Archives: Joseph Coletti

February is the true start of spring. Punxsutawney Phil “predicts” the longevity of winter. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Cherry trees blossom.  And in the North Carolina General Assembly,…

Nathan Glazer died last week at the age of 95. He was one of the original neo-conservatives, when the term still meant “a liberal who has been mugged by reality.”…

Who would have thought a call to act like a gentleman would generate controversy? Context is important. The latest Gillette ad touches some political buttons at a time when…

Buncombe County’s financial troubles will not end with the January 16th plea hearing of former county manager Wanda Greene in federal court or payment of her $750,000 settlement with the…

What was your first job? If you are a certain age, it may have been delivering newspapers in the neighborhood. Maybe, like U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan,…

State budget writers have more challenges than normal as they prepare for the next biennium. First, there are economic headwinds from tariff and trade wars and a broader concern about…

Nobody knows when a hurricane or a recession will hit North Carolina, but everybody knows they will. State legislators kept spending in check and built up a $2 billion Savings…

It is hard to imagine what would be on tables this Thanksgiving if it were not for North Carolina farmers. Because of expanding supplies of both turkeys and sweet potatoes,…

An angry teacher on Facebook wondered why those in charge of the State Health Plan “felt the need…to remind us that we are funded by taxpayers” on the new…

High school seniors could apply to any community college, nearly all private colleges, and six of the 10 public universities in North Carolina for free last week (October 15-19) as…