“This is looking to be Buncombe County’s own Hurricane Katrina.”
Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder, on the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Helene. (Asheville Citizen Times, 9/28/24)
Western Floods
Josh Meyer and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 9/28/24
Helene’s swath of destruction has caused historic rainfall, flooding, power outages and 140-mile-an-hour winds across the Southeast. But it was North Carolina that bore the brunt of it Saturday with vast swaths of cities like Asheville underwater, residents trapped in their homes with no lights or food and few functioning roads for rescue workers to help them.
Helene, Gov. Roy Cooper declared, had become “one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina.”
Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, N.C., took to Facebook during a quick break from responding to what he described as “an unimaginable and horrific disaster.”
“I have limited time to post, but this is the first message I’ve been able to share following the apocalyptic flooding that hit us” and breakdowns in cellular communications that followed, Smathers wrote. “My heart is broken, not only for our town but for the entire region.”
More than 400 roads remained closed in the Tar Heel State, including “all roads in Western NC,” the North Carolina Department of Transportation said in a post on X. “Remember: As crews work to clear and inspect roads and bridges, please give them room.”
Crews needed more than just room to operate. Well over 2 feet of rain had fallen across the state’s mountainous region in recent days thanks to a rare confluence of weather patterns over the eastern U.S. before Helene arrived in Florida on Thursday night.
Tiny Busick in Yancey County along the western border with Tennessee, recorded 29.58 inches in just 48 hours. In Asheville, record high levels were set on the French Broad River and the Swannanoa River near the Biltmore estate. The historic Biltmore Village nearby was nearly submerged after Helene tore through the area, according to aerial footage.
At least 5,000 emergency calls to 911 were fielded since Sept. 26. And with more than 200 North Carolinians requiring rescue from following Helene’s torrential rains, local, state and federal officials mobilized to help.
North Carolina, like Georgia and Alabama, activated hundreds of its own National Guard, and the governors of Maryland, and at least 17 other states sent Guard units of their own. Three federal teams were also deployed, and supplies were being airlifted in Saturday as and search and rescue operations continued throughout the state, Cooper said.
According to the USA TODAY power outage map, there were 635,887 total outages reported in North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. In response, crews from across the United States were on scene to help with immediate restoration and repair efforts, North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety said. On Friday night, 16 shelters in the state housed about 1,100 residents.With cellphone service spotty in western areas of the state, telecom companies activated “disaster roaming,” “allowing any phone on any cellular network to access any available network to connect to,” according to the state’s public safety department.
“This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Cooper said. [Source]
FULL REPORTING
Disaster Declaration: (WBTV News, 9/29/24) President Biden has granted Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for a federal major disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Helene providing immediate federal help for 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
According to Gov. Cooper’s office, the declaration means that FEMA will be able to speed additional help to the state, and provide individual assistance to people living in those counties, as well as public assistance to reimburse local governments, state agencies, and non-profits or other eligible organizations for funds spent repairing facilities and infrastructure.
“The people in western North Carolina are hurting from this devastating storm and we are all working to get resources to people as fast as we can,” said Gov. Cooper. “We have deployed rescue teams, transportation crews, water, mobile kitchens and more. This is going to be a long-term recovery and this federal declaration will help us respond.”
The counties in the declaration are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. As response operations and eligible damages dictate, North Carolina may be able to add additional counties or programs as assessments move forward. This declaration will also provide Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding for future efforts to mitigate the impacts of future events.
The declaration is in addition to the federal emergency declaration already in place prior to the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene.
Asheville Isolation: (The Associated Press, 9/28/24) Floodwaters pushed by the remnants of Hurricane Helene left North Carolina’s largest mountain city isolated Saturday by damaged roads and a lack of power and cellphone service, part of a swath of destruction across southern Appalachia that left an unknown number dead and countless worried relatives unable to reach loved ones.
The storm spread misery across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, where on Friday authorities used a helicopter to rescue dozens of people from the rooftop of a flooded hospital. In North Carolina alone, more than 400 roads remained closed on Saturday as floodwaters began to recede and reveal the extent of damage.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said supplies were being airlifted to that part of the state. Buncombe County officials said Interstate 26 between Asheville and South Carolina had reopened, but most other routes into the city were impassible.
In Asheville, there was no cellular service and no timeline for restoration. Residents were also directed to boil their water. Local officials said they were working on setting up hubs to distribute food and water.
As of Saturday night, the governor’s office confirmed 10 storm deaths statewide but did not provide a breakdown of where they occurred. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee and other officials toured the northeastern part of the state by helicopter Saturday. He called the scene “heartbreaking.”
“There’s a great deal of damage, a great deal of heartache, a great deal of work to be done,” Lee said.
Biden Visit (Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press, 9/29/24) President Joe Biden says he will visit Hurricane Helene-impacted areas this week as long as it does not disrupt rescue and recovery operations. Biden was briefed again on Sunday evening about the impact of the devastating storm on an enormous swath of the Southeast.
Buncombe County reported earlier Sunday that 30 people were killed due to the storm, pushing the overall death toll to at least 84 people across several states.
Biden on Sunday evening made calls to several state and local government officials in areas impacted by the hurricane, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; Valdosta, Georgia Mayor Scott Matheson; and Taylor County, Florida Emergency Management Director John Louk.
Lake Lure Dam (Drew Jackson and Tammy Grubb, The News & Observer, 9/29/24) The Lake Lure Dam, which was feared doomed to collapse on Friday, is stable and emergency repairs are set to begin. At the peak of Helene’s rains, a warning went out that the Lake Lure Dam was at imminent risk of failing, as water spilled over the top of its 124-foot tall structure. An evacuation order was issued for residents below, but the dam held.
On Friday, an engineer assessed the dam and found the water level receding. By Sunday, the water level was lowered an additional 3 and a half feet, so emergency repairs could be made, according to Josh Kastrinsky, spokesman for the NC Department of Environmental Quality.
“The structure remained intact following the storm,” Kastrinsky said in an email.
Most residents in Lake Lure remain without power, as of Sunday, according to town officials.
Flight Cancellations (Evan Gerike, Asheville Citizen Times, 9/29/24) Many flights at the Asheville Regional Airport Sept. 29 are still canceled as airlines struggle with the recovery of phone service and internet access, according to an update from an Asheville Regional Airport Tina Kinsey.
All Delta flights before noon Sept. 29 have been canceled and no other airlines are currently operating.
While some flights and airlines may resume service as connections come back online, the airport is urging passengers to check with their airlines about the status of their flight. Asheville Regional Airport’s website is not updating accurately with flight information at the moment.
UNC Classes (WBTV News, 9/29/24) University of North Carolina Asheville has suspended classes due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, joining Appalachian State University and Western Carolina University. According to a Bulldog Alert, UNC Asheville’s alert system, all classes are suspended until Wednesday, October 9, as the area recovers from the damage the storm left behind.
“Conditions at UNC Asheville are difficult. Significant tree damage has occurred and parts of campus are inaccessible,” UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said. “Everyone is safe. Cell and internet coverage is nonexistent at this point. Classes will be suspended until October 9. We are providing security, food, water, and comfort to the students remaining on campus.”
McDowell Power (Eric Millsaps, McDowell News, 9/28/24) Nearly 90% of McDowell County residents are without power, and many residents are unable to leave their homes due to high floodwaters from Tropical Storm Helene. McDowell County 911 received over 760 calls for service during this storm, according to a release from McDowell County Emergency Management issued Friday evening.
“Multiple areas in McDowell are still inaccessible to emergency personnel,” emergency management said. Officials added, “Emergency personnel will not stop until every person is rescued. Please help us by staying off the roads unless you have an emergency.”
The National Weather Service said portions of western McDowell County received around 9 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Helene. City of Morganton water customers are without water, and approximately 75% of the county is without power.
Watauga Debris (The Watauga Democrat, 9/29/24) Beginning Sept. 29 members of the public will see trucks labeled “SDR” driving through Watauga County and its municipalities. SDR is a debris removal company that specializes in disaster debris removal, and has contracted its service to Watauga County and the Town of Boone to assist with cleanup.
Mosquito Outbreak (Jaymie Baxley, NC Health News, 9/29/24) After Hurricane Florence caused widespread flooding across North Carolina in September 2018, several waterlogged communities were plagued by swarms of nickel-size mosquitoes. The outbreak made national news, but floodwater mosquitoes are a common nuisance in low-lying areas throughout the state. Earlier this summer, Tropical Storm Debby triggered an emergence of the insects in Brunswick and New Hanover counties. Hurricane Helene could cause another hatchfest.
Floodwater mosquitoes are generally “not a major threat to human health,” Michael Reiskind, an associate professor of entomology at N.C. State University, says, but their “massive numbers” can make going outside a painful experience, especially for people in rural areas.
Reiskind said that cooler temperatures could bring relief, “If we’re lucky, a cold front comes through — that can really be the best mosquito control there is. It essentially freezes them out.”
Supporters who came out Sunday to cheer on Josh Stein left with a task list that included supporting candidates down — and up — the ballot.
Stein, the state’s Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, held a rally at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro that featured an enthusiastic endorsement by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, a popular swing state governor, garnered national attention as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency.
Without naming Stein’s opponent in the race, GOP candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Shapiro described Stein as a no-nonsense, work-focused candidate who would put “points on the board” for North Carolinians. “It would be a disservice to Josh Stein if we just focused on the negative, kooky, crazy, bonkers, extremist stuff that the other guys do,” he said.
Rep. Pricey Harrison told the audience of about 250 that electing Stein was just part of the battle and that winning council of state offices — some of which she referred to as “obscure” — was also important. She asked voters to be sure to work their way to the end of the ballot.
Harrison said that one change in the balance of power in Raleigh was especially important to the legislative prospects of any Democratic governor — winning enough seats in the House or Senate to break the two-thirds supermajority of Republicans, who routinely override the vetoes of Gov. Roy Cooper.
“It’s been miserable being in the superminority,” Harrison said. “Please, please, please help us break the supermajority.”
In comments to reporters after the rally, Stein said recent polling showing him far ahead of Robinson won’t result in any curtailing of his campaign schedule. His races for Attorney General in 2016 and 2020 came down to the wire despite polls that had him leading by seven points, he said.
“You never count your chickens; you run through the tape,” he said. “What I hope we can do here in North Carolina is win races up and down the ballot. We have critical races in the General Assembly. We have to break their supermajority to restore balance to state government. We have great candidates [for] the council of state, great candidates running for the court. And of course, the presidency is a critical election as well.”
During the rally, Stein discussed the importance of quality health care, reproductive freedom and economic opportunity. He also stressed the value of public education, from pre-kindergarten to community colleges and universities, but said a college degree should never be a prerequisite for economic success. “Someone should not have to go to college to provide for his or her family,” he said.
“We have to build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out — not the top down — because that grows the middle class,” he said.
Robinson’s campaign announced Saturday that he would not campaign on Sunday but would instead “travel privately with local leaders” to view the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in the western part of the state.
On Sunday, Robinson said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the devastation is worse than he imagined. “I am urging Governor Cooper to deploy as many National Guardsmen as possible,” he wrote. “The need for human and mechanical resources cannot be understated.”
A spokesman for the Lt. Gov. confirmed Sunday that Robinson is calling on Cooper to deploy more National Guardsmen. On Saturday, it was reported that 410 National Guard troops and 146 vehicles had been deployed.
Chamber Scores
Ray Gronberg, Business NC, 9/26/24
The N.C. Chamber released its annual legislative scorecard, which rates General Assembly members on their votes in support or opposition of bills the group deems important to North Carolina’s business community. The business promotion group rewarded votes by Republicans compared with positions taken by Democrats. Senate leader Phil Berger got a 100% score on the Chamber’s list; Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue got a 64%. In the House, Speaker Tim Moore got 93%; Democratic Leader Robert Reives got 47%.
