VIAGRA USE
RAISES EYEBROWS: The state employees health plan
paid for nearly $500,000 on Viagra prescriptions
in the first three months of this year, putting
the state on track to spend $2 million this year,
nearly triple 1999's total, said Jack Walker, the
plan's executive director. State officials say
that rising costs for Viagra and other drugs are
partly to blame for a projected $50 million
shortfall the plan faces next year. According to
a story in the Raleigh paper, some plan
participants are buying hundreds of the pills a
year, leading officials to wonder about a
potential black market. Officials asked Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of N.C. and Pfizer, the
manufacturer, to investigate. Under the health
plan, state workers pay $15 for as much as a
month's supply of Viagra. State rules define a
month's supply as 34 pills. That means for $15, a
state worker could get $340 worth of Viagra,
based on a cost of $10 per pill. Selling those
pills at $5 each would provide a profit of $155.
DEBATE
CANCELED: The
first scheduled gubernatorial debate between
Democrat Mike Easley and Republican Richard
Vinroot has been called off. The N.C. chapter of
the National Federation of Independent Business
canceled the event after Easley said he has a
scheduling conflict on May 31, when the debate
was planned.
LINNEY
GETS A NEW TRIAL:
The state Court of Appeals overturned the
embezzlement and perjury convictions of former
state Rep. Larry Linney of Asheville, ruling that
two Buncombe court clerks gave improper
testimony. Linney, a disbarred lawyer, was
sentenced to three years in prison in September
1997 after being convicted of embezzling $11,281
from the estate of a client. He spent less than
24 hours in prison before being released on bond
pending appeal.
ELECTRIC DEREG PANEL
ISSUES REPORT:
As expected, the Commission on the Future of
Electric Service in N.C. formally approved
sending a report to the General Assembly calling
for full retail competition in electric service
to begin in 2006. But the report does not propose
any new laws detailing how deregulation would
work. Nor does it address the issue of $5.5
billion in debt owed by the 51 Electricities.
Knowing it has more work to do to find solutions,
the commission is only seeking legislation
allowing it to continue working and to fund its
operations.
ESC HELPING
TEENAGERS FIND SUMMER JOBS: The
Employment Security Commission of North Carolina
(ESC) will be helping young people fill thousands
of job openings as the 2000 Summer Youth
Employment program kicks off in ESC local offices
statewide. Last summer, ESC helped 9,857 youths
between the ages of 14 and 21. Of this number
2,793 resulted in job placements. "With
unemployment staying low for so long, the labor
markets have tightened, making it difficult for
some employers to fill positions," said
Parker Chesson, ESC Chairman. "We encourage
those employers to consider hiring some of these
young workers for appropriate positions."
ESC’s Summer Youth Employment Program seeks
to place youth, without regard to income, into
private or public sector jobs. The agency also
administers the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
Summer Youth Program, which seeks to place youth
who are eligible for WIA services in private or
public sector jobs. In addition to these
programs, ESC can provide employers with
information on the Work
Opportunity/Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit program,
which allows a federal income tax credit for
private-for-profit employers who hire youth 16
and 17 years of age who live within an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community. ESC
also offers information for youths interested in
working in agriculture-related jobs or positions
with the federal government. Students or other
youth seeking work, and employers who have job
openings these workers qualify for are encouraged
to contact their nearest Employment Security
Commission office for more details about the
Summer Youth Employment program. Additional
information can be accessed on the ESC
website at www.esc.state.nc.us ,
or by calling ESC’s toll free employer
hotline at 1-877-ESC-6565.EMC SCHEDULES WATER HEARINGS: The Environmental
Management Commission has scheduled public
hearings this summer on a plan to restrict
industrial and municipal water use in North
Carolina's central coastal plain to protect
groundwater supplies. The plan is intended to
reverse declines of 1 to 8 feet a year in the
Black Creek and Upper Cape Fear aquifers, which
supply water to more than 250,000 people. Under
the proposal, anyone using more than 100,000
gallons of groundwater daily in a 15-county area
from Onslow and Duplin counties north to
Edgecombe and Washington counties would have to
obtain a state permit. Users of more than 10,000
gallons, whether from groundwater or surface
waters, would have to register with the state and
provide a yearly summary of water consumption,
but would not be required to get a permit.
DOT
ISSUES TRAFFIC WARNING: The state Department of
Transportation warned racing fans traveling to
Charlotte this weekend of construction work and
lane closings on I-77 in Surry County; I-40 in
Burke County; I-85 in Rowan County; and I-95 in
Harnett County. Maps and information on other
construction projects can be found at http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/impact/Safedrive/ .
CONSTRUCTION
ACTIVITY INCREASES: Construction across North
Carolina jumped 3 percent during the first three
quarters of 1999 compared to the same time period
of 1998, according to statistics issued by the NC
Department of Labor. The state recorded an
estimated total of $10.6 billion in residential
and non-residential construction during three
quarters of 1999 compared to $10.31 billion in
activity for January through September of 1998.
During the first nine months of 1999, Wake County
recorded $1.7 billion in estimated construction
activity, with about 13,948 units, while
Mecklenburg County posted $1.4 billion in
activity for approximately 14,562 units. Total NC
commercial construction reached $3.6 billion --
with some 25,476 units -- during the first three
quarters while residential building activity
climbed to $7 billion involving 80,005 units.
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