As summer gets underway and families should be enjoying holiday cookouts, many across the country are instead faced with the double blow of rising grocery prices and federal cuts to food assistance.
With his final term ending in 2028, Newby apparently no longer feels the need to appear impartial. Again and again, he puts his own interests and those of corporations over workers and consumers. North Carolina is poorer for it.
Like many North Carolinians, I am tired of being treated as a revenue stream for a monopoly utility while working families struggle to keep the lights on.
Davidson County Schools Superintendent Gregg Slate says his district has recently been spending around $60,000 a week on fuel for their fleet of school buses, with diesel costs about 50% higher than they were in North Carolina a year ago.
The start of the Atlantic Hurricane season, which began on June 1st, is bringing back memories for many North Carolina communities that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene two years later.
Questions about Whatley’s ties to the utility company go beyond his investments. Recent reporting found that he spent more than a decade lobbying for utility companies, including Duke Energy, and arguing in favor of rate increases.
“The first round of tariffs already cost North Carolina $3.5 billion, and the latest round was on track to cost families up to $1,300 this year,” said Jackson. “That’s a lot of money. Throwing out these tariffs keeps that money in people’s pockets for food, gas, rent, and medicine.”
“We’re extremely disappointed, although not surprised,” said Terry Bravas, a Lake Norman-area resident. “This decision is a complete abdication of the utility commission’s responsibility and, in my judgment, a demonstration of a lack of integrity by the commissioners and the public staff.”
The rally featured drag performances by Naomi Dix, Pay My Bills Gates, and Jeff Bozos, followed by a rate hike hearing at the courthouse where community members had the opportunity to speak about the damaging effects of high utility bills and Duke Energy’s 18% rate hike request.
“People want to live and work here, but we simply do not have enough homes to meet that growing demand,” Stein said. “Housing is the single biggest expense that most families face, so if somebody’s rent or mortgage takes up too much of their monthly paycheck, that means that they have that much less to spend on other essentials.”