Month: November 2024

9. How CVS Health’s new CEO plans to shore up Aetna’s finances: 5 notes

Rylee Wilson/Becker’s Payer Issues CVS Health’s new CEO is prepared to make “hard choices” to turn around Aetna’s performance. On a Nov. 6 earnings call, transcribed by Seeking Alpha, CVS CEO David Joyner said benefit design and price changes in Medicare Advantage are one example of necessary actions to improve the business. Aetna has struggled […]

Written by on November 10, 2024

10. Haywood TDA reacts to Helene problems with grants, budget cut

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News Two days after Haywood Chamber President and CEO David Francis announced the creation of a small business grant recovery program for businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Haywood County Tourism Development authority jumped on board — in a big way — while tempering its own expectations of what the post-Helene landscape […]

Written by on November 10, 2024

Hybrid and BEV market thrives

Given its importance to North Carolina chipmakers like Wolfspeed, it’s worth checking in on how well the EV market is doing. And the answer seems to be … not bad. Analysts with industry watchdog Urban Science say electric vehicles of varying sorts account for about 21.4% of the U.S. market this year through the end […]

Written by on November 8, 2024

Wolfspeed announces job cuts as red ink continues

Durham-based chipmaker Wolfspeed announced that it’s cutting staff in the face of “current market conditions” and the impending closure of a wafer production line at its Durham factory. The move will “result in an additional 10% of roles being eliminated across the global organization,” on top of a 10% reduction earlier in the year taken […]

Written by on November 8, 2024

Stein transition

Gov.-elect Josh Stein’s transition team will include at least one Republican, former Wake County state Sen. Richard Stevens. He joins a group that also includes Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Department of Justice Chief of Staff Seth Dearmin, former gubernatorial Chief of Staff Kristi Jones and UNC Wilmington trustee Malcomb Coley. The transition’s executive director is Christie […]

Written by on November 8, 2024

2. Aftermath of Helene making Western NC survivors sick

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press One week after Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina, Asheville resident Sonya Lynn woke up with stomach cramps that she could only compare to going into labor. “The cramps woke me out of a dead sleep,” Lynn told Carolina Public Press. “I started noticing severe bloating, constant diarrhea and […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

3. Superintendent-elect Mo Green shares plans for North Carolina public schools following his win

Hannah Vinueza McClellan/Education NC Superintendent-elect Maurice “Mo” Green gave his first press conference on Wednesday following his victory, sharing plans for how he will support the state’s more than 2,500 public schools and lead the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) when he takes office in January. Green, the Democratic candidate, won with 51.09% of votes, […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

4. Top MeckDems executive resigns, alleging racism and hostility within the organization

Alexandria Sands/Axios Charlotte The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party executive director resigned effective immediately Wednesday, comparing her experience at the organization to that of “professional Black women during the Jim Crow era,” according to an internal letter obtained by Axios. The resignation came a day after Vice President Harris lost the presidential election, falling short in […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

5. How the Nov. 5 election will shape health policy in the coming legislative session

N.C. Health News Even as former President Donald Trump coasted to victory in North Carolina, Democrats maintained control of the governor’s office: Voters cast 160,000 more votes for state Attorney General Josh Stein in his successful gubernatorial campaign than the Republican presidential candidate received. This contrast at the top of the ballot played out down […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

6. Haywood County postpones property reappraisal

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News A state-mandated countywide property reappraisal that was nearly complete and slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, has been shelved by Haywood County commissioners until Jan. 1, 2027, due in large part to property damage incurred during Hurricane Helene. “Pushing this reappraisal back is going to allow our primary focus […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

7. Wicked Weed Brewing indefinitely closes Funkatorium, Cultura, staff laid off

Tiana Kennell/Asheville Citizen Times On Nov. 1, Wicked Weed Brewing’s staff for its sour and barrel-aged beer-focused Funkatorium brewpub and adjoining Cultura restaurant at 147 Coxe Ave., were called by management to the South Slope property for a mandatory meeting that ended with most of the service industry workers unemployed. Conor Tormey, who worked for […]

Written by on November 7, 2024

8. Local assessments reveal extent of hurricane damage

Moss Brennan/The Watauga Democrat A little more than a month after the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the High Country, local assessments show just how much damage it left in its wake. According to Watauga County Emergency Services, 1,135 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Of those, 118 were destroyed, 479 had major damage and […]

Written by on November 7, 2024