Pardon Our Dust
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Economy
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES: State unemployment rate reaches 11-year low inJune
The state’s unemployment rate reached an 11-year low of 4.2 percent inJune, with individuals continuing to drop out of the labor forcecontributing to the decrease as much as employer hiring.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Fewer of us will be paying NC income taxes in 2019
Income tax cuts and changes approved by legislative Republicans since 2013will mean an estimated 230,000 fewer people will be paying income taxes in2019, according to a legislative fiscal analysis memo released Tuesday.
Elections & Redistricting
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Lawmakers drawing General Assembly lines gathernext week
General Assembly members tasked with soon drawing North Carolina’slegislative districts after courts found some boundaries were drawn withunlawful racial bias will hold their first meeting next week.
Energy
WNCT-NEWS: Gov. Roy Cooper: No drilling off NC coast; ‘not worth it’
Gov. Roy Cooper emphatically stated offshore drilling has no place offNorth Carolina’s coast during a statement at Fort Macon State Park inAtlantic Beach Thursday.
From the Governor’s Desk
ABC-11 NEWS: Cooper signs bills protecting National Guard members
Gov. Roy Cooper signed three bills into law Friday morning in front ofmembers of the North Carolina National Guard.
WRAL-NEWS: Hurricane aid, zip line insurance bills signed by Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed legislation directing how $100 million inadditional Hurricane Matthew relief funds must be spent and requiring zipline and aerial ropes course owners to get minimum levels of liabilityinsurance.
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation Monday that targeted Guilford Countynewspapers for a loss of government advertising revenue.
In the Courts
The state Supreme Court froze any further action in the revamp of the stateelections board and ethics commission while a lawsuit challenging themerger awaits a hearing before the justices.
North Carolina’s legislative leaders have dropped their lawsuit challengingGov. Roy Cooper’s attempt to expand the state’s Medicaid program in thewaning days of Barack Obama’s presidency.
WRAL-NEWS: State education board to appeal court ruling in favor of NCsuperintendent
The State Board of Education decided Wednesday to appeal a court’s Fridaydecision in its case against State Superintendent Mark Johnson and thestate over control of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and thestate’s public schools.
NEWS & OBSERVER: NC law replacing HB2 is still a bathroom bill thatdiscriminates, challengers claim
North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2 has been off the books forthree months, but organizations that filed suit against the so-called”bathroom bill” say the law that replaced it leaves transgender people inthis state unprotected from discrimination after they were put in themiddle of a highly publicized political debate.