Free Republic

State legislators have gone home. That's a good thing.The session began in May with much hope that with better economic times, lawmakers would seize the opportunity to give taxpayers a much-needed break and repeal the "temporary" taxes enacted during the 2001 recession. Many hoped that the General Assembly would also seize the opportunity to adopt a constitutional amendment protecting property owners from eminent domain abuse. Instead, the General Assembly made half-hearted attempts to appease taxpayers and property owners. Lawmakers trimmed back those tax increases, but wouldn't eliminate them altogether. As far as protecting property, the General Assembly repealed legislation that...

ADF Halts NC Gifted Program's End Run Around Parental Notification Under Litigation Threat, Governor's School Drops Plan to Show Teens Graphic Film (AgapePress) - The prestigious Governor's School of North Carolina (GSNC), a six-week residential summer program for academically and intellectually gifted high school students, is once again being accused of introducing sexually-oriented material to young people without their parents' knowledge. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a nationwide pro-family legal defense alliance, reports that the GSNC was preparing to show students the sexually explicit film, American History X, as part of a "Race and Film" series, but decided not to...

In their second Republican primary battle for the 10th District state House seat, Willie Ray Starling of Mount Olive finished with a nine-vote edge over incumbent Rep. Stephen LaRoque of Kinston, according to unofficial results.Although LaRoque defeated Starling in his home county of Lenoir 731-494 votes, the margin of victory was not enough to overcome Starling’s victories in both Greene and Wayne counties. That scenario was the same as two years ago, except for the winner. The final tally Tuesday gave Starling 906 votes and LaRoque, 897.“I’m ecstatic, but it’s not over until the fat lady sings,” Starling said...

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. --North Carolina retailers raked in an estimated $10 million Thursday, the first day of the state lottery. But that doesn't sway Robert Arey, who has no desire to sell the tickets at the 15 convenience stores he owns in the Charlotte region. "You work for what you get," said Arey, who runs the One Stop Food Stores. "You don't win it." Arey said he is morally opposed to the lottery, which he calls a "poor tax," and he doesn't expect his decision to cost him money. In fact, he said, his stores in South Carolina actually saw...

Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the early 2008 presidential leader in North Carolina, according to a Civitas Institute poll. The institute conducted a telephone poll of 800 voters in the state.McCain was the leader among possible Republican candidates with 31 percent of those surveyed. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards led the list of possible Democratic contenders with 24 percent of those surveyed.Civitas President Jack Hawke said, “Edwards’ figures may also be inflated by the fact that the poll was conducted among North Carolinians, as opposed to voters from across the nation. It is interesting that an Arizona senator...

Last Friday I had the privilege of speaking to the Republican Women's Club of Chapel Hill. The topic: What Republicans Must Do To Win in 2006. While I won't share any major trade secrets in this forum, I will share a few of my thoughts on what [the NC GOP] must [do] to be successful this year. First and foremost, [Republicans] must Get Out The Vote. This is such an obvious, "Politics 101" statement that it almost goes without saying. [The] GOTV (get-out-the-vote) effort is especially important in 2006 given that, for the first time since 1994, North Carolina will...

As is often the case, (Jan 8, 2006) the Charlotte Observer carried an interesting article that left out significant facts. Still, I have to give Jack Betts some credit for even admitting the fact that his employer, the Charlotte Observer, along with the Raleigh News and Observer and the Wilmington paper, provided much of the impetus for the racist campaign that led to the "Wilmington Riot" and brought the Democratic Party to power at the end of the 1800's, a power they have held ever since. Since few people have even heard of the "Wilmington Riot," permit me to quickly...

(snip).... Under the proposal, the state would absorb the counties' Medicaid expenses. In return, the state would take all revenue from a 1-cent sales tax known as the Article 39 sales tax. Revenue from that tax currently goes to counties and municipalities. Forsyth County, and other large counties with substantial retail bases, oppose the proposal because the revenue they get from the 1-cent sales tax is greater than the amount they pay for Medicaid. In the 2005-06 fiscal year, Forsyth County budgeted $32 million in revenue from the sales tax and $15 million in Medicaid expenses. Because there was no...

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina can take on more than $214 million in new debt annually for the next 10 years and remain financially sound, the state treasurer said in a report Thursday. The report from State Treasurer Richard Moore recommends a 4 percent ratio of debt service to state revenues as a prudent target debt level, or $214.4 million a year for each of the next 10 years. The figures are part of his yearly debt affordability study, given to Gov. Mike Easley and legislators. Last year's study recommended no new debt for the next three years given a...

Biggest Bonehead Political Move of 2005 Chris Mintz’ defection to the Democrat Party by Frank Williams -- December 14, 2005 Last week, someone I have known for quite some time made one of the most bizarre political moves I have seen during my more than ten years as a Republican activist. Chris Mintz, a Raleigh resident who was Chairman of the Wake County Republican Men’s Club for part of this year, earns my nod for the Biggest Bonehead Political Move of 2005. The fact that I served as Vice Chairman of the Wake County Republican Men’s Club until Chris’ abrupt...

WASHINGTON - Citing national security, GOP Rep. Sue Myrick of Charlotte introduced legislation Wednesday that would deny North Carolina $870 million in federal highway money unless it stops issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Specifically, Myrick's bill would target six states that still accept taxpayer ID numbers -- issued by the Internal Revenue Service -- as proof of identity or residence by persons seeking a driver's license. Besides North Carolina, Myrick's office said, those states are West Virginia, Illinois, Utah, New Mexico and Kentucky. But Myrick, who is looking at a possible run for governor in 2008, led off her...

A judge today dismissed a lawsuit prompted by outcry over the inability of Muslims to be sworn in Guilford County courts using the Quran, a lawyer in the case said. In throwing out the case, Superior Court Judge Donald L. Smith decided that no controversy existed because the plaintiff was still able to affirm she could truthfully testify despite not being allowed to swear on the Quran, attorney Seth Cohen said. The plaintiffs in the case were the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and Greensboro Muslim Syidah Mateen. The defendant was the state of North Carolina because the...

Greg Dority will run for the NC 3rd District If he runs for re-election, Congressman Walter Jones will face Conservative GOP Primary opposition. Long whispered grumblings among conservative GOP activists, frustrated by their perception of an ineffective state Party and its “elite” state and national leaders, whom they also believe to be indifferent to their concerns for the nation and their ideology, is certain to bloom into a full-fledged populist revolt drawing state, national and perhaps international attention. In an exclusive interview late Friday, former NC 1st District GOP congressional nominee Greg Dority told me he will run for Congress...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Authorities say an illegal immigrant was intoxicated Friday morning when his vehicle slammed into two others on Interstate 485. Jorge Hernandez, 35, is accused of driving more than 100 mph on the wrong side of the highway. His Ford Expedition collided head on with another vehicle, police said. "The crash last night was a severe impact," said Trooper Brian Huffstickler of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. "It was probably one of the worst crashes we've ever seen." The driver of the other vehicle, 18-year-old Min Soon Chang, was killed. Hernandez was injured, as was Tasha Beth Thomas,...

North Carolina's concealed handgun law, which becomes 10 years old next month, has worked well. Even gun-control advocates concede that point.Now one gun-rights group - Grass Roots North Carolina - hopes the law will be expanded so that people with concealed handgun permits will have fewer restrictions on where they can carry their weapons. We think that there is some merit in the organization's idea. For example, the group's president recently suggested that permit-holders should be allowed to carry their weapons in public parks. It would provide protection for joggers from potential attackers. Gun-control advocates would likely balk at this...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A man was executed early Friday by lethal injection for the 1990 stabbing death of his wife, despite the pleas of his four children who sought clemency for their father. Elias Syriani, 67, was pronounced dead at 2:12 a.m. EST, said Pam Walker, a spokeswoman for the state Correction Department. Gov. Mike Easley on Thursday had denied clemency, saying in a statement that he found "no convincing reason to grant clemency and overturn the unanimous jury verdict affirmed by the state and federal courts." Syriani was convicted in the death of his 40-year-old wife, Teresa, who...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Two more former employees were indicted Tuesday in a multi-million dollar fraud investigation involving the Wake County Public School System's transportation department, just weeks after three other suspects in the case pleaded guilty to related charges. Angela Malloy-Sanders and Pamela Stewart were charged with accessory after the fact in the suspected scheme to funnel millions of taxpayers' dollars. According to the indictments, they lied to investigators to cover up the fraud. Investigators said the two women began cooperating in the investigation months ago and have agreed to pay back the money they are accused of taking. Malloy-Sanders...

