YOU DON’T SAY

“People should be able to have differing opinions without fear of violence or threats.”

Attorney General Josh Stein, in response to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (McClatchy, 7/14/24)

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Assassination Attempt

Danielle Battaglia, McClatchy, 7/14/24

Former President Donald Trump is “safe” after what authorities confirmed was an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left Trump bloodied.

North Carolina’s elected officials immediately took to social media reacting to the shooting. “This was a heinous assassination attempt and thank God that President Trump is safe,” Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Mecklenburg County, wrote. “Keep praying for those who were shot. Violence in our political system can never be tolerated.”

Law enforcement officials confirmed an attendee is dead and so is the suspected shooter, with two other attendees critically injured.

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, posted on social media that “violence has no place in our politics or communities.”

“I am grateful for the quick response by law enforcement today and hope former President Trump is not seriously injured.”

His words echoed those of Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Charlotte who is running for attorney general, and who called for the person responsible to be held fully accountable. “Political violence indelibly stains countries,” Jackson wrote. “It must always, always be rejected. Our sincere appreciation to the Secret Service, and may our former president recover quickly and fully.”

Trump was speaking about immigration on stage as several pops were heard. He grabbed his right ear and Secret Service moved him from the stage. Blood could be seen on his face.

Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Secret Service, wrote in a statement that a spectator was killed and two others were critically injured, after “a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. US Secret Service neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated.”

The shooting came just 48 hours before the Republican National Convention is set to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday.

“Renee and I are Praying for God’s protection of President Donald Trump,” wrote Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from Southern Pines. “I am in shock — this is unAmerican. God help us…”

Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, asked her constituents to pray for Trump, while Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from Wilmington, offered his prayers to Trump and those attending the rally. House Speaker Tim Moore also offered his prayers.

Former members of Congress from North Carolina also tweeted their support. Former Rep. Mark Walker offered his prayers.

Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn tweeted, “THEY WILL NEVER STOP THIS MAN.”

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican running for governor, called for peace. “We see what’s happening here in America right now,” Robinson wrote. “Passions are inflamed on both sides of the aisle. But please, let’s all remember who we are. We are Americans. And let’s unify in the fact that violence has no place in political discourse.”

State Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, said he was outraged, calling political violence abhorrent and saying that it has no place in America. “I pray for his health and am grateful he was able to walk off the stage tonight,” Stein said. “I appreciate the Secret Service and law enforcement for their immediate response. I am also praying for our deeply divided country. People should be able to have differing opinions without fear of violence or threats.” [Source]

 

PFAS Records

Adam Wagner, The News & Observer, 7/13/24

A state environmental board member said remarks he made during a public meeting Thursday were intended to clarify how the Environmental Management Commission responds to public records requests, not subvert the process.

Charlie Carter, an environmental attorney, is serving his third four-year term on the commission, which oversees N.C. Department of Environmental Quality regulations. At the end of Thursday’s regular meeting of the commission, Carter said he was “uncomfortable” with a “so-called public records request” the commission received. He expressed specific reservations about fulfilling requests via the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s public information office and argued that the Environmental Management Commission is effectively a separate entity.

“I think we need to put something in place very quickly to get those (public records) procedures and get this and any other requests handled properly. If anybody is providing anything currently, that should go to our counsel and not to anybody at the department. I don’t think there’s any question about that. So I would respectfully request that we move quickly to put something in place as far as the bylaws,” Carter said during the meeting.

Carter’s remarks caused concern among some open government advocates who worried they could represent an attempt by the commission to avoid complying with the state’s public records law.

“There’s no doubt that these are bodies solely conducting state business and that whoever controls them, they’re subject to the Public Records Act,” Kym Meyer, the Southern Environmental Law Center’s litigation director, said in an interview. Meyer is also the immediate past president of the N.C. Open Government Coalition.

At issue is the response to a request from Lisa Sorg, an environmental journalist now working for Inside Climate News who asked for records pertaining to the rule-making effort around PFAS substances.

