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Your weekly North Carolina political news report.
Agriculture
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: A 145-year-old tobacco company gets into the CBD oil business in North Carolina
In a former tobacco warehouse in a city that once touted itself as the “world’s greatest tobacco market,” a company called Criticality has begun extracting CBD oil from hemp — a cannabis plant and variant of marijuana that until recently the federal government considered an illegal drug.
Economic Development
NEWS & RECORD: Greensboro council approves up to $426,000 incentives to recruit 213 jobs to downtown
The Greensboro City Council on Friday approved offering incentives worth up to $426,000 to entice a New York apparel company to locate 213 jobs in downtown.
Environment
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: Health, environment central in Cooper’s budget plan
A major upgrade to Department of Environmental Quality lab facilities, increased staffing for water pollution detection and oversight, and a nearly $1 billion boost in funding for clean water projects statewide are among the dozens of priorities Gov. Roy Cooper outlined in his version of this year’s budget plan.
Healthcare
BLOOMBERG LAW: Expanding Group Health Insurance Plans Gets N.C. Senate Nod
North Carolina lawmakers advanced legislation that would allow more small businesses to join together to buy cheaper health insurance. The state Senate voted 38-8 on March 14 to send S.B. 86 to the House.
Government
AP NEWS: N Carolina governor delays voter ID requirement until 2020
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed legislation that delays the state’s new photo voter identification requirement until the 2020 elections.
Elections
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Biggest GOP field since 2021 to compete in North Carolina’s 9th district primary
The biggest Republican field in nearly a decade is set to run in North Carolina’s special 9th Congressional District, a race that will draw national attention both for why it’s happening and what it may foreshadow.
Transportation
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: A year after new light rail opened, can Charlotte afford $8 billion in future lines?
A year after the Blue Line extension opened, there’s an $8 billion question looming: As the city embarks on an ambitious expansion plan over the next decade, how will Charlotte pay for the next rail line?