North Carolina

Government Delivered Inflation—but No Real Aid—in North Carolina

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2024

Government Delivered Inflation—but No Real Aid—in North Carolina

North Carolina can’t catch a break under the Biden-Harris administration.

The federal government’s appalling response to Hurricane Helene almost surely cost lives, adding insult to the injury of the inflation that has been crushing Tar Heel State residents for 3 1/2 years. In fact, prices there have risen even faster than the national average.

The 40-year-high inflation that has afflicted North Carolinians specifically and Americans broadly started in Washington with runaway government spending. At the start of 2021, prices were rising at an annual rate of just 1.4%, and the economy was growing steadily.

Instead of allowing the economic recovery to simply continue and let one-time emergency COVID-19 spending expire, President Joe Biden pushed for trillions of dollars in new spending bills, bloated with left-wing boondoggles and special-interest handouts.

A spendthrift Congress obliged and, whenever necessary, Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tiebreaking vote in the Senate to approve multitrillion-dollar spending bills. A recent analysis showed that Harris’ action in pushing through those pieces of legislation accounted for half the excess inflation in the last three years.

That’s because every time Congress and the White House spent money the nation didn’t have, the Federal Reserve ended up creating the money for the Treasury to spend. This rampant increase in the money supply cut one-fifth of the value of the dollar in less than four years, which in turn caused prices to rise.

Since inflation has far outpaced wage gains, families have had to either reduce their spending or go into debt. That’s why credit card debt is at a record high and Americans are paying over $300 billion annually in finance charges on their outstanding balances.

But North Carolina has actually been hit harder by inflation than the national average. The Heritage Foundation’s personal inflation calculator uses official government data to show that household-related expenses in the South Atlantic region have increased 23%—or $983 per month—since January 2021.

To put that in perspective, inflation has cost North Carolina residents $11,800 annually, the equivalent of over 3 1/2 years’ worth of grocery expenses.

Many necessities, including utilities or food, have seen prices rise even faster than the overall average for all products and services. Monthly gasoline expenses in North Carolina and the rest of the South Atlantic region have increased from $133 to $191, a jump of over 44%, since Biden and Harris took office.

For those who can still afford to buy and fuel a car in today’s world of sky-high prices, the pain doesn’t stop there. Car insurance has also become astronomically more expensive—up 55% to $156 per month on average.

And while some North Carolinians may opt out of driving and resign themselves to walking or using public transit, they still need somewhere to live. Here again, the financial pain is acute, with the average rent and mortgage cost in the South Atlantic up 28% from $1,431 to $1,825 since the start of 2021.

But despite the mounting cost of profligate government spending on Tar Heel State residents, Gov. Roy Cooper is doubling down on the madness, taking a page out of the Biden-Harris playbook with his proposed biennial state budget that includes a $50 billion deficit.

The last thing North Carolina taxpayers need is more government spending and debt thrown onto their backs, especially as they struggle to recover from Hurricane Helene, without much help from federal authorities.

This article originally appeared in The Washington Times.

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North Carolina

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

Published

11 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.

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North Carolina

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

Published

23 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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: