During his recent trip to Illinois, President Joe Biden made the case for funding trillions of dollars in infrastructure projects through increasing the corporate tax rate. Most Americans agree that infrastructure is critical to the wellbeing of any society. We all want to drive on safe roads, have drinkable water come from the tap, and be able to reliably access broadband in our communities. But where the disagreement typically occurs is how we will pay for these public goods and services.
On the heels of a new executive order requiring state employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine or be required to wear a mask and submit to weekly testing, Gov. Roy Cooper is urging other members of the Council of State to push their own staffs to get vaccinated.
The city of Charlotte is set to approve an ordinance aimed at barring businesses and employers from discriminating against people based on transgender identity and other “protected classes.” The measure is similar to the one that launched the “Bathroom Bill” controversy in 2016 and led to a significant fundraising advantage for Democrats in that year’s elections.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ vaccine data dashboard now includes county-level vaccination information from federal providers, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Prisons and Indian Health Service.
Governor Roy Cooper announced that Eric Fletcher will serve as General Counsel and advise on legal affairs for the Office of the Governor. Fletcher replaces William McKinney, who served as the Governor’s Legal Counsel from January 2017 until July 2021 and has returned to private practice.
Steffes, LLC, a steel fabrication company, will create 130 new jobs in Cleveland County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $20.9 million to locate a new manufacturing facility in the City of Shelby.
Today, amid higher COVID-19 numbers statewide, Governor Roy Cooper again urged North Carolinians to get vaccinated. He also announced the third winner of North Carolina’s Your Shot at $1 Million Summer Cash Drawing. Winston-Salem resident and incoming Fayetteville State University freshman Audrey Chavous received the $1 million prize as part of the cash drawing that includes North Carolinians 18 and over who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has begun issuing $413 million in food assistance payments to an estimated 1.1 million eligible children through the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer food assistance program. Children who are eligible for the summer receive a one-time payment of $375 on their family’s P-EBT card.
Some Republican members of the N.C. Council of State used a meeting Tuesday, Aug. 3, to underscore the challenges employers face in finding workers because, at least in part, of generous unemployment benefit payments from the federal government.
When demand exceeds supply, prices rise. While the problem of housing affordability has many facets and effects, that inescapable fact explains a lot about why so many North Carolinians struggle to afford the homes they’d like to buy or rent.