Last week, two commission committees voted to delay decisions on groundwater and surface water standards for the chemicals until September. It was the second consecutive meeting at which DEQ staff have argued they are ready to move forward with the rules and the committees have voted to wait.

Powerful business interests including the NC Chamber have urged the commission to delay action, citing new drinking water standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and potential costs of complying with the state’s rules.

Right now, public records requests are sent to an attorney with the N.C. Department of Justice who gathers responses from the commissioners and, theoretically, then passes them along to DEQ for a return to the person making the request.

Carter told The News & Observer that his comments were not a suggestion that environmental commission members should try to get around the state law, but rather a call for a bylaw that would explain how requests could best be submitted to the commission and where members should send their responses. “It’s not to block anything, it’s just to at least put something in place that sets out what the proper process is here. That’s all I’m really talking about,” Carter said.

JD Solomon, the commission’s chairman, created a “working group” consisting of himself, Carter and fellow commission member Michael Ellison to address the matter.

Those bylaws could include elements like how long records should be retained, how members coordinate with attorneys to respond to requests and how members should keep public and private email accounts separate, Meyer suggested.

“You could certainly have bylaws which would keep you in compliance with the law, but committee bylaws can’t overrule state laws,” Meyer said.

North Carolina’s public records law is clear that any document members of the Environmental Management Commission creates in the course of their work should be made public, with some specific exceptions such as confidential communications with the commission’s legal counsel.

“The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions are the property of the people,” says Chapter 132, section 1 of North Carolina’s General Statutes. Public records laws apply to any public officer or official “state or local, elected or appointed” belonging to any unit of government, the statute says. That includes members of boards and commissions, but also institutions, bureaus, councils, authorities and departments.

The state law defines a public record as anything “made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions.”

The Environmental Management Commission is one of several state boards whose membership was overhauled last year to take majority control from Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

Republican appointees now make up a majority of the commission, with Senate leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler all appointing members. Carter was most recently appointed by Berger. [Source]

 

RNC Speakers

Joe Marusak and Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer, 7/13/24

Evangelist Franklin Graham and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be among the keynote speakers at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and RNC officials announced Saturday.

The North Carolina Republican Party previously announced Robinson as one of 72 N.C. delegates to the convention. Robinson is the Republican nominee for governor in this year’s election, facing off against Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein. Graham is president of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is named after his late father Billy Graham. He also leads the Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse international crisis-response organization. The Republican National Convention begins Monday and ends Thursday.

Also chosen to speak at the convention: Annette Albright, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board candidate; and a group of UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who held up an American flag during a campus protest. On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., was selected as the only member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation to speak at the convention, Trump’s campaign said. Hudson also is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Albright, who ran for the CMS board multiple times, is one of more than 20 “everyday Americans” scheduled to address the GOP in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the party nominates former President Donald Trump, according to an announcement from the Trump campaign.

The schedule describes Albright as “a lifelong Democrat” who “even ran for local office as a Democrat.”

“After seeing a decline in her community and realizing how Democrats have failed Black Americans, she will proudly be voting for President Donald J. Trump for the first time this year,” it says.

During her 2023 campaign for an at-large seat on the CMS board — a nonpartisan election — Albright and two other candidates were accused by a progressive group of having ties to the Republican Party of Mecklenburg County.

Carolina Forward claimed the party was “trying to ‘pull a Cotham’ again” — a reference to the state legislator who flipped parties from Democrat to Republican — by secretly supporting a “CMS Unity” ticket that included Albright. The MeckGOP denied those claims.
A Charlotte Observer report found Albright was registered to vote as unaffiliated, but campaign finance filings showed all three candidates shared a P.O. box and treasurer with some Republican politicians and political action committees.

The Mecklenburg Democratic Party promoted three other candidates in the election. Albright finished sixth out of 14 candidates and didn’t win a seat.

After Friday’s announcement, Albright told the Observer she was a Democrat for decades before switching her party affiliation to unaffiliated in 2017 after she first ran for school board. “I kind of saw that both sides play the same games, so I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know where I fit in,’” she said, adding she continued to vote Democratic for years. But after the controversy during last year’s election, things changed. Albright said she faced death threats, racism and comments about her family online in the wake of her 2023 campaign.

Albright continued to post on social media about politics after the elections, including her “frustrations with trying to work with the Democratic Party to make positive changes in the public school system.” She believes those posts are what brought her to the attention of the Trump campaign.

In Milwaukee, Albright plans to share her story and why she thinks Republicans have a better plan to improve education. “I believe that the Trump administration will be more policy driven rather than trying to implement social programs into the school system that are not working,” she said. Albright added her views on school discipline are “more conservative.”

She sued CMS for wrongful termination after she was fired after a 2016 video circulated of her being attacked by students at Harding High School. The suit was settled in 2018. [Source 1] [Source 2]

 

Medicaid Expansion

The Associated Press, 7/12/24

More than 500,000 North Carolina residents have enrolled in the state’s Medicaid expansion program since it went live about seven months ago, officials announced Friday. Gov. Roy Cooper, joined by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley and two health care professionals held a news conference to tout the enrollment number as a significant milestone for the program. The original goal was to enroll 600,000 people in the Medicaid expansion over two years, Cooper said.

The number of enrollees was 503,967 as of Friday morning, according to the governor’s office.

Expanding Medicaid had been a major goal of Cooper’s since the Democrat took office in 2017. The plan to broaden the pool of eligible adults received bipartisan support from state legislators last year and started Dec. 1. Within the first few weeks, almost 300,000 people had signed up under the expansion. Under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the federal government pays 90% of the cost.

“We never, ever, ever gave up. And that’s why we’re standing here today,” Cooper said.

Almost 2 million prescriptions have been filled for new Medicaid enrollees, many of which treat chronic conditions such as seizures or heart diseases, Kinsley said at the news conference. Dental services have also seen increased claims under Medicaid due to the expansion, he said.

“We’re not just getting people covered. We are getting people care,” Kinsley said. He also called for increasing provider rates in the Medicaid program, which was included in Cooper’s budget proposal this year. [Source]

 

UNC Chancellor

Brian Murphy, WRAL News, 7/14/24

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill raised a whopping $5 billion during its recent five-year Campaign for Carolina. Now, as the university searches for its next permanent chancellor, a prominent member of the school’s search committee says that type of fundraising haul should be expected of the next leader.

“One billion dollars a year in fundraising,” UNC Board of Trustees member Jennifer Lloyd told the committee focused on selecting chancellor candidates in June. “We have to be sober about that fact here: No matter how great the chancellor candidates, at the end of the day, the chancellor has a tangible deliverable goal on private giving.”

During the Campaign for Carolina fundraising effort, the university raised more than $5.1 billion from more than 230,000 donors from October 2017 through December 2022. UNC believes it is the first public school in the South to complete a $5-billion campaign. The need for private dollars has only increased since with schools seeking increased funding for research, faculty salaries, student scholarships and campus buildings.

Former UNC chancellor Holden Thorp, who served from 2008 to 2013, told WRAL that during his tenure the university raised about $250 million annually. “I used to say we have to raise a million dollars every day, but we take Saturday and Sunday off,” Thorp said. “That’s grown a lot since then.” He added: “For a big-time university like Carolina, a billion dollars a year is not a crazy number.”

The June 11 Chancellor Search Advisory Committee meeting was focused on “the leadership profile” for interested applicants that the committee has since made public in a lengthy document. Lloyd said that fundraising prowess should be used to weed out candidates and that it was not nearly prominent enough in the profile.

“Candidates deserve to know what is expected of them,” Lloyd said.

Former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz left UNC to become the president at Michigan State University on Jan. 12. He was initially named interim UNC chancellor in February 2019 and then became the permanent chancellor in October 2020.

Lee Roberts is the school’s interim chancellor. Prominent Republican lawmakers, such as House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger — who are influential in the process that determine university funding — publicly called for Roberts to get the permanent job after his handling of campus protests in April.

