Pardon Our Dust
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Agriculture
WRAL: USDA investing $1.4M in rural NC to create opportunities, rehabilitate homes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $1.4 million in rural communities in North Carolina. The investment is a play to “expand economic opportunities and access to housing for underserved rural people who live and work in North Carolina.” The investment is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to strengthen infrastructure in less populated areas.
Economic Development
WRAL TECH WIRE: Inside biotech firm’s $40M decision to build new Durham campus, add 200 more jobs
Catalent, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with two key facilities in North Carolina, will invest $40 million to build a third — a Durham County campus that will create 201 jobs upon completion, according to Gov. Roy Cooper and company officials.
Education
WFDD: National study shows WS/FCS students lost a year of math learning in the pandemic
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County students had the highest learning loss in the state during the pandemic, according to a study by Harvard and Stanford University researchers. The project, called The Education Recovery Scorecard, uses 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress results and district proficiency rates to compare learning loss across the country.
FOX 8: Changes proposed for North Carolina public schools, but state may need to change its constitution first
A select committee appointed by North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore has made six recommendations to change the way public education is administered across North Carolina, including one that would require a constitutional amendment to adopt.
Government
CBS 17: NC lawmakers to address government job vacancies in next session
From processing driver’s licenses to ensuring the safety of drinking water, North Carolina government agencies are having a difficult time hiring and retaining workers to do a variety of jobs that taxpayers count on. Leaders of the General Assembly addressed the issue this week as they talked about priorities for the new legislative session that will begin in January.
WCNC: NC Supreme Court strikes down state Senate map, OKs revised state House map
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday delivered a mixed ruling on a string of voting maps. In a 4-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the Democratic majority on the state’s highest court ruled that a state Senate map that will give Republicans veto-proof control within the chamber next year created “stark partisan asymmetry in violation of the fundamental right to vote on equal terms.”
Healthcare
WCNC: NC health leaders worried about COVID-19 as respiratory viruses spread
As we travel to gather with family and friends for the holidays, you may want to take a moment and make sure you aren’t bringing COVID-19 or the flu along with you. Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the “tripledemic“ for some time, with flu, COVID-19 and RSV cases causing a spike in hospitalizations across the country and in the Carolinas.
Politics
WUNC: North Carolina legislature starts new session in January with emboldened GOP in charge
An expected “Red Wave” never really materialized for the 2022 midterm elections, at least on a national scale. Democrats retained their U.S. Senate majority and won governorships in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. But in North Carolina, Republican candidates dominated major showdowns, sweeping the six statewide judicial contests, taking a U.S. Senate race and coming within one House seat of an outright super-majority in the 120-seat chamber, where three-fifths of those present are needed to override a veto.
SPECTRUM NEWS: N.C. governor has little wiggle room with legislature in 2023
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper described on Wednesday jobs announcements, an emerging clean energy sector and his ability to block “culture-war, business-killing” laws on social issues from the General Assembly among his administration’s accomplishments during 2022. There could be little room for error in his dealings with the legislature in 2023, however, as Republicans moved to the precipice of regaining veto-proof control following last month’s elections.
Transportation
WCTI 12: NCDOT: Booze it and Lose it effort ramps up over holidays
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, starting December 16th through January 2nd, law enforcement officers will step up patrols across the state as part of the “Booze It and Lose It” effort.