Agriculture

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Highly contagious bird flu forces North Carolina to cancel poultry shows and public sales
A strain of the avian flu that forced the killing of some 370,000 chickens and turkeys in North Carolina has prompted the state to halt all poultry shows and public sales. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced the suspensions Tuesday afternoon. They include farm tours, exhibitions, swaps and flea and farm markets, among other events.

Economic Development

WRAL: NC economist: We could be heading into our next recession
With prices seemingly on the rise everywhere you turn, Dr. Mike Walden, an economist and professor at North Carolina State University, believes we could be headed for another recession by the end of the year.

Education

WRAL: NC education leaders promote new teacher pay and licensure proposal to State Board
North Carolina education leaders promoted Wednesday their proposed overhaul to how teachers are licensed and paid in the state, while noting it is only a rough draft and has received criticism and questions from some teachers. The state’s draft proposal would be an upheaval of the system the state has never seen before.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: 5 NC charter schools approved to open in 2023. Do some areas have too many charters?
Five new charter schools received approval Thursday to open in 2023, amid concerns that some parts of North Carolina have too many of those non-traditional school options to meet demand.

Government

THE CENTER SQUARE: Cooper extends North Carolina's COVID response via executive order
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed a new executive order to extend North Carolina’s COVID-19 response, a measure he contends is necessary despite a “sustained decline” in cases. Cooper issued Executive Order 256 on Friday to extend provisions granting the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services secretary flexibility to increase the health care workforce to ensure continuity of operations in hospitals, adult care homes, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: President Biden to visit NC next week. Here's what we know about the trip so far.
President Joe Biden will visit North Carolina next week, the White House announced Friday. Biden plans to come to Greensboro next Thursday, to talk about manufacturing efforts. “On Thursday, April 14, the President will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to discuss his administration’s efforts to make more in America, rebuild our supply chains here at home, and bring down costs for the American people as part of Building a Better America.”

Healthcare

NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: Tension builds around best ways to spend NC's opioid settlement money
The first payments from a $26 billion, multi-state opioid lawsuit settlement are set to arrive in the states later this spring, and in North Carolina, there are already disagreements over which groups are most qualified to receive the money.

CBS 17: New program streamlines and improves NC kids' health
There’s a new program aimed to improve the health of North Carolina’s children, in a more streamlined way. The North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids, or NC IncK, is funded by the government. The goal is to create a comprehensive care plan for the next generation.

Politics

PBS: Trump's endorsement power tested in North Carolina Senate race
When Ted Budd won a surprise endorsement from former President Donald Trump last year, he was a little-known congressman running for a Senate seat in North Carolina against some of the state’s most recognizable Republicans, including a former governor.

FOX 8: How North Carolina's 28 'countrypolitan' counties set it apart from other states
North Carolina isn’t quite like other states. And neither are its voters. About three decades ago, as country music began to blend its sound with pop music, it got the nickname, “countrypolitan.” Now, political scientists are using that term to describe North Carolina voters who aren’t really urban nor are they completely rural.

SPECTRUM NEWS: In North Carolina, politics and barbecue go hand in hand
During election season, it’s common to see politicians visiting local barbecue restaurants, shaking hands and spreading the message of their campaign. Bob Garner says this is nothing new in North Carolina.

Transportation

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Before Toyota and VinFast can get started, NC must improve access to its megasites
Toyota and Vietnamese automaker VinFast were lured to North Carolina with tax breaks and access to “megasites” of vacant land in rural parts of Chatham and Randolph counties. Now the N.C. Department of Transportation is poised to spend hundreds of millions more to make those remote sites more accessible to the world.

SPECTRUM NEWS: North Carolina is getting $176 million for transit. Where is that money going?
The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside $20 billion for transit projects around the country. North Carolina is set to get more than $176 million of that in this year’s federal budget. The funding includes things like almost $1.9 million for bus and bus facility upgrades in Charlotte, half a million to help with transit for seniors and people with disabilities in Winston-Salem, and more than $2.3 million to help fund bus service in Wilmington.