All in Politics

John Bell files for re-election

House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) officially filed for re-election to continue representing House District 10, which will now only include a larger portion of Wayne County following redistricting. The district previously comprised of Greene County and portions of Johnston and Wayne counties.

U.S. Department of Commerce Awards $29.9 Million Broadband Infrastructure Grant to Serve More Than 15,000 Households in North Carolina

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded $29.9 million to expand broadband in Lenoir County, North Carolina. The award will be used to fund Lenoir County’s Fiber to the Home Expansion project, which will deploy last-mile broadband to Lenoir County. This project will serve 15,256 households across the county.

Governor Cooper encourages schools and local governments to end their mask mandates

Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 metrics and trends. As North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics continue to move in the right direction and with vaccines widely available, Governor Cooper encouraged schools and local governments to end their mask mandates.

Cooper vetoed House Bill 605: 2022 Primary Date

"This bill is an additional attempt by Republican legislators to control the election timeline and undermine the voting process. The constitutionality of congressional and legislative districts is now in the hands of the North Carolina Supreme Court and the Court should have the opportunity to decide how much time is needed to ensure that our elections are constitutional."

Governor Roy Cooper signs professional land surveyor bill

An act to revise the education requirements for licensure of a professional land surveyor, to make various technical changes, to clarify the design-build and design-build bridging statutes, to prohibit waiver of future claims for progress payments on construction contracts, to require attorneys' fees in certain lien claims, and to define the term "supplier" as used in a provision of the alcohol control laws.

N.C. Supreme Court halts 2022 candidate filing, delays primary

On Tuesday, December 8 the Supreme Court of North Carolina issued an order to halt candidate filings for the 2022 election and delayed the primary. The new primary will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

The order also states, “Any individual who has already filed to run for public office in 2022 and whose filing has been accepted by the appropriate board of elections, will be deemed to have filed…”

A new filing period has yet to be established by the State Board of Elections or N.C. Supreme Court.

Historic city council swearing in ceremony

The city of Kinston held a historic City Council meeting where the results of the 2021 Municipal election led to the swearing-in of the youngest city council member in North Carolina. Council members Robert Swinson IV and Chris Suggs were sworn in as well as Mayor Dontario Hardy. In addition to the swearing-in of council members and mayor, Mayor Hardy also selected Council Member Antonio Hardy as his Mayor Pro Tem.