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Economic Development
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Hendrick Motorsports plans $15M manufacturing expansion in Concord, creating 50 jobs
Hendrick Motorsports plans to build a 155,000-square-foot facility on its Concord campus, Cabarrus Economic Development Corp. said Wednesday. The site will create prototypes, and fabricate and assemble metal structures for vehicles other than race cars.
WRAL TECHWIRE: Microsoft will reduce workforce by 10,000, consolidate its real estate footprint
Microsoft will reduce its workforce by 10,000, according to a disclosure filed with the SEC on Wednesday. The company also announced the moves in an email sent by CEO Satya Nadella to employees on Wednesday morning. Microsoft has two North Carolina offices, one in Charlotte, and one in Morrisville. The company had agreed to a deal with the State of North Carolina for economic development, but requested to terminate that agreement in March 2022.
Education
SPECTRUM NEWS: North Carolina educators hope federal mental health grants will support students
A recently-released report from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction revealed that in 2021, more students across the state reported feeling alone, feeling bad about themselves and seriously considering suicide than in previous years. The U.S. Department of Education is issuing grants to address mental health needs of students and add more support in schools.
ABC 11: DPS votes to redraw school assignment boundaries, thousands to attend new schools
Thursday night’s Durham Public Schools Board meeting concerned potential effects on legacy students, following the Board’s approval for new elementary school boundaries in June 2022.
Energy
CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Duke Energy Carolinas unlikely to win full rate hike in NC proposal, but coal-ash fights are less likely
Duke Energy Carolinas says its proposed N.C. rate hike would increase residential customer rates by 17.9%, if regulators approve the full three-year rate plan the company seeks.
WSOC-TV: FBI investigating if EnergyUnited substation shooting is tied to earlier NC attacks
Someone shot into an electrical substation Tuesday morning near Thomasville in Randolph County, according to officials with EnergyUnited. Now, the FBI says it’s investigating whether that shooting is linked to an earlier attack in Moore County.
Government
THE CAROLINA JOURNAL: Legislative leaders seek new NC Supreme Court review of redistricting, voter ID cases
Little more than one month after a lame-duck Democratic-majority N.C. Supreme Court ruled against Republican legislators on election maps and voter ID, lawmakers are asking for a do-over. Petitions filed Friday at the state’s highest court ask for rehearings in both the Harper v. Hall and Holmes v. Moore cases.
Healthcare
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: State Health Plan rejects appeals from Blue Cross NC and United Healthcare
The state treasurer and the State Health Plan rejected appeals Friday from Blue Cross NC and United Healthcare, the losing bidders for the contract to administer the plan. Letters explaining the denial were sent to the losing bidders by plan interim Executive Director Sam Watts. That ends the protest process, and the state plan will move forward with its contract with Aetna — which is slated to take over Jan. 1, 2025 — according to a statement released by Treasurer Dale Folwell.
Politics
CNN: North Carolina AG Josh Stein launches 2024 bid for governor
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein on Wednesday launched his campaign to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and sought to portray himself as an alternative to politicians who “spark division” and “ignite hate.” The Democrat’s announcement video highlighted homophobic remarks made by North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a potential Republican rival, as well as comments by Robinson suggesting he believes women are inferior to men.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: ‘Trust, but verify’: How NC Republicans will try to bridge the one-vote gap in the House
The slimmest of margins denying the GOP total control over the legislative process means that, either through their votes or absences from the House floor, Democrats who might be inclined to vote with Republicans on certain issues will be crucial in determining if Cooper’s potential vetoes are upheld or bypassed altogether.
Transportation
WRAL: Drone taxis and more: Clean energy vehicles focus at NC transportation summit
The fourth annual North Carolina Transportation Summit is taking place Wednesday and Thursday at the Raleigh Convention Center. The transportation sector has to plan ahead, looking at technology we will see 20 to 30 years now. That requires thinking about new inventions, from drones and autonomous vehicles to building an entirely new infrastructure to charge electric vehicles. This year’s focus is on growth, green technologies and clean energy vehicles.