Press Releases

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning today, Friday July 24, 2020 until sunset on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in honor of Fort Bragg Paratrooper, Sgt. Bryan Cooper Mount who passed away on Tuesday during a vehicle accident in Syria. A native of St. George, Utah, Sgt. Mount was assigned to Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division and was part of the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning immediately, Saturday, July 18, 2020 through sunset on Sunday, July 19, 2020 to honor the lives of U.S. Representaive John Lewis and Reverend C.T. Vivian, two great leaders who dedicated their lives to justice and peace. These two friends both resided in Atlanta and died on the same day, July 17.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper named the members of the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning Wednesday, July 8, 2020 until sunset on Friday, July 10, 2020 in honor of former State Senator and NC Department of Administration Secretary Katie G. Dorsett, who passed away on Tuesday. Dorsett was the first African American woman elected to the Greensboro City Council where she served from 1983 to 1986. Prior to serving North Carolina's 28th Senate District from 2003 to 2010, Dorsett was a Guilford County commissioner from 1990 to 1992.

The NC Department of Administration’s Division of Purchase & Contract (P&C) today launched a new upgrade to the web-based purchasing system, NC eProcurement. Effective July 1, 2020, NC eProcurement will transition from the on-premise Ariba Buyer 9r1 application to a cloud-based SAP Ariba buying module. The latest version of the eProcurement system will further enhance user accessibility, improving efficiency and cost savings among participating state agencies, institutions, and local government entities.

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen today announced that North Carolina will remain in Safer at Home Phase 2 for three more weeks. Cooper also announced that face coverings must be worn when people are in public places as officials seek to stabilize concerning trends of increasing viral spread.  Cooper and Cohen were joined by Dennis Taylor, President of the North Carolina Nurses Association and Eugene A. Woods, President and CEO of Atrium Health.

Today, June 19, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed Juneteenth in North Carolina, the oldest known celebration honoring the end of enslavement in the United States.   It was on this day in 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, that Union General Gordon Granger proclaimed the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas. This authorized United States Colored Troops to enforce emancipation and ultimately the 13th Amendment in that state, just as they had been in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. 

Governor Roy Cooper has declared this month as LGBTQ Pride Month in North Carolina to honor the state’s LGBTQ+ communities and their fight for equality. "Pride Month is a time to both celebrate progress and increase our efforts in LGBTQ equality," Gov. Cooper said. "The U.S. Supreme Court got it right prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace. Now comes the hard work of turning these legal protections into a reality of equality."

By official proclamation, Governor Roy Cooper declared June 14, 2020 as Flag Day. This national day of observance recognizes the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 and pays homage to this symbol of democracy and freedom that serves as a beacon for all Americans.  All North Carolinians are encouraged to display the US flag to honor our country, history, servicemembers and veterans of the US Armed Forces.

Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 145 today, forming the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. The task force will recommend solutions to stop discriminatory law enforcement and criminal justice practices, and hold public safety officers accountable. “We must acknowledge racial inequities in our systems of law enforcement and criminal justice, and then work to eliminate them. This task force will address policies and procedures that disproportionately burden communities of color,” said Governor Cooper.