Both parties should prioritize savings

As the North Carolina General Assembly gathered for its October 2 special session on Hurricane Florence relief, the state's rainy-day fund stood at $2.01 billion. There was another $737 million in reserves earmarked for other purposes along with an unreserved credit balance in the General Fund of $1.2 billion.

Aide to Sen. Chuck Grassley resigns amid reports he had been accused of sexual harassment

WASHINGTON An aide to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley resigned Friday night after NBC News learned he had been accused of sexual harassment at a previous job, according to media reports. Garrett Ventry served as a communications adviser to Grassley, helping the Senate Judiciary Committee with the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who has himself been accused of sexual assault.

Trump admin ‘sparing no expense’ in hurricane relief

The administration said it has taken extensive steps to ensure all relevant federal agencies are prepared for Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday. The White House is currently monitoring multiple storms, including Florence, Olivia, Mangkut, and Isaac, and the President has mobilized the administration to support response efforts.

Federal court again orders North Carolina congressional districts redrawn

A federal court in North Carolina ruled again Monday that the state's congressional districts must be redrawn and suggested that November's scheduled general election may need to be postponed. The three-judge panel found that the election advocacy groups and Democrats who brought an initial lawsuit challenging North Carolina's congressional map had standing to do so under the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.

Republicans pick Charlotte to host 2020 convention Source: AP

As Charlotte, North Carolina, celebrates being chosen Friday to host the 2020 Republican National Convention, an undercurrent of concern about the potential for violence runs through the Democratic-leaning city. The GOP's national committee selected North Carolina's largest city over Las Vegas as hundreds of party activists gathered in Austin, Texas, for the committee's summer meeting.

The Latest: North Carolina DMV OKs license plate

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles has approved a woman's request for a specialty license plate to honor her wife after initially turning her down. The NCDMV initially rejected the request by Amy Bright of Greenville for a plate reading "LSBNSNLV," for "lesbians in love," saying it had the right to deny any license plate it deems "offensive to good taste and decency."

Supreme Court largely upholds new NC districts in gerrymandering case

The U.S. Supreme Court voted last week to uphold most of North Carolina's newly drawn state legislative districts, marking the end of one of the state's gerrymandering lawsuits. The per curiam ruling ends a long-running battle over the 2011 state elections map-which was drawn by Republican lawmakers-and its court-ordered successor map.

The Latest: N Carolina early vote changes head to governor

The Latest on debate at the North Carolina General Assembly on efforts to alter the state's early in-person voting program : Alterations to North Carolina's early voting program by the Republican-controlled legislature are heading to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's desk. The Senate voted 23-11 on Friday for changes made public less than two days earlier in the House.

GOP lawmakers back voter ID amendment

Area Republican lawmakers say they support North Carolina having a constitutional amendment requiring photo identification in order to vote - a measure House Republicans have introduced less than two years after a federal court struck down a prior voter ID requirement as racially discriminatory. On Thursday, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and GOP representatives introduced House Bill 1092, which would ask voters in November to vote on a constitutional amendment that "every person offering to vote in person shall present photo identification before voting in the manner prescribed by law."