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Open Enrollment For Obamacare Begins
For those who want to sign up for health insurance through Obamacare, the enrollment period begins Wednesday.
But there are some changes that consumers need to be aware of this year. The enrollment period runs for six weeks, or about half of what it used to be.
North Carolina has two insurers offering plans on the Obamacare marketplace – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Cigna. Both are increasing some premiums after the Trump administration announced it would stop some reimbursements to insurers.
NC Judges: Law Cutting Governor's Elections Role Is Valid
A North Carolina judicial panel says a law backed by Republican legislative leaders that cuts Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's role in managing elections is constitutional.
A three-judge panel on Tuesday met the state Supreme Court's deadline to explain why the judges earlier thought they lacked jurisdiction.
The law being challenged requires the State Board of Elections and all 100 county elections boards have equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. The law also makes other changes that ensure tighter Republican control of elections.
The judicial panel now says the law is valid because the governor picks elections board members from lists of names presented by both major political parties.
General Assembly Panel Meets On School Funding Methods
North Carolina's complicated formulas that send billions of dollars annually to the public schools are supposed to get overhauled by a special committee now starting up.
House and Senate members on the Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform meet for the first time Wednesday. The panel's creation follows a report last November by the General Assembly's government watchdog agency.
That office determined that how the state pays teachers favors the wealthiest districts and changes were needed on sending money to poor districts, for children with disabilities and for those speaking English as a second language.
Former TV News Anchor, WFDD GM Denise Franklin Dies
Former Triad news anchor Denise Franklin has died at the age of 59.
WXII reports Franklin passed away Tuesday night at Forsyth Medical Center.
Franklin anchored WXII 12 News with Rick Amee in the 80's and 90's, before moving on to public radio as the general manager at WFDD.
Franklin was part of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. She was set to preach her first sermon this coming Sunday.
Owner Of Biltmore Estate Dies At His North Carolina Home
The owner of the iconic Biltmore Estate in North Carolina has died at his home.
Officials at the Biltmore Company say William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil died Tuesday in Asheville. He was 89.
Cecil had a career in finance before returning to Asheville in 1960 in hopes of preserving his childhood home, which was the private estate of his grandfather, George Washington Vanderbilt III.
Viewfinders Unveil Tennessee Fall Colors For The Colorblind
Tennessee tourism officials have installed viewfinders at three scenic spots, including an overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains, to help colorblind people see the fall foliage burst with color for the first time.
The viewfinders that debut Wednesday don't use new technology, since glasses for colorblindness already exist. But state officials believe it's the first time it's been incorporated into a viewfinder that helps with red-green color deficiencies.
Crews filmed reactions of some first-time viewers atop the Ober Gatlinburg resort last week for marketing purposes.
The other two viewfinders are at scenic areas of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area near Oneida, and at the westbound Interstate 26 overlook near Erwin in Unicoi County.