YOU DON’T SAY
“I have that 2008 feeling.”
Gov. Roy Cooper, referencing the last time North Carolina voted for a democratic presidential candidate while introducing Vice President Kamala Harris. (State Affairs Pro, 8/16/24)
Matthew Sasser, State Affairs Pro, 8/16/24
Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her first major economic policy speech as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh Friday.
Harris pitched an “Opportunity Economy” targeted at the middle class with a focus on reducing costs in order for Americans of all backgrounds and opportunity levels to succeed.
Among the proposals by Harris are a $25,000 down payment for first-time homebuyers, a pledge to build three million new homes, an expanded child tax credit and a vow to lower costs at the grocery store.
Prior to the 30-minute address by Harris, which marked her 16th trip to the Tarheel State during her vice-presidency, North Carolina Democratic leaders said the room had an Obama-level energy that hasn’t been felt in over a decade.
“I have that 2008 feeling,” Gov. Roy Cooper said, reminding the audience that also happened to be the last election North Carolina voted blue rather than red as a state.
“Kamala has the energy, the pump,” Rep. Allison Dahle, D-Wake, said. “For me this is as exciting as when Obama ran. We have somebody who our young children can look up to and say, ‘I can be president someday.’”
Attorney General and Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Stein remarked that North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the entire country, but not everyone has a fair shot at success.
“….Our economic success is not being evenly shared,” Stein said. “Too many people are struggling to pay rent, buy groceries and afford medicine, and that’s to say nothing of an unexpected auto repair bill or medical expense.”
Harris began her address by crediting the 16 million new jobs that have been created after the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted that inflation is now below 3% as of this week. Harris said it’s a foundation that can be built upon. “Still, we know that many Americans don’t yet feel that progress in their daily lives,” shesaid. “Costs are still too high, and on a deeper level, there are too many people, no matter how much they work, it feels so hard to get ahead.”
Harris stated that it will be a “laser-focus” of her administration to create opportunities for the middle class to advance their economic security.
“Together we will build what I call an Opportunity Economy,” Harris said. “Where everyone can compete and have a real chance to succeed. Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they started, has an opportunity to build wealth for themselves and their children.”
Leaning on her background as a former California Attorney General, Harris said that she fought against companies that illegally increased prices, especially for prescription drugs, and she will do the same as President.
“Many of the big food companies are seeing the highest profits in two decades, and while many grocery chains pass along these savings, others still aren’t,” Harris said.
A final proposal by Harris outlined a plan to build three million new homes by the end of her first term, with an assurance that the homes will go to citizens, not corporate investors. Aspiring homeowners can save for years and still not be able to afford a home, Harris said.
“In addition, while we work on the housing shortage, my administration will provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000 [in a down payment],” Harris said.
Toward the end of her address, Harris referenced Trump’s visit to Asheville earlier this week. Harris said he planned to discuss the economy at his rally, but offered no serious plans to reduce costs for middle-class families and was more focused on personal attacks.
“I think, for most of us, that was not surprising,” Harris said.
An organic chant of “We’re not going back” broke out toward the end of Harris’ address when she said a Donald Trump presidency would repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, said many of the talking points paralleled bills that North Carolina lawmakers have filed, and that she loved the messaging behind an “Opportunity Economy.”
“I think that while we live in a world where the economy is actually getting much better, people don’t feel that,” Batch said. “We have to reassure them not only is the economy getting better, but we are actually putting things in place to make sure that we can lower costs.”
Batch said there has been a “kinetic energy” since Harris has succeeded Biden as the nominee and it was “wonderful to see in person.”
That’s a sentiment shared with Rep. Dahle, who said there has been a palpable, positive energy among those she’s interacted with since Harris has assumed the mantle as the Democratic nominee.
“We have a lot of recovery to do,” Dahle said. “Economically, agriculturally — we have so many things that we can do that should be feasible on both sides of the aisle.”
“I thought she had a really strong economic message that focuses on the cost of living issues confronted by middle class Americans,” Sen. Jay J. Chaudhuri, D-Wake, said. “Just as importantly, she drew a strong contrast with the policies of Donald Trump.”
Chaudhuri said when Democrats embrace the values that Harris spoke about, they will win at the polls.
“The speech reminded me of the way Bill Clinton communicated economic messaging in the ‘92 election,” Chaudhuri said. “I think the visual of a middle class American walking down the grocery aisle or paying bills at the kitchen table, those are really going to resonate, I think, with the voters.”
Faircloth Resignation
Kevin Griffin, Greensboro News & Record, 8/18/24
Republican N.C. Rep. John Faircloth announced his plans to resign from the legislature Thursday, becoming the third Guilford County legislator this year to make an early departure. Faircloth submitted a letter expressing his intent to resign from the 62nd District seat effective Sept. 6.
Faircloth’s resignation letter read in part: “I am eternally grateful to my family, friends, constituents, colleagues and legislative staff for supporting me throughout my time in public office. It has been my life’s work to serve the community and the people that I love.”
The letter did not address Faircloth’s reason for the resignation. On Friday, Faircloth’s legislative assistant declined further comment. Faircloth had already decided not to seek re-election this year.
The Guilford County Republican Party is tasked with appointing a new representative to fill out the last few months of Faircloth’s term. Chris Meadows, the chairman of the county party, said they will do so on Sept. 9. The party would have the option of giving former Rep. John Blust, the Republican nominee in the district, an early start.
Faircloth is a real estate broker and former High Point City Council member who has served seven terms in the N.C. House. At 85, he is the oldest member of the N.C. House, Principal Clerk James White confirmed Friday afternoon. His current district is located in western Guilford County and includes the towns of Oak Ridge and Stokesdale.
In a statement, N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore said Faircloth’s “dedication to our state and unwavering commitment to his constituents in Guilford County have set a high standard for public service.” Moore continued: “He has fought to protect and improve a free-market economy from excessive government control and public safety and education in North Carolina. While we will deeply miss his wisdom and experience in the legislature, I wish him all the best in this well-deserved retirement. His legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations of leaders.”
This marks the third time in the last four months a state representative from Guilford County has chosen to resign.
Republican Rep. Jon Hardister left the N.C. House in April and the party appointed Alan Branson, who was seeking to the seat. In a Facebook post Thursday, Hardister praised Faircloth as “a true statesman who has dedicated the majority of his life to public service” and “a very effective member of the N.C. House” who had “a positive impact on North Carolina and on Guilford County.”
In July, Democratic Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons announced her resignation. The Guilford County Democratic Party voted to appoint Tracy Clark to serve out Clemmons’ unexpired term and to take her place on the general election ballot. [Source]
Federal Education Funds
Laura Leslie, WRAL News, 8/17/24
In a new video obtained by WRAL News, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson says he would reject federal funding for North Carolina schools. The video was taken at a private event near Asheville July 10.
Robinson was asked by an attendee what he could do to fight school bureaucracy at the federal level. He said he’d prefer to see the state opt out of federal education funds. “If I had my way about it,” Robinson responded, “they’d send the check and I’d say, ‘Oh, no, you can have it. I don’t want your money. Your money comes with too many rotten obligations. We don’t want it.’”
“Honestly, come on. There should be no federal department of education,” Robinson said.
Abolishing the federal department of education is an idea being pushed by some conservatives. It’s one of the plans outlined in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a second Trump term in the White House.
“They have no business telling a state how to operate the education system, but they do,” Robinson told his supporters. “That’s why we need to cut their money off. That’s why it’s important for us to be fiscally responsible with our education dollars, cut the waste and cut the bureaucracy so that we can do what we need to do without their help.”
Republican state schools superintendent candidate Michele Morrow told WRAL she too would like to get the federal government out of North Carolina schools, saying teachers have complained to her about being “forced to do things” because of federal regulations.
“People need to recognize that the federal government, along with every dollar that they give us, there is an expectation that we are going to push an agenda that comes from them, and that comes with strings,” Morrow said.
Morrow said if she’s elected, her first step will be to “audit” federally funded programs at the Department of Public Instruction to see if they contribute to student achievement. If not, she said she’ll tell federal officials, “Back off. We don’t need your money, and we’re going to do it just as a state.”
Other states have considered turning down federal education funds, including Utah, Oklahoma and Tennessee. But so far, none have gone through with it. Earlier this year, Tennessee lawmakers issued a report finding that replacing federal funds with state money would limit their ability to make other investments. It would be a costly move for North Carolina, too.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in the 2023-24 school year, North Carolina received about $1.67 billion in federal support. WRAL asked the Robinson and Morrow campaigns where they would find the money to cover those expenses. Neither campaign answered.
In a statement, Robinson spokesman Mike Lonergan said, “Lt. Gov Mark Robinson believes education funding should focus on student achievement and not bloated bureaucracy or extreme political agendas like forcing women and girls to play sports with biological men, as Josh Stein, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are trying to do.”
Biden-administration changes to Title IX regulations – essentially, the administrative interpretation of the federal law based on recent legal cases – don’t address transgender athletes’ eligibility to play school sports. That’s something the Biden administration has said they’ll tackle at a later time. But conservatives argue the new regulations leave too much open to interpretation on whether schools can disallow transgender girls from sharing bathrooms or other facilities with cisgender girls.
Morrow has also blamed the federal education department for discouraging student suspensions, although North Carolina’s suspensions and expulsions have recently increased. Federal special education law places restrictions on discipline for students with disabilities, but those students are still suspended or expelled at some of the highest rates in North Carolina.
Robinson’s Democratic gubernatorial rival Josh Stein called the lieutenant governor “the anti-public education candidate.” Robinson “has already declared that he would ‘slash’ public education funding in North Carolina, and now he is pledging to forfeit billions of dollars of our own tax money that is used to educate our kids,” Stein said in a statement. “I’m in this race to defend public schools; my opponent just wants to defund them.”
Mo Green, Morrow’s Democratic rival in the DPI superintendent race, also criticized the idea, saying the state’s public schools need more funding for services, not less, especially for lower-income students. “Robinson and my opponent would support taking millions more of our taxpayer funds and funnel them into private and religious schools for the wealthy,” Green said. “Their goal is to defund public education, and I will never support that.”
The North Carolina Association of Educators provided a response to the plan, adding “Mark Robinson’s plan to turn down federal funding would slash North Carolina public school funding by more than $1 billion per year. It is a callous and irresponsible idea that directly harms students in need. North Carolina must reject this harmful idea that candidates like Robinson are suggesting. Nothing is more important than our children’s future and we need all the help we can get to invest in their success.” [Source]
Election Security
Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press, 8/16/24
During a 2022 Trusted Elections Tour, hosted by the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections, a woman from Edenton said she received 14 absentee ballots. She was concerned about the potential for election fraud, but there was one issue. She didn’t actually receive 14 absentee ballots; she got 14 applications for absentee ballots, and didn’t understand the difference.
“You submit 14 applications, but you’re only going to get one ballot because they’ve got a system in place to make sure that you only vote once,” Bob Orr, former North Carolina Supreme Court justice and co-chair of the N.C. Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections, told Carolina Public Press in his retelling. “It’s that sort of kind of simple misunderstanding that generates mistrust in the system, but in most instances, there’s a pretty straightforward explanation for it.”
The Edenton woman wasn’t alone in her election skepticism. In 2022, a national Elon University poll found that 37% of respondents had little to no confidence in the fairness of elections, a six-point drop from its 2020 poll.
In North Carolina, a March 2024 WRAL News poll revealed that 29% of likely voters lacked election confidence. Mistrust is not uniformly distributed among voters. The same poll found that while 44% of 2020 Trump voters lacked confidence in election integrity, only 14% of those who voted for Biden in 2020 felt the same.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has a team of investigators who look into potential fraud each cycle. They receive tips from county boards of elections, watchdog and advocacy groups, private citizens, political parties and candidates, as well as the team’s own internal audits.
Pat Gannon, State Board of Elections spokesperson, said voters seem most unsure about voter list maintenance, electronic voting equipment and voting by non-U.S. citizens. Between 2015 and 2022, the investigations team looked into 674 cases, which amounts to 0.0024% of total ballots cast during the same timeframe.
Most of those cases occurred in 2017, when more than 400 potential felon voters were detected. Overall, 79% of all referred cases between 2015 and 2022 dealt with voting attempts by felons, who cannot legally vote in North Carolina until they have completed probation and parole. Just eight cases dealt with suspected non-citizen voters or registrants.
Furthermore, no credible evidence exists to suggest that North Carolina has ever been successfully targeted by a cyberattack, according to the State Board’s website.
Concerns about election fraud are “not totally ungrounded,” said Nadine Gibson, assistant professor of public and international affairs at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. For example, in 2018, a Republican operative in Bladen County conducted a ballot harvesting scheme that was caught, resulting in a second election for a North Carolina U.S. House seat. Those events don’t go unnoticed, Gibson said. “When voter fraud does happen, it is detected,” she said.
It’s not a perfect system, but it’s very secure and safe overall, Orr said. In North Carolina, about 5.5-6 million people will likely vote in the upcoming election. “I mean, that is a huge number of people in a very complex legal and regulatory system to process, and invariably, there will be mistakes made,” he said.
“(Somebody always) wants to try and game the system. Usually, that’s more in a very confined, local area. Technology has just provided far more security.”
Gannon listed several reasons why trust in elections may have declined in an emailed statement to Carolina Public Press: the spread of misinformation online, statements by candidates, politicians and high-profile individuals “denigrating the conduct of elections,” foreign operations to spread discord online and a lack of resources for local elections officials to share accurate information.
Orr said North Carolina is uniquely positioned for the spread of misinformation with its influx of new residents who may not understand why election processes are done a different way than they are used to. Also, the nationalization of politics has extended to elections, he said.
