Bradley George

North Carolina

Morning Reporter at WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill, NC)

Reporting in the morning @wunc. Bylines: @npr @marketplace @hereandnow.

Articles

North Carolina companies are still waiting for CHIPS Act funding

1 week ago | wfae.org | Bradley George

After two years of construction, Durham-based Wolfspeed is putting the finishing touches on its $5 billion semiconductor plant in Siler City. The factory, named The JP in honor of company co-founder John Palmour, will make silicon carbide wafers. These are the building blocks of Wolfspeed chips assembled at the company's other factory in New York State.
North Carolina companies are still waiting for CHIPS Act funding

1 week ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

After two years of construction, Durham-based Wolfspeed is putting the finishing touches on its $5 billion semiconductor plant in Siler City. The factory, named The JP in honor of company co-founder John Palmour, will make silicon carbide wafers. These are the building blocks of Wolfspeed chips assembled at the company's other factory in New York State.
Cumberland County commissioners halt Crown Center construction

3 weeks ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

Cumberland County commissioners have pulled the plug on a new performing arts center in downtown Fayetteville. The decision follows months of reviews into the Crown Event Center and its construction costs. "This decision wasn't made lightly.
Gov. Stein, DMV Commissioner say they're fixing problems

4 weeks ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

The new commissioner of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles says he's working as fast as he can to eliminate long waits at driver's license offices. Paul Tine joined Gov. Josh Stein and Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins for a visit to a busy NCDMV office in east Raleigh Friday morning. The three spent about 20 minutes speaking with people who had been waiting in line for hours for a driver's license or road test. Tine, a former state lawmaker, was named commissioner last month.
NCDOT says Raleigh-to-Richmond rail line is on track despite federal freeze

4 weeks ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

The Trump administration froze funding for a new passenger rail line between Raleigh and Richmond, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation says work on the project continues. In 2024, the Biden administration approved more than $1 billion for the S-Line, which will shorten travel time between the two state capitols and create faster service for trains serving Washington, D.C. and New York. Funding came from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Some North Carolina communities are getting EPA grants again

1 month ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

A town in northwest North Carolina has won a $1.7 million federal grant to clean up a long-abandoned tannery. The Environmental Protection Agency announced the award to the town of North Wilkesboro Friday, one of 23 projects selected for brownfield cleanup in the southeast. The announcement comes as EPA is still trying to cancel hundreds of funding requests and reduce its workforce. Last year, town officials applied for a grant to clean up the site.
NC Superintendent Green says 'threat actors' tried to get ransom for PowerSchool data

1 month ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

There's been another breach involving student and teacher data stored on PowerSchool software, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green said at a Wednesday evening press conference. "It is completely unfortunate that the perpetrators are preying on innocent children and dedicated public servants," Green said.
NC Humanities gets 'emergency funding' after federal cuts

1 month ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

A private foundation will help a North Carolina nonprofit that lost federal funding last month. The Trump Administration, through Elon Musk's DOGE cost-cutting entity, rescinded grants to state and territorial humanities councils offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The endowment laid off 80% of its staff. North Carolina Humanities, based in Charlotte, receives about $1.6 million from the NEH each year.
NCDMV turns to consultant to fix long lines

2 months ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will pay a consulting firm $1.2 million to deliver a "roadmap" for better customer service and employee retention at the state's beleaguered Division of Motor Vehicles. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) will assess "priority services" offered by NCDMV.
A decision is coming soon on a big Raleigh road project

2 months ago | wunc.org | Bradley George

The Raleigh City Council got its first look Tuesday afternoon at four pricey options for converting a ten-mile stretch of Capital Boulevard into a toll highway. The presentation, by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, was the latest turn in a project that has been talked about for decades.