skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Poll Shows One Thing NC Voters Agree On

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 20, 2016   

RALEIGH, N.C. – While there's no shortage of policy issues North Carolina voters disagree on, there's at least one issue supported by a majority of both parties. A new poll commissioned by the First Five Years Fund with a bipartisan polling team found that 70 percent of Republicans and 92 percent of Democrats support expanded access to early-childhood education in North Carolina.

Tracy Zimmerman, executive director with the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, said their poll results send a clear message to lawmakers and candidates running for office.

"We're a state that wholeheartedly believes we need to be doing more for our young children," she said. "It's not about whether or not you have children. We clearly know that thriving communities are rooted in making sure children are strong."

There are more than 26,000 children enrolled in North Carolina's state pre-K program, with thousands of children left on the waiting list for the program, which requires parents to qualify based on their income. Numerous bodies of research indicate the first five years of a child's life and the education they receive are indicators of future success in life and their brain development.

In the poll, 86 percent of voters rank making sure children get a strong start in life through quality early-childhood education as "extremely" or "very important," explained Zimmerman.

"It is up to voters to really be demanding of all candidates running for public office," she added. "What is their early-learning platform? How are they going to ensure that our children have the opportunity to be successful because voters recognize that a stronger North Carolina is very much rooted in what we do for our young children."

In the poll, voters ranked early childhood education ahead of reducing the tax burden to families and providing low or no-cost college.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021