“North Carolina has a long history of racial injustice and inequality. However, this history is often narrowed down and taught in only a few classes during Black History Month. This February, the Wake County Black Student Coalition joined the many other activists advocating to broaden and deepen this education.”
Read More“Asheville was the only city in N.C. to enact budgetary changes in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, but the new bill would apply to all N.C. local governments. If the bill passes, any city or county that cuts more than 1% from their police budget will be penalized with reduced state funding.”
Read More“Beginning on March 14th, 2021, North Carolinians seeking unemployment benefits will have to provide proof that they are actively pursuing employment opportunities to qualify. Governor Roy Cooper laid down an executive order detailing the changes which negate a previously issued executive order from March of 2020. Typically, in a non-COVID time, the requirements for unemployment stipulate that one must be actively searching for a job before receiving any state issued benefits. However, Governor Cooper struck down the requirement due to the increased unemployment during the pandemic. Now, that period is closing, and within the new executive order, Governor Cooper promotes the usage of NCworks.gov to promote job opportunities and employment training.”
Read More“While it may be the right decision on a technical level for the case to be dismissed, the Appellate Court’s decision still reeks of a miscarriage of justice. Regardless of whether the Board of Education was negligent in this particular case, it symbolizes a bleak reality: that individuals in North Carolina can be severely wronged by their state or local government and still be completely unable to recover damages.”
Read More“On February 12, Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour overturned the UNC System and SCV settlement, arguing that the SCV lacked sufficient legal standing when they filed their original lawsuit. Now, the future of Silent Sam is unclear. The Board of Governors and the UNC System must head back to the drawing board and attempt to find another solution, hopefully one that will comply with existing rules and regulations without cooperating with white supremacists.”
Read More“Rushing Franklin Street after defeating Duke has long been a favorite Tar Heel tradition. The scene of thousands of UNC students gathering to celebrate a victory in the famed UNC-Duke matchup is always newsworthy. In the midst of a deadly pandemic, it is even more so.”
Read More“Ultimately, the reopening of schools will likely be left to the local school systems as it seems unlikely Cooper will sign the bill currently in the General Assembly unless he and Republicans can come to an agreement on flexibility. Furthermore, schools will be less inclined to reopen as long as teachers are not being vaccinated. Governor Cooper has a tough decision to make, but he faces significant and conflicting pressure from massive constituencies: parents, students, and teachers.”
Read More“COVID-19 cases are especially prevalent in prisons due to the large numbers of people in close proximity to each other. In order to slow the spread in these facilities, the Department of Public Safety recommended some inmates should finish their sentence outside of prison. In just the first few months following this recommendation, over 200 inmates were scheduled to be released before their time. However, this attempt at mitigating the number of people infected has actually had the opposite effect.”
Read More“Social studies and civics teachers struggle to answer this question: how do you address the concerns of your students in the very subject you teach, which often reflects harsh truths? Although it depends where they are teaching, teachers are often required to be apolitical in classroom settings. But as students are living through an era fueled by ultranationalism and right-wing extremism, how can a teacher possibly remain apolitical?”
Read More“The North Carolina Right to Life organizations had their 23rd annual rally this weekend, featuring keynote speaker N.C. Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. This march comes quickly after the transition of power following the November election, ensuring this policy is quick to the NCGA legislation table.”
Read More“Once more unto the breach as the saying goes, for once again the Carolina community is back on campus, at least partially. For many first year students, moving back onto campus was the only way to feel as if they got some college experience this year. Other students also chose to return to operate with some semblance of normalcy, albeit six feet apart, as the few in-person classes available are prime opportunities to get away from the screen and return to the feel of traditional learning.”
Read More“For N.C., the help of the National Guard teams could be critical in speeding up the process to get North Carolinians their COVID-19 shots. North Carolina, like many states, is experiencing difficulties meeting vaccination goals, and currently ranks as the state with the sixth lowest vaccination rate in the country.”
Read More“Businesses have been the most outspoken about the new restrictions with many claiming it is going to be harder to conduct business with the new restriction. The restrictions as a whole are especially difficult for small businesses during the holiday season.”
Read More“Moving the semester’s starting date is just one of many changes designed to prevent a repeat of the fall’s disastrous reopening. Within a week of welcoming students back to campus in August, UNC’s administration reversed the decision to reopen, sending thousands of students back home for a full semester of virtual learning.”
Read More“In a year of tight races, three of the tightest came in races for seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Composed of seven members serving staggered eight year terms, the court, like many throughout the country, is composed of members elected in partisan elections. With a current 6-1 majority in favor of Democrats, Republicans were hoping for a good night, and seem to have gotten it.”
Read More“As a particularly tumultuous election cycle came to a close this past weekend, voter turnout was at an all-time high in the state of North Carolina. 720,000 more ballots were cast in this election than in 2016. 440,000 have people registered to vote in the last four years. Voter turnout increased by 5.6% in this election cycle. Even among record-shattering voter participation, down-ballot races largely favored Republicans and the makeup of the North Carolina General Assembly stayed in control of the GOP, as it has for the last 10 years.”
Read More“Many veteran organizers and voter rights activists have taken issue with the language and practice of Trump’s poll watchers and the militant-like operation he is encouraging. Regardless of the state laws on official poll watchers, voter intimidation is illegal nationwide. Pundits are worried that Trump’s encouragement of poll watchers might be understood by his supporters as an encouragement to intimidate voters.”
Read More“While it may not be as attention grabbing as the tight race in Florida, with its history of hanging chads, or as intriguing as the races in Rust Belt Democratic strongholds that flipped for Trump last election cycle, North Carolina, with its 15 electoral votes, stands out as one of the most important battleground states of this election. The race in North Carolina is exceptionally close—within a polling error—and it could prove to be the consequential state that tips the election one way or the other. Given that, it’s no wonder that the Trump and Biden campaigns have spent so much time here in recent weeks attempting to turnout the vote.”
Read More“While the race has been largely uneventful, the candidates have made strong statements about each other and have fought over false information. There is no clear leader in the race, but both men are more than qualified for the position.”
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