North Carolina

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says if Kamala Harris wins his state,

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2024

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says if Kamala Harris wins his state,

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Sunday that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins his state, then “she is the next president of the United States.”

“Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan asked the governor on Sunday whether North Carolinians are open to persuasion when it comes to Harris’ race for the White House.

“There’s no question about it. It’s close here in North Carolina. It always is,” Cooper said. “This was Biden-Harris’s closest loss in 2020, only 1.3%. So the fact that Kamala Harris, as Vice President of the United States, has been to North Carolina 17 times shows that she cares about our state.”

The conquest for the Tar Heel State’s 16 electoral votes has long tantalized Democrats, which have not been won by a Democrat since former President Barack Obama in 2008. North Carolina’s record of Democratic governors and specifically Cooper’s success in the state may be the party’s source of optimism.

Cooper is not running for reelection, with Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein facing off against right-wing Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. A New York Times/Siena poll from August had Stein leading by 10 points, and Democrats are hoping that Robinson’s inflammatory rhetoric will help them up and down the ballot.

In late August, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted North Carolina from “lean Republican” to a “toss up.” Jessica Taylor, the senate and governors editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter told CBS News last week that the Biden campaign wanted to make North Carolina competitive, but she said that it was Harris who transformed the state to a battleground.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Sept. 8, 2024.

CBS News

“And so we’ve seen significant shifts, I think, with enthusiasm among Black voters, among younger voters, and the polls that we have seen show this very much to be a toss up contest,” Taylor said at the time.

The Cook Political Report survey from late July/early August shows Harris leading by one point from former President Donald Trump in North Carolina, 48% to 47%/ A change from their May report, where President Biden trailed Trump by seven points, 41% to 48%.

New CBS polling also shows other three key battleground states—Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin—as tight races ahead of the first Harris-Trump debate on Tuesday with the economy proving to remain a top issue for voters. Cooper said Sunday that North Carolinians will be paying attention to the debate and Harris’ economic agenda.

“And she’s got a plan. She’s got a plan to lower costs for North Carolinians, particularly in this childcare arena, drug pricing. We’re excited about the economic plan that she has… and I think North Carolinians will respond to it,” Cooper said.

Following Tuesday’s debate, Harris will return to North Carolina on Thursday for a campaign event to kick off a battleground tour. Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and first lady of Minnesota Gwen Walz are also set to begin a bus tour across the state this week.

Cooper said Sunday that he believes the more that North Carolinians hear Harris’ messaging, the more support she will continue to receive in the state.

“When we continue to get this information out to the American public, and to people here in North Carolina, that Kamala Harris has an economic plan that’s going to help lower the cost for everyday people, that’s going to help families thrive, that is going to protect women’s reproductive freedom. I think at the end of the day, that’s going to be what works here,” Cooper said.

And when asked if he’d be open to potentially serving as attorney general in a Harris-Walz administration, Cooper left off with a “we’ll see.” Cooper and Harris have known each other since they both served as attorneys general of their states.

Source link

North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

Source link

North Carolina

Gov. Stein proposes $1.4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

Published

22 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Stein proposes .4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — With North Carolina still without a new state budget, Gov. Josh Stein is urging state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion “Critical Needs Budget.” Stein says this budget will address the state’s most urgent priorities while the General Assembly works on a full spending plan.

“North Carolina has gone nearly two and a half years without passing a new state budget – the only state in the country to finish 2025 without one[…]This budget invests in critical public safety, education and health care services for the people of North Carolina that cannot wait,” Gov. Stein said in a press release Monday.

A major part of Stein’s proposal is $319 million to fully fund Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over three million North Carolinians. This program also supports rural hospitals, nursing homes and statewide health care providers, per the release.

JUDGE ORDERS FEMA TO REINSTATE $200M STORM RELIEF PROGRAM, ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS

The “Critical Needs Budget” would target public safety staffing and pay. According to the governor’s office, North Carolina currently ranks 49th in starting salaries for state troopers and correctional officers, and low pay has contributed to staffing shortages and vacancy rates. This budget would bring pay raises to correctional officers, law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers and more.

Stein’s proposed budget calls for raising starting and average teacher pay, as well as increasing pay for senior teachers and other education staff. The governor’s office said the state remains in the bottom 10 nationally in average teacher pay.

The budget proposal also includes pay increases for state employees and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees, citing rising inflation costs and increasing health care premiums. Stein’s plan also includes targeted funding to maintain essential services, such as support for child care access and affordability.

Source link

North Carolina

The North Carolina Arboretum’s “Spring Into the Arb” returns for year two

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The North Carolina Arboretum’s “Spring Into the Arb” returns for year two

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Arboretum has announced a new season of “Spring Into the Arb!”

The “Spring Into the Arb!” is in its second year, with its series of plant shows and sales, science and nature activities, music, and art, allowing people to reemerge and reconnect with nature.

The season begins with Nature Play Day on Saturday, March 14, continuing through April, May, and June with new activities every weekend.

TROLLS DRAW LARGE WEEKEND CROWD, FORCING N.C. ARBORETUM TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE

According to a news release, throughout the season, guests can enjoy the following:

Asheville Orchid Festival, annual Ikebana and Rose shows
Purchase plants at the Spring Plant Sale and Market
Get back to their native roots with Native Azalea Day, Mountain Science Expo, and Nature Play Day

The series culminates with Bonsai in the Blue Ridge in June, according to the release.

The release says guests and members are invited to drop in on the newly-opened Arbor Eatery in the Arboretum’s Education Center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Hours extend to 5 p.m. beginning April 1.

Spring Into the Arb events and programs are included with the regular Arboretum parking fee of $25 per vehicle. Arboretum Society Members get in free.

NC ARBORETUM MARKS BIRD DAY WITH WALKS, DEMOS AHEAD OF GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

According to the release, additional admission is required for the Asheville Orchid Festival and Bonsai in the Blue Ridge.

A full list of the Spring Into the Arb 2026 events includes: