North Carolina
Government ethics groups protest ‘dark money’ bill to open NC elections to more anonymous spending
As state lawmakers prepare to pass a bill allowing corporations and anonymous donors to more directly fund individual politicians in North Carolina, advocates for government ethics and transparency flocked to the state legislature Thursday to denounce the changes.
Under current state law, politicians must disclose who’s giving their campaigns money. They can’t take money from corporations at all. And they can only take a maximum of $6,400 from individual people and political groups.
But now, critics say the changes North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders are proposing would create a massive loophole: Allowing for unlimited amounts of untraceable “dark money” to flow into politicians’ campaigns, by using state political parties as the middleman, and without the public being able to see who’s behind it.
“The ability to oversee and understand who’s influencing our elections is really diminished by this policy,” said Ann Webb of the government ethics reform group Common Cause North Carolina.
The state Senate voted to approve the changes last week, prompting all the chamber’s Democratic members to skip the vote in protest. The state House plans to vote on approving the changes Tuesday afternoon.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper could veto the bill — on Tuesday Cooper’s office told WRAL that “political donations should be more transparent, not less” — but Republicans have enough votes in the legislature to override Cooper’s vetoes, and they have done so every time this session.
Republican leaders say the change will level the playing field in the race for governor, to replace the term-limited Cooper.
The latest campaign finance records show Democratic nominee Josh Stein had raised $19.1 million as of February, with $12.7 million left to spend.
Republican nominee Mark Robinson was millions of dollars behind, having raised $10.7 million in that same period, with $4.5 million left to spend.
Super PACs spending millions
While North Carolina’s current campaign finance laws mostly set strict limits on how much money politicians can take from a single source, there are limited exceptions: They can personally loan their own campaigns as much money as they want, and political parties can also give candidates as much as they want.
The new changes to state law would loosen up the rules for state political parties, allowing them to now take money from a type of federal political action committee commonly called Super PACs.
Unlike individual politicians or political parties, Super PACs can keep their donors secret. They can also receive unlimited amounts of funding, including from otherwise banned sources such as labor unions and corporations. For that reason, Super PACs haven’t been allowed to donate money directly to politicians or political parties in North Carolina.
Democrats say the changes are clearly intended to let corporations and others give anonymously to Robinson’s campaign, by giving their money to Super PACs which could then route it through the NCGOP to Robinson.
A Robinson campaign spokesman declined to comment. House Speaker Tim Moore confirmed last week the changes are aimed at the governor’s race, although he said he hadn’t personally spoken with Robinson about it.
“The way the rules have been interpreted seemed to give a balance in favor of the way the Democrats did it,” Moore said.
That’s a reference to a 2020 memo from the North Carolina State Board of Elections, which indicated that a major national Democratic group had taken the necessary extra steps to keep its funds separate depending on where the money came from — which allowed it to send some of its money to the state Democratic Party without breaking state laws.
A similar Republican group had not taken the same steps to be allowed to legally give to the North Carolina Republican Party; GOP leaders say that’s why the law needs to be changed.
“What we’re seeking to do is to level the playing field,” Moore said.
Tied to bill targeting protesters
The campaign finance changes have received further criticism for the way they’ve passed through the legislature, with limited debated and tacked onto an unrelated bill targeting protesters.
Republican lawmakers initially proposed banning people from wearing masks in public for health reasons, saying they believe protesters have taken advantage of that rule, and Covid-era norms on mask-wearing, to hide their identities at demonstrations. Banning masks would make it easier for police to search, detain and potentially arrest people for wearing masks that hide part of their faces, the proposal’s supporters and critics all said.
But after that proposal received widespread backlash, including from fellow GOP lawmakers, legislative leaders agreed to a compromise that would allow people to still wear masks in public to stop the spread of diseases, but clarified that it has to be a medical-grade mask.
The bill will also increase criminal penalties for protesters who block a road, and allow civil lawsuits against the organizers of protests that end up blocking a road, even if the organizer wasn’t personally present.
“Protesting is a part of democracy,” said Dawn Blagrove, a prominent Black Lives Matter activist who leads the group Emancipate North Carolina. “To chill the right to protest is a surefire sign that you are afraid of the people. And when you are afraid of the people you are afraid of their power.”