The search committee, which was formed on Feb. 12, must forward at least three candidates to the UNC Board of Trustees. The trustees will then submit three of those candidates to the UNC System Board of Governors and President Peter Hans, who makes the final decision. Roberts is eligible to apply for the position, but applications are not made public.

Roberts, a member of the UNC System Board of Governors before becoming interim chancellor, was the state’s budget director under former Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican. He is the founder and managing partner of SharpVue Capital, a Raleigh-based private investment firm. [Source]

RNC Security

Danielle Battaglia, McClatchy, 7/14/24

North Carolina delegate Michele Woodhouse was walking with former Chief Justice Mark Martin in downtown Milwaukee taking in the early sights and sounds of the Republican National Convention when she started receiving messages that former President Donald Trump had been shot.

On Saturday evening, Trump was speaking on stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when, law enforcement say, 20-year-old Matthew Thomas Crooks fired shots from a nearby rooftop — striking Trump in the ear, killing Corey Comperatore, 50, and seriously injuring two other men attending the rally.

“I really hurried back to the hotel and we were in the lobby with the other delegates watching the replay of it and to see President Trump’s bloody face,” Woodhouse said. “Holding up his fist as Secret Service is trying to hold him down. You could hear the chants of ‘USA.’”

She said they all stood together trying to absorb what they had just seen. Among the group were North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons and NCGOP Finance Director Sarah Newby, daughter of Chief Justice Paul Newby.

The NCGOP already announced it will no longer welcome press at its events. Other state parties have done the same.

Woodhouse, of Hendersonville, serves as chairwoman of North Carolina’s 11th District Republicans. It’s a role she has previously served in but stepped down from in 2021 to run unsuccessfully for Congress. She also hosts a radio show in Raleigh.

Republicans had for weeks been worried about whether Trump would make it to RNC because of a scheduled July 11 sentencing on 34 criminal convictions for business fraud over hush money payments made in connection to an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. But when the sentencing was put on hold, Republicans had assurances that Trump could make the convention. Now the delegates from North Carolina were staring at television screens concerned about the former president’s injuries.

Woodhouse is annoyed by the political left, which she feels is watering down what happened by describing the shooting as “political violence.” “I think it was 100% an assassination attempt, with someone murdered, and attempted murders on others,” Woodhouse said.

She said political violence describes a “protest” or “burning a flag,” but not this. She also blames “partisan rhetoric” for the shooting. “There’s years of language around ‘He’s a threat to democracy,’” Woodhouse said. “You start to use that language over and over and over and you have Kathy Griffin holding a bloody head. I think when one side takes that on as their narrative, sadly something like this is destined to happen,” Woodhouse said.

In 2017, Griffin, a comedian, created a photo of herself holding a bloody, decapitated fake replica of Trump’s head. It led to the star being essentially canceled.

Woodhouse believes the shooting will become unifying for the Republicans attending the rally. She believes speeches are being rewritten. She wonders if the themes will change. But she thinks North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be the person to watch.

“He’s one who tends to be incredibly bombastic,” Woodhouse said. “What does he do?” She also is interested in how Democrats respond in the coming days.

“When all of your advertisement is Donald Trump is the biggest threat to democracy and then someone tries to kill him,” Woodhouse said. “What is your messaging?” [Source]

 

Church Scrutiny

Will Doran, WRAL News, 7/12/24

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, is hitting back at critics of a secretive church in rural North Carolina whose leaders have been accused of a litany of crimes over the years — and who have also given Robinson’s political campaign tens of thousands of dollars.

Word of Faith Fellowship in Rutherford County has faced investigations for child abuse, slavery and beatings during prayer sessions. News reports show that some of its ministers have been convicted of crimes including molestation and a financial fraud scheme across multiple businesses owned and staffed by church members. Critics call it a cult — including some of the dozens of former members interviewed by the Associated Press for an investigative series in 2017.

Word of Faith lawyers denied the various accusations to the Associated Press for those articles. They also issued denials to WRAL, when Robinson’s fundraiser with the church’s founders and other top leaders brought it back into the spotlight.

Robinson’s campaign last week declined to answer a list of questions about Robinson’s relationship with the organization. Robinson also refused to take questions Wednesday from reporters after an event at the state legislature, calling attempts to interview him “pure shameful.” That same day he conducted an interview with conservative talk radio host Pete Kaliner, who asked Robinson about the Word of Faith fundraiser.

“You’re getting flak for another church speech,” Kaliner said. “Are you aware of this, too? Was it World of Faith, or something?” Robinson said he was aware.

“That was just ridiculous,” Robinson responded. “It’s just some people that, you know, they don’t like that church. And so then they’re just trying to besmirch them. Besmirch me by besmirching them. It’s really, again, just total dishonesty.”

Neither Robinson or Kaliner brought up any of the specific allegations or convictions involving church leaders. Robinson’s campaign also didn’t immediately respond Friday to a WRAL request for more comment on the church — or to say how much money Robinson raised at the church leaders’ fundraiser Tuesday.

Robinson has trailed his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, in fundraising. As of February, campaign finance data shows, Stein’s campaign had raised $19.1 million and had $12.7 million left to spend. Robinson had raised $10.7 million by that same period, with $4.5 million left to spend.

Stein’s campaign released its second-quarter numbers last week — showing that Stein had raised $32.9 million by the end of June, with $15.9 million still left to spend. Robinson’s campaign hasn’t released its second-quarter fundraising numbers. A campaign spokesman didn’t respond to a WRAL request for details about when the data might be made public. [Source]

 

Third Parties

Will Doran, WRAL News, 7/14/24

The North Carolina Board of Elections plans to vote this week on whether Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Cornel West should be allowed to appear as presidential candidates on North Carolina’s 2024 ballots. The board announced a 10:30 a.m. meeting on Tuesday to take up that debate and other matters.

Republicans have slammed the Democratic-controlled elections board for not yet approving Kennedy’s We The People Party and West’s Justice For All Party. An initial vote to let the two parties on the ballot last month failed in a 2-3 vote, with the election board’s two Republicans wanting to put them on the ballot but the three Democratic members opposed.

The Democrats on the board and its professional staff have said that even though the two parties have submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, there are unresolved legal questions about how they got those signatures. Republicans say that shouldn’t matter — and that the real reason Kennedy and West aren’t being allowed on the ballot is because polling shows they could cut into President Joe Biden’s support in this key swing state.

Tuesday’s meeting could be the final vote on the matter, or it could lead to yet another delay. [Source]

 

Alcohol Rules

Destinee Patterson, WRAL News, 7/12/24

The Covid-era exception that allowed alcoholic drinks for carryout or delivery is here to stay. Last week – Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law making it permanent, as part of the ABC Omnibus Bill. The to-go drinks must be sealed, up to 24 ounces and sold with food.

“When food is delivered or take out, people will still have to present their ID, just they just as they currently do. And if it’s an Uber Eats or a DoorDash delivery person who’s delivering that order, they will have to check an ID, and will be responsible for that. Also, the alcohol that is taken out will have to be in a designated sealed container,” said Lynn Minges, the president and CEO of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Alcoholic drinks must be delivered to a person, not left on the front porch. Plus, if the drink is in a bag or box, it needs to clearly state that it contains alcohol. The law also notes training requirements for delivery drivers.

Minges called the bill “an important measure” for businesses. “It obviously adds to the incremental check and increases their profits as well,” she told WRAL News.

The law also changes several other liquor laws. It allows the ABC store to sell gift cards and open on major holidays, like New Year’s Day, July 4 and Labor Day. Beer and wine can also be sold at community college events. [Source]

 

Bridge Grant

Port City Daily, 7/12/24

A major artery connecting motorists entering Wilmington from across the state has received a major boost from the federal Department of Transportation. The Biden administration announced a $242 million grant — the most allowed under its Bridge Investment Program, part of Biden’s Infrastructure Law — has been awarded to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. The replacement has been estimated to cost around $485 million for a 135-foot fixed overpass along the Cape Fear River. It would be able to accommodate ships and built with an additional two lanes.

Multiple senators and local legislators wrote to the U.S. Department of Transportation earlier in the winter in support of the grant, including U.S. senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, both Republicans.

Tillis wrote in a statement Friday that he called U.S. Secretary Pete Buttigieg about this project to explain the importance of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge’s replacement. “This was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation that I’m proud to have helped author and pass into law,” Tillis wrote. “It’s already provided more than $10 billion to rebuild North Carolina’s infrastructure, and the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement is the latest project that will benefit our great state.”

The bridge replacement has not scored well on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 10-year evaluation until earlier this year when it was submitted twice: once with a toll option and again without. The non-tolled option ranked 241, with the toll option ranking in the top 10 and NCDOT committing $85 million to it. That leaves more than $150 million to cover the remaining cost, but only if the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization votes for a toll and another grant isn’t secured.

However, the NCDOT also applied for a Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant in the spring. The U.S. Department of Transportation anticipates the opportunity will award approximately $5.1 billion for this round from FY2025 and FY2026 funding.

The governor’s office was notified of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $242 million award to the Cape Fear region Friday. “This major grant from the Biden Administration is a game changer for the people of Southeastern North Carolina,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a release. “The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a critical lifeline for Wilmington and our economy, used every day by thousands of residents, tourists headed to the beach and truck drivers going to and from the port.” [Source]

 

VinFast Delay

Chris Roush, Business NC, 7/13/24

Vietnamese electronic car maker VinFast says it’s delaying manufacturing at its planned North Carolina plant until 2028. The company said that the decision will allow it “to optimize its capital allocation and manage its short-term spending more effectively, focusing more resources on supporting near-term growth targets and strengthening existing operations.”
In April, the company had said that construction of its $4 billion manufacturing plant in Moncure was still scheduled to begin operation by the end of 2025.

“We have adopted a more prudent outlook that is carefully calibrated to near-term headwinds, taking into full consideration the realities of market volatility and potential challenges,” said Madam Thuy Le, chair of its board of directors, in a statement. “Our robust long-term strategy and proven execution capabilities position us well to meet the evolving needs of the dynamic global EV market.”

VinFast said it now anticipates delivering approximately 80,000 electric vehicles in 2024, down from its previous projection of 100,000. The company delivered 34,855 vehicles in 2023. The automaker originally scheduled its North Carolina operations to begin at the end of 2024, but administrative tasks led VinFast to postpone the beginning of operation until 2025.

North Carolina made a significant investment to attract VinFast, including $450 million in state appropriation funds to prepare the site and water and sewer infrastructure.

VinFast has promised to spend about $2 billion in the project’s first phase, then another $2 billion down the road. The company expects to eventually employ 7,500 people and to produce as many as 150,000 electric vehicles annually in North Carolina. Annual salaries are slated to average about  $51,000.

VinFast has signed 16 U.S. dealership agreements.

VinFast, which has yet to make a profit, posted a net loss of $618 million in the first quarter. Revenue nearly tripled from a year earlier but fell 31% from the previous three months. Its stock price fell 5 cents to $4.85 on Friday. The 52-week high is $93. [Source]

Asheville Amtrak

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times, 7/10/24

In a May 2024 survey released by the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, three major infrastructure projects were highlighted as being the most positively received by Western North Carolina residents, including the WNC Passenger Rail and part of the I-26 Connector projects.

The 84-page public survey report was developed as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Strategic Transportation Prioritization program, also known as SPOT, which helps determine what projects an MPO should recommend for funding using a scoring system. The survey had 1,761 respondents, most of them from Buncombe, Transylvania and Henderson counties.

Due to the positive responses and high SPOT score, the planning organization voted to include the WNC Passenger Rail Plan in draft recommendations for funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation during the board’s June 20 meeting.

The FBRMPO also voted to recommend five highway access management and modernization projects in Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison Counties.

During the meeting, FBRMPO Director Tristan Winkler said the project would hopefully receive funding from both the NCDOT and regional state partners to combine for the estimated $130 million match to federal funding. “There’s still a lot of hurdles we have to get through, but this project being in the pipeline — this is the furthest along we’ve been,” Winkler said.

Of the projects reviewed in the region, the WNC Passenger Rail plan received the highest number of positive responses, with 79% of those surveyed responding positively to the plan. The I-26 Connector improvements to the I-40 and I-26 interchange, which is expected to cost $284 million for right-of-way and construction, was the second most positively received project in the region. The third was the Richland Creek Greenway project in Waynesville.

The survey also looked at the projects with the least favorable reception in the region, with the widening of I-40 from Monte Vista Road to Wiggins Road receiving the most negative public responses. The project is estimated to cost over $200 million, according to the most recent update of the 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Plan. It is not currently funded. [Source]

 

Deaths

News Release, 7/13/24

Mike Smith, the longest-serving board member on the Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County, passed away recently surrounded by family members and friends. Smith served from 1990-2023 as a school board member. Smith worked faithfully during his tenure as a board member and his decisions were driven by his love for his community and his commitment to the children of the Public Schools of Robeson County.

Smith served as chairman and leader of multiple committees during his time as a member of the Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education. He also was very involved in his Red Springs community, serving as a member of various civic groups. [Source]

 

Hospital CEO

David Mildenberg, Business NC, 7/12/24

Chuck Mantooth is retiring as president and CEO of UNC Health Appalachian hospital, effective Jan. 1, according to system officials. He joined the Boone hospital in 1992 and has been CEO since 2017.
“When we began discussing his retirement in Fall 2023, we asked him to give us another year and continue through 2024 and he graciously agreed,” Jim Deal, chair of the hospital’s board, said in a release. “His vision, dedication, and commitment to improving healthcare for the communities of northwest North Carolina have left an indelible mark on the organization.”

In May 2022, UNC Health said it approved a 10-year management services agreement with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, the main hospital system serving the Boone and High Country area. Financial details weren’t disclosed. Appalachian considered eight potential partners before selecting UNC Health, officials said at the time. UNC Health includes 16 hospitals across the state, including its flagship site in Chapel Hill. Appalachian operates two acute-care hospitals and a behavioral health hospital and more than 20 clinics and outpatient sites.

During Mantooth’s tenure, the system opened the Watauga Medical Center patient care tower and advanced surgery center and developed a family medicine residency program. It also started various programs related to rural health, mental health services, and chronic disease management.

A search committee has been formed to identify Mantooth’s successor. [Source]

 

Triad Solar

Paul Garber, WFDD Radio, 7/12/24

Solarize the Triad, a new private-public coalition is working to expand solar energy usage in the region. The program is designed to boost solar energy through community outreach and group purchasing of materials and services.

Piedmont Environmental Alliance Green Jobs Program Manager Will Eley says the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allowed local governments and nonprofits access to tax credits for solar installations. That move was a game changer, he says. But navigating the paperwork and technology has been a barrier that has kept many groups from taking advantage. Through the program, community groups will be able to generate their own power through solar installations on their buildings.

Nonprofits involved in the effort include large regional agencies such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and community-based organizations like Winston-Salem’s Boston-Thurmond United. [Source]

Legislative Sessions, Studies and Meetings

LB: LEGISLATIVE BUILDING. LOB: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING

LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS:

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOUSE

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

• Placed On Cal For 07/29/2024
  • HB 155 (Sossamon) TITLES FOR OFF-ROAD VEH./LOW SPEED VEH. INSP
  • HB 556 (Wheatley) TENANCY IN COM./E-NOTARY/SMALLCLAIMS CHANGES
  • HB 690 (Warren) NO CENTRL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY PMTS TO STATE

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SENATE

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

• Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
  • SB 445 (Daniel) RECORDING OF COURT-FILED DOCUMENTS
• Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM

HOUSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Tuesday, July 23

• 9:00 A.M. | House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform, Auditorium.

