News
Amazon, Corning reach deal for NC optical fiber manufacturing
A new training program through Catawba Valley Community College will train fiber optic technicians and is part of a deal to create 1,000 new jobs.
News
Amazon plans $10B AI data center in Richmond County
Amazon announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest $10 billion to launch a new high-tech cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation campus in Energy Way Industrial Park in Rockingham, Richmond County.
News
Surry County board to address freedom of speech in Monday night meeting
The Surry County Board of Commissioners is taking up a resolution to defend freedom of speech. The board is expected to pass it in a meeting Monday, Feb. 15, Commissioner Eddie Harris told Carolina Journal. Harris introduced the resolution, which condemns major technology companies for their “attack on the free speech rights of the American...
Opinion
New firms drive economic growth
For every high-touted industrial prospect that goes to some other state, keep in mind that many more young, less-famous companies are looking for the right place to launch and begin their growth cycles.
Opinion
North Carolina has the makings of a luxury brand
Every few days, I see another story. They’re always the same. They start with some headline about how a company has chosen North Carolina over another state. Occasionally it’s another country. Sometimes it’s a city. They read like this: [Insert Company Name Here] chooses [North Carolina/City Name] over [other state/country] for latest expansion. It’s not just the headlines that are the same. The substance...
Opinion
Sugary incentives harmful to economic health
I’ve enjoyed following the drama surrounding location of Amazon’s second headquarters and, make no mistake, drama it certainly has been. Amazon probably missed an opportunity by simply issuing a request for proposal rather than turning it into a reality TV series available exclusively on Prime. Tucson tried to give Jeff Bezos a cactus. Stonecrest, Georgia, offered to rename part of itself Amazon. Birmingham has...
Opinion
Amazon project a big deal, but their asking price is much too much
Earlier this month Amazon announced it was looking for a second headquarters in North America. The company said it would involve 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment. It is unquestionably a big deal. Nevertheless, some prices are too high, and what Amazon wants in exchange for bringing its headquarters to North Carolina is far...
News
Charlotte, RTP going all in to land Amazon’s second headquarters
Charlotte and the Research Triangle Park are joining the growing number of candidates submitting proposals for Amazon’s second headquarters. The tech giant plans to invest $5 billion for construction and hire up to 50,000 new employees. Proposals are due by Oct. 19, but the company won’t announce its choice until next year. Amazon is the...
News
State military commission blocks discussion of wind farm at public meeting
The chairman of the N.C. Military Affairs Commission refused to allow a presentation at an open committee meeting Tuesday because a Carolina Journal reporter was in attendance. The presentation on a controversial wind energy project was on the agenda of the commission’s Executive Steering Group. But the commission’s chairman, Brig. Gen. Mabry “Bud” Martin, attempted to prevent...
News
New JLF Report Urges N.C. Lawmakers to Scrap So-Called Amazon Tax
RALEIGH — North Carolina's so-called "Amazon tax" fails on all counts and deserves to be repealed when state lawmakers return to work next year. That's the conclusion of a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.
News
Amazon Tax Not Clicking In North Carolina
RALEIGH — A March 2009 special report from the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan tax research organization, reported, “the nation’s first few Amazon taxes have not produced any revenue at all, and there is some evidence of lost revenue."
