Business & Economy

The Alligator River Bridge in Tyrrell and Dare counties is once again open to traffic.  The U.S. Highway 64 swing bridge was reopened to traffic late Sunday evening after being closed for the better part of two weeks.  The Alligator River bridge is a major connection between the Outer Banks and mainland North Carolina. 

It’s Tax Day and many people are hoping for tax refunds.  But will they save it or spend it?   The waiting room was full on Friday at the taxpayer assistance center at Northgate Mall in Durham. Tradell Adkins was there.

“Every year I try to say I’ll get it done around January, February, at the latest March.  But it always ends up being in April," says Adkins.

Leaders in Science and Math have created a scorecard to gauge how North Carolina moves forward in connecting a STEM education to new economy jobs.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  Sam Houston is president and CEO of the North Carolina Science, Math and Technology Education Center.  He says the scorecard measures the state against itself and how to better link education to the jobs of the future.

There is some positive news on the jobs front across North Carolina.  The latest unemployment numbers show a drop in the jobless rate in every corner of the state from Asheville to Wilmington. 

Several metropolitan areas with unemployment rates in the double digits saw their numbers drop by nearly a full point in February.  Those communities include Greenville, Rocky Mount and Greensboro-High Point.  A lot of the movement reflects normal seasonal patterns.