North Carolina
North Carolina basketball makes NCAA Tournament field as last team in: Social media reacts
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After days and weeks of wondering whether it would end up on the right side of the men’s NCAA Tournament bubble, one of the most historically decorated teams in men’s college basketball heard its name called on Selection Sunday.
The fact it did, though, has generated some controversy.
North Carolina was among the most debated teams heading into the NCAA Tournament selection show, with 22 wins and the pedigree of being one of the sport’s blue bloods.
Coach Hubert Davis’ team ultimately didn’t have to wait long to learn its fate, with the Tar Heels’ name showing up on the 68-team bracket in the first region that was revealed on CBS’ selection show. North Carolina will head to Dayton, Ohio to take on fellow No. 11 seed San Diego State in the First Four, with the winner advancing to face No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the tournament’s first round.
It’s a silver lining for a North Carolina program that has suffered through a disappointing 2024-25 season. After coming into the season No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after earning a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels limped to a 14-11 start, but caught fire to end the season, winning eight of their final 10 games, with the only two losses coming to No. 1 Duke.
Like many bubble teams, though, there were plenty of holes to find on their resume.
North Carolina went just 1-12 in Quadrant One games. While it stacked up some wins late in the final month of the season, none of its eight victories since Feb. 15 have come against a team ranked in the top 65 of the NCAA’s NET rankings.
Adding to whatever anger, frustration and shock there was over North Carolina’s making the field is that the chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee was Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham. While it could understandably be viewed as a conflict of interest, Cunningham was unable to be in the room while North Carolina was being discussed.
This year marks the 19th time the Tar Heels have made the NCAA Tournament the past 21 times the event was held.
UNC basketball makes NCAA Tournament: Social media reactions
Prior to this season, the Tar Heels had never received lower than a No. 8 seed to the NCAA Tournament.
The high school basketball season is complete in the Tar Heel State, with champions in four classifications crowned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
Here is a look at what happened.
4-A
North Mecklenburg 59, New Hanover 56
Carson Evans scored 24 points and Chadlyn Traylor had 22 as North Mecklenburg rallied to beat New Hanover for the second year in a row in the state championship game.
Ashton Pierce had 8 points and 7 rebounds for the Vikings, who finished the season with a 30-3 record.
New Hanover stormed to a 14-0 lead. The Vikings rallied, cutting the lead to seven in the second quarter. They went ahead in the third quarter.
Rodmik Allen led the Wildcats with 14 points while Kellum Brown had 13 points and C.J. Kornegay had 10 points.
It was the second straight season of heartbreak for the Wildcats, who are 62-2 with both losses coming to North Mecklenburg in the state championship game.
3-A
Ben L. Smith 64, Southern Durham 62 (OT)
Jyi Dawkins scored 29 points, including two free throws in the final seconds of overtime, as the Golden Eagles prevailed.
Dawkins, who had 7 rebounds and made 8-of-9 free throws, was named MVP.
The Golden Eagles’ Tayshawn Mann had forced overtime on a driving layup with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
Kenny Miller Jr. had 13 points and 5 rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Mann had 6 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.
A.J. Morman Jr. and Jackson Keith each scored 23 points to lead Southern Durham.
2-A
Reidsville 71, Northwood 54
The nationally ranked Rams capped off the season with a 60-game winning streak and two consecutive state championships. Reidsville is 90-1 over the last three seasons, with the loss coming in the 2023 state championship game.
Dionte Neal led the Rams with 24 points. Kendre Harrison, the Rams’ 6-foot-7, 243-pound junior forward who has committed to Oregon for football, had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Cam Fowler led Northwood with 27 points and 8 rebounds.
1-A
Corvian Community 58, Southern Wake Academy 55 (OT)
R.J. Moore scored a game-high 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, as the Cardinals won the state championship. Moore, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, was named MVP.
Corvian (25-7) battled from behind to win its first state championship.
Malachi McCutcheon added 15 points for the Cardinals.
Sophomore guard Kobe Plata led the Lions (29-5) with 19 points.
4-A
Lake Norman 43, Wakefield 41
Lake Norman won its first state championship in dramatic fashion, defeating Wakefield 43-41 when Rayana Minard made a bucket at the buzzer. A pass from Alexis Shehan set up the game-winner.
