Facts That Matter Blog
Facts That Matter Blog
Public Safety in North Carolina
Law enforcement in North Carolina faces rising challenges, from mental health response to opioid deaths, but agencies are innovating with alternative responder programs and data-driven solutions to build safer, more equitable communities.
+ Continue Reading Article25 Years Later: Five Recovery Insights Gained After Hurricane Floyd
Disaster recovery extends far beyond rebuilding physical structures. It’s a complex process that prioritizes people, strengthens community bonds, and addresses the intricacies of rebuilding lives.
+ Continue Reading ArticleManaging Disruption: A New Resource from GPS NC
What can decision-makers in the state do to better prepare their communities to manage forces of disruption in a way that mitigates negative impacts and maximizes opportunities? To help communities each develop a customized pathway forward, the UNC School of Government has developed a new program called Growing Practical Solutions for North Carolina (GPS NC). Funded by the Civic Credit Union and coordinated by the ncIMPACT Initiative, this program is designed to foster a culture of innovation that increases the capacity of local communities to respond to disruptive change.
+ Continue Reading Article10 Things About North Carolina
I started my position as Lead Data and Policy Analyst on July 1, 2024. Since then, every day I have learned something new about my home state of North Carolina and the impact of our work at ncIMPACT. Here are my top ten takeaways from my first month on the job.
+ Continue Reading ArticleWater in North Carolina
Our relationship with water varies with our circumstances. Communities often want more clean drinking water to catalyze economic development and serve new residents and businesses. At the same time, they want less polluted runoff and flooding from the growing number of rooftops and extreme weather events. As a warming climate generates more violent storms, flooding is damaging more lives and property. In many communities, the 100-year storm is becoming a regular occurrence.
+ Continue Reading ArticleFood Security in North Carolina
About 10.9% of North Carolina’s population, including 17% of children, experienced food insecurity in 2021 (Feeding America 2022). All North Carolina counties are affected by food insecurity, with rates generally higher in rural than urban or suburban areas.
+ Continue Reading ArticleEnergy in North Carolina
While North Carolina’s renewable energy leaders tend to be larger cities and communities in the Research Triangle region, there are many examples of rural areas and smaller cities benefiting from solar and other forms of clean energy investment.
+ Continue Reading ArticleClimate in North Carolina
Washouts of NC 12 on the Outer Banks. Wildfires in Western North Carolina. Rising urban heat in the Piedmont. Sound familiar? North Carolina has seen all these events in recent years. What do they have in common? They are all intensified by a changing climate.
+ Continue Reading ArticleWorkplace/Workforce Disruption in North Carolina
Automation (substituting human labor with machines) is a long-term trend expected to primarily impact lower-paid, semi-skilled occupations like office administration, production, transportation, and food preparation (Muro et al., 2019). Powered by large language models such as ChatGPT, recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) have greatly expanded the range of tasks that can be automated. Potentially vulnerable occupations include language and literature teachers, writers, legal services, finance, insurance, and accounting (Felten et al., 2023).
+ Continue Reading ArticleEconomic Restructuring in North Carolina
The predominant trend in the U.S. economy since the 1950s has been restructuring from a manufacturing to a service-sector base. Impacts include declining traditional blue-collar employment and increasing inequality between higher-paying jobs in the professional and technical sectors and low-wage, low-skilled jobs in the service sector. More recently, the rapid spread of digital technology and the Internet is spurring a new wave of economic restructuring. Key interconnected trends include e-commerce, the gig economy, and the subscription economy.
+ Continue Reading ArticleSearch ncIMPACT content by county
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