Only two Democratic senators — Mike Woodard of Durham County and Kandie Smith of Pitt County — got the Chamber’s “jobs champion” label for voting in line with the group’s preferences at least 80% of the time.
In the House, the Democratic “jobs champions” were Mecklenburg County Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed, Guilford County’s Cecil Brockman, and Scotland County’s Garland Pierce.
Low scorers in the two chambers were both Democrats — Durham Sen. Natalie Murdock (30%) and Guilford County Rep. Pricey Harrison (15%).
Chamber officials based the scoring on the votes cast for or against 13 bills and one budget amendment. By counting only votes, the Chamber doesn’t measure members for budget decisions and bills that never made it to the floor. For example, the group identifies as a concern support for “appropriate pre-K and child care funding structures, policy reforms, and innovations that address the growing workforce demands from the business community.”
Throughout 2023 and 2024, legislators have considered how to subsidize child care centers as federal COVID aid for them expires. The Chamber has advocated for state aid, but nothing has been approved. The Senate has been the main roadblock after the House’s fiscal 2024-25 budget proposal included $135 million in child care stabilization funding; House Bill 10, the compromise “mini budget” likely to become law in November after a veto override, includes $0 for the purpose.
In the report, Chamber President Gary Salamido acknowledged that the group hasn’t gotten what it wants from legislators on child care. “There were efforts which began to address the challenge this biennium and we will continue to elevate the issue and advocate for long-term solutions in the upcoming sessions,” he said.
Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Currituck got an 88% score and the “jobs champion” label despite having introduced two bills, House Bills 32 and 393, that the Chamber considers “anti-business.” HB 32 requires businesses to credit customers if they don’t show up for scheduled service appointments, and HB 393 is an appliance lemon law. Neither moved, and the Chamber claims credit for having helped see to that. Because there was never a vote, those bills didn’t count against Kidwell.
Moore’s 93% vote wasn’t 100% because the speaker and almost the entire House got marked down for having voted for House Bill 264. The bill would bar pharmacy benefit managers like CVS Caremark from using “spread pricing” to cream off a share of prescription drug profits from pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers. CVS lobbied hard against HB 246, which never got a hearing in the Senate.
The only three House members to get a 100% score from the Chamber for their work in 2023-24 — Pitt County’s Tim Reeder, Duplin County’s Jimmy Dixon and Richmond County’s Ben Moss — didn’t vote for HB 246. They had excused absences the day it came to the floor.
Partisan issues that the Chamber did score included bills that loosened wetlands and stormwater restrictions. The Chamber also scored the vote for House Bill 346, which loosened high-level business restrictions on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. This attracted Council of State opposition and split both House caucuses, but nonetheless had majority support within each party and the backing of Gov. Roy Cooper. [Source]
Digital IDs
Avi Bajpai, The News & Observer, 9/28/24
The N.C. Court of Appeals has blocked elections officials from accepting digital IDs used by students and employees at UNC-Chapel Hill as a valid form of voter ID. In a ruling issued Friday, the Court of Appeals granted a temporary injunction blocking the State Board of Elections from allowing UNC’s “One Card” or any other “image of a photo ID, either as a photocopy or a photo on a mobile device” as outlined in a previous board memo, as an acceptable form of photo ID under the state’s voter ID law.
The One Card is a form of student identification available through a mobile app on iPhones and Apple Watches that allows students to access campus buildings and parking lots, make purchases, and enter sporting events.
Elections officials already approved more than 100 student and public employee IDs as valid forms of voter ID, but in August the Democratic majority on the Board of Elections voted to approve UNC’s One Card, marking the first time a digital ID would have been allowed for voting.
The board memo quoted in the appeals court’s ruling was sent last year by Karen Brinson Bell, the elections board’s executive director. The memo stated, “an image of a photo ID, either as a photocopy or a photo on a mobile device, is not one of the permitted forms of photo ID when voting in person.”
When the board approved UNC’s One Card last month, however, Brinson Bell said UNC’s digital ID met all state requirements for voter ID. It was “not merely a copy or a photocopy,” but rather an “issued (ID) with expiration dates displayed,” she said.
