Press Releases

Today, Governor Josh Stein visited Kate’s Korner, a Durham child care center, to announce a new Task Force for Child Care and Early Education and highlight the need to invest in North Carolina families. Co-Chaired by Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt and Senator Jim Burgin, the group is tasked with identifying solutions to expand access to affordable, high quality child care across North Carolina and support the child care workforce.

There are only four days left to timely apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for 39 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina. The deadline to timely file for DUA benefits is March 10. Approximately 19,680 survivors of Hurricane Helene have received $81,175,356 in disaster-related unemployment benefits since the storm swept across Western North Carolina in late September 2024. This surpasses the number of people who received benefits from Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Florence (2018) and Fred (2021) combined.

The March 10th deadline to timely apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for 39 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina is quickly approaching. DES will review late applications on a case-by-case basis. Applications for DUA can be filed online at des.nc.gov.

Today, the Commerce Department’s Division of Employment Security launched ‘Felix,’ a new Artificial Intelligence-powered chatbot to help anyone who files a new claim for unemployment benefits navigate the process of submitting a claim.“We designed Felix to help streamline the claim filing process, creating a more efficient and accessible system to apply for unemployment benefits,” said DES Assistant Secretary M. Antwon Keith. “This is an easy-to-use tool that will assist people any time of the day, allowing them to get answers quickly.”

Governor Josh Stein today announced that the Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved 13 grant requests to local governments totaling $9,627,500. The grants include commitments creating a total of 785 jobs, 414 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $165.9 million in public and private investment. 

Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that Barrier Fencing Supply Company, a business offering a broad selection of aluminum and vinyl fences to residential and commercial markets, will create 151 jobs in North Carolina. The company reports it will invest $15 million to establish a headquarters and manufacturing center in Columbus County.

A new report offering North Carolina-based technology coalitions a playbook of best practices for success was published today by the N.C. Board of Science, Technology, and Innovation.  The N.C. Coalitions Strategic Support and Resource Guide, drawing from the experiences of successful coalitions in the state, provides guidance for optimizing organizational structures, funding strategies, and approaches for attracting both federal and private investment to drive economic growth. N.C.

Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that Provalus, an information technology outsourcing firm, will establish a Center of Excellence in Edenton that will create 61 jobs. The Provalus project brings an investment of $6.48 million to Chowan County and will add to the company’s existing presence in North Carolina.

Today, Governor Josh Stein announced Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI), a manufacturer of IT equipment, will add 45 new jobs in Craven County. The company will invest $11 million to expand its facility in New Bern.“Our state’s ability to support manufacturing operations in all corners of the state will continue to grow our economy and ensure the benefits of that growth are more broadly shared across North Carolina,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Chatsworth Products is reinvesting in Craven County because North Carolina is a great home for business and our workforce is the best.”

Today, Governor Josh Stein invites North Carolinians to participate in the development of an Action Plan to address unmet housing and economic revitalization hurricane recovery needs in western North Carolina. The $1.4 billion proposed plan, published today by N.C.