Small and medium-sized businesses are finally getting some much-needed help from the Federal Reserve.The Fed’s highly anticipated Main Street Lending Program is launching more than two months after it was announced at the beginning of April. While the central bank won’t lend to businesses themselves, it will encourage banks to lend to struggling companies by taking the majority of the potentially risky loans off their balance sheets.The facility has long been talked about, but banks weren’t able to register as lenders of the program’s loans until Monday.The new loan program supports small...…Small and medium-sized businesses are finally getting some much-needed help from the Federal Reserve.The Fed’s highly anticipated Main Street Lending Program is launching more than two months after it was announced at the beginning of April. While the central bank won’t lend to businesses themselves, it will encourage banks to lend to struggling companies by taking the majority of the potentially risky loans off their balance sheets.The facility has long been talked about, but banks weren’t able to register as lenders of the program’s loans until Monday.The new loan program supports small...WW…

DURHAM – A 1 million-square-foot campus, including a massive “gigafactory” to manufacture vaccine and therapeutic prefilled plastic injectors in the event of a national emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic, will be built in Durham County at a cost of nearly $800 million, the company behind the project disclosed Thursday.The 185-acre campus will be off Davis Drive, and more than 650 jobs will follow the plant’s scheduled opening in 2022, with salaries ranging from $60,000 to $100,000.ApiJect Systems, a medical technology firm focused on the pharmaceutical industry that is based in...…DURHAM – A 1 million-square-foot campus, including a massive “gigafactory” to manufacture vaccine and therapeutic prefilled plastic injectors in the event of a national emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic, will be built in Durham County at a cost of nearly $800 million, the company behind the project disclosed Thursday.The 185-acre campus will be off Davis Drive, and more than 650 jobs will follow the plant’s scheduled opening in 2022, with salaries ranging from $60,000 to $100,000.ApiJect Systems, a medical technology firm focused on the pharmaceutical industry that is based in...WW…

climate changedoomsdayexclusiveMarshall BrainEditor’s note: Marshall Brain – futurist, inventor, NCSU professor, writer and creator of “How Stuff Works” –  is a contributor to WRAL TechWire.  He’s also author of “The Doomsday Book: The Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Threats.” Brain has written several posts recently about the threat of climate change. His exclusive columns written for TechWire are published on Fridays. Note to readers: WRAL TechWire would like to hear from you about views expressed by our contributors. Please send email to:...…climate changedoomsdayexclusiveMarshall BrainEditor’s note: Marshall Brain – futurist, inventor, NCSU professor, writer and creator of “How Stuff Works” –  is a contributor to WRAL TechWire.  He’s also author of “The Doomsday Book: The Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Threats.” Brain has written several posts recently about the threat of climate change. His exclusive columns written for TechWire are published on Fridays. Note to readers: WRAL TechWire would like to hear from you about views expressed by our contributors. Please send email to:...WW…

10 federalself-storageRALEIGH — Local company 10 Federal has announced additional fundraising for the third quarter of 2023, bringing them to a total of $80 million raised this year. The company had shared its intent to raise $100 million this calendar year.10 Federal bills itself as a commercial real estate firm with integration in the self-storage, multi-family construction, technology, and finance sectors. The most recent raise will contribute to the growth strategy and expansion goals for the self-storage sector, according to the company’s press release.The company is also touting...…10 federalself-storageRALEIGH — Local company 10 Federal has announced additional fundraising for the third quarter of 2023, bringing them to a total of $80 million raised this year. The company had shared its intent to raise $100 million this calendar year.10 Federal bills itself as a commercial real estate firm with integration in the self-storage, multi-family construction, technology, and finance sectors. The most recent raise will contribute to the growth strategy and expansion goals for the self-storage sector, according to the company’s press release.The company is also touting...WW…

electric vehicleNC jobstoyotaLIBERTY, NC — Toyota has begun hiring at its new automotive battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County. Staff is undergoing initial onboarding and new positions – more than 100 – are available at the location according to the Toyota Jobs site.The selection of the Greensboro-Randolph “Megasite”, which is being called Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina (TBMNC), was announced in December of 2021. The initial announcement included a $1.29 billion investment and 1,750 expected jobs.In late August 2022, the company more than doubled that investment,...…electric vehicleNC jobstoyotaLIBERTY, NC — Toyota has begun hiring at its new automotive battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County. Staff is undergoing initial onboarding and new positions – more than 100 – are available at the location according to the Toyota Jobs site.The selection of the Greensboro-Randolph “Megasite”, which is being called Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina (TBMNC), was announced in December of 2021. The initial announcement included a $1.29 billion investment and 1,750 expected jobs.In late August 2022, the company more than doubled that investment,...WW…