UNC previously required students and employees who wanted a physical card instead of the One Card to pay a small fee, but the school recently said it would provide physical cards for free to anyone who wanted it for voting, the Associated Press reported.
Some voting rights advocates who opposed the GOP’s lawsuit said UNC’s digital IDs were as reliable and secure as physical IDs, and that blocking their use would create confusion among tens of thousands of students who use One Cards everyday.
Jeff Loperfido, chief counsel for voting rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said earlier this week a sudden reversal on the digital IDs “would upend the voting plans of an entire community and risk silencing their voices.”
The ruling by the Court of Appeals is a victory for Republicans, who sued the elections board earlier this month for approving UNC’s digital ID, and appealed a decision last week by Wake County Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory, who denied the GOP’s request for a temporary restraining order and refused to block the IDs from being used.
In their lawsuit, the Republican National Committee and N.C. Republican Party argued the digital ID doesn’t qualify under the requirements laid out in state law. Republicans said digital IDs shouldn’t be allowed because they could be easier to alter, the screens could be hard to see, and network or hardware problems could prevent the ID from being used.
In a post on social media, N.C. GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said the ruling “is a win for the people of North Carolina and for the rule of law.” “When the NC State Board of Elections exceeds their statutory authority, we will use every available option to ensure elections in this state are safe,” Simmons said.
Patrick Gannon, a spokesperson for the elections board, said the board did not have any comment on Friday’s ruling. [Source]
Housing Regulations
Peter Castagno, Port City Daily, 9/29/24
Lelad officials expressed confusion regarding appropriate enforcement of development regulations in Leland after a lobbyist-crafted law enacted widespread regulatory changes in the state. The town’s chief building official emphasized concerns that the law limits the town’s ability to manage flood risk.
Leland chief building official Daniel Knoch provided an overview of the impact of SB 166, the 2024 Building Code Reform law, at Thursday’s council meeting. The 70-page bill includes a sweeping range of provisions impacting development, fire, wastewater, and stormwater regulations in North Carolina. Knoch said ambiguous language in the bill caused confusion about appropriate enforcement. He cited a section of the bill requiring the acceptance of “reasonable” materials, design, and construction.
“It doesn’t give clarity on what is reasonable,” he said.
“SB166 is another example of the General Assembly chipping away at municipalities’ authority over development,” council member Bill McHugh told Port City Daily. McHugh argued that restraining local government authority over building regulations is inappropriate in North Carolina due to its large range of topography from mountains to coastline.
The General Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 166 earlier this month. It came a year after lawmakers overturned Cooper’s veto of a separate building code bill, House Bill 488, banning proposed energy efficiency updates for residential homes until 2031.
The recent building code reform bills stripped authority from the governor-appointed Building Code Council and created a separate body to regulate residential development.
Leland council members were discussing strengthening the town’s flood zone development ordinances after Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 deluged some areas with nearly 20 inches of rain last week. Leland’s damage assessment included 22 homes, of which 15 were considered to have major damage, and four minor.
Knoch noted recent flooding in Leland and emphasized the importance of grading — the process of reshaping land at a construction site. He expressed concerns SB 166 would limit local government authority over grading and exacerbate flooding.
“This has language that we cannot withhold a CO (certificate of occupancy) due to that and that’s a pretty big problem,” he said. “That is one of the last things we can do to protect the homeowner or business owners is ensure that a lot is graded properly. So that’s just one example.”
The NC Home Builders Association is the primary supporter of SB 166. The group described the bill as its top legislative priority of 2024 and worked for months crafting all of its provisions. NCHBA director of regulatory affairs Chris Millis told Port City Daily there is no prohibition on local governments from withholding a CO due to grading. He argued Knoch misinterpreted a section of the bill that applies to landscaping.
“There appears to be a severe misunderstanding of what the legislation actually does in contrast to individual interpretations shared in the [Leland council meeting] as there are no provisions within SB 166 that weaken flood controls, building safety, or building quality,” he said.
Millis is a former state representative in Pender County and engineer with Paramounte Engineering. He said developers would still be regulated by the residential code, which requires grading that directs surface drainage to a storm sewer or other approved point rather than foundation walls.
Millis said the section of the SB 166 in question in Leland was mainly about foundation plantings. New Hanover County commissioner Rob Zapple, an appointed member of the building code council, argued the law is open to interpretation and contended inspectors could apply it to grading at their discretion.
Zapple raised concerns about the long-term consequences of recent building code reforms on storm resiliency. He noted a provision in H.B. 488 bans local governments from requiring roof sheathing inspections unless they are exposed to winds over 140 miles per hour. “This is what happens when the legislature allows a special interest to write the rules,” Zapple said.
Critics including Gov. Roy Cooper, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, the NC Fire Marshals Association, and the NC State Fire Association have raised concerns both the Senate and House bills will reduce expertise on regulatory boards, raise insurance rates for homeowners, limit federal grant opportunities, and cause safety risks.
The North Carolina Home Builders Association disputes the arguments. It contends the building code reform bills will increase affordable housing and economic opportunity in the state without negatively impacting safety, federal grant eligibility, or insurance costs. NCHBA was heavily involved in writing both bills. It spent $346,458 on lobbying in 2023 and has spent $278,736 on campaign donations for the 2024 election, including maximum donations to local officials.
NCHBA notes it worked directly with House Speaker Tim Moore to move forward with the SB 166 veto-override vote. NCHBA has donated $52,600 to the lawmaker and the national Home Builders Association donated $5,000 to his campaign in 2023. Moore and Senate President Phil Berger — who has received $88,300 from NCHBA — appointed six NCHBA members to the Residential Code Council in June, including former NCHBA lobbyist Robert Privott. [Source]
Drug Prices
Ray Gronberg, Business NC, 9/27/24
After a while, a much-ballyhooed U.S. Senate committee hearing with Novo Nordisk’s CEO became less a roasting of Novo’s pricing of Wegovy and Ozempic and more a roasting of pharmacy benefit managers for merely existing.
Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions didn’t really follow the lead of the panel’s chairman, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wanted answers for why the list prices of the GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drugs are much higher in the U.S. than in Europe. Novo CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen repeatedly stiff-armed that question, and instead sought to put the spotlight on PBMs.
“Novo Nordisk is not the villain in this story,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, a physician and OB/GYN. “They’re a hero. We should be here celebrating this miracle innovation that’s responding to this diabetic epidemic we have in this country.”
Novo Nordisk is investing $4.1 billion and adding 1,000 jobs at a second “fill and finishing” manufacturing plant in Johnston County to meet surging demand for its weight loss and diabetes drugs, the company said in June. It now has about 2,500 employees in the Triangle region.
Amplifications of Marshall’s point came from Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Mike Braun, R-Indiana. Compared with the pharmaceutical sector, “we’re letting PBMs get away scot-free,” Kaine said.
“The complexity of our PBM system is such that it’s very hard for us to figure out just exactly who’s getting what and why,” Romney said. “And I happen to believe that one of the reasons our health care cost is so expensive, particularly as it relates to pharmaceuticals, is the opaque nature of our pricing in this country.”
Sanders said the leading PBMs have signaled a willingness to keep Novo’s flagship products on their formularies even if it cuts prices. Pressed on that, Jørgensen signaled a willingness to discuss that with the relevant players, though he’s skeptical about the PBMs’ intentions.
North Carolina U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican, joined in the HELP committee’s musings about what he called “an industry with a lot of strange incentives,” but he also used Tuesday’s hearing to launch an interesting side quest.
This came in the form of a letter from state House Speaker Tim Moore that attacked State Treasurer Dale Folwell and his supervision of the State Health Plan. Folwell has been one of the leading critics of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 pricing and earlier this year successfully urged plan trustees to drug coverage of the drugs when they’re prescribed for weight loss. He has joined forces with Sanders in blasting the drug company and urging price cuts, which could involve federal government licensing and production of the drugs.
Writing on Monday, Moore said he finds Folwell’s entire stance on GLP-1s “troubling.”
