YOU DON’T SAY

“North Carolina is becoming the heart of the booming ‘battery belt.’”

Gov. Roy Cooper, on the announcement that a California battery maker plans to build a factory in Edgecombe County. (The News & Observer, 8/15/24)

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Battery Factory

Brian Gordon and Adam Wagner, The News & Observer, 8/15/24

A leading manufacturer of sodium-ion batteries received a state incentive package Thursday afternoon to build a $1.4 billion factory on a long-dormant megasite in Edgecombe County. The future facility from California-based Natron Energy is expected to sit on Kingsboro Business Park, a 2,187-acre site east of Rocky Mount, multiple sources familiar with the matter told The News & Observer.

The company promises to hire 1,062 workers at its factory between 2028 and 2032, at an average wage of at least $64,700. Founded in 2012, Natron opened its first commercial battery factory this spring in Holland, Michigan.

The company says its incoming North Carolina plant will be 40 times larger — making it the world’s first sodium-ion “gigafatory.”

“This is the best place for our new home,” Colin Wessell, Natron’s founder and co-CEO, said during a celebratory event Thursday afternoon at Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro. “We choose to build here, we choose to grow here for decades to come.”

Sodium-ion is an emerging battery material, and Natron has received nearly $20 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund its initial commercial efforts. This money was part of a broader Biden administration initiative to help scale “high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies” in the energy sector.

Natron has private backers as well. In January, the company reported raising more than $300 million from investors, and in 2022, United Airlines made a “strategic equity investment” as it looks to electrify its airport ground equipment.

North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee met Thursday to award Natron a job development investment grant, or JDIG, worth up to $21.7 million.

As with all JDIGs, this money will be distributed through payroll tax benefits only after the company reaches yearly hiring and investment targets stipulated in the agreement. The state also allocated $30 million through the North Carolina Megasite Fund, which was established in the latest state budget to ready sites for major employers.

Additional state funding for the Natron project includes $4.2 million in workforce training and $350,000 from the Department of Transportation. The total state package is worth up to $56.3 million. Additional incentives from Edgecombe County could add another $129.6 million in public benefits.

With the crowd cheering, Gov. Roy Cooper turned to Natron’s two CEOs on the stage and pumped his left fist. With Natron, North Carolina has further pinned its economic future to environmentally sustainable alternative batteries.

Since 2021, the state has awarded incentives to several lithium-ion battery projects — including a 5,000-worker Toyota factory in Randolph County as well as smaller plants near Charlotte, Wilmington and Raleigh.

“I know that we’re walking through a door that will transform this amazing place that I call home in a positive way,” Cooper said. “North Carolina is becoming the heart of the booming ‘battery belt.’”

Other Southeastern states, like Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, also have announced electric vehicle battery plants in recent years, joining traditional Midwestern auto industry hotbeds Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to form the so-called “battery belt.”

Natron told North Carolina it selected the Tar Heel State after considering other finalist sites in Tennessee and South Carolina. State economists estimate that Natron will result in a $3.4 billion benefit to North Carolina’s economy over the next decade.

Cooper presented a blue piece of pottery with the state’s motto on it — from Seagrove master potter Ben Owen — to Natron’s CEOs. Then Wessell gave Cooper a model of the battery cells that the company will make at the Edgecombe County facility.

Thursday’s event also featured a promotional video in which someone fired a gun at both a sodium-ion battery and a lithium-ion battery. The lithium-ion battery exploded, the sodium-ion battery did not. The same happened when both batteries were struck with a nail.

“Clearly there’s competition on the market, and the more clean energy batteries we can put into the market the better off we’re going to be,” Cooper said to reporters after the event. [Source]

 

Hall Fundraising

Kyle Ingram, The News & Observer, 8/15/24

Rep. Destin Hall, a 37-year-old Republican from Caldwell County, is not yet North Carolina House speaker, but he has already stepped into one of the position’s most important election-year roles: fundraising. And he’s pulling in big donations.

Hall, who has gained the support of top leaders in the House Republican Caucus to replace Speaker Tim Moore in 2025, has raised over $1.5 million this election, according to campaign finance reports. And the bulk of that money is going to his fellow House members.

Jordan Shaw, an adviser to Hall, told The News & Observer that Hall transferred $1 million to the House Republican caucus campaign committee. That’s the largest single contribution to the caucus in history, according to House GOP Caucus Director Stephen Wiley.

“I’m thrilled by the level of support we’re seeing across the state for continued conservative leadership in Raleigh,” Hall said in a statement to The N&O.

“We are focused on protecting and expanding our Republican majority in the North Carolina House this November, and I will continue to work as hard as I can with my fellow House members and candidates to ensure we have the resources to be successful.”

Shaw said Hall has given an additional $134,000 in individual contributions to other House Republicans, though he did not provide a list of the candidates who received those donations. Because Hall’s contribution to the caucus happened after the second quarter of the year, it has not yet been reported in quarterly campaign finance reports.

