Thanks to the hard work and prudent fiscal decision making of both elected officials and administration, Haywood County’s been rewarded with a slightly higher bond rating by 160-year-old financial services agency and credit bellwether Standard & Poor’s. 

Southwestern Community College is asking Macon County commissioners to pitch in 40 percent of the cost to construct a new training facility for first responders — much more than the 25 percent match the county was anticipating.

A majority of North Carolina voters approved a significant investment in the state’s future economy during the primary election by voting in favor of the Connect NC bond referendum.

With $120 million at stake, higher education leaders in Western North Carolina have taken every opportunity in the last month to educate people about the Connect N.C. Bond proposal.

What’s the best way to spend $55 million? As far as the leadership at Southwestern Community College is concerned, the answer is simple — build, build, build until the lengthy checklist returned from its recently completed master plan is all done.

Though community college leaders aren’t allowed to take an official position on whether they support the $2 billion Connect NC Bond initiative, the proposal could mean $350 million for community colleges across the state.

Despite the large number of politicians that will be on the ballot March 15, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee probably has the most to gain and the most to lose during the primary election.

On March 15, North Carolina voters will be asked whether they support borrowing $2 billion to fund a backlog of infrastructure projects throughout the state.

SEE ALSO:
• Bond could give higher education an influx of funds
• Community colleges also stand to benefit from bond passage 

The $2 billion Connect NC Bond proposal includes funds for earmarked projects in 72 out of 100 counties for universities, community colleges, state parks, National Guard facilities, agricultural research, water and sewer upgrades and more.

Of all the constructions on Western Carolina University’s campus, the distinctly non-glamorous Natural Sciences Building might have seemed like an odd place to host a visit from Gov. Pat McCrory. In the classroom where McCrory sat with a panel of university representatives and state administrators, a tile hung loosely from the ceiling and the hum of the HVAC system reverberated through the concrete walls, which weren’t quite expansive enough to comfortably contain the assembly of officials and media representatives gathered there.