David Price holds town-hall style meeting No comments | FEB 20

U.S. Rep David Price, D – N.C., laid out an economic plan and responded to constituent concerns in a town hall-style meeting Monday. Price, who is up for reelection in 2012 and has represented the state’s fourth district since 1987, denounced oppositions to tax hikes and encouraged prudent fiscal spending.

ACLU questions constitutionality of prayer in the N.C. General Assembly No comments | FEB 14

Prayer in schools and public bodies has been a contentious issue for decades. The age-old debate has resurfaced at the N.C. General Assembly, but it’s not dividing lawmakers along the typical partisan lines. The N.C. chapter of the ACLU submitted a formal letter of complaint to legislators earlier this month, citing concerns about the sectarian nature of prayers in both the N.C. House and Senate.

Candidates can now file for gubernatorial race No comments | FEB 13

Today is the first day that candidates for North Carolina’s gubernatorial race can file their candidacy with the N.C. Board of Elections. With Gov. Bev Perdue’s announcement last month that she will not run for re-election, Democrats are scrambling to find a candidate with high enough name recognition and favorability ratings to beat the assumed Republican candidate, former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory.

GOP voters struggle to rally behind one nominee No comments | FEB 6

As the Republican presidential primaries continue this week, each of the four candidates is trying to win the appeal of a fickle electorate. GOP voters have so far struggled to coalesce around a nominee, and each candidate has experienced fleeting momentum. But Mitt Romney could stake his claim for the nomination this week with strong showings in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.

Romney expected to win Florida primary No comments | JAN 31

For the last week, the GOP presidential candidates have been out in force in Florida — well, unless you are Ron Paul who has been in Maine — trying to win the hearts of the Floridian voters before tonight’s primary. The Sunshine State’s ‘winner-takes-all’ 50 delegates system has amped up the pressure on the candidates. In this primary, even a close second-place still counts as a loss.

Charlotte City Council ends Occupy encampment 1 comment | JAN 24

After camping out for three months, Occupy Charlotte has been asked to leave. On Monday, the Charlotte city council voted nearly unanimously to end the Occupy encampment, and was met with outrage from dozens of Occupiers.

Republican candidates go head to head before S.C. primary 1 comment | JAN 19

Tensions ran high at the South Carolina GOP presidential debate Thursday in Charleston. The day of the debate began with some unexpected twists when Rick Perry dropped out of the race, a recount of the Iowa caucus results found Rick Santorum as the winner — not Mitt Romney — and fresh accusations about Newt Gingrich surfaced from an ex-wife.

Advocacy group runs initiative to save student aid 1 comment | NOV 14

An advocacy group of education organizations is working to save financial aid — one signature at a time. The Student Aid Alliance, an organization composed of 75 universities and higher-education groups, is running its Save Student Aid initiative to collect signatures from both students and faculty.

Occupy protesters denied overnight stays No comments | NOV 10

Some N.C. Occupy protesters, who have spent more than a month demonstrating their discontent with certain restrictive government policies, have learned from experience that they are still subject to the law. Occupy Raleigh protesters requested to camp in a park outside the Raleigh City Hall, but their request was denied by a City Council committee, said City Manager Russell Allen. Individual council members offered to help find the protesters space, and as of Wednesday, they were still in the process of securing a new spot to protest, he said. Russell said 24-hour picketing is allowed, but it is against the city’s policy to allow people to camp out in this public space.
Since 24-hour picketing is allowed, he said he doesn’t think the city is restricting the protesters’ rights. “They have adequate means to insure their first amendment rights,” he said. The location in front of city hall does not have accommodations — such as water and sewage systems — for people staying the night, he said. The city council received complaints from the homeowner association of a nearby condominium development and the management of an apartment building, Allen said. Asheville’s Occupy protesters were also denied their spot of choice.
Protesters requested permission to camp in a park in front of the city’s council building, but their request was also denied, said Brownie Newman, vice mayor of Asheville.

Bank of America decides against $5 fee No comments | NOV 3

Bank of America has decided against charging a fee for debit card users after many customers voiced concern and anger about the new policy. The fee would have charged customers $5 per month, except for select groups — including the military and student users, said Tony Allen, a spokesman for Bank of America.