“You hear the national stories about the whole balloting process, including absentee ballots, and I think people just transpose those over to North Carolina,” Orr said. “If there was a problem in Arizona or Michigan, then there must be a problem here, (people think).” [Source]
Prison Reentry
Rachel Crumpler, NC Health News, 8/19/24
State leaders have crafted a detailed plan to boost support for people leaving prison in North Carolina over the coming years. It’s an ambitious plan — the most targeted effort at strengthening reentry in state history, according to the governor’s office.
Every year, roughly 18,000 people leave North Carolina prisons. For many of them, walking out of the doors of a prison marks the start of new hardships and challenges as they work to rebuild their lives outside of prison walls.
Barriers such as employers refusing to hire people with a criminal record, limited housing options and lack of health care access can hurt people’s ability to land — and stay — on their feet. State leaders are taking action to make sure that by 2030 there are fewer obstacles that could derail that transition to the community. They say that’s critical, since 95 percent of the state’s incarcerated population will one day return home.
Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order No. 303 kicked off North Carolina’s concerted effort to bolster support for this population. The January directive called for a “whole-of-government” approach to boosting reentry services for formerly incarcerated people across the state.
The Joint Reentry Council, created by Cooper’s executive order, immediately went to work brainstorming ways to tackle some common and pressing problems people face when leaving prison. The group, made up of representatives from every cabinet agency, approved on Aug. 7 a strategic plan that will guide the state’s reentry efforts through 2030.
The plan’s four overarching goals are:
- Improve the economic mobility of formerly incarcerated people.
- Improve access to mental and physical health care.
- Expand housing opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
- Remove barriers to successful community reintegration, especially for those returning to historically underserved communities.
To meet these goals, the state’s Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan outlines 26 more detailed objectives and 133 strategies to use. The plan also includes metrics to track progress.
“It’s a plan that’s got the key ingredients to work and really make a big difference,” said Todd Ishee, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Adult Correction. “North Carolina is not talking about rehabilitation and reentry, we’re doing it. I think this is going to change generations to come for the better.”
North Carolina’s work is part of Reentry 2030, a national initiative sponsored by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Council of State Governments that aims to dramatically improve reentry success. North Carolina was the third state to join the initiative, after Missouri and Alabama. To date, five states have signed on, including Nebraska and New York.
Cooper told the Joint Reentry Council on Aug. 7 that doing more for people returning home from incarceration has been on his mind since he served as state attorney general from 2001 to 2017. This increased momentum for the initiative is taking shape during his final year as governor.
Cooper said boosting reentry support is “the right thing to do” to make communities safer and give people the second chances they deserve.
An April report by the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission found a 44 percent re-arrest rate within two years from a sample of 12,889 people released from North Carolina state prisons in fiscal year 2021. That same sample had an 18 percent re-conviction rate, and when adding in those who return to prison for parole violations, fully 33 percent were sent back to prison within two years of their release.
Cooper and prison leaders hope improved reentry support will translate into better outcomes in the community. [Source]
Trump Campaign
Danielle Battaglia, McClatchy, 8/17/24
Former President Donald Trump plans to return to North Carolina on Wednesday to give another policy speech, and this time he’s bringing his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
A news release from the Trump campaign said Trump and Vance plan to visit the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro to discuss national security. The event will take place while Democrats are in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
In a news release Saturday night, the Trump campaign faulted Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, for problems at the southern border, a botched withdrawal of military troops from Afghanistan and the Hamas-Israel war.
“President Trump and Senator Vance know that America cannot take another four years of weak leadership and a careless approach to our national security,” the news release stated. ”A Trump-Vance Administration will Make America Great Again by stopping the migrant invasion and carrying out the largest deportation in our country’s history, curbing Chinese and Iranian threats, and making America strong again by restoring America’s rightful standing and respect on the world stage.”
Wednesday’s visit is Trump’s fourth to the state in 2024 and Vance’s first. Trump visited Asheville last week. Vance had planned to be in North Carolina on Aug. 8, in a bit of counter-programming against Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, but all three had to cancel due to Tropical Storm Debby. [Source]
Democratic Convention
Brian Murphy, WRAL News, 8/15/24
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will have a speaking role at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he said Thursday. Cooper was considered a potential vice presidential pick for Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris became the nominee after President Joe Biden decided to end his re-election bid in July. Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate. Cooper withdrew from consideration before Walz was selected.
