DEQ objects to Wilmington port dredging plan
Gov. Josh Stein’s administration questions whether the planned $1.4 billion
Health Care
State Health Plan rolls out first “preferred providers”
State Health Plan trustees have approved “preferred provider” contracts with the clinic networks of UNC Health and two other groups, State Treasurer Brad Briner’s office
Conservative group eyes case against nurse-practice limits
A California-based conservative group wants to take on North Carolina’s restrictions on advanced-practice nurses, even as the so-called SAVE Act remains bogged down on the General Assembly. The Pacific Legal...
Duke Health gets OK for tax-exempt bond issue
Duke Health has gained access to up to $275.7 million in tax-exempt bonds to cover the cost of its purchase in April of the former Lake Norman Regional Medical Center....
Budget & Taxes
Speed victimized by scam, auditor says
Town officials in a tiny Edgecombe County community fell victim to “a common foreign scam” in the course of losing their grip on the use
Nonprofit hospitals get $215M in local taxes breaks a year
The House’s property-tax committee is scrutinizing the tax breaks North Carolina gives its nonprofit hospitals, but a couple of its rank-and-file members are speaking up against the idea of making major...
Highway Patrol pay lags neighbors, country
State Highway Patrol pay is at the bottom of the barrel nationally and isn’t even all that competitive with other North Carolina law-enforcement agencies, Highway Patrol Col. Freddy Johnson says....
Education
Dorm plans at UNC flagships to cost about $1B
Plans for close to $1 billion in new dormitory construction at UNC Chapel Hill and NC State merit more scrutiny from UNC System officials, a
Project Kitty Hawk grads to date: 96
To date, 96 people have graduated from the online degree programs some of the UNC System’s campuses are offering through Project Kitty Hawk. That includes 73 from N.C. Central University...
NCSU involved in “Golden Dome” anti-missile project
NC State has a chance to participate in a $151 billion federally funded R&D program designed to bolster the country’s defenses against missile attacks. The Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency...
Elections
Pierce, Wray chart different course on campaign funding
House District 27 incumbent Rep. Rodney Pierce and his Democratic Party primary opponent, former Rep. Michael Wray, are both well-funded but are going about things
Cook raises $42K for District 60 primary
State Rep. Amanda Cook, D-Guilford, appears to hold a sizable fundraising lead in her battle to hold on to the District 60 House seat she gained in November after former...
Kidwell, Armstrong close in fundraising
Financially, the incumbent and challenger in one of the state’s most-watched primaries are tightly matched. District 79 incumbent state Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, reported to the State Board of Elections that...