July 30, 2009 - RALEIGH - Qualified unemployed North Carolina workers will see an increase in the maximum weekly benefit amount paid by the state’s Employment Security Commission beginning next week. Each year, the ESC looks at wages paid throughout North Carolina, and, using the average weekly wage amount, a new maximum benefit is determined and put into place by August 1st. Most years, as wages grow in the state, the maximum benefit rises as well. For 2009-2010, it will increase, from $494 per week, to $505 per week. Not everyone who files for unemployment insurance benefits qualifies for the maximum weekly amount. That is determined by a worker’s base period, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters the person worked, prior to the quarter in which a claim for benefits is filed. Go to www.ncesc.com for more information.

July 29, 2009 - RALEIGH - Motorists can expect to see an increase in work zones on interstates across North Carolina this summer and fall. Thanks to funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles, or GARVEE bonds, the N.C. Department of Transportation has been able to move forward with 36 interstate improvement projects that are either under construction now or will be over the next few months. NCDOT has received $838 million from ARRA. Of these funds, $735 million is designated for highway and bridge projects, with $103 million for transit projects. GARVEE bonds are a financing tool that allow the department to borrow against future federal funding, which helps avoid increased costs due to delays and inflation.

July 29, 2009 - RALEIGH - The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction today announced the 2009-10 United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) policy on free and reduced-price meals for children enrolled in the state’s public schools. The USDA’s National School Lunch Program helps ensure all students have access to a nutritious diet by offering students an affordable, high quality, nutritious breakfast, lunch and after school snack.

“Research indicates that eating habits affect students’ academic performance and health,” State Superintendent June Atkinson said. “Children who are hungry have trouble concentrating and do not perform as well in the classroom as students who are well-nourished.”

The federal income eligibility guidelines for July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 are as follows:

The household size and income criteria identified above will be used to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price meal benefits. Children from households whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Children who are members of households that are eligible to receive Food Stamp or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are automatically eligible for free meals. Food Stamp/TANF families will be certified by the determining official by Direct Certification. Foster children who are the legal responsibility of a welfare agency or court also may be eligible for benefits regardless of the income of the family with whom they reside. Eligibility for the foster child is based on the child’s income.

Application forms are being made available to all households. Applications also are available in the principal’s office of every school. To apply for free or reduced-price meals, house¬holds must complete the application and return it to the school or to the Child Nutrition Office within the school district. The information households provide on the applica¬tion will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and verification of data. Applications may be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program officials.

Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price policy, the Child Nutrition Director in each school district will review applications and determine eligibility. Parents or guardians dissatisfied with the ruling may discuss the decision with the determining official on an informal basis. Parents wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to the school district.

If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make children eligible for additional benefits.

A list of some of the most commonly asked questions and answers is available on the NCDPI Child Nutrition Services Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/childnutrition. For more information, please contact the child nutrition services director in the school district in which your child is enrolled or contact the NCDPI Communications division at 919.807.3450.

July 29, 2009 - RALEIGH - Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Lanier Cansler met last Wednesday with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to notify the federal agency of accounting and billing errors that have resulted in the department overdrawing approximately $300 million in federal Medicaid funds. At the meeting, the Secretary and CMS agreed upon a repayment plan that will enable DHHS to repay the funds. The Department will return approximately $200 million of the overdrawn funds by July 31, and has received approval from CMS to repay the balance over the course of the fiscal year. DHHS received more than $7.5 billion this past year from CMS to assist in the funding of the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid funds began to be overdrawn in early November 2008, when accounting changes were made to a database to reflect the federal Medicaid matching rate changes for North Carolina. Public hospital payments were incorrectly charged to a federal account instead of a state account, which resulted in federal  funds being overdrawn. The error was reported to the Secretary on July 15. Secretary Cansler said steps are being taken to strengthen internal controls that should have detected the error earlier. The error did not and will not affect assistance to Medicaid recipients.

Jordan Kyle Tyree

Investigator Dwayne Bevell of the Goldsboro Police Department Criminal Investigative Division has charged Jordan Kyle Tyree with 2nd Degree Burglary, Felony Larceny, and Felony Possession of Stolen Goods. These charges were in connection to a July 11th incident in which a home at 608 South Herman Street was broken into and a computer stolen. Tyree was given a $10,000 bond.

July 27, 2009 - WASHINGTON, DC - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported in 2008 hit their lowest level since 1961 and that fatalities in the first three months of 2009 continue to decrease. The fatality rate, which accounts for variables like fewer miles traveled, also reached the lowest level ever recorded. However, motorcycle fatalities have continued to increase, especially in situations without helmets. You can read the 2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment from this link

www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811172.pdf .

July 27, 2009 - RALEIGH - The State Bureau of Investigation now gives law enforcers instant access through the Division of Criminal Information network to critical new information previously unavailable to officers on the street, such as a driver’s license photo to check identity, and whether someone is on probation or has served prison time. Last year, Attorney General Roy Cooper called on the Department of Correction to give law enforcement access to its records to help track offenders across North Carolina and the nation. The SBI accomplished the task by working with the DOC, the Division of Motor Vehicles, and national authorities. North Carolina is the first state to pilot the use of this new information sharing infrastructure to provide driver’s license photos and corrections information. The pilot was done in conjunction with NLETS, an organization linking local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for information exchange, and the National Institute of Justice. North Carolina will serve as a model for other states to share real-time criminal justice information.

July 27, 2009 - RALEIGH - Friday, Gov. Perdue signed Executive Order 20, restricting state spending to ensure a balanced budget while legislators work to finalize a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The executive order directs the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) to prioritize spending on mandatory obligations and to restrict state agency spending on travel and purchase orders for goods and services. It also restricts agency spending to fill vacant positions. To protect the state’s core responsibilities in education and public safety, the order allows OSBM to make exceptions for direct expenses for classroom instruction and emergency situations related to law enforcement, health care and public safety. The order rescinds the governor’s previous executive order to restrict spending for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

July 27, 2009 - RALEIGH - Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin wants North Carolinians to be aware of a class-action settlement that some 304,995 consumers across the state may qualify for; eligible consumers must submit their claim form by Aug. 26 to receive a portion of the settlement. Potentially eligible consumers should have received notice of the class-action lawsuit by mail. The settlement is between Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies and homeowner policyholders who say they were not paid enough for claims submitted from 1996 to March 20, 2009. The lawsuit alleges Nationwide underpaid policyholders by not including general contractors’ overhead and profit when paying certain claims involving damage to a building or other structures. Nationwide maintains that it properly resolved and settled homeowner’s claims but agreed to settle the suit to avoid the cost and distractions of prolonged litigation.