Shehan led the Wildcats with 13 points. Minard scored 10 points and was named MVP.
Lake Norman (30-1) lost only to Hebron Christian Academy, a nationally ranked Georgia school.
3-A
Western Alamance 76, Stuart Cramer 58
Western Alamance used balance to overcome a sensational individual effort by Stuart Cramer star Oshauna Holland.
Senior guard Tina Bowers scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the way for Western Alamance. Another senior guard, Allie Sykes, had 22 points and 5 assists.
That was enough to offset the 5-foot-8 Holland, who scored nearly every point for the Storm. Holland finished with 49 points, making 15-of-29 field goal attempts. She was 17-of-17 from the free throw line.
It was close early but Western Alamance built a 20-point lead by the third quarter and coasted to victory.
Western Alamance (28-4) dominated in the playoffs, winning by no less than 14 points in the Warriors’ six games.
2-A
Southeast Alamance 43, North Wilkes 33
Southeast Alamance won’t even have a senior class until the 2025-26 school year but that didn’t stop the Stallions from winning a state championship in the new school’s second year.
Clara LaChappelle led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds, earning MVP honors. Shaniya Paylor had 12 points and Natalie Lopez had 9.
Ralee Bare led North Wilkes with 16 points but
1-A
Cherokee 84, East Bladen 48
Defending champion Cherokee turned a close game into a rout in the second half with a 41-8 run.
Whitney Rogers led the Braves with 33 points. Dvdaya Swimmer posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also had 6 assists and 5 steals.
Laila Smith led East Bladen with 24 points while Nene Ward had 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Cherokee (28-2) lost only to nationally ranked Georgia school Hebron Christian and Winston-Salem Prep’s national team.
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AccuWeather’s 2025 spring forecast
AccuWeather’s l preview of the spring forecast.
Severe weather is expected in Western North Carolina beginning tonight, Saturday, March 15.
National Weather Service forecasts call for showers and thunderstorms as well as gusty winds Saturday night through Sunday night. A wind advisory and hazardous weather outlook have been issued, warning residents of the area of possible danger brought by the storm front.
Here’s what we know about the hazards beginning Saturday night.
Heavy wind warning
A wind advisory issued by the NWS at 1:56 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, is affecting Buncombe, Graham, Haywood, Macon, Madison, Northern Jackson, Southern Jackson and Swain Counties. The advisory, in affect from 6 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday, warns of south winds reaching 20-30 mph with gusts of 40-50 mph expected in the valleys. Winds will gust as high as 70 mph on high peaks and ridgetops.
Winds of this force may blow around unsecured objects and blow down tree limbs, potentially resulting in some power outages. Extra precaution is also advised for drivers, as driving may be more difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
Thunderstorms, possible flooding, tornadoes
A hazardous weather outlook issued by the NWS at 2:53 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, is affecting northeast Georgia, WNC and Upstate South Carolina. Also in affect 6 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday, the outlook warns of a powerful storm system that will bring heavy rain and severe storms.
Main hazards mentioned in the outlook included damaging wind gusts, as well as “a strong tornado or two” possible in the affected region during the storm. In a Friday report from the Citizen Times, NWS Meteorologist Chris Horne said that while no widespread or severe flooding is expected, some areas of WNC could see heavy or excessive rainfall that could lead to isolated flooding. This was reiterated in the outlook, with highest possibility for flooding in the S.C., Georgia and southwest N.C. mountains.
Strong to severe storms may redevelop Sunday afternoon, but NWS confidence is currently low.
Asheville weekend weather
Saturday, March 15 – Showers and possibly a thunderstorm beginning overnight. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 57 degrees. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 16 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday, March 16 – Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 12 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 12-1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 71 degrees. South southeast wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A 40 percent chance of showers remains between 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Mostly cloudy Sunday night, with a low around 35 degrees. North northwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Hendersonville weekend weather
Saturday, March 15 – Scattered showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 58 degrees. Breezy, with a south wind 17 to 24 mph and gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Sunday, March 16 – Showers and thunderstorms before 12 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 12-1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog between 7-8 a.m. High near 69 degrees. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 17 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A 20 percent chance of showers continues before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy overnight, with a low around 37 degrees. West wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
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