The Democratic National Convention begins on Aug. 19 and concludes on Aug. 22. Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former presidential nominee Hilary Clinton are all expected to speak in prime time slots. It is not clear when Cooper will speak at the convention.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson had a speaking role at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. [Source]
Tax Filing
WRAL News, 8/16/24
On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that North Carolina will be the latest state to join IRS Direct File for the 2025 filing season. Twelve states saw 140,000 taxpayers claim more than $90 million in refunds and save an estimated $5.6 million in filing costs using the new free online filing tool. At least 1.25 million North Carolinians will be eligible to use the free online filing tool next Filing Season.
“Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, more than 1.25 million North Carolina taxpayers will be able to file their taxes online for free, directly with the IRS this coming Filing Season,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “Direct File will save North Carolinians time and money and help ensure they receive the tax benefits they are owed.”
Gov. Roy Cooper said this new system will help North Carolinians save money. “Filing taxes is often stressful, expensive, and time-consuming for North Carolina taxpayers and families,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “The IRS Direct File tool helps remove unnecessary hurdles and fees by allowing taxpayers to file directly with the IRS for free, keeping more money in their pockets. This resource will help ensure qualifying families receive tax credits.” [Source]
Island Ferry
Trista Talton, Coastal Review, 8/16/24
A request to bump Bald Head Island ferry hourly departures to every 90 minutes got a verbal thumbs down from nearly everyone who spoke at a state-hosted public hearing Tuesday night.
The schedule change proposed by the private company, Bald Head Island Transportation Inc., would disrupt ferry runs that coincide with start and end times of the only school on the island, increase commute times for workers going to and from the island, and force businesses on the island to shrink their hours of operation, opponents of the change argued.
A handful of those who spoke at Tuesday’s hearing the North Carolina Utilities Commission held in Brunswick County Courthouse Courtroom 2 said they did, however, favor a hybrid schedule that has been floated around, but not submitted to the commission for consideration.
Elizabeth Stephen, a 30-year Bald Head property owner and 8-year full-time resident, said she was 100% in favor of the hybrid schedule, one that purportedly would begin and end departures to and from the island on the current 30-minute schedule and shift to a 45-minute schedule midday. Stephen was among roughly 30 people scattered throughout the courtroom where utilities Commissioner Karen Kemerait, who headed the hearing, sat at the front of the room in the seat typically reserved for a judge.
Those who signed up to speak at the hearing were sworn in before taking a seat in the courtroom witness box, where they were allowed to give no more than a 3-minute-long statement and answer questions of commission members and attorneys representing various groups that have intervened in the application review process.
An expert witness hearing on the schedule change application is set for Nov. 5 in the utilities commission hearing room in Raleigh. [Source]
Guilford Appointment
Santiago Ochoa, WFDD Radio, 8/16/24
There has been disagreement among Guilford County Democrats after the party’s African American Caucus published an open letter criticizing the speedy appointment of Tracy Clark to the state’s 57th District.
Last Friday, the caucus’s executive committee released a statement voicing concern with how the Democratic Party handled filling the seat left behind by former Representative Ashton Clemmons, who announced her departure from the state House of Representatives in July.
The statement revealed the African American Caucus had urged party leadership to postpone the decision prior to now-Representative Tracy Clark’s Aug. 3 appointment.
In the letter, caucus President Byron Gladden said the request for a delayed decision was made following concerns from elected officials, candidates and party supporters. “A postponement would have allowed candidates and voters adequate time to understand the announced changes in the voting process, review their options, and complete outstanding requests for data from the local county chair,” Gladden said.
He also expressed “disappointment and surprise,” in Democratic Party Chair Kathy Kirkpatrick’s decision to go ahead with the meeting during which Clark was appointed. Kirkpatrick said her decision to do so was made with counsel from a party attorney, three parliamentarians and in accordance with the state’s laws and Democratic Party Plan of Organization. She says party decisions are usually made using weighted voting, but in the case of filling the district seat, the rules called for using a one-person, one-vote system.
Kirkpatrick added she understood the caucus’s concern and agreed with their argument.
“I personally think that the plan and the law need to be changed so that we can use a weighted voting system but my personal opinion doesn’t override how everything is currently written,” Kirkpatrick said. She also said should the appointment be found to have been done incorrectly, she will do it again.
The Guilford County African American Caucus did not respond to email and telephone requests for comment by deadline. [Source]
AT&T Strike
Brian Gordon, The News & Observer, 8/17/24
For the first time since 2019, thousands of AT&T workers across the Southeast are on strike, including hundreds in the Triangle area. Communications Workers of America says 17,000 union members in regional District 3 began striking Friday and will remain off work until they believe the major telecommunications company begins to bargain over a new contract in good faith.
Their previous contract expired on Aug. 3. District 3 covers every southern state between Louisiana and Virginia, including all of North Carolina.