Dr. Mike WaldeneconomyInflationRALEIGH — The September national job report was a shocker. Most analysts had been expecting a net increase in jobs for September to be in the 150,000 to 200,000 range.Instead, the net increase in payroll jobs was an astonishing 336,000.Leading the gain were jobs in leisure/hospitality, health care, and government. Mike Walden (NCSU photo)A look behind the headline numbers gives some reasons for the big gain.First, as we have seen in recent months, the labor force again expanded, this time by 90,000 people. This means that 90,000 people who did not...…Dr. Mike WaldeneconomyInflationRALEIGH — The September national job report was a shocker. Most analysts had been expecting a net increase in jobs for September to be in the 150,000 to 200,000 range.Instead, the net increase in payroll jobs was an astonishing 336,000.Leading the gain were jobs in leisure/hospitality, health care, and government. Mike Walden (NCSU photo)A look behind the headline numbers gives some reasons for the big gain.First, as we have seen in recent months, the labor force again expanded, this time by 90,000 people. This means that 90,000 people who did not...WW…

Dr. Sarah GlovaMaggie WoodsNC Office of Digital Equity and LiteracyTriangle Voices in LeadershipEditor’s note: This article highlights our most recent participant in the “Triangle Voices in Leadership” interview series, Maggie Woods, Digital Equity Manager for the NC Office of Digital Equity and Literacy. Stay tuned for more installments in this collection, where WRAL TechWire contributor Dr. Sarah Glova will continue to highlight veteran leaders from across the Triangle region.+++RALEIGH – Maggie Woods is working on digital equity and digital inclusion for North Carolinians. But she...…Dr. Sarah GlovaMaggie WoodsNC Office of Digital Equity and LiteracyTriangle Voices in LeadershipEditor’s note: This article highlights our most recent participant in the “Triangle Voices in Leadership” interview series, Maggie Woods, Digital Equity Manager for the NC Office of Digital Equity and Literacy. Stay tuned for more installments in this collection, where WRAL TechWire contributor Dr. Sarah Glova will continue to highlight veteran leaders from across the Triangle region.+++RALEIGH – Maggie Woods is working on digital equity and digital inclusion for North Carolinians. But she...WW…

Netflix is increasing the cost of some of its subscription plans in the United States, the UK, and France. Prices will be going up for the Basic and Premium plans in those three countries. In the United States, the price of the Basic plan will increase from $9.99 to $11.99 per month, while the price of the Premium plan will increase from $19.99 to $22.99 per month. The ad-supported tier price will remain the same at $6.99 per month, as will the $15.49/month Standard plan. Netflix also reported a 9% year-over-year increase in average paid memberships, adding 8.8 million subscribers last...…Netflix is increasing the cost of some of its subscription plans in the United States, the UK, and France. Prices will be going up for the Basic and Premium plans in those three countries. In the United States, the price of the Basic plan will increase from $9.99 to $11.99 per month, while the price of the Premium plan will increase from $19.99 to $22.99 per month. The ad-supported tier price will remain the same at $6.99 per month, as will the $15.49/month Standard plan. Netflix also reported a 9% year-over-year increase in average paid memberships, adding 8.8 million subscribers last...WW…

RALEIGH – Auto parts manufacturer is closing a plant in Sanford and moving 329 jobs to Mexico, according to a notice sent by the Italy-based conglomerate to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.According to the so-called WARN [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notificaion act] notice for layoffs that the state disclosed Friday, the plant will be shut down in the “second half of 2021.”The factory is used to manufacture vehicle powertrains. It has been operating in Sanford for more than 40 years.“Over its 40 year history, the plant has evolved from producing carburettors into modern...…RALEIGH – Auto parts manufacturer is closing a plant in Sanford and moving 329 jobs to Mexico, according to a notice sent by the Italy-based conglomerate to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.According to the so-called WARN [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notificaion act] notice for layoffs that the state disclosed Friday, the plant will be shut down in the “second half of 2021.”The factory is used to manufacture vehicle powertrains. It has been operating in Sanford for more than 40 years.“Over its 40 year history, the plant has evolved from producing carburettors into modern...WW…

DURHAM – Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a dual-mode heating and cooling device for building climate control that, if widely deployed in the U.S., could cut HVAC energy use by nearly 20 percent.The invention uses a combination of mechanics and materials science to either harness or expel certain wavelengths of light. Depending on conditions, rollers move a sheet back and forth to expose either heat-trapping materials on one half or cooling materials on the other. Specially designed at the nanoscale, one material absorbs the sun’s energy and traps existing heat, while the...…DURHAM – Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a dual-mode heating and cooling device for building climate control that, if widely deployed in the U.S., could cut HVAC energy use by nearly 20 percent.The invention uses a combination of mechanics and materials science to either harness or expel certain wavelengths of light. Depending on conditions, rollers move a sheet back and forth to expose either heat-trapping materials on one half or cooling materials on the other. Specially designed at the nanoscale, one material absorbs the sun’s energy and traps existing heat, while the...WW…