Budget Deal Not Complete But A Big License Plate Will Cost You $100

Although the state is still operating without a budget it appears elected officials had time to pass a bill to outlaw large license plate frames and sent the bill to Gov. Perdue to sign. At the same time state Democrat leaders have been meeting to iron out the new $19 billion budget that calls for cuts in school spending for grades 7-12 including staff and teachers, raises the sales tax by a penny which will now include many services as a taxable sale, increase taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, increase income taxes by as much as 3%, and cuts in tax revenue disbursements to local jurisdictions by as much as 66%.

As The Start Of School Nears Local H1N1 Cases Increase

State medical officials stated recently that the number of H1N1 cases in North Carolina has neared 500 with as many as 90 cases in the Triad Region alone. As the start of school nears officials are taking notice and have emphasized good hygiene such as frequent washing of hands however as of now they have no special plans for H1N1 that they wouldn’t apply to any other outbreak.  The CDC has reported as many as 40% of the population will get H1N1 over the next two years and has planned for multiple flu vaccinations started as early as September. For more information in H1N1 visit www.noflu.org.

North Carolina Fisherman Lost And Presumed Dead At Sea

Michael L. Dodick has been missing since July 9th after being reported late for returning from a fishing trip off Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. On July 10th the Coast Guard located Dodick’s 28 foot boat adrift with the engines running and all fishing lines broken.

Mike Walden, and economist at North Carolina State University, has predicted unemployment in NC will hit 13% by March of 2010. As we posted here North Carolina topped 11.1% in May which is the highest level in 30 years. Walden went on to state the highest levels will be in the Triad and Charlotte with Raleigh being the lowest. You know Raleigh right. that little town where they keep all the taxes.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Thursday that cash from the Recovery Act will be distributed to more than 500 cities, counties and communities. The money will be used for rent relief, housing relocation and stabilization services, data collection and administrative costs.

“This program serves as a bridge to long-term stability for those who, without assistance, would be homeless,” Donovan said on a conference call with reporters. Read the rest of this entry »

Unemployment in North Caroline had more than doubled since April 2008 and is higher than the National average for May by 2%. When compared to other states in the Southeast only South Carolina is higher with 11.6%. When we look across the state line at our neighbors we find, Virginia at 7%, Georgia at 9.5%, Florida at 9.7%. What is even worse in comparison is when we look at the so called “Deep South” where one might expected higher unemployment we find both Mississippi at 9.6%, and Alabama at 9.3%. Louisiana with it’s 6.3% is almost half of North Carolina’s unemployment rate!.

So what are these states doing that a state with $4.7 BILLION budget deficit isn’t doing? What are these states doing that Governor Bev Purdue isn’t doing with her proposed $1.6 BILLION in new taxes? What are these states doing that Governor Bev Purdue isn’t doing with her proposed Recreation Tax which will likely force summer day camps in this state to close? Read the rest of this entry »

Amazon sent the following out to all Amazon Associates in the wee hours this morning:

We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to notify you that your Associates account has been closed as of June 26, 2009. This is a direct result of the unconstitutional tax collection scheme expected to be passed any day now by the North Carolina state legislature (the General Assembly) and signed by the governor. As a result, we will no longer pay any referral fees for customers referred to Amazon.com or Endless.com after June 26. We were forced to take this unfortunate action in anticipation of actual enactment because of uncertainties surrounding the legislation’s effective date. Read the rest of this entry »