Politics

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NEWS 9/4/25 8:07am

Federal disaster relief in North Carolina dries up

By Miles Hayford

As North Carolina continues to recover from Hurricane Helene and now responds to the 2025 hurricane season, federal aid has become a point of contention between federal and state officials. With storms such as Tropical Storm Chantal and Hurricane Erin bringing further damage to the state, Gov. Josh Stein has demanded more federal disaster relief. North Carolina has struggled to get the funding it wants from the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson recently joined 19 other states in a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Administration. 

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NEWS 8/27/25 3:41pm

Legislatura de Carolina del Norte anula ocho vetos, aún no aprueba presupuesto estatal

By Miles Hayford

En los últimos meses, legisladores de Carolina del Norte aprobaron casi 70 proyectos de ley y le anularon ocho vetos al gobernador Josh Stein, pero todavía no han aprobado un nuevo presupuesto estatal. El nuevo año fiscal comenzó el 1 de julio y sin un presupuesto nuevo, los gastos se han mantenido en los niveles actuales. Tras un receso en verano, los legisladores se reunieron nuevamente el 26 de agosto, lo que inició el proceso de continuar las discusiones sobre el nuevo presupuesto. 

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NEWS 8/27/25 3:41pm

North Carolina legislature overrides 8 vetoes, yet to pass state budget

By Miles Hayford

Throughout the summer and the last several months, North Carolina legislators have enacted almost 70 bills, but have yet to pass a state budget despite the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The House and the Senate have struggled to agree on a version of the two-year, $66 billion budget. The House’s version of the budget has higher raises for state employees and wants to slow future tax cuts. North Carolina is one of three states that have yet to enact a new budget for this fiscal year. 

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NEWS 8/27/25 11:44am

El Ayuntamiento de Elon analiza la revisión de riesgos del departamento de policía y actualiza a la comunidad sobre los proyectos.

By Miles Hayford

Durante su reunión del 25 de agosto, el Concejo Municipal de Elon discutió una evaluación de revisión de riesgos completada con éxito realizada por la Liga de Municipios de Carolina del Norte, que incluyó una revisión del departamento para asegurarse de que cumpliera con los estándares de la industria. El consultor indicó que aproximadamente 200 agencias del orden público en todo el estado se comprometieron a realizar esta evaluación de riesgos, pero Elon fue una de las nueve que si la realizaron.

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NEWS 8/25/25 8:00pm

Elon Town Council discusses police department risk review, updates community on projects

By Miles Hayford

The Elon Town Council discussed a police department risk assessment, awarded promotions to two police officers and gave updates on town projects. The council discussed the North Carolina League of Municipalities’s risk review assessment of the police department. According to a risk management consultant, Chet Effler, from the league, the assessment included a review of the department to make sure they adhered to industry standards and practices. Effler said roughly 200 law enforcement agencies across the state pledged to do this risk assessment, but Elon was one of only nine who ended up doing it.

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NEWS 8/24/25 12:34pm

North Carolina politicians begin vying for open Senate seat

By Miles Hayford

After longtime North Carolinian politician Thom Tillis announced that he would be retiring and not seek reelection to a third term as U.S. Senator on June 29, the race for the open seat has attracted significant interest from both parties. The 2026 midterm race is headlined by former Democratic governor Roy Cooper and chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley. Tillis’ retirement came after President Trump publicly criticized him for voting against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier in the summer.

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NEWS 8/21/25 4:34pm

IRS decision allows some churches to endorse political candidates, remain tax exempt

By Kate Gray

The Johnson Amendment, added to the U.S. tax code in 1964, prohibits certain nonprofit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates until a group of religious nonprofits, including two churches, filed a lawsuit that claimed the Johnson Amendment violated their free speech and free exercise rights under the First Amendment. “This amendment protects the separation of church and state by making sure that houses of worship aren't corrupted by politics,” Alexandra Zaretsky, a litigation consultant for Americans United for Separation of Church and State said. 

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NEWS 7/28/25 7:17pm

N.C. House and Senate Republicans prepare to override Gov. Stein’s vetoes

By Abigail Hines

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein’s 14 vetoes from this year’s legislative session could  be overridden by the North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate when the legislative bodies reconvene on July 29. The Senate and House would need to obtain a three-fifths vote from present and voting members in order to successfully override Stein’s vetoes. Currently, Republicans hold a three-fifths majority in the Senate. House Republicans gained a supermajority in April 2023 when Rep. Tricia Cotham, elected as a Democrat, switched parties during her term.

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NEWS 7/2/25 6:52pm

SNAP cuts loom as Congress passes President Trump’s budget bill

By Miles Hayford

U.S. Senate and House Republicans have passed President Trump’s tax and spending cuts package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that could cut food assistance benefits from 1.4 million North Carolinians, and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are looking to pass it before President Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline. The bill would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, which over 1.4 million North Carolinians rely on. Gov. Josh Stein also denounced the bill by writing to Congressional leadership, along with the 22 other Democratic governors, asking them to not cut SNAP.

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NEWS 6/20/25 8:51am

U.S. DOJ sues NC Board of Elections after contested, split-ticket 2024 election

By Miles Hayford

The 2024 election in North Carolina saw the pattern of split-ticket voting, or when a voter chooses candidates from different political parties for different races on the same ballot, continue as fewer people voted Democrat for president than attorney general. “North Carolina was never as democratic as the other southern states were in the past, and today we're not as Republican as the other southern states are,” Western Carolina University political science and public affairs professor Christopher Cooper said. “We're this odd mix of this purple state that sits in this very red region."

