Guilford Schools Superintendent Stepping Down
Maurice O. “Mo” Green is resigning as superintendent of Guilford County Schools. Green will assume leadership of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem.
Green made the announcement at the close of the Guilford County Board of Education meeting Tuesday. While details are still being worked out with the school board, Green said he expects the transition to occur sometime this coming spring.
Since Green joined GCS in September of 2008, high school graduation rates in the district have risen to an all-time high.
Green also created the district's initial strategic plans, and was a driving force in Guilford County being named the first Say Yes to Education community outside of the Northeast.
The school board plans to discuss Green's transition at a Board meeting on Dec. 17.
Greensboro City Council Approves New Incentives
A new term has officially begun for Greensboro City Council members. They were sworn in during Tuesday's meeting. Economic development was at the top of their agenda. They unanimously approved four incentive grants totaling more than $1.6 million.
One of those beneficiaries is Natty Greene's Brewing Company, which is looking to expand beyond its downtown location, and move to the former Revolution Mill site in northeast Greensboro.
Council also gave the green light to incentive requests for the expansion of Revolution Mill, Ecolab, and National Distribution Centers, LLC.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan says the projects will have a big impact on the city's future.
New Funding Approved For Tanger Center
Greensboro City Council approved a new funding plan for the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts during it's meeting Tuesday.
More than half of the $65 million-dollar project is coming from private donations, but the city has agreed to take on more than $9 million in additional bond debt to help pay for unforeseen construction costs.
Council members also approved a request to increase ticket service fees to four dollars.
That money will be used for two things: to help pay down the debt the city took on for the project, and to help support an Arts Stabilization Fund that will assist local arts organizations.
Construction on the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is expected to begin next spring or early summer and open in 2018.
Cooper Files As Candidate For Governor
Roy Cooper is officially in the race for North Carolina governor next year. The Attorney General has filed his paperwork with NC's Board of Elections.
The sitting Democratic attorney general made it clear long ago he wanted to unseat Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. Coopers' committee announced his candidacy paperwork was filed Tuesday afternoon at the State Board of Elections.
Cooper held a gubernatorial campaign kickoff rally in October in his native Nash County. McCrory has yet to file his notice to seek re-election but held a similar rally last week in Kernersville. Democrat Ken Spaulding of Durham also plans to run for governor.
Super PAC Supporting North Carolina Lieutenant Governor
A political action committee that can take unlimited contributions from donors has been formed with the primary goal of helping North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest get re-elected in 2016.
Organizers of the Truth and Prosperity "super PAC" announced Tuesday include a Charlotte political consultant and an interior design company president who's helped Forest in the past.
David Longo is the group's treasurer. Documents filed with the State Board of Elections shows one of Longo's companies — CBI Services — giving $50,000 to Truth and Prosperity.
Group Executive Director Alfredo Rodriguez anticipates it will produce radio and television ads supporting Forest. The lieutenant governor has his own campaign committee, but the two groups are barred from coordinating activities.
Donors are limited in how much they can give to Forest's campaign.
North Carolina Lags In Fight Against HIV
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show new cases of HIV infection have dropped by almost 20 percent in the past decade.
But many Southern states – including North Carolina – lag behind the national average when it comes to the fight against HIV.
According to the CDC, Southern states account for an estimated 44 percent of all HIV cases in the U.S., and bear the brunt of the burden when it comes to infection, illness, and death from the virus.
For example, a patient in Louisiana is almost three times more likely to die from infection than someone from Vermont.
North Carolina fares a little better, but still lags behind the national HIV death rate: twenty out of every 1,000 people with the virus died in 2012. The national average is 19.2.
Meanwhile the state is right in line with the national average for people with HIV who are aware of their status.
While the rate of new cases has slowed for everyone, HIV continues to disproportionately affect African-Americans, and particularly black women.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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