After Moore announced he was running for Congress — making his record-breaking fifth term as speaker his last — leaders of the caucus quickly united behind Hall to be his successor. As chair of the Rules Committee, Hall already wielded considerable influence over the chamber. He and House Majority Leader John Bell were each contenders for the speakership, but the two ultimately agreed, alongside other party leaders, to support Hall for the top position and select Bell as the next rules chair, the Associated Press reported.

Moore has set a high standard for fundraising during his time as speaker, most recently bringing in over $3 million in the 2022 midterms — over $2 million of which he gave to the caucus, Wiley said. This year’s fundraising efforts come as Republicans aim to maintain or grow their fragile one-seat supermajorities in the House and Senate.

With complete control over the General Assembly, Republican lawmakers have been able to overturn a record number of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes, enacting major conservative legislation like a 12-week abortion ban with exceptions, stricter election laws and restrictions on gender-affirming care. But if Republicans lose just one seat in either chamber, they also lose the power to override the governor’s veto unless at least a few Democrats vote with them.

If Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson wins the gubernatorial race, this likely won’t be a major issue for the party. But if Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein wins, Republicans would not be able to pass conservative laws by themselves.

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives isn’t surprised that Hall is delivering on fundraising for the opposition. “In my mind, he is raising as a speaker should raise,” Reives told The N&O. But the top-down approach to fundraising has its drawbacks, he said. “Speaker Moore has always been kind of the big overall fundraiser, and has distributed money and (support from) donors to people who are not Speaker Moore,” Reives said. “So it makes their caucus a little bit more dependent on the top of the leadership scale, whereas with us, a lot of our fundraising comes in a more diverse way.”

Reives himself has raised about $417,000 this cycle and the Democratic House caucus has about $409,000 in its account. Even when Democrats were in the majority, they relied more heavily on individual fundraisers within the caucus rather than letting leadership take charge, Reives said. He pointed to several consequential House races where Democrats are currently outraising their opponents, including Nicole Sidman’s campaign to unseat Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham in Mecklenburg County.

In the last reporting period, Sidman raised more than $260,000 — over four times as much as Cotham, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Democrats also lead Republicans in fundraising for several statewide races. In the governor’s race, Stein raised $13.6 million last quarter to Robinson’s $5 million. And in the race for attorney general, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson raised three times as much as his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop. The next batch of campaign finance reports are due on Oct. 29 and will show Hall’s contribution to the caucus and individual House Republicans. All members of the General Assembly are up for reelection this year on Nov. 5. [Source]

Robinson Nonprofit

Nora O’Neill and Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer, 8/15/24

Gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson on Wednesday accused his Democratic opponent of being “deeply embedded” in the state’s investigation of a now-closed nonprofit run by Yolanda Hill, who’s Robinson’s wife.

Hill’s nonprofit has faced scrutiny by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in recent months for delaying compliance reviews and for not following the state’s administrative cost guidelines for government-funded nonprofits. Robinson claimed during a Trump rally in Asheville the recent reviews by NCDHHS could be related to Anna Stein’s job as a legal specialist for the department — a claim the agency denies.

“My wife ran a successful business for almost 10 years. It wasn’t until some folks inside of that business who don’t like me, found out who I was, and then the games begin. The harassment begins,” Robinson said to the crowd of around 2,400 people. “Now we find out that my opponent’s wife is deeply embedded into the very edges of the whole sway over my wife’s business.”

His campaign put out a news release making the same allegation within an hour of Robinson’s speech.

Anna Stein works as a part-time legal consultant on chronic disease and injury policy. She’s never been involved with any work related to Balanced Nutrition, Hill’s nonprofit that helps child care facilities get food from government programs, said Kelly Haight Connor, an NCDHHS spokesperson.

“This attack is ridiculous and completely false,” Josh Stein said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer.

Hill abruptly announced in April she would shut down her nonprofit as her family’s focus shifted to Robinson’s campaign, The Assembly first reported.

Shortly after, WUNC reported Balanced Nutrition didn’t have a balanced budget and administrative salaries were higher than the 15% of overall funding allowed by the NCDHHS. Budget documents obtained by numerous news outlets showed Hill’s salary was around $140,000 last year, nearly double her salary in 2019.

Hill refused to meet with NCDHHS employees without legal counsel and delayed attempts by the NCDHHS to complete a required compliance review, according to emails obtained by the News & Observer.

At the end of July, NCDHHS ordered Balanced Nutrition to pay the state $132,118 for improperly billed expenses and improper claims related to labor, food, rent and more, including Hill’s high salary.

Documents showed Balanced Nutrition sometimes reported the cost of items as higher than they actually were or submit receipts twice.

Hill was given 15 days to pay the money or make an appeal, and began the appeal process with the state, Robinson’s campaign confirmed.

Hill told reporters she feels she is being targeted because of her husband, and a statement Wednesday from Robinson’s campaign reiterated that.

Robinson’s campaign points to a few documents as proof of a conflict of interest with Anna Stein’s employment, including Josh Stein’s 2024 statement of economic interest with the North Carolina State Ethics Commission where he lists his wife as a legal specialist working in public health law for the state.

