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Your weekly North Carolina political news report.
Agriculture
THE LAURINBURG EXCHANGE: Farm Bill could make N.C pioneer in industrial hemp
Senate Bill 315, “North Carolina Farm Act of 2019,” would among other things expand a 2014 hemp pilot project, turning it into a statewide program with broad regulations. S.B. 315’s primary sponsor, Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, would like to see hemp farming become a viable industry — especially as North Carolina’s tobacco farms decline.
SPECTRUM NEWS: USDA Offices Will Not Be Relocating to NC
Two U.S. Department of Agriculture research offices will not be relocating to North Carolina, the USDA announced Thursday. The Research Triangle was one of three finalists as the USDA looked to move both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outside of the Washington, D.C. region.
Economic Development
CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL: New study ranks North Carolina economy among best in US
A new study finds North Carolina’s economy is ranked among the 20 best in the U.S. — and is listed ahead of any other Southeastern state. Personal-finance website WalletHub published a new study that ranks the economies of each U.S. state and the District of Columbia. North Carolina ranked No. 10, just ahead of Arizona (No. 11) and just behind New Hampshire (No. 9), according to WalletHub.
Environment
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: Deer chronic wasting disease spread making biologists and lawmakers wary
It’s been a while since Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, a research professor at North Carolina State’s School of Veterinary Medicine, last held a lecture on chronic wasting disease, a transmissible, chronic, progressive neurological disease in deer. The disease is spreading through many parts of the country but has not yet been detected in North Carolina.
Healthcare
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Bill to reform health care laws over buildings and facilities clears second committee
A less-aggressive attempt at reforming the state’s certificate-of-need laws over health care appears on track for a Senate floor vote as early as next week.
WRAL: Report: NC ranks 33rd in child well-being, made ‘mixed progress’ on health, poverty, education
North Carolina has seen a boom in its youth population, with 2.3 million children currently living in the state, but “greater investments must be made to programs that promote children’s health and development, school success, and family financial stability, such as expanding access to early childhood education,” according to a new report released Monday.
Government
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Cyber security concerns lead NC officials to delay approval of new voting machines
North Carolina election officials were supposed to certify new voting machines on Thursday for millions of voters to start using in 2020. But they declined to make any decisions, citing uncertainty over who owns the three companies that were seeking approval to sell voting machines here.
Transportation
U.S. NEWS: Rocky Mount Area Set to Welcome DMV Staff
The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce and the Carolinas Gateway Partnership are going to roll out the red carpet for state Division of Motor Vehicles employees in response to the planned relocation of the agency’s headquarters to the city.