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
THE DAILY ADVANCE: NC State Fair a go for October, manager says
The North Carolina State Fair has welcomed more than 1 million guests five times since 2010 and fair officials hope that this fall will be the sixth time that mark is eclipsed.
SPECTRUM: Wetter hurricanes are a concern for N.C. farmers
Hurricanes are having big impacts on many different ways of life in North Carolina. That’s especially the case for our state’s farmers.
Economic Development
WECT: N.C. film productions already spent record $409M in 2021, officials say
Film production projects in North Carolina have already spent a record amount of money in the state in 2021, Governor Roy Cooper announced Thursday at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington.
ROBESONIAN: Rural Infrastructure Authority OKs funding for three economic development projects in Robeson County
Three economic development projects that will create 64 jobs and bring more than $7.9 million in net investment to Robeson County were approved Thursday by the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, according to the director of the county’s office of Economic Development.
Education
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: A new school year starts for NC students, but COVID challenges remain
More than 1 million students are walking into schools Monday, filling buildings to levels not seen since March 2020. Monday’s opening day is far closer to a traditional opening of a school year than last August, when the majority of students held a virtual first day of classes.
Environment
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Environmental regulator gets approval from NC senators who rejected Cooper’s last pick
On Tuesday, Elizabeth Biser sat in the same auditorium in front of the same N.C. Senate committee answering many of the same questions that Dionne Delli-Gatti did less than four months ago. But a day later, the Senate Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee voted to confirm Biser as secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality where it had voted to deny Delli-Gatti’s confirmation to the same job.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: 5 Dead and 1 Missing in North Carolina Flooding
Five people were killed after flash floods wiped out homes in western North Carolina in the wake of Tropical Depression Fred last week, the authorities said on Sunday, as rescuers searched for another person who remained missing.
Government
WRAL: NC jobless rate drops again – economist sees labor market as ‘positive’
North Carolina’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 4.4% in July 2021, a decrease of 0.2% from June’s revised rate, and half of what it was in July 2020, when North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 8.8%, according to the latest data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Sports betting is a step closer to being legal in North Carolina. What’s next?
If Senate Bill 688 becomes law, North Carolina residents could bet online or in person on professional, college, electronic and amateur sports or any other event approved by the N.C. Lottery Commission.
WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL: Bill resurfaces in N.C. legislature that would disband NCHSAA
The latest edition of House Bill 91 was returned Thursday to the Senate Education/Higher Education committee after sitting in the Senate Rules and Operations committee since July 22.
Healthcare
THE COASTLAND TIMES: Legislation signed into law requiring parental consent for COVID-19 vaccination for minors
North Carolina children now must get approval from a parent before receiving the current COVID-19 vaccine available to them under legislation that Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law on Friday.
WNCT: NC rate of breakthrough COVID-19 cases ticks up, but still remains low, health officials say
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports 22,555 cases in the state’s 4.6 million fully vaccinated people as of Aug. 14 for a case rate of 0.49 percent — or fewer than 5 in 1,000.
Politics
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: 6-year-olds might not go to court anymore, but NC lawmakers disagree on new age limit
North Carolina lawmakers advanced a series of criminal justice changes Wednesday, dealing with everything from the treatment of elementary school children accused of crimes to the state’s ability to track records of police misconduct.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The NC budget is past due. What’s different this time between Cooper, Republicans.
Democrats who voted in favor of the state budget have a hand in negotiating the final budget compromise. North Carolina lawmakers are getting to the final version of how to spend $25.7 billion in taxpayer money via the state budget. It Almost two months into the new fiscal year, the House and Senate have each passed their own versions and the two chambers are now deciding what will be in the final version they’ll send to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: A trial this week could give voting rights to felons in North Carolina
Felons in North Carolina aren’t forever banned from voting, but they are banned as long as they remain on probation or parole. And that post-prison prohibition is the focus of a lawsuit whose trial began Monday in Wake County Superior Court. Over the course of this week the two sides will make arguments in a case that could ultimately affect an estimated 56,000 people.
Transportation
THE NEWS HERALD: Crews continue repairing damage from Fred
About 70 N.C. Department of Transportation workers from across the state have traveled to western North Carolina to help respond to the devastation left by Tropical Depression Fred.