Politics

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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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NEWS 4/24/25 11:26pm

Democratic representatives hold town hall in N.C. 9th Congressional District

By Trista Panagakos

Democrat U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy hosted a town hall at the Haw River Ballroom in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District Thursday April 24. The town hall was part of the Democratic National Committee’s “The People’s Town Hall” campaign. The campaign aims to go into Republican controlled districts and host town hall meetings with representatives from the Democratic Party. The campaign is a reaction to congressional Republicans being advised to not hold in-person town hall meetings in their districts by North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District Rep. Richard Hudson in a closed door meeting on March 4.

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NEWS 4/16/25 9:09am

Contested ballots threaten to overturn North Carolina Supreme Court election

By Miles Hayford

North Carolinians are still talking about who might win in the race for the highest state court. North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat, was elected in November 2024, but her seat is still being contested by her opponent in the 2024 election, Republican Jefferson Griffin, after Riggs won by 734 votes after two recounts. Griffin challenged the ballots in November and claimed that 65,782 ballots should not be included in the election results because they failed to follow state law. This is the only statewide race from the November 2024 election that remains uncertified.

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NEWS 4/9/25 4:38pm

SGA to choose vice presidents of finance, communications

By Trista Panagakos

While the new Student Government Association executive president and vice president prepare to be sworn in on Thursday April 10, an SGA interview committee is deciding who will take over the roles of vice president of finance and vice president of communications. Unlike the senate, the president and vice president positions, the two executive roles of vice president of finance and communications are not voted on by the student body. After interviews, the chosen applicants are selected by the incoming president and approved by the new senate.

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NEWS 4/9/25 9:59am

Elon Town Council debates proposed tax increases

By Virginia Vance and Megan Walsh

Elon Town Manager Rich Roedner recommended increases to property taxes, water and sewage fees, and trash bin fees at the April 8 Elon Town Council meeting. Roedner said his proposed budget has less buffer room if the town brings in less tax revenue than projected. Mayor Emily Sharpe said she would be more comfortable with a property-tax-based revenue budget in place of a sales-tax-based budget. “We need to eventually get to where those are flipped,” Sharpe said. “There's way too much variability in that sales tax number where there isn't that variability in a real estate tax number.”

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NEWS 4/4/25 9:51pm

North Carolina court sides with Republican Jefferson Griffin in contested state supreme court race

By Avery Sloan

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled April 4 that over 65,000 votes casted in the 2024 state supreme court race need to be verified. Democrat incumbent Allison Riggs only won the race by 734 votes — after two previous recounts — meaning that the result of the election could change.  The North Carolina Court of Appeals sided with Republican Jefferson Griffin 2-1, who challenged the ballots in November, claiming that over 65,000 ballots shouldn’t be included in the results because they failed to comply with the state law or the state constitution. This ruling means the North Carolina Board of Elections will ask the contested voters to provide proof of identity within 15 days of being notified in order for their vote to count.   

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NEWS 4/4/25 2:24pm

Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days: Cautious and relief-focused

By Miles Hayford

As Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days in office come to a close, his administration has focused on three key areas: Hurricane Helene recovery, a two-year budget proposal and cautiously navigating a Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly. Stein released a budget proposal March 19, which is a recommended budget that the General Assembly will take into consideration before passing the budget themselves. After two years of a Republican supermajority, the General Assembly is heavily controlled by the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 30-20 advantage in the Senate and a 71-49 advantage in the House.

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NEWS 3/25/25 11:08am

Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education passes 2025-26 budget

By Avery Sloan

After nine community members spoke during the budget hearing meeting, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education unanimously passed the 2025-26 budget asking for a $5.7 million expansion from this year’s budget — totaling to $59,047,151. The budget will now have to pass through the Alamance County Commissioners. Before the budget hearing began close to 15 community members, mainly a part of the Alamance-Burlington Association of Educators, gathered in the parking lot sharing their own experiences of what brought them to speak out at the meeting.

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