Brian Gordon

“This is where I wanted to serve, right here at home. But these are not ordinary times.” - former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper accepting the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a party event in Raleigh.

When will Roy Cooper next wear a tie? No neckwear is no accident. North Carolina’s top Senate candidates kicked off their campaigns this week without neck ties. Plus, Duke stays quiet on Trump funding threat and inside Garner’s massive Amazon warehouse.

Just in: former NC Gov. Roy Cooper DID NOT wear a necktie tonight in Raleigh when accepting the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
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A dozen Waymo driverless cars are in uptown Charlotte. What could happen next The driverless electric robotaxis were seen near the Panthers practice fields. The company is expanding US autonomous ride-hailing services.

Just in: Waymo confirms it will start driving vehicles (with human drivers) around Uptown Charlotte to prepare for future autonomous service.

"Our fleet and driving area will expand gradually over time," a Waymo spokesperson said.

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Microsoft confirms plans for 1,350-acre megasite north of Triangle. What to know. The company confirmed what many expected when it purchased the Person County land more than a year ago. Microsoft says permitting process could begin in 2026.

Breaking, though not shocking:

Microsoft has confirmed it plans to build a new data center in North Carolina's Person County, on 1,350 acres the company purchased for around $27 million in October 2024.

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Legal threat from large NC convenience store operator pauses Durham rezoning plan The challenge from a prominent business leader has halted Durham’s effort to update its development code, officials say.

With a legal challenge this month, the operator of Family Fare halted Durham’s rezoning effort:

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How a change buried in NC Helene relief bill makes it harder to block data centers One provision at the very end of a 131-page bill has upended zoning for local leaders dealing with many kinds of property uses across NC.

The final provision tucked into a 131-page disaster relief bill has North Carolina local governments feeling stuck on how to zone their communities.

Get to know down-zoning and why it matters to statewide data center debates:

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What Wolfspeed needs to wake up its very quiet Chatham County factory Four months removed from bankruptcy, the North Carolina chipmaker has new plans and a massive dormant factory.

Four months removed from bankruptcy, the North Carolina chipmaker has new plans and a massive dormant factory.

Panthers, smanthers: The Triangle is home for Western NY food and football Garbage Plates in the Tar Heel State. A group of non-native NC residents from the north have made their new state look (and taste) familiar.

Since 2021, more than 16,000 NY residents have moved to the Triangle's three main counties, adding to the local presence of people from the land of lake effect snow, Garbage Plates, wings, and the Buffalo Bills:

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MrBeast filmed most of new Beast Games in NC after state updated incentive rules New public records explain not only when and where Beast Games Season 2 was shot, but how North Carolina adjusted its guidelines to bring it to MrBeast’s home state.

New records: Nearly all of MrBeast's upcoming Beast Games Season 2 shot in Eastern NC, where MrBeast/Jimmy Donaldson grew up and remains based.

To award a Beast production crew $15 million in incentives, NC first had to update its grant rules:
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Meta ends lease of Durham office where it once planned to employ 100 engineers One of the world’s 10 most valuable companies has exited an office at American Tobacco Campus.

News scoop in downtown Durham: Meta did not renew its office lease this summer at American Tobacco Campus. The tech company previously committed to hire 100 engineers at this site.
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RTP scientists fired by EPA for signing a petition challenge terminations “Beyond the legal reasons, I still maintain a deep commitment to the mission of the EPA,” one dismissed EPA employee told The News & Observer.

RTP scientists fired for signing a petition criticizing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin challenge terminations. They've appealed to the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, saying their free speech rights were violated. (Via @skyoutbriout.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/politic... #ncpol

Within a few hours, North Carolina raised its automaker bona fides at two sites Between established Toyota and revived Scout Motors, the Tar Heel State celebrated major car developments this week.

Wednesday was a big auto day for North Carolina, with two events from two very different car companies.

Toyota marked the opening of its promised $13.9 billion battery plant. Later in Charlotte, revived Scout Motors announced it would open a 1,200-worker HQ:
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Within a few hours, North Carolina raised its automaker bona fides at two sites Between established Toyota and revived Scout Motors, the Tar Heel State celebrated major car developments this week.

Between established Toyota and revived Scout Motors, the Tar Heel State celebrated major car developments this week.