GASTONIA, N.C. -- North Carolina regulators have approved an 11 percent hike in natural gas rates for PSNC Energy, the company said Monday. PSNC Energy, a subsidiary of SCANA Corp., serves more than 400,000 customers in 28 counties in North Carolina. PSNC is headquartered in Gastonia.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Speaker Jim Black on Friday named 20 House members to a study committee that will examine how the death penalty is carried out in North Carolina. The panel also will recommend possible changes to the law for the General Assembly to consider during its session next spring. Reps. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, and Beverly Earle, D-Mecklenburg, will co-chair the House Select Study Committee on Capital Punishment. (snip) Committee members also plan to consult with representatives of victims and law enforcement during their study, Black's office said. The panel, comprised of 13 Democrats and seven Republicans, will include at...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina students had a little trouble with their reading skills, with scores on achievement tests dropping slightly in a national measure of student performance released Wednesday. Nearly 40 percent of fourth-graders and 31 percent of eighth-graders performed below a basic level of proficiency in reading, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. But math scores held steady for both grade groups, and the North Carolina students generally performed at or slightly better than the national average in both subjects. "The trendline for North Carolina students is positive in mathematics. This year we held...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Maybe it was because she was in Raleigh, or because the event was organized by a state senator who helped start all the talk to begin with. But in a recent speech, U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick added to the intrigue of a potential gubernatorial run in 2008 by going on the attack against Democrats in state politics. "The power of a few has grown too large in this state," Myrick told more than 150 people last week at an event sponsored by a group led by Sen. Robert Pittenger, R-Mecklenburg. "Maybe one of these days we'll see...

[Dole speaks to jihad mom about war] RALEIGH, N.C. -- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and peace mom Cindy Sheehan met privately to discuss the war in Iraq and parted as divided in their views as ever. "Some of the inflammatory statements that have been made by Ms. Sheehan and her political organization undermine the overall War on Terror and are extremely detrimental to our men and women in uniform in harm's way," Dole, R-N.C., said in a statement after the 10-minute private meeting on Thursday. Dole, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was "a gentle lady," and "a...

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A lawsuit filed over the use of non-Christian texts for courtroom oaths should be dismissed because there is no controversy between the parties to settle, the state argues in its response filed this week. The state attorney general's office also said the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, which filed the lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court in July, lacks the right to sue. The lawsuit does not name anyone who has been denied the opportunity to take a religious oath on a non-Christian book, but ACLU attorney Seth Cohen doesn't believe that's necessary. The suit...

N.C. Libertarians may lose status as official party RALEIGH, N.C. — Libertarians could lose their official status as a political party in North Carolina because they failed to get at least 10 percent of the votes cast in last year's gubernatorial and presidential races. The State Board of Elections has scheduled time during a teleconference meeting Monday to discuss the party's standing. Sean Haugh, the party's executive director, said Friday he and party Chairman Thomas Hill will participate from Raleigh. Along with the missed vote totals, the party has gathered only 25,000 of the nearly 70,000 signatures it needs to...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Children younger than 8 years old would be prohibited from operating all-terrain vehicles, while older kids would have to drive age-appropriate motorbikes, in a bill given final Senate approval Monday night. With 183,000 ATVs in use, North Carolina is now one of five states with essentially no operating restrictions for the machines. Under the bill sent to the House without additional debate on a vote of 31-15, children from ages 8 to 15 only would be allowed to operate child-sized ATVs under an adult's close supervision. These machines are either battery-powered or are equipped with governors to...

