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Don't miss the greatest new series. November fourth, only on Prime Video. It's five oh five, and welcome into a Thursday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk one of seven point nine FM WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you.
We are continuing our coverage of the 2026 midterm elections and looking at a variety of different contests and races across the state of North Carolina. This morning, we start off with our focus on the North Carolina Supreme Court, as Democrat Justice Anita Earls faces former former Republican State Representative Sarah Stevens in North Carolina's only Supreme Court race this November. A contest that could shape the balance of power on the state's highest court in 2028, when there will be three more seats on the ballot. Republicans currently hold a five-two majority on the seven-member court, and so this year's election will not change which party holds the majority. Dr.
Andy Jackson, the director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, said that the results could have significant implications for the 2028 Supreme Court elections. Telling the Carolina Journal, one important thing that that Earl's win that an Earl's win would set up is a potential Democrat. Majority after the 2028 election, all three of the seats on the ballot that year are held by Republicans.
So that election could mean anything from a continued five to two Republican majority to a five to two Democrat majority. If Earls wins reelection, the court's current five to two majority will remain intact, and the Democrats would need to win two of the three Republican seats in 2028. That would give them a four to three majority. A Stevens victory would expand the Republican majority to six to one, requiring Democrats to win all three seats—a clean sweep—in 2028 to take control. Those seats are currently held by Chief Justice Paul Newby, Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr., and Tamra Beringer, all Republicans.
We learned in the last couple of months that Berger will not seek reelection to his position as the Associate Justice as an Associate Justice in 2028, guaranteeing at least one open seat.
However, Andy Jackson cautioned against viewing this year's election as an indication of how the 2028 judicial. Races might unfold, pointing to opposite outcomes in the past two midterm elections. Saying in part, Democrats swept statewide judicial races in twenty twenty in the twenty eighteen Trump midterm, and Republicans statewide swept judicial races in the twenty twenty two Biden midterm. The winner of this year's contest will serve an eight year term that will begin in January of twenty twenty seven, potentially helping decide cases involving redistricting vote. Laws, education funding, and the limits of state government authority.
Let's take a look at polling and where things appear to be shaking out as of right now. Earls currently holds a seven point six percent lead over Stevens in the latest Carolina Journal poll out just last week.
However, that is down from ten point eight points in September. The latest Carolina Journal poll, which was conducted October the eighteenth through the twentieth, found Earls with forty seven point three percent support compared to thirty nine point seven percent for Stevens. With still thirteen percent of the electorate undecided, very much enough. To swing that contest one way or another, the results represent a narrowing from September when Earls led Stevens forty seven point two to thirty six point four, a ten point eight percent difference. While Earls' support remained nearly unchanged between September and October, Stevens gained more than three point three percentage points to narrow and close that gap.
The October survey included 600 likely voters across the state of North Carolina and had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. Despite the incumbent's lead, the Supreme Court contest has consistently pulled closer than the very high-profile North Carolina Senate race between former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Wattley. In each of the five Carolina Journal polls conducted since March that looked at these major statewide contests, the margin separating Earls and Stevens has been smaller than the gap between Cooper and Wattley. Andy Jackson attributed the closer margins in the Supreme Court race partially to lower profile of judicial campaigns compared with legislative and executive races. Telling the Carolina Journal, while Supreme Court elections are important, they tend to be low key compared to executive or legislative races.
Part of the reason is that judicial candidates cannot make campaign promises in the traditional sense beyond promising to be impartial. Or fair. Jackson also pointed to lower campaign spending in judicial races, which he said can cause polling results to more closely reflect voters' existing partisan preferences. Noting in additional spending per vote on Supreme Court races is relatively low, while the Earl's campaign has raised over two million dollars in the second quarter and will likely have raised millions more cents. There is much less spent in there is much less than that.
In races for U.S. Senate or governor, so voting and polling tends to be closer to those party baseline averages. We'll now talk about both of the candidates. Current Democrat Justice Anita Earls, who was elected to the Supreme Court in 2018, is seeking to serve a second eight-year term before joining the court. She spent approximately 30 years practicing civil law, including working for the United States Department.
Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and founding the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. That happened back in two thousand and seven. On the other hand, Republican Sarah Stevens, a Mount Airy attorney, has practiced law for approximately forty years and served more than seventeen years in the North Carolina House. During her legislative career, she chaired the Judiciary Committee, served as the Speaker Pro Tem, a leadership position in the chamber, and had many other high-profile committee assignments and rankings. She resigned from the North Carolina General Assembly back in June.
To focus on her Supreme Court campaign, the candidates discussed their backgrounds and judicial philosophy during a September the twenty eighth judicial candidate forum that was hosted across the state by PBS North Carolina in partnership with the North Carolina Bar Association. Sarah Stevens emphasized her legislative experience, saying that that experience writing and reviewing state law would help her interpret them as a justice. She said, "I watched the process of how law was made, which is why I'm very clear that the court shouldn't be making laws." She argued that lawmakers who face voters every two years are the ones that are responsible for writing state laws, while judges should apply those laws unless they conflict with the Constitution. She said there are 170 people that have to answer to the voters every two years, whereas a justice you only answer. Every eight years, so it's not part of the court to change the law, but to simply follow it as written by the North Carolina General Assembly, unless you find a constitutional issue.
Stevens also stressed the importance of judges setting aside their personal preferences when deciding a case, saying that they must consider arguments from both sides before reaching a conclusion. She told the PBS panel, "You have to set aside your own preferences, your own advocacy, and listen to both sides to try and reach an opinion." Justice Anita Earls emphasized her experience litigating civil rights cases and serving on the state's highest court, saying that the judiciary has a responsibility to protect constitutional rights regardless of which political party controls the other branches of government. She said during the program, "My goal has always been to make sure that we protect everyone's rights under the state and federal constitution, and that we guarantee equal justice under the law." For all citizens of North Carolina, Earls also pointed to the Supreme Court's broader responsibility, noting that its decisions affect issues ranging from utility rates and public education funding to voting rights and the balance of power among the branches of state government. Earls said our courts have impacted everything, including what kind of funding our public schools might have, how our democracy is structured, and Other people's votes will count or count equally. She also said, "A partisan considerations do not dictate her judicial decisions." Noting, "I am not beholden to any particular political ideology." The candidates' different views on judicial authority are evident in their positions on court rulings involving redistricting of voter identification and education funding.
In 2023, the Supreme Court's newly established Republican majority revised earlier decisions involving a partisan redistricting and North Carolina's voter ID law. In the redistricting case, the Republican majority ruled that partisan gerrymandering. Claims raise political questions beyond the authority of the state courts to decide. That decision reversed a 2022 ruling by the court's previous Democrat majority, which had found that extreme partisan gerrymandering violated the state constitution. Earls dissented from the 2023 decision, arguing that the court had improperly overturned its earlier ruling and weakened protections against partisan manipulation of legislative and congressional districts.
Stevens has criticized Earls' positions on redistricting and voter ID on her official candidate statements or in an official candidate statement. Excuse me. Stevens argues that Earls' rulings on those cases were in. Consistent with constitutional requirements. More recently, Earls also dissented from the Supreme Court's April decision ending the 32-year-old Leandro education funding lawsuit.
The court ruled 4 to 3 to end the case, overturning a lower court order that would have required an additional 677.8 million dollars in state education spending and potentially billions more in future funding. Earls joined a fellow Democrat, Justice Allison Riggs, and Republican Justice Richard Dichts in dissent. The majority determined that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to issue the challenged funding order, while the dissenting justices challenged the majority's decision to overturn the earlier ruling and end litigation. During the PBS forum, both candidates were asked when a justice should write a dissenting opinion. Stevens said that she would consider writing a dissent if she believed the majority opinion were completely wrong, or had gone way off script, or if a specific legal issue required additional attention.
Earls said that justices should first attempt to find common ground, but that disagreements over the law or facts sometimes require a written dissent. Earls told the PBS panel, "I think ideally our court should try and deliberate and come to a decision that incorporates all points of view. That's why there are seven of us and not a single justice." In-person early voting continues through North Carolina through 3 p.m. on Saturday, October the 31st. Election day is Tuesday, November the 3rd.
Every single voter across the state of North Carolina. We'll see this race between Democrat Justice Anita Earls and Republican challenger Sarah Stevens. You can read more on the background of these two candidates. We've got a lot of links and information on this very high-profile race over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. Look for the story with the headline: "NC Supreme Court race could shape battle for court majority in 2028." He was a champion, an icon, the original goat.
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The state auditor said in a press release that this initial review of the Bank of America Stadium project marks a shift at the office of the state auditor. We're providing the public with ongoing transparency on stadium renovations, rather than stepping in late after the taxpayer-funded project is complete. By engaging with business leaders and local governments on economic development projects, the state auditor's office is able to show North Carolinians how public and Investment is being utilized. The six hundred and fifty million dollar subsidy for the privately owned stadium was approved by the Charlotte City Council in a seven to three vote back in June of twenty twenty four. The state's local government commission voted unanimously in April of this year to approve the city's request to issue up to six hundred and fifty million dollars in special obligation bonds for the project.
Bolick, a member of the commission, said at the meeting that his Office would provide oversight for that project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2030. The report states that given the size and duration of Charlotte's planned public contribution, the office is conducting ongoing oversight and audit work related to the use of public funds. This initial report is informational and does not constitute a complete or final audit, and they make that very clear in their report. The initial report covers the project's financing structures, planned uses of city and private funding, the Construction payment process, anticipated public benefits, key parties involved, as well as their responsibility, and significant past and future dates. The overall cost of renovations to the stadium and related facilities is one point three billion dollars, including Charlotte's six hundred and fifty million dollar commitment.
Tepper Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the Panthers, Charlotte FC, and the stadium, committed $150 million under its agreement with the city and announced an additional $500 million worth of investment in July of 2026. Charlotte plans to repay the project debt through revenues from Mecklenburg County's occupancy tax and prepared food and beverage tax. The agreement also keeps the car. Panthers, their football team, obviously, and Charlotte FC soccer teams in Charlotte until 2040, and includes a financial obligation that encourages the teams to stay through early at 2046. Improvements to the stadium include a new social patio on the stadium's 500 level with city views, upgraded score and video boards, Wi-Fi, audio systems, and associated technologies.
New stadium seating, renovated stadium restrooms, as well as elevated and modernized exterior facades. The city is also funding a new training facility for the Carolina Panthers on the property near the stadium, as well as. Innovations of the football locker rooms and player spaces. The report notes that as of August 2026, city officials had authorized and funded approximately three point one million dollars in project-related disbursements, of which six hundred and thirty-two thousand was related to debt financing costs, and two and a half million was for ongoing construction of the Panthers Fieldhouse. Major spending areas include.
More than one million dollars on building structures and exteriors. Seven hundred and eleven thousand dollars on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
Some five hundred and sixty-two thousand dollars on construction management and coordination. More than three hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars on site landscape and infrastructure. And finally, sixty-four thousand dollars on professional design, consulting, and testing. The project has faced significant backlash, including receiving the 2024 Worst Economic Development Deal of the Year. That is an award which is issued by the Center for Economic Accountability, known as CEA.
They have presented that every year since 2018. In announcing the award, CEA cited the deal's high cost and lack of transparency among other factors for receiving that award. CEA President John Mosina said at the time, back in 24, if you'd ask the average Charlotte taxpayer whether they think renovating the Panther Stadium is valuable to their city as a year's worth of cops, firefighters, and garbage pickups, they'd look at you like you were nuts. Yes, people love sports. But not at the expense of things that truly matter.
Cea also compared the six hundred and fifty million dollar public contribution with its estimates of costs of new stadiums. As Cea pointed out that for that for roughly four fifths of the costs of a new facility, taxpayers are getting a little more than a fifteen year commitment from the Panthers and an opportunity to renegotiate and return to those negotiations in about twelve years.
So as we now know, the state. Auditor's office. Dave Bolick and his team will be keeping a very close eye on this major six hundred and fifty million dollar public investment by the city of Charlotte for renovations at Bank of America Stadium. The home of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. We will continue to track those reports out from the auditor's office.
You can read more coverage of this story by visiting our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. The headline: NC Auditor Scrutinizes Charlotte's $650 Million Stadium Deal. He was a champion, an icon, the original GOAT. But before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, he was Cassius Clay, a young man finding his. Voice, his purpose, and his place in the world.
