Sam Hieb

Contributing Editor
Sam Hieb is freelance journalist from Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a contributing editor for Carolina Journal and for Piedmont Publius, a blog that focuses on political activity in North Carolina’s Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point) region. Hieb received a B.A. in English and an M.A. in History from UNC-Greensboro.

Posts by Sam Hieb (page 1)

  • Charlotte will pay $110 million to support MLS franchise

    Charlotte Observer reports the Queen City is prepared to set aside $110 million in hospitality funds in support of Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s bid to secure a Major League Soccer franchise. And while nothing is official, all indications are MLS will announce next Tuesday that Charlotte will be…
    Sam Hieb, December 12, 2019

  • Greensboro doubling down on housing bond?

    Rhino Times reports the Greensboro city council is pondering another housing bond, a mere four years after voters passed a $25 million bond. The idea was floated by none other than council member Michelle Kennedy. Homelessness is Kennedy’s number one issue: Kennedy talked about how that housing bond passed…
    Sam Hieb, December 9, 2019

  • Charlotte council struggling to find money for Tepper’s stadium expansion

    Obviously the big sports news in Charlotte right now is the (abrupt?) firing of Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera. That will pass—coaches come and go–but underneath that big headline is another very interesting headline–the Charlotte City is telling Panthers owner Davis Tepper they don’t have the money for his…
    Sam Hieb, December 5, 2019

  • Tillis challenger drops out of Senate GOP primary

    Somewhat surprising news that retired Raleigh businessman Garland Tucker is dropping his challenge to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in the upcoming Republican primary. “I cannot continue to fund the campaign personally at the level of the past 7 months; donor contributions during the impeachment process have been insufficient…
    Sam Hieb, December 3, 2019

  • Re: Capital spending on transit

    Antiplanner has a lengthy post answering this crucial question: Does transit capital spending boost ridership? Lots of statistics and graphs, but here’s the bottom line: The amount of money transit agencies spend on capital improvements has almost no effect on ridership or regional growth. If anything, regions that spend…
    Sam Hieb, November 26, 2019

  • Charlotte Housing Authority, aka ‘Inlivian’

    Today’s Charlotte Observer editorial weighs in on the new name for the Charlotte Housing Authority: “Inlivian.” You don’t have to travel far on the internet to find some smirking about Inlivian, the new name announced Monday for an 80-year-old Charlotte agency that provides housing assistance to low-income residents. Yes,…
    Sam Hieb, November 25, 2019

  • ‘Air rights’ for Greensboro affordable housing

    According to Rhino Times editor John Hammer, the Greensboro City Council’s at-large member Michelle Kennedy threw the work session agenda “out the window” to address the issue of affordable housing: Kennedy paid no attention to the agenda but presented two ideas for new affordable housing after the lone agenda…
    Sam Hieb, November 21, 2019

  • Greensboro might just get its downtown trolley

    The results are in are in for the City of Greensboro’s participatory budgeting vote, and residents in all five city districts approved $18,000 for a downtown weekend trolly pilot program. Interesting that the trolley ran strong in all five districts, placing first or second except in District 2. All…
    Sam Hieb, November 20, 2019