HOUSE CALENDAR

Wednesday, July 29, 2024

• House Convenes at 12:00 P.M.

SENATE CALENDAR

Wednesday, July 29, 2024

• House Convenes at 12:00 P.M.

HOUSE & SENATE: Reconvening allowed under provisions of SB 916, if no sine die adjournment previously adopted.

• Monday, July 29 to Thursday Aug. 1
• Monday, Sept. 9 to Wednesday, Sept. 11
• Wednesday, Oct. 9
• Tuesday, Nov. 19 to Friday Nov. 22
• Wednesday, Dec. 11 to Friday Dec. 13

N.C. Government Meetings and Hearings

BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS

Monday, July 15

• 1:30 p.m. | NC Dept. of Agriculture  – 3RD QUARTER BOARD OF AGRICULTURE MEETING, 4400 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh.

Tuesday, July 16

• 10:30 a.m. | North Carolina Spiritous Liquor Advisory Council  – 3rd Quarter Meeting, 2 West Edenton St, Raleigh.

Wednesday, July 17

• 9 a.m. | The North Carolina Real Estate Commission Meeting, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh.
• 1 p.m. | N.C. Plant Conservation Board meets to discuss items related to land conservation, stewardship efforts of the N.C. Plant Conservation Program, and regulatory matters, Rankin Science South, Room 210B Appalachian State University, Boone; for information on joining remotely, visit: Joining Remotely. Contact: Julian Wilson, 919-707-3758 or [email protected].

Thursday, July 18

• 8 a.m. | North Carolina Medical Board Meeting – July 2024 Meeting, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh.
• 9:30 a.m. | North Carolina Turnpike Authority meets, 1 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh.

Thursday, Aug. 1

• 6 p.m. | The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality Public Hearing on Moriah Energy Center Draft Air Quality Permit, Vance-Granville Community College, 200 Community College Road, Henderson.

Monday, Aug. 5

• 9 a.m. | The Board Development Committee of The North Carolina Partnership for Children meets, The meeting will be held via Zoom. You may contact Yvonne Huntley at 984.221.1242 or email at [email protected] for additional information.

Tuesday, Aug. 6

• 9 a.m. | The Council of State meets. 1 South Wilmington St, Raleigh.

Monday, Aug. 19

• 2 p.m. | The Executive Committee of The North Carolina Partnership for Children meets, The meeting will be held via Zoom. You may contact Yvonne Huntley at 984.221.1242 or email at [email protected] for additional information.

UNC Board of Governors

23 S. WEST STREET, SUITE 1800, RALEIGH

Wednesday, July 24

• T.B.A. | The UNC Board of Governors, UNC System Office.

Thursday, July 25

• T.B.A. | The UNC Board of Governors, UNC System Office.

N.C. Utilities Commission Hearing Schedule

DOBBS BUILDING, 430 NORTH SALISBURY STREET, RALEIGH

Monday, July 22

• 2 p.m. | Expert Witness Hearing – Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC and Duke Energy Progress, LLC 2023 Biennial CPIRP | E-100 Sub 190
• 2 p.m. | Expert Public Witness Hearing – Joint Application of DEP and NCEMC for CPCN to Construct a 1360MW Electric Generating Facility in Person County, NC | E-2 Sub 1318, EC-67 Sub 55
• 2 p.m. | Expert Witness Hearing – Application for CPCN for 850 MW Natural Gas-Fired Combustion Turbine Electric Generating Facility Located at 8320 NC Highway 150 E, Terrell, NC 28682 in Catawba County | E-7 Sub 1297

Other Meetings and Events of Interest

BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS

Saturday, July 20

• 7 p.m. | North Carolina Democratic Party Unity Dinner, Raleigh Convention Center.

Saturday, July 27

• 9 a.m. | North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans Convention, The Farm at 95, Selma.