YOU DON’T SAY
“It’s Project Don’t Look Crazy.”
Republican strategist Larry Shaheen, on next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (The Charlotte Observer, 7/11/24)
GOP Delegates
Danielle Battaglia, McClatchy, 7/11/24
Republicans are flocking to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to choose their party’s presidential nominee, and 74 people from North Carolina will be part of that process.
The North Carolina Republican Party is sending 42 people to represent the state’s 14 congressional districts and 29 at-large delegates, as well as the state party’s chairman, committeeman and committeewoman.
They will cast the votes that are expected to officially make former President Donald Trump and his running mate the party’s nominees for president and vice president. The NCGOP has released a partial list of the delegates attending the national convention, which will be July 15 to 18.
That includes A.J. Daoud, a native North Carolinian living in Pilot Mountain, who owns a multimillion-dollar funeral business. He formerly served as chairman of the state lottery commission and has held numerous leadership positions within the state party. “I felt very honored to be elected by the NCGOP statewide, as a whole, along with our prominent leaders like Sen. Ted Budd,” Daoud said.
Three of the delegates are automatic: Chairman Jason Simmons, Committeeman Ed Broyhill and Committeewoman Kyshia Lineberger. Then three people from each of the state’s 14 districts are selected to serve as delegates. Finally, another 29 people are selected at-large.
All 72 delegates also come with alternates in case something happens and they have to leave the convention. This year, Daoud said, the NCGOP did something new and created a second list of alternates. “In ‘16, particularly, there were people coming to Cleveland who just showed up for one day and then left,” Daoud said. “So if the delegate leaves, then the alternate comes up.”
This time, they’re prepared, though he said party leaders think it’s less likely because of the distance between Wisconsin and North Carolina. Delegates are traveling farther than they did in 2016 for the convention in Cleveland. “So you have three lists that have been created,” Daoud said. “You have the delegates list, the alternates list and then you have the backup alternates.”
NCGOP published the list of at-large delegates and their alternates online, but have not made publicly available the rest of the names. Party spokesman Matt Mercer provided another 12 previously unannounced names of delegates to McClatchy, along with repeat names and alternates.
He noted it was the longest list he planned to compile. That means only 44 of the 72 delegates’ names have been released at the time of publication.
The known names include Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, House Speaker Tim Moore, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, state Sen. Brad Overcash and state Rep. Kyle Hall. Alternates include some of North Carolina’s congressional candidates, like Laurie Buckhout, Brad Knott, Mark Harris and Addison McDowell.
Daoud said until 2015, the NCGOP chairperson chose the at-large delegates. Now, an at-large selection committee accepts applications and makes recommendations to the chairman, who then signs off on the names and brings it before the state convention for the body to approve. Daoud said often an elected official’s busy schedule keeps them from attending district conventions, but it wouldn’t be right to keep them from consideration, so they end up as at-large delegates. Others, like Daoud, are active with the party statewide. [Source]
Teacher Requirements
Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL News, 7/11/24
A skills test required of most prospective teachers would disappear, under a recommendation from the State Board of Education on Thursday. Board members made the recommendation Thursday, in the hopes that removing the test requirement would result in more people entering the teaching profession as teacher turnover hits new highs. That was after officials with the state Department of Public Instruction said passage of the test wasn’t correlated with higher quality teaching metrics.
The board adopted the cancellation of this test at the state’s public teacher colleges as a part of its legislative agenda, meaning lawmakers would have to ultimately agree to it. While the board voted 8-3 to make the recommendation, its three Republican members voted against it, including Lt. Gov Mark Robinson and Treasurer Dale Folwell. The General Assembly has a Republican supermajority. Last year, lawmakers decided to make subject-area licensure exams — different from the skills test required in college — optional in certain cases for active teachers with limited licenses.
Prospective and active teachers must already meet a number of other requirements, supporters of the board’s recommendation said.
During a board meeting last month, adviser and former state Teacher of the Year Leah Carper noted that charter school teachers don’t have to be licensed at all — only traditional public school teachers do. She said a large percentage of current teachers — including the 2023 Teacher of the Year Kim Jones — never took the test because they didn’t major in education.
“There is absolutely no correlation between an excellent educator and someone who passes that test,” Carper said.
Board Member Olivia Oxendine, who voted against the measure, said she understood that teachers are assessed in multiple ways annually once they become teachers. But she said she still believed exams while teaching candidates are still college students are essential to ensuring the best people are graduating from the state’s teacher colleges. “It’s important that we maintain the highest of standards when it comes to ensuring the highest quality, the most competent level of future teacher to place in our classrooms,” Oxendine said.
Only college students entering educator preparation programs have to take the tests, which are currently the Praxis Core exams. People who seek to become teachers without an education degree — the fastest-growing type of prospective teacher that now makes up more than a third of new teachers — don’t have to take the exams.
The skills test is required by state law as a way of filtering out teaching candidates thought to be less prepared for the profession. But North Carolina Department of Public Instruction leaders compared teachers who passed the exam to teachers who didn’t have to take it and found no ultimate difference in performance once they took the helm of classrooms. They were just as likely as one another to satisfy their supervisors, perform well on evaluations and meet or exceed test score growth expectations, according to the department.
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state waived the exam requirement while test administration was disrupted. That waiver correlated with about 1,000 more teaching candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs, DPI data show. The year after the waiver, the number of teaching candidates enrolled dropped by about 1,600 people.
Teachers are already required to have 2.7 grade-point averages and must show competency in several areas before graduating college. Teachers colleges are held accountable for their students’ outcomes. If Praxis Core were removed as a requirement to enter an educator preparation program, educators still must, in most cases, pass a licensure exam in their subject areas once they begin teaching. [Source]
Hurricanes Hire
The Associated Press, 7/11/24
A top aide to a powerful North Carolina state legislator was named Thursday as the chief executive officer of the parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes. Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon announced the hiring of Brian Fork, who has worked for state Senate leader Phil Berger since 2018, and as his chief of staff since late 2020.
Fork, a Raleigh native and previous private-practice attorney, will oversee all business units of Hurricanes Holdings LLC, including the team, PNC Arena and the mixed-use real estate development plans surrounding the venue, a Hurricanes news release said. The development also includes a planned sportsbook.
As chief of staff, Fork has been heavily involved in development of key legislation related to the state budget, energy production and health care reform, the Hurricanes said.
“Brian has a proven track record of negotiating, making deals, and finding solutions,” Dundon said in the release. “We want to set the standard in sports and entertainment, and Brian has the background to help us reach that goal.”
Fork’s hiring comes a few days after Dundon named investment firm president Doug Warf as Hurricanes Holdings president.
In a separate news release, Berger praised Fork: “His ability to build trusting relationships with legislators and staff members in the General Assembly is a model for us all to emulate.” Berger will announce a new chief of staff in the coming weeks, his office said. [Source]
Business Rankings
Business NC, 7/11/24
Winning CNBC’s Top State for Business ranking for two years in a row has been a key selling point for Gov. Roy Cooper and state economic development officials. But this year, the state has to settle for No. 2 in the competition developed by the business news channel. Virginia tops this year’s list, followed by North Carolina, Texas and Georgia.
Just three points separated Virginia and North Carolina.
North Carolina remains only the second state named to the top spot back-to-back since CNBC started the rankings in 2007. Virginia, which last won in 2021, has received the top honors six times.
Last year North Carolina ranked No. 1 in workforce, then the most important category in the study. CNBC this year made infrastructure the top category, and North Carolina ranked 20th nationally.
North Carolina water utilities face more than $20 billion in repair and maintenance needs over the next 20 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Electricity customers are dealing with nearly eight hours without power per year, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
CNBC’s study scores all 50 states on 128 metrics across ten categories of competitiveness. The methodology grades the states based on factors companies consider each year when making site selection decisions, and that states pitch in their efforts to win business. Then, every state’s economic development marketing pitches are analyzed to determine the appropriate weight for each category. The more weight a category carries, the more metrics it includes. [Source]
Pardons
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The News & Observer, 7/11/24
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday reduced the sentences of four people and issued pardons to four others. “Ensuring thorough review of cases while taking executive clemency action is a responsibility I take seriously,” Cooper said in a news release Thursday. “We carefully consider recommendations made by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board to commute sentences for crimes committed by minors. All of these individuals are deserving of clemency, and we will continue to work to protect our communities and improve the fairness of our criminal justice system.”
In North Carolina, the governor has the power to grant clemency, which takes the form of a commutation – where a sentence is lowered – or a pardon. Pardons allow people who’ve been in jail or prison to clear their names officially and sometimes get compensation. According to the news release, “the commutations and pardons follow an intensive review of cases, including the circumstances of the crimes, length of the sentences, records in prison, and readiness to reenter communities successfully after prison.”
Pardons are awarded to “those persons who have made exceptional strides since completing their sentence, including examining any service to the community,” the release says.
The pardons were given to Walter Bryson, Shavona Corbin, Paul Cree and Artimus Quick. Their convictions were tied to a range of offenses, including larceny, robbery, drugs and driving while impaired. They went on to become firefighters, work in nursing and join the Army, among other careers.
All the clemency actions were granted following review by the Office of Executive Clemency, the Office of General Counsel and the governor, according to the news release.
One of the commutations was granted following a recommendation by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board. Cooper established the juvenile board in 2021 to review certain sentences handed down in adult criminal court to people under 18.
This commutation was granted to Kareem Phifer, 45, who served nearly 30 years in prison for his involvement at age 15 in two armed robberies. He received the longest sentence despite being the youngest of the group involved, says the release. While incarcerated, Phifer earned his GED and participated in vocational programs. His sentence was commuted to time served.
The three other people who received commutations were Josiah Deyton, Andrew Deyton and Jonathan Koniak. As young adults, they participated in a robbery of Mitchell County’s Ridgeview Presbyterian Church in 2008. Each served 16 years in prison; their sentences were commuted to time served.
The News & Observer has reached out to Cooper’s office to request details on how many people remain on the wait list for a commutation or pardon, and how many have had their petitions rejected. The Charlotte Observer has also requested information on the number of pending petitions and the date of the oldest petition. Cooper’s office declined that request. [Source]
Gerrymandering Suit
Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times, 7/11/24
A Western North Carolina resident and former Republican N.C. Supreme Court justice may soon try to bring a case about political gerrymandering to his old workplace.
Last month, Yancey County resident Bob Orr saw the dismissal of his “fair elections” lawsuit against the drawing of political districts to favor one party in elections, a practice called political gerrymandering. Orr has said he wanted to appeal the case from Wake County Superior Court.
On July 9, he told the Citizen Times he may look to skip the N.C. Court of Appeals and go directly to the state Supreme Court. “Maybe a bypass petition to the Supreme Court, which they might allow or not,” said Orr, who served on the high court from 1995 to 2004 and left the Republican party after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault.
The Citizen Times reached out on July 10 to defendants − the N.C. Board of Elections and the two leaders of the Republican-controlled General Assembly in Raleigh, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore.
While there are multiple angles being argued, at its root, the lawsuit is about whether the General Assembly should be allowed to draw political districts to favor one party.
State legislators are supposed to reconfigure the political lines after every census to ensure the population is spread evenly through districts, including their own districts and those for the U.S. House. But in N.C., that once-a-decade practice became a bonanza of court fights and regular redrawings. During one phase, Asheville found itself, for the first time, split between two congressional districts, a situation that cut the voting power of Democrats.
In the latest round, the state Supreme Court in 2022 struck down GOP-drawn maps, saying they were created to give that party an advantage and that was illegal. But elections that year replaced the court’s Democratic majority with a Republican one, and in an unusual move, the new court moved quickly to reverse that ruling. The Republican justices said in their 2023 decision that partisan gerrymandering was a political question and not one to be decided by the courts. (They left untouched the idea that racial gerrymandering was illegal.)
In the new case, Bard v. N.C. Board of Elections, Orr and other attorneys are representing Democratic and unaffiliated voters including Buncombe County attorney James Rowe, an unaffiliated voter.
In Wake County, they argued that the right to fair elections is an “unenumerated” right, meaning it is not specifically mentioned in the N.C. Constitution but is inferred, such as the right to travel and to privacy. The latest maps violate that right because even if Democrats won a distinct majority of the statewide vote, Republicans would likely win 10 of the 14 congressional districts as well as N.C. House and Senate majorities, they said. But defendants said it is impossible to define fair elections and that the Supreme Court has already said politically slanted districts are not their purview.
“There is no basis in the text of the N.C. Constitution to recognize plaintiffs’ reformulated ‘fairness’ standard that has already been condemned by the N.C. Supreme Court. Plaintiffs’ complaint should be summarily dismissed with prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” they said in a May 10 filing.
While the panel of three Superior Court judges agreed, Orr says the case should be reconsidered with the focus on whether voters have a right to elections unskewed by political actors. “This is critically important − it’s the only game in town if you want to challenge cooking the books on an election,” he said. [Source]
Mecklenburg Republicans
Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer, 7/11/24
With the right strategy, former President Donald Trump could make inroads with Charlotte-area voters at the Republican National Convention, local delegates and political strategists say. The GOP will gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next week to officially nominate Trump as he looks to unseat Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, if Biden stays in the race.
The party released its official platform Monday, and it includes no call for a nationwide abortion ban for the first time in 40 years. Other planks include calls to “seal the border,” end inflation and cut taxes. Both campaigns are vying to win over voters in the swing state’s most populous metropolitan area, where Republicans say they want to see a focus on issues including the economy, public safety and national security. And they see a window after Biden’s debate performance that raised questions about his viability as a candidate.
“Republicans need to be strategic with appealing to voters on common sense solutions,” said delegate Sarah Reidy-Jones.
Local Republican strategist Larry Shaheen summed up his view of the convention in five words: “It’s Project Don’t Look Crazy.”
Reidy-Jones, who chaired the Mecklenburg GOP from 2021 to 2023, noted voters in and around Charlotte are “no stranger to being courted during presidential years.”
Mecklenburg County reliably votes blue, but its large population means it’s also one of the state’s largest sources of Republican votes. And many of its more suburban areas and surrounding counties have more GOP-friendly electorates.
Biden won Mecklenburg by a margin of 66.7% to 31.6% in 2020, and Hillary Clinton beat Trump in the county with 62.3% of the vote in 2016. But wins in counties such as Cabarrus, Iredell and Union helped propel Trump to statewide victories in both elections.
Reidy-Jones is hoping her party will use the convention to share its approach to inflation, border security, public safety and school choice: issues she believes will appeal to undecided voters in her community.
The Republican platform calls for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, a new missile defense system and for schools to lose federal funding if they teach “Critical Race Theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content.”
The change in language on abortion in the platform, which the Associated Press reported was driven by Trump, is an example of the party trying to market itself to “those voters who we may have lost,” Shaheen said.
North Carolina Democrats have spotlighted abortion as a campaign issue after that proved to be a winning strategy for the party in other states since Roe v. Wade was overturned. “There are a lot of Republicans like me who are actually relieved to see him take that issue potentially off the table,” he said. [Source]
Harris Event
Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Kyle Ingram, William Tong and Vivienne Serret, The News & Observer, 7/11/24
Vice President Kamala Harris made a return trip to North Carolina on Thursday for a campaign event at a Greensboro high school, as President Joe Biden tries to shore up support from fellow Democrats.
Harris is a frequent visitor to North Carolina, a swing state where she campaigned when she ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and when she was the vice presidential pick by Biden, as well as in several official White House visits. Harris and Biden were last in North Carolina together in March, and Biden was here a few weeks ago. Harris’ visit comes as Biden is still being questioned by other Democrats and news organizations about his future in the race.
Biden has made a series of campaign stops since his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump that launched the scrutiny, starting with a rally in Raleigh the next day.
Harris said the last line of defense against Trump is the ballot box. “Ultimately in this election, we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in?” she said. “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, of compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”
“Running for president of the United States is never easy — nor should it be,” Harris told a crowd of hundreds of supporters in Greensboro. “But one thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he is a fighter. And he is the first to say ‘when you get knocked down, you get back up.’”
“So we will continue to fight, and we will continue to organize, and in November we will win,” she said.
Gov. Roy Cooper joined Harris at the campaign event at James B. Dudley High School. Lawmakers awaiting Harris’ visit to Dudley High School included state Sen. Paul Lowe of Forsyth County and state Sen. Natalie Murdock of Durham, both Democrats. [Source]
Holder Fundraiser
Will Doran, WRAL News, 7/11/24
The two Democratic justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court plan to speak at a fundraiser Friday with Eric Holder — a lawyer and anti-gerrymandering advocate who has backed multiple high-profile lawsuits in the state, and who could find himself before the state’s high court in the future.
The fundraiser with Holder — who served as U.S. attorney general under former President Barack Obama — shows the high level of interest that national politicians continue to have in who serves on the state’s highest court. Its justices are frequently asked to settle major cases related to elections or the balance of power in this key swing state.
The fundraiser also highlights the delicate balancing act judges in North Carolina must perform in reassuring the public that their political campaigns can remain separate from their judicial rulings. After leaving office, Holder founded the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. His group has frequently been involved in backing lawsuits against pro-Republican gerrymandering plans, including in North Carolina.
There’s no indication any of the judges involved in the Holder fundraiser — who include all of the Democratic Party’s nominees for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals — are breaking any laws or ethics rules by attending or benefiting from the fundraiser. Judges from both political parties frequently socialize with and take campaign contributions from lawyers, business members and political activists who could have business before them. But it leaves them exposed to political attacks from opponents who say the fundraiser is improper.
“It is appalling to see a sitting justice on the NC Supreme Court campaign with Eric Holder,” North Carolina Republican Party spokesman Matt Mercer told WRAL. “Out-of-state radical Democrats want to buy North Carolina’s judiciary.”
North Carolina Democratic Party spokesman Tommy Mattocks said judges didn’t always need to conduct political fundraisers: The Democratic-led state legislature in the early 2000s passed an ethics reform that gave public funding to judicial candidates who agreed not to take other campaign donations. But that law no longer exists. Republicans repealed it after taking control of the state legislature a decade later.
“The Republicans made it necessary to raise private funding since this repeal,” Mattocks said. “And they’re using this same system, too. Just last year, Chief Justice [Paul] Newby raffled off guns for a fundraiser. The GOP’s hypocrisy on campaign finance is galling and voters will not fall for it.”
Holder endorsed Justice Anita Earls when she won in 2018, unseating an incumbent Republican justice. And this week, ahead of the fundraiser in Charlotte, he endorsed Justice Allison Riggs — the court’s other Democratic member. Riggs is running to keep her seat in this year’s only Supreme Court race on the ballot.
“Justice Riggs has repeatedly demonstrated that she evaluates cases before her with thoughtfulness, compassion, and commitment to legal principle,” Holder said in a statement about the endorsement. “Throughout her career as a tenacious civil rights attorney, she has been a champion of every American’s fundamental rights, including voting rights.”
Newby, the Republican chief justice, declined to comment on the fundraiser. Riggs didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, and Earls deferred any comment to the North Carolina Democratic Party. [Source]
Drought Conditions
Adam Wagner, The News & Observer, 7/11/24
Drought conditions have worsened across North Carolina, with one member of Congress calling for a U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster declaration to help farmers. While the Triangle remains in moderate drought, nearly 20% of the state is in severe drought, according to a Thursday update from the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council.
That’s more than doubled since last week, with severe drought now in 22 counties. In addition to the eastern part of the state from Wayne to Beaufort counties, severe drought exists in the northwestern corner from Caldwell to Rockingham counties and in the southeast from Robeson to western Pender counties.
“The state has quickly gone from normal in May to very, very dry. Rain during the last week slowed the rapid drying, but was not enough to improve areas,” Klaus Albertin, chair of the Drought Management Advisory Council, said in a statement. The council recommends that areas in severe drought take steps to conserve water, including curbing nonessential uses like filling swimming pools, washing cars and using irrigation systems.
A swath of Columbus County is now in extreme drought, a first for this year. A weather station in Whiteville recorded 1.07 inches of rain over the past 30 days, the driest that 30-day period has been there in 24 years.
The extreme-drought designation requires more action. Once declared, water systems in the area must report their water conservation status to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources. Some areas like Harnett and Sampson counties saw localized rain that helped with drought conditions there over the past week. But the rain did not make a meaningful difference in soil moisture and groundwater, the drought advisory council warned.
“We need a lot more. I’m not going to say we need a tropical storm, but we do need some additional rain to help with the drought season,” Richard Rogers, the director of the Division of Water Resources, told the Environmental Management Commission on Thursday. Some relief could be on the way for Eastern North Carolina, with forecasters predicting 1.5 to 4 inches of rainfall through Friday.
Corn has been hit particularly hard, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s N.C. Field Office classifying 40% of the state’s crop classified as being in very poor condition and another 33% as poor condition. The state’s pastures are also suffering, with 9% in very poor condition and another 48% in poor condition.
Shawn Harding, the president of the N.C. Farm Bureau, said in an interview, “Corn was damaged beyond repair and so it’s done. Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is look to get some help.”
Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a Snow Hill Democrat who represents North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, called on U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to declare a disaster area for the district’s 19 counties. “The current drought situation is reaching a critical point,” Davis wrote, describing visiting withered cornfields and seeing “parched tobacco plants.”
Drought conditions impact not only farmers but the businesses that rely on them in rural communities, Davis added. Eastern North Carolina isn’t the only part of the state to see agricultural impacts, with extension reports in Western North Carolina indicating that grass and pastures are growing slowly, meaning there will not be as much hay to harvest this year. That will impact what farmers have available to feed livestock over the winter. “We absolutely hope that we can be looked at as an area that needs help,” Harding said. [Source]
School Security
Bryan Anderson, WFAE Radio, 7/11/24
North Carolina state superintendent candidate Michele Morrow has made protecting students central to her campaign. The Republican home-school mother running to oversee the state’s public school system has assembled a 10-person school safety advisory board, pledged to rid schools of pedophiles and vowed to address gun violence by putting in place added security measures.
“North Carolina schools should be the safest buildings in the state,” Morrow’s campaign website says.
In a 2023 social media post, Morrow offered an unorthodox solution to prevent kids from bringing guns to school: Installing restroom video cameras. Morrow wrote on X, “My plan to stop people having guns in schools. 1. Controlled entry and exit doors (SRO’s and metal detectors) 2. Video surveillance in classrooms, hallways and bathrooms 3. Immediate expulsion for the remainder of the year for any violations 4. Charge parents if it is their gun.”
In a statement this month, Morrow said she wasn’t calling for surveillance inside of restrooms. Rather, she said she wants them installed outside of bathrooms. “The safety of our students is a top priority of mine,” Morrow said in a statement. “Many families have shared with me that their children are afraid to go into the bathroom at school, leaving many to go the entire school day without using the bathroom. Surveying who goes in and out of the bathroom just like we do at other points of entry will help keep our students safe.”
During her primary campaign against Republican incumbent Catherine Truitt, Morrow had a dedicated section of her website warning of “PEDOPHILES IN NC CLASSROOMS,” arguing Truitt hadn’t done enough to prevent child predators from working in classrooms.
In a February interview with Charlotte talk radio host Brett Jensen, Truitt accused Morrow of engaging in “outright lies.”
Morrow has also warned of children being sexualized. In a video compilation a Morrow critic posted to YouTube in 2022, Morrow said, “Since we now live completely in this need for adrenaline rush, this need for constant sexual gratification, now we’re moving into pedophilia. Do you understand this pattern? It is only a matter of time until people start saying, ‘I mean, how can you put an age on love?’”
Mo Green, the Democrat and former superintendent of Guilford County Schools running against Morrow, outlined a four-pronged approach to address school safety in an interview.
Green called for improving student mental health, building positive relationships between students and law enforcement, evaluating facilities and tools to ensure students’ physical well-being and creating a positive overall school climate through character development initiatives. He added that people shouldn’t trust Morrow on the issue of student safety because she’s previously called for arming teachers, executions of political leaders and labeled public schools as “indoctrination centers.”
“This is not the kind of person that we want leading our safety efforts,” Green said. [Source]
Jail Lawsuit
Julia Coin and Ryan Oehrli, The Charlotte Observer, 7/11/24
The family of a 25-year-old Charlotte man who died inside the Mecklenburg County jail has alleged that detention officers were “nonchalant” as their son cycled through signs of fentanyl intoxication and opioid withdrawal days after being arrested.
They also allege Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden suggested he covers up jail issues when he “vented his frustrations” about his staff’s failure to update him. “You don’t find out the same day it happened … you find out two weeks when it happened, and then I have to cover it up … I have to deal with and then I got to say this is what happened y’all,” McFadden allegedly said, according to the lawsuit.
Russell Fincham’s parents, in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against the sheriff, the county and the jail’s former healthcare provider, say jail workers were “nonchalant” when they discovered their son cycling through fits of distress, and failed to provide immediate emergency medical attention.
Fincham, according to the lawsuit, told a Wellpath nurse working in the jail he was “a daily user of fentanyl.” He said he had “consumed five Xanax bars and one-half gram of fentanyl” on July 3, 2022 — the day he was arrested and charged with two counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle and two counts of misdemeanor larceny.
On July 5, 2022, officers conducting rounds missed seven mandated direct observations of Fincham, according to the lawsuit. That evening, he spent all night vomiting two gallons of a black substance into Styrofoam cups and a bucket next to his bed. The next morning, a nurse took his vitals are reported low blood pressure from Fincham, who “appeared lifeless and in physical distress” as a blood pressure meter cuffed his wrist. At that point — 7:58 a.m. on July 6, 2022 — officers and nurses should have administered the life-saving overdose reversal drug Narcan, according to jail policy, the lawsuit says. Instead, it was administered at 8:29 a.m., and Fincham died at 8:59 a.m.
