Economic Development
BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA: Fifty-one North Carolina towns achieve Main Street America status
Fifty-one North Carolina communities have received Main Street America accreditation status for 2024, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. The National Main Street America Center and its state coordinating partner, the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center, announced the list of accredited programs on Wednesday to recognize their commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization.
Education
WRAL: New health standards will come to NC schools in 2025
The State Board of Education has approved new healthful living standards for schools to implement in two years. Healthful living standards include education on hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, anatomy and reproductive health.
Elections
WUNC: NC House Republicans want a question about non-citizen voting on November’s ballot
Republicans in the state House want an amendment to the state constitution that says non-citizens can’t vote in North Carolina — even though that prohibition is already in state law.
Government
WCBC CHARLOTTE: NC House approves changes to bill cracking down on public mask wearing
Republicans in the state House and Senate have agreed to revised legislation around mask wearing, a compromise that would restore an exemption for people to wear masks in public to prevent disease. A Senate-passed version eliminated any exemption for people to wear marks for health reasons. But some House Republicans balked at the change, forcing the two GOP-led chambers to work together on compromise language.
Healthcare
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: Legal challenges keep NC abortion law in flux
More than a year after state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 20, adding new abortion restrictions in a late-night vote overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, the status of the law dictating access to the procedure in North Carolina remains in flux. That’s because the law has been entangled in two lawsuits that challenge some of the requirements lawmakers implemented.
Politics
Most political attention this year has focused on the presidential showdown between the incumbent, Joe Biden, and his predecessor, Donald Trump. But gubernatorial races are also on tap in 11 states, and a handful of them are looking competitive. Today, the 50 states have 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors.