By David Bass, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — COVID-19 and the ongoing fallout from the pandemic will likely dominate the 2021-22 session of the General Assembly. On tap for lawmakers is crafting a new budget for the biennium plus drawing new legislative and congressional maps for the next decade based on fresh census data. A divided…

Read More

By Julie Havlak, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — As he stood on his porch, watching the flames consume his studio, Brant Barnes wasn’t thinking about the fire. Barnes was remembering an old neighbor of his, a man who had died the night after just such a fire. He was thinking about the man’s bitterness,…

Read More

By John Trump Carolina Journal News Service North Carolina won’t fully open anytime soon. The governor’s curfews and shutdowns will continue for three more weeks. Dr. Mandy Cohen piled on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The head of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services enacted a “secretarial directive” warning people to stay home, especially those older…

Read More

by John Trump Assigning infallibility to government action is a fool’s errand. It’s a common refrain in libertarian and conservative circles, and its truth is grounded in history, as well as the government’s continuing and ubiquitous intrusion and overreach. I won’t take credit for the aforementioned paraphrased statement because Scott Maitland said it this week…

Read More

SOUTHPORT— On what he described as a “significant moment,” Dr. Brad Hilaman, Dosher Memorial Hospital CEO and Chief Medical Officer, was among the first of Dosher’s frontline team members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday December 29th.   Dosher, which received their first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine last week, has scheduled sessions for employees…

Read More

By John Trump, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — Bar owners from six counties across North Carolina are going to court to challenge the governor’s executive orders shutting down their businesses. Their lawsuit seeks to have a key piece of the state Emergency Management Act declared unconstitutional. The suit filed in Carteret County Superior Court arrives the…

Read More

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., ― Novant Health today announced an online COVID-19 vaccine virtual assistant tool that will allow the community to directly access vaccine resources or ask vaccine-related questions. The tool will utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning to seamlessly provide information about the COVID-19 vaccine.“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Novant Health has utilized…

Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement from Vice President of Federal Government Relations Kevin Kuhlman in response to the introduction of the COVID-19 recovery legislation today: “The passage of this bill will provide urgent assistance to America’s small businesses. The legislation provides much needed,…

Read More

By John Trump, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — About 25% of gyms in the U.S. will close by year’s end, a new study shows. The global pandemic is the biggest disruption the fitness industry has ever faced, writes Nick Rizzo of RunRepeat, which specializes in shoes for athletes and studies the fitness industry. It’s also estimated…

Read More

Raleigh, N.C. – In light of the holiday season and of the overwhelming need for emergency funds and assistance in North Carolina communities, SECU Foundation has awarded The Salvation Army of the Carolinas with an additional $1 million for COVID-19 disaster relief efforts.  The organization will use the funding to address mounting requests from North Carolinians…

Read More