The good economic news just keeps flowing into Bladen County.

The latest good news concerns a North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles call center being relocated from Raleigh to Elizabethtown.

The move was made because of the high turnover rate at the Raleigh site. Bladen County convinced the state that we’re desperate for economic development and good jobs, and that turnover wouldn’t be a problem because of our 6 percent unemployment rate. It is expected that the call center will bring 90 jobs to Bladen County.

The call center will be located in a 16,000 square-foot facility at the Elizabethtown Industrial Park some time in the middle of next year. The call center will be twice the size of the Raleigh facility and the state will pay $227,000 a year to lease the building.

This comes on the heels of the announcement two weeks ago that ongoing economic development in Bladen County could bring more than 30 new full-time and seasonal jobs and up to $12 million in new investment to the region. The Bladen County Board of Commissioners approved an incentive grant for a planned expansion by Danaher, which would bring 13 new jobs and an initial investment of $500,000 to the area. That investment could expand to about $2.5 million, county officials have been told by the company. Along with the Danaher expansion, the county has lured Birdsong Peanuts and Sioux Honey Association to the area. Birdsong Peanuts is one of the largest buyers and distributors of peanuts in the country. Sioux Honey Association, makers of Sue Bee Honey, is the largest manufacturer of honey in the United States.

Kudos to the county and municipal politicians, as well the Bladen County Economic Development Commission, for making the holidays just a little bit brighter here in Bladen County.