Anna Stein’s LinkedIn page also lists her as a legal specialist at the NCDHHS, and The News & Observer’s government salary database has Anna Stein listed as a part-time employee at the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources Temporary Solutions program.

Anna Stein’s previous work at the department has been primarily focused on tobacco prevention and smoking cessation efforts, Connor said.

Since the fall, she has been a temporary, hourly worker and spent her time working on developing resources for jails and detention centers.

Her employment will end by Sept. 9, Haight Connor said. A spokesperson for Josh Stein’s campaign called the conflict of interest allegations baseless.

“These shameful attacks are baseless and exactly what you’d expect from someone doing everything in his power to avoid responsibility for a dangerous daycare and allegations of six-figure fraud,” spokesperson Kate Frauenfelder wrote in a statement to the Observer. [Source]

Campaign Ads

Molly Wilhelm, Wilmington StarNews, 8/14/24

David Hill, a Democrat and candidate for North Carolina State Senate District 7, has issued a cease-and-desist letter to his Republican opponent, incumbent Michael Lee, in relation to attack ads run by Lee’s campaign.

Mailers allegedly distributed by The Committee to Elect Michael Lee in Hill’s district contain the statement that “State Senate Candidate David Hill strongly supports sex change surgery for kids,” according to a cease-and-desist letter issued on Aug. 13 by Womble Bond Dickinson, legal counsel representing David Hill. The letter characterizes this statement as “false and misleading.”

The cited source for the claim was a 2021 blog post by Hill in BeingWell, a post which “contains no language supporting such a claim,” according to the cease-and-desist letter. Hill’s legal counsel said that the referenced article instead concerns “’surgical emergencies’ relating to intestinal blockages and for the rare condition of hypospadias.”

“In no circumstances could the statements in the article be read as supporting ‘sex change surgery for kids’ in either a medical or common-language sense,” the cease-and-desist letter reads. Hill’s legal counsel said that the claim “represents libel per se” due to its relation to Hill’s profession as a physician.

“False claims regarding Dr. Hill in his professional capacity as a medical doctor are particularly dangerous in the context of what might otherwise be characterized as a standard – albeit still false – political attack,” the cease-and-desist letter reads. “Recent social media and Internet postings about Dr. Hill are raising issues concerning his reputation as a doctor, arguing that he should ‘lose his practice,’ and accusing him of murdering children.”

Hill also takes issue with a television advertisement run by Lee’s committee labeling him as a “quack,” an “epithet … reserved for medical practitioners who are ignorant, misinformed, and dishonest,” according to the cease-and-desist letter.

The Committee to Elect Michael Lee, responded to the StarNews request for comment by email on Wednesday evening, addressing the recent allegations. “First, the ads you have seen, and the ones referred to in David’s press release (and corresponding attorney letter) are accurate … without question,” the committee wrote.

The committee said they will issue a full response in the near future, in which they will “provide various citations,” including “a podcast where David expresses his concern over the possibility of states banning gender affirming care to children.”

In reference to the use of the word “quack” in Lee’s campaign ad, Lee’s committee clarified that the full term used in the television advertisement was “quack liberal.”

“The ad is about David’s extreme liberal ideology on three important issues,” the committee wrote. “The ad was never intended to, nor does it state, anything about his competence to practice medicine, but explicitly calls into question his stance on these important issues.”

Hill’s legal counsel has demanded that Michael Lee’s campaign committees “cease and desist from any further dissemination of the false claims, whether by mailer, on-line, or through any other media,” according to the letter.

Two years ago, Lee filed a lawsuit against a different District 7 challenger for what he called a false ad. In 2022, Lee sued his former political opponent Marcia Morgan alleging her campaign had run a defamatory television ad. Ultimately, Morgan voluntarily discontinued the ad which prompted the suit, according to prior StarNews coverage. [Source]

Divine 9

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, The News & Observer, 8/15/24

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election, she will usher in several firsts: first woman, first Black woman and first Indian-American in the White House. She’ll also be the first president who graduated from an HBCU or is a member of a Divine 9 sorority or fraternity.

Harris is a graduate of Howard University in Washington and an Alpha Kappa Alpha — two factors that Democrats think could help get-out-the-vote efforts and fundraising.

That status matters to those who attended a historically Black college or university, or who are in the Divine 9, which is a group of prominent Black Greek-letter organizations. Devin Freeman is a senior at N.C. Central University, an HBCU in Durham, and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the Divine 9.

“It’s so exciting to support the vice president because she is the fighter for a better future not only for me, but my generation,” Freeman said at a news conference days after President Joe Biden stepped aside in the race and threw his support behind Harris as the nominee. Freeman said, “It’s so meaningful to me to have an HBCU grad as our future president.”
Freeman met Harris when he was invited to her home along with other HBCU student leaders in 2022, and talked to her again when she was campaigning in Greensboro, then as the VP.

As a delegate, Freeman will cast his vote for Harris during the Democratic National Convention. He won’t be the only Divine 9 member doing so.

