Economy & Economic Development
TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Forbes: North Carolina
No. 2 best state for business, careers
North Carolina rises on Forbes' list of best states for
business and careers this year, with the state taking over the No.
2 spot.
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Incentives watchdog group: N.C. small
business gets small piece of financial pie
Just 5 percent of One North Carolina Fund incentive money went to
small businesses from 2008 to 2013, according to a report released
Tuesday by an incentives watchdog group.
WRAL: Poor counties, small business largely left
out of incentives
New data from the state Commerce Department shows economic
incentive projects designed to lure new jobs continue to land in
the state's wealthiest counties, despite criticism that the
strategy is leaving needier, rural areas of the state behind.
NEWS & RECORD: Governor signs bond law; vote
set for March 15
Gov. Pat McCrory signed legislation Wednesday that authorizes a
statewide referendum on $2 billion in public projects.
WRAL: State leaders' job promises continue to
come up short
Almost 40 percent of the companies North Carolina officials
announced would bring jobs to the state in exchange for
taxpayer-funded incentive cash have failed to hire a single worker,
according to new data from the Commerce Department.
Education
NEWS & OBSERVER: Margaret Spellings chosen as
next UNC system president
When Margaret Spellings arrives as UNC system president on March 1,
she'll have an immediate to-do list: Heal divisions on the
Republican-dominated board, build bridges with skeptical faculty
and win budget battles in the legislature.
NEWS & OBSERVER: State change increases number
of low-performing schools
Changes made by North Carolina state legislators in defining
low-performing schools have doubled the number of Wake County
schools receiving that designation this year.
Elections
WBT: Baskerville won't seek re-election to
North Carolina House
A North Carolina House Democrat won't run again in 2016,
citing in part his law practice and the political climate in
Raleigh that now has his party in the minority.
COURIER-TRIBUNE: Judge refuses to dismiss North
Carolina's voter ID challenge
A federal judge on Friday refused a request from state lawmakers to
dismiss a challenge to the North Carolina voter ID law.
Energy & Environment
STAR NEWS: State, developers concerned about new
EPA rule
Local developers are holding their breath as courts examine a
controversial federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule
aimed at cleaning up the nation's drinking water.
Health Care
WRAL: Changing Medicaid to managed care could take
years
Gov. Pat McCrory's signature on House Bill 372 wasn't
the end of North Carolina's effort to change how the
state's $14 billion Medicaid system works.
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: FTC plans to study e-cig,
vapor data
The Federal Trade Commission is wading into the public-health
debate involving electronic cigarettes and vaporizers by proposing
to study how they are marketed and sold.
State Government
NEWS & OBSERVER: Leaders chosen to run two new
state Cabinet-level agencies
Gov. Pat McCrory expanded his Cabinet on Tuesday when the leaders
of two new state departments — created to better coordinate
information technology and to help veterans and military personnel
— were sworn in.
WRAL: Jones named as operations director for new
Medicaid division
Secretary of Health and Human Services Rick Brajer has named Dee
Jones, the operations director for North Carolina's current
Medicaid program, to be operations director of a new division
tasked with designing and running a revamped health insurance
system for the poor and disabled.
NC GOV PRESS RELEASE: Governor McCrory Names New
Senior Education Advisor
Governor Pat McCrory has named Catherine L. Truitt as his Senior
Education Advisor. Truitt comes to the position from the
International Center for Leadership in Education where she worked
as a school district turnaround coach centered on rigor, relevance,
and relationship building.
State Legislature
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Holloway resigns from state
House, moves to lobbying
Bryan Holloway, a Republican state representative who once ran for
state House speaker, resigned Friday.
TWC NEWS: State Legislator Pay and Session Length
Examined
It took until the final day of September for state lawmakers to
complete their work for the 2015 legislative session. Lawmakers had
been at work since January, marking one of the longest sessions in
recent history.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
