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House Helene committee set to go to work

Outgoing House Speaker Tim Moore has appointed 47 of the chamber’s 120 members to serve on a House Select Committee on Helene Recovery that will continue on into the 2025 session of the General Assembly. Reps. John Bell, R-Wayne, and Dudley Greene, R-McDowell, will co-chair the panel. Bell is the...

By Ray Gronberg

December 5, 2024

Copper maker expanding in Stokes County

State officials have pledged a $100,000 grant to a German copper manufacturer that says it’ll add 50 jobs and spend more than $27 million to expand a production facility in Stokes County. The company, Wieland, acquired the facility near Belews Lake in 2010 and uses it to make copper tubing....

By Ray Gronberg

December 5, 2024

A change on the Golden LEAF board

There’s a new face on the Golden LEAF Foundation board, with Pembroke insurance agent Jarette Sampson joining as of Dec. 1. Sampson replaces former member Johnathan Rhyne, a lawyer from Blowing Rock who didn’t seek reappointment. He served in the legilsature from Lincoln County in 1985-92 amd 2009-11. Outgoing House...

By Ray Gronberg

December 4, 2024

Folwell takes a last shot at “cartel”

The completion of the Cone/Risant deal occurred on the same day as outgoing State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s valedictory monthly “Ask Me Anything” news conference. As might be expected, his comments included a blast at what he terms the state’s “health care cartel.” The trends there are “all going in the...

By Ray Gronberg

December 4, 2024

Duke cuts rates through fuel-cost adjustments

A bit of good news for Duke Energy Progress customers: Duke is cutting their residential rates in North Carolina by 4.5% this week via its annual adjustment for power-plant fuel costs. The typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month will see an overall decrease of $7.34. That average customer...

By Ray Gronberg

December 3, 2024

Mack leaves, noisily

Mack Brown’s ouster as UNC Chapel Hill’s football coach is generating far more controversy than I thought would’ve been the case after his team gave up 70 points to visiting James Madison back in September. And it’s a controversy that could once again test UNC System President Peter Hans’ insistence...

By Ray Gronberg

December 2, 2024

Turkeys, beards and Rules Review

Speaking of turkeys, the Rules Review Commission staff recently posed a question about them to their counterparts at the Wildlife Resources Commission. This came in the context of a revision to the rule establishing the spring wild turkey hunting season, which next year will begin on April 11 and run...

By Ray Gronberg

November 27, 2024

Recruiting news

Happy almost-Turkey Day. Don’t know how you’re celebrating, but North Carolina’s economic development people are marking the arrival of the holiday season with the announcement of a couple more recruiting wins. The larger of the two involves Charlotte-based freight broker RXO, which to obtain state and local incentives is pledging to...

By Ray Gronberg

November 27, 2024

From Paris to Concord?

There’s a couple more things to say about Monday’s announcement that General Motors is putting together a Formula 1 team to start racing in 2026, courtesy of the British press. One is that GM’s Charlotte Technical Center — which despite its name is actually in Concord — has always been...

By Ray Gronberg

November 27, 2024

GM launching F1 team — with an NC arm

North Carolina is playing a role in the launch of a Formula 1 team, pending completion of an agreement in principle between the international racing series and General Motors. F1 officials said Monday that GM and its partners at TWG Global “have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment...

By Ray Gronberg

November 26, 2024

ProKidney ravamps its factory plans

Winston-Salem’s ProKidney Corp. says it’s made a $22.5 million deal to buy two buildings that will provide the therapeutics company with 180,000 feet of floor space. The deal is expected to close by the end of November, and ProKidney is already leasing portions of the buildings, the company told the...

By Ray Gronberg

November 26, 2024

Stein names Helene recovery advisory group

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and state Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon, are co-chairing a “Rebuilding Western North Carolina” advisory panel for Gov.-elect Josh Stein. The 25-member group includes five other currently serving elected officials: state Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk, County Commissioners Charlie Wallin and Al Whitesides from Watauga and Buncombe counties,...

By Ray Gronberg

November 25, 2024

Sports wagering money for Carolina and State?

Berger signaled that he’s open to allowing the athletic programs at UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University share the proceeds of the state’s sports-wagering taxes. The initial authorization for the program, passed in 2023, earmarked a share of the 18% tax on sports books’ gross wagering revenue for 13 of...

By Ray Gronberg

November 22, 2024

NCInnovation invites new round of grant applications

NCInnovation has opened the application process for its next round of grants, and is seeking proposals from applied researchers in the UNC System who are looking to commercialize their work. Pre-applications are due by Dec. 13, with a screening process to follow to winnow the collection down to a subset...

By Ray Gronberg

November 22, 2024

New SBI director confirmed

It only took them a year and almost seven months to do it, but legislators have finally OKed Gov. Roy Cooper’s choice to lead the State Bureau of Investigation. The House voted 112-1 and the Senate 49-0 to confirm Cooper’s nomination of Chip Hawley, who is the current chief of...

By Ray Gronberg

November 21, 2024