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Economic Development
PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. will invest $4.3 million into PennyMac Loan Services, its mortgage lending subsidiary, to establish a mortgage fulfillment production center in Wake County, North Carolina. The company plans to create 300 jobs in Cary, North Carolina.
Education
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Public school enrollment is down in NC as alternatives grow during COVID pandemic
North Carolina’s traditional public schools are fighting to hold on to their students as they lose ground to their competitors during the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment is down this school year in the state’s school districts, even as it’s increased in charter schools and likely in home-schools and private schools too.
ABC 11: North Carolina NAACP stands in support of addressing systemic racism in social studies curriculum
Should systemic racism and gender identity be addressed in our public schools? That is the question many leaders within North Carolina are currently debating.
Government
WCNC: Gov. Cooper extends North Carolina’s modified stay-at-home order
Governor Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that he is extending the state’s modified stay at home order until Feb. 28. Cooper’s executive order requires all North Carolina residents to continue to wear masks in public and work from home unless essential, as well as a nightly curfew from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Residents are also asked to continue social distance, stay away from large gatherings and avoid anyone, outside of their family, who is not wearing a mask.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: GOP pushes legislation to force NC public schools to reopen for in-person classes
Some Republican state lawmakers want to force North Carolina public schools to reopen for in-person instruction. Republican Senate leaders announced Thursday that they are working on drafting legislation to reopen schools. The timeline offered for a bill was the “coming days.”
Healthcare
WBTV: N.C. health officials share new plan to help health systems know how much vaccine to expect
Thousands of people have had their vaccination appointments canceled after the state decided to divert doses of the COVID-19 vaccine out of many rural communities and deliver them to Charlotte instead. Atrium Health is putting on several mass vaccinations clinics and needs a lot more doses, but not everyone can make the trip to Charlotte to get vaccinated.
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD: CDC rankings: NC COVID-19 vaccine effort leaps from almost bottom to near the top
Over the last week, North Carolina has climbed up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s rankings of states with the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccine delivery. According to the CDC, 322,294 people in North Carolina have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since last Friday.
THE HERALD SUN: NC ends deadliest month of COVID pandemic with some signs of improvement
North Carolina reported 48 new deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, breaking a four day streak of more than 100 daily deaths from the virus. A total of 9,335 people have died across the state since the pandemic began in March, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data. More than a quarter of those deaths have occurred in January, which saw 13 days of more than 100 reported deaths.
Politics
WXII12: North Carolina no longer recognizes 2 small political parties
Two small political parties in North Carolina are no longer officially recognized because they failed to meet candidate support thresholds in November, the State Board of Elections announced Wednesday. The Constitution Party of North Carolina and North Carolina Green Party both became official parties in 2018 by meeting state requirements.
CNN: Primaries for North Carolina’s 2022 US Senate seat are already heating up as another Democrat gets in
North Carolina state Sen. Jeff Jackson announced his 2022 bid for Senate on Tuesday, setting up a divisive Democratic primary for the open seat that will be pivotal to the party’s future control of the Senate. Jackson launched his “100-county campaign” in a video with his wife Marisa and his young sons, who are seen packing their bags in preparation for the months-long contest.
Technology
THE BUSINESS JOURNALS: Here are key takeaways from NC TECH’s annual industry report
The NC TECH Association hosted its annual Outlook for Tech conference on Wednesday, and one thing was clear — The future of the industry in North Carolina is bright. The event, typically held in Charlotte, was virtual this year and focused on what industry leaders and experts throughout the state had to say about technology trends and future innovations, NC TECH Association CEO Brooks Raiford said.
Transportation
ABC 13 NEWS: NCDOT reports Asheville Regional Airport contributes $2 billion to region’s economy
A recent report released by the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation shows that Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) contributes nearly $2 billion to the region’s economy and supports 12,520 jobs. The report also shows that the airport contributes nearly $402 million in personal income and $65.4 million in state and local taxes.
WWAY3: North Carolina to fund transit rides to and from COVID-19 vaccine sites
The NC Department of Transportation and the NC Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday that approximately $2.5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funding is being distributed to local transit agencies across the state to help pay for rides for people who need transportation assistance to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.