North Carolina – Page 2 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

North Carolina school board to consider remote participation but only for members

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Craven County Board of Education members may soon have the opportunity to participate in board meetings without being present.

On Tuesday, a new policy allowing members to remotely join in the deliberations of the board will be considered, according to a lengthy agenda in which several policy issues will be discussed. Just last month, the regularly scheduled meeting had to be canceled due to several members’ absences.

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Lawmakers concerned about UNC system board’s closed meetings

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The University of North Carolina system’s Board of Governors will meet Friday to hear a report on faculty compensation and take action on a legislative request – two weeks after giving controversial raises to chancellors in a lengthy closed session.

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North Carolina: Making Transparency a Top Priority

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RALEIGH — There are some really good things on the table as the budget conferees discuss, debate, compromise, and finalize North Carolina’s government spending for the next two years.

Allocating more than $22 billion each year in General Fund revenue is a big deal. Adding money from the federal government and other sources, state spending each year becomes a $50 billion big deal. Continue>>>

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NC legislature passes bill limiting execution transparency

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RALEIGH — A bill that would allow quicker changes to North Carolina's execution process and block information about the manufacturing of lethal injection drugs has passed the legislature and is going to the governor.

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Newsmakers video: The Best & Worst of WNC Open Government

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At its Newsmakers forum held on March 17, Carolina Public Press hosted some of the state’s top open government advocates and reporters for a live interview and public question and answer forum about challenges to open government in North Carolina. Two dozen people attended the free and public forum, which was held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

The event also helped mark Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community.

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NC open government group hosting Sunshine Day event

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The North Carolina Open Government Coalition is hosting its annual Sunshine Day event on March 16 in Durham to bring awareness to public records and open meetings laws in the state.

The event will be held at the Durham Convention Center and feature a keynote speech by state Attorney General Roy Cooper.

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OUR VIEW Compromise keeps government open

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All North Carolinians deserve to know when their local governments hold special meetings or plan public hearings. State lawmakers have a unique opportunity this year to preserve that right and save cities and counties some money in the process.

When the 2015 regular session begins Wednesday, Rep. Marilyn Avila, R-Wake, plans to introduce a compromise bill that will keep public notice requirements in place and limit the fees newspapers charge to publish the announcements. The bill is modeled after legislation passed in Florida and Tennessee.

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Open data partnership between city and county of Durham, NC

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Open data has found the most innovation at the local government level. While not taking away from the efforts of data.gov and the state initiatives, local data has more impact on the day to day lives of civil society. A wealth of city and county public data exists, but accessing it can sometimes be time consuming. Now, thanks to a new local government partnership, open data in Durham is just months away from becoming a reality.

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Dueling bills address transparency of NC pension fund investments

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The ongoing feud over the transparency of state pension fund investments between state Treasurer Janet Cowell and the State Employees Association of North Carolina has spawned dueling bills in the state legislature.

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