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1 week ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
Flood insurance not an option for many homeowners left paying for Helene damageA $450 million round of aid for Helene recovery efforts will move forward soon, Senate Leader Phil Berger said Tuesday, decoupling the relief bill from what he described as an impasse over state budget talks. The state has already approved about $1.6 billion in Helene aid. The most recent package was a $524 million bill that was signed into law in March.
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2 weeks ago | 
wral.com | Mark Bergin |Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
World-class wrestler and Army combat veteran Sally Roberts knows a lot about fighting. But she nearly lost her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]. Roberts is among the veterans and advocates who visited Raleigh this week to lobby lawmakers for more access to psychedelic therapy for PTSD. She said psychedelic-assisted therapy saved her life. “I didn't know where to go,” Roberts said.
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2 weeks ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
A bill scheduled for its first hearing in a key committee on Tuesday would add a new layer of scrutiny for would-be North Carolina teachers. House Bill 775 would require the North Carolina Board of Education to review criminal background checks for each applicant for a teaching license in the state. Under current state law, it's up to local school districts to complete criminal background checks on school employees. The state doesn't play a role.
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3 weeks ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
North Carolina's former U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole was officially honored Wednesday for her long career in public service by state lawmakers and the governor. Dole is scheduled to be recognized again Friday with the naming of a section of Interstate 85 in Salisbury in her honor. Dole, a Salisbury native and graduate of Duke University, is the first woman elected by North Carolina to serve in the U.S. Senate.
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4 weeks ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
Critics of the Republican-penned federal budget bill that passed the U.S. House last week say proposed cuts to federal spending could mean deep cuts to safety-net programs that help some of North Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens. They could also leave a significant hole in the state budget, which state budget analysts expect to soon be in the red. Federal funds, mainly through block grants, account for a sizable chunk of the state’s spending on social services, education and disaster recovery.
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4 weeks ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
This is a picture of the North Carolina flag, although it's a bit tattered. As North Carolina legislative leaders begin to negotiate a spending plan for the next two years, they’ll have a little less money to work with than expected. Economic forecasters who work in state government have revised their budget projections downward for the next two years. Forecasters at the legislature and the Office of State Budget and Management come to what’s known as a consensus revenue forecast every year.
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1 month ago | 
wral.com | Mark Bergin |Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
North Carolina is among the top states in the country for clean energy technology, from solar panels and battery plants to electric vehicles and public chargers. But changes at the federal level could slow down that boom. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to North Carolina’s clean energy sector, providing tax credits for businesses and consumers that invested in it, as well as funding for infrastructure like EV charging stations.
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1 month ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
As North Carolina House and Senate lawmakers negotiate a final budget deal, tax policy is likely to be a major sticking point between the two chambers. House and Senate Republicans have already agreed to cut the state income taxes in tax year 2026 by a quarter percent, from 4.25% to 3.99%. The Senate budget proposes an even bigger tax cut in 2027, lowering the rate another half-point to 3.49%.
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2 months ago | 
wralsportsfan.com | Shaun Gallagher |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
Jordon Hudson, the 24-year-old girlfriend of UNC head football coach Bill Belichick, interrupted an interview that aired on "CBS News Sunday Morning." ECONOMY IS SIMPLY TOO HARD TO PREDICT. AT THE MOMENT ALRIGHT, COUNTING DOWN TO TAR HEEL FOOTBALL SEASON. I KNOW FOOTBALL FANS DON'T LIKE THIS. NUMBER 126 DAYS TO GO. >> UNTIL KICKOFF AND IT'S ALREADY SHAPING UP TO BE QUITE AN INTERESTING SEASON.
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2 months ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Mark Bergin |Josie Zimmer
North Carolina House lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill requiring wireless providers to cooperate with law enforcement. Providers would be required to quickly provide cell phone location data to police in case of a 911 call or emergency. More than half the states have a similar law, which the result of a woman's murder nearly 20 years ago. In 2007, Kelsey Smith was kidnapped from a Kansas shopping center and murdered. Police wanted to use the location of her cellphone to help find her. State Rep.