The power of the nine Black sororities and fraternities is millions of people, said state Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Delta Sigma Theta. Their voting power is strong, and some members are politically active, including by participating in the annual Divine 9 Day at the N.C. General Assembly.

The bonds aren’t just something that members have while in college; Divine 9 members form lifelong memberships and communities. Four million people are in the Divine 9, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

The nine are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Iota Phi Theta.

“It’s more than just your undergraduate years or your time in grad school. It really is a lifetime of sisterhood,” said Murdock, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who served as a social action chair for the Durham Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.

She said Delta Sigma Theta hosted voter registration drives on campus, as well as nonpartisan election forums where folks can come together and hear about the candidates.

“It really is historic. And we feel that energy when it comes to the HBCUs and our Divine 9 organizations. Folks are stepping up to the plate, and they’re being leaders. Folks are activated, the energy and the enthusiasm and the momentum are all there, and folks are laser-focused over the next 80 or so days and getting VP Harris across the finish line,” Murdock said.

Democratic State Auditor Jessica Holmes is an AKA, like Harris. She’s a DNC delegate, too.

“To see the vice president, who is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., earn the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, is absolutely surreal, and I am personally inspired. I never imagined that I would cast a delegate vote to make a woman of color the Democratic nominee for president,” Holmes said in an interview.

Holmes has met Harris several times. “She’s kind, she’s warm, she’s intelligent and just a wonderful representation of strong women across our country,” Holmes said about Harris.

Holmes, a UNC-Chapel Hill grad and former Wake County Commissioners chair who was appointed in December to finish the term of former Auditor Beth Wood, is the first Black woman on the Council of State. She is running this fall to keep her seat.

Holmes said she believes that “young people, college graduates and HBCU graduates, will turn out in similar ways that they turned out in 2008. There is an excitement and a fire to be a part of this history.” [Source]

Harris Event

Zeke Miller, The Associated Press, 8/15/24

Vice President Kamala Harris is zeroing in on high food prices as her campaign previews an economic policy speech Friday in North Carolina, promising to push for a federal ban on price gouging on groceries as she looks to address one of voters’ top concerns. Harris is putting particular emphasis on rising meat prices, which she says account for a large part of rising bills at checkout.

Year-over-year inflation has reached its lowest level in more than three years, but food prices are 21% above where they were three years ago. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has pointed to inflation as a key failing of the Biden administration and its energy policies.
Harris, at the same time, is drawing closer to President Joe Biden’s legislative and economic record. The two celebrated their efforts to cut prescription drug prices as she made her first joint speaking appearance, at an event in Maryland, with Biden since she replaced him at the top of the Democratic ticket nearly four weeks ago.

They announced that drug price negotiations will knock hundreds of dollars — in some cases thousands — off the list prices of 10 of Medicare’s most popular and costliest drugs. The program was created through the 2022 health care- and climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act. Harris’ vote Senate vote, as vice president, helped Democrats overcome unanimous GOP opposition to make the bill law. “The tiebreaking vote of Kamala,” Biden told the audience, “made that possible.”

He added that Harris is “gonna make one helluva president.” [Source]

 

Alston Manhunt

WTVD News, 8/15/24

The search for convicted murderer Ramone Alston, who escaped custody in the parking lot of UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus on Tuesday morning is now in day 3. The reward for information leading to his arrest now sits at $50,000 and a new phone number has been set up to help streamline tips to investigators focusing on this case.

“There is someone out there who knows where Alston is,” said Secretary Todd Ishee of the NC Department of Adult Correction. “We hope that this reward will bring them forward with the critical information that leads to Alston’s capture.”

Search officials said Wednesday afternoon that after more than 30 hours of searching, they were comfortable saying Alston was no longer in the immediate area and people living there were not in any immediate danger.

As of Wednesday, August 14, a total of 335 people from 19 different agencies helped search 1,335 acres around the Hillsborough medical facility. Officials said the coordinated ground search will phase out and transition into an investigation led by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC).

Tips and clues uncovered during the search so far suggest Alston headed north of the medical facility. However, after a second day of investigating, officials came up empty. They said they feel confident Alston is not within a 5-mile radius of UNC Hospital Hillsborough Campus. Still, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said he is confident they will find Alston and bring him back into custody.

“I’ll tell you that there are two leads that we’ve got — I’m not going to tell you what they are — that we feel are solid. Rock solid. And that’s a teaser to the folks out there that know what’s going on and know that they were involved in it. We know you, and we’re coming for you,” Blackwood said. [Source]

 

School Pay

T. Keung Hui, The News & Observer, 8/15/24

Wake County school employees will see bigger paychecks this month as pay raises go into effect. The Wake County school board adopted new salary schedules last week to allow state and locally-funded pay raises to be paid out beginning in August paychecks.

The raises include a 4% increase in the local salary supplement for teachers and a higher minimum salary of $20 an hour for bus drivers and $17.75 an hour for other support staff. The pay raises are retroactive to July 1. The retroactive pay will be paid in the September paycheck.

“I know that we have a lot of staff, a lot of our teachers, a lot of our non-certified staff … looking forward to receiving the benefits of some of the changes we made in our salary schedules,” school board chair Chris Heagarty said before the vote.

