North Carolina senators are getting their first attempt to change a proposed state government budget plan for the next two years. The Senate Appropriations Committee planned to meet Tuesday morning to discuss and vote on the proposal that spends roughly 2 percent more than this year, or nearly $21 billion.
5/21/2013 - By: Associated Press
Democratic Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon will hold a news conference Tuesday at noon to lay out his political future, which might include a run for mayor.
5/21/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
North Carolina's Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper is opposing a state Senate budget provision that moves much of an investigative unit from his department to one headed by an appointee of Republican Gov. Pat McCrory.
5/20/2013 - By: Associated Press
The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is entering its fourth straight week of protests at the state legislature that have resulted in nearly 100 arrests so far. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People plans the latest demonstration on Monday aimed at the policies of the Republican-led General Assembly.
5/20/2013 - By: Associated Press
The state Senate's $21 billion spending plan, which includes a 2.3 percent increase in spending for the state, is expected to move through committee this week. The 2.3 percent increase in spending would include about $1 billion to control Medicaid costs and about $53 million for education reform.
5/19/2013 - By: Loretta Boniti
Confirmation hearings will begin this week in Washington for Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation. A hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
5/20/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
Lawmakers are ready to question the ousted head of the Internal Revenue Service as Congress this morning holds its first hearing on the extra scrutiny the IRS gave tea party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status.
5/17/2013 - By: Associated Press
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to become the next U.S. Transportation Secretary, will appear before a Senate committee next week. The committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will question him at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Washington.
5/16/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
House Republicans now have their own tax overhaul plan that would reduce personal and corporate income tax rates and expand the sales tax to cover more services.
5/16/2013 - By: Associated Press
The Justice Department is investigating the IRS for targeting conservative groups when they applied for tax-exempt status. In a letter to President Barack Obama, the Rev. Franklin Graham said he believes the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse are among those organizations.
5/15/2013 - By: Elise Roberts
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is scheduled to be sworn in for a fourth term in the U.S. House. Sanford is set to take the oath of office on the House floor in Washington late Wednesday afternoon. Last week, Sanford won the 1st District seat he held for three terms in the 1990s.
5/15/2013 - By: Associated Press
Attorneys in North Carolina's redistricting lawsuits will return to court early next month because a three-judge panel wants to hear more evidence before deciding on the legality of boundaries drawn by Republican legislators.
5/14/2013 - By: Associated Press
North Carolina's unenforceable literacy test requirement to register to vote could be formally removed in House legislation that ultimately would go to voters statewide. The House gave tentative unanimous approval Monday evening to a bill putting the repeal question on the ballot in May 2014.
5/14/2013 - By: Associated Press
Tensions on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners continue to boil over, a week after the firing of County Manager Harry Jones. Democrat Dumont Clarke, one of the two commissioners to vote in support of keeping Jones on as manager asked board chair Pat Cotham, a fellow Democrat, to seriously consider resigning.
5/13/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
The public will get a chance Monday to hear more about a plan that could bring tolls to Interstate 95. The state Department of Transportation says the tolls are needed to back the cost of upgrades. So over the last six months, DOT officials have been conducting an economic assessment study.
5/13/2013 - By: Linnie Supall
Charlotte City Manager Ron Carlee's proposed 2014 budget of nearly $2 billion includes a 7 percent city property tax increase, which would be the first for the city in more than five years. It also includes increases for Charlotte utility customers to pay for the proposed capital improvement plan.
5/13/2013 - By: Leslie Mayes
One congressional Republican says it "should send a chill up your spine," referring to employees at the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative political groups for tougher scrutiny of their tax-exempt status.
5/12/2013 - By: Associated Press
In the months leading up to his April 17 firing, Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen fielded frequent criticism and questions from city council members who wanted to take a more hands-on role in governing the city.
5/12/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
Senate Republicans have rolled out a tax plan in Raleigh that would subject almost all services to sales tax. The tax overhaul proposal would make North Carolina's sales tax base one of the broadest in the country and subject nearly all consumer activities and products to the combined local and state rate.
5/12/2013 - By: Associated Press
Some political observers are questioning the effectiveness of weekly protests at the General Assembly by the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Some say the strategy may help keep Democratic voters engaged through the 2014 elections as Republican supermajorities push their own agenda, but getting real change from the legislature will be tough.
5/12/2013 - By: Associated Press
The North Carolina House is trying to revive a proposal to push out dozens of people from some state boards and commissions and downsize other panels.
