Politics

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NEWS 1/28/26 2:22pm

Elon Town Council discusses possible acquisition of Labcorp property

By Trista Panagakos

The Elon Town Council discussed possible funding paths for a new municipal building and police station. The Town agreed to purchase a Labcorp property at 112 Orange Drive in the fall. The purchase has not gone through and members debated costs Jan. 27. There were no participants in the public comments portion of the meeting. 

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NEWS 1/14/26 11:08am

Elon Town Council accepts funds from North Carolina League of Municipalities, passes golf cart resolutions

By Alannah Klingsporn

The Elon Town Council adopted new funding, the sale of the Elon Fire Department's extra fire truck and discussed future new business Jan. 13. Elon Town Council member Randy Orwig was not in attendance for this meeting. 

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NEWS 1/5/26 9:34am

Elon University’s SGA to implement suggestion boxes on campus, look to make an impact in the spring

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University’s Student Government Association had an eventful fall semester following the implementation of a new funding model, freshman elections and an atypical town hall. “Change is change,” Vice President of Communications for SGA Kennedy Steiner said. “People don't always love change, but I think for the future, I think this could be really good, people asking, maybe why something didn't get funded, and just making sure everything was as equitable as possible for organizations.” 

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NEWS 1/1/26 3:36pm

NC Rep. Stephen Ross to not seek re-election after 6 terms

By Anjolina Fantaroni

North Carolina state Rep. Stephen Ross announced he will not seek re-election, ending his sixth term after more than three decades in public service. Ross has spent more than three decades in public service, previously serving as a member of  Burlington City Council, Mayor of Burlington and chairman of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments. He said he reached a point where he felt it was time to step aside. Ross said he wants to spend more time with his family. Ryan Moffitt, an Elon Law alum and Burlington attorney, has announced his candidacy for the seat.

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NEWS 12/17/25 3:18pm

North Carolinians rate public schools poorly in new Elon Poll

By Nia Bedard

As K-12 students across North Carolina prepare for their winter break, the Elon University Poll released poll data on Dec. 17 finding that most North Carolinians gave mediocre or poor grades to public schools across the state. “The states have always had deep authority on education, but there has been more federal involvement in various years,” Director of the Elon University Poll Jason Husser said. “So we thought, well, this is the time for us to really look in depth about what do people think about North Carolina schools.”

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NEWS 12/10/25 3:34pm

Defensores en contra de la pena de muerte reaccionan a ‘La Ley de Iryna,’ posibles implicaciones

By Miles Hayford

Ante la posibilidad de que la "Ley de Iryna" reintroduzca la pena de muerte en Carolina del Norte, los defensores de la abolición de la pena capital están reaccionando a esta nueva legislación. "Es un despropósito, es perjudicial, y nos opondremos a ella con todas nuestras fuerzas, junto con nuestros colaboradores, e intentaremos contrarrestar las consecuencias negativas que ya han comenzado a manifestarse a raíz de esta ley", declaró Noel Nickle, director ejecutivo de la Coalición de Carolina del Norte para Alternativas a la Pena de Muerte.

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NEWS 12/10/25 8:06am

Advocates against the death penalty react to ‘Iryna’s Law,’ potential implications

By Miles Hayford

As ‘Iryna’s Law’ potentially brings back the death penalty to North Carolina, anti-death penalty advocates are reacting to this new legislation. “It's a mess, and it's harmful, and we will stand against it as best we can with all of our partners and try to defeat the negative ramifications that have already started to take place because of it,” said Noel Nickle, the executive director of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. 

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NEWS 12/9/25 10:41pm

Elon Town Council swears in recently elected members

By Alannah Klingsporn

Elon Town Council swore in new member Steve Exum during their meeting on Dec. 9. Returning council member Randy Orwig and Mayor Emily Sharpe were resworn into their current positions, with Monti Allison being resworn in as Mayor Pro Tem. Steve Exum thanked his family for their support and talked about what he is looking forward to accomplishing as a member of the town council. “I do want to be a bridge builder, a teammate, a lister,” Exum said towards the end of the meeting. “I want to help Elon grow wisely, with opportunity for all and with heart.”

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NEWS 12/2/25 11:21pm

Burlington swears in first female mayor

By Alice Morrissey

Surrounded by friends and family, Burlington’s first female mayor, Beth Kennett, was sworn into office at the Burlington City Council meeting on Dec. 2. The meeting was held in the Hugh M. Cummings High School auditorium, which was filled with Burlington locals and supporters of Kennett. Before adjourning the meeting, Kennett reaffirmed her commitment to being a voice for the people of Burlington. “I’m not here to make your choices; I’m here to work with you to make Burlington the best it can be,” Kennett said.

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NEWS 11/22/25 9:35am

North Carolina budget stalemate enters 4th month

By Miles Hayford

Over four months after the fiscal year began, the North Carolina General Assembly is still yet to pass a state budget. The GOP controls both the House and Senate but disagreements over scheduled tax cuts and state employee raises have divided the two chambers for months. “There’s an old adage in politics, that the other party is the opposition and the other chamber is the enemy and I think you're seeing that,” Western Carolina University political science professor Christopher Cooper said. “Just because you're a member of the same party doesn't mean that you necessarily see eye to eye on some major issues.” 

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NEWS 11/18/25 9:21pm

NC senator visits 6-month-old Medicaid patient amid cuts to insurance and in-home services

By Monika Jurevicius

Paige Davis and her husband Clayton thought they wouldn’t have a baby to bring home when six-month-old Harper Davis was first born, but she's defied the odds since then. NC Senator Amy Galey visited Harper’s home in Burlington on Nov. 17 to learn more about Medicaid cuts that are impacting the family’s access to receiving in-home services for their daughter. “It’s a political issue that feels like innocent families are being caught in the crossfire and that breaks my heart,” Galey said. 