The raises had been on hold while Wake waited to see if state lawmakers would reach a new budget deal. Instead, the General Assembly passed a bill authorizing pay raises for school employees it had included last year in the two-year state budget.

David Neter, the district’s chief business officer, told board members that they don’t anticipate the General Assembly will take any additional action that would impact Wake’s budget. The raises were also made possible by the Wake County Board of Commissioners providing most of the district’s requested $63.2 million increase in local funding.

The state is providing an average raise of 3% for teachers. But the raises are significantly higher for beginning teachers than experienced educators. Commissioners also fund a local salary supplement for teachers that will go up 4% this year.

A Wake teacher with no prior experience will get a starting salary of $48,340. At the upper end of the scale, a Wake special-education teacher with 31 years of experience who has a master’s degree and national board certification will get $86,752. The average salary for a Wake teacher was $58,331 in the 2022-23 school year. A perk offered by Wake is that it pays 10% extra to teachers who have a master’s degree. This includes teachers who missed the state’s 2013 cutoff to continue receiving extra master’s degree pay.

The state provided bus drivers with a 3% raise this year. Wake went above that by using local dollars to raise the minimum salary for drivers to $20 an hour. [Source]

 

Immigrant Education

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE Radio, 8/15/24

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools introduced its PACE Academy last summer, the principal described it as a model for North Carolina schools trying to put teens who are new to the United States on track for success.

Last year CMS had more than 30,000 students who are learning English, more than any place else in the state. The new academy, located at Waddell High in southwest Charlotte, was designed to surround high school students with support as they learned English, adjusted to American culture and moved toward graduation.

The plan called for serving 250 students the first year and 375 this year. But when the doors opened last August, only 59 students were there.

This summer, 116 students had signed up. But when CMS staff contacted families to confirm transportation plans, they learned the number had dropped to 89 — assuming all of them actually showed up.

Scaling back the faculty wasn’t an option, Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight told the school board Tuesday. “They must have certain things to have all the components of a high school. And so we have 24 staff members allocated to the PACE program, which is right at $2.8 million in funding,” she said.

The transportation tally came at the end of July. Balknight and Superintendent Crystal Hill came up with a last-minute proposal that they said would make better use of faculty and provide more support for students: Move the PACE Academy across town, to Garinger High in east Charlotte.

When the board approved the PACE Academy in 2022, it was supposed to be part of a larger school, including an aviation magnet program. In reality, the only other program at Waddell is the CMS Virtual Academy, which means the PACE students don’t have English-speaking peers to learn from.

Garinger, located in the heart of Charlotte’s international community, expects to have 166 students who are eligible for PACE — that is, new to the United States and limited in English proficiency. Hill’s plan called for moving Waddell’s PACE faculty and students and merging it with Garinger’s English learner program, which isn’t fully staffed yet.

On Monday, CMS notified staff and families that the relocation plan would be up for a vote at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. Balknight says they got mixed reviews from parents. But board members said the ones who contacted them were not happy.

The board voted 8-1 to delay consideration of the relocation plan, clearing the way for the program to remain at Waddell. Melissa Easley cast the “no” vote — not, she said afterward, because she wanted to authorize the move to Garinger, but because she wanted to scrap it entirely. [Source]

Speed Humps

Lucas Thomae, Carolina Public Press, 8/14/24

As other municipalities across North Carolina are updating their traffic safety efforts to reflect current best practices, some Durham residents are concerned their city is falling behind in permitting speed humps or other options. The Bull City boasts on its website that in 2017 it became one of the first North Carolina cities to adopt a Vision Zero program, an initiative which aims to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries.

Pedestrian collisions in Durham happen at consistently higher rates than the state average, peaking in 2018 at more than five collisions per 10,000 residents before decreasing in more recent years. According to data from the NC Department of Transportation, 91 pedestrians and cyclists were hit by motor vehicles within the city limits in 2022.

Some residents told Carolina Public Press that Durham’s slow and restrictive and speed hump policy and lack of other options when it comes to traffic calming suggest that the city’s actions aren’t measuring up to its promises.

Speed humps are raised sections of a road that require vehicles to pass over them at low speeds. They are wider and not as tall as speed bumps, making them less jarring to drivers and an increasingly popular method of traffic calming.

Records obtained by CPP show that of the 141 requests for speed humps by Durham residents in 2023, only three resulted in speed humps being installed or approved for installation. The city denied nearly 90% of the requests for not meeting the street eligibility requirements laid out in Durham’s speed hump policy.

Speed humps are the only method of traffic calming for which there exists a formal citywide process for implementation. That’s because the city council hasn’t approved any other traffic-calming alternatives, even if those might be preferable in certain cases, such as those that don’t qualify for the speed humps under the city’s rules.

Durham’s speed hump policy was approved by the city council in 2015, two years before the city adopted its Vision Zero program, and it has stuck with that policy for the last nine years. In December, Durham brought on former transportation planner Lauren Grove to be the city’s first Vision Zero coordinator. Grove told CPP that she thought the speed hump policy is “outdated” and “probably needs to be brought up to best practices.”

