by John Hood Raleigh, NC – A decade ago, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, business analysts and policymakers thought they saw a turn toward a new urbanism. Downtown lofts and dense developments were the vogue. There was an…
By Kevin Roche The CDC in the last couple of days has added a large number of deaths to its official coronavirus fatality toll. The CDC data is lagged as it is dependent on death certificates being sent to it…
By Kevin Roche There is a lot of talk about the pandemic resulting in a “new normal” in terms of how we live. I hope not. We had one of the best economic periods we have ever had. One that…
by Mitch Kokai Chapel Hill, NC – UNC-Chapel Hill economist Martin Zelder (guest on the latest edition of the John Locke Foundation’s “HeadLocke” podcast) submits a new column this week. He continues to question state government’s approach to COVID-19. Why…
by Kari Travis Raleigh, NC – For North Carolina’s restaurants and private clubs, a future of social distancing after COVID-19 is full of question marks. While some hope reopening dining rooms and watering holes will revitalize the industry, others fear…
By Kevin Roche Especially when we have a President as, er, volatile and impulsive, as the current one (not saying that is always bad), it is good to have people around him or her in a crisis who appear more…
By Kevin Roche There are only two ways that this epidemic ends. One is by population immunity that makes transmission rare, and one is eradication of the virus. The latter is simply not going to happen. The former can be…
by Lindsay Marchello Raleigh, NC – A small group of N.C. voters are suing the state and the N.C. State Board of Elections over absentee voting regulations, but demands in the lawsuit may lead to election fraud, or the appearance…
By Kevin Roche Periodically reviewing the big picture in regard to the coronavirus epidemic can be useful. Once it becomes apparent that there is a widespread infectious disease epidemic, there are two basic strategies that can be employed to address…
by Brooke Conrad Raleigh, NC – About 400 North Carolina churches could join a lawsuit challenging Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide stay-at-home order. Cooper, who in late March ordered North Carolinians to stay home and all non-essential businesses to close, violated…