NC Politics in the News

Economic Development

YES WEEKLY: Mayor Joines and Rep. Donny Lambeth Announce $35 Million State Appropriation to Support Economic Development in Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Rep. Donny Lambeth announced today that the recently enacted budget for the State of North Carolina includes an appropriation of $35 million to support economic development activities and infrastructure improvements that will reinforce Winston-Salem’s position as a tourism, sports and entertainment district that serves the Piedmont region and Northwest North Carolina. WRAL: Why NC lawmakers are betting $3 billion on professors, sewers and NASCAR in new state budget Included in North Carolina's new $30 billion state budget is at least $3 billion for economic development. Megasites, NCInnovation, Global TransPark and infrastructure are among the biggest earmarks.

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Education

THE CAROLINA JOURNAL: NC budget frees up approval process for new charter schools A back-and-forth power struggle between state lawmakers and members of the North Carolina Board of Education came to a head in the new budget—and, at least for now, lawmakers won.

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Elections

WUNC: New round of redistricting in North Carolina gets underway The Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly is once again drawing state legislative and Congressional district maps. This round of redistricting follows a whiplash-inducing turn of events over the past two years over partisanship in drawing political boundaries. AP NEWS: North Carolina governor vetoes bill that would take away his control over election boards North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed Republican legislation Thursday that would take away his powers to choose State Board of Elections members and give them to legislative leaders as the 2024 campaign cycle begins in the closely divided state.

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Environment

WUNC: NC budget provision targets local efforts to ban plastic bags A provision in the new state budget takes aim at local plastic bag bans and other efforts to reduce pollution. The provision prohibits municipalities from restricting or regulating the use of 'auxiliary containers,' which includes bags, cups and packaging. It comes as cities, such as Asheville and Durham, consider bans or fees on items like single-use plastic grocery bags. NC NEWSLINE: More NC utilities are detecting PFAS in drinking water, but some aren’t telling their customers Nearly a dozen public water systems in North Carolina, including four that had never previously reported PFAS in their drinking water, have detected levels of the toxic compound above the EPA’s proposed maximum contaminant level.

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Government

ABC11: North Carolina lottery exceeds $1 billion in annual net earnings for first time North Carolina's state-run lottery has for the first time exceeded $1 billion in annual net earnings, buoyed by record sales credited in part to interest in enormous multistate jackpot drawings, officials said Wednesday.

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Healthcare

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC Medicaid expansion to launch on Dec. 1, granting health insurance to thousands Medicaid expansion will launch on Dec. 1, granting health insurance to hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, Gov. Roy Cooper says. Medicaid expansion is historic for North Carolina, which previously was one of just 11 states that had not yet implemented the federally authorized expansion. AP NEWS: Judge blocks 2 provisions in North Carolina’s new abortion law; 12-week near-ban remains in place A federal judge on Saturday blocked two portions of North Carolina’s new abortion law from taking effect while a lawsuit continues. But nearly all of the restrictions approved by the legislature this year, including a near-ban after 12 weeks of pregnancy, aren’t being specifically challenged and remain intact.

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Politics

WFAE: NC budget will give legislature more power over community colleges, judges North Carolina’s new state budget will become law next week, and several provisions would give the legislature more authority over community colleges and the court system.