Last Monday, the day before the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the state's 2005-07 spending plan, Gov. Mike Easley's office came out with some good news for the state's budget situation. The governor's office reported that state revenue collections were projected to be $428 million more than anticipated.That should have sent senators jumping for joy. Common sense would have said that such a spike in revenue collections would mean that lawmakers could scale back the litany of tax increases and fees that they had planned. Common sense did not prevail. Instead, Senate budget writers proceeded with their plan to increase taxes...

Adjusting to life in a new country has never been easy, but free food and music can certainly help. It might even be fun, as hundreds of Lenoir County's fastest growing community learned Sunday at the annual Migrant International Festival, sponsored by Lenoir County Public Schools at the County Livestock Arena. The immigrant population has grown by leaps and bounds in Eastern North Carolina, and the language barrier can often lead to ignorance about what services exist in a community that could make a new arrival's life easier. While there was singing, dancing driven by smoking brass rhythms, good eats...

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A bill before the state House would allow pharmacists who oppose abortion to refuse to fill prescriptions based on their moral or religious beliefs, stirring debate over whether druggists have the right to countermand a doctor's directive. The "conscience clause," introduced this week by state Rep. Jeff Barnhart, R-Cabarrus, would protect a position advocated by some pharmacists, including the man who heads the Medicaid drug program in North Carolina. Barnhart's bill, filed Wednesday, would give pharmacists the right to refuse to fill prescriptions -- based on their moral or religious objection to abortion -- without fear of...

(snip) ...a 1996 federal law requires that if a state gives a benefit such as in-state tuition to illegal immigrants based on their residency in the state, it must do the same for citizens of any other state who now pay out-of-state tuition. "Every U.S. citizen has to get in-state tuition," said Gerry Cohen, director of the bill drafting division of the General Assembly, who researched the issue. Such a move is impossible, since it would deliver a devastating financial blow to the university system.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Parents of a stillborn could receive a certificate of the child's birth in a bill unanimously approved by the state House. The bill sponsor, Representative Wilma Sherrill says the measure is designed to give some families a tangible recognition of the child and give parents some peace. The document would state plainly that it is not a certificate of live birth, which can be used to receive a Social Security number and other government benefits. Obtaining the "certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth" would be optional. For stillbirths occurring before July 2002, the application would have to...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A state lawmaker whose son died when a woman sped past the lowered arm and flashing lights of a stopped school bus introduced legislation Wednesday to toughen the penalty for the crime. A bill introduced by Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, would make passing a stopped school bus a higher level misdemeanor. Striking someone after passing the bus would become a felony. The bill was among more than 90 introduced Wednesday, a key deadline for filing bills that do not generate or require revenue. Bills not introduced by Wednesday will have a difficult time being considered before the...

RALEIGH - More than half of the nonprofit organizations required to account for how they spent millions in state dollars last year had failed to do so by March 31, according to an analysis by the state auditor's office. (snip) North Carolina awarded $580 million in grants last year to 3,000 nonprofit groups. More than 1,800 of those groups received a big enough check from the state that that they are required to file financial reports or audits, but auditors won't know how it was all spent for another year.

RALEIGH -- A fingerprint technology company promoted by State Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight received $307,575 from the state's Tobacco Trust Fund, ostensibly in exchange for relocating significant operations to North Carolina, which the company never fulfilled. After Privaris, Inc. completed a pilot project for the state Division of Motor Vehicles in 2003, company workers vacated their office space at a publicly funded business incubator in Williamston. Despite its failure to create 10 to 15 new jobs as promised in its contract with the Tobacco Trust, Privaris was paid $132,575 in April 2004. Sources with direct knowledge of the...

