Partisan races for 2024 election set

North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election ended last week, and after a slow start, a flurry of Western North Carolina candidates have qualified for federal, state and local races. 

Macon school board opposes partisan elections

After county commissioners considered signing a resolution in support of transitioning the Macon County Board of Education to a partisan-elected body, the school board has made clear their vehement opposition to the change. 

Can our democracy survive?

It’s clear from numerous reports out of Congress that most, if not all, Republicans think Donald Trump is a buffoon and an idiot. A few have said this in public (e.g., Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger).

Macon tables partisan school board discussion

After contentious debate over the decision to make the Macon County Board of Education partisan-elected, county commissioners tabled the issue to get input from school board members and the public. 

Elections bill is partisan power grab

To the Editor:

The passage of SB 749 in the North Carolina House of Representatives on Sept. 19, 2023, a bill ironically called “No Partisan Advantage in Elections” removes the selection of local county election boards from the counties and gives that authority to the General Assembly in Raleigh, which at the present time is controlled by the Republican party.

Pless continues to support some ‘bad stuff’

Rep. Mark Pless, to put it bluntly, is a piece of work.

Fears of a politicized court system grow

Maybe the change was an inevitable byproduct of our charged and contentious era.

A subtle eclipse, a reminder of what we’ve lost

As Lori and I walked our dog through the roads in our subdivision this morning before sunrise, Election Day, we hoped for no fog and no clouds so we could witness the lunar eclipse. It was indeed crystal clear, the stars were out, and for most of the walk we watched as the Earth’s shadow slowly moved across the full moon near the western horizon. It’s a subtle celestial show, the darker orange/yellow slowly covering the brighter yellow/white. Otherworldly.

Supreme Court candidates navigate partisan campaigning and judicial integrity

They may be the most consequential races in North Carolina this year, yet most people don’t even know who’s running.

The Haywood partisan elections bill is dead, for now

A bill advanced by Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) to make school board and municipal elections in Haywood County partisan has fallen short, but could eventually be revived. 

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