Tag search result

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: In a metaphor for this legislative session, the Senate is moving fast to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on some highways. The full Senate is scheduled to hear the bill Thursday, a day after it passed a committee and a week after it was filed, AP reports. The Carolina Panthers incentives bill also won approval in committee Wednesday and heads to the floor. Senate convenes at 10 a.m. The House is expecting a longer-than-normal day with a busy calendar, including a measure to limit the N.C. Lottery's ability to advertise and sell games. It starts at 1 p.m. Earlier in the day, House committees will consider a wind energy bill and IT changes requested by the McCrory adminsitration.

Gov. Pat McCrory will attend the UNC system Board of Governors meeting in Pembroke -- where he will surely face questions about the budget cuts he proposed -- before making an economic development announcement in the area.

HOW WILL GOP REACT? As AP reports, an American-Islamic group wants national Republican leaders to repudiate comments by a North Carolina legislator who compared Muslim prayer to terrorism. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Wednesday that bigoted comments must be rejected if the GOP wants to reach minorities. State Rep. Michele Presnell of Yancey County did not respond to messages seeking comment.

***The Dome Morning Memo sets the stage for the day in North Carolina politics. Get more news and analysis below.***

GOV. McCRORY SUPPORTS SENATE BILL 4 -- Rejects Medicaid expansion and state-sponsored health care exchange Gov. Pat McCrory issued a statement Tuesday morning announcing he does not support expanding Medicaid to as many 500,000 people in North Carolina, many of them uninsured, and wants the federal government to set up an exchange for the state.

The announcement vanishes any thought McCrory may side with six other Republican governors and accept the money, a move considered a possibility among political observers given his moderate tendencies. His rationale is four-fold: audits show Medicaid is too "broken" to expand right now; the potential long-term costs can't be determined; state government didn't do enough to prepare under Gov. Bev Perdue; and federal matching funds aren't guaranteed given the political uncertainty in Washington

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: The House and Senate convene at 2 p.m. Earlier in the day, House committees will consider a controversial Medicaid expansion bill, measures emphasizing digital learning and legislation about where to locate the Interstate 540 loop around Raleigh. Gov. Pat McCrory's environmental chief, John Skvarla, will appear before a Senate committee.

After two weeks of early voting, there have been almost daily complaints about intimidation, aggressive campaigning and attempts to misinform voters.

While every presidential election has its share of discord, State Elections director Gary Bartlett said long lines and partisan tensions have led to an increased number of complaints to his office and to county election officials. Election officials are spending much of their debunking rumors. Full story here.

More political headlines:

--Democratic lawmaker Martha Alexander's race has become a magnet for money – not only from the Republican Party, but from outside groups. Now, it’s one of Mecklenburg’s two contested House races and one of about a dozen in the state that Republicans are targeting – and bankrolling – in hopes of increasing their House majority.

N.C. Republican Party leaders were aware of a reported relationship between Wake County school board members Debra Goldman and Chris Malone, yet they still discouraged other potential GOP candidates from opposing Goldman in her run for state auditor, a former opponent said Tuesday. After voting Tuesday, Pat McCrory wouldn't say whether he supported Goldman. Read the full story here.

More political headlines:

--The state employees association unveiled a website Tuesday that highlights the GOP lieutenant governor candidate Dan Forest's thoughts on  “Islamic extremists” who want to impose Shariah law and a United Nations plan for sustainable development called Agenda 21. “He is probably the most radical candidate who’s ever run for North Carolina office,” said Dana Cope, the group's leader.

Citing scheduling conflicts, U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., has declined to commit to a locally televised debate with Republican challenger Richard Hudson.

Hudson, in a statement released by his campaign, called on the Democratic congressman “to come out of hiding.” Full story here.

More political headlines:

--Get a rundown on the feisty second presidential debate and see a fact check on the candidates' statements. Students at Queens College gave the win to the president.

--Emulating President Barack Obama, Walter Dalton also took an aggressive stance while Pat McCrory bobbed and weaved in the governor's race debate. And see an excerpt from a key exchange.

Democrats are pounding North Carolina mailboxes with fliers warning about what Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would do to Medicare -- a rebuttal to the GOP attacks on President Barack Obama. 

Medicare and Social Security are two of the largest parts of the federal government. They’re growing. And they’re heading toward financial problems that will touch tens of millions of Americans unless something changes. Read more on the issue here.

More political headlines:

--N.C. Republicans are distoring Erv Portman's vote on education funding. A fact-check here.

President Barack Obama's organizers at UNC-Chapel Hill are finding it harder to get students to volunteer for the campaign, reports The Daily Tar Heel, and other students aren't seeing the level of enthusiasm from 2008.

It's not good news for the Democratic candidate, who is counting on youth voters to help deliver the early vote once one-stop voting begins Oct. 18.

From the DTH, the university's independent student newspaper: "Gabby Whitehall, co-founder of Tar Heels for Obama, said her feelings have not changed since the 2008 election, but she has seen a dwindling in some of her peers’ excitement.

President Barack Obama talked student loans and much more at UNC-Chapel Hill this afternoon. For a quick-take story, click here. Here's a few more scribbles from the notebook:

-- Obama didn't address the two hottest issues in North Carolina politics right now: the constitutional marriage amendment and the state Democratic Party scandal. But the president did meet with Melissa Hodges, who is featured in a new anti-amendement TV ad. And much to Republicans chagrin he didn't nationalize the local party troubles -- and there's no reason to think he would have commented on the matter given his tightly controlled appearances.

--Gov. Bev Perdue received a good bit of love from Obama. And when he introduced her, the crowd didn't boo like a few months ago when she was introduced at a UNC basketball game. But despite what state GOP Chairman Robin Hayes said this morning, the reaction at the game wasn't about students upset about not getting a job.

President Barack Obama arrives at UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday with a message that may resonate with young voters worried about their economic future. In North Carolina, the higher interest rate would affect 160,000 students, adding $980 over the life of the average student loan, according to the White House.

At the same time, state financial aid dollars have declined; the UNC system suffered a 15.6 percent cut in state funding last year. A state need-based grant program was reduced by $35 million last year. On Monday, Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, said she would restore that $35 million for financial aid in her budget. Read more here.

Other political headlines:

--It did not take long for the John Edwards trial to get tawdry, and for once it was not the former presidential candidate at the center of the salacious allegations. It was Andrew Young, the former aide who is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. Get more details from the Greensboro federal courtroom and see a photo gallery.

President Barack Obama will visit the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Tuesday as part of a nationwide tour to promote lower interest rates on student loans, the White House announced Friday.

He will also appear on a special broadcast of NBC’s Jimmy Fallon show taped on the campus featuring the musician Dave Matthews.

The Chapel Hill campus is the first of three universities on the tour designed to pressure Congress to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling this summer. More than 7.4 million students hold loans with 3.4 percent interest. The White House believes there is still time for Congress to prevent the increase from taking effect July 1.