economy
Friday, March 2, 2018
economy / News / North Carolina / Raleigh
LGBTQ Activists Ask Jeff Bezos Not to Put Amazon’s HQ2 in North Carolina
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Fri, Mar 2, 2018 at 2:29 PM
In a letter posted on Medium yesterday, a coalition of more than sixty-five LGBTQ activists, nonprofit leaders, and former government officials sent a letter to Amazon urging the company not to build its second headquarters in a state that lacks antidiscrimination protections for LGBTQ citizens—including North Carolina. “As Amazon continues the evaluation of finalist locations for a new HQ2,” the letter reads, “nine of the states currently under consideration have failed to address a glaring deficit — the lack of comprehensive legal protections for the LGBTQ population.” The Triangle’s bid was one of twenty that Amazon has deemed a finalist...
Thursday, February 8, 2018
More Than 700K N.C. Residents Live in Deep Poverty
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Thu, Feb 8, 2018 at 9:03 AM
This post is excerpted from the INDY’s morning newsletter, Primer. To read this morning’s edition in full, click here. To get all the day’s local and national headlines and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here. A new analysis from NC Policy Watch shows that more than 7 percent of North Carolina households—an estimated 725,000 residents—live in what’s known as deep poverty, meaning they earn 50 percent or less of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that’s $12,300 a year, or $8 per person per day. These rates are highest in Watauga and Scotland counties,...
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
When Toyota Came Calling, N.C. Was Ready to Give Away the Store
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Wed, Feb 7, 2018 at 9:10 AM
This post is excerpted from the INDY’s morning newsletter, Primer. To read this morning’s edition in full, click here. To get all the day’s local and national headlines and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here. Last month, North Carolina missed out on a Toyota-Mazda joint manufacturing operation near Greensboro, with that plant and its four thousand jobs, instead going to Alabama. Yesterday, the N&O found emails showing what kind of economic incentives the state was considering. “Last month the state was runner-up to Alabama despite extraordinary efforts by North Carolina officials, who promised $1.6 billion in financial...
Friday, February 2, 2018
Will HB 2 Cost Us Amazon’s HQ2?
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Fri, Feb 2, 2018 at 9:01 AM
This post is excerpted from the INDY’s morning newsletter, Primer. To read this morning’s edition in full, click here. To get all the day’s local and national headlines and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here. I’m on record as being skeptical about the Triangle’s Amazon bid actually being good for the Triangle , but let’s put that aside for now. What’s important for us today, considering that virtually every politician in North Carolina is drooling over the possibility of getting HQ2, is that the state’s anti-LGBTQ policies, including the sorta-repealed HB 2, may end up tanking the...
Friday, January 19, 2018
economy / News / North Carolina / Raleigh
Amazon Gives Raleigh a Rose, Sends Us to the Next Round of the HQ2 Reality Show
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Fri, Jan 19, 2018 at 9:09 AM
This post is excerpted from the INDY’s morning newsletter, Primer. To read this morning’s edition in full, click here. To get all the day’s local and national headlines and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here. There’s something surreal about watching cities all over the country prostrate themselves before Amazon, acting like this is some sort of reality show—a high-stakes, corporate The Bachelor, perhaps—offering millions of dollars in incentives in hopes of landing HQ2. Of course, there’s a reason they’re doing so: the second Amazon headquarters could be an economic game-changer that brings some fifty thousand well-paying jobs...
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Raleigh Has Made the Shortlist for Amazon’s HQ2
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Thu, Jan 18, 2018 at 9:35 AM
As yet, we don’t have much info beyond what’s in the headline: Raleigh is included on a list of twenty cities that made the shortlist for Amazon’s HQ2, according to CNBC Washington correspondent Kayla Tausche. The Triangle region of one of 238 cities in 43 states to submit bids to Amazon last year. And while ours didn’t spell out potential incentives—officials told the INDY that they’d propose an incentive package if they made the first cut, which has apparently happened—many of the others did. According to Wake County Commissioner Matt Calabria, county leaders and economic development officials have discussed what an...
