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NC Political News

News and Opinion

John Hood: How Civilization’s Tale Was Spun

Not all heroes wield blades. And many problems cannot be solved simply by hacking away at them. Their causes are complex and interconnected. They twist and turn. They are fabrics that must be unraveled, patiently and prudently, to be understood. Often, solutions come from following seemingly small threads in unexpected directions, and weaving them into something new.

· Opinion, Politics

Governor Cooper visits UNC Health as frontline health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccine

Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen witnessed some of the first COVID-19 vaccinations in the country at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill. UNC Health has begun administering the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to health care workers who interact with COVID-19 patients. This includes doctors, nurses, custodial staff and more employees who have risked their health to care for patients infected with this virus.

· Health, State Government

Attorney General Josh Stein sues Google over search monopoly

Attorney General Josh Stein today sued Google over its search monopoly. Specifically, Attorney General Stein alleges that Google has used anticompetitive exclusionary contracts and conduct to illegally maintain a monopoly over search engines and related advertising markets. As a result, Google has deprived internet users of competition that would have provided greater choice, innovation, and better privacy protections.

· State Government

Governor Cooper announces $30 million to expand internet access in rural areas

Nearly $30 million will go to fund 18 broadband infrastructure projects with a goal of connecting 15,965 households and 703 businesses in rural North Carolina to high-speed internet, Governor Cooper announced Thursday. The grants are part of the 2020 Special Supplementary Round of the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program and will be distributed through the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Broadband Infrastructure Office (BIO).

· State Government

Appeals court decision may end ‘slush funds’ for state executives

RALEIGH — The N.C. attorney general can’t keep and distribute money from a settlement over hog waste that leaked and overflowed from lagoons. A split 2-1 panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals, in an opinion issued Tuesday, Dec. 15, ruled money resulting from a settlement between Smithfield Foods and the N.C. attorney general must flow into the state treasury. The ruling effectively ends the attorney general’s hog settlement “slush fund,” says Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation. It could also end any similar deals in the future involving officials in the state’s executive branch.

· Politics, State Government

Chairman Price Statement on President-elect Biden Nomination of Pete Buttigieg as DOT Secretary

Raleigh -- Congressman David Price (NC-04), Chairman of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, released a statement on President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to nominate former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg for Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT): "I applaud President-elect Biden’s selection of Mayor Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation,” said Chairman Price.

· Federal Government, Politics

Mega Millions ticket sold in Cabarrus County wins $1 million prize

RALEIGH – Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing produced a $1 million prize for someone who bought a ticket at a convenience store in Cabarrus County.The lucky winner bought the ticket at the Carolina Fast Mart on N.C. 49 North in Concord. The win became the third time in three weeks, and the second Tuesday in a row, that a ticket in North Carolina won a $1 million prize in the game.

· Education