NC Politics in the News - November 2021 #5

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Economic Development

TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL: As 2021 nears end, NC economic developers chase $69B in potential investment
Chris Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina,  said the current pipeline of projects considering the state for expansions or relocations stands at 213. If North Carolina were to win all of them, that’s 74,000 new jobs and $69 billion in investment.

CAROLINA JOURNAL: N.C. lithium mine proposal draws fire despite Tesla contract, job projections
A N.C. company looking to bring a lithium mine to Gaston County is facing pushback from environmental groups, despite a deal already in place to use the mine’s products for electric vehicle batteries.

NEW YORK TIMES: North Carolina’s Furniture Hub Is Booming. What Comes Next?
The pandemic and its ensuing supply chain disruptions have dealt a setback to the factories in China and Southeast Asia that decimated American manufacturing in the 1980s and 1990s with cheaper imports. At the same time, demand for furniture is very strong.


Education

THE NEWS & OBSERVER:  What does the NC budget mean for education? Voucher money, pandemic help and more
More taxpayer money would go to help North Carolina families pay for private school, and public schools would be shielded from losing state money for having fewer students this year, under a new state budget proposal.

WLOS: NC budget's changes to education lottery mean hundreds of millions more will go to schools
"It’s obvious how the lottery proceeds had deteriorated over the years in education funding and how that fund had been raided over the years that we needed to get back to spending more of the lottery funding on education," [Senator Chuck] Edwards told News 13 on Nov. 18. "That’s why I’m particularly proud that we’ve gone from a low of 17% several years ago to now 38%." 

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC controller asks Court of Appeals to block $1.7 billion Leandro school funding orderState Controller Linda Combs is asking the North Carolina Court of Appeals to throw out a judge’s order requiring her to fund a $1.7 billion plan to fund public schools.


Environment

ENERGY NEWS: In need of jobs, northeastern North Carolina sees promise in offshore wind
“Northeastern North Carolina is a special place,” commerce secretary Machelle Sanders said at a recent summit hosted by the historically Black Elizabeth City State University. “Just as North Carolina has provided a runway for the Wright Brothers to take flight, the region is helping to develop clean energy.”

WFAE: North Carolina climate experts give mixed reviews to Glasgow pactWas the recent United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, a success? For climate experts in North Carolina, the reviews are mixed.


Government

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Behind the scenes of the NC state budget: Here’s why it happened the way it did
There may have been little fanfare, but the moment was years in the making. In the end, the spending plan had passed because after three years with no budget compromise, lawmakers of both parties and their constituents had run out of patience for any more delay, especially after the long-running coronavirus pandemic. It was also because Democrats who had a hand in negotiations pushed for a compromise that would lead to a budget, even if it wasn’t everything they wanted.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Statewide database on police use of force in NC won't be publicIncidents in which police officers kill or injure someone in North Carolina are going to be recorded statewide for the first time in a database but the information will not be made available to the public.


Politics

SPECTRUM: The New North Carolina Project works to get voters to the polls
More than 800,000 registered voters of color did not cast a ballot in North Carolina during the 2020 election, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections. A new group in the state is trying to get more people to their local precincts.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: 31 NC, SC lawmakers join in letter laying out a path to overturn 2020 election, reinstate TrumpThe letter suggests that there is still some reason to believe fraud occurred, although it does not give any specifics. “This is our historic obligation to restore the election integrity of the vote as the bedrock of our constitutional republic,” the letter states.


Transportation

WCNC: Biden infrastructure plan could help finish $82 million improvement to I-85 interchange
In President Joe Biden's new infrastructure measure, signed into law Monday, North Carolina roads and highways are set to receive about $7.2 billion over the next five years. The North Carolina Department of Transportation reports more than 3,000 miles of highway are in "poor" condition.
 
JOHNSTON COUNTY REPORT: U.S. 264 In Eastern N.C. Earns Interstate DesignationA section U.S. 264 in eastern North Carolina recently received federal approval to become Interstate 587 after the N.C. Department of Transportation made several improvements.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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