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Economic Development
ROCKINGHAM NOW: Gov. Cooper announces 325 jobs as biopharmaceutical manufacturer selects Lee County
Abzena Holdings (US) LLC, a life sciences contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), will locate a significant biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Lee County, creating 325 jobs and investing $213 million in Sanford, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.
NC DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE: N.C. Commerce launches the NC Main to Main Trail to encourage tourism
The North Carolina Department of Commerce Main Street & Rural Planning Center recently announced the launch of the NC Main to Main Trail, a tourism-based economic development initiative that leverages North Carolina’s regional, cultural and natural assets for prosperity in Main Street communities statewide.
Education
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Cooper nominates NC education board leaders to stay on panel
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper nominated on Thursday the current chairman and vice chairman of the State Board of Education to serve eight additional years on the panel.
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: Will other schools follow Duke in requiring COVID vaccines? It’s a tricky issue
Some North Carolina college students might have to pack their COVID-19 vaccination cards when they return to campus next fall, as universities consider whether to require vaccines for students and employees.
Finance
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: Lawmakers introduce bill to ‘reduce tax burden’ on NC small businesses ahead of filing deadline
North Carolina business owners who received an extra boost from the federal government during the pandemic would not have to pay additional taxes on the items they paid for with those loans under a bill proposed in the state legislature.
WRAL: NC House OKs tax deduction for PPP loans, not for unemployment
The House voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to give tax breaks to people who received federal funds during the coronavirus pandemic. Under the proposal, businesses that received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, an effort Congress approved to keep workers employed amid widespread shutdown orders last year, would be able to deduct the expenses on which they used the relief money.
Government
WRAL: NC emergency management director retiring
North Carolina Emergency Management Executive Director Mike Sprayberry will retire this summer, state officials said Friday. Sprayberry will retire on Aug. 1 with more than 42 years of state service. He has headed the Division of Emergency Management since 2013.
Healthcare
WRAL: Wake county does away with vaccine waitlist, opens website for direct scheduling
People hoping to register for a COVID-19 vaccine with Wake County Public Health no longer have to join a waitlist and wait to be contacted. Ryan Jury, Wake County’s mass vaccination branch director, told WRAL News on Friday the website, covid19.wakegov.com/vaccine, now offers direct scheduling. All people need to do is sign up for a time, location and vaccine brand.
Politics
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announces bid for US Senate seat in 2022
McCrory, a Republican who served one term as the state’s chief executive and 14 years as Charlotte’s mayor, has launched a campaign website announcing his run for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2022.
Transportation
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: What could Biden’s infrastructure plan mean for NC? Here are some possibilities
Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to North Carolina on Monday to tout the benefits of President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. But what could the extensive policy mean for the state? The administration has not released specific projects that could be funded and Congress, as it begins to write the legislation, is unlikely to include that level of specificity, either.