North Carolina

How collaboration is changing North Carolina, one project at a time

States that want to tap universities and philanthropies to find solutions to policy challenges using the best research, evidence and data should look at how one state mastered the communications and logistics essential for effective partnerships.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

North Carolina tried to rebuild affordable housing after a hurricane. It took half a decade.

Documents show how federal paperwork delayed the state’s recovery from Hurricane Florence and left low-income renters in the lurch.

  • By Jake Bittle, Grist

Some low-wage earners must choose between pay raises and government assistance

Lawmakers in North Carolina heard from experts about the “benefits cliff” and how other jurisdictions are developing strategies to lessen its impact on low-income families.

  • By Greg Childress, NC Newsline

State elections board debates using race as a criterion in signature verification pilot

A North Carolina pilot program looks to verify mailed ballots using a signature-matching software after a debate over using race to ensure diversity.

  • By Lynn Bonner, NC Newsline

Help for rural governments tackling the opioid crisis

The Reaching Rural Initiative helped officials in Harnett County, North Carolina, develop an opioid emergency response plan and a program to direct formerly incarcerated individuals to treatment.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Local govs need a helping hand from states to build climate resiliency

North Carolina offers technical assistance to help local leaders assess their communities’ climate vulnerabilities and develop sustainable solutions.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

The New Hampshire governor's decision not to run leaves 2024 field wide open

But Republican Chris Sununu’s exit gives Democrats their best pickup opportunity in a year when only a few governorships seem to be in play. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

The Fight to Reverse Increasing Maternal Mortality Rates

The U.S. has some of the highest mortality rates in the world. A study in North Carolina found approaches that are making a difference.

  • By Rachel Gottlieb

Independent State Legislature Doctrine Could Take Power Away From the People

The U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether state legislatures have the power to regulate congressional elections.

  • By Henry L. Chambers Jr. , The Conversation

A Plan To Help Public Workers With Autism Succeed—and Fill Jobs Too

The new North Carolina program is meant to assist neurodivergent state employees in achieving professional goals, offering free career coaching and other services.

  • By Daniela Altimari

North Carolina House That Collapsed Into the Sea is a Warning for Millions of Americans

States and the federal government can do more to protect homebuyers, like reforming flood disclosure laws.

  • By Zoya Teirstein, Grist

North Carolina First State to Prohibit Agencies From Paying Ransoms

State and local government agencies in North Carolina may not submit payments to—or even communicate with—someone who has encrypted their IT systems. Other states are considering similar legislation.

  • By Susan Miller
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

Why This Governor is Optimistic His State Will Soon Expand Medicaid

Gov. Roy Cooper, of North Carolina, noted during a Route Fifty event that Republican opposition in his state is "thawing" when it comes to opening the program to more low-income residents. The state is one of 12 that hasn't expanded Medicaid.

  • By Bill Lucia

Supreme Court Inches Towards Deciding Whether State Legislatures Can Draw Congressional Districts Largely Free of Court Oversight

Justices declined GOP requests to block court-approved congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. But justices punted a bigger question over the role of courts until after the midterm elections.

  • By Henry L. Chambers Jr. , The Conversation

Vultures Descend on Small Town—and Won't Leave

For nearly a year, officials in Bunn, in northeastern North Carolina, have tried to deter dozens of buzzards from roosting on local buildings. Even propane cannon aren't working.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Voters Have No Clue How Much Money State Lawmakers Make

Registered voters overshot their lawmakers’ annual pay by large margins in a recent survey. When given the correct salaries, respondents were more likely to support pay increases for legislators.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

'Vaxfluencers' Getting Residents to Get the Shot

Public health agencies are paying local Instagram and TikTok celebrities to promote Covid-19 vaccines, a relatively new outreach strategy that, so far, seems to be working.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

From New Hampshire to California, Parks Departments Embrace Video Games

Esports leagues, where gamers of all ages compete online in tournaments, are an increasingly popular programming choice for parks and recreation departments.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

North Carolina Just Can’t Divorce Adultery Law

A legislative committee deadlocked on a proposal to abolish a law that allows residents to sue a person for having an affair with their spouse. Only six states permit the practice.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In America, Covid Vaccine Eligibility Is a ‘Crazy Quilt’ of State Rules

Across the country, a mishmash of rules to qualify for the Covid-19 vaccine is creating difficulties for people seeking the shots.

  • By Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News

States Offer Perks to Inmates who Get the Covid-19 Vaccine

North Carolina is the latest state to offer incentives—commissary credits, bonus visits and early release—to motivate inmates to receive vaccination shots.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram