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Winslow and U.S. 1

Another Triangle-area state legislator has come out against the idea of tolling U.S. 1 between Interstate 540 and Wake Forest. Rep. Matt Winslow, R-Franklin, says the “misguided proposal” would “choke off opportunities, burden our most vulnerable residents and stall the economic engine that makes our region thrive.” Winslow’s district is just north of...

By Ray Gronberg

May 14, 2025

DMV — a bipartisan problem

At the capitol, where the power and lights were on Tuesday morning, House and Senate Democrats held a news conference to lament the pigeonholing of all but a handful of their bills ahead of the recent crossover deadline. The event signaled that legislative Republicans don’t have any sort of monopoly...

By Ray Gronberg

May 14, 2025

Tiers under the microscope

Wake County, being a Tier 3 county, the Genentech deal also calls on the state to put $3.3 million into its Industrial Development Fund/Utility Account to help rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. The county tiers system is integral to the administration of the JDIG, but...

By Ray Gronberg

May 13, 2025

State lands drug factory for Holly Springs

One of the Wake County communities the TriEx serves is Holly Springs, which is handy because the town’s set to host a new fill-and-finish factory for Genentech, a California-based, Swiss-owned pharmaceutical company. Announced Monday, the deal promises at least $700 million in investment and 420 jobs, in return for which...

By Ray Gronberg

May 13, 2025

Wolfspeed’s chip challenges

Wolfspeed has warned investors that it may need to pursue “out-of-court or in-court” options to restructure its debt, which implies that a bankruptcy proceeding of some sort may be in its future. Via its third-quarter report, the Durham-based chipmaker says it’s working with consultants to consider “a number of strategic...

By Welcome

May 12, 2025

Toyota and tariffs

Toyota’s leaders say the Trump administration’s tariffs are going to cost their company more than $1.2 billion in just the first two months of its 2025-26 fiscal year. The estimate covers April and May, the fiscal year for Toyota and most of Japan’s other businesses, starting on April 1 to...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2025

A piece of Guilford’s sales-tax pie for Stokesdale?

It wouldn’t be crossover without some shenanigans, and this week the House provided them. Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford, asked colleagues to approve a local bill that would award Stokesdale a share of Guilford County’s sales-tax revenue distributions even though it wouldn’t normally qualify. Stokesdale doesn’t have a property tax, which...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2025

Bankers get their way on ag-discrimination bill

Senators passed and sent on to the House a watered-down version of a bill that bars state-chartered banks and financial institutions from discriminating against farmers in their lending. As rewritten in committee, Senate Bill 554 forbids lending institutions from denying or canceling service to farmers based in any way on...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2025

House backs PFAS compensation demands

Despite a warning from the NC Chamber that it’s scoring their votes, a near-unanimous House agreed Wednesday that PFAS manufacturers should have to compensate downstream water systems for pollution-control costs. House Bill 569 would assign to Department of Environment Quality Secretary Reid Wilson and his successor the authority to decide...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2025

Housing bills stall

The drive to partially deregulate the state’s home-construction sector is running into some roadblocks. It remains to be seen if they’re temporary. Rep. Mark Brody, R-Union, conceded Wednesday that House Bill 765, the omnibus measure that would set residential-zone density minimums across the state, wouldn’t make it through the chamber...

By Ray Gronberg

May 8, 2025

Chambers addressing water rights

A near-unanimous House agreed Tuesday evening that the state needs to put a moratorium on large new between-basins water transfers like one Charlotte wants. The only dissent from the 108-1 vote to pass House Bill 850 and send it to the Senate came from Rep. Carolyn Logan, D-Mecklenburg. If the...

By Ray Gronberg

May 8, 2025

Data center needs

Data-center electricity needs are “unlike anything we’ve ever seen” and state officials will have to make their owners and operators ante up financially to avoid having North Carolinians subsidize them, the head of the N.C. Public Staff says. They and large-load customers like them “need to be willing to put...

By Ray Gronberg

May 8, 2025

Banking bill aims to stop scams of elderly

Bankers could gain the authority to delay some financial transactions if they suspect that an elderly client is being exploited, under House bill that’s cleared two of the chamber’s committees. House Bill 754 defines exploitation as the improper use of a physically or mentally incapacitated adult’s money and other assets...

By Ray Gronberg

May 7, 2025

Housing deregulation bill advances

A bill that among other things would establish density minimums on residential land throughout the state is once again on the move. House Bill 765 cleared the chamber’s Housing and Development committee on Tuesday, the panel getting a second chance to review it after Speaker Destin Hall changed the bill’s...

By Ray Gronberg

May 7, 2025

Ticket sales

The Carolina Panthers and one of the state’s leading arts groups are opposing a House proposal that would clamp down on the ability of “ticket issuers” to restrict how their customers put tickets up for re-sale. But House Bill 598 cleared the chamber’s Commerce and Economic Development committee on Tuesday...

By Ray Gronberg

May 7, 2025