Agriculture
WNCT NEWS: North Carolina lawmakers hasten proposed smokable hemp ban
A proposed ban on smokable hemp may go into effect in North Carolina one year earlier under an amendment to a bill moving through the state House. The House Agriculture committee passed the amended bill Friday, expediting the Senate’s ban to this December from December 2020.
Economic Development
WBTV NEWS: Lowe's bringing tech hub, 1,600 jobs to Charlotte's South End neighborhood
Governor Roy Cooper and local officials in Charlotte announced Thursday that Lowe's would be bringing it's new global technology hub to the Queen City, along with an estimated 1,600 jobs. The hub, which will employ thousands of IT professionals and software engineers, will be housed on W. Worthington Avenue in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood.
Environment
THE LAURINBURG EXCHANGE: State has issued more than $1 billion in renewable energy tax credits
North Carolina surpassed the $1 billion mark in renewable energy investment tax credits issued in 2018 — three years after the lucrative subsidy program to stimulate solar development expired.
Healthcare
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: Health-care bill clears N.C. Senate after certificate-of-need language cut
The primary sponsor of a controversial Senate healthcare bill fulfilled Wednesday her pledge to pull language that would affect the state’s certificate-of-need laws. Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, agreed June 20 to have the CON language removed via amendment when Senate Bill 361 reached the Senate floor.
Government
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Supreme Court won't overturn NC's congressional maps. Will lawmakers act?
North Carolina won’t have to draw new congressional districts for the 2020 elections after the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a high-profile legal loss for the state’s Democrats and for anti-gerrymandering advocates across the country. The court’s 5-4 decision was published Thursday.
NORTH STATE JOURNAL: Cooper vetoes state budget
Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) on Friday vetoed the recently-passed state budget, setting up a veto override battle with GOP majorities in the General Assembly. The $24 billion budget was passed on Thursday with a 33-15 vote in the Senate and 64-49 vote in the House.
Transportation
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: New vehicle ferry christened in Hatteras Village
The first new vehicle ferry in seven years was christened here Friday at the state docks. The "Rodanthe" holds up to 40 vehicles with improvements from older ferries including a deck-level passenger lounge, interior restrooms and a hull designed to reduce the amount of water splashing over the deck in rough seas, according to a news release from the North Carolina Ferry Division.
PORT CITY DAILY: Half-billion-dollar North Carolina-South Carolina highway project seeks stakeholder input
The Federal Highway Administration is seeking stakeholder input on a half-billion dollar highway project that could reduce traffic times at the North and South Carolina state line.The proposed Carolina Bays Parkway Extension would extend South Carolina’s existing Carolina Bays Parkway — S.C. 31 — from its existing terminus at S.C. 9 in Horry County to Highway 17 in Brunswick County.
