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New Program Hopes to Break Cycle Of Poverty For Forsyth County Students
A new education initiative will allow students in low-income households who graduate from high school in Forsyth County to attend community college for free. The program, called the Winston-Salem College Guarantee, was announced this week.
The goal is to help economically disadvantaged students in the county achieve education goals beyond high school without the burden of debt. They will take classes at Forsyth Tech Community College.
The program is funded primarily by a six-year, $870 thousand-dollar grant from BB&T Corp.
The scholarship would kick in after financial aid and can be used for tuition, books, childcare and other expenses while attending Forsyth Tech.
Cold Weather Could Hamper Incentives Deadline For Contractors Working On Business 40
A North Carolina highway engineer says contractors working on the Business 40 renovation can maximize their incentives by finishing their work by Dec. 31.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Pat Ivey, a division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation, said current timelines call for completing two bridges and an underpass by the end of the year or in early 2020.
Ivey said all the timelines depend on the weather cooperating but noted the cold weather the city is experiencing is not helping any plans to beat the Dec. 31 date for a maximum contractor payday.
HPU Poll: North Carolinians Split On Impeachment
A new poll from High Point University finds North Carolinians are split over the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The poll finds that 44 percent of respondents said President Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 43 percent said he should not.
A small number of those polled said he should be impeached but not removed from office.
The survey took place in the first week of November before the public hearings began.
The poll found the president's approval rating at 40 percent, a two-point drop from September's poll. More than half of the respondents disapprove of the president's performance.
Gov. Roy Cooper also had a 40 percent approval rating, but fewer people disapproved of the job he's doing.
Congress Remap Nearing Completion In North Carolina
North Carolina Republican legislators are closing in on replacing the state's congressional map with new districts that likely would give Democrats a good chance to collect two more seats.
The state Senate planned on Friday to debate and vote on proposed district boundaries the state House already approved. The lines are reconfigured so Democrats would be in a favorable position to win seats now held by GOP Reps. George Holding and Mark Walker.
North Carolina Transportation Cash Bailout OK'd By Legislature
The North Carolina legislature has agreed on how to help the Department of Transportation overcome a recent cash crunch that's already resulted in layoffs of temporary workers and paused construction.
The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday for a bailout package that includes $100 million toward past and future natural disasters and forgiveness of a $90 million loan from state operating coffers approved months ago. DOT will create a new disaster fund that can be tapped after a federal emergency declaration.
DOT also can seek an additional $100 million in road-building bonds.
Another $180M Approved For North Carolina Disaster Aid, Prep
Another $180 million in state funds are going to help with disaster recovery following hurricanes Matthew, Florence, and Dorian and to prepare for North Carolina's next storm.
The state House and Senate voted on Thursday for a negotiated package that also included another $20 million for a newly created rural hospital loan program.
Most of the recovery dollars meet matching requirements for federal dollars and create a state recovery program for people harmed by Dorian.
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