Economy & Economic Development
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: New economic development strategy is in the works
Gov. Pat McCrory said Thursday that he is working on a new economic development strategy for North Carolina, but it is too early to release details.
TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Report: Volvo looking to build U.S. plant, North Carolina in the running
Volvo, a name already associated with the Greensboro/Triad area, is reportedly ramping up efforts to build a new auto manufacturing plant, and North Carolina is on its list of possible locations.
CAROLINA JOURNAL: Incentive Battle To Be Renewed In Legislature
Republicans have been quick to claim their tax reform agenda eliminated many unfair tax loopholes and carve-outs for special interests in North Carolina, but there are strong signals that tax-fueled incentives could return in the upcoming session.
Education
WRAL: Schools bracing for their report cards
Paula Trantham figures her phone at Millbrook Elementary Magnet School in north Raleigh will be ringing more than usual on Feb. 5, the date when parents and the public first get a look at new A-through-F letter grades for all public schools in the state.
NEWS & OBSERVER: NC teachers lose bonus pay, but others still cash in
But unless the legislature brings back the bonus pay in a future session, veteran teachers will have lost that benefit.
Energy & Environment
STAR NEWS: Sea-level rise policy top priority for coastal regulators
After political support eroded the first time around, North Carolina's coastal regulators are again trying to develop a sea-level rise policy that can navigate the choppy waters between science and skepticism.
Health Care
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Committee continues debate about Medicaid
Supporters and opponents of transferring daily oversight of the state Medicaid program from the Department of Health and Human Services made another round of impassioned pitches Wednesday.
Insurance
STAR NEWS: Lawmakers hear uproar over ballooning homeowner insurance rates
Insurance companies are using a decades-old law to push higher-than-approved homeowner insurance rates on North Carolinians, says Sen. Michael Lee, calling the statute a loophole that needs to be closed.
Legislative Agenda
JACKSONVILLE DAILY NEWS: N.C. Republicans could have ‘more normal’ legislative agenda
After four years of turning North Carolina politics upside down, Republicans at the General Assembly could be prepping for a more subdued two-year legislative session.
WRAL: Jobs, education on legislative radar, but specifics are scarce
If you boil down everything senior lawmakers have said about the upcoming legislative session over the past two weeks, the result would be three words: jobs, education, Medicaid.
CITIZEN-TIMES: Legislature to debate teacher pay, Medicaid, road money
North Carolinians start getting answers Wednesday to questions like how much they'll pay in taxes next year, how much their child's teacher might make and whether the state will spend more to ease their drive to work.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Big splashes unlikely as NC lawmakers start 2015 session
The General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday following a two-week hiatus from opening-day ceremonies to get down to passing legislation for the next two years.
Legislative Personnel Changes
NEWS & RECORD: N.C. Sen. Earline Parmon to resign next week, become aide for Alma Adams
A Winston-Salem Democrat will resign from the North Carolina Senate next week and become an aide in the office of new U.S. Rep. Alma Adams.
WRAL: Former regulator moves back to legislature
State House Speaker Tim Moore's staff will include some names and faces familiar to those in the Legislative Building, including a former lawmaker who has spent the past two years as a top environmental regulator.
