News and Views with NC Policy Watch's Chris Fitzsimon

The United States is facing the largest number of measles cases in a single year, with 880 individual cases confirmed in 24 states between January 1 and May 17, 2019. Reporter Sarah Ovaska-Few reports on the rise in the number of toddlers in our state who are unvaccinated, raising the chance of contracting measles and other illnesses. Ovaska-Few talks about the risks and what NC pediatricians are doing to minimize the risk of infection.

It’s graduation season and we check in with Higher Ed Works executive director David Rice to discuss the status of North Carolina’s colleges and universities. Rice also discusses the results of a new Gallup poll that finds 64 percent of UNC respondents strongly agree their undergraduate education was worth the cost. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they had completed postgraduate degrees. Personal and household incomes were also higher among UNC system respondents.

Senator Valerie Foushee discusses Medicaid expansion, redistricting reform, education funding and student activism at the University of North Carolina.

Daniel Bowes, director of the Fair Chance-Criminal Justice Project at the North Carolina Justice Center, discusses the Senate’s passage of the Second Chance Act and other expungement legislation making its way through the NC legislature. Republicans and Democrats have come together to support this legislation in a rare move of bipartisanship. It’s estimated more than two million North Carolinians have a criminal record.

Moises Serrano and William Saenz of El Pueblo discuss anti-immigrant legislation (HB 370) that would force local sheriffs to comply with federal ICE agents in detaining and arresting undocumented residents. The two also discuss this week’s UnDOCUgraduation ceremony.

Grady McCallie of the NC Conversation Network discusses ‘forever chemicals’ and the growing list of environmental threats that confront our state. Be sure to check out the organization’s new report North Carolina: State of the Environment.

More than 2 million North Carolina residents, including nearly half a million children, live in communities underserved by grocery stores. Morgan Wittman Gramann, director of the North Carolina Alliance for Health discusses food deserts and “Supporting Healthy Food Access in North Carolina.”

We wrap-up National Teacher Appreciation Week with 3 veteran NC teachers who share what they really need to feel appreciated by state legislators.

State budget director Charles Perusse discusses North Carolina’s remarkable growth and the need for greater investment in education, infrastructure as well as Medicaid expansion.

Michelle Laws (L) and Deby Dihoff (R) of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-NC) discuss our state’s daunting mental health needs and some initiatives policymakers ought to be making a priority.