“We’re pretty much showing them that we mean business for this upcoming contract,” said Kelvin Little, a wire technician in Raleigh who serves as a head organizer for CWA Local 3611.
The strike comes as some AT&T customers in the Triangle report prolonged internet outages. Saturday afternoon, AT&T also reported internet outages within a circle of northern Charlotte neighborhoods.
Since at least Wednesday, AT&T internet customers in Durham have reported being without residential service. According to the company’s website, outages have been detected across a wide section of the city, including downtown and around Duke University.
AT&T has alerted some affected residents in southwest Durham their internet service “should be online” by Tuesday morning.
“We have various business continuity measures in place to avoid disruptions to operations and will continue to provide our customers with the great service they expect,” company spokesperson Jim Kimberly said.
Local 3611 organized 10 rallies between Raleigh and Chapel Hill on Saturday, each held near an AT&T staff office.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel and Republican state Senate candidate Scott Lassiter stopped by the Morrisville picket line to show their support. CWA is the nation’s largest telecommunications union, and it’s part of AFL-CIO, the biggest U.S. union federation.
On Aug. 8, the AFL-CIO filed a federal unfair labor practice complaint against AT&T Southeast, accusing the company of engaging in “surface bargaining” without a legitimate intention to reach an agreement.
In an email, CWA communications director Beth Allen alleged AT&T sent negotiators who lacked “the authority to make decisions so we can move forward toward a new contract.” AT&T refuted this charge.
“CWA’s claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact,” Kimberly said in an email. “We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since day 1 and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees.” [Source]
Police Hire
Julia Coin, The Charlotte Observer, 8/18/24
John Joseph Carl barged through walls of officers and through the door of a U.S. senator’s office in the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. Then he became a cop.
FBI agents interviewed the 41-year-old in February 2021 but arrested him Thursday. He joined the Pinetops Police Department in December 2023 after graduating from training at an eastern North Carolina community college, according to the college’s website.
Carl’s case file was sealed, not available to the public, on Friday morning, but the United States attorney for the District of Columbia released the criminal complaint detailing FBI interviews with Carl and his riotmate. That person, whose name has been redacted from the documents, turned himself in three days after the insurrection. He then named Carl, too.
On February 17, 2021, FBI agents interviewed Carl, and he admitted to participating in the riot and showed footage he recorded as he pushed against Capitol police and breached the building. He’d come from former President Donald Trump’s rally on the National Mall, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
The FBI says Carl “joined other aggressive rioters and held his ground against officers attempting to move him back.” Instead of listening to officers, he “raised his arms to push back against officers … and grabbed an officer’s arm and baton,” according to body worn camera footage.
Carl is charged with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, picketing, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Pinetops police referred an inquiry Friday from The Charlotte Observer to the town attorney, J. Brian Pridgen, who said in an email that Carl had been employed by town police since June 5, 2023. “At the time of his hiring and during his employment, the Town of Pinetops had no knowledge of Officer Carl’s possible involvement” in the Jan. 6 riot, the email said. “Based on the charges brought by the FBI, Officer Carl has been suspended pending an investigation.” [Source]
School Cuts
Tammy Grubb, The News & Observer, 8/18/24
Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools staff presented a plan Thursday to cover most of a $5.2 million budget gap by cutting or freezing several dozen jobs, including 24 positions in the district’s Central Office.
“It is designed in a way that we could break even and add a little bit of fund balance this year,” said Jonathan Scott, the district’s chief financial officer. While some changes could happen immediately, others would not take effect until the end of the school year in June.
The district will notify staff members that could be affected in individual and group meetings in the coming days. The CHCCS school board will hear more about the problem on Aug. 21, when it could vote on a “reduction in force” plan.
“I would be remiss if I did not say that this is certainly a challenging time for our district, and we recognize that this impacts people — this impacts real life in our classrooms across our district — and so this is something that we do not take lightly,” Superintendent Nyah Hamlett said.
The budget shortfall is not a surprise for board members or the Orange County Board of Commissioners, who were warned earlier this year — and in previous budget discussions — that the situation was becoming more serious.
The commissioners have increased the county’s per-student funding for the city and Orange County Schools districts each year, but have also encouraged the districts to spend more of their fund balance.
The fund balance is savings that results from the district not spending all of its allotted money each year. Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools implemented a corrective action plan in the spring that froze 32 of 34 identified positions as employees retired or left the district, saving roughly $2.4 million. But the costs have continued to grow, and the district now finds itself deeper in the hole.
