By Tom Campbell
As a proud born and bred North Carolinian I thought I knew a lot about my native state. That notion was disabused after our stateâs unofficial âGoodwill Ambassador,â Phil Kirk, gave a talk on North Carolinaâs wine industry. Who knew there were more than 200 wineries and 2,300 grape bearing acres producing more than 1.1 million cases of wine each year? North Carolina is sparkling as a major player in wine production, generating some $1.97 billion per year in economic impact and 10,000 jobs.
We have a vintage heritage, boasting the first cultivated grape grown in the U.S. Motherâs Vineyard in Manteo boasts the scuppernong grapevine dating to 1524. The first commercial winery started in 1835, the Medoc Vineyard in Halifax County and we were the leading wine producing state in the nation early in the 20th century. Prohibition wiped out the industry; our state was slow in repealing the ban, so we didnât rebound fast, but by 1972
All across North Carolina “Face Masks Required” postings on businesses are being replaced by “Help Wanted” signs. But a recent jobs report indicates there were more than 8.1 million unfilled
Our legislators were correct in forcing the issue to reopen our schools. Their legislation was an acknowledgement of what most have realized, namely that children staring at screens for long
After a post-closing transition period, the public authority will own and operate a
wide network of assets, including the mainland and island marina, 36 acres of mainland vehicle parking, a 2003 and 2006 catamaran, two aluminum monohulls built in 1987, a 2017 tug boat, deck barge, and all of its 12-seat trams.
‘The Alamo’
It’s not every day the legislature creates a brand new government agency. “I think that’s maybe what attracted me to take this appointment,” BHITA Chair, Susan Rabon, said Thursday. Appointed by Governor Roy Cooper, Rabon has chaired the authority since it was first created by
“The whole idea, the day this closes it’ll be status quo as far as somebody getting on that ferry,” Rabon said. “They won’t notice a difference.”