News

Gov. Pat McCrory gave a national audience a glimpse into reforms he wants to implement in North Carolina.  He delivered this past weekend's GOP response to President Obama's weekly address. 

McCrory criticized what he called Washington's "weak leadership" and urged national lawmakers to give more flexibility and accountability to states.  He says he needs that kind of freedom to implement a different approach to Medicaid reform.

The state DOT says Hatteras Inlet remains impassible in some areas as ferries prepare to switch to a busier summer schedule. 

A series of storms clogged the channel between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands this winter, forcing crews to clear a longer detour.  A dredge has been clearing the original route, but officials say a boat bottomed out during a trial run last week.

"It's hard to say what's causing the changes there," says Jed Dixon, deputy director of the NC Ferry Division.

The State Senate is scheduled to debate a bill tomorrow that creates a separate board to oversee the growing number of charter schools in North Carolina.

Senate Bill 337 has gone through several revisions since it was introduced by Republican lawmakers two months ago. One of the provisions in an earlier bill, for example, removed the requirement that charter school teachers be college graduates. That requirement has since been re-instated.

Host Dick Gordon calls Issa Touma in the city of Aleppo, where he has reached him several times over the past year. He says sometimes the electricity is cut for days and there are bombings and firefights. In these times, the sounds of Aleppo intensify and he is hearing families fight and begin to fray.

This is a video from a workshop organized by Le Pont, the only cultural organization still operating in Aleppo:
 

The previous State Elections Board's term expired just as they were beginning to investigate $235,000 of allegedly illegal political donations.  The donations implicate Gov. Pat McCrory and legislators from both parties.  Governor McCrory made the unusual decision of replacing all of the board members. 

Summer is fast approaching, and so is outdoor concert season. If you’re aching to spend warm nights in the company of friends listening to good music under the stars, you’re in luck. The options for outdoor music in the Triad are numerous. Several small towns host regular, free concerts and larger cities like Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro have multiple outdoor music series showcasing  everything from chamber music to R & B, and from hip hop to bluegrass.

State lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively passed a bill that would allow installment loan companies to charge customers higher interest rates and fees.

Republican Senator Rick Gunn is a sponsor of the bill. He says the lending industry hasn't had a rate increase for a long time, and that customers would also be held responsible under the measure.

"Customers need to understand their need to make their payments on time, and according to their contract," says Gunn.

Thousands of employees at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem will be affected by several cost-cutting measures. The hospital is planning to freeze some hiring, reduce retirement contributions and ask employees to voluntarily take furloughs.