NC Politics in the News

Economic Development

WWAY NEWS: Visitor spending increases in all 100 North Carolina counties
All 100 North Carolina counties saw in increase in tourism dollars, according to data released Wednesday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

The preliminary findings reflect the economic impact of tourism on local economies across the state, and come from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Charlotte city leaders on losing Centene hub – and what it means going forward
Tracy Dodson, the assistant city manager in charge of economic development, told CBJ that, while Centene’s decision is disappointing, the company leaves behind an attractive new office building that can be used to lure another corporate headquarters or be divided among several sizable entities.

Education

SPECTRUM NEWS 1: Teacher shortage causing ‘crisis’ in N.C. schools
The first day of school starts in about a week for many kids, but some of the state’s largest school districts are reporting hundreds of unfilled teaching and staff positions. The president of Wake’s North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), Christina Spears, says public schools are facing a crisis right now.

WUNC: North Carolina educators say they doubt the new teacher pay proposal will fix vacancies
The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is opposing a state plan to change how teachers are licensed and paid. Representatives for the teachers’ association held a press conference Tuesday saying the plan might worsen, rather than alleviate, a growing teacher shortage.

Environment

COASTAL REVIEW: New law repeals offshore wind energy lease moratorium
President Joe Biden signed into law this week a sweeping measure that promises to address inflation in part by lowering Americans’ energy costs and bolstering the clean energy economy. The administration said the new law would reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars and create millions of good-paying, clean energy jobs. The Inflation Reduction Act also removes the Trump administration’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind energy leasing.

Government

AP NEWS: Court opens door to voiding N. Carolina Voter ID amendment
North Carolina’s highest court opened the door Friday to nullifying a voter ID mandate approved by citizens in 2018 because the lawmakers who put it on the ballot were elected from districts tainted by illegal racial bias. However, the North Carolina Supreme Court stopped short of striking down the voter ID requirement and another constitutional amendment that limited income tax rates, ruling that a lower court must gather more evidence on the measures before tossing them out.

WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Opioid settlement money arriving in local government accounts
It’s neither an unexpected windfall nor found money. Millions that began showing up in recent months in local government bank accounts came at a gut-wrenching cost. The first installments were wired in spring and summer from a $26 billion national settlement paid by pharmaceutical companies for their undeniable role in unleashing an opioid epidemic that’s still claiming the lives of eight North Carolinians every single day.

Healthcare

NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: What happens in NC now that the COVID state of emergency has expired?
There no longer is a state of emergency for COVID-19 in North Carolina even as 61 counties still have high community levels of illness related to the virus and strained health care systems. Gov. Roy Cooper announced in July that he would let the executive order that he initially implemented in March 2020 expire on Aug. 15. Cooper and state health officials had argued for keeping the state of emergency active, in part to maintain the flexibility provided to health care systems through his declaration.

Politics

SPECTRUM NEWS 1: How the White House says the Inflation Reduction Act will impact N.C.
The potential impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden recently signed into law, is coming into clearer view. This week, the White House released information on how the climate and health care bill, supported by Democrats in Congress, will impact states. These are some of the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the White House.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION TODAY: North Carolina receives nearly $60M in RAISE grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded North Carolina nearly $60 million in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants. “We are very appreciative of our federal partners for helping advance transportation in North Carolina,” J. Eric Boyette, North Carolina transportation secretary, said. “These RAISE grants will greatly benefit our economy, strengthen supply chains, and make travel safer and easier, whether you’re driving, bicycling, walking, or riding the train.”

WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Taking charge: NC electric vehicles on the rise
North Carolina drivers are gradually choosing to plug in rather than fill up. An additional 18,500 electric and hybrid vehicles hit the state’s roads in the first half of 2022 while the number of fully fuel-powered cars, trucks and buses declined, according to a review of monthly reports from the N.C. Department of Transportation.