Board Vice Chair Riza Jenkins said “tough conversations” with the community will be ongoing. “The burden of funding public education has shifted more and more to us locally vs. at the state,” Jenkins said. “Also the state allots below what schools need, even below what research and instructional best practices indicate, and that is that we need the presence of more student-facing roles, teacher assistants, more language teachers, and funding positions for the whole child, such as mental health specialists, at the state level, of course.” [Source]
OBX Collapse
Mark Price, The Charlotte Observer, 8/18/24
Another beachfront home has fallen into the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks — the seventh in four years, according to the National Park Service.
The house at 23214 Corbina Drive in Rodanthe toppled Friday, Aug. 16, and quickly began to break apart in the surf, the park said in a news release. It was unoccupied and no injuries were reported.
“Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge strongly urges all visitors to avoid the beaches and stay out of the water around all areas of the beaches and surf in Rodanthe,” officials said. “Many other homes appear to have sustained damages in the Rodanthe area. Dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water for more than a dozen miles.” [Source]
Homeschool Classes
Liz Schlemmer, WUNC Radio, 8/18/24
Homeschoolers who want to take advanced courses not offered in their homeschool setting have always been able to enroll in their local public school. To make more families aware of that opportunity, Guilford County Schools is launching a new marketing strategy in an effort to also boost falling student enrollment. Starting this year, the district’s newly named “GCS Flex” program streamlines the process for homeschoolers to enroll part-time in high school classes at Guilford County Schools.
The school district produced a video to promote the program.
“What we’ve learned post-pandemic is that families want choice,” said Guilford County Schools’ Superintendent Whitney Oakley. “We realize we’re part of that choice continuum, and the more flexible and available we can make these options, the better it off is for all parties, right?”
Homeschoolers who enroll at least part-time in a public school can join sports and clubs, take career and technical classes and free community college courses alongside high school peers, and use the school district’s services like any other student.
“Really, the goal is to just raise awareness of the options that are available for all students in Guilford County,” Oakley said. Oakley said about 50 students have enrolled in GCS Flex for the upcoming school year, and the district is continuing to take registrations.
Homeschoolers who enroll in at least half of a full-time course load will also count toward the public school’s enrollment. That benefits the school, since state funding for public schools is based primarily on a school’s total students in attendance. “We think of it as a win-win for all parties,” Oakley said. [Source]
Charlotte Grants
Ely Portillo, WFAE Radio, 8/15/24
The city of Charlotte on Thursday announced the recipients for a million dollars worth of grants to revitalize historically low-income corridors. The business and community associations will split the money to advocate for areas in east, south and west Charlotte. The recipients are Charlotte East, Historic West End Partners, QC Family Tree, the Sugar Creek Business Association and the West Corridor Merchants Association. [Source]
Prisoner Capture
The Associated Press, 8/16/24
A prisoner serving a life sentence for murder was captured at a North Carolina hotel early Friday, three days after his escape on the way to a medical appointment, and authorities say he had help from at least one person. Ramone Alston, 30, escaped from a van Tuesday as it arrived at the UNC Gastroenterology hospital in Hillsborough, where he was being taken for a medical appointment. He freed himself from his leg restraints and fled into the woods with handcuffs on, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Alston was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. at a hotel in Kannapolis, near Charlotte, about 110 miles southwest of Hillsborough, the department said in a news release, and no one was injured during the arrest. Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison, according to the release.
Alston was taken to the Granville Correctional Institution’s high-security maximum control unit, the state prison system’s most secure, to resume serving his life sentence, Department Secretary Todd Ishee said at a news conference Friday afternoon. Alston could face additional charges related to his escape.
“While we can’t provide specifics about how Alston was located, I can assure you it was the result of exceptional investigative work and dedication from the team that was assembled to work this escape,” Ishee said. “I’m grateful for the people standing here with me today and the hundreds of officers, deputies, agents and investigators who they represent that all worked so hard this week with great collaboration to bring Alston back into custody.”
Officials will evaluate whether anyone is eligible for the reward offered for information leading to Alston’s capture, Ishee said, adding that the department is conducting an internal investigation and review to identify areas for improvement. The officers who were transporting Alston have not been placed on leave but were reassigned to non-transportation duties.
Alston has been serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor since his conviction in the killing of 1-year-old Maleah Williams, who was shot on Christmas Day in 2015 from a passing car while she was playing outside her family’s apartment in Chapel Hill. She died three days later. [Source]
Court Error
Glenn Counts, WSOC News, 8/17/24
A man is back in custody weeks after a fatal shooting at a nightclub in Uptown Charlotte. Despite facing serious charges, 31-year-old Laquan Hoe was initially able to post bond and leave jail.
On June 8, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to a shooting at the A1 Lounge on North Tryon Street. At the scene, police found four people with gunshot wounds. Each victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment, where one of them, Aundrey Brown, Jr., died.
