Julie Rose

The cyber-attack that experts already believe is the largest on a state tax agency - ever - just got bigger. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said Wednesday the tax returns of more than 650,000 businesses may also have been exposed – on top of the 3.6 million individual returns previously announced.

“I am probably more frustrated than you know to have to do these daily press conferences, but what I will tell you is as we go through this process, every time we find out something new we are gonna continue to tell you,” said a grim-faced Haley.

The cost to build Duke’s coal-fired plant in Edwardsport, Indiana was already about a billion dollars over original estimates.

Now the testing of new technology to burn coal more cleanly at the plant is taking longer than expected and adding $180 million to the cost.

Duke spokeswoman Angeline Protogere says this should be the last expensive delay for the Edwardsport plant.

“We believe this is a realistic cost for the project,” says Protogere.

Charlotte City Council members Tuesday held the second of three special budget meetings scheduled before the end of the year, seeking a solution to their months-long impasse. Whether or not to include a streetcar line in the city’s near-term spending plan remains the sticking point.

The streetcar is only $119 million of a more than $900 million proposal to raise property taxes and spend the money on projects meant to spur development in struggling areas of Charlotte.

More than a quarter of a million South Carolina residents have signed up for free credit protection since the state announced a major hacking incident that exposed 3.6 million Social Security numbers and more than 300,000 credit and debit card numbers at the Department of Revenue. 

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said Tuesday the credit monitoring company Experian has agreed to cap expenses to the state at $12 million. Haley says any taxpayer who enrolls in the free coverage will have their credit reports scrutinized daily for an entire year.   

Republican Pat McCrory frequently references the need for a “fresh voice” in Raleigh during his campaign for North Carolina governor.

“It is gonna take an outsider – an outsider to break up this Good Ole Boy, Good Ole Girl system that has been in control for far too long within our state government,” said McCrory in his first televised debate against Democrat Walter Dalton.

The new $77 million engineering and energy building on UNC Charlotte’s campus hasn’t even had a formal grand opening ceremony, and already it’s fueling the local energy work force. 

Johan Enslin underscored that point as  he gave Governor Bev Perdue of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center – or “EPIC” - which he directs.  It's a four-story collection of laboratories bathed in natural light on the edge of UNC Charlotte’s campus.

One of the labs features a replica of the nerve center at Duke Energy.

Wednesday night the Metropolitan Transit Commission is scheduled to approve a compromise to its new policy allowing alcohol ads on Charlotte buses. The initial decision brought strong criticism from some members of city council and prompted the commission to take a second look.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory had his time before the Charlotte Rotary Club on Tuesday. Democrat Walter Dalton got a polite, but cool reception from the group last month. For McCrory, the welcome was filled with anecdotes and inside jokes.

It was just “Mayor Pat” to this overflowing room of local business leaders. Clearly on his home court, McCrory played into that. Former councilman Edwin Peacock surprised McCrory with a clip from an old home movie showing the former mayor as a fresh-faced 21 year old refereeing a high school basketball game in Charlotte.

Half the Charlotte City Council, the mayor and a couple of Mecklenburg County Commissioners are headed to New York City Monday for the Charlotte Chamber’s Inter City visit.

The Charlotte Chamber’s annual trip to another city is typically a rite of spring. But back in May, airplane problems made most participants miss their flight for a scheduled visit to London.

“New York was our second choice,” says Charlotte Chamber President Bob Morgan. So that’s where he’s headed Tuesday with about 100 local business leaders and public officials.