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By Mark Binker

April 16, 2009

House gives sex ed bill tentative OK

North Carolina schools would offer families a choice of two sex-education curriculums under a bill the House tentatively approved Wednesday, including one backers say would be more comprehensive than the current standard. Most students now receive a cours... Read More

April 14, 2009

Tea protest attached to some tax returns

RALEIGH — Some North Carolina tax returns are arriving in Raleigh steeped with what has become the ad hoc symbol of protest: a tea bag. Drawing on the imagery of the Boston Tea Party, a movement driven mainly by conservatives has been sending tea to... Read More

N.C. bill would curtail car loan rates and fees

RALEIGH — So, did you really get a good deal on that car loan? According to the Durham-based Center for Responsible Lending, you may never know. Car dealers regularly shop loans for new and used cars to a variety of banks, said the center’s Ch... Read More

April 13, 2009

Few bills will be voted into law

RALEIGH — Fewer than 20 percent of the 2,500 bills filed by legislators this year will become law, if historical trends hold. So how do lawmakers decide where to spend their time? “It’s a combination of knowing about an issue and coming... Read More

Washington Watch: House members disclose requests for earmarks

House members recently met a deadline for disclosing what earmarks they were requesting in the next budget — one that, in theory, will run the federal government from October of this year through much of 2010. Earmarks — special appropriations... Read More

April 12, 2009

GOP feels shut out of budget process

Sen. Phil Berger can find plenty to criticize about the Senate version of the budget passed last week. He says it spends too much money, hurts counties and paves the way for unwise tax increases. But what irks the Eden Republican and the GOP leader in the... Read More

Sen. Burr is already back on hot seat

RALEIGH — It’s too soon to say the battle lines are being drawn for the 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, but troops are mustering. U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, is winding up his first term as a senator — he served five t... Read More

April 9, 2009

Bill to help fund council races backed

Taxpayers could help fund city council campaigns under a measure given tentative approval by the N.C. House on Wednesday evening.The House must confirm its 60-52 vote today before sending the measure to the Senate. Rep. Pricey Harrison, one of the bill&rs... Read More

$20 billion state budget gets tentative OK

RALEIGH — State senators tentatively approved a budget Wednesday that raises taxes — it just doesn’t say which taxes. The $20.05 billion spending plan includes a $500 million “reserve for tax adjustments,” essentially committ... Read More

April 7, 2009

Washington Watch: N.C. tour talked up home loans

North Carolina provided the backdrop for Vice President Joe Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to talk up federal economic stimulus money flowing through the USDA. That included $10.4 billion in home loan funds, $322.9 million of which was set as... Read More

Senate plan would increase class size

RALEIGH — Classrooms would get more crowded under the Senate’s draft plan to balance the state budget. North Carolina would save $322.7 million next year by increasing the average classroom size by two students throughout the public scho... Read More

April 6, 2009

Bill would require registration, insurance for mopeds

RALEIGH — Moped and scooter owners could be required to register their bikes with the DMV and buy insurance under a bill the Senate is expected to approve Tuesday. The measure was given tentative approval on 29-19 vote Thursday. If it passes a secon... Read More

Leaders seek tax break for airplane simulators

RALEIGH — Greensboro-area legislators have filed bills that would exempt from sales tax some equipment used by airport-related businesses. The most pressing measure, said Rep. Maggie Jeffus, a Guilford County Democrat, is one that would lift sales t... Read More

April 3, 2009

Smokers fret as House OKs smoking ban

RALEIGH — On the same day the House voted to ban smoking in most public places, Amanda Miller was having lunch at Ham’s on Friendly Avenue and was not pleased legislators want to keep her from lighting up. “If you don’t want to sme... Read More

April 1, 2009

Health forum hears from uninsured

GREENSBORO — When she lost her job a decade ago, Kirby Heard joined the N.C. Farm Bureau so she could get health insurance. But when one of her payments arrived late, her coverage was terminated.That, the High Point graphic designer told the Regiona... Read More

March 31, 2009

Miller opposes FAA’s plan to hide bird-strike data

You can’t handle the truth, at least according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The nation’s air safety agency proposed rules Friday that would allow it to keep secret the data it collects on when and where birds hit and damage airplane... Read More

March 29, 2009

Politics, money drive tobacco debate

The tobacco plants on John Isley’s farm could pass for baby spinach right now, nestled in rows under the protection of a greenhouse against the cold of March. Isley, 34, speaks softly as he explains how debates over tobacco taxes and smoking bans at... Read More

March 25, 2009

No-smoking bill heads to House floor

RALEIGH —A proposal to ban smoking in most public places is headed to the state House floor where a kindred measure died two years ago. The ban would cover virtually all public workplaces, including bars and restaurants. “It’s close,&rdq... Read More

Check-casher to test selling lottery tickets

RALEIGH — Lottery officials said Tuesday they will test selling lottery tickets through Ace Cash Express, a Texas-based check-cashing operation. The company, which has two locations in Greensboro and one in High Point, offers check cashing, utility... Read More

March 24, 2009

State approves lottery ticket sales at check-cashing store

RALEIGH — Lottery officials said Tuesday they will test selling lottery tickets through Ace Cash Express, a Texas-based check cashing operation. The company, which has two locations in Greensboro and one in High Point, offers check cashing, utility... Read More

Smoking ban clears key committee

RALEIGH — A proposal to ban smoking in most public places is headed to the state House floor where a kindred measure died two years ago. The ban would cover virtually all public workplaces, including bars and restaurants. “It’s close,&rd... Read More

Hagan joins group seeking fiscal moderation

North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan last week joined a 15-member group of “moderate Democrats” who vow to deliver some fiscally conservative push-back to their party’s leaders on budget matters. Lead by Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, the group has... Read More

March 20, 2009

Illegal immigrants' tuition pays way

RALEIGH — North Carolina may have made money from illegal immigrants when they were allowed into the state’s community college system, a consultant told the N.C. Board of Community Colleges Thursday. The oral report was a prelude to a full an... Read More

March 19, 2009

Community College Board gets initial look at immigration study

Undocumented immigrants who attend North Carolina's community colleges pay more to attend in out-of-state student fees than they cost to educate, a consultant told the North Carolina Community College Board. On average, the operation cost to educate a ful... Read More

Budget would cut social work training

A joint UNCG-N.C. A&T training program that teaches social workers how to navigate complex child-welfare problems would be cut under the budget proposal that Gov. Bev Perdue sent to the General Assembly this week. The Greensboro program is one of 10 u... Read More