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Cooper, Forest Among Latest To File For Top NC Positions
More candidates are officially running for North Carolina offices as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has filed for reelection and Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is officially on board to try to unseat him.
Candidate filing began this week at the State Board of Elections and in all 100 counties for hundreds of elected positions.
Cooper filed for governor on Thursday, the day after Forest filed his gubernatorial paperwork. Meanwhile at least five Democrats have filed for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Thom Tillis, who is seeking reelection. Candidate filing continues through Dec. 20.
After 14 Years, Eastern North Carolina Judgeship Gets Filled
The nation's longest federal court vacancy has finally ended with the U.S. Senate's confirmation of a law professor to a District Court judgeship in eastern North Carolina.
The chamber agreed to confirm Richard E. Myers in a bipartisan vote on Thursday. The seat has been vacant since a judge moved to semi-retirement status at the end of 2005. Other nominations from presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all failed. Raleigh lawyer Thomas Farr had been nominated to the post four times.
Myers grew up in Wilmington and worked in journalism before embarking on a law career.
State Education Officials Could Cut U.S. History Class For Personal Finance Course
School officials at the state level are working to accommodate a new mandated personal finance course.
This past summer the General Assembly passed a bill requiring high school students to take a financial literacy class to graduate, starting with the 2020-21 school year. The course covers topics such as paying for college, home mortgages, credit scores, and more.
But finding a place for the course in the social studies curriculum is proving to be a challenge. The News & Observer reports state education officials say this means cutting one of two U.S. history classes.
Officials are also looking at revising the social studies graduation requirements and will vote on the changes in January.
Forsyth County Moves To Go Green
Forsyth County commissioners approved a proposal to address the possible effects of climate change.
The measure has a goal of moving the county to a complete transition to clean and renewable energy by 2050. It's a compromise from an earlier proposal that would have set the date at 2030.
Commissioner Richard Linville suggested compromising that even further, by taking out the deadline altogether. Linville says he worries that the resolution doesn't consider costs.
Commissioner Ted Kaplan says on projects like these the long-term deadlines are more of a wish than anything else. But he still believes the county must take action.
The measure passed with Linville casting the only vote against it.
Roadway Reopens On Ocracoke Island 3 Months After Dorian
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Thursday that N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island will reopen to all traffic, three months after Hurricane Dorian severely damaged the island and its main road.
The September storm destroyed the protected dune line between the highway and the ocean, breaking and buckling about 1,000 feet of pavement, the agency wrote in a news release.
The island is now open to visitors. Full ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke's South Dock terminal is running on a winter schedule.
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