“We’re continuing to ask people not to come. And that’s tough for an area that was about to enter its peak season for tourism economy.”
Gov. Roy Cooper, on leaf peepers hoping to visit western North Carolina this fall. (Asheville Citizen Times, 10/03/24)
Western Tourism
Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times, 10/03/24
As peak leaf season approaches in the mountains, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper told the Asheville Citizen Times that tourists are not wanted in Western North Carolina in the fallout of the historic, devastating floods that have been confirmed to have taken 97 lives in the state and devastated the region’s infrastructure.
Cooper said he only wants people who are dedicated to response efforts coming to the region.
“Whenever you come to Western North Carolina you get emergency notifications that we don’t want you here unless you are directly helping with the response,” Cooper told the Citizen Times on Oct. 3.
“So we’re continuing to ask people not to come. And that’s tough for an area that was about to enter its peak season for tourism economy. But I’ve talked with people in the Chamber of Commerce, they understand that meeting people’s immediate needs, saving lives, is first,” he continued.
Visit North Carolina, the state’s official destination marketing organization, has continued to issue a travel advisory warning to all who intend to visit the region typically known for its strong tourism industry as the leaves turn in the fall. Currently, the message is: Do not travel to the region as cities and towns continue to battle power and water outages.
“State and local officials strongly advise all motorists avoid travel in Western North Carolina due to the continued challenges and risks from riverine flooding, landslides, slope failures, road closures and downed trees,” the Visit North Carolina advisory, updated Oct. 3, read. “Power and cell phone service outages are also widespread as are shortages of water, food and gas.”
Cooper said the goal is to continue to expand rescue and recovery efforts, which would be hindered and strained by the additional resources and road space required to maintain tourists.
“We want to keep those roads open for utility trucks, for rescue personnel, for medical people, for supplies, for fuel – all of this transportation that is 10 times more than you would normally need roads just to bring in basic necessities for people who don’t have them now,” Cooper said.
Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority have also put out information regarding resources being provided by the industry at this time. The authority issued an update on the status of the local tourism industry.
“People have always been drawn to Asheville and the mountains of Western North Carolina. We know many people around the country care deeply and want to support our community. It’s not just about what’s happening now, but about planning for the months and years ahead,” the BCTDA and Explore Asheville said in a statement to the Citizen Times on Oct. 3.
“Right now, the focus is on taking care of area residents and workers and servicing the many first responders who have answered the call from all over the country — helping those impacted and addressing the economic and emotional toll at hand,” the statement said.
The city of Asheville, along with a swath of other cities and towns across WNC, are facing crises after the floods caused by Tropical Storm Helene. Water is out for most of the city, and is not expected to return for weeks. Cell service continues to be spotty, if not unreliable. Whole districts of the town, like the River Arts District — a beloved tourism district near the French Broad — remain in ruins.
Through the storm, VisitNC has been working to address visitor displacement throughout the region, fielding 7,300 calls about the topic, according to the advisory. Many regional attractions are currently closed. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is closed. The Biltmore is closed. The WNC Nature Center is closed. The Omni Grove Park Inn is closed.
While the leaf season had been expected to be vibrant and bring in thousands to the region, boosting local business, this fall is likely going to hurt as businesses attempt to recover. [Source]
FULL REPORTING
Death Toll: (Jacob Wilt, USA TODAY NETWORK, 10/03/24) The loss of life caused by Hurricane Helene passed a grim milestone Wednesday. Deaths caused by the hurricane nationwide surpassed 160 people, making Helene the second deadliest hurricane in the U.S. this century. That number was surpassed only by Katrina in 2005, which killed 1,392 people.
In North Carolina, officials say 73 people are confirmed dead thus far, with that number expected to rise as rescue crews search for missing persons. The vast majority of those deaths occurred in Buncombe County.
Here’s the North Carolina death toll by county as of Thursday morning on Oct. 3. All data is provided by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, unless otherwise noted.
Yancey: Nine
Henderson: Six
Avery: Three
Madison: Three
Cleveland: Two
Rutherford: Two
Watauga: Two
Burke: One
Catawba: One
Gaston: One
Macon: One
Mecklenburg: One
Polk: One
Yadkin: One
The NCDHHS confirmed a range of causes of death due to Helene’s excessive wind and rainfall. The following are the most common causes of death:
Unknown circumstances: 17
Drowning: 15
Landslide: Ten
Wind/tree trauma: Five
Motor vehicle drownings: Four
Blunt force injuries: Four
Motor vehicle crash: Three
Other: Two
Food Distribution: (Drew Jackson, The News & Observer, 10/03/24) Two thousand meals were on their way to Banner Elk Wednesday when a closed road rerouted them to Boone. “The most amazing thing happened — 2,000 meals were just dropped off from Raleigh,” said Emily Brinker, who co-owns the Rhode’s Motor Lodge in Boone. The meals were part of World Central Kitchen’s massive feeding mission in Western North Carolina in response to the region’s devastation from Hurricane Helene.
Prepped in the Raleigh kitchen by Rocky Top Catering and driven across the state, the trays of pork barbecue, mac and cheese and baked beans will later be airlifted and possibly driven or walked into the hands of someone in need of a warm meal.
As the region continues reconnecting the broken wires and pipes that have unmoored the western mountains from normalcy, a meal remains the most essential need and can mean the first step forward. “I think this is all you can do, to try and understand why you’re okay,” Brinker said. “We’re okay so we can help everyone who’s not okay.” Rhode’s Motor Lodge was expecting World Central Kitchen on Thursday, but the detour meant a helicopter was on its way to her boutique hotel in Boone and the meals would be air-lifted to a hospital site in Banner Elk.
This is an expansion of the feeding operation the group had already set up in downtown Asheville. World Central Kitchen has become a global leader in humanitarian aid, a stabilizing symbol in the midst of disaster. The group, founded and led by world-famous chef José Andrés, was last in North Carolina in 2018, responding to Hurricane Florence with about 150,000 meals in and around a flooded Wilmington area. Operations for World Central Kitchen typically look to the restaurant kitchens in impacted areas as sites to prepare and distribute meals. This week the group has a presence in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, where Hurricane Helene made landfall before weakening into a still-punishing tropical storm.
Samaritan’s Purse: (Abigail Celoria, WUNC Radio, 10/03/24) Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse is responding to storm damage in its own backyard. The organization sent disaster relief units to five southeastern areas of the U.S. affected by Helene, including western North Carolina. Jason Kimak, senior director of North American Ministries at Samaritan’s Purse, said the Christian relief organization and its staff had to dig through some storm damage themselves.
“Between our staff and just even the infrastructure around our headquarters, we had power out,” he said. “We had internet out. You know, a lot of people have trees that have fallen around their home. Many have had even some washout from the rivers. So, for a lot of people here that work at Samaritan’s Purse, we were affected.”
The headquarters itself remained intact, allowing Samaritan’s Purse to jump into recovery efforts. However, Kimak said employees and volunteers continue to face obstacles on the ground. Still, Samaritan’s Purse employees and volunteers are showing up for western N.C. Kimak saw about 800 volunteers on Monday and 700 on Tuesday showing up for their neighbors. Samaritan’s Purse is now ramping up operations in western N.C. through medical, emergency airlift, and search and rescue efforts throughout the area.
Shelter Assistance: (Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 10/03/24) As of Thursday, Oct. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has activated Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) for North Carolinians who have been displaced from their homes following Tropical Storm Helene. Sheltering assistance will allow those who qualify to temporarily stay in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA, while they figure out a long-term housing plan.
People do not need to request this assistance, said a news release. Instead, FEMA will notify them of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message, and/or email, depending on the method of communication they selected at the time of application for disaster assistance.
People may be eligible if they have had their home damaged, are unable to return and their housing needs cannot be met by insurance, shelters or rental assistance provided by FEMA or another agency.
Asheville Water: (WFAE Radio, 10/03/24) Asheville’s water system could take weeks to fully repair, according to city officials. When Helene brought floods to the region, it severely damaged water distribution pipes and washed away roads to the system’s facilities. Officials say water service will return to some areas before others. Buncombe County is also in need of water for residents in Asheville and other cities throughout the county, for cleaning and irrigation. Avril Pinder is the county’s manager. “We’ve been working diligently to find a provider that would truck water in as well for non-potable so people are not using the drinking water for flushing toilets. I’ve not been successful,” Pinder said. The county is working with FEMA to find a bulk distributor of non-potable water. In the meantime, the county says residents can gather their own non-potable water from places like creeks to flush their toilets.
App State Closure: (Dave Faherty, WSOC News, 10/03/24) With fall break, classes at Appalachian State University will not meet until after Oct. 15 at its campuses in Boone and Hickory, officials announced on Wednesday. Residence halls, dining facilities, and campus medical facilities will stay open. The university is giving away hot meals for free. No residence halls are structurally compromised after Helene, officials said. An App State Disaster Relief Recovery Fund has been set up for students, faculty and staff.
Stadium Damage: (Evan Gerike, Asheville Citizen Times, 10/03/24) Five days after flooding for the second time since 2021 as Tropical Storm Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, Pisgah Memorial Field sat in ruins. Mud caked the visitors’ bleachers. The corners of the field were brown, which gave way to the green turf beneath as it neared the Pisgah “P” at midfield. Though the goalposts remained upright, much of the fencing did not.
Pigeon River, which wraps neatly around the football field, flooded to never-before-seen levels in Canton. It was higher than in 2004, which was called a 100-year flood at the time, as Hurricanes Frances and Ivan struck nine days apart. It was higher than in 2021, when Tropical Storm Fred wiped out the field and forced the Bears to play on the road for two consecutive seasons.
“It’s a roller coaster of emotions, especially because we just got back here,” Morgan said. “It’s not about me, it’s about our kids. I hate it for my girls, who put a lot of time into this field,” Heidi Morgan, Pisgah’s athletic director and softball coach, said. The home season is over. For current Bears seniors, they’ll finish their careers with just eight home games in four years.
Congressional Relief
Danielle Battaglia, McClatchy, 10/03/24
Members of Congress saw Hurricane Helene coming. Last week, they had planned to be in Washington through Friday, and then recess for the month of October to focus on the election. But as Helene strengthened while approaching Florida, they announced an early dismissal to get home ahead of the storm. Now, lawmakers from the states devastated by Helene are asking for help from congressional leadership, including the possibility of coming back in October to fund the relief efforts. And costs could be high.
“I’ve heard numbers in the $150 billion range, particularly in North Carolina,” said Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, who spoke to McClatchy Tuesday night. “If you consider the volume and the velocity of water in the mountains, it’s devastating.”
Both Budd and Sen. Thom Tillis signed a letter Tuesday to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins asking for help.
“Although the true level of devastation is still unfolding, it is clear that Congress must act to meet the unmet needs in our states and address the scope and scale of destruction experienced by our constituents,” the senators wrote. “This may even require Congress to come back in October to ensure we have enough time to enact legislation before the end of this calendar year.”
Congress recessed Wednesday and instead of passing 12 appropriation bills to fund the government, members approved a continuing resolution to keep the government operating at its current levels until Dec. 20. Congress isn’t scheduled to return until after the election to take up the budget again. The CR included an increase in funding for the Secret Service after two attempts on the life of former President Donald Trump. But multiple lawmakers raised concerns about the lack of emergency relief aid in the the bill. And they were forced to vote on the bill or risk a government shutdown after Sept. 30.
Both Budd and another Republican from North Carolina, Rep. Dan Bishop, voted against the CR. How close the country came to a government shutdown while Helene ripped through Western North Carolina is something Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican from Flat Rock, has thought about a lot as he’s tried to help his constituents in the days since.
“I think it’s important to realize how critical it is that our federal government continues to operate, and we should take a moment to take note that we were within hours, yet again, of the federal government shutting down,” Edwards told McClatchy Monday. “I can’t imagine what Western North Carolina would be like right now were we in a government shutdown.”
Edwards said that should be enough of a wake-up call for Congress that it needs to get work done ahead of time.
The reality wasn’t lost on lawmakers on the Senate and House floors as they had to make that decision. Both Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, expressed their concerns that they were once again voting on a bill at the last minute; and neither liked that it lacked funding for relief efforts. But to vote against the bill had catastrophic consequences.
“All across the country, in more than 20 states and territories, millions of Americans are reeling from disasters,” Schatz said, on Sept. 12, on the Senate floor. “Wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, floods. And having lost their homes, their communities, and their livelihoods, they’re counting on the federal government for help.” Schatz told his colleagues that that was one of their basic jobs in Congress. But when the bill was signed, it excluded billions in requested dollars for emergency relief.
On Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the CR replenished funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that that money could address the immediate response needed for Helene, The Hill reported. His remarks come just two days after Biden said he may call back Congress to fund Helene relief, and less than 24 hours after Budd and Tillis sent their letter to Senate leadership along with every senator from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.
Budd said it will take years to rebuild, but for now, North Carolina is still in a search and recovery phase. Budd said state lawmakers had been fiscally responsible and maintained a rainy day fund of $5 billion, but the cost to rebuild will surpass that by leaps and bounds.
He said money is needed to repair Interstate 40, Interstate 26, bridges, roads and other infrastructure. “That’s what we need support in, and we want to make sure that it’s as clean as possible,” Budd said. “That it’s not doing some sort of social justice program, but it’s really just helping rebuild Western North Carolina and of course the other states: eastern Tennessee, North Georgia, southwest Virginia.”
Budd told McClatchy he wasn’t sure whether Congress would need to return in October to help with relief efforts, but he was ready to respond to whatever North Carolina needs. “I’m pushing for funding,” Budd said. “How that happens and the timing of it, I don’t know.”
Budd said that in the past, funding was able to be provided through unanimous consent. But he wants to see any legislation before he cast his vote. “You want to hold the government accountable, while having excellent use of taxpayer dollars,” Budd said. “So I think we need to see the bill and see where the money would be appropriated.” [Source]
Port Strike
Tom Krisher, The Associated Press, 10/03/24
The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports reached a deal Thursday to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement.
A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.
The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports stretching from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.
The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. Most retailers, though, had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the dockworkers’ strike.
“With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it’s gonna hold,” President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday night after the agreement. In a statement later, Biden applauded both sides “for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.” Biden said that collective bargaining is “critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”
The union’s membership won’t need to vote on the temporary suspension of the strike, meaning that giant cranes should start loading and unloading shipping containers Thursday night. Until Jan. 15, the workers will be covered under the old contract, which expired on Sept. 30. [Source]
Insurance Forum
Jaymie Baxley, NC Health News, 10/03/24
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s deadly lurch through western North Carolina, the oft-overlooked race for commissioner of insurance is likely to be one of the more closely watched contests in November’s election.
An untold number of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the storm, with insurance industry estimates projecting tens of billions of dollars in losses. The state insurance commissioner is responsible for ensuring that victims’ claims are handled promptly and fairly, giving the office considerable influence over the region’s recovery.
Incumbent Commissioner Mike Causey, a 74-year-old Guilford County resident who once ran his own insurance business, became the first Republican elected to the seat in 2017. His Democratic challenger is current state Sen. Natasha Marcus, a 55-year-old attorney from Mecklenburg County who has represented District 41 since 2019.
Helene has moved to the forefront of both candidates’ campaigns in recent days, and it was the opening topic during their first — and only scheduled — public forum, held Tuesday evening at Caffe Luna in Raleigh.
Organized by the N.C. Justice Center, the forum started with a question — asking Causey and Marcus what the insurance commissioner’s “top priority should be in responding to people’s needs” in storm-ravaged parts of the state. Causey, who had traveled earlier that day to western North Carolina to survey the damage, began his response by describing the conditions in Old Fort. The small McDowell County town, he said, “looks like a war zone.” Causey noted that agents from the Department of Insurance‘s Criminal Investigation Division began “going door-to-door” to assist residents in McDowell County ahead of Helene’s arrival. They were able to evacuate 144 homes last Thursday, he said.
While Causey did not directly identify a “top priority” in his response, he has said the Department of Insurance “will be coordinating on ways to reach those on the ground with insurance claims and other needs in the coming days and weeks.” The department has announced the opening of victim assistance centers that will provide insurance-related support to residents in Gaston and Wilkes counties.
Similar to Causey, Marcus began her response by acknowledging the storm’s “devastating” toll on western North Carolina. “I think we’re all just really in a state of shock about how very bad it is out there,” she said, adding that the head of the Asheville Fire Fighters Association had told her about a body that was recovered from “a tree, 30 feet in the air” on Tuesday. “That’s how bad it is.”
Marcus said the growing frequency and ferocity of major storms like Helene show “how glaringly obvious it is that climate change is real.” North Carolina, she continued, is “particularly vulnerable” to catastrophic storms because of the state’s “long coastline” and abundance of “low-lying land.”
“We have to expand. We have to encourage more people to get flood insurance. We have to do better with the flood mapping,” Marcus said. “The data we have is outdated, so a lot of people, even if they were trying to do what’s right, wouldn’t know they were in a flood zone because the data is so old. Asheville’s map is from 2010.” [Source]
Lassiter Suspension
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The News & Observer, 10/03/24
A Wake County candidate for the state legislature has been suspended with pay from his job at a public middle school after a fight between students touched off a series of incidents at the school, according to the candidate’s lawyer.
Scott Lassiter, an assistant principal at Connections Academy, was suspended with pay on Sept. 5, according to records shared by Wake schools spokeswoman Lisa Luten. Luten said she was unable to share why he was suspended due to state personnel laws and student privacy laws.
Lassiter, a Republican vice-chair of the Wake soil and water conservation district and former Apex town council member, is running to represent Senate District 13 against incumbent Democratic Sen. Lisa Grafstein.
Last year, Lassiter sued House Speaker Tim Moore, alleging that Moore had a relationship with his then-wife, a state employee. Moore admitted to that relationship but denied exchanging his political influence for sex. Attorneys for both sides said the lawsuit was resolved but did not provide details.
On May 22, Lassiter and a teacher at Connections Academy “were put in the unfortunate position of having to intervene in a violent altercation between two students,” said Lassiter’s attorney, Alicia Jurney, in a text to The News & Observer. The N&O has so far been unable to reach the teacher.
Asked about his suspension, Lassiter told The N&O that “unfortunately, our school employees are all too often called to put themselves in harm’s way to protect other students and staff and this was an incident in which I myself and a veteran teacher were doing just that. Fortunately, no one got hurt.”
Jurney said that the school resource officer position at Connections Academy — which is classified as an alternative learning program, or a school which serves children at risk of truancy, academic failure and more — has not been filled for seven years, despite requests.
Jurney said that one of the students involved in the altercation contacted an adult, who “came to the school later in the day“ and “attempted to physically attack” Lassiter. Wake County Superior Court records show the adult faces criminal charges and appears to be the student’s brother.
Jurney said the adult “tore his shirt off and ran aggressively towards Dr. Lassiter, who was in fear of an imminent attack.” Cary police detained the adult before he reached Lassiter, she said. After a review of video footage, Lassiter and the teacher were not charged with any offense, and the “school system was aware of the incident and didn’t take any action against” either of them then, she said.
But, in September, in connection with the pending criminal charges against the adult, his defense attorney served Lassiter a subpoena for video footage of the incident, Jurney said. Lassiter provided the subpoena to the principal, and after receiving it, the school district put him on administrative leave with pay and opened an investigation, she said. [Source]
Leave Clarification
WUNC Radio, 10/03/24
Public school employees in North Carolina can now receive paid leave for some pregnancy losses. State lawmakers passed paid parental leave for school employees for the first time beginning last school year.
On Wednesday, state education officials clarified rules for taking that leave in the event of a miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a child immediately after birth. Geoff Coltrane is Governor Roy Cooper’s senior education adviser.
“North Carolina is one of the first state’s in the nation now to offer this type of leave for these medical exigencies, so just a point of celebration, which means our school systems will be some of the first school systems in the nation to offer this type of leave,” he said. If a fetus dies after the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy but before a completed birth, the pregnant employee will receive 4 weeks paid leave for recuperation. If a child dies after a completed birth, either parent can receive the full parental leave they would receive for a live birth.
These rules follow guidelines set by the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources. [Source]
Heat Safety
Aaron Sánchez-Guerra and Celeste Gracia, WUNC Radio, 10/02/24
Protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat is on the ballot in North Carolina this November. As days get hotter, people who work outdoors in agriculture, construction, sanitation, and other labor-intensive industries are at particular risk from the effects of climate change.
North Carolina’s labor laws have no specific heat-related protections. There are, however, an array of heat safety guidelines and recommendations for employers.
Juanita Constible, a senior advocate for environmental health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said rules like heat standards are “absolutely necessary.”
This summer, the Biden administration proposed the first-ever federal heat safety standard, which includes regulations to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths on the job. In North Carolina, demands for a state level heat safety standard are growing, too, amid at least three heat-related workplace deaths in the last year.
Whether such rules become a reality or not will depend on who wins the race for the state’s next labor commissioner.
North Carolina is one of a few states that elects its labor commissioner. The Republican incumbent, Josh Dobson, isn’t seeking reelection. The two candidates vying for the position differ in their views on how far the state labor department should go in regulating general workplace safety.
The North Carolina Department of Labor oversees workplace regulations, including temporary or permanent standards for workplace protections, such as heat. That’s a central issue in the campaign of Democrat Braxton Winston, a unionized stagehand and former Mayor Pro Tem of Charlotte, who characterizes himself as the pro-worker candidate who “clocks in and clocks out.”
His opponent, Luke Farley, is well-versed on labor laws as an attorney for a private North Carolina firm that represents employers. Farley wants to continue the department’s 24-year Republican leadership, championing the deregulatory and fiscally conservative approach made popular by former five-term labor commissioner Cherie Berry, who has endorsed Farley.
“We want to protect workers,” Farley said in an interview with WUNC. “We also need to be focused on working families. The costs of implementing a complex regulation are just going to be passed on to those working families, and I’m concerned about them, too.” [Source]
Youth Forum
Morgan Starling, The (Jacksonville) Daily News, 10/03/24
A teen-led forum featuring candidates for N.C. House of Representatives District 14 will be taking place this weekend ahead of the November election. It is being put on by the American Youth Association of North Carolina. The American Youth Association is a 501c(3) nonprofit dedicated to elevating youth voices within national and state politics, according to AYA North Carolina Local Policy Director Chloe Hercula. The North Carolina branch was chartered at the beginning of this year.
“There are a lot of rural youth that need representation, that want representation,” Hercula said. “So, we advocate for youth councils to be established, we work with local legislators, as well as legislators within state assemblies, to discuss youth issues, to propose bills to them that affect youth.”
The North Carolina branch will be hosting what Hercula said is the state’s first-ever teen-led candidate forum this Saturday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. It will also be live-streamed on YouTube, though those who would like to ask questions should register for the Zoom call here.
The forum will feature N.C. House District 14 Republican candidate Wyatt Gable and Democratic candidate Carmen Spicer. Hercula and AYA North Carolina State Policy Director Yu-Hsiang Hung will be moderating the event. [Source]
Pulp Producer
Chris Burritt, Business NC, 10/01/24
Brazil’s Suzano S.A., the world’s largest pulp producer, completed its $110 million acquisition of a Waynesville paper extrusion facility and a paper mill in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Suzano said Tuesday it purchased the operations from Pactiv Evergreen, a Lake Forest, Illinois-based maker of cartons for fresh foods and beverages. When the companies announced the transaction in July, Pactiv said Suzano agreed to offer jobs to workers in the U.S. facilities.
The acquisition follows Pactiv’s decision last year to close its paper mill in Canton and reduce jobs in its nearby Waynesville facility, resulting in the loss of almost 1,100 positions. In operation for more than a century, the Canton mill was Haywood County’s largest employer.
North Carolina received approval for a $7.5 million federal workforce grant to help displaced Pactiv workers. Gov. Roy Cooper said $2.5 million was immediately available, while the rest would be distributed as needed to support workforce development efforts in coming weeks and months. Suzano said its acquisition expands its operations in North America and marks its entry into the consumer and food service packaging segments in the region. Under their new ownership, the two facilities will continue supplying paperboard to Pactiv for producing packaging.
Pactiv was planning to sell its shuttered downtown Canton paper mill property to a business believed to be owned by developer Eric Spirtas, effective Oct. 1, according to a Sept. 14 Smoky Mountain News. It’s unclear if that closing occurred. The downtown Canton area suffered massive flooding during the Helene storm, prompting pleas for assistance from Mayor Zeb Smathers and other officials. [Source]
NCAA Events
Jadyn Watson-Fisher, The News & Observer, 10/02/24
Ten future NCAA championship and regional events will come to sites in the Triangle in the coming years, including eight in the Greater Raleigh area, the athletic governing body announced on Wednesday.
“We have a long track record and have been very successful at hosting NCAA championships in this market, including men’s basketball,” Scott Dupree, executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, told the News & Observer. “It’s a big moment for Raleigh, and it’s a big day for our community and for our market.”
The announcement was highlighted by N.C. State earning host privileges for the 2028 Division I Men’s Basketball East Regional at the Lenovo Center, formerly PNC Arena, in Raleigh. This will be the first regional in the arena and the first time Raleigh has hosted the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds since 1982, which took place at Reynolds Coliseum. It joins cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco, who were among the regional sites announced for 2027 and 2028. The Wolfpack will also host an NCAA Division I women’s gymnastics regional in 2027 at Reynolds Coliseum.
Host privileges don’t stop at the Raleigh city limits. Cary will serve as the championship site for multiple soccer and baseball championships in 2026 and 2027. Teams will play for the Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer College Cup, at WakeMed Soccer Park in 2026 and 2027. The University of North Carolina will serve as the host school for the quartet of national championships. Lastly, the 2027 and 2028 Division II Baseball World Series will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and hosted by the University of Mount Olive. [Source]
Topsail Mayor
Shea Carver, Port City Daily, 10/03/24
“Steve left us in pretty doggone good shape,” newly appointed Topsail Beach Mayor Morton Blanchard told the community and his fellow board members last week. “We’re gonna stay that way.” Formerly the mayor pro tem, Blanchard was appointed unanimously as the town’s top leader after former Mayor Steve Smith passed away on Sept. 13. Smith was serving his second term, first appointed in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023 to serve another four years.
Before commissioners voted in Blanchard, the mayor pro tem clarified the town would follow procedure. There are three years left on Smith’s term, since he was just re-elected last year. The commissioners’ appointee will serve a year and by the 2025 municipal election season, the mayoral seat will be back on the ballot for constituents to vote on. “It’s not fair to the voters [for us] to appoint for that full length of time,” Blanchard said.
He noted the town changed its bylaws in 2019 to address these measures, after Tom Eggleston passed away in August 2018. Frank Braxton was appointed to serve the rest of the term through November 2021 and was then re-elected, but in October 2018 the commissioners decided the town statute should align with the state. [Source]
Walmart Lawsuits
Olivia Lloyd, The News & Observer, 10/03/24
Walmart is accused of firing an employee with epilepsy for missing work to recover from seizures and has agreed to settle three lawsuits for $175,000 in North Carolina, federal officials said.
“We don’t tolerate discrimination of any kind and provide reasonable accommodations to thousands of associates,” a spokesperson for Walmart said in an Oct. 3 statement shared with McClatchy News. “We are glad that we have resolved this matter.”
EEOC officials say Walmart didn’t provide a “reasonable accommodation” of intermittent leave, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The woman was awarded $50,000, the federal agency said on Oct. 2. The EEOC filed two additional lawsuits against Walmart locations in Raleigh and Statesville. The company agreed to pay $85,000 to a three-year former employee with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that largely affects the gastrointestinal system. Walmart didn’t excuse all of her absences, including when she needed to go to the emergency room, and she lost her job, officials said in another lawsuit.
The company is also accused of demoting and later firing a man with epilepsy over absences related to his medical condition and agreed to pay him $40,000. As part of the consent decrees, Walmart agreed to provide training on the ADA and comply with its policies without admitting wrongdoing in the three cases. [Source]
Terrapin Protection
Trista Talton, Coastal Review, 10/03/24
Nearly two dozen organizations have filed a petition seeking federal protection for the only coastal estuarine-dependent turtle species in the world. Diamondback terrapins, living mostly in coastal marshes from Massachusetts to Texas, have been killed off by the tens of thousands over the past few decades, making it one of the most endangered species on the planet, according to a 130-page petition filed last month with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity and 20 other organizations have partnered to petition NOAA Fisheries to list diamondback terrapins as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, a move supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a global environmental network of scientists, environmental experts, governments and civil organizations.
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries a few years ago created two terrapin management areas – one in the area of the Masonboro Island Reserve and the other around the Zeke’s Island Reserve and Bald Head State Natural Area. Fishers who crab in these designated areas have to use state-approved terrapin bycatch reduction devices on their pots between March 1 and Oct. 31. [Source]
Fraud Sentence
Sarah Johnson, The Hickory Daily Record, 10/03/24
A Nigerian man and two others pleaded guilty and were sentenced for roles in defrauding Appalachian State University out of more than $1.9 million in 2016.
Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo, 45, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, was sentenced to seven years in prison for one felony count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Adeagbo was sentenced during U.S. District Court on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Dena King said in a news release. Adeagbo pleaded guilty to the charges on April 8. Adeagbo’s co-conspirators were Donald Ikenna Echeazu, 42, dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and Ho Shin Lee, of California, according to court documents.
The three men were running a multimillion-dollar email scheme in 2016. Appalachian State University was one of the victims. Adeagbo also attempted to steal $3 million from a college, government entities and construction companies in Texas, King said. [Source]
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“It is a traumatic event, and I want you to remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel at this time.” NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley, reminding citizens in the western counties not to underestimate the emotional toll a natural disaster can take. (State Affairs Pro, 10/01/24) Storm Destruction Jeffrey Collins, The Associated …
The adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard said Tuesday that deployment numbers to storm-damaged Western North Carolina are increasing daily but that every soldier and airman would be sent for a specific reason and with a specific task to accomplish. “That’s what we design our force packages to do,” Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt …
“North Carolina has a healthy savings account that will help us respond to the catastrophic nature of this storm.” Senate leader Phil Berger, on a disaster recovery package being formulated by legislators to respond to the impact of Hurricane Helene. (X, 9/30/24) Legislative Return Will Doran, WRAL News, 9/30/24 State lawmakers will return to Raleigh …
