As he moves toward finishing an unprecedented 10-year reign, the House speaker leaves a complicated legacy.
Jim Morrill
Posted inPolitics
What’s Behind Tricia Cotham’s Democratic Divorce
She says Democrats drove her away. Her former allies are puzzled—and say Cotham doesn’t seem to be the same person they knew before.
Posted inHealth
A Prescription for Rural Hospitals
Legislators are lurching toward expanding Medicaid, which would boost the state’s ailing rural hospitals.
Posted inPolitics
Thom Tillis and the Art of the Deal
With his next reelection campaign four long years away, North Carolina’s soon-to-be senior senator has emerged as a bipartisan dealmaker. Back home, his party’s conservative wing doesn’t like it.
Posted inPolitics
Cheri Beasley’s Record Is On Trial
The U.S. Senate candidate and former chief justice of the state Supreme Court touts her independence as a jurist. Republicans are taking aim.
Posted inElections
Pat McCrory’s New Game
The former Charlotte mayor and governor considers himself a Reagan Republican and believes in “constructive conservatism.” Now, as he runs for the U.S. Senate against a Trump-endorsed candidate, the ground has shifted—and he’s trying to find his footing.
Posted inMedia
On Guard in Asheville
The Asheville Watchdog is powered by a cadre of accomplished journalists who retired to the North Carolina mountains. The staff’s investigative reporting has made a splash, and they’d like it to be a model—but it’s unclear whether their startup can be duplicated.
Posted inK-12 Education
The State’s Looming Constitutional Crisis
The long-running Leandro case has promised transformative investments in K-12 education. As a judge prepares to take action, the state is anticipating a constitutional impasse with enormous consequences for students and North Carolina’s system of checks and balances.
Posted inPolitics
Searching for Mike Easley
He was once one of the state’s most popular politicians, and remains perhaps the most idiosyncratic governor North Carolina has ever had. Since he left office and was convicted of a felony, he’s hardly been heard from. We went looking for him.