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Donald Trump Campaigned on Populism, Governs Like a Plutocrat
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 9:45 AM
This post is excerpted from the INDY’s morning newsletter, Primer. To read this morning’s edition in full, click here. To get all the day’s local and national headlines and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here. Today, the House and Senate are likely to approve a sweeping tax overhaul and provide Trump with his one and only legislative victory of the year—and one that seems quite likely to be the last of his presidential term, given the Democratic wave that seems to be forming. But, as The New York Times notes, the bill that Trump is championing is...
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Section 8 Voucher Holders Are Having a Hard Time Finding Housing in Durham
Posted By Sarah Willets on Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 10:29 AM
Durham Mayor Bill Bell is challenging local landlords and the Durham Housing Authority to house another thirty homeless households with rent vouchers within in the next seven months. It's part of an effort, discussed Tuesday morning during the annual Mayor's Landlord Roundtable, to get more local landlords to accept rent subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as Section 8. The DHA administers the vouchers locally. Thirty is a small number compared with how many people need affordable housing, but, as Bell said, it's part of a larger "vision" to end homelessness...
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Chapel Hill / Durham County / economy / education / national / News / news / North Carolina / Orange County / politics / Raleigh
Primer: Senate Health Bill CBO Score—Fatal Blow or Flesh Wound?
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 10:08 AM
Hey, y’all. There’s A TON of news today, and, as ever, I’ll move through it as expeditiously as possible. First, though, a teaser: later this afternoon, the INDY is going to drop part one of what will be a three-part series on North Carolina’s pork industry and its effect on the state’s environment and hog farms’ eastern North Carolina neighbors. Reporters Erica Hellerstein and Ken Fine have been working on this project for months. It’s deeply reported and a very (in my estimation) important read. Keep an eye out for it. Anyway, let’s begin. 1. CBO SAYS 22M WILL LOSE...
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Durham / economy / education / media / national / News / news / North Carolina / Orange County / politics / Raleigh / sports / Wake County
Primer: Trump Is Thinking About Firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Other Things You Need to Know Today
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 10:27 AM
Happy Tuesday, everyone. There’s a lot in the news, and we’ll get to it straightaway. But first, may I ask a favor? Our first Primer seemed to go well; the response was overwhelmingly positive. But if you are experiencing any problems or have any suggestions about how we can make this newsletter more readable—e.g., if the formatting looks wonky on your computer or device—please pass them along to jbillman@indyweek.com. This is a new venture, and we’re learning as we go. So with that said, let’s go. —Jeffrey C. Billman 1. HE WOULDN’T DARE. (WOULD HE?) THE GIST: According to one of...
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Durham / Durham County / economy / national / News / news / North Carolina / Orange County / politics
The Morning Roundup: Sessions and Trump Are Reportedly At Odds, Comey Set to Testify Tomorrow
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 8:49 AM
First things first. Our annual "Best of the Triangle" edition is on the racks, so go grab one and congratulate the many winners you guys chose. Now let's check out Tuesday's headlines. 1) The Sessions/Trump bromance is reportedly over. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reportedly upset that the president isn't allowing him to do his job. How upset? He offered his resignation. From The New York Times: Attorney General Jeff Sessions offered to resign in recent weeks as he told President Trump he needed the freedom to do his job, according to two people who were briefed on the discussion....
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Durham / Durham County / economy / national / News / news / North Carolina / politics / Raleigh
The Morning Roundup: Supreme Court Rejects Racist Legislative Districts, Durham City Council Rejects Publix
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 9:48 AM
A lot happened around the Triangle Monday. Let's review. 1) Supreme Court confirms that district lines were racially gerrymandered. It's unclear whether special 2017 elections will occur, but the high court delivered a blog to the GOP-controlled legislature. From the INDY: This morning the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision that twenty-eight state legislative districts in North Carolina are racially gerrymandered, but vacated the court's order to redraw the maps and hold special elections in 2017. The Supreme Court's three-page order zeroed in on the panel's decision to call for new maps and special elections, explaining its decision to...
