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Cooper Says He's Acting On Chemical In NC River
North Carolina's governor says he's directing state criminal investigators to see if a chemical plant violated any permits by discharging a lightly studied chemical into a river hundreds of thousands of people use for drinking water.
Gov. Roy Cooper revealed his directions to the State Bureau of Investigation while speaking Monday to local officials in Wilmington.
Cooper also promised chemical company Chemours will be barred from releasing the compound known as GenX into the Cape Fear River alongside its Bladen County plant, which employs nearly 1,000 workers. The chemical is used to make nonstick products like Teflon, replacing a different chemical tied to increased cancer risk.
Chief Investment Officer For North Carolina Pension Resigns
The chief investment officer for North Carolina's $94 billion state pension fund has unexpectedly resigned.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports Kevin SigRist submitted his resignation on Friday. State Treasurer Dale Folwell said in a prepared statement that he's confident the department will continue to provide stable management for the pension fund.
SigRist was hired by Folwell's predecessor, Democrat Janet Cowell, in 2013. Folwell is a Republican who was elected last November.
Folwell has shifted billions of dollars previously invested in stocks into investment-grade bonds. The newspaper said memos it reviewed showed Folwell has occasionally overruled the recommendations of the pension fund's investment staff in shifting those funds out of stocks.
Company: New Particleboard Plant Could Ultimately Employ 770
An Austrian company that supplies wood products for the furniture, construction and flooring industries plans a particleboard-manufacturing plant expected to employ 400 workers within six years.
Egger Wood Products said Monday another 370 jobs are planned for later phases of the project in Lexington. Average salaries are expected to be $40,000, above Davidson County's average annual wage of nearly $37,000.
The company could get tax breaks and other incentives worth more than $18 million if it meets employment and other targets.
North Carolina Awards Contract To Upgrade Highway Lighting
The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a contract for nearly $31 million to make traveling on interstates and highways a little brighter.
The contract, announced Monday, will fund upgrades for more than 10,600 roadway light fixtures at more than 350 locations across the state. In addition to improving lighting, the agreement with Trane U.S. and J. Brady Contracting will save the state more than $56 million in reduced electrical and maintenance costs over 15 years.
Improvements are planned for lighting along Interstate 95, I-40, I-77 and I-85, as well as interstates in the Triangle, Triad, Charlotte and Asheville areas.
Local Business, Visitors Impacted By NC Forest Manhunt
The search for an armed suspect believed to be in a national forest in North Carolina is keeping visitors away and causing businesses in the area to lose customers during their most lucrative time of year.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports authorities continued to keep hundreds of acres of the Pisgah National Forest off-limits to hikers, bikers and campers Monday. Seven law enforcement agencies searched a third day for 38-year-old Phillip Michael Stroupe II of Weaverville, described as a suspect in a break-in.
The forest along U.S. 276 was evacuated Saturday, including popular areas such as Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock and the Cradle of Forestry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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