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NEWS 6/17/25 6:28pm

Alamance County Commissioners pass budget for 2025-26

By Nia Bedard

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners passed the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year for the entire county during its meeting on June 16. The budget for the upcoming year, which was a modified plan proposed by Commissioner Steve Carter, will include a 2.5 cent property tax increase in the county. Despite the passing of the budget, the Alamance-Burlington School System will be challenging the budget following a meeting on June 17, alleging that the amount of money allocated by the county is inadequate. 

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NEWS 6/10/25 10:08pm

Elon Town Council approves budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year

By Nia Bedard

The Elon Town Council approved the 2025-26 fiscal year budget for the town of Elon during its meeting June 10. With the approval of the 2025-26 fiscal year budget the town of Elon’s property tax will stay at 35 cents for every 100 dollars of assessed property value. However, the water and sewer fees for the town will increase by 7%. “It wasn't an easy task,” Mayor Pro Tem Monti Allison said during the meeting. “No one wants their taxes to go up, everyone wants to make sure they get the same amenities and services year in, year out or more.”

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NEWS 6/3/25 12:46am

Alamance County citizens voice thoughts on proposed county budget at County Commissioners meeting

By Nia Bedard

Firefighters, teachers and concerned citizens of Alamance County packed the historical courthouse in Graham during the County Commissioners meeting June 2 to voice their opinions about the proposed county budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. County manager Heidi York presented the proposed budget outline for the county during the County Commissioners meeting May 19. The proposed budget included raising the county property tax rate by 1.59 cents; closing library branches of Graham, Mebane and North Park; cutting the budget for the Alamance Burlington School System by 19.7%; and cutting funding for emergency and rescue services in the county. 

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NEWS 5/27/25 11:20pm

Elon Town Council denies permit for accessory dwelling, reviews potential traffic calming policy

By Nia Bedard

The Elon Town Council voted on a request for an accessory dwelling unit and reviewed a potential traffic calming policy during their meeting May 27. The council also reviewed a potential purchasing plan for replacing fire engines used by the town of Elon Fire Department and resolved to support the Eno-Haw Mitigation Plan. The council held its sixth closed session regarding the purchase of 112 Orange Drive. This is the location of Labcorp, a testing facility which provides laboratory services used for diagnoses and healthcare decisions.

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NEWS 5/15/25 10:56am

Federal employee layoffs impact students, faculty

By Kate Gray

Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, at least 130,000 federal employees have been laid off or accepted buyouts, and there are currently plans to cut at least 149,000 more positions. Trump appointed billionaire and tech mogul Elon Musk and GOP primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE aims to cut trillions of dollars from the federal budget, eliminate or consolidate hundreds of federal agencies, and decrease the federal payroll by as much as 75%. Federal job cuts came almost immediately after DOGE was established through an executive order on Jan. 20.

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NEWS 5/14/25 11:17am

Elon Town Council holds public hearings on proposed budget, fire tax increase

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held public hearings for the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, the proposed fire tax increase and a permit request for an accessory dwelling unit during its meeting May 13. During the public hearings for the proposed budget and proposed fire tax increase, there were no members of the public who wished to comment. The council endorsed an increase the fire tax for the 2026 fiscal year. The council is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year June 10.

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NEWS 5/9/25 10:40pm

Federal judge rules in favor of Democrat Allison Riggs, orders certification of election for North Carolina Supreme Court

By Fiona McAllister

A federal judge ruled that Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs will remain in the final count for the undecided 2024 race for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded this race after the months-long legal battle. U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina Richard Myers emphasized in his ruling that removing votes six months after Election Day would infringe upon the due process and equal protection rights of affected residents. He ruled in favor of Riggs, asserting that recent state appeals court decisions to remove potentially thousands of ineligible voter ballots would violate the U.S. Constitution.

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NEWS 5/8/25 2:08pm

Alamance County approves warning label for books with sensitive content

By Miles Hayford

Some books in Alamance County libraries may be marked with a bright, yellow sticker in the near future as the Alamance County Commissioners approved a content warning labeling policy. These “parental guidance” stickers, which were approved April 21, will only apply to a book if a patron fills out a form, expressing their reasoning for why it isn’t fit for young readers. From there, a board of high-ranking library staff members will review the patron’s request based on criteria such as sexually explicit content, depictions of substance abuse, references to suicide, underage drinking, graphic violence and profanity. 

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NEWS 4/28/25 11:20pm

Elon Town Council discusses proposed budget for 2026 fiscal year

By Ruby Burckle

Elon Town Council members debated whether it would be in the community and council’s best interest to increase property tax rates in order to fund the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year during the town council meeting April 28. Elon Town Manager Rich Roedner proposed a property tax increase from $0.35 to $0.365, or a one and a half cent increase. Unlike many other municipalities, sales tax is the number one revenue source for the town of Elon, according to Mayor Emily Sharpe. The council will hold a public hearing on May 13 before approving the budget.

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NEWS 4/28/25 10:09pm

Elon professor appointed to Alamance-Burlington Board of Education

By Avery Sloan

Eric Hall, Elon professor of exercise science, was appointed to the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education during the April 28 meeting in a 4-2 vote. Originally, 16 candidates applied for the board vacancy, but soon afterward one candidate dropped out and before April 28 two more candidates had withdrawn their applications. Out of the 13 remaining candidates, eight spoke at the meeting. During his statement, Hall said he was looking to join the board after living in Alamance County for 25 years. Hall is also Elon’s assistant provost for scholarship and creative activity and director of undergraduate research.

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