Pardon Our Dust
We recently launched this new site and are still in the process of updating some of our archived content. Some details of this article may be incomplete, links may be broken, and other elements may not display properly yet. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Agriculture
WUNC 91.5: Small Farms In North Carolina Welcome Tourists To Stay Afloat
Agriculture is a big industry in North Carolina, yet an increasing number of small farms cannot afford to engage in only crop or livestock farming. With agritourism, small farms diversify their business models and protect themselves from unforeseen problems.
Economic Development
WRAL TECH WIRE: NC is #1 in economic growth potential, #3 in biotech strength: Report
North Carolina is the top-ranked state for Economic Growth Potential, second in Installed Solar Capacity and third in Biotechnology Strength in Business Facilities’ 15th Annual Rankings Report for 2019. Overall, NC ranked among the top ten in 11 of 24 categories.
CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Study: NC gets ‘C’ grade in manufacturing, logistics
When it comes to manufacturing and logistics, North Carolina is holding steady with a mostly average performance grade, according to Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research.In its recently released Manufacturing Scorecard 2019, North Carolina scored an overall grade of “C” in comparison to the nation’s other 49 states.
Education
WRAL: Conflicting timelines emerge as NC virtual school prepares to lay off 220 teachers this fall
Days after 220 North Carolina Virtual Public School teachers learned they would be laid off this fall semester, conflicting timelines are emerging about when school leaders and state education officials knew the layoffs would be necessary.
Healthcare
WUNC 91.5: State Treasurer’s Health Plan Blockaded By NC Hospitals
State Treasurer Dale Folwell wants to move the State Health Plan to a government-priced model he calls the Clear Pricing Project. As the debate escalates, the more than 727,000 North Carolinians on the State Health Plan face uncertain healthcare coverage and costs in the new year.
Government
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC elections board to reconsider voting machines after initial decision to delay
North Carolina election officials cited lingering concerns over election hacking in explaining why they again delayed certifying new voting machines for the 2020 elections Monday. “Trust and confidence in the security of any voting system that we put in place in North Carolina is absolutely vital,” said Stella Anderson, the board member who proposed the delay Monday night.
Transportation
WITN: Work could begin soon on Havelock Bypass for U.S. 70
Construction could begin later this month on eliminating stoplights for your road trip to the beach. The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it was awarded a $167.2 million project to a Wilmington company to build the Havelock Bypass for U.S. 70.
MOUNTAIN XPRESS: Electric vehicle infrastructure expands in WNC
Owning and driving an electric car may soon get a lot easier for residents of Western North Carolina. Although nearly 100 public charging stations are currently installed within 15 kilometers (9 miles) of Asheville, according to ChargeHub — a sixth of the approximately 600 charging stations installed across the state — many more are on the way. Governments, businesses and private individuals are all accelerating their efforts to electrify the way WNC gets around.