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Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBTV. I'm Nick Craig. Good Thursday morning to you. We had some pretty big news earlier this week here on the Carolina Journal News Hour, as it relates to the state health plan finally coming to an agreement with Atrium Health as the open enrollment period wraps up shortly here in North Carolina. Many folks getting their health care decisions and decisions squared away ahead of the calendar flip over to 2027 to bring us up to date on what could be some rocky financial futures moving ahead for the state health plan.
Teresa Peka, Carolina. CarolinaJournal.com joins us on the News Hour, Reese. This is a pretty ominous headline we've got over CarolinaJournal.com that the state health plan could run out of cash. That's a that's a huge problem. Yeah, it sure is.
Thanks, Nick. Thanks for having me this morning. Yeah, they—they, you know, it wasn't looking the greatest over the last couple of years. And when State Treasurer Brad Briner took over, but that financial picture is a lot bleaker than we first suspected.
So, yeah, they talked about this at their State Health Plan Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday that they could run out of cash by the end of this year or the beginning of twenty. Twenty-seven. Just you know, lots of things we'll discuss.
Some basically. What else is new? Right, costs are going up, so that was a big, big part of why it looks like that they could run out of cash if they didn't take a specific move.
So, what the board did, they unanimously voted to increase the monthly contribution from the retiree health benefit fund contribution to the plan from three hundred to six hundred dollars per retiree per month from July twenty twenty six through December twenty twenty six. They went retro. Active, and that only applies to premiums.
So we just want to state that it's paid by the retirement system. It's not. For the premiums paid by any of the members, and also to pay all that money back with interest as early as possible, so they're expecting this to generate approximately four hundred fifteen million dollars in additional funds before the end of the year. Basically, this is being called a loan without taking out a loan, going somewhere else, and getting a lot of interest charged on top. And they said the contributions would revert back to three hundred seventy-eight dollars.
Per retiree per month in January, and just one other quick note: the plan was originally facing an approximate five hundred million dollar deficit for this year, and trending up to one billion by next year, twenty twenty seven.
So, yes, some really major financial news came out of Raleigh this week for the state health plan, and and not good, not good at all. You know, so Teresa, it sounds like maybe more of a short kind of infusion of cash to make sure that the plan and program is stable through the remainder of 2026. But I want to go back to a story, series of stories, I should say, that we've covered over the last year and a half or so. Teresa, there was a major increase on premiums for those that are members of the state health plan, whether they are current state employees or retirees. And at the time, we heard from State Treasurer Brad Briner and other members.
Of the state health plan, that that was necessary to move the plan into the green and keep it solvent. I guess some of the cost overruns were just so significant that even after those major changes, which we heard from a lot of our audience about and a lot of state employees about, still not enough to keep the plan above above water. There. Yeah, that's right. That's right.
You've got all of that. You know, the increased costs there. Plus, they also implemented a new provider tier system that was supposed to be saving.
Well, it is going to be saving the plan. At least that's what they're saying, saving the plan and its members more money. One one note there is that the savings from that arrangement they're not expected to come about until March or April next year.
So that's why they have to take out this loan from the retiree program. But yeah. They they went ahead and got a midyear review that showed rising costs for inpatient care with claims exceeding over a hundred thousand dollars, and that's being driven by a number of members requiring higher cost of care, also pharmacy costs and emergency room visits with higher costs. They said emergency room visits were still about the same, but the costs have gone up.
So basically, that. Measured up to ongoing losses that accelerated from July through September of this year, depleting the reserves beyond expectations.
So, even though they raised all those copays, they raised the premiums, and put these new provider tiers in place. All these costs going up depleted the reserves.
So, they did not have that projected, and the financial news was a lot worse than expected. You know, Teresa, that's a good point because we've talked about the provider list here. We talked about Atrium Health earlier this week.
Some of the other major health systems, whether it's Novant, Duke, or UNC, but all of that stuff is relevant when we get into the new healthcare year. Which, of course, as we flip the calendar over to 2027, that will be many of those things will be realized for the time being. A lot of these older, or the entirety of this older access system, is still in place, and those higher rates that exist. Have to continue to be paid through the remainder of the calendar year. Yes, they do.
