by Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, September 29, 2016. As a longtime critic of televised political debates I feel compelled to applaud Monday night’s debate between our two presidential candidates. Others have voiced opinions as to whether Hillary or Donald won (Trump supporters believe he prevailed while Clinton faithful were confident she […]
Category: Economy
NC Median household income growth tops in U.S. since 2013
by Brian Balfour, Civitas Institute, September 14, 2016. A week ago, I wrote about some positive economic news pointing toward NC’s economy being on a “hot streak.” Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released household income data that sheds even more positive light on NC’s economy. An analysis provided via email from Brent Lane, Director of the UNC Center for Competitive […]
Some beach businesses experiencing summer downturn
by Amanda Lamb, WRAL, August 2, 2016. Beach business owners have the summer months to make the bulk of their annual revenue, although some coastal merchants in Wrightsville Beach say they are experiencing a downturn. While some blame House Bill 2, others don’t know what to make of it. Art gallery owner Jazz Undy has […]
Subsidies leave small business growth untapped
by Sarah Chaney, special to WRAL, June 23, 2016. Private firms receive a much smaller share of the taxpayer money designed to spur job growth in North Carolina than their larger, public counterparts, and critics say that tactic is leaving a major mechanism of growth behind. A WRAL News analysis of awards from the state’s […]
NC ranks No. 21 in fiscal solvency
by Mitch Kokai, The Locker Room, June 1, 2016. North Carolina ranks just above the middle of the pack among the states — at No. 21 — when it comes to fiscal solvency. That’s according to a new report from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. On a cash basis, North Carolina has between 0.93 and […]
Broad economic development bill being debated
by Mark Binker, WRAl, May 18, 2016. Members of the Senate and the House have filed sprawling economic development bills that are a compendium of wish-lists from the North Carolina Chamber, the McCrory administration and bills that have fallen short of passage in prior legislative sessions. Among the 14 parts of Senate Bill 826 and its […]
Connect NC: Investing in NC Agriculture
Op-ed by Larry Wooten, NC Farm Bureau and Dean Rich Linton, NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, March 11, 2016 Just as agriculture and food production require fertile soil, a bright future for our growing state depends on strong public infrastructure. On March 15, North Carolina voters have a chance to address many of […]
Emerging Issues: How can NC deal with threat of jobless future?
by Rick Smith, WRAL TechWire, February 8, 2016. Is a jobless future coming for North Carolina? Nearly half of the state’s jobs are at risk if state and industry leaders don’t take steps now to deal with the coming tsunami of disruption, says a new study. As robotics, artificial intelligence and technology continue to evolve […]
Johnston County Commissioners reject CSX rail terminal
by Don Carrington, Carolina Journal, January 21, 2016. At an emergency closed-session meeting Wednesday night, less than a week after Gov. Pat McCrory announced a $272 million CSX rail terminal project near Selma, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners issued a statement opposing both the project at the current location and the railroad company’s threats […]
Wealth gap spurring rebuild of economic development efforts
by Mark Binker, WRAL, January 7, 2016. Lawmakers saw stark evidence Thursday that decades of efforts to spur economic growth in rural areas have been thwarted by trends that have sent population and job opportunities to the state’s biggest cities. “A lot of the higher-paying jobs are concentrating in core urban areas,” said Ted Abernathy, […]
McCrory boasts about NC at economic forum, progress uneven
by Associated Press, published in Winston-Salem Journal, January 6, 2015. Gov. Pat McCrory boasted Wednesday about data showing overall wages are going up in North Carolina as he looks ahead to a re-election contest this year that will give him credit for the state’s post-recession economy. McCrory noted the state’s unemployment rate improved dramatically since […]
