Small business owners in North Carolina are more optimistic about their companies, but hiring remains stagnant. A survey released yesterday from PNC Financial says nearly 30 percent of North Carolina businesses report that they are optimistic about their prospects for the next six months. That's up from 15 percent last fall. But PNC economist Mekael Teshome says the state's business outlook reflects the slow growth nationwide.
Johnston County's hospitals are partnering with UNC Health Care to expand their reach in the eastern Triangle. Leaders with both systems say the move will keep costs down for patients as health care laws change at the state and federal levels.
Johnston Health CEO Chuck Elliot says the Affordable Care Act and North Carolina's decision to opt out of Medicaid expansion makes the partnership necessary.
Governor Pat McCrory's office says it no longer has a staff member devoted to Hispanic affairs. The governor's staff says the duties of the state's Latino office will go to another office that handles all contact with state residents.
A major highway in eastern North Carolina will be closed for two weeks while crews work on a bridge to the Outer Banks, adding an hour’s drive for people headed to or from the area. The state DOT says Highway 64 will be closed at the Alligator River drawbridge for two weeks, starting tomorrow. That means drivers will have to take Highway 264 to the south or Highway 17 to the north to get to Manteo.
The Duke women's basketball team has made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils defeated Nebraska last night, 53-45, despite shooting just 33 percent from the field. Coach Joanne McCallie says her team offset that by holding Nebraska to just 30 percent.
“We play very good defense and we did today,” said McCallie. “I think that was the difference for our team. Some of the stops we made, I thought, were very critical. To hold a Nebraska team to 45 points, that's a very good thing for us to do.”
City council members in Monroe have voted to suspend plans to purchase a drone. The council voted unanimously last week to shelve the project.
The city's police departmentsaid earlier this month it planned to purchase a drone for $42,000, which would be offset by funds from drug busts. Mayor Pro Tem Lynn Keziah cited concerns about how the public would receive the project and conflicts with the local company involved. The council agreed to discuss the issue at a later date.
State regulators plan to measure air quality above deposits of natural gas. North Carolina lawmakers are moving to ease regulations on hydraulic fracturing.
Advocates of the proposed light rail line from Chapel Hill to Durham say local governments should plan early to set aside money for affordable housing near train stations. Researchers with Triangle Transit Authority met with Durham residents earlier this month.
TTA research associate Geoff Green says the agency examined how property values changed when other metropolitan areas decided to build light rail.
This week's budget proposal from Gov. Pat McCrory includes tweaks to funding for economic development programs.
The governor unveiled his spending plan Wednesday. It would add money to a new economic branding strategy as well as a program that supports main streets in small communities. But it cuts funds for two non-profits and a foundation that provide grants meant to support job growth.
Three hundred years ago this week, European colonialists in what is now eastern North Carolina fought a battle that devastated an American Indian tribe. A symposium at East Carolina University marks the anniversary of the 1713 battle, in which European settlers attacked a stronghold of the Tuscarora tribe called Fort Nooherooka. Nearly a thousand Tuscarora Indians were captured or killed, forcing the remaining tribe members to migrate to New York.
