Agriculture

WRAL: Dangerous, deadly avian flu found at new site in NC as poultry farmers remain on high alert
A highly dangerous strain of bird flu has been confirmed in 53 wild birds at three sites across North Carolina, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Thursday.

Economic Development

WBTV: Rowan commissioners approve $27 million incentive for large economic development project
Commissioners in Rowan County have approved a multimillion dollar incentive grant for what would be the largest economic development project in Rowan County history. Commissioners approved the $27 million tax incentive grant on Tuesday night. Codenamed “Project Rabbit,” it is said to be a distribution center for an unnamed company. The project could create 2,500 full-time jobs within the next seven years and represent an investment of more than $580 million.

FOX 8: Triad economic development leaders confident smaller projects will follow major announcements
On the heels of yet another major economic development for the Triad, smaller projects could be coming to the region.

Education

ABC11: NC begins developing Holocaust curriculum to comply with new state law
The North Carolina General Assembly, however, last year passing the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act, and assigning Truitt to collaborate with the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, as well as the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, to develop a curriculum that must be taught statewide to middle and high school students.

THE HERALD SUN: NC House panel meets to examine K-12 education’s future
The House Select Committee on an Education System for North Carolina’s Future could spend up to two years examining a host of governance, course-of-study and personnel issues, making recommendations and generating legislation, said Rep. John Torbett, a Gaston County Republican and senior co-chairman. The committee could present an interim report by May. Any legislation would still have to acted on by the full House and Senate before it could become law.

Elections

CAROLINA JOURNAL: Redistricting arguments at N.C. Supreme Court will get extra time
The N.C. Supreme Court has agreed to extend oral arguments in [this] week’s redistricting case by 50%. Instead of the customary 60 minutes for all arguments, supporters and opponents of the state’s new congressional and legislative election maps will get a total of 90 minutes to make their cases.

SPECTRUM NEWS: Cooper vetoes GOP bill pushing primary to June
Gov. Roy Cooper refused on Friday to delay North Carolina's primaries by another three weeks to June, vetoing a measure that Republican legislators said would allow them more time to redraw their redistricting plans if the state Supreme Court strikes down boundaries.

Government

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: A new law expanding access to birth control is about to take effect in North Carolina
Under a new law, passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina will join more than a dozen other states in allowing pharmacists to dispense birth control pills and patches without the signature of a patient’s physician.

Healthcare

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Former NC DHHS leader Mandy Cohen has a new job in the private sector
Cohen announced her new job Tuesday morning as she retweeted a post from her soon-to-be employer, the health care company Aledade. She will become the chief executive officer of its new health services unit, Aledade Care Solutions, and executive vice president of Aledade.

Politics

FOX8: Mark Walker keeps running for U.S. Senate nomination
Mark Walker is staying in the race for the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s soon-open U.S. Senate seat – at least for now.

CBS17: TV ads highlight fight over NC’s new electoral district maps
Ahead of a critical state Supreme Court hearing next week on the state’s new electoral district maps, you may see ads in the coming days highlighting the stakes in the case as it could reshape this year’s election.

Transportation

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC Republicans question how governor plans to pay for road repairs as state goes green
North Carolina lawmakers are raising questions about how the state will pay for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to put more electric vehicles on the roads by 2030, requesting that the governor outline a strategy to ensure the state can pay for much-needed bridge and road repairs in the coming years.

COASTAL REVIEW: NCDOT highlights several 2021 transportation projects
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials say 2021 closed out with strong finances, hundreds of projects completed statewide, many of which were on the coast, and national recognition.