⬇️ Josh’s Journal ⬇️
February 18, 2025

I-40 reopening two lanes by March 1!

Earlier this month, Josh was proud to announce that two lanes on I-40 — a critical connector between western NC and Tennessee — that experienced significant damage in Hurricane Helene will reopen two lanes by next month.

This is a key step to helping WNC rebuild and is only possible now thanks to massive state and federal investment into hurricane recovery.

Josh on I-40

Celebrating decades of North Carolina leadership!

Josh enjoyed lunch with Governors Martin, Easley, Perdue, McCrory, and Cooper. Their decades of experience are an asset to Josh as he begins his tenure leading our state.

Josh and five of NC’s former governors

Promoting Apprenticeship Opportunities

Josh visited the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at the Scott Northern Wake Campus

Governor Stein is committed to growing North Carolina’s economy by investing in workforce development and job training. This includes strengthening apprenticeships and investing in community college career and technical education programs in high-demand industries that give North Carolinians the opportunity to succeed. It’s a win-win-win. The student gets a good job; the company gets a good employee; and the economy gets stronger.

Support our 2025 Governor’s Page Program!

The 2025 Governor’s Page Program is now underway, and we are seeking your help to ensure that all interested students have the opportunity to participate. Please consider hosting a page in your home to support this initiative. Our goal is for the Page Program to represent North Carolina’s diverse communities and inspire the next generation of leaders and reflect North Carolina’s full diversity. You can play a crucial role by providing food and lodging for a page for four nights (Monday-Friday).

Pages are high school students from across the state who spend 4 ½ days in Raleigh learning about and participating in state government. Some of these students travel as far as six hours to get to Raleigh, and an affordable place to stay could make the difference in whether they can participate in the program.

The process is simple, and we will do everything we can to make it as convenient as possible. After you apply using this link, we will conduct a background check on any resident of your household. Once that is complete, the final step in the application process is a site visit. Two members of the Governor’s Office will visit your residence at a mutually agreeable time to ensure compliance with safety standards. If you think this opportunity is a good fit for you, please apply today!

Helping small businesses recover from Hurricane Helene: Applications for the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative II grant are open! Deadline: FEB. 21

We’re excited to announce a new small business grant program to support businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene and bolster economic recovery in western North Carolina. Small businesses with an annual revenue of up to and including $2.5 million are eligible to apply for grants up to $50,000 from the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative grant program. If you lead an eligible small business, click here to apply by Friday’s deadline.