North Carolina: Governor Cooper Highlights State’s Resilience Throughout the Pandemic, Calls on Legislative Leaders to Work Together to Ensure Shared Recovery
ncarol.com/10113219

Tonight, Governor Roy Cooper delivered his third State of the State address. The speech highlighted North Carolinians' resilience throughout the pandemic and reinforced the need for legislators to work together to help the state rebuild from the pandemic even stronger by expanding Medicaid, raising teacher pay, investing in workforce training and solidifying the state's infrastructure.

"I believe that North Carolina is Strong, Resilient and Ready to face the challenges of the future," said Governor Cooper. "I believe that we will rebuild from this pandemic to be even stronger than before. And I believe that we can roar into the future together, creating a shared recovery that ensures our best days lie ahead."

North Carolina is one of few states that has not expanded Medicaid. Now, with even more federal dollars available, the governor urged both parties to work together and get this done. Medicaid expansion would provide billions of federal dollars to cover over 500,000 North Carolinians, help rural hospitals, provide mental health services and keep working people healthy.

Governor Cooper also pushed for more workforce training to ensure students and adult workers can find fulfilling, good-paying jobs, as more companies from all over continue to bring new jobs to the state.

More on ncarol.com

• Autonomous Robotics Platform Expansion as Public Market Debut is Very Close: MBody AI Corp. (N A S D A Q: MBAI)
• New Book gives Consumer Goods Leaders a Governance Playbook for Generative and Agentic AI
• Loud! OOH calls for prize draw advertising standards as £1.3bn category moves outdoors
• Black Ribbon Productions Launches With Fearless 2026 Horror Slate
• Actor Dominic Pace Returns to Television and Film

The Governor called on legislators to invest in K-12 and higher education, teacher pay, infrastructure, high-speed internet, clean energy economic development for a stronger and more prosperous future.

"In a year of hardship and loss, we owe it to ourselves and each other – and, as leaders, we owe it to the people who elected us – to build a state that is truly more educated, equitable, healthier and prosperous," said Governor Cooper.

Throughout the speech, Gov. Cooper recognized North Carolinians who have supported their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

• Felecia Young, Salisbury; Sixth Grade Math Teacher at Knox Middle School
• Dr. Karen Smith, Raeford; Provider at Independent Family Practice
• Cecil Conrad, Lexington; Owner of The Bar-B-Q Center
• Cassandra Brooks, Clayton; Owner of The Little Believers Academy
• Natesha Fields, New Bern; Nurse at CarolinaEast Medical Center
• Chris Morris, High Point; President, Custom Contract Furnishings
• Lexine Merrill, Monroe; Critical Care Nurse
• Lieutenant Colonel David Walliser, Raleigh; Lieutenant Colonel, North Carolina National Guard
• Anderson "Andy" Warlick, Gastonia; CEO, Parkdale Mills

Read Gov. Cooper's full remarks here.

More on ncarol.com

• Opteamix welcomes Girish Ramachandra to its leadership team as Senior Vice President of Client Services
• Silicon Box Ships 500M Units at High Yield, Expands Production Capacity for Panel-Level Packaging
• Why Baton Rouge's Humid Climate Can Contribute to Carpenter Ant Damage — J&J Exterminating Explains How to Protect Your Home
• RPR Promotes Emily Line to Chief Strategy Officer and Janine Sieja to Chief Product Officer
• Expanding Beyond Space as New Drone Market Opportunities Accelerate Growth: Ascent Solar Technologies (N A S D A Q: ASTI)

Learn more about the guests and watch Gov. Cooper's Zoom conversations with them here.

Read the guests' full biographies here.

---

Show All News | Disclaimer | Report Violation