State Politics

U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Jackson raises about $1.3 million
North Carolina Democratic senate candidate Jeff Jackson raised nearly $1.3 million since entering the race in January, his campaign announced on Monday.

Summer school, reading improvement bills pass NC legislature
The North Carolina General Assembly finalized on Thursday a pair of public education measures designed to get more intensive help to children learning to read and to those who have fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NC bill would halt abortions on basis of race, Down syndrome
North Carolina Republicans are looking to restrict abortions further in the state, filing a bill this week to prohibit the procedure if the pregnant woman is seeking it due to the unborn child's race or the detection of the presence of Down syndrome.

Retooling of NC student literacy efforts on fast track
An overhaul of North Carolina's efforts to improve reading proficiency for early-grade students in the public schools is advancing quickly through the legislature, clearing the Senate on Wednesday by a unanimous vote.

Cashwell named by Cooper as NC administration secretary
Pamela Cashwell, a veteran North Carolina state agency administrator and former federal prosecutor, was appointed on Wednesday by Gov. Roy Cooper as the Department of Administration secretary.

NC House advances bill to keep youngest kids out of court
North Carolina House members advanced a bill Wednesday that would prevent kids under 10 in trouble with the law from having to go before a judge and participate in juvenile justice proceedings.

North Carolina lawmakers hope to repeal voter literacy test
North Carolina's constitution still includes an unenforceable relic of the Jim Crow era -- a voter literacy test. Some state lawmakers are trying, again, to do away with it.

Mayor of coastal NC town says he'll run for U.S. Senate
The mayor of a small North Carolina coastal town is getting into next year’s race for the U.S. Senate, saying the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol motivated him to step up and defend democracy against violent actors.

NC bill directs governments to release more personnel info
North Carolina state agencies, local governments and school boards would be required to release reasons why employees got fired or demoted in legislation filed on Thursday in the state Senate.

Women allege sexual misconduct against NC congressman as his biography is under new scrutiny
Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn is facing allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by several women who say he put them in uncomfortable situations when he was a college student, with the former classmates detailing to CNN on Monday how the rising star of the conservative right would use "fun" drives as a way to make unwanted advances on them.

Cooper picks Environmental Defense Fund leader as next DEQ secretary
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has again picked a veteran leader from the Environmental Defense Fund to become his environment secretary.

Cawthorn, who voted to overturn election results, admits 2020 race not fraudulent
Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina said Saturday that he accepts Joe Biden as president and that the 2020 election was not conducted fraudulently.

NC Democrats, including governor, join call for Trump's removal from office
Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday joined other Democratic leaders in North Carolina in calling for the president's removal from office, a chorus that has been growing among lawmakers who were at the Capitol when a mob broke in, derailing and delaying the formal certification of the November election.

NC politicians condemn violent riots at US Capitol, react to Biden's certification
Former Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Richard Burr are among local Republican leaders condemning the actions of those in Washington, D.C.

New justices join NC Supreme Court
Chief Justice Paul Newby and Associate Justices Phil Berger and Tamara Patterson Barringer participated remotely in a virtual investiture ceremony on Wednesday.

Newby takes oath as 30th NC Supreme Court chief justice
Paul Newby is now on the job as head of North Carolina's judicial branch.

Biden picks North Carolina environmental chief to lead EPA
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday offered the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency to Michael Regan, a North Carolina regulator who has made a name pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping low-income and minority communities hit hardest by pollution.

Electors meet in NC, across US to formally choose Biden as next president
Presidential electors coast to coast are casting the votes that chose Joe Biden as the nation's next president, a formality that has taken on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump's refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection.

With one NC county still counting, close race for N.C. chief justice likely headed to recount
The election to lead North Carolina's judicial branch was likely headed for a recount after county tallies reported Friday showed an extremely close race between current state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley and challenger Paul Newby.