Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board to vote on superintendent's budget
Some school advocates and educators said it doesn't give enough money to teachers, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Advocates said they want to see a 10% increase. However, Dr. Crystal Hill's budget only includes 8% more for teacher salaries.
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This is all contingent on a 3% state salary increase, with both the county and state projecting budget shortfalls.
At the state level, House Bill 192 calls for an average educator salary increase of 22% over two years. However, that is stuck in committee.
Governor Josh Stein's budget proposal lists an increase of 10.6% over the same time period.
VIDEO: CMS $1.95B operating budget aims to increase teacher pay, improve literacy
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Helene-hit businesses want grants, but the SBA is 'hamstrung' by lack of federal funding
FLETCHER - Speaking to a crowd of local leaders and media in Bill Moore Community Park on Aug. 20, Gov. Josh Stein said the federal government "has to give much more money" to the region's recovery from Tropical Storm Helene and that state and federal lawmakers need to approve more grant funding for small businesses. "Small businesses took it on the chin," Stein told the Citizen Times. "The economy of Western North Carolina is more dependent on small business than most other regions." His worry is that both the region's economic recovery and physical recovery could slow if funds don't come to the region, a fear shared by residents, businesses and regional leaders. "I shudder to think," Stein said of WNC not receiving more federal funding for Helene recovery. Calls for small business relief have steadily continued after Helene, which caused an estimated $60 billion in damages and killed over 100 in the state. But North Carolina's district leader for the U.S. Small Business Administration Mike Arriola described the agency as having its hands tied by a lack of federal funding for forgivable loans or grants for small businesses on Aug. 20. At the same time, Republican state lawmakers have been wary that passing a small business grant program would require a state constitutional amendment. Nearly a year after the storm, unemployment in Buncombe County, Western North Carolina's urban center, has remained above pre-storm levels and workers have had to navigate closures, staff losses and a shifting national economy. Small businesses are struggling, having lost an average $322,000 from the storm, according to the recently released 2025 Local Business Impact Survey from the regional nonprofit Mountain BizWorks. Of the over 700 businesses surveyed by the nonprofit, 86% of them are are performing at or below pre-Helene levels, according to the report. More: WNC awarded $7.6B in federal, state aid after Helene, report says. More still needed Small business disaster grants were identified as the "most sought-after recovery resource" for small businesses in the survey, but regional officials' hands have been tied as federal funding lags behind requests. As of June 30, the state has been awarded $4.71 billion in federal funding, according to an Aug. 15 report from the Governor's Recovery Office for WNC, or GROW NC. That's around 8% of the estimated $60 billion in damages. Gov. Josh Stein has requested $19 billion in additional federal funding — a request that Congress has yet to consider. A total of $7.6 billion has been provided through federal and state aid. During a Aug. 20 webinar on the Mountain BizWorks study, Arriola said the agency, which would likely distribute said grants, has its hands tied. The directive and funding for a small business grant program through the agency could only come from Congress. "Until... the legislative branch can come up with those specific fixes, (the) SBA is really kind of hamstrung." Arriola said. The SBA provides small business loans through it's disaster relief programs, offering more than $400 million to businesses in WNC, so far. But many small businesses are "already shouldering on quite a bit of debt as a result of COVID," Arriola said. Taking on additional disaster loans could add to previous debt whereas grants wouldn't have to be repaid. "We've pretty much done all within our power," Arriola said of SBA aiding Helene-impacted businesses. Gov. Stein calls for more federal funding for small businesses Small business grant funding has only come through mostly nonprofit programs, though some have been supported by the state. No grant program for small businesses has been approved by Congress. The Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative has distributed $55 million in grants to over 2,100 small businesses with physical damage from the storm, according to a August presentation to the state's WNC Recovery Committee. Funding for the initiative came from Dogwood Health Trust, Duke Endowment and the state of North Carolina Grants were limited to $55,000. Other nonprofits, like Mountain BizWorks, have distributed $6.8 million. Another $55 million program was announced by the state in May, but only funds local governments with infrastructure projects that support local businesses. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a second-term Republican representing most of WNC, introduced the "Helene Small Business Recovery Act" to the House in March. A similar bill was introduced to the Senate by Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring in 2026, in April. Though both bills were referred to committee, neither has seen action since their introduction. More: WNC awarded $7.6B in federal, state aid after Helene, report says. More still needed More: WNC's small businesses lost an average of $322,000 due to Helene, nonprofit study says Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@ or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Helene-hit businesses want grants. The SBA is 'hamstrung' by Congress Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
5 things to know for August 20: Smithsonian, Immigration, DC, Texas redistricting, Covid-19
5 Things Respiratory viruses Immigration VaccinesFacebookTweetLink Follow Hurricane Erin may not be forecast to make landfall, but the sprawling Category 2 storm is still going to impact much of the East Coast as it tracks north this week. On Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency to prepare for the life-threatening rip currents and storm surge expected to affect the coastal region. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric about the Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday, alleging that its museums were too focused on the negative aspects of US history, including 'how bad slavery was.' The comments, which he posted on his social media site, came a week after the White House ordered a review of the Smithsonian's museums and exhibits 'to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.' If the Smithsonian refuses to purge materials that conflict with Trump's political directives, it could suffer a fate similar to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Both organizations lost tens of millions of dollars in federal funding earlier this year, which has affected small museums, libraries, arts programs and research projects across the country. People applying to live or work in the US will now be screened for 'anti-Americanism' in their immigration applications, authorities said Tuesday. According to a policy update by US Citizenship & Immigration Services, immigration officers will be able to scrutinize applicants' social media posts for any 'anti-American activity.' Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, compared the move to McCarthyism in the 1950s, when authorities prosecuted left-wing individuals amid a widespread public panic over communism and its influence on US institutions. 'The term (anti-Americanism) has no prior precedent in immigration law and its definition is entirely up to the Trump (administration),' Reichlin-Melnick said. More National Guard troops arrived in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to assist in President Trump's emergency crime crackdown in the nation's capital. The troops, which were deployed from West Virginia, could begin operations as soon as today, a defense official told CNN. Republican governors from five other states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee — have also promised to deploy their National Guard troops and escalate Trump's efforts to amass armed forces in the capital. Although the president has repeatedly complained about rising crime in DC, overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024. Some Texas House Democrats ripped up agreements to leave the House floor under police escort and spent Tuesday night in the chamber in protest. They joined state Rep. Nicole Collier, who on Monday refused to 'sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts.' Texas Republicans' efforts to redraw the state's congressional districts in the middle of the decade were hindered when dozens of quorum-breaking Democratic House members left the state. Upon their return to the Capitol on Monday, House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered constraints put on their movements. The Texas House is aiming to vote on the redistricting measure after it reconvenes today, and Republicans are expected to move quickly to approve their new map, which could potentially eliminate five Democratic US House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. With Covid-19 levels on the rise in the US, and transmission increasing in at least 45 states, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its updated recommendations for vaccines on Tuesday, including Covid-19 shots. The AAP's guidance is a break from the current CDC recommendations and defies HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced in May that the CDC would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women. The AAP, on the other hand, recommends that all children, ages 6 months through 23 months, should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients. It also recommends a single dose of the vaccine for children ages 2 through 18 years if they are at high risk of Covid-19, residents of long-term care facilities, have never been vaccinated against Covid-19 or live in a household with people who are high risk for Covid-19. GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. The public is urged not to eat certain bags of shrimp sold at Walmart, citing concerns about unsanitary conditions and radioactive contamination. Her husband, writer/director Jeff Baena, died in January at the age of 47. That's what major food companies are hoping as they tap celebrities to create new flavors. The list includes popular slang like 'broligarchy' and 'dululu.' And will Taylor Swift's new album, which will be available on cassette, turn the trend into a revival? 460 millionThat's how many metric tons of plastic are made each year. 'I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see. We are more than our suffering — we are resilience, hope, and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us.' — Nadeen Ayoub Ayoub will become the first woman to represent the Palestinian people at the Miss Universe pageant. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. It's cool. The '80s are back. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Legislature overrides governor's veto to enact controversial law: 'An awful turning point'
Legislature overrides governor's veto to enact controversial law: 'An awful turning point' The North Carolina legislature overrode the governor's veto in order to approve a bill that could slow future environmental regulations. What's happening? Having already passed through the State House and Senate this past spring, House Bill 402 was vetoed by Democratic Governor Josh Stein in June. Republican lawmakers found enough votes to override the veto in late July, making it law, along with another seven previously vetoed bills. Also known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny — or REINS — Act, HB 402 aims to place additional restrictions on the passage of any new environmental regulation in the state. According to North Carolina Health News, the new law will require any environmental regulation "with a projected financial impact" of $1 million over five years to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the body making the rule. For anything over $10 million, it requires unanimous approval. And for any regulation projected to cost $20 million or more, it requires formal approval from the state's General Assembly. Why is this concerning? This law could make it virtually impossible for any kind of real, substantive regulation to be implemented, environmental advocates say. "Lawmakers who passed this bill did not have the best interests of North Carolinians at heart," said Mary Maclean Asbill, director of the state's Southern Environmental Law Center's office. "This new law marks an awful turning point for families and communities across North Carolina when elected officials in the state legislature ignore serious illnesses and deaths in favor of polluters' profits," she continued in a release, per NCHN. The outlet noted that House Speaker Destin Hall, a Republican, said, "What we had in the REINS Act was a situation where if you have a regulation that is extremely expensive, our position is that it's something that [the legislature] needs to take a look at." Meanwhile, environmental advocates say that viewing each new regulation through a strictly financial lens — rather than through a lens that weighs the cost against the potential benefits for public health and essential ecosystems — will make passage of new legislation practically unobtainable. What's being done in North Carolina? While this legislation's finalization is certainly a blow to many environmentalists and public health advocates, their hopes are not completely lost in North Carolina. A pair of bills, HB 569 and Senate Bill 666, could still have major impacts on the state's environmental regulations, according to NCHN. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. HB 569 would require polluters to reimburse public water systems for clean-ups of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. SB 666 would charge the Environmental Management Commission with setting regulatory limits on PFAS. It's unclear how either bill could be impacted by HB 402 becoming law, though, and the status of both bills remains uncertain at this stage. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