Hundreds of NC FreedomWorks Members Rally in Raleigh Activists fight tobacco tax increase, demand smaller government Contact: Allen Page Phone: (336) 213-1167 Email: apage@freedomworks.org Raleigh, North Carolina - Today, Governor Mike Easley and many North Carolina legislators got a lot more than they bargained for when they proposed a massive tax increase on smokers. That’s because over 400 FreedomWorks activists traveled from all across the North Carolina to the state Capitol to tell their representatives and senators: “We Want Less”. During the 6th annual ‘FreedomWorks CSE Day at the Capitol’, activists focused on the campaign against the 900 percent increase...

By JANE STANCILL, STAFF WRITER RALEIGH -- A move is under way to offer undocumented immigrants in-state tuition rates at North Carolina's public universities and community colleges. A bill introduced today in the N.C. House would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at campuses if they have attended a North Carolina high school for at least four years and graduated. Bill sponsors estimate about 500 to 1,300 students could apply each year under the rules. Students would have to meet academic qualifications to enroll. The bill has bipartisan support, with 31 co-sponsors, and prominent business leaders, school superintendents and...

RALEIGH, NC -- Though House Speaker Jim Black warned the N.C. Senate this week not to tinker with a bill to start a state lottery that the House barely passed, don't bet on it. "This is not Nebraska," said Sen. Tony Rand, the Senate majority leader, referring to the state whose legislature has one house, rather than two. "Making sausage, everybody has to put a little in there," said Rand, D-Cumberland. "The sausage machine is not exclusively the province of one house." (snip) "They'd better pass what we send over there," he said. "Because when it comes back to us...

RALEIGH, NC --Senate Republicans are complaining about a late vote Wednesday that appointed eight members to the UNC Board of Governors. When ballots were handed out on the floor of the Senate, eight names [all dems nominees] appeared for eight open slots -- a surprise to Republicans who had sponsored four additional candidates. Senate leaders, all Democrats, said the other four had withdrawn and rules prevented their names from appearing on the ballots. Republicans, including Sen. Neal Hunt of Wake County, said they knew of no withdrawals of the people they sponsored. Most objected strenuously. The row caused Sen. Robert...

RALEIGH - House Speaker Jim Black said he wants lawmakers to vote on a state lottery in the next two weeks, and he virtually guaranteed Wednesday that the proposal would reach his chamber's floor. A state numbers game, a regular winner in the Senate that typically dies in the House, could fail in a House committee -- in theory. But Black, D-Mecklenburg, said the education lottery plan he and Gov. Mike Easley are pushing would be heard by a special committee. Black, a lottery supporter, will appoint the committee's members. (snip) But those on both sides say the plan doesn't...

RALEIGH --North Carolina has experienced one of the most rapid rates of growth in illegal immigration in the United States, according to a new report. The Tar Heel State can now claim to host about three percent of the nation's illegal-alien population. This is clearly news, though media accounts that dwell on the rate of growth alone will tend to exaggerate the significance of the trend (it is easy to outpace the nation in percentage growth if your starting base is relatively low). The real question is: does North Carolina's role as one of the nation's magnets for illegal immigration...

<p>An anti-tax group and Republican legislators called yesterday for an audit, an investigation by the attorney general and the resignations of three legislative leaders over revelations that they controlled more than $16 million in "discretionary" grants distributed through several state agencies.</p>

(snip)In January 2003, Decker, who was among the furthest right (barf) Republicans, switched his registration to Democratic and announced he would vote for Black for speaker. That meant that a 61-59 Republican advantage slipped into a 60-60 tie. Here's where history is now being distorted. Reporters and bloggers have said two historically inaccurate things. One was that Decker's party switch is the root of the power-sharing arrangement. The second is that Decker ignited the civil war that still rages in the Republican Party regarding former Republican House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan. (snip)Here's why that's wrong: The Republicans couldn't get 61 votes...