5/10/2013 - By: Associated Press
The chamber voted 87-29 Thursday for a bill directing all public bodies to record by audio or audio and video what went on in private, with some exceptions. The public and media could receive the recording once the reason for having a private meeting is no longer applicable.
5/10/2013 - By: Associated Press
Mecklenburg County commissioners abruptly fired County Manager Harry Jones on Tuesday night after being unable to agree with Jones on a date for his departure. They will hire a national search firm and expect to have a new manager in place by the fall.
5/9/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
Members of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus marched to the state Capitol Thursday morning to express their concerns about the decisions being made by state lawmakers. Their message was delivered but their voices were not heard by Gov. Pat McCrory, who was not in the building at the time.
5/9/2013 - By: Loretta Boniti
House Republicans seeking to further restrict abortions in North Carolina have passed a bill barring the procedures on the basis of the gender of the fetus. Opponents say the measure will probably be challenged in court and would lead to ethnic discrimination if approved.
5/8/2013 - By: Associated Press
Lawmakers are preparing to make amendments this week to the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform legislation, but some Republicans are warning that border security could sink the plan. They say the legislation will collapse if more isn't done to keep undocumented immigrants out of the country.
5/8/2013 - By: Michael Scotto, Washington, D.C. Bureau
Former Republican Gov. Mark Sanford won the special election Tuesday for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District seat. Sanford defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch by a 54-45 percent margin, in his return to politics after a very public affair and divorce while governor.
5/8/2013 - By: Kate Gaier
A new tax overhaul plan introduced Tuesday would give North Carolina one of the broadest sales tax bases in the country. Senate leader Phil Berger says the plan would cut taxes overall by about $1 billion, including cuts to the top individual income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate.
5/7/2013 - By: Loretta Boniti
The city moved one step closer Monday to selling the Lawrence Joel Coliseum and Bowman Gray Stadium. A council committee decided to allow the full council to vote on the matter during the May 20 meeting.
5/7/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
On Monday afternoon, Charlotte City Manager Ron Carlee outlined his $1.97 billion budget, which calls for the first city property tax hike in years. He is recommending a 7 percent hike to help pay for city services like fire and police, and assist in funding a new long-term capital improvement plan.
5/6/2013 - By: Brad Broders
News 14 Carolina Reporter Kate Gaier caught up with former Gov. Mark Sanford, the Republican vying for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District Seat, in Mt. Pleasant.
5/6/2013 - By: Kate Gaier
News 14 Carolina Reporter Kate Gaier caught up with Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the Democrat vying for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District Seat, in Charleston.
5/6/2013 - By: Kate Gaier
While Republican nominee Mark Sanford did not have any public events scheduled for Sunday, Democratic Congressional hopeful Elizabeth Colbert Busch spent Sunday on a bus tour through South Carolina's five-county 1st District.
5/6/2013 - By: Kate Gaier
The North Carolina Department of Transportation's plan to add toll lanes to the stretch of I-77 between Charlotte and Mooresville has come under fire for being too expensive. One state representative who originally supported the plan is taking back his stamp of approval.
5/6/2013 - By: Jenna Barnes
A special election for South Carolina's 1st Congressional district will be held Tuesday. Former Gov. Mark Sanford, the Republican candidate, may be best known for his affair with an Argentenian woman while serving as governor, but he hasn't given up hope of returning to office. He faces off with Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch.
5/6/2013 - By: Kate Gaier
The House voted unanimously Thursday to give county election boards the ability to shutter voting precinct sites in what are officially called second primaries for federal and state elections.
5/3/2013 - By: Associated Press
The North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is ready to announce new planned acts of civil disobedience following the arrest of 17 NAACP members and other activists at the North Carolina General Assembly.
5/3/2013 - By: Associated Press
Mayor Anthony Foxx, who was nominated this week by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. Transportation Secretary, said he wouldn't have run for a third term as mayor even if he hadn't been nominated.
5/1/2013 - By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
A bill granting driving privileges to those in the country illegally and authorizing Arizona-style detainment measures is headed for its first committee vote in the North Carolina House. A House judiciary committee will take up the bill Wednesday.
5/1/2013 - By: Associated Press
President Barack Obama is picking a Capitol Hill veteran experienced in business, law and civil rights by naming North Carolina Congressman Mel Watt to head the federal regulatory agency that oversees the country's two mortgage lending behemoths.
5/1/2013 - By: Associated Press