The lawsuit, which references jail documents and video, names McFadden and several on-duty detention officers. It also names Wellpath — the jail’s former healthcare provider — and several nurses. Fincham’s parents, represented by Micheal L. Littlejohn Jr., Ronard Dixon Jr. and M. Anthony Burts II, are requesting a trial by jury. [Source]
PFAS Regulation
Jalyn Baldwin, Port City Daily, 7/10/24
Elected officials, local business owners and directors of environmental nonprofits and organizations convened in a Tuesday meeting with a common goal: advocating for more PFAS regulation in the Cape Fear.
On Tuesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit focused on environmental conservation and confronting pollution, held a virtual press conference with Cape Fear community members to discuss PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” that have been contaminating the Cape Fear River for four decades from Chemours, a DuPont subsidiary located upstream in Fayetteville.
During the conference, speakers urged the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to adopt data and recommendations provided by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and enforce regulations to compel companies to limit PFAS discharges. The commission, an appointed body charged with reviewing and enacting DEQ’s proposed rules, delayed DEQ’s request to adopt PFAS water standards in May.
DEQ’s proposed rules include limits for PFAS in surface water, requirements for companies to install technology to reduce emissions, cleaning up existing contamination and more — separate from EPA’s regulations put forth this year. Commissioners cited the need for more time to understand the financial implications of DEQ’s proposal, such as requiring companies to install filtration technology.
At Tuesday’s conference, the group expressed concerns ahead of a two-day EMC meeting where PFAS surface water quality rules are on the agenda.
During the discussion, speakers highlighted the health and economic impacts of the pollutants, citing firsthand accounts of illnesses like cancer, floundering businesses, and rising water bills, all attributed to the contamination. They also expressed frustration with the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, which has resisted proposed regulations on companies.
“If they all claim to be pro-business organizations, then why are they not representing the interest of my business?” Steven Schnitzler, CEO of Port City Java Coffee Shop franchise asked. “What constitutes the factors that go into either taking a neutral stand, or not taking a stand, or actively supporting companies that intentionally seek to dump toxins in our source of drinking water.” Schnitzler noted he is a member of the chamber, but does not support its positions on PFAS, as he states it hurts his business. [Source]
Balloon Ban
Sharryse Piggott, WUNC Radio, 7/11/24
The Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners has approved an ordinance to ban balloon releases within the town’s boundaries. Wildlife advocates argue balloons can harm marine wildlife, who mistake them for food. Anyone who violates the ban will pay a penalty of $25. Violators will have 10 days to pay the fine.
Some commissioners wanted the fee to be increased to a $250 fine, which is similar to ordinances in nearby towns. But, during this week’s commission meeting, Commissioner B.J. Mcavoy said a $250 fine for a balloon release is excessive.
“It’s an awful thing for the environment,” he said. “I would never do it myself, but you do have the occasional you know, an often unintentionally release of a balloon… More often there’s an unintentional release. So, who’s going to police that?”
Balloon release bans are already in other Dare County towns with the $250 fine such as Kitty Hawk, Duck, and Southern Shores. Moving forward, Kill Devil Hills Mayor John Windley suggested circling back to the issue over the fine. “If we find that they’re having success and these problems are reduced, we can always revisit this and look at beefing it up,” he said.
A public hearing for Dare County Commissioners about their own ban is expected to be held next week. [Source]
Channel Depth
Catherine Kozak, Coastal Review, 7/11/24
If there is a hurricane on the Outer Banks that renders Hatteras Island’s only highway impassable, the emergency channel between the island at Rodanthe to the Dare County mainland at Stumpy Point currently would not be accessible for ferries to provide supplies or evacuations.
“This needs to be very clear to our county commissioners,” said Ernie Foster, a Dare County Waterways Commission member, during the panel’s meeting Monday evening. “Emergency operations right now do not exist and (it’s) hurricane season.”
Foster, a Hatteras charter boat captain, made a motion to inform the Dare County Board of Commissioners that the emergency channel is not an option until a shoaled area in the Rodanthe Harbor basin is cleared. The commission approved the motion.
