The News & Observer‘s “Under the Dome” credited Carolina Journal for breaking the story of Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam’s plan to introduce an opportunity scholarship voucher bill for low-income students in North Carolina. Associate Editor Dan Way wrote that article.

N.C. Senate Republicans noted Way’s reports on a proposed oversight board for state charter schools, legislation targeting electric transmission lines, Gov. Pat McCrory’s new transportation plan, and Obamacare’s impact on Blue Cross health insurance policyholders. The Senate GOP also promoted Barry Smith’s articles on a Senate education reform bill, the University of North Carolina president‘s response to recent legislative activity, auto insurance reform, and voter identification legislation.

The Kernersville News published Becki Gray’s CJ column on North Carolina’s renewable energy mandate, while the Elizabeth City Daily Advance interviewed Gray about the pace of this year’s legislative session. (Becki Gray, a spokeswoman for the John Locke Foundation, a conservative policy advocacy group, also believes this year’s legislative activity has been on par with past sessions. She also argues Republicans knew what they were getting into with their major proposals, particularly tax reform.)

The Greensboro News & Record quoted “Piedmont Publius” blogger Sam Hieb‘s entry on the Greensboro mayor’s recent financial woes. The Beaufort Observer cited Jon Ham’s “Right Angles” entry on U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan’s response to federal gun control legislation, along with Smith’s voter ID article.