NEWS BRIEFS
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS TO
CREATE 600 JOBS IN RALEIGH
Raleigh, N.C.
— Advance
Auto Parts will
create 600
jobs in Raleigh
by the end of
2017, officials
announced on June 25th. Positions based in
the company’s Raleigh Support Center will
include merchandising, marketing, supply
chain and commercial sales. Some of the
positions will be relocated from other areas
of the U.S. Compensation for the new positions
will vary greatly by job, but the average pay will
be about $110,000 a year, plus benefits.
BLACK NETWORK TELEVISION FILES MULTI-MILLION
DOLLAR SUIT AGAINST GREENSBORO, NC OVER LOAN
GREENSBORO, NC - Prominent trial
attorney Willie Gary announced June
The project was made possible, in part, by
an award to the company from the state Job
Development Investment Grant program. Under
the terms of the award, Advance Auto is eligible
to receive more than $17.4 million total over
the next 12 years if it proves it has created the
jobs.
In January, Advance Auto completed its
acquisition of General Parts International,
which had its corporate headquarters in
Raleigh. The acquisition created the largest
automotive aftermarket parts provider in North
America, with annual sales of more than $9.3
billion, according to the company.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance
Auto has more than 5,200 stores in the U.S.,
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada
and employs about 74,000 people. In North
Carolina, the company has more than 245
stores and employs more than 3,800 people.
NC GOV. MCCRORY SIGNS
MARIJUANA OIL BILL INTO LAW
acts crushed our client's dream," said
Gary. "Michael and Ramona Woods
discussed with various city officials
what a successful minority owned
Greensboro-based television network
would mean to the community in terms
of job creation, skills and training and
economic development. As a result, the
Woods put full trust and confidence in
the City's promise to grant the economic
development loan, only to be misled,
misguided, deceived and discriminated
against," continued Gary. "It isn't right
and we will not stand for it!"
The lawsuit outlines the claim for
damages caused by the denial of the
promised funds. The loan was slated for
network operations, including production
of a new national comedy series titled,
"Whatcha Cookin'?"
22nd that he has filed a
lawsuit against the City
of Greensboro, North
Carolina on behalf of
Black Network Television
and its owners,
Michael and Ramona
Woods (pictured).
The Woods are suing
the City of Greensboro
for discrimination
and losses related to an economic
development loan from the City that was
approved on June 18, 2013, and then
reneged on one month later by a City
Council vote
of 6 to 3.
"The City of Greensboro's discriminatory
In 2011, Michael and
Ramona launched
Black Network
Television, the first
African Americanowned television
station in the state
of North Carolina.
BNT is a regional
television network
that focuses on being
the voice of the community. It serves 28
counties including Guilford, Forsyth,
Alamance, Randolph, and Caswell. Our
viewership spans over 4.2 million viewers
that reach as far north as Martinsville,
VA, as far south as Laurinburg, as far
west as Charlotte, NC, and as far east at
Raleigh, NC.
WAKEMED, DUKE LOOK TO COLLABORATE, NOT MERGE
RALEIGH, NC - North Carolina Governor Pat
McCrory has signed a bill into law that will
make it legal to use a marijuana oil in North
Carolina for children with seizure disorders.
HB 1220 called “Hope 4 Haley and Friends”
was approved by a margin of 112-1 in the State
House and 45-0 in the State Senate on June
25. The new law will allow for medical use
of hemp oil extract taken from a marijuana
plant for the treatment of seizures disorders,
particularly those that afflict children.
Gov. McCrory said this law will help ease
sufferings but provides common sense
regulation
RALEIGH,
NC —
WakeMed
and Duke
Medicine
announced
on June
30 that the
two health
systems are
exploring
possible collaborations but have no plans to
merge. Officials said they hope to enhance
health care delivery, meet community health
needs, reduce costs and manage the use of
technology and resources more efficiently.
No decisions have been made on areas where
the two entities could work together, but they
already joined