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Trade war with Canada

The weekend’s other big news, of course, was President Trump’s declaration of economic warfare against Canada and Mexico. Trump invoked the Carter-era International Emergency Economic Powers Act to slap 25% tariffs on most products from the two neighboring counties that will go into effect on Tuesday. His order singled out...

By Ray Gronberg

February 3, 2025

Hurricane relief

The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency needs $217 million more from the General Assembly to finish the job of rebuilding homes Down East damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, its boss says. Testifying before a joint House-Senate oversight panel on Thursday, former Rep. Pryor Gibson said an...

By Ray Gronberg

February 3, 2025

Stein aides warn of federal-aid tangles out west

Thursday’s hearing also gave the oversight subcommittee, the senators on it especially, its first chance to hear from Gov. Josh Stein’s point people on western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. Gubernatorial adviser Jonathan Krebs and Commerce Department Deputy Secretary Stephanie McGarrah emphasized that the administration intends to do things...

By Ray Gronberg

February 3, 2025

Tragedy at Reagan National

Like many of you, I’m interested to see what investigators ultimately determine as the cause of Wednesday night’s mid-air collision between an American Airlines commuter jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. There are some resources I’d commend to your attention. The complexities of the airspace around...

By Ray Gronberg

February 3, 2025

Hurricane recovery update

Gov. Josh Stein’s Helene-recovery team spent much of a Wednesday hearing with a House oversight committee trying to manage expectations about how much and how quickly western North Carolina can bounce back from last fall’s storm. Given an almost $60 billion need, and only about $15.7 billion currently likely to...

By Ray Gronberg

January 30, 2025

A trade war warning

The board chair of a Canadian car-parts maker that has four facilities in North Carolina has issued a dire warning about the impact of a potential U.S.-Canada trade war. If “10% or 25% or, in my opinion, almost anything in the way of tariffs is imposed on auto parts crossing...

By Ray Gronberg

January 30, 2025

Jet maker expanding Asheville factory

Recruiters used a $5.8 million incentive package to convince RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney to expand its jet-engine parts factory in Buncombe County. The company’s pledged to add 325 jobs and invest $285 million in the project, which Gov. Josh Stein’s office calls “a significant vote of confidence in western...

By Ray Gronberg

January 29, 2025

Cars, exotic and otherwise

Car dealer and race team owner Rick Hendrick has agreed via an auction to pay $3.7 million for the first 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 that GM’s made available for sale. The proceeds are going to the American Red Cross, while the car (and its 1,064-horsepower engine) will become part of...

By Ray Gronberg

January 28, 2025

Two hurricane hearings due this week

Legislators plan to launch the 2025 long session this week with a pair of committee hearings on hurricane recovery. On the docket is a Wednesday afternoon meeting of the House Select Committee on Helene Recovery, and a Thursday morning meeting of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations’ newly expanded...

By Ray Gronberg

January 27, 2025

Growth in Charlotte

The Charlotte region is likely to add about 1.3 million people by 2050, with some of the largest percentage increases expected in Union and Iredell counties. That would boost the 15-county area’s population to 4.6 million, from 3.3 million now. That’s the view of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, which...

By Ray Gronberg

January 24, 2025

Summerfield scraps proposed no-attacks policy

Officials in Summerfield appear to have shelved a policy that would have forbidden public comment at their meetings that lodges “personal attacks against members of the Town Council, the town manager or town employees.” The proposed “code of conduct” prepared for consideration in the Summerfield council’s Jan. 14 meeting (see...

By Ray Gronberg

January 24, 2025

Cabarrus County fires its manager and attorney

Speaking of turmoil, and Cabarrus County, the Republican majority of the Cabarrus County Commissioners voted 3-1 on Tuesday to fire longtime County Manager Mike Downs and County Attorney Richard Koch. Downs had worked for the county since 1986 and had been county manager since 2011. Koch, who also has a...

By Ray Gronberg

January 24, 2025

Trump EO calls for Lumbee recognition plan

President Trump has signed an executive order that directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to come up with a plan within three months for giving the Lumbee full federal recognition. The department’s to consider “each potential legal pathway,” including recognition through an act of Congress, the courts or the...

By Ray Gronberg

January 24, 2025

Bailey set to join WUNC board

UNC Chapel Hill trustees are poised to appoint alumna and public-relations specialist Nancy Bailey to the board of WUNC Public Radio. Bailey’s candidacy won the support of the trustees’ External Affairs committee on Wednesday, teeing it up for a ratification vote by all the trustees today. The matter is on...

By Ray Gronberg

January 23, 2025

Rep. Joe John, 1939-2025

Only a day after he turned in his resignation, former Wake County Rep. Joe John succumbed to cancer. The announcement from his wife and children came via Facebook, where they said he had gone “peacefully, surrounded by his loving family.” The 85-year-old five-term House member and former judge “was a...

By Ray Gronberg

January 23, 2025