NC Politics in the News

Agriculture

WUNC: Proposed USDA rule change would affect NC poultry farmers
USDA has proposed a rule change to the law that would require those companies to offer more information on contracts before farmers sign them. The disclosures include everything from the minimum number of chickens needed to turn a profit to data on other farmers.

Economic Development

WRAL: NC project pipeline is ‘strongest it has ever been,’ says NC economic development exec
The passage and signing of the CHIPS Act could well result in more interest from semiconductor firms and other firms looking at investing in new or existing facilities in North Carolina, a business development executive with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) tells WRAL TechWire.

WLOS: Gov. Cooper makes a stop in the mountains to speak at economic development conference
During his speech, Gov. Cooper focused on key issues impacting the area and how federal COVID-19 rescue dollars in the hundreds of millions are being spent.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: MetLife to add 400 jobs to Cary campus, including tech roles
The insurance giant MetLife plans to add around 400 jobs to its Global Technology Campus in Cary, the company said Wednesday. New hiring will be for customer service and technology, including software engineering, cybersecurity, data science and operational engineering, said Bill Pappas, head of MetLife’s global technology and operations.

Education

ABC 11: NC teachers rally against proposed new pay structure
The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) spoke out against the state’s licensure and compensation proposal on Tuesday. The proposal would change the way North Carolina teachers are promoted and paid.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC colleges enter the fall semester with ‘guarded optimism’ and reduced COVID rules
As thousands of college students are flooding campuses across North Carolina for the start of a new semester, universities are scaling back some of their COVID-19 operations and safety measures — even as the virus is spreading more easily than ever.

WCTI: NC Community College grant program extended
North Carolina leaders used $31.5 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund to establish the Longleaf Commitment Grant. The program was meant to address a steep decline in the number of new students enrolling in the state’s community colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Environment

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: White House officials will visit Gastonia to announce new climate funding
Gov. Roy Cooper will join Mitch Landrieu, the president’s senior advisor for infrastructure, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of a nature-based infrastructure project that received funding for climate resilience, according to a FEMA press release.

Healthcare

AXIOS: Failed Medicaid expansion negotiations reveal N.C. hospitals’ might
Republicans and Democrats alike tell Axios that a driving force behind Medicaid’s latest failure in our state is a group that represents the state’s hospitals: North Carolina’s Healthcare Association.

Politics

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC lawmakers divided as tax, health care and climate bill passes Congress. How they voted
North Carolina’s eight Republicans, including the party’s nominee for Senate, Ted Budd, opposed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But the state’s five Democrats helped push it through the House in a 220-207 vote. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden to sign into law, which is expected to happen quickly.

THE CAROLINA JOURNAL: Stein asks judge to block ruling, cites state elections board’s investigation
N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein has asked a federal judge to block her own ruling against Stein in his challenge of a state law against campaign lies. The attorney general cites newly released evidence from a state elections board investigation of his 2020 campaign.

Transportation

PORT CITY DAILY: Biden-Harris Administration’s infrastructure law boosts RAISE funding, infuses $18M to NC Ports
The federal government has provided the North Carolina State Ports Authority an $18 million boost to construct an enhanced rail-loading area as part of a larger effort to modernize the nation’s transportation infrastructure.