Gov. Pat McCrory on Saturday called for a “new strategy and vision” to keep North Carolina a good place “to live, work and raise a family.” In a ceremony at the old state capitol in Raleigh, the former Charlotte mayor was formally inaugurated as the state’s first Republican governor in two decades.
In his inaugural address, McCrory acknowledged that the state faces challenges, and said the government will have to work with business, “because there is no new money falling out of the sky.” He also promised fiscal restraint, saying “government has to live within its means.”
McCrory pledged to work to eliminate barriers for businesses to create jobs, and said he wants to implement a 25-year transportation plan, to keep goods moving across the state. And he will try to create education system that improves achievement. You can read the text of McCrory's remarks on Governor.NC.gov
STATE INVESTIGATES HARTSELL CAMPAIGN
The State Board of Elections has begun an investigation of credit card payments by the campaign committee of longtime state senator Fletcher Hartsell of Concord. State officials confirmed they’re auditing the campaign. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that campaign finance reports show Hartsell's campaign spent nearly $100,000 in 2011 and 2012 paying on at least 10 personal credit cards. Hartsell told the newspaper he believes the credit card spending is legal, and mainly includes expenses related to his public office. But he said he would repay any expenses considered invalid.
DROPOUT RATE DECLINES
The public school dropout rate declined last year, both across the state and in Mecklenburg County. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools says 3.2 percent of students left school early last year - down from 3.57 percent in 2011. That’s still higher than the statewide rate of 3.01 percent. Those figures count only those who dropped out in the 2011-12 school year … CMS says the four-year graduation rate in Mecklenburg County public schools is now 75.1 percent, meaning about one-quarter of students drop out of each class during their school careers. Statewide, a record 80.4 percent of public school students graduated.