With the licensing idea (which would use a long-standing federal war-production law), Folwell has “advocated for a solution that is tantamount to a socialist takeover of the pharmaceutical industry,” Moore said. Price controls and “the redistribution of privately owned intellectual property” are “reckless ideas” that would “destroy companies that have invested billions of dollars into North Carolina,” Moore said.
That alluded to Novo’s manufacturing plant in Johnston County, which CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen said amounts to a $9 billion investment once a planned expansion occurs.
The real reason for the State Health Plan’s inability to cover GLP-1s is “the failure of Treasurer Folwell to work out a deal with pharmacy benefit managers, the ones who negotiate the price, not the manufacturer,” Moore said. [Source]
Congressional Race
Makiya Seminera, The Associated Press, 9/29/24
As Laurie Buckhout made her way around Nash County GOP headquarters in Rocky Mount, she seemed to be in high spirits. The Republican congressional candidate bounced around the crowded room, hugging and laughing with volunteers set to canvass local neighborhoods that afternoon.
But a scandal emerging in North Carolina politics was getting harder to ignore. The day before Buckhout’s Nash County visit, CNN released a bombshell report detailing alleged racist and sexual comments made by Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — the GOP nominee for governor — on an online pornography forum more than a decade ago.
Addressing the volunteers, Buckhout spoke generally about the importance of the race. Then she paused and acknowledged “the elephant in the room.”
“My fight is right here, and when you fight, the most important part is not to get distracted by somebody over there rattling sabers,” she said. “It’s to keep moving forward and fighting for this district.”
There’s a delicate balancing act unfolding in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District — a battleground district in a battleground state, and one of the few toss-up congressional races across the Southeast.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis and Buckhout are campaigning fiercely for the state’s northeastern district, but the outcome may not be entirely up to them. Candidates farther up the ballot — Vice President Kamala Harris for Davis and Robinson for Buckhout — might impact voters’ choices.
The freshman representative’s seat is one of the most vulnerable in the country, political analysts say. A loss for Davis could give Republicans a pathway to control the U.S. House.
Democratic groups from all over the country have heavily outspent Republicans on ads in the 1st District contest — $9.5 million to $3.7 million as of Friday, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign advertisement spending. As for the candidates themselves, Buckhout’s campaign has spent slightly more than Davis’.
Things could change by Election Day. Republicans, boosted by a big infusion of cash from their Congressional Leadership Fund and a new ad buy announced Friday by the National Republican Congressional Committee, have $9.1 million worth of spots reserved between now and Nov. 5, compared with $8.6 million for Democrats.
The district terrain is more challenging for Davis than when he won in 2022. It became redder after the latest GOP-led redistricting added conservative-leaning Lenoir, Wayne, Currituck and Camden counties and cut out Democratic-leaning Pitt County.
Buckhout says her military experience and her intent not to become a “professional politician” — she’s agreed to be term-limited — will allow her to get things done. Davis, meanwhile, has cultivated a reputation as a moderate Democrat in a district he knows well. He grew up in Snow Hill and has served six terms as a state senator. An Air Force veteran himself, he has sponsored legislation in Congress to help veterans. [Source]
Robinson Injury
The Associated Press, 9/28/24
North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson received burns Friday night while attending a truck show as he was campaigning for governor, his campaign said. Robinson was making an appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mount Airy when he was injured, campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan said in a statement.
Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy for second-degree burns, he added. “He is in good spirits, appreciates the outpouring of well wishes, and is excited to return to the campaign trail as scheduled first thing” Saturday morning, Lonergan said.
Lonergan didn’t immediately respond to texts seeking details on how and where the burns occurred. Robinson had made campaign stops starting Friday morning with Moore County Republicans. He has four stops scheduled for Saturday. [Source]
SNL Sketch
Jordan Schrader, The News & Observer, 9/29/24
“Saturday Night Live” had a lot to catch up on from the summer as it returned for a 50th season, including new presidential and vice-presidential candidates. But the venerable sketch comedy show also found time to feature the North Carolina political scandal making national headlines. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson got the SNL treatment.