They do. Yeah.
So all these new plans don't—they don't come about until beginning of twenty twenty, January first, twenty twenty-seven.
So yeah, that's all still has to be paid throughout the end of the year, as you as you just mentioned. Yes, we heard from a couple of individuals during that meeting. One of the people that's been working hard on this, and we've seen his name in a lot of our articles over at CarolinaJournal dot com and a lot of press releases, is Tom Friedman. He is the executive administrator of the state. Plantree, I would imagine his job not necessarily fun though.
Over the last couple of months, with everything going on, what did he have to say at this Tuesday board meeting? Yeah, no, not not at all. Like he says, though. Oh, God, got to send out this check, but we got all this money coming in, and all the money's going out.
So that's basically what he was talking to us. We had a a reporters roundtable earlier this week, but yeah, basically saying about these losses with the higher costs. And this is about members in general. And this is a quote from the meeting: We're a little bit sicker, a little bit lower income, a little bit more rural, which generally speaking tends to have a little bit higher costs. From a cost point of view, so it's kind of all that is all stacked up on top of one another.
So you know, saying that you know people in the state health plan, maybe not everybody is getting paid really high salaries. You might see some of the salaries being paid. You see on the right, you see all the different people at higher levels, but there are a lot of employees that are not making all that much money, even though they are a state employee, and a lot of them live in the rural areas. And there's been this talk about. Rural healthcare.
There's a shortage of doctors in certain areas. They call it a desert, like a healthcare desert, like you're saying food deserts. It was the more popular, you know, wording. And and so all those costs, you know, it's it's all that's going up. And of course, there's also some members that are a little bit sicker, as we mentioned, costs for different procedures, different sicknesses.
They have, you know, everything's going up. Costs on that's going up.
So he talked about all of that. And basically saying, yeah, we're we're trying to work on this, and and you know, basically, what he's being told from providers is, okay, great, but you need to have your members become healthier. Otherwise, it's going to put more of a strain on the plan's financial situation.
So, yeah, they're they got to come to some agreement to not have this keep you know getting worse and worse as the years go on. Yeah, and you kind of almost begin start looking at kind of a ballooning problem there as people are less and less healthy and not in shape to.
So those costs, no surprise, are going to continue to escalate at a pretty rapid rate. You mentioned that this estimated four hundred and fifteen million dollars is going to come from the retiree health benefit fund. Is this unprecedented? Have we seen something like this in North Carolina before? No, actually, this is not the first time that money's been taken out of the fund.
It all began back in 1990 when there was a budget shortfall during the Governor James Martin administration. Money was taken out at that time, but actually, it was never put back.
So, not sure how that all worked out. But over the years, it was done a few more times. Most recently in 2023, with the funds returned, and we, you know, did have. Kristen Walker, who was a non-voting member of the state health plan board, and she's also the state budget director, she did have concerns and raised those about repaying the "quote unquote" loan from that retirement fund, and says, you know, she just doesn't see, would like to see the math rather behind how they're going to be paying it back that four hundred million. It's just hard to see that because she said there wasn't a lot of data to go on, and says, you know, it's a good and Intention, a lot of good thoughts behind it, but just it's hard really to know where the plan is going to be heading over the next to six to eight months.
And she still urged caution about that move and said, if the you know basically the state health plan is paying more for retirees, maybe the board should consider changing the rate permanently. But basically, it was we got back to that. She mentioned about Tom Friedman. He said, you know. It's not just about money.
It is an incentive for their health, for their members to get healthier, and that's all going to pay dividends as the years go on, as you mentioned.
So this doesn't keep ballooning into a worse situation. Is it maybe fair to say, Teresa? I don't know if there was any chatter at this during the meeting on Tuesday that some of these changes that we've seen over the last year and a half or so, this new provider tier list, some of these new higher premiums that that will get the plan heading in the right direction, and then they'll be able to return that again estimated approximately four hundred and fifteen million dollars back to that retirement system when they get the plan solvent and and got get things moving in the right direction. Yeah, it was, you know, and I'm going to quote Tom Friedman again. He basically said we charge people for worse benefit as they've gotten sicker, with the cost plan to go up more.
And if we kept the status quo, we didn't charge you enough. Is but he said in his quote, so very plainly, they need a different path forward. They need to tackle the cost of health care, and not, as I just mentioned, not purely treat this as a revenue problem, and not keep things the way they. Are and so the provide the preferred provider program is expected to turn things around. Maybe starting in March and April, they're hoping to see the things start pay dividends at that point.
Starting to see a turnaround, and and all of that coming out. All the big four healthcare systems in the state finally being in this program. They're hoping for all this to you know get better and better as twenty twenty seven goes on, but as Basically, Tom Friedman said they need a financial reset of the state health care system, and that's going to start next year. But if they didn't take any action at all, there's it would go bankrupt. There's just no telling about how bad things could get, or as you say, kick everybody off the plan, and now you're going to look for private health insurance, and it would just be a huge, huge mess.
So something had to be done, and maybe it's not the you know the easiest thing for everybody at the moment, but there. They're trying. They've got to make some hard decisions, and what's best for the the future for members and for the plan. Yeah, I mean your two options, essentially, Teresa, get a cash infusion or bankrupt the plan and kick everybody off and have them find some sort of sort of other insurance in a very short timeline. Here, as we're not too far away from flipping the calendar over to 2027, I suspect that we will definitely be continuing these conversations well into the new year, and hopefully, we'll have some good news in the early parts of next year as it relates to some of these cost saving measures and what that means for the financial stability of the state health plan.
We have a lot. Of coverage of this over the last year plus over on our website this morning, carolinajournal.com. As always, we appreciate the update. Teresa Opeka joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. He was a champion, an icon, the original GOAT.
But before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, he was Cassius Clay, a young man finding his voice, his purpose, and his place in the world. Follow his journey through the victories, the challenges, and the defining moments that would shape a legend, both in and out of the ring. From Ben Watkins, creator of Cross, and executive producer Michael B. Jordan comes the first authorized scripted series about the man behind the legend, starring Jalen Besse as Muhammad Ali. Don't miss the greatest new series.
Series November 4th only on Prime Video. For many people, renting is a convenient option. It offers flexibility and may require less responsibility for maintenance. But owning a home can offer a different set of long-term benefits. Instead of paying rent to a landlord each month, homeowners are investing in a property that can potentially increase in value over time.
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Some of these programs even offer grant funding that may help cover part of the upfront cost. And grants typically don't have to be repaid. That's why learning about home ownership options can be an important step toward making the best decision for you and your family. To learn more, visit ToolsForHomeOwnership.com. Looking for a new way to take control of your health?
If diet, exercise, and willpower alone haven't gotten you where you want to be, visit orderlymeds.com to learn about GLP-1 treatment options. With a convenient virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical providers from home and see if treatment may be appropriate for you. Visit orderlymeds.com today. That's orderlymeds.com. Compounded medications are not FDA approved.
Eligibility. Determined by a license provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details. Good morning again.
It's five fifty-six. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBT, hot off the presses as they have been over the last couple of days. Brand new early voting totals and statistics here across the state of North Carolina. Out about five thirty this morning from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Now more than two million people casting ballots early in person during that period. Democrats do continue with their strong advantage.
However, finally dipping under forty percent, we've been watching that number creep down over the last week and a half or so. Democrats now thirty-nine point eight percent of all votes cast during early voting. That's more than eight hundred and twenty-four thousand unaffiliateds with a strong showing as well. Thirty-four and a half percent. That is seven hundred and fourteen thousand plus voters in Republicans who continue to chip away at the major.
Hole that they found themselves in after the first few days of early voting.
Now at twenty five and a half percent, that is more than five hundred and twenty eight thousand votes by individuals that are registered Republicans across the state of North Carolina. We will see another full day of early voting today and tomorrow. It all ends at three p.m. on Saturday, and then of course we turn our attention to Tuesday, November the third, Election Day. We'll be joined tomorrow morning by Dr.
Andy Jackson. From the John Locke Foundation. That's going to do it for a Thursday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour. WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with you tomorrow morning, five to six, right here on Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBT.
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