As the U.S. reckons with record-breaking drug overdose deaths during the COVID-19 epidemic, Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies is making a five-year, $120 million investment to help combat the overdose crisis in the hard-hit states of Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Governor Roy Cooper visited and toured the Irene Wortham Early Learning Center in Asheville and continued to encourage providers to apply for the NC Child Care Stabilization Grants. The historic $805 million investment will support families with access to high-quality, affordable child care and help early care and learning programs with recruitment and retention.
Attorney General Josh Stein and state and local partners today unveiled a new online dashboard to help local governments in North Carolina fight the opioid crisis in their communities. The dashboard is available at https://ncopioidsettlement.org/ and offers resources to help communities decide the best ways to use their share of the nearly $850 million that could come to North Carolina to combat the opioid crisis.
Leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly invite North Carolina high school students to apply for the 50th Annual Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA).
Republicans in much of the country enjoyed significant success during the 2021 election cycle. They elected a GOP governor in Virginia, almost elected one in New Jersey, won several important judicial races in Pennsylvania, and even elected their first Republican candidate to local office in Seattle (city attorney) since the 1980s.
Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. toured Chapel Hill Pediatrics and Adolescents, P.A. in Orange County to see their operations to vaccinate children ages 5-11. The pediatrician’s office will begin administering vaccines for children ages 5-11, following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authorization of a lower dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that children ages 5–11 receive the vaccine.
The Family Accountability and Recovery Court (FARC) in Lenoir, Wayne, and Greene Counties has been selected as one of nine Rural Innovation Sites by the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) Advisory Council. These are the country’s most cutting edge rural justice programs that will serve as models for other communities. The RJC initiative will provide resources to enable other communities to replicate these Innovation Sites’ successes.
hief Justice Paul Newby continued his 100 county courthouse tour this week. He visited the Pender and Brunswick County courthouses yesterday and will visit the New Hanover County courthouse today. Newby's 100 county tour first began in Cherokee County in May and is expected to end in Dare County in 2022. When completed, Newby will be the first chief justice to visit all of North Carolina's courthouses from Murphy to Manteo.
“It is important for eligible North Carolina families to apply for this credit before the rapidly approaching deadline,” said Governor Cooper. “These funds will help families recover from the pandemic and care for their children at a time when it is needed most.”
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in September. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.8 percent while Orange County had the lowest at 2.8 percent.
Governor Roy Cooper announced appointments to North Carolina boards and commissions.
Children ages 5 to 11 can now receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a lower dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age group, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all children 5–11 get the vaccine to protect against serious illness and help keep them healthy.