Friday, June 2, 2017
economy / environment / music / national / News / news / North Carolina / politics / Raleigh
The Morning Roundup: Trump Kicks Planet in the Face
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Fri, Jun 2, 2017 at 8:55 AM
It's Friday, but there's really not much to celebrate. 1) Trump pulls U.S. out of historic Paris climate accord. It's not exactly shocking that President Donald Trump made good on a campaign promise and pulled the U.S. out of the most significant climate agreement in history. But it's still a disaster. From The Washington Post: President Trump announced Thursday afternoon that he is withdrawing the United States from the landmark Paris climate agreement, an extraordinary move that dismayed America’s allies and set back the global effort to address the warming planet. Trump’s decision set off alarms worldwide, drawing swift and...
Thursday, May 25, 2017
economy / News / North Carolina / politics
Blame Trump and the Republicans for Blue Cross’s Massive 23 Percent Rate Hike Request
Posted By Jeffrey C. Billman on Thu, May 25, 2017 at 2:06 PM
Earlier today, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced that it was seeking an average rate hike of 22.9 percent for individual plans on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, a staggering increase for the half-million people insured by BCBS in North Carolina through the Obamacare exchange. On the surface, this hike—along with news that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City is abandoning the ACA marketplace altogether, leaving twenty-five Missouri counties without an Obamacare insurer—lends credence to Republican claims that the health care law is “collapsing” and in a “death spiral.” Dig a little deeper, however, and the truth...
The Morning Roundup: GOP Health Care Plan Leaves 23 Million Without Insurance
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Thu, May 25, 2017 at 9:09 AM
Wednesday was another banner day for the GOP. Let's take a stroll through some headlines. 1) Obamacare replacement would leave twenty-three million out in the cold, according to the CBO. Premiums would go down (at least for the young, wealthy, and healthy), but costs would go up for people with preexisting conditions. And more than twenty million would lose coverage altogether. From The New York Times, by way of the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office: A bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that narrowly passed the House this month would leave 14 million more people uninsured next year than under...
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Suspecting Fraud, State Treasurer Dale Folwell Requires Proof of Dependents' Eligibility For State Health Plan
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Wed, May 24, 2017 at 8:20 PM
If you’re employed by the state, you’ve likely received a letter informing you that you have until July 31 to prove your spouse is your spouse and your children are your children, or they will be dropped from the State Health Plan. The proof—tax returns, marriage and birth certificates, and/or adoption papers—must be submitted electronically. The letter recommends scanning the documents or taking “a photo with your smartphone” and uploading them to the State Health Plan website. Here is the notice state workers received: One concerned state employee contacted the INDY, asking: “1) Is it really legal for them...
Thursday, May 18, 2017
The Morning Roundup: Trump Follows Up Bad Tuesday With a Really, Really Bad Wednesday
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Thu, May 18, 2017 at 8:27 AM
Not to be outdone by his horrible Tuesday, President Donald Trump had a really bad Wednesday. For the sake of maintaining order amid the chaos, we'll go through it chronologically. 1) Comey is summoned by Burr, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In a rare show of backbone, North Carolina’s own Richard Burr summoned former FBI director James Comey to testify about his interactions with the president and that memo he reportedly sent that informed his colleagues at the bureau that Trump wanted him to drop the investigation into Mike Flynn. From the INDY: It appears the Trump-Russia investigation got a kick in...
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Durham / Durham County / economy / News
Durham Budget Proposal Would Raise Property Taxes to Address Affordable Housing, Public Safety
Posted By Sarah Willets on Tue, May 16, 2017 at 8:13 AM
As part of a $429 million budget proposal, Durham's city manager is recommending a 1.79-cent property tax increase for the 2017–18 fiscal year to help address affordable housing needs in the city. The city's current tax rate is 56.07 cents per $100 of property, including one cent dedicated to affordable housing. A budget proposal presented Monday night by Thomas Bonfield would raise the tax rate to 57.86 cents and double the dedicated housing portion to two cents. It would also dedicate 0.79 cents to public safety initiatives. “Addressing priority gap areas in the city’s affordable housing strategy all start...
