Economic Development
WRAL TechWire: Rehab of 136/137 buildings set to transform downtown Chapel Hill
With the rehabilitation of 136 East Rosemary Street and 137 East Franklin Street by Grubb Properties, Inc., the downtown corridor is slated for a major transformation.
Education
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: NC approves new contract to test reading skills. It's Returning to a familiar face
The State Board of Education approved Thursday a three-year, $14.5 million contract with Amplify Education to use its mClass program to assess K-3 students for the state’s Read To Achieve program. The state board’s decision in 2019 to replace mClass with the Istation program led to litigation that left schools in the middle.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Another COVID side effect: Many kids head to summer school
Across the U.S., more children than ever before could be in classrooms for summer school this year to make up for lost learning during the outbreak, which caused monumental disruptions in education. School districts nationwide are expanding their summer programs and offering bonuses to get teachers to take part.
Government
ENERGY NEWS NETWORK: For the third year in a row, N.C. advocates push government efficiency bill. Could this time be the charm?
For two years in a row, the North Carolina Senate blocked a bipartisan energy efficiency bill that could save taxpayers a quarter of a billion dollars.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: NC House votes to do away with extra jobless benefits early
North Carolina would do away with the $300-per-week supplemental benefits for the unemployed provided by the federal government during the pandemic in legislation approved Thursday by the state House.
Healthcare
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: NC researchers say keeping masks on will prevent thousands of additional COVID cases
The government may no longer require North Carolinians to wear masks in public, but putting them on could help prevent thousands of coronavirus cases and deaths by the end of the year, according to researchers at three of the state’s universities.
WRAL: North Carolina accepts no new COVID-19 vaccines this week
For the first time since COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, North Carolina this week declined to accept any more supplies. Instead, this week’s requests from North Carolina providers are being fulfilled through transfers from other providers or through requests to local health departments, according to state health officials.
Politics
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: Trump endorses Ted Budd in North Carolina's Senate race as Lara Trump declines to run
Former President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina’s 2022 Senate race, giving the three-term congressman a huge boost in a crowded Republican primary for the vacant seat.
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: NC Senate denies Cooper's environmental secretary pick, but he hires her for new job
But shortly after the vote, Cooper announced that Delli-Gatti will serve as North Carolina’s clean energy director, filling the vacant State Energy Director position. In the new role, Delli-Gatti will work on a suite of clean energy matters, including implementing Cooper’s Executive Order 80 while also negotiating energy legislation and working on regulatory matters.
Transportation
PORT CITY DAILY: New microtransit program could reestablish lost New Hanover-Brunswick public connection
Less than a year after the only truly public transportation option across the Cape Fear River folded, transit leaders may have found an alternative, more cost-efficient solution. Wave Transit and Brunswick Transit System, Inc. (BTS) are jointly applying for state funding to operate a temporary microtransit system, with Wave serving as the lead agency.
