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Your weekly North Carolina political news report.
Agriculture
WRAL: Strawberry season starts in North Carolina
Did you know North Carolina is the fourth-largest producer of strawberries in the nation? Farmers across the state are gearing up for one of their busiest seasons.
THE YADKIN RIPPLE: Farm Act positions NC as leader in hemp production
Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson) announced the NC Farm Act of 2019, which uses recent federal rule changes to establish a regulatory framework for expanded hemp production in North Carolina.
Economic Development
ENERGY NEWS NETWORK: North Carolina bill would cut state energy use, save money
A bill moving quickly through the North Carolina General Assembly would require hundreds of prison facilities, university classrooms and other state buildings to curb energy use by 10 percent — a move that would save over a quarter billion dollars by 2025, according to state officials.
Environment
WFAE 90.7: Senate Bill Would Ban Wind Farms In Some NC Counties
An 18-month moratorium on new wind energy farms in North Carolina ended Dec. 31. But a bill introduced in the state Senate Wednesday would ban new projects in all or part of two dozen eastern North Carolina counties.
Healthcare
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: GOP senators’ plan would fund services for people with disabilities, end CON requirement
Two Republican state senators on Tuesday proposed a package of health-care reforms, saying specifically that North Carolina should beef up help for people with intellectual disabilities before expanding Medicaid to additional hundreds of thousands of people.
Government
WRAL: Supreme Court justices grapple with NC partisan gerrymandering case
North Carolina’s congressional map took center stage at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in a partisan gerrymandering case that could have broad implications for state legislators who draw district lines across the country.
Technology
FORTUNE: UPS Beings Using Drones to Transport Medical Samples at North Carolina Hospitals
UPS said Tuesday it began using unmanned drones to transport medical samples at a North Carolina hospital system, part of its longer-term plan to incorporate drones into its delivery of supplies and samples to medical facilities.
Transportation
CBS 17: Bird, Lime pulling scooters from Raleigh
Bird and Lime are pulling their scooters off the streets of Raleigh. Julia Milstead with the City of Raleigh said neither Bird or Lime submitted a proposal to the city by the Tuesday deadline.