“There is no planned project right now with the Corps for Rodanthe,” said Catherine Peele, interim assistant director of marine asset management planning and development manager with the North Carolina Ferry Division, who spoke remotely to the commission. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintenance of federal channels in the county’s inlets and waterways.
The Ferry Division is concerned that the shallow, shoaled area in the Rodanthe basin makes it too dangerous for ferry travel, creating risk of expensive damage to the vessels and danger to the operators and passengers. Although the remainder of the federal channel in the emergency route is navigable, that bad spot creates a controlling depth that renders the route inaccessible.
In a later interview, Peele said the Ferry Division and the county are working together “to see how we can overcome the challenge” of the Corps not being able to dredge in Rodanthe. Meanwhile, she added, the division continues to do test runs with ferries at least twice a year in the state-owned Stumpy Point approach channel and basin and, so far, have been able to get in every year. “So, we have been monitoring conditions,” she said. “We’re OK. We did a contract project in the basin a few years ago.” Still, Peele added, the state is looking proactively at all its options to see if a project needs to be contracted, or if the division needs to schedule to do the project itself later this year. [Source]
Crayfish Conservation
David Ford, WFDD Radio, 7/10/24
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has received a major boost in its efforts to protect crayfish species of greatest conservation need in the Tar Heel state’s coastal plain region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently awarded the Commission roughly $270,000 along with a non-federal match of nearly $90,000 to help evaluate crayfish.
Scientists will coordinate efforts with peer organizations in South Carolina and Georgia through a central hub across all three states. Much of those funds will support staff to conduct fieldwork and surveys to isolate trends — like population fluctuations —over time.
Assistant Chief of Inland Fisheries Rachael Hoch says crayfish across the southeast Atlantic slope face a number of threats including habitat loss due to urbanization and development, and the resulting polluted water seeping downstream into the coastal plains on its way to the Atlantic.
Researchers will use genetic analysis to measure the diversity within each species which she says is one major health indicator for specific populations. This information will guide their survey of another major threat: invasive species. Hoch says North Carolina is currently home to 52 species of crayfish. One is considered state endangered — meaning its continued existence is in jeopardy. Five are considered state threatened, or likely to become endangered. Hoch says the award to study them will be available starting in October, when the newly funded research begins. [Source]
Correctional Charges
WTVD News, 7/11/24
A North Carolina Correctional Officer is facing multiple drug charges after deputies said they found more than two pounds of cocaine in his vehicle. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday deputies performed a traffic stop just after 8 a.m. on US 1 Highway near Deep River Road. The driver, 52-year-old Kenderick Antonio Womble, identified himself to deputies as an employee of the NC Department of Adult Correction.
According to Sheriff Brian Estes, during the stop, deputies found 2.2 pounds of cocaine along with a firearm and badge during a search of Womble’s vehicle. He was then taken into custody and deputies applied for a search warrant for Womble’s home which is located in Sanford.
Authorities said they found another man Gregory Wayne Baker at the home at the time of the search. Deputies said they also found 3.3 pounds of cocaine, multiple firearms, and $13,000 in cash during the search.
Among other charges, Womble is being charged with three counts of trafficking cocaine and two counts of possession with intent to sell. [Source]
Singer Discipline
WBTV News, 7/11/24
A rising Gaston County senior who was recently expelled after a venue controversy will join two country music stars at the inaugural Field & Stream Music Fest in South Carolina later this year.
Bailey Griggs, known by her stage name Bailey Marie, was expelled from Cramerton Christian Academy after she performed at a venue that serves alcohol. Her expulsion has gained plenty of attention online, with many people voicing their opinions. Now, she has been invited to the festival hosted by country stars Eric Church and Morgan Wallen.
“Being unable to return to school, especially for my senior year, was shocking,” the young singer said in a news release. “I performed at any venue I could to connect with fans and pursue my dreams.”
This fall’s Field & Stream Music Fest is scheduled for Oct. 4-6 in Winnsboro, about 40 minutes north of Columbia. [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
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
Friday, July 12
- 10 a.m. | Gov. Roy Cooper and Secretary Kody Kinsley to make major milestone announcement for Medicaid expansion enrollment, North Carolina Executive Mansion, Raleigh.
- 1 p.m. | Gov. Roy Cooper to speak at U.S. Department of Treasury Freedman’s Bank Forum, Estey Hall Auditorium at Shaw University, 721 S Wilmington St, Raleigh.
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.
- 9 a.m. | North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans Convention, The Farm at 95, Selma.
