Agriculture
CBS 17: Farming in heat wave: What NC growers have to do to keep crops, livestock safe
Extreme heat brings unique challenges for the state’s $100 billion agriculture industry. Farmers in central North Carolina are doing what they can to keep crops and livestock healthy as heat indexes are expected to break triple digits this week.
Economic Development
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: VinFast breaks ground in Chatham County on its promised $4 billion EV plant
North Carolina officials and top VinFast executives met Friday morning in Chatham County to officially start construction on the carmaker’s first manufacturing facility outside its native Vietnam. By 2028, VinFast has committed to employ 7,500 people at the site, about 30 miles southwest of Raleigh. In terms of projected job creation, it is the largest state-backed economic project in North Carolina history.
Education
WRAL: NC superintendent touts state's 'unique' approach to post-pandemic learning recovery
North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt testified before Congress on Wednesday, touting the state’s approach to post-pandemic learning recovery. Truitt called the state’s approach “unique” in that it involved student-level data collection on what learning suffered the most and state-level guidance for districts on learning recovery programs that work best.
AP NEWS: With affirmative action out, North Carolina's flagship school bars use of race, sex in admissions
Weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down their school’s race-conscious admissions plan as violating the Constitution, the board of North Carolina’s flagship public university has voted to strictly bar the use of “race, sex, color or ethnicity” in admissions and hiring decisions. The Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill approved the resolution Thursday, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.
Government
CBS 17: GOP lawmakers looking to authorize pay raises for NC teachers, state employees
Republican legislative leaders said Thursday they are prepared to authorize pay raises for teachers and state employees even if they can’t resolve the disagreements they have over the broader state budget. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) and Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) met Thursday morning in the latest attempt to reach a deal on the state’s two-year spending plan.
Healthcare
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: State health leaders announce plan to speed up Medicaid expansion
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services hopes to accelerate the launch of Medicaid expansion, potentially giving more than 600,000 low-income residents access to health insurance coverage as early as Oct. 1. In a news release on Wednesday, DHHS said it plans to begin expansion, which will increase the state’s long-standing income threshold for Medicaid, about three months earlier than originally expected.
Politics
SPECTRUM NEWS: Adding to the candidate list, ex-North Carolina Sen. Ballard is running for lieutenant governor
Deanna Ballard, a former North Carolina state senator who helped assemble the Republicans' education policy in the chamber, announced on Monday her candidacy for lieutenant governor next year. Ballard, who served over six years in the Senate representing multiple northwestern counties through 2022, adds another veteran state government politician to the field. Current GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running for governor.
Transportation
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD: NCDOT eliminates train stops in smaller cities, leaving rider to ask: Whose Piedmont is this?
When the NCDOT decided to cut Burlington from the list of stops on its Piedmont train, Ryan Johnson considered it a loss not only for his commuting routine, but also for his sense of community.