Grove previously led Vision Zero efforts in Houston, a city eight times larger than Durham. However, many similarities exist between the two when it comes to their approach to traffic calming, she said.

“We had a speed hump policy — it was very restrictive,” Grove said. “There was no funding for it, just like in Durham. Even if you get approved, you then have to wait for funding or hope that council approves it.”

For a street to be considered for speed humps in Durham, it must have a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less, be at least 750 feet in length, have a minimum average daily traffic volume of 250 vehicles per day and not be on a transit or EMS route. Additionally, the 85th percentile speed on the street must exceed the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour. If the street is found to meet those requirements, the neighborhood must then produce a petition bearing the signatures of at least 75% of the affected block approving of the speed hump.

If the previous steps are completed, the project must then be approved for funding by the city council before a contract for construction is awarded through a competitive bidding process.

Durham’s speed hump policy is among the most restrictive of North Carolina’s cities. Many cities like Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro have modified their traffic-calming policies in recent years to make them less restrictive.

In 2022, Charlotte stopped requiring neighborhood petitions to request speed humps. Rather than having a long list of disqualifiers for receiving speed humps, Raleigh and Greensboro both use points-based systems to prioritize streets most in need of traffic calming. [Source]

 

Foodborne Parasite

Renee Umsted, The News & Observer, 8/15/24

Cases of intestinal illnesses traced to a parasite are higher than normal in Wake County. Health officials haven’t yet identified the contaminated food.

As of Aug. 12, 135 cases of cyclosporiasis — an intestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora — have been recorded in the county this year with all of them since May, Rebecca Kaufman, the health director at Wake County Health & Human Services, told The News & Observer.

This number marks a sharp increase from cases in previous years. Wake County recorded 63 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases in 2023 compared to 14 in 2022, the county health department said. But cyclosporiasis cases have been trending up across North Carolina since 2015, according to the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services.

While cases of cyclosporiasis are on the rise, other communicable diseases under surveillance by state health officials are much more common.

Of the 135 people infected this year, 22 have reported eating at three local restaurants. Not all 22 ate at all three restaurants, and the last time someone with cyclosporiasis ate at one of the restaurants was July 10, Wake County Health & Human Services told The N&O in an email. County health officials are not naming the businesses. Inspectors have looked into the restaurants’ food handling and sanitation and did not find that food was mishandled.

When a person is diagnosed with cyclosporiasis, Wake County Health and Human Services investigates, asking the infected person what they have eaten over the past 28 days. Sometimes, people have trouble remembering everything they’ve consumed for multiple weeks, but public health nurses try to find out as much as they can, Kaufman said. [Source]

Affordable Housing

Ely Portillo, WFAE Radio, 8/15/24

Charlotte City Council is refining plans for the city’s $100 million affordable housing bond referendum this November. The bond money would be the largest-ever single infusion into the city’s Housing Trust Fund. But Charlotte Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services Rebecca Heafner told council members Wednesday that the city will still have to prioritize its spending.

“$100 million will only go so far. So this is an effort to identify some priority populations that the city’s housing investment could serve,” she said.

To make the money go as far as possible, the city plans call for giving priority to people vulnerable to displacement, and to housing developments that include services like job training for residents. If voters say yes in November, the spending would include $35 million for new rental housing, $25 million for new home ownership support, $9 million for homeless shelters and supportive housing and $14 million for preserving and rehabbing aging apartments. [Source]

 

Cosmetics Manufacturer

David Ford, WFDD Radio, 8/15/24

A cosmetics and personal care products manufacturer is set to invest nearly $8.5 million in High Point. Cosmetics & Cleaners International, also known as C&C Industries, is headquartered in Florida just outside of Miami. Its new North Carolina facility is expected to create just over 100 jobs, including chemists, line workers, quality assurance technicians and others.

Among the leading reasons cited for the expansion were High Point’s available distribution network, with easy access to markets along the East Coast, and the region’s available workforce. [Source]

Rural Grants

News Release, 8/15/24

The Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved eight grant requests to local governments totaling $1,650,000, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 297 jobs, 56 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $234 million in public and private investment.

“These grants continue to help create great jobs in our rural communities,” Cooper said. “We are building a strong foundation upon which North Carolina’s rural economy can thrive.”

The RIA is supported by the rural economic development team at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. RIA members review and approve funding requests from local communities. Funding comes from a variety of specialized grant and loan programs offered and managed by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division, led by Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Kenny Flowers. Grants support a variety of activities, including infrastructure development, building renovation, expansion and demolition, and site improvements. 

The RIA approved eight grant requests under the state’s Building Reuse Program in three categories:

Vacant Building Category – City of Lenoir: A $140,000 grant will support the reuse of a 13,000-square-foot building in Lenoir where Nutrameltz, a health and wellness brand plans to locate.

City of High Point: A $200,000 grant will support the reuse of a 108,000-square-foot building in High Point. This building will be occupied by C&C Industries.