Toyota marks production launch at NC battery factory, surpasses 2,500 workers Toyota celebrates North Carolina battery factory production in Randolph County town of Liberty, where Japanese carmaker manufacturers for hybrids and electric

Toyota began producing hybrid car batteries months ago at its new Liberty, NC plant, but on Wednesday, the company invited workers and government officials to celebrate the launch of its promised 5,000-worker-plus Piedmont facility.
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Heavy weights: North Carolina is at the heart of a great American obesity drug race Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s competition in weight-loss drugs has affected thousands of jobs between Charlotte and Raleigh. Who is winning?

North Carolina is central to a great U.S. obesity drug race.

Competition between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk has affected 1000s of jobs between Charlotte and Raleigh. I visited the companies’ Triangle sites to learn how their drugs are made — and who's winning.

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The dynamics between IBM and the Raleigh open source software provider Red Hat has been closely watched since the former bought the latter for $34 billion in 2019.

IBM moves Red Hat back-office workers into parent company. Why some are watching. Most finance, HR, legal, accounting and some IT support staff at the Raleigh software provider Red Hat will be shifted into IBM early next year.

IBM confirms it will move most Red Hat back-office staff (finance, legal, HR, accounting, and some supporting IT) into the parent company early next year.
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Amazon union organizers start another NC campaign — this time in Durham The new drive to unionize Triangle warehouse workers begins eight months after labor advocates lost an election near Raleigh.

A new drive to unionize four Amazon facilities in Durham begins after labor advocates lost an election earlier this year near Raleigh.

“We didn’t lose, we learned,” one union leader said.

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U.S. government to take $50 million stake in Triangle rare earth magnets startup Vulcan Elements enters $1.4 billion partnership to pay for its first major commercial facility and challenge Chinese industry dominance.

Vulcan Elements enters $1.4 billion partnership to pay for its first major commercial facility and challenge Chinese industry dominance.

One of my favorite stories. Happy Halloween! 📚👻

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Amazon breaks ground on $10 billion data center between Raleigh and Charlotte While some North Carolina communities battle data centers, Amazon is launching a 20-building project in Richmond County.

While Amazon commits to create 500+ jobs at a future data center in Richmond County, the company's incentive agreement with the local government allows Amazon to only hire 50 full-time workers there to receive its property tax breaks:
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How fast has Nvidia reached an unprecedented $5 trillion valuation? These are all stories I’ve written in the past 2.5 years:

“Everybody’s here.”

Original Queer Eye cast member/TV personality Carson Kressley gave me an interview yesterday at High Point, NC’s famed biannual furniture market.

AI is disappearing entry-level office jobs as NC blue-collar training gets boost Many foresee a dire future for entry-level white-collar work.

Many foresee a dire future for entry-level white-collar work.

Duke professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Some see issue. JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical selection process.

Jeremy Berg, former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, said he was “shocked” by Walsh’s hiring. “I’ve been tracking all the vacancies among institute directors and NIEHS was not among them."
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Duke professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Some see issue. JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical selection process.

“I think the process is concerning,” former NIEHS director Linda Birnbaum says. “I think Kyle Walsh appears to do good epidemiology related to brain cancer, aging and brain cancer. I don’t see anything in his resume that indicates any environmental interest.”

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Duke professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Some see issue. JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical selection process.

“I think the process is concerning,” former NIEHS director Linda Birnbaum said. “I think Kyle Walsh appears to do good epidemiology related to brain cancer, aging and brain cancer. I don’t see anything in his resume that indicates any environmental interest.”
www.newsobserver.com/news/busines...

Duke professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Some see issue. JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical selection process.

JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical hiring process.

www.newsobserver.com/news/busines...

Duke professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Some see issue. JD Vance officiated at his wedding. Now, Kyle Walsh is the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after atypical selection process.

Duke University professor, JD Vance friend named director of NIH’s RTP office. Staff and former directors say Kyle Walsh's appointment as NIEHS director bypassed standard nationwide search process.(Via @skyoutbriout.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/busines... #ncpol

If this Wake County farm isn’t right for new data center, developer asks where is? Residents have raised environmental, energy and noise concerns over the New Hill Digital Campus.

In an N&O interview, the developer behind the New Hill Digital Campus near Apex defended his data center project against residents' noise, energy, environmental concerns.

The fight unfolding in Wake County is one more common as U.S. data center demand surges.
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