Organizers called the anti-war rally in Fayetteville last year the city's biggest since the Vietnam War. This year, they are counting on Fayetteville's largest anti-war protest ever. The Old North State chapter of the Free Republic is planning a counterdemonstration. Lynn Huber, a chapter chairwoman, said she also expects more people this year. She said at least 200 people have made firm commitments. The two rallies Saturday will make for a repeat of last year, when the groups faced off at Rowan Park. Some people anticipated violence, but the rallies passed peacefully with dozens of police officers keeping a careful...

From Democracy to Kleptocracy It seems that many of our elected officials in Raleigh are living off the backs of the citizens of North Carolina. To say that they are “champions of the people” is a bunch of hot air. The rule of thumb seems to be the granting of personal payouts to “friends” coupled with backdoor politics. From our esteemed Governor, who professes to care about the people of North Carolina, to certain legislators, on down to hired hands who speak out of both sides of their mouths- something doesn’t add up. In Union County, for the past 15...

RALEIGH --It was only a matter of time. Two owners of a Wal-Mart in Wilson have filed suit in federal court to challenge $2 million in local-government incentives for a planned Target store in the county. "This is a very peculiar thing to have the government decide it wants a particular brand of store, and it's willing to pay it $2 million to come to town," said the plaintiffs' attorney. North Carolina's escalating use of tax subsidies to "close deals" with potential private employers was destined to provoke the state's existing businesses. While there are many different arguments, both legal...

RALEIGH --In 2004, the state of North Carolina reported a 9 percent decline in child abuse cases. This came with a 5 percent increase in the number of cases investigated, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reports. "We gave social workers new tools to help them make better decisions, and they're working," said Jo Ann Lamm, director of Family Support and Child Welfare Services. "Across the state, all county departments of social services follow the same process when deciding whether to investigate an allegation of abuse. When they do investigate, they all have the same decision-making process to...

RALEIGH-Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Not exactly an original insight, I grant you, but a handy one for the current situation. Members of the General Assembly, including House Speaker Jim Black, are reportedly considering another half-cent sales-tax increase-taking the combined tax rate to 7.5 percent in most of the state-to pay for a package of state expenditures for hurricane relief. This tax increase would be "temporary" (now, where have we heard that before?) and raise more than $300 million. And it would be on top of whatever tax increases lawmakers adopt for the fiscal year beginning...

...McHenry, a 29-year-old politician from North Carolina who had made conservative politics his passion since high school... is [now] the youngest member of the incoming 109th Congress. (snip)As the youngest freshman and a hard-core conservative, McHenry has made a bigger splash in his opening days on the Hill than most new House members. He was featured in an article on the front page of USA Today, and C-SPAN brought a camera into his office to record how he was putting it together. On Monday night, he made a short speech to about 60 members of the American Conservative Union who...

In a world where most politicos are content to toe the Party line and few dare violate the precepts of political correctness, one congressman has taken a stand. U.S. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) has chosen to make free speech a defining issue of his career, and he is campaigning hard to extend First Amendment rights everywhere from college campuses to religious congregations. Many detractors argue that reform is unnecessary on campus and unseemly in church, but thus far, the congressman has ignored his naysayers and forged onward. On the religious front, many might be curious as to why our panoply...

RALEIGH -- The U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Education recently released a report that should hearten parents worried about the safety of their kids in school. " Crime in the nation's schools fell sharply from 1992 to 2002, part of the broad decline in crime in the last decade," according to the November 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics report. Despite the welcome national trend, school violence in North Carolina has increased over the past year. Recent events in Guilford County and many other communities around the state are creating concern about the safety of children in North...

RALEIGH- Let me see if I can put this diplomatically: if Britt Cobb, Democratic candidate for agricultural commissioner, has the integrity and character that mutual friends claims he has, then he will end his farce of an election protest immediately. If not, then I am sad to say that a disgraceful tradition of leadership at the Department of Agriculture will continue. There is no, absolutely no legitimate argument in favor of what Cobb and his political allies are attempting to do in overturning the results of his 2004 contest with Republican Steve Troxler. Some 4,400 voters in Carteret County showed...