Cooper Delivers State of the State Address
NC Governor Roy Cooper delivered his third State of the State address from the NC House Chamber Monday evening where he recognized the resilience of North Carolinians throughout the pandemic and provided a vision for a shared recovery that rebuilds our economy and communities to be stronger than ever. In his remarks, the Governor highlighted the experiences of North Carolinians across the state who stepped up to help their communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read article.

Apple Coming to NC

Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina.  Apple will invest $1 billion in North Carolina and the campus, in the Raleigh-Durham area’s Research Triangle Park, is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and other fields. Read article.

Crowded Field for Senate Seat 
Former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, the first Black woman to hold that post, formally announced Tuesday that she wants to be the first Black person ever elected to the U.S. Senate from North Carolina.  Beasley will face a crowded field of contenders to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr, including former Republican Governor Pat McCrory, former Republican Congressman Mark Walker, and current Republican Congressman Ted Budd.  State Sen. Jeff Jackson, former state Sen. Erica Smith, Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton and Richard Watkins, a scientist from Greensboro, are the other announced Democratic candidates. Read article.

Additional COVID Restrictions to be Lifted
NC Gov. Roy Cooper anticipates being able to lift mandatory social distancing, capacity and mass gathering restrictions by June 1.  Mask wearing will continue for now. After June 1, Cooper hopes the mask mandate will only be required in indoor public places.  The governor plans to issue an executive order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May. Read article.

Sprayberry Retiring
Mike Sprayberry, the head of North Carolina’s emergency management operations since 2013, will retire Aug. 1, the Department of Public Safety has announced.  After Gov. Roy Cooper, Sprayberry has been the most visible face for state government’s efforts to prepare for and recover from hurricanes, snowstorms and other natural emergencies. Sprayberry, with more than 40 years of state service, has led the State Emergency Response Team in 19 state-declared disasters and 11 federally declared disasters, including Hurricane Florence in 2018. Read article.