Police said shortly after that shooting, Hoe was arrested in connection with this case. However, because multiple people handled the firearm used in the shooting, it took a while for people to charge him with murder.
According to court officials, Hoe was originally in jail without bond, but an error allowed him to become eligible for a $10,000 bond. “The clerk erroneously entered the 10,000 secured bonds for the earlier assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury charge. The $10,000 secured bond should have only been entered for the probation violation,” the court administrator’s office explained.
Hoe posted that bond and was free for weeks before police were able to officially charge him with murder. Hoe was then rearrested and charged with murder, according to police. He is currently in jail without bond. [Source]
Pride Parade
Nick de la Canal, WFAE Radio, 8/16/24
Charlotte Pride will allow members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to march in this year’s parade. In an interview with WFAE, Liz Schob, a spokesperson for Charlotte Pride, said CMPD officers would be allowed to march alongside City of Charlotte employees.
“All city employees, including CMPD, are welcome to march with the city,” Schob said. “We work very closely with CMPD to make sure everyone is safe. So, yeah, you will see some CMPD officers there. And anyone who is a member of CMPD that wants to march in the parade is welcome to march with the city of Charlotte.”
It signals the end of a ban Charlotte Pride enacted in 2020 amid Black Lives Matter protests in Charlotte and around the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
At the time, Charlotte’s Pride’s board of directors released a statement saying law enforcement groups would no longer be welcome to march in the parade or serve as festival vendors until the community was confident that police “are committed to the meaning of Black Lives Matter and treat Black and Brown people with dignity and respect.”
A CMPD spokesperson told WFAE on Friday that command staff were unaware of the ban, and were unsure if any officers planned to march with the city on Sunday. [Source]
NC Insider Legislative Report
LB: LEGISLATIVE BUILDING. LOB: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
HOUSE CALENDAR
Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
House Convenes at 12 P.M.
SENATE CALENDAR
Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
Senate Convenes at 12 P.M.
HOUSE & SENATE: Reconvening allowed under provisions of SB 916, if no sine die adjournment previously adopted.
- Monday, Sept. 9 to Wednesday, Sept. 11
- Wednesday, Oct. 9
- Tuesday, Nov. 19 to Friday Nov. 22
- Wednesday, Dec. 11 to Friday Dec. 13
Legislative Studies and Meetings
LB: LEGISLATIVE BUILDING. LOB: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
Thursday, August 22
- 2 p.m. | America’s Semiquincentennial Committee, 1228/1327 LB
Thursday, August 29
- 1 p.m. | Agriculture and Forestry Awareness Study Commission, Ed Emory Auditorium, Kenansville.
N.C. Government Meetings and Hearings
BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS
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.
Tuesday, Sept. 3
- 1:30 p.m. | The Accountability 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.
Friday, Sept. 6
- 10 a.m. | The Finance and Audit 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, Sept. 10
- 8:30 a.m. | The Fund 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, Sept. 17
- 10 a.m. | The North Carolina Partnership for Children Board of Directors meets. 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, Sept. 11
- Meeting of the Board of Governors, TBA.
Thursday, Sept. 12
- Meeting of the Board of Governors, TBA.
Thursday, Oct. 17
- Meeting of the Board of Governors, TBA.
Wednesday, Nov. 13
- Meeting of the Board of Governors, TBA.
Thursday, Nov. 14
- Meeting of the Board of Governors, TBA.
N.C. Utilities Commission Hearing Schedule
DOBBS BUILDING, 430 NORTH SALISBURY STREET, RALEIGH
Tuesday, Aug. 20
- 6 p.m. | Public Witness Hearing – Application for Transfer of Public Utility Franchise and Approval of Rates of HISCO East, LLC in Carteret County to HISCO I in Carteret County | W-1297 Sub 17, W-1344 Sub 0
- 6 p.m. | Public Witness Hearing – Application for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and for Approval of Rates to Provide Sewer Utility Service to Currently Served Cape Ponte Village Subdivision, Additional Phases for the National Park Service, Harkers Island RV Park and a Fe | W-1344 Sub 1
Wednesday, Aug. 21
- 7 p.m. | Public Witness Hearing – Application for General Rate Increase for Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. | G-9 Sub 837
Thursday, Aug. 22
- 7 p.m. | Public Witness Hearing – Application for General Rate Increase for Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. | G-9 Sub 837
- Other Meetings and Events of Interest
BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS
Monday, Aug. 19
- Gov. Roy Cooper will be in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
Friday, Sept. 6
Friday, Sept. 27
- 2024 Lumbee Powwow, Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center, 638 Terry Sanford Drive, Maxton.
