RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — New North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein gave his first address to a joint General Assembly session Wednesday night, hitting on familiar campaign and early-term themes of helping Hurricane Helene victims, making living expenses affordable and focusing on bipartisan accomplishments.

Stein delivered the biennial State of the State message with a call to legislators in the ninth-largest state to work with him and avoid partisan animosity that he says is now in Washington.

“We do not need to be pulled into those political games,” Stein said from the House floor near the close of his 42-minute speech, which was televised statewide. “We can create something better, something forward-looking right here in North Carolina, and we can do it together.”

Stein, the attorney general for the past eight years, was elected governor in November by defeating then-Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — continuing a trend of Democratic dominance at the Executive Mansion. Republicans have controlled the General Assembly since 2011, but now they are one seat shy of holding a veto-proof majority.

Stein’s speech emphasized finding areas where he and Republicans can agree.

Hurricane Helene relief

Stein kept Helene recovery a top priority, as it has been since before he was sworn in on Jan. 1. He has made several visits to the mountains, where last fall’s historic flooding led to over 100 deaths and close to $60 billion in damages and recovery needs. Stein highlighted repairs so far but also outstanding needs.

The governor asked lawmakers to send him quickly a bill for additional Helene relief that he says he will be ready to sign — even though competing measures written by House and Senate Republicans would provide roughly half of the nearly $1.1 billion that he requested last month.

House Speaker Destin Hall said this week there are differences to negotiate with the Senate over aid for agricultural losses and whether the package should include funds for delayed housing reconstruction in eastern North Carolina from past hurricanes. The final package also should include money to help rebuild infrastructure that helps small businesses.

Stein and legislators anticipate even more Helene spending later this year.

“People need to get back in their homes. Roads and bridges need to be fixed. Businesses need to keep their doors open and their employees hired,” Stein told lawmakers. “We need that money now. Heck, we needed it yesterday.”

Washington on Stein’s radar

The whirlwind of activity originating from President Donald Trump’s administration and Congress served as a backdrop for some of Stein’s speech.

While a frequent critic of Trump, Stein pointed out how he was working with Trump, his Cabinet and the state’s congressional delegation to locate billions in additional dollars for Helene assistance.

The governor also urged Republicans to join him in protecting Medicaid from any potential cuts by Congress, pointing out that the two parties joined together in passing a 2023 state law expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of adults.

What’s next for Stein?

Stein’s next big reveal likely will be his state government spending proposal for the two years beginning July 1.

Stein’s proposal will reflect a new forecast that warns tax cuts on the books and taking effect soon could lower overall state revenues by $825 million from the next fiscal year to the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Stein said Wednesday the state can’t locate all the funds to help residents with affordable housing and child care or middle-class tax cuts that he seeks if planned corporate tax cuts and individual tax cuts for the highest wage earners occur.

“So what is it going to be?” Stein asked. “Are we going to give money to out-of-state shareholders, or invest in North Carolina families? We cannot afford to do both.”

Republicans, who will pass their own budget legislation and present it to Stein, have downplayed the forecast shortfall, saying previous income-tax reductions have boosted the state’s economy and fiscal picture overall.

Republican response

The Republican response to Stein’s address came from Hall, who succeeded now-U.S. Rep. Tim Moore after his 10 years as speaker.

Hall said that on Helene recovery, he and Stein “recognize the long road ahead and the need for us all to rise to the moment, setting aside petty partisanship for the sake of our neighbors.”

But Hall made plain the GOP had no plans to diverge from its agenda of the past 14 years. That has included cutting taxes and regulations, supporting federal immigration laws and police and offering taxpayer-funded scholarships for K-12 students to attend private schools.

“We’ve cracked the code on how to deliver common-sense policies that fuel growth and protect our communities,” Hall said.

We’re in for pleasant weather across North Carolina for the rest of this week, but we all need to keep a close eye on the weekend outlook.

A potent storm system will develop across the central part of the country at the end of this week. As that system tracks to the east into the weekend, it will tap into Gulf moisture producing strong storms across much of the southern and eastern U.S.

While scattered storms will be possible late Saturday in parts of western North Carolina, the greatest chance for storms in the state will come Sunday and Sunday night.

As a front tracks from west to east, it will likely produce a band of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms. Some of those storms could become strong enough to produce damaging straight-line wind gusts.

Since that’s still several days away, the exact timing of the storms is a bit uncertain at this point. Be sure to stay tuned to Weather on the 1s on Spectrum News 1 as we fine tune the details of the the late weekend storm threat over the coming days.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The North Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 227, “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Education,” on Tuesday to “prohibit promoting discriminatory policies and practices in public schools.”

According to a release from Senate Leader Phil Berger’s office, SB 227 “reinforces the need for schools to focus on the core curriculum, foster a learning environment that respects and acknowledges those with differing opinions, and allow the freedom of speech and association to flourish in a K-12 setting.”

Christina Spears used to work in Equity Affairs in the state’s largest school district (Wake County Public School System) as a special education teacher. She is now the president of the Wake County Chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and says she saw firsthand the benefits of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs for some students.

“We do see an achievement gap between black and brown boys,” said Spears.

She said she wishes lawmakers would focus on other legislation surrounding education, instead of one that would ban K-12 teachers from providing instruction on DEI.

“I’m not surprised, but it’s disappointing,” said Spears.

The Senate signed off on the DEI legislation, but not before a fiery exchange.

“My focus is, who gets to decide what makes people uncomfortable?” said Democratic Sen. Val Applewhite during a debate.

The GOP-sponsored bill is meant to comply with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order so the state continues receiving more than $3 billion in federal funding.

“The bill is not a ban on teaching history or discussing past injustices,” said bill sponsor Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover.

The bill would not prevent schools from teaching history but requires instruction to be impartial.

“Our schools should not be in the business of teaching inaccurate history or creating a learning environment that doesn’t allow for free thought or expression,” Berger, a Republican from Rockingham County said. “So-called DEI initiatives were pitched as a tool to help our children better understand our history, when in reality they’re merely a facade used by Democrats to alter curriculum to fit their agenda.”

Supporters of the legislation say DEI programs demand that students judge others based on race, sex, or other immutable factors.

“Our children are the ones disadvantaged when DEI policies take precedent over academic excellence,” Lee said. “Instead of spending thousands of dollars on unnecessary DEI trainings, school districts should put those funds toward student needs.”

Raleigh resident Jessica Strauss said she felt that a DEI ban could harm young adults.

“I think that’s going to be really detrimental because I think that they’re pushing a narrative that is not true,” said Strauss.

There would also be effects outside of the classroom in professional development, such as workshops, seminars and other training programs

SB 227 prohibits schools from having a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office, division, designated employee, or any other similar unit.

“As a parent, I want all children to get the fair and equal treatment they deserve when it comes time for their education,” Sen. Brad Overcash, R-Gaston, said. “No one should be overlooked or denied simply because of characteristics outside of their control. This bill will help schools get back to the basics and support all of our students.”

The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Meanwhile, there’s another bill in the House that would raise teachers’ pay and reinstate education-based salary supplements.

“Let’s recruit and pay teachers, so we have more teachers to do the things we need to do,” said Spears.