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NEWS 11/18/25 12:54pm

Death penalty advocacy organization screens Racist Roots

By Alannah Klingsporn

The North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty screened a 25 minute documentary in Turner Theater on Nov. 17. The film showed the racial history in North Carolina death penalty cases in the past and present. After the film screening there was a panel with death row exoneree Alfred Rivera. “The newly passed law adds execution methods that we have not used in North Carolina previously,” NCCADP executive director Noel Nickel said “So it's really important for people to understand that reality.”

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NEWS 11/18/25 9:51am

Cable Square residents flood Elon Town Council meeting to voice concerns about dangerous dog

By John McAllister

Elon Town Council’s meeting on Nov. 17 was filled to maximum capacity with many Cable Square residents airing grievances surrounding a deadly dog attack that occurred last week in the neighborhood. Elon Fire Department engineers Austin Durham and Wes Hunt, Lieutenant Isaac Faucette and firefighter James Torbett were awarded with certificates for saving an unconscious Elon University student through CPR. Town council members also discussed the capital investment plan for the town of Elon. The plan goes over the budget for the next 10 years. Town Council member-elect Steve Exum will be sworn in at the next meeting on Dec. 9. 

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NEWS 11/14/25 11:07am

Miembros electos del consejo municipal de Elon y alcalde reflexionan sobre las inquietudes de los votantes y planifican para el próximo mandato

By Kate Gray

El concejal Randy Orwig, que buscaba la reelección, y el recién llegado Steve Exum fueron elegidos para el consejo municipal de Elon, obteniendo el 31,97 % y el 39,88 % de los votos, respectivamente. Emily Sharpe, actual alcaldesa de Elon, ganó su reelección sin oposición con el 98,18 % de los votos. ”No es como una campaña en la que te presentas a un distrito y la mayoría de la gente no te conoce personalmente, solo han oído hablar de ti”, dijo Exum.

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NEWS 11/14/25 10:56am

Elon town council member-elects, mayor reflect on voter concerns, plan for upcoming term

By Kate Gray

Incumbent Randy Orwig and newcomer Steve Exum were elected to the Elon town council, winning 31.97% and 39.88% of the vote, respectively and Emily Sharpe, current town of Elon mayor, won her unopposed reelection bid with 98.18% of the vote. “It’s not like a campaign where you’re running for a district and a majority of people don’t know you personally, they just know of you,” Exum said. “A lot of these people knew me, and I got a lot of good responses. I felt like it was a fun, celebratory unfolding of the day as a new friend would come up, or someone I had worked for or worked with. That small town vibe is pretty satisfying.”

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NEWS 11/13/25 1:22pm

Federal cuts pull $156 million in solar funding from North Carolina

By Elissa Leka

In August 2025 the Trump administration rescinded the funding as part of its reconsideration of former EPA regulations. This action was met with attorney generals of 23 states, filing a $7 billion lawsuit against the EPA, amongst them was North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson. Elon University associate professor of geography and environmental studies Ryan Kirk said it wasn’t just money that was lost in these cuts. “This is stimulus and jobs and economic activity in these communities,” Kirk said. “Which is just one step not being placed for trying to help these communities.”

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NEWS 11/12/25 11:27pm

Elon SGA hosts fall town hall event, showcases individual actions, community transformation

By Kate Gray

The Elon University Student Government Association hosted their fall town hall. More than 80 people attended the event, which was cosponsored by CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center in Burlington and several on-campus organizations, including the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, Department of Health Promotion and Panhellenic Association. “Tonight I saw so many different students from so many different organizations, and that made me so happy to see just a full room of people that were all eager to be here and learn from people who have created such impactful changes in their communities,” SGA Executive President Anya Bratić said.

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NEWS 11/12/25 10:07pm

NC state representatives discuss state budget, redistricting at town hall

By Miles Hayford

Democratic members of the North Carolina House of Representatives engaged with local residents and Elon University students during a town hall hosted by the NC House Democrats, Alamance County Democrats and Elon College Democrats at the Elon Community Church on Nov. 12. Key points of discussion included the state budget stalemate, Medicaid funding and redistricting. “One of our core jobs is simply to pass a budget,” Representative Vernetta Alston said. “So we've left ourselves without doing our jobs, and without a comprehensive fiscal plan for the state. It's really, really tragic and neglectful.”

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NEWS 11/10/25 8:57pm

Government shutdown has rippling effect on local North Carolina food banks

By Emma Perman and Barbara Duran

On Oct. 1 2025, the United States government failed to pass a federal budget bill causing this government to shut down and in turn pausing federal nutritional assistance programs. The shutdown has now reached 41 days, a historic length for the United States. On Nov. 10 the Senate passed a budget bill to reopen the government. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives to be voted on. “We're starting to actually get into school lunches. If you really delve into SNAP and the funding sources,” Jai Baker, executive director of Allied Churches of Alamance County said. “Not only are we talking about food stamps, we're talking about residual effects.” 

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NEWS 11/6/25 11:38pm

Elon University President, Vice President of Student Life answer SGA questions

By Fiona McAllister

Elon University President Connie Book and the Vice President of Student Life Jon Dooley answered a multitude of questions from Elon’s Student Government Association about general university inquiries. On top of SGA’s questions, Book answered additional questions from Elon News Network about the Roberts Academy. Book did say that Elon University is not paying for any of the academy’s expenses. “If you're talking about cash, we're not doing cash,” Book said in an interview with Elon News Network. “We're definitely giving leadership time and the faculty time to help partner to get this set up. So, from a strategic effort, the university is participating in that.”

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