Existing Business Building Category – City of Mebane: A $145,000 grant will support the renovation of a 167,000-square-foot building in Mebane. The facility is occupied by Sandvik Coromant, a global manufacturer of engineering tools and machining solutions.

Burke County: A $175,000 grant will support the renovation of a 92,500-square-foot building in Hildebran. The facility is occupied by Miller Knoll, one of several companies under the Geiger International, Inc. umbrella, which manufactures seating and tables for health care, higher education, corporate office, and residential markets.

Town of Aberdeen: A $160,000 grant will support the renovation of a 35,000-square-foot building in Aberdeen that is occupied by Reliance Packaging, LLC, a company that extrudes, prints, and converts heavy-duty bags and printed roll-stock primarily for lawn and garden products.

Robeson County: A $500,000 grant will support the 10,000-square-foot expansion of a building in Maxton that is currently occupied by Campbell Soup Company.

Rural Health Building Category – Brunswick County: A $250,000 grant will support the reuse of a 73,000-square-foot building in Supply where Medaci Wellness Institute Transformation, a comprehensive continuum care facility that offers services from inpatient detoxification to residential rehabilitation, will locate. With this project, the company is expected to create 25 jobs and invest $35 million.

Robeson County: An $80,000 grant will support the reuse of a 3,605-square-foot building in Rowland. The building will be occupied by Hope Health Family Practice, LLC, a business offering a wide range of services including primary care, prevention & wellness, and mental health therapy.

ABC Commission

News Release, 8/15/24

The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission met Wednesday and ratified 70 hearing cases that resulted in penalties in excess of $84,000 and/or imposition of suspensions of permits for three days or more, according to a news release. Fines are due on or before September 6 and suspensions begin September 13. The commission also approved new store locations in Sparta and Wilmington. Deputy Commissioner Mike DeSilva closed the meeting by congratulating Education Community Outreach Director Burna Mattocks on her upcoming retirement. Mattocks began working with the ABC Commission in 2004, according to the commission’s web site. The next monthly meeting will be held Sept. 18 at 10 a.m.

 

Oak Island Resignation

Eliot Duke, State Port Pilot, 8/14/24

A directive handed down from Oak Island Town Council to the planning board earlier this summer has led to several code of ethics complaints, accusations of racism and one member stepping down entirely.

Planning board member Melanie Morgan submitted her resignation on Aug. 5 after council members Bob Ciullo and Terri Cartner filed code of ethics complaints against her related to a July 15 meeting and a discussion about residential building size limitations. The council directed the planning board to provide recommendations about ways the town can limit the size of large houses on the island proper and the mainland.

During the meeting, Morgan referenced comments Ciullo made at a previous special use permit hearing, as well as a social media post she considered racist that was indirectly tied to Cartner. Both council members highlighted the comments in their complaint affidavits, leading to Morgan filing similar complaints against Ciullo and Cartner. Morgan ultimately elected to resign from the planning board.

“I came to realize that there was no path forward for me on the planning board,” Morgan said. “I did not want them to ‘win’ by resigning, but rather there is power in my resignation in that it frees me of my obligation to the town and allows me to speak out freely about what they are doing.”

Ciullo said Morgan often puts personal business interests as a local real estate broker at the forefront of her decision-making process.

“The remedy that I hope to achieve is to protect the town as a whole, the planning board, and the integrity of our UDO/zoning process by permitting Ms. Morgan to resign,” Ciullo said in the complaint. “Should she choose not to resign, the town will move forward with a very public investigation.”

Cartner highlighted Morgan’s response to a social media comment in her complaint filed on July 30. Morgan considered a comment about “foreign investors” under one of Cartner’s posts on the Oak Island Civic Alliance Facebook page to be racist and felt more should’ve been done to both remove and not condone the language. Cartner said the comment had no relevance to the discussion and that Morgan used her seat on the board to “make a public, inappropriate, unfounded and untrue statement against citizens and an elected official regarding her allegations of racism.”

Council is responsible for filling the vacant seat on the planning board. The terms of David Bradley and Kerri McCullough are set to expire and the council is expected to vote on their seats at its Aug. 13 meeting. [Source]

 

School Board Politics

Brenna Flanagan, Port City Daily, 8/15/24

Tuesday’s town hall with New Hanover County Schools board members, executive staff and teachers was a positive one, according to some participants and board members.

“It went well,” board member Hugh McManus said. “The honest, straight input from teachers, principals, instructional coaches, cafeteria staff, bus drivers and cafeteria staff to name a few should be a wake up call for all of us. We need to value all staff at all levels. I hope the board will continue to have these meetings a few times a year.” 

Dozens of NHCS employees turned out to discuss three topics: district climate, student behavior and the new superintendent search. The event ran from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with two cohorts of participants. Two tables consisted of two board members and three were situated at the third table. Each set of board members took on a separate topic and rotated around the room to gather input.

The meeting was not livestreamed and non-participants were relegated to a separate section of the room where they could not hear table conversations. “We just really wanted to protect our employees,” board member Stephanie Kraybill said.

