Carolina Journal Radio No. 858: N.C. Transportation Department raises funding concerns

Supporters of the N.C. Department of Transportation are raising concerns about dwindling funding for highway projects. They point to higher-than-expected costs from hurricane repairs, as well as money diverted from construction to pay legal settlements linked to the now-discarded Map Act. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, explores DOT funding issues. North Carolina does relatively well compared to other states when it comes to parental school choice. That’s the assessment from Neal McCluskey, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. During a recent visit to the Tar Heel State, McCluskey highlighted its recent school choice improvements. He also points to steps the state could take to boost options for families. Eastern North Carolina’s long-standing federal judicial vacancy could soon be filled. President Trump has nominated UNC law professor Richard Myers for the post. Senior U.S. Sen. Richard Burr recently touted Myers’ record during a hearing of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee. After several years of inactivity, the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law is back in action. President Jeanette Doran discussed the group’s goals during a recent relaunch event in Raleigh. She also heard words of support from two former state Supreme Court justices: Robert Edmunds and Robert Hunter. Much of the national health care debate in recent years has focused on the number of people with no insurance. Jordan Roberts, John Lock Foundation health care policy analyst, discusses Trump administration actions that are designed to give people more options.