on a Medicaid expansion measure next week, a key legislator said.
The bill's introduction this week, along with comments Thursday from Senate leader Phil Berger, reaffirms that a deal on expansion and perhaps other health care access reforms hasn't yet been reached between the two chambers.
Supreme Court might have easy outs on elections, immigration
February 9, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court soon could find itself with easy ways out of two high-profile cases involving immigration and elections, if indeed the justices are looking to avoid potentially messy, divisive decisions.
Legislature confirms N. Carolina State Controller Roseland
February 8, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina legislature completed its confirmation of Nels Roseland as state controller on Wednesday with a unanimous vote for the second day in a row.
North Carolina Senate OKs limits on LGBTQ school instruction
February 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Public school teachers in North Carolina would be required in most circumstances to alert parents before they call a student by a different name or pronoun, under a bill passed by the Republican-controlled state Senate on Tuesday.
N. Carolina education board proposal revived in House bill
February 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina House committee on Tuesday backed a bill that would shift influence over public education away from the governor and toward the superintendent of public instruction and voters.
North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case
February 2, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s newly seated Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether people convicted of felonies — tens of thousands statewide — should be permitted to vote if they aren’t in prison but still are serving probation or parole or have yet to pay fines.
North Carolina Medicaid director Dave Richard to retire
February 2, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The official who oversaw the conversion of North Carolina’s Medicaid agency to managed care will retire from state government at the end of the month, the state health department said on Thursday.
Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’
January 31, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An advocacy group that sued over redistricting lines in North Carolina told state Supreme Court justices Monday that previous rulings that blocked legislative and congressional district maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders should be left intact.
N. Carolina reporter and spokesperson Dick Ellis dies at 78
January 30, 2023 GMTRALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — Dick Ellis, a former North Carolina television news reporter and spokesperson for political campaigns and the state courts system, has died at age 78.
Ellis died on Saturday from cancer at the VA Medical Center in Durham, his daughter, Annette Rogers, said Monday.
North Carolina lawmakers back to work for 2023, filing bills
January 25, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly returned to Raleigh on Wednesday after its usual two-week January break and turned to the business of legislating — filing bills on several topics familiar to veteran lawmakers.
Leftover issues aplenty expected in North Carolina session
January 24, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's legislative ledger gets cleared every two years when the next set of 170 lawmakers are sworn in. The General Assembly starts from scratch filing and advancing bills.
State auditor: I made ‘serious mistake’ leaving accident
January 24, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's elected state auditor apologized Monday for leaving the scene of an accident last month after she drove her state-issued vehicle into a parked car, calling it a “serious mistake” and adding she would continue at her job.
State lawmakers propose power grid protections after attacks
January 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When gunshots at two electrical substations cut power to thousands of central North Carolina homes for several days in early December, Republican state Rep.
Lawmakers seek new court hearings on voter ID, redistricting
January 20, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced Friday that they’re asking the state’s highest court to reconsider decisions on redistricting and voter identification.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore noted in a news release that GOP lawyers are asking justices to revisit decisions made under a previous Democratic majority.
Democratic attorney general runs for North Carolina governor
January 18, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced a bid for governor in 2024 on Wednesday, with the Democrat pledging to focus on public education, economic advancement and equality, and to provide a sharp contrast with a potential Republican opponent.
1st Black woman serving in N. Carolina legislature dies
January 18, 2023 GMTWINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Annie Brown Kennedy, an attorney who was the first Black woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly, has died at age 98, a family member said.
Kennedy, a Democrat who first joined the House in 1979 to fill a vacancy, died Tuesday from natural causes at her home in Winston-Salem, according to Harvey Kennedy, one of her sons.
EPA chief Regan speaks at North Carolina King Day observance
January 13, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The drive for clean water and air for minority and low-income residents is inexorably linked to the march toward racial equality that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. championed, U.S.
Blue Cross NC appeals loss of state worker contract to Aetna
January 12, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina on Thursday formally appealed the decision by the health insurance plan for public employees to choose a different company to administer the plan after more than 40 years.
Larger GOP majorities seek impact at N. Carolina Statehouse
January 12, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly opened its two-year legislative session Wednesday with Republicans on the cusp of veto-proof control that will force Democratic Gov.
New NC congressman says Cawthorn didn’t forward casework
January 10, 2023 GMTASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — New U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina says the office of his predecessor, Madison Cawthorn, left Edwards' staff unaware of pending constituent requests and government casework before Cawthorn formally left the seat.
Republicans challenge New Mexico redistricting after loss
January 10, 2023 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Attorneys for Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico urged the state Supreme Court on Monday to dismiss a Republican challenge to a congressional map that divvies up a politically conservative region of the state.
Ex-North Carolina Rep. Cawthorn says he’s moved to Florida
January 9, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina has moved to Florida, according to his recent social media post.
Cawthorn, a Republican from Henderson County, officially left Congress last week, months after he lost his GOP primary to Chuck Edwards, the eventual 11th District general election winner.
New judge taking over North Carolina school funding case
January 5, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A new trial judge is presiding over a long-running North Carolina school funding case — in particular compliance with a recent state Supreme Court ruling that declared the judicial branch correctly ordered funds be spent to address education inequities.
Aetna picked to operate North Carolina employee health plan
January 4, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Insurance giant Aetna will administer North Carolina's health coverage plan for state government employees, teachers, retirees and their family members starting in 2025, the State Treasurer's Office announced Wednesday.
AG: Meadows won’t face voter fraud charges in North Carolina
December 30, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff to President Donald Trump, won't face voter fraud charges related to his 2020 registration and absentee vote in North Carolina, the state's attorney general announced Friday.
North Carolina Rep. Butterfield stepping down a little early
December 30, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Outgoing U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina is departing his post a few days early as he gears up for a new private-sector job in Washington.
Butterfield, a Democrat who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2004, said in a letter read on the House floor on Friday morning that he intended to resign at 11:59 p.m.
New rules to extend North Carolina emergencies begin in 2023
December 30, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The new year will place new hurdles in the path of North Carolina's current and future governors before states of emergency they issue can extend into months or even years, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
N. Carolina governor reviews TikTok use on employee devices
December 29, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration said it’s reviewing the use of TikTok on state government devices, as the popular social media app is a growing source of security concerns from politicians in Washington and other states.
Appeals court restores N. Carolina law addressing farm labor
December 29, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina law preventing legal settlements between farms and workers from requiring a farm operation to become a union employer doesn't violate the U.S. Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday while overturning a lower court decision.
Suit challenging several N. Carolina abortion laws withdrawn
December 27, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina abortion provider, medical professionals and an abortion-rights group have withdrawn their 2020 lawsuit challenging several state laws restricting and regulating the procedure.
Youngkin sets special election to fill Rep. McEachin’s seat
December 13, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin set a special election for Feb. 21 to fill the 4th Congressional District seat of the late Democratic Rep. A. Donald McEachin, as the field of candidates seeking the post grew on Monday.