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New NC Voter Registration Application Includes Green Party
A new voter registration application is now available for North Carolina residents. The form includes the option to register with the state's Green Party.
The new application is currently available to download through the State Board of Elections website. According to a press release, a hard copy will soon be available at all county boards of elections and to agencies and organizations that provide registration services.
The Green Party became North Carolina's fourth official political party in March, along with the Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian parties. Its candidates can now automatically be put on state ballots through 2020
The Green Party will not have a traditional primary election in 2018. Instead, will choose its nominees by convention.
Report: 23 Percent Of North Carolina Teachers Often Absent
A new report shows that more than 20 percent of North Carolina teachers are "chronically absent" from work.
Nearly 23 percent of North Carolina's teachers used 10 or more non-consecutive sick days in the last school year, according to a study done by the state.
The News and Observer reports education officials attributed high absenteeism, in part, to the fact that some teachers no longer consider the profession a life-long career.
School officials say absenteeism costs school districts money to hire substitutes, and hurts student learning.
Some State Board of Education members cautioned against reading too much into the data, and reject the notion that a teacher who misses one day a month is "chronically absent."
ACC Football Championship To Stay In Charlotte Through 2030
The Atlantic Coast Conference football championship game will remain in Charlotte through 2030.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced the 10-year contract extension with the Charlotte Sports Foundation to continue hosting the game in Charlotte at a news conference Thursday.
The game has been played at Bank of America Stadium seven of the past eight seasons with solid attendance figures.
Blackbeard's Flag To Fly On North Carolina Ferries
Ferries serving the North Carolina Outer Banks will be flying Blackbeard's flag thanks to an agreement between two state agencies.
The N.C. Department of Transportation's Ferry Division has teamed with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources with the idea, which marks the observance of the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard's death in 1718.
The flag will fly on ferries serving the Hatteras-Ocracoke, Cedar Island-Ocracoke, and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke ferry routes, as well as the Pamlico River route between Bayview and Aurora. Both areas have historic ties to the 18th-century pirate.
Plans Offered To Improve Pisgah National Forest Trails
Plans are being developed for a number of improvements in the trails in the Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina.
Pisgah District Ranger Dave Casey and the U.S. Forest Service have told the Asheville Citizen-Times there are plans to overhaul some of the forest's most-loved and heavily damaged trails.
The plans call for building some new trails and creating loop connectors on some existing trails.
The projects are designed to increase the sustainability of recreation and improve water quality in the area.
The plan will be discussed at a public meeting April 10.