The names of participants were also kept anonymous to board members. This was important as roughly 65% of employees who filled out the 2024 climate survey expressed dissatisfaction with both district leadership and the board, but noted they feared retaliation for speaking out on important issues of concern in district policies, procedures and curricula.

Board member Josie Banhart said she wasn’t taken aback by any input shared Tuesday, considering the survey’s results presented to the board in July. The survey noted that 65% thought the seven-member school board didn’t value their input or expertise, with 80% calling the board out-of-touch with the realities of the classroom. Many expressed disapproval of decisions being based on politics above district needs as well. Barnhart said she was surprised by the candor and “raw honesty” the participants exhibited at the town hall, to which Kraybill agreed.

“I was very pleased that some people were bold enough to say they were tired of partisan politics creeping into decision-making and policies that we were putting in place when none of us had been in the schools in quite some time,” she said. [Source]

 

Cherokee Language

Sharryse Piggott, WUNC Radio, 8/15/24

For the first time ever this fall, Duke University will offer a new online Cherokee language course series. It’s open to all students, and will count toward a full language college credit to graduate. Courtney Lewis, the university’s inaugural director for the Native American Studies Initiative, said this will also be the first time that Duke students will get to learn an American Indian language.

The new Cherokee Language class is a four-course series. It’s supported by the partnership for less commonly taught languages through the cultural anthropology department at Duke. Students at Vanderbilt University will join this year’s fall class at Duke online. Lewis said in the future, she hopes the course can be offered in person. [Source]

 

Stormy Daniels Event

Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times, 8/15/24

Only days after Former President Donald Trump’s rally at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Stormy Daniels will perform a stand-up comedy routine at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

Daniels, an adult film star and performer, is known in part for her prominent role in a court case Trump faced in 2023. Trump’s attorney at the time claimed that the former president paid Daniels $130,000 in hush money before the 2016 election to keep her from going public with an affair.

“One Night Stand with Stormy Daniels” is described on the Wortham Performing Arts webpage as “a one-night-only event full of excitement, laughter, and maybe even a few surprises.” In a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, Daniels said that she would be taking audience questions following the show, as well as signing autographs. [Source]

 

Kings Mountain Development

Rebecca Sitzes, The Shelby Star, 8/15/24

As the city of Kings Mountain faces new growth and hundreds of new homes are developed, local leadership wants those homes to be affordable for residents. Recently, the City Council voted on and unanimously approved a voluntary owner occupancy pledge for residential developers in an effort to promote homeownership and encourage the sale of new construction homes to owner-occupants over real estate investors.

“The voluntary owner occupancy pledge encourages owner occupancy,” said City Manager Jim Palenick. “So whenever we can get developers that will actually make a pledge, we think it will be a positive.”

He said it would make a statement on behalf of the community that the city is a place for homeownership for young professionals and families.

Matt Echols, city engineer, recently spoke to council and said he wanted to convey the importance of the pledge for residential developers. He said their vision is for the city to be the most desirable city in North Carolina to call home.

“Homeownership is a good indicator of quality of life,” Echols. “We want our citizens to be homeowners because of the financial benefits that gives. Our homes are our greatest asset.”

Not only are homeowners better off financially, he said, but they are more likely to have income to eat and shop local, start a business and donate to charity. He said it gives a sense of stability and belonging.

Echols said corporate investors have deep pockets and love to buy up new developments.

“They also have very willing sellers,” he said. “Builders building a neighborhood can sell 50 houses at once and can make the same money selling one house 50 times. That’s just a fact. That makes it very easy for institutional investors to buy up a ton of homes. This is wreaking havoc on supply and demand and driving up housing cost.”

Echols estimated there are around 3,000 new, single-family homes being built in the city and around 4,000 families who want to buy houses. “Even without institutional investors, we think there’s a supply and demand shortage,” he said. “This is driving up costs for homes.” [Source]

 

Guilford Superintendent

Amy Diaz, WFDD Radio, 8/15/24

The Guilford County Schools Board of Education unanimously voted to extend Superintendent Whitney Oakley’s contract through June 30, 2028. Oakley was named the fifth superintendent of Guilford County Schools in 2022. Under her leadership, the district has expanded mental health programs, increased school safety measures and earned national recognition for post-pandemic recovery tutoring initiatives.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Board Chair Deena Hayes said she and other board members were pleased with her performance over the last two years.

Oakley attended Guilford County Schools as a child. Before becoming superintendent, she served the district in a variety of leadership roles, including chief academic officer and deputy superintendent. [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

Friday, Aug. 16

• 10 a.m. | Gov. Roy Cooper to deliver remarks at Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee meeting, 325 N Salisbury St, Raleigh.
• TBA | Gov. Roy Cooper to join Vice President Kamala Harris for a speech about her economic agenda, Raleigh.

Friday, Sept. 6

• No time given | The 2024 N.C. Mountain State Fair opens at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Runs through the 15th, and more information is available at https://www.wncagcenter.org/p/mountainstatefair

Friday, Sept. 27

• 2024 Lumbee Powwow, Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center, 638 Terry Sanford Drive, Maxton.