NC Politics in the News

June 21, 2021

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Economic Development 

NC COMMERCE: German Industrial Automation Company to Build U.S. Headquarters in Gaston County with $7.8 Million Investment
KNOLL America Inc., a supplier of conveyor and filtration systems, will create 31 new jobs in Gaston County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $7.8 million to locate a new U.S. headquarters operations and manufacturing facility in Gaston County’s Apple Creek Corporate Park.

WCNC: Gov. Cooper to visit heath care provider bringing 6,000 jobs to Charlotte
Cooper will give a speech at the new East Coast headquarters of Centene Corporation. “Centene’s investment here is great for the Charlotte area and our whole state,” Cooper said. “Centene knows that North Carolina has a resilient economy, ready workforce, livable communities and a host of other assets that make our state a leading destination for forward-thinking businesses.”


Education 

WRAL: NC Senate committee recommends amended education bills on payments to charter school and school nutrition programs
North Carolina Senate Education/Higher Education Committee has referred a handful of amended education bills to committees, including one that would limit school districts’ ability to assess indirect costs related to their school nutrition programs, which critics contend risks districts’ ability to run their programs without going into debt.


Government

ASSOCIATED PRESS: NC governor again vetoes gun-rights bill for more churches
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed gun-rights legislation on Friday that would allow parishioners at more churches to be armed, marking the second year in a row that he’s blocked the idea.

WRAL: Governor tells lawmakers to ‘go back to the drawing board; on major energy bill
Gov. Roy Cooper expressed serious concerns with a major new energy policy Thursday, taking the rare step of issuing a formal statement before the bill even had its first public hearing in the legislature.


Healthcare

FOX8: New Guilford County Behavioral Health Center is the first of its kind in the state
Sometimes people see the warning signs, sometimes they don’t, when it comes to mental and behavioral health. It’s one of the many challenges communities and families face each day. The new Guilford County Behavioral Health Center in Greensboro is a one-stop shop for people to get the help they need before it’s too late.

UNC HEALTH: UNC Children’s Named to U.S. News “Best Children Hospitals” for 13th Straight Year
UNC Children’s has been ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals 2021-2022, released today. UNC Children’s is nationally ranked in seven pediatric subspecialties including 16th in the nation for pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, and 24th for pediatric pulmonology.


Politics

THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: Biden to visit Raleigh this week, as NC lags behind his vaccine target
President Joe Biden will travel to Raleigh on Thursday, visiting the state capital as part of his continued efforts to encourage people across the country to get the COVID-19 vaccine.


Transportation

THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: NC must put brakes on speeders before more die, public officials and experts say
New evidence that North Carolina is failing to punish and prevent extreme speeding is starting to spur action across the state. Some North Carolina prosecutors say they have begun to get tougher on the most egregious speeders. The head of a key highway safety program said he plans to launch a task force aimed at reducing speeding. A Charlotte City Council committee will look for solutions, too.

THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: State to lease Ocracoke passenger ferry again this year
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed legislation that will continue the operation of a passenger-only ferry that takes people from Hatters Island to Ocracoke Island.