Friday, May 12, 2017
The Morning Roundup: Legislature Backs Big Pork, Trump Loses His Sh*t on Twitter Again
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Fri, May 12, 2017 at 9:28 AM
It's Friday. You made it. Congrats. 1) Senate completes HB 467 veto override. It seems state legislators aren't too concerned about new research that shows the presence of pig feces on and inside the homes of pig farms’ neighbors. Thursday, the Senate completed an override of Governor Cooper's veto of HB 467, a bill that limits financial liability in agricultural nuisance suits. From the INDY: Cooper vetoed the bill last week, shortly after lawyers representing hundreds of plaintiffs involved in twenty-six federal lawsuits against Murphy-Brown LLC, the hog division of Smithfield Foods, submitted new evidence showing that fecal matter from the...
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
economy / environment / national / News / news / North Carolina / politics
N.C. House Backs Big Pork, Votes to Override Cooper's HB 467 Veto
Posted By Ken Fine and Erica Hellerstein on Wed, May 10, 2017 at 4:37 PM
Governor Cooper's veto of House Bill 467, a bill that would limit liability in agricultural nuisance cases, is halfway to being overridden. The N.C. House voted 74–40 in favor of the override; the vote was mostly along party lines, with Republicans voting for it. The timing is interesting, given that less than a week ago, lawyers representing hundreds of plaintiffs involved in twenty-six federal lawsuits against Murphy-Brown LLC, the hog division of Smithfield Foods, submitted evidence they say proves fecal matter from hog farms is ending up on and likely inside the homes of people who live near them. As...
economy / environment / national / News / news / North Carolina / politics / Raleigh
Trump Shafts North Carolina After Hurricane Matthew Relief Request
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Wed, May 10, 2017 at 12:58 PM
What do you get when your state helps elect a president and then requests $900 million from his administration to help rebuild after one of the worst natural disasters in its history? If you're North Carolina, not much. In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Governor Cooper requested nearly a billion dollars from the Trump administration. Last month, Cooper announced in a press release this morning, he learned that the state would only receive $6.1 million—less than 1 percent of the ask. “Families across Eastern North Carolina need help to rebuild and recover, and it is an incredible failure by the...
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
The Morning Roundup: Clinton Talks Election Loss, Resistance; Trump Tweets
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Wed, May 3, 2017 at 9:06 AM
It's Wednesday, so go out and grab a copy of the INDY. The graphic in Triangulator alone is worth it. Let's check out some headlines: 1) Clinton talks about Russia, Comey, and Trump. The decisive winner of the presidential popular vote said a whole lot yesterday about Russia, Wikileaks, and why she thinks she lost the White House. From The New York Times: “The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days,” she said, arguing that based on the available data: “If the election had been on Oct. 27, I’d be your president.”...
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
economy / environment / national / News / news / North Carolina / politics
Poll: Trump Tanking in North Carolina
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 11:43 AM
As the nation prepares to mark President Donald Trump's hundredth day in office, a new poll suggests that the man who captured nearly fifty percent of the popular vote in North Carolina is no longer feeling the same level of love from the Old North State. The Elon University Poll conducted a live-called survey of more than 500 registered voters between April 18 and April 21 and the news was less than spectacular for Trump. From the report: 41.6% of North Carolinians approve of how Trump is handling his job as president. North Carolina voters’ approval of Trump tracks closely with...
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance Says Downtown Raleigh Is Growing Fast and Growing Right
Posted By Kenneth Fine on Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 2:02 PM
According to a lengthy report released Tuesday by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the City of Oaks is growing rapidly and adding amenities indicative of the right kind of expansion. Among the highlights noted in the annual State of Downtown Raleigh report are: • $1.75 billion in recent, ongoing, and upcoming development; • 3,672 new residential units; • $200 million in food and beverage sales last year • An additional one thousand hotel rooms coming to the city's core; • The construction of three hundred acres of additional green space. If you have some time to kill, check out the complete...
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Berger: HB 2 Deal Reached. Debate Scheduled for Thursday Morning.
Posted By Ken Fine on Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 11:05 PM
After an up and down day (and night) that seemingly saw the death of an HB 2 repeal, state Senate leader Phil Berger tweeted this: The announcement? A deal has been reached. Here is what we’re hearing it looks like: In short, it’s not much of a compromise at all, and it’s not entirely clear that this would satisfy the NCAA. The bathroom provision of HB 2 remains intact. So too does the preemption of local nondiscrimination or wage ordinances, at least until December 2020. It’s basically HB 2 with another name. According to Berger, this should all...
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