The race for Sen. Kay Hagan’s seat in Congress has just begun — the primary election is in May 2014 — but Republicans hoping to take her place are already mobilizing support.
Emboldened by victories in last November’s election, Republicans in both chambers of the N.C. General Assembly have worked for months on separate proposals to overhaul the state’s tax code.
DURHAM - Gang violence remains prevalent because gangs are a social safety net for members who feel they don't fit into mainstream society. For many, gangs meet a need that members can't find elsewhere. "The gang steps in and says we have something for you," said Mengie Parker, a criminal justice professor at N.C. Central University. "You're not dealing with a subculture, you're dealing with a counterculture." Those gathered at a roundtable discussion Saturday on gangs at NCCU said efforts at intervention and prevention are only a piece of the puzzle.
RALEIGH - Leaders of the Wake County Young Republicans say that most people underestimate youth support for the GOP. They're trying to energize their peers in an election year where the spotlight on the youth vote has been focused on Democrats and the sweeping mobilization of young liberals. Part of that is showing youth the party's diversity, said Jonathan Bandy, executive director of the Wake County Young Republicans. "We're not the party that everyone thinks we are," he said, adding that many youth members are more progressive than old guard Republicans.
At the first televised gubernatorial debate between Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue as their political party's official nominees, there were relatively equal amounts of bickering and policy discussion. The debate, hosted by WTVD in Durham, covered wide-ranging issues such as government transparency, gangs and offshore drilling. McCrory has made changing the culture of Raleigh the core of his campaign. Perdue has been a fixture in the capital for many years, and McCrory made a concerted effort to link her with Gov. Mike Easley.
The N.C. General Assembly adjourned the summer short session July 18. During short sessions, the legislature typically focuses on passing budget adjustments and re-visiting important business from the past year. The following are key proposals from the summer session. Gang Legislation N.C. Sen. Malcolm Graham, D-Mecklenburg, sponsored the Street Gang Prevention Act, which establishes intervention programs and accompanies another bill which stiffens penalties for gang activity. "This is a first step, and it's a good first step," Graham said.
Gov. Mike Easley signed the 2008 N.C. budget July 16, despite wrangling toward the end between the governor and state legislators. The final budget totals $21.4 billion. After passing the adjustments to last year's budget, the N.C. General Assembly passed a few additions in order to fund some of Easley's programs. Easley failed to receive as much funding for several programs as he requested in his budget proposal. Teachers
RALEIGH - The N.C. Community College System will continue to bar illegal immigrants from enrolling in degree-seeking programs. The board could have reversed the May 13 directive to deny admittance but decided Friday to keep reviewing the policy. That decision followed a Thursday meeting of the board to discuss its policy on illegal immigrants. On Thursday, general counsel Shanté Martin told the board that the open-door policy in the N.C. Community College System's code would trump the system president's directive to deny admittance to illegal immigrants.
N.C. military families in Greenville now have a new place to turn for help. On July 10, the state, in cooperation with the National Guard, opened the second of three state-funded family assistance centers that aim to usher in a new level of support for guardsmen and their families. The facilities are intended to make services more readily available to military officers and their families who don't live near military bases.
N.C. first lady Mary Easley's recent salary hike of nearly $80,000 for her post in the provost's office at N.C. State University brought scrutiny which has led to the discovery that the raise violated UNC-system policy. NCSU officials said that the violation was simply due to a long-standing misinterpretation of the salary raise policy, and that there are several other employees whose raises also might violate the policy. Questions for first lady Easley were directed to the N.C. State press office.
