ENT – Editorials

Our Opinion: Black Hole Award shines sunlight on legislative secrecy

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With its business-friendly climate and relatively low cost of living, North Carolina often lands at or near the top of national lists ranking the best states for tech startups, young families and retirees. Lawmakers have earned the Tar Heel State another distinction, but it’s not one you’ll see touted on roadside billboards or visitor guides. The Society of Professional Journalists […]

Our Opinion: ‘Hold my beer,’ Congress dares with TikTok ban

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Thirteen members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation voted to block you from using TikTok unless its Chinese parent company agrees to a forced sale of the video-sharing app. Just one stood up for your right to engage with ideas on social media platforms the federal government distrusts or dislikes. Rep. Dan Bishop, a Waxhaw Republican representing the state’s 8th District, […]

Our Opinion: Legal hemp can’t stop car searches for marijuana

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The best-trained noses can’t tell the difference between legal hemp and illegal marijuana, but at least for now, the smell of cannabis still gives police a valid reason to search your car in North Carolina. A three-judge N.C. Court of Appeals panel upheld a Sampson County man’s drug convictions on Tuesday after he sought to suppress evidence seized in a […]

Our Opinion: Budd backs bill to block folly of ‘digital dollars’

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North Carolina’s junior senator believes federal agents, IRS auditors and backroom bureaucrats have no business tracking the way you spend your money. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is throwing his weight behind legislation to prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. Budd helped Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduce the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act on Monday. “As Americans […]

Our Opinion: Red light cameras face reckoning in state’s high court

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Can cities shortchange public schools to pay for traffic camera systems that shake down drivers for profit? We’ll find out once and for all when the North Carolina Supreme Court weighs in. Justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in Fearrington v. City of Greenville, a case that challenges Greenville’s red light camera scheme on constitutional grounds. In March 2022, a unanimous […]

Our Opinion: State, not federal, law needed to stop protest roadblocks

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The gridlock gripping Washington might serve as a timely reminder to tie up a loose end when state lawmakers return to Raleigh next month. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis introduced the Safe and Open Streets Act, a bill that would establish a criminal offense for blocking public roads, in the closing days of the 118th Congress’ 2023 term. With most of […]

Our Opinion: Why can’t voters recall suspended Sharpsburg mayor?

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Robert Williams won the gavel fair and square, but after two drunken driving arrests in as many months, even the Sharpsburg mayor’s most ardent supporters might change their votes if given the chance. The Sharpsburg Board of Commissioners has effectively sidelined Williams, adopting a Jan. 4 resolution that temporarily transfers his duties to the mayor pro tempore. Unless Williams chooses […]

Our Opinion: Reentry 2030 effort helps ex-offenders turn over new leaf

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THUMBS UP to North Carolina’s participation in Reentry 2030, a nationwide effort to reduce recidivism and help ex-offenders successfully reintegrate into society through education, housing and health care services. Gov. Roy Cooper marshaled “whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people” on Jan. 29 with the signing of Executive Order No. 303. The order directs state agencies to begin […]

Our Opinion: NRA lawsuit places regulatory censors in court’s crosshairs

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Some gun owners are fond of saying Americans’ First Amendment rights rely on the Second Amendment for protection. A pending Supreme Court case could show that the premise also works in reverse order. Legal heavyweights are lining up to support the National Rifle Association in its lawsuit against Maria T. Vullo, former superintendent of the New York Department of Financial […]

Our Opinion: Help with filing forms shouldn’t require law degree

Audio Article

What should you tell the detective who invites you to the police station for an interview? Is the chance to clear your name worth risking a conviction at trial, or is it wiser to cut your losses and take a plea bargain? Would testifying in your own defense help or hurt your case? And what kind of courtroom clothing makes […]


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