The first case of COVID-19 in North Carolina was announced on March 3, in a press conference that can be viewed here. A press release from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is available here. Based on the … Read more
UPDATE: On March 23, North Carolina’s State Health Director issued a new temporary order requiring physicians to report suspected or confirmed deaths from novel coronavirus infections within 24 hours. Infections that do not cause death are still reportable under the … Read more
It’s bad enough that employment laws have such confusing acronyms – FLSA, FMLA, ADEA, ADA – but why do they have to use different terms for the same thing? Don’t “serious health condition” and “disability” refer to the same thing? … Read more
Anyone who has seen the Reese Witherspoon/Matthew Broderick classic high school satire Election knows that it is never a good idea for administrators to mess with student politics. The recent mini-scandal out of Greenville suggests that at least a few … Read more
What services must be provided to annexed areas? State law allows cities to annex property by petition (voluntary) and city-initiated (involuntary), which now requires approval by a majority of voters in the area to be annexed. Once property is annexed, … Read more
The national Main Street Program touts “coordinated, small-scale facade improvements” in rural downtown commercial districts as having the “power to not only preserve valuable historic resources in rural communities, but also to spur economic growth in the surrounding area.” What … Read more
Consider this scenario: Carolina County conducts a reappraisal in 2018 in which Tommy TarHeel’s house is appraised at $300,000. Tommy pays his 2018 and 2019 tax bills at that appraisal value without complaint. But in 2020 Tommy learns that back … Read more
A town’s zoning ordinance requires that all structures within a residential zoning district meet the definition of “dwelling unit.” The town ordinance defines “dwelling unit” to mean, “a building, or portion thereof, designed and arranged and used for living quarters … Read more