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Longleaf Politics | Hurricane Matthew struck eastern North Carolina on October 9, 2016. A full 18 months later, some of the first federally funded repairs are slated to begin this June. Hurricane Matthew has re-emerged as a political issue in Raleigh as thousands of people in eastern North Carolina await public money to rebuild. The storm was one of the most devastating in North Carolina’s history, killing 31 people and caused more than $4.8 billion in damage. Matthew set rainfall records in 17 counties, and 2,300 people were rescued from floodwaters. Why is recovery taking so long? It mostly has to do with the processes setRead More →

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New Bern aldermen on Tuesday will consider a proposal to lessen the severity of the city’s utility deposit policy that has sometimes resulted in four-figure deposits for new customers with less than stellar credit, and soften other rules aimed at existing customers who fall behind in paying their bill. The recommendations cap the deposit at $500 for new residents, rather than the sum of the two highest bills rung up by the previous resident. It also won’t kick in the first time when a customer who has fallen behind asks for a payment arrangement, or the first time a customer’s check bounces. Payments could alsoRead More →

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Note: Links expire when next agenda is posted CITY OF NEW BERN BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING JUNE 12, 2018 – 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL COURTROOM 300 POLLOCK STREET 1. Meeting opened by Mayor Dana E. Outlaw.  Prayer Coordinated by Alderman Odham.  Pledge of Allegiance. 2. Roll Call. 3. Request and Petition of Citizens. This section of the Agenda is titled Requests and Petitions of Citizens.  This is an opportunity for public comment, and we thank you for coming to the Board of Aldermen meeting tonight to share your views.  We value all citizen input.Speaker comments are limited to a maximum of 4 minutes during the public comment period. Read More →

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Today during a special announcement at New Bern High School, Steve Tapley was named the new head football coach. Prior to his arrival at New Bern, Tapley coached the offensive line for four years while serving as the Run Game Coordinator, Offensive Coordinator, and Assistant Head Coach under Ron Turner at Wilkes Central High School in Wilkesboro, N.C. During those years several Eagles posted record numbers.  In each season an Eagle rusher gained more than 1,000 yards, with three players gaining more than 2,000 yards rushing. In their most productive season, the Eagles gained over 3,000 yards on the ground while giving up only 6Read More →

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Beginning July 1, Tryon Palace will be closed to the public on Mondays. This closure will affect all Tryon Palace properties, including the Governor’s Palace and grounds, historic buildings, gardens, and the North Carolina History Center. The Tryon Palace Commission determined that the weekly closure was necessary to ensure that Tryon Palace can continue to offer visitors a top-quality visitation experience, unencumbered by the normal maintenance required to preserve the buildings and grounds. Currently, the Palace is open seven days a week, leaving little staff time dedicated to landscape and building upkeep, which cannot happen in conjunction with tours and visitation. With Mondays being theRead More →

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A lagoon for hog waste. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture North Carolina Health News Now that neighbors to one hog farm have one court victory against the world’s largest pork producer, state legislators are moving to shield hog farms from nuisance lawsuits. This is not the first time the General Assembly has tightened protections for both livestock growers and the corporations that own the animals they raise. They’ve done it multiple times in recent years, sometimes in direct response to court cases. The 2018 farm bill, on a fast track for approval in Raleigh this week, would create a statute that says a farm cannot be consideredRead More →

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Photo courtesy Mesh, flickr creative commons North Carolina Health News Mental health advocates are concerned that a bill to enhance prison safety could disproportionately hurt inmates with severe mental illnesses. A bill making its way through the General Assembly would have imposed automatic felony charges, with time in prison added to the sentences of inmates who masturbate in front of or throw bodily or unknown fluids toward a correctional officer. These felony charges could have added up to two years to an inmate’s sentence for each offense, which would be served consecutively. The concern was that this could potentially add more than a decade to an inmate’sRead More →

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Most North Carolina counties are losing people to opioid overdoses. Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services North Carolina Health News As the number of drug overdoses in North Carolina and across the country continue to climb, state lawmakers rolled out a second piece of legislation aimed at curbing the flow of prescription opioids into the illegal drug market. The Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Enforcement (HOPE) Act aims to give law enforcement more tools to stop the diversion of prescription pills by allowing expanded access to the Controlled Substance Reporting System, which tracks the identifying information of people who are prescribed opioids. TheRead More →

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Name:  Filippo Peri Member Since:  April 2015  School:  H.J. MacDonald Middle School Grade:  8th Hobbies: Band, Math, Track & Field About Filippo:  Filippo, known as ‘Philip’ to his peers and staff, is the easy going, jokester of the group who enjoys band and school.  When the time came for Torch Club to pick a president, Filippo was eager to step up and lead the teens in a canned food drive during the holidays. His favorite subject is math and he takes great pride in his achievements. He also participated in HJM Middle School track team this year running the 800-meter event. As a rising 9thRead More →