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Municipal Elections Held In North Carolina
It was a good night for area mayors running for re-election. In High Point, Jay Wagner held off a strong challenge from Guilford Commissioner Carlvena Foster. Kernersville Mayor Dawn Morgan defeated Irving Neal. And Clemmons Mayor John Wait won his race against longtime Clemmons staffer Larry Kirby.
High Point voters gave overwhelming approval to a series of bond packages. The measures provide more than $20 million each for road and parks and recreation projects, as well as $6 million for affordable housing plans. The total for all three projects is $50 million.
North Carolina Lawmakers Begin Considering New Congress Map
North Carolina legislators have started the process of redrawing the state's congressional map by agreeing to omit political and racial data in forming whatever new districts they create.
A House-Senate committee began considering on Tuesday how to respond to a state judicial panel's ruling that blocked the use of the current district map for the 2020 elections. The judges determined it was likely the voters who sued in September to overturn the map based on excessive partisan bias favoring Republicans would be successful.
Anti-Gang Conference Comes As Winston-Salem Homicide Rate Rises
Community advocates will gather this week in Winston-Salem to address gang and drug-related violence. The four-day conference comes as the homicide rate has ticked up in the city.
The mission of the Corner 2 Corner Drug Dealers and Street Life Conference is to educate, mentor, and deter gang violence. Event leaders say they want to address those issues head-on, as there have been 24 murders in the city compared to 21 this time last year.
Vegas Don, an ex gang-leader, will lead youth sessions addressing the challenges of getting out of a gang once you're in one.
Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough will also speak at the conference. It starts on Thursday and is open to the public.
UNCG Education Program Receives Federal Grant To Serve Students In The Southeast
A UNC Greensboro education research center has been awarded a $15.6-million federal grant.
The U.S Department of Education awarded the five-year grant to UNCG's SERVE Center, which provides support and services to K-12 school systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
According to a news release, researchers will collaborate with education agencies and school districts in those states to ensure college and career readiness and support the region's lowest-performing schools.
Winston-Salem Leads Metro Areas In Job Growth
Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Winston-Salem has higher job growth than some surrounding metro areas.
Winston-Salem non-farm jobs grew by just over three percent from August 2018 to August of this year. That's growth at a higher rate than Charlotte, Raleigh, or neighbors Greensboro and High Point.
In fact, non-farm jobs in those areas grew by just under half a percent during the same period.
In terms of jobs in the professional services, and leisure and hospitality fields, the growth was even more robust in Winston-Salem, approaching six percent.
Mining, logging, and construction also saw a significant bump.
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