Displaying items by tag: politics

RALEIGH — Currently, members of both parties and both chambers at the General Assembly seem in agreement that the status quo on health care for N.C. foster children is unacceptable. The children are moved frequently, and when they arrive at their new placement, they are frequently dropped from their health providers and have to start over. 

RALEIGH — U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd is polling slightly ahead of Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley, according to a new Civitas poll of general election voters.

The deaths of children in schools at the hands of deranged shooters is the most disturbing part of life in modern America. Our inability to act to prevent future deaths is mind numbing. The fact that we can’t, or won’t, take measures to protect our offspring, the literal future of the country, shows a broken and dysfunctional political system.

RALEIGH — On Wednesday the N.C. General Assembly’s Senate leadership announced a health care proposal that includes Medicaid expansion under the federal entitlement program, the Affordable Care Act. House Bill 149 contains work requirements for Medicaid expansion enrollees and measures the senators say would cut regulations on the health care industry that limit the number of providers and facilities. State Medicaid expansion could put more than 600,000 able-bodied, working-age adults onto the taxpayer-funded health care program.

"Failed gun legislation is the norm," reads the headline at Axios, "after mass shootings like Buffalo tragedy." Further down in the story, we read that an October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas "prompted fresh calls from lawmakers on both sides to pass gun control legislation."

According to the latest estimate from fiscal analysts at the North Carolina General Assembly, our state government will take in about $6.2 billion more in General Fund revenue over the 2021-23 budget biennium than was originally projected last year.

RALEIGH — Opponents of the N.C. General Assembly’s legal arguments about election maps are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an appeal from state legislative leaders.

RALEIGH — The N.C. General Assembly convened the 2022 short session Wednesday, May 18, with fast-track plans to “pre-negotiate” the budget and be out by July 1. Still, important issues are on the to-do list, like health care access reports and parental involvement in education.

Why did Payton Gendron (allegedly, but he live-streamed it, so it's not like there's much doubt) murder 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store on May 14?

RALEIGH — Republican ballots ran about even with Democrat ballots as of the close of early voting. According to data from the N.C. Board of Elections, 577,232 voters cast a ballot early, with 290,226 of those voters requesting a Democrat ballot and 284,568 voters requesting a Republican ballot, giving Democrats a 50.3% to 49.3% edge. But for context, in 2020, 68% of early ballots requested were for the Democratic primary.