A youth risk survey for middle- and high-school students in the public school system is raising eyebrows for asking students about drug use and sexual activity. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey — a joint project between the N.C. Division of Public Instruction and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — is distributed every...
The judge in the long-running Leandro school funding case could issue an order as early as three weeks compelling the General Assembly to fully fund a court-ordered plan drawn up by California-based consultants. The news came during a hearing on Monday, Oct. 18. Superior Court Judge David Lee — the presiding jurist in the Leandro...
Excuses and blame. A familiar theme these days, a common thread. President Biden and Gov. Roy Cooper, both Democrats, have mastered the artless tack to dangerous and constitutionally dubious levels. On Afghanistan, Biden blames a string of past presidents, stopping just short of Eisenhower. On COVID, Trump is a frequent target. The same goes for...
Republicans in Congress, including those representing North Carolina, are seeking detailed answers from the Biden administration over the United States’ catastrophic exit from Afghanistan. Thousands of people — Americans, their allies, and those friendly to Americans — who wanted to leave Afghanistan amid the chaos after the Taliban takeover are still in the war-torn country....
President Biden’s incompetent handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was challenging to watch. The American people are rightly outraged by the abject weakness displayed by the president and his advisors. No community feels this pain more acutely than America’s veterans, especially those who served in Afghanistan. For two decades, members of our military served...
The N.C. Task Force for Safer Schools is finalizing a statement chiding parents for strongly voicing their views and at times disrupting recent school board meetings. The disruptions have come from parents — across the state and nation — concerned about school policies on everything from COVID-19 vaccination and masking to controversial instruction on race...
At each of North Carolina’s recent public hearings on redistricting, some individuals and public policy groups spoke of their desire for an independent redistricting commission, a citizen’s redistricting commission, or some variation thereof. Looking at the current massive failures of such efforts in other states, the General Assembly has wisely concluded redistricting is a legislative...
Lawmakers held a hearing recently focused on the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control system. Their goal was to learn why ABC store shelves are empty and why bars and restaurants are scratching and scraping for typically ubiquitous brands such as Jameson’s and Titos. The ABC blames problems with the global supply chain, but that’s only part...
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says he has nothing personal against LGBTQ people, and he’s not resigning. Robinson, in a news conference Tuesday, Oct. 12, said he wants to get books, which he says depicts “filth,” out of some school libraries. Robinson made earlier statements that he wants to remove books such as “George,” “Lawn Boy”...
We’re winning in Afghanistan. That was the mantra, what they told us. Never entirely true. Some of it, maybe. Many of us in the U.S. were admittedly oblivious to the realities that Taliban fighters still maintained strongholds in the mountains, that ferocious attacks on allied military bases and outposts continued. Suicide bombings, car bombings. Winning? ...
There are plenty of places to eat in your town. There is no wait to speak of, either. But the local eateries just aren’t that appetizing. The food really isn’t that good; the service, less than ideal. Hence, when desiring a good meal out, you, and many of your neighbors, usually elect to make the...
