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Agriculture
US NEWS: USDA OKs Disaster Declarations for North Carolina Counties
Twelve counties in western North Carolina have been granted requests for a primary county disaster designation after excessive rain and flooding from Tropical Storm Fred during the summer, according to a news release.
THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL: Fairgoers, vendors savor annual celebration of North Carolina’s best
The North Carolina State Fair is back in full swing this year after the 2020 version was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, whose agency oversees the annual 11-day event, said this past February that it was “unbearable” not to have a fair last year, but that 2021 would be the best, and hopefully the biggest turnout, the state has ever seen.
Economic Development
WRAL TECH WIRE: Help still wanted: 3 major jobs sits show increase in Triangle demand
As TechWire reported on Friday, job openings in North Carolina are so abundant that there’s one job opening for every unemployed person in the state. But the demand for help doesn’t appear to be cooling with three of six major jobs boards reporting an increase in openings as a new week begins.
Education
CBS 17: Multi-billion dollar NC school funding case goes before judge next week amid budget negotiations
Though a judge set a deadline for next week for state leaders to fully fund a multibillion-dollar plan for education, they have not reached an agreement on whether to do that, leaving it unclear what will happen next.
Elections
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Who are the North Carolina Democrats who want David Price’s congressional seat?
Voters can expect a crowded field in the Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. David Price’s seat, after the longtime congressman announced he’ll retire instead of running again in the 2022 election. The primary is March 8, and candidates will file for office in December.
SPECTRUM NEWS 1: Elections 2021: Mayor, council seats up in coastal cities and towns
From Oak Island to Duck, there are hundreds of mayoral races and local council seats up for elections along the North Carolina coast. The biggest contest is the mayoral race in Wilmington.
Environment
SPECTRUM NEWS 1: N.C. solar industry looks ahead after energy bill signed
The CEO of a North Carolina solar company said she expects major growth in demand due to the state’s new energy law. Carolina Solar Energy CEO Carson Harkrader said her company has already built dozens of utility-scale solar fields in North Carolina and in other states.
Government
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Want to weigh in on North Carolina redistricting maps? Your last chances are next week
North Carolina lawmakers will soon vote on how exactly to draw the state’s political maps for the next decade. It’s a big deal. The maps could go a long way toward determining the political makeup of the state legislature until 2032, as well as the partisan balance of North Carolina’s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Healthcare
WFAE: North Carolina health officials roll out plans to vaccine young children against COVID-19
The federal government is sending North Carolina 124,500 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. State health officials will divide those initial doses among 232 health departments and pediatricians across the state. Mecklenburg County Public Health is expected to have the largest initial allocation at 13,500 doses.
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: COVID outbreaks continue in NC jails, which are exempt from state vaccine mandate
As the most recent Delta variant wave of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be tapering off in most of North Carolina, carceral facilities are still experiencing outbreaks. At least three people in different county jails have died due to the coronavirus in the past month, according to weekly outbreak reports from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Politics
US NEWS: NC GOP Leaders Send New Budget-Bargaining Offer to Cooper
Republican legislative leaders sent another negotiating offer to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday as top government officials still attempt to enact a long-overdue two year budget.
AP NEWS: NC speaker: Medicaid expansion not in latest budget offer
The latest budget offer that North Carolina Republicans sent to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper wouldn’t expand Medicaid broadly as Cooper seeks, but it does sweeten a previous proposal on worker pay raises, a top GOP legislator says.
Transportation
SPECTRUM NEWS 1: N.C.’s transportation dept. collects a record amount of trash
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it has set an annual record for the amount of trash collected along state roads and highways — and the year isn’t over yet.
WBTV: ‘Just give the keys up’: NC’s ‘Booze It and Lose It’ campaign gets underway
It’s less than a week away from Halloween, a time police and troopers say is particularly dangerous due to drunk drivers. That’s why the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program is ramping up its eyes and ears on the roads with the “Booze it and Lose it” campaign. The campaign starts Monday and goes through Halloween on Oct. 31.