Gary D. Robertson | Associated Press

Elected the state's first Black lieutenant governor in 2020 in his first run for political office, Republican Mark Robinson would make similar history if he wins the governorship.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a Medicaid expansion law that was a decade in the making and gives the Democrat a legacy-setting victory, although one significant hurdle remains before coverage can be implemented, thanks to a Republican-backed provision.

Raleigh police also cited Jonah Richard Mendys and Ryan Scott McGurt both of Chapel Hill, with misdemeanors related to the accident's aftermath. Both men face obstruction of justice charges.

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced on Saturday he will run for governor in 2024, a bid that will likely require him besting Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to earn the Republican nomination.

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups called Monday for blocking the planned elimination of North Carolina’s corporate income tax, arguing that companies that benefit from operating in the state should pay a proper share for necessary public services.

The same Republican majority also ordered a hearing for Wednesday on another 4-3 decision in December that upheld a trial court decision striking down a 2018 voter photo identification law.

Debate over whether North Carolina would accept Medicaid expansion provided through the Affordable Care Act lingered for the past decade, with most Republicans skeptical about the idea for most of that period.

Legislation from the North Carolina House that would toughen punishments for violent protests has now cleared a Senate committee. The bill, being shepherded by House Speaker Tim Moore, came in response to 2020 demonstrations over racial injustice and unrest that led to some rioting and looting.

A North Carolina Supreme Court ruling siding with the state controller means the court will revisit a school funding case in which an earlier lineup of justices issued a landmark opinion just four months ago. A Supreme Court majority on Friday restored enforcement of a 2021 order by the Court of Appeals that stopped the controller from transferring money from state coffers to agencies for education purposes without the General Assembly's express approval.

North Carolina legislative leaders have announced an agreement to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act.