SOUTHEASTERN NC (WECT) – A plan to collect money from certain motorists could put the savings from fuel-efficient cars into the state's budget.

Anyone owning a hybrid car would pay an extra $50 to register and renew the registration for the vehicle, according to the State Senate's proposed budget plan. The fee doubles for electric car owners.

Gabrielle Fuller bought her hybrid for the same reasons more people do: less emissions from the car and more savings at the pump. She said it seems like state lawmakers are punishing people for doing the right thing.

"It's irritating," she said. "I want to save money by having a fuel-efficient car and the government wants to charge me because I'm being conscientious."

The college student balances two jobs. Fuller's owned her Honda Insight for less than a year, and she said she'll definitely buy another hybrid when it's time, regardless of the proposed fee.

WILMINGTON - One Cape Fear Community College student will be getting a head start on his career, thanks to a new grant program designed for student veterans who are preparing for jobs in the auto repair industry.

Kevin Young, an U.S. Air Force veteran who is studying collision repair at CFCC, was recently selected to receive $2,500 in tools from the "Hire Our Heroes" grant program sponsored by 3M and the Collision Education Foundation.

Young, who relocated to Wilmington from Chicago, enrolled at CFCC to prepare for a new career in automotive collision repair. Young said that automotive work seemed like a natural choice because something it's he has been interested in for years and the jobs are in high demand.

According to CFCC's collision repair lead instructor Shawn Dixon the job market is very strong for trained collision repair technicians.

"The jobs are definitely out there," Dixon said. 

WILMINGTON, NC - (WECT) - Transportation Planning for 2040 is underway. Local leaders in Brunswick, Pender and New Hanover Counties attended a kick-off meeting for The Cape Fear Transportation 2040 Plan on Tuesday.

Metropolitan Planning Organizations are required to submit transportation plans every 25 years in order to receive state and federal funding. The plan isn't just for roads, but for all forms of transportation from trains, to planes, to bikes.

Residents are being asked to submit their ideas on a survey located at http://www.transportation2040.org/plan_background.html. The surveys will be collected and used to create the finalized version of the plan.

Organizers say citizens' input is necessary to have a successful plan.