NC Lawmakers Meet For A Historic Pandemic Session

WUNC | By Jeff Tiberii,

Published April 29, 2020 at 12:47 PM EDT

The Legislative Building on the first day of the short session - very quiet inside with protests outside.

North Carolina lawmakers gaveled in Tuesday for a legislative session unlike any other — their first since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state.

Host Frank Stasio and WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii discuss the latest news of the North Carolina state legislature.

The State Legislative Building was quiet, and much more empty than usual. The doors were locked, and only legislators, staffers and media were allowed inside. Many of those in chambers wore masks and abided by physical distancing requirements, while others ignored protocol and sat right next to each other. The main goal for the General Assembly in this short session is to dole out COVID-19 relief funds.

Host Frank Stasio talks to WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberiiabout the debate over how the pandemic dollars should be spent and previews other big questions state lawmakers are facing: What will the November election look like? What if another major hurricane hits North Carolina? Is there enough of a surplus fund to help cover the expected budget shortfalls of local governments?

Jeff Tiberii

Jeff Tiberii first started posing questions to strangers after dinner at La Cantina Italiana, in Massachusetts, when he was two-years-old. Jeff grew up in Wayland, Ma., an avid fan of the Boston Celtics, and took summer vacations to Acadia National Park (ME) with his family. He graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and moved to North Carolina in 2006. His experience with NPR member stations WAER (Syracuse), WFDD (Winston-Salem) and now WUNC, dates back 15 years.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Amanda Magnus

Amanda Magnus grew up in Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore. She became interested in radio after an elective course in the NYU journalism department. She got her start at Sirius XM Satellite Radio, but she knew public radio was for her when she interned at WNYC. She later moved to Madison, where she worked at Wisconsin Public Radio for six years. In her time there, she helped create an afternoon drive news magazine show, called Central Time. She also produced several series, including one on Native American life in Wisconsin. She spends her free time running, hiking, and roller skating. She also loves scary movies.

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