A sketch featured the embattled Republican candidate for governor, played by Kenan Thompson, as a contestant on a celebrity version of “The $100,000 Pyramid.”
In the sketch, the fictional Robinson — like the real one — denies authorship of the racist and sexually explicit comments posted on a pornographic website. Then they play the game — in which the fictional Robinson is supposed to guess the word “drugs.”
“If the cops find this on you, you go to jail.” “My cell phone, my personal cell phone,” Thompson responds. [Source]
Trump Campaign
Paul Woolverton, CityView, 9/28/24
Former president Donald Trump has scheduled a town hall at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville on Friday, his campaign website says. “The Town Hall will bring together voters from across North Carolina and give them the power to ask questions,” the announcement says.
The event starts at 7 p.m. Friday, with doors opening at 4 p.m., the announcement says. Click here to register for general admission tickets.
The Trump and Harris campaigns have made stops around North Carolina amid tight polling between the two. North Carolina has 16 Electoral College votes. A candidate needs 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency.
Harris campaigned in Fayetteville on July 18 for the Biden-Harris ticket, just three days before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21.
Trump had campaign stops in Fayetteville in 2016 and 2020. His last public appearance there was in January 2023, when he attended a memorial service for social media influencer Lynette Hardaway of the Diamond and Silk social media duo. Diamond and Silk are from the Fayetteville region. [Source]
Voter Initiative
DJ Simmons, WFDD Radio, 9/27/24
Black churches across Guilford County held a press conference Thursday in Greensboro to announce the launch of a get-out-the-vote initiative. The collective effort called “Black Church United” aims to bring congregations together for community outreach to increase voter turnout. Pastors from churches across the state showed up in support of the initiative.
Rev. Steve Allen leads First Baptist Church in Raleigh but is originally from Greensboro. He said at the press conference democracy is at stake and this is not a time to be silent.
“Our job is to vote because we want our children to experience all of democracy, every opportunity, and we want them to be measured by the content of their character,” Allen said. “That still has value.”
Pastor Deon Clark of Equation Church said Black congregations have a responsibility because of their strong influence in communities. “It’s our job to not only teach them how to vote, but why they’re voting and how it can help because voting starts here on a local level before it even gets to a national level,” Clark said. “Local elections are more important than national elections, and we have to teach our community and our people that that’s the most important thing.”
Participating churches will hold a Souls to the Polls meeting on Oct. 17 beginning at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro. [Source]
Plane Crash
Mark Price, The Charlotte Observer, 9/29/24
Five people died when a single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames near the Wright Brothers National Memorial on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, according to the National Park Service. A child was among the dead, park officials say. Identities of the victims have not been released.
The Cirrus SR22 went down around 5:55 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in a wooded area adjacent to the memorial’s First Flight Airport, officials said.
The park still had visitors at the time of the crash and among the witnesses was a woman who reported the plane lost altitude too rapidly while trying to land, WVEC said.
The First Flight Airstrip has a single asphalt runway, 3,000 feet long and 60 feet wide. It is adjacent to the memorial. Wright Brothers National Memorial was closed Sunday, Sept. 29, as the National Transportation Safety Board and local officials investigated the crash, officials said. [Source]
Carrboro Award
Caroline Horne, The Daily Tar Heel, 9/24/24
Earlier this month, Carrboro received the national Leading the Way Award, recognizing its quality performance in overall quality of services, customer service and usage of public funding. The award was presented by ETC Institute — an organization that gathers data on local government satisfaction — following its DirectionFinder Survey, which measures resident satisfaction, issued earlier this year.
The survey, created in 1999, has been issued to almost two million people across the United States, though this is the first year ETC Institute has formally recognized its top performers.
Other North Carolina towns won a Leading the Way Award too, including Hillsborough, Concord and Holly Springs. Carrboro Communications Director Catherine Lazorko said Durham and Chapel Hill also participated in the survey this year.
Carrboro outpaced national averages by more than 20 percent in different sections of the survey including racial equity advancement, public works and police services. [Source]s have made temporary repairs, and the water pressure is building back up, the release said. [Source]
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