VOLUME 2 ISSUE 57
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018
Inside North Carolina represented in Super Bowl, Sports
BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
Wolfpack tops Tar Heels NC State center Omer Yurtseven (14) scores as North Carolina guard Kenny Williams (24) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, on Jan. 27. The Wolfpack won in overtime, 95-91. See Sports for more on NC State’s tournament hopes.
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Confederate flags go up along I-40 Raleigh A third Confederate flag was raised on private property overlooking I-40 this week. Sons of Confederate Veterans say they will put up a flag along the highway in each county it passes through in protest of removal of Confederate memorials. So far, flags are flying in Cumberland, Catawba and Burke counties. Members of the N.C. Historical Commission are considering a petition by Gov. Roy Cooper to have Confederate monuments removed from the state capital. To comment on the petition, visit www. ncdcr.gov/commentrelocation-monuments
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China’s largest solar panel maker will open plant in U.S. Shanghai, China After President Donald Trump imposed a tariff on foreign-made solar panels, China’s largest solar panel manufacturer announced plans for a new plant in the U.S. JinkoSolar said that they “continue to monitor treatment of imports of solar cells and modules under the U.S. trade laws” and its board of directors had greenlighted a new U.S. plant, potentially hiring up to 800 people in 2019. The announcement came one week after Trump unveiled a 30 percent tariff on foreignmade solar panels.
Amazon to join in health care company New York On Tuesday, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced they will form a health care company aimed at cutting costs for their more than 500,000 U.S. employees. The announcement had few details, but the $3.47 trillion U.S. health care sector took stock market hits on the news with CVS Health down 4.1 percent, Cigna down 7.2 percent, Anthem slumping 5.3 percent and UnitedHealth Group declining 4.2 percent.
Trump points to strong economy in State of the Union Trump addresses nation speaking about his first year in office By Donna King North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night with plans to tout the economic gains of the past year and a “safe, sound, and proud America.” The tax overhaul approved by the Republican-controlled Congress with no Democrat support in December was the primary legislative victory in the first year of the Trump presidency. However, now the country is facing a deadline on the DACA immigration controversy and strong Democrat opposition, so the White House said Trump will be looking for bipartisan compromise in the weeks ahead. “The economy will be front and center,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told NBC News on Tuesday ahead of the speech. Several Democratic lawmakers
have said they would boycott the event. Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) is one of 25 lawmakers who will bring an illegal immigrant as their guest. Price is bringing Raleigh teacher and DACA recipient America Moreno Jimenez to the event. However, Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) contacted the U.S. Capitol Police and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking they “consider checking identification of all attending the State of the Union address and arresting any illegal aliens in attendance,” his office said on his Twitter account. Ahead of Trump’s speech, Republicans and Democrats were deeply divided over immigration. Lawmakers face a Feb. 8 deadline to reach a compromise on the issue and pass a new budget measure to avoid a second government shutdown. To attract Democratic votes for an immigration deal, Trump has said he is open to letting DACA recipients, or “Dreamers,” a group of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, stay in the See SOTU, page A2
PHOTO COURTESY OF ECU NEWS SERVICESL
ECU Student Health Services pharmacist Matthew Turnage administers a flu shot to sophomore Madison Morris.
NC has suffered 67 deaths from flu so far this season CDC says it’s the most flu activity nationwide in a decade By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal RALEIGH — In the depths of winter, just as it does every year, cold and flu season creeps upon us — and this year has been particularly deadly for N.C. Last week alone, the flu claimed 21 lives in this state. “The flu has always been bad,” said Dr. Alicia Lagasca, with East Carolina University’s Infectious Diseases. “Flu can cause a person, who is otherwise healthy, such as someone from the age of 20 to 30 in college, winding up on a breathing machine in the hospital.” Many people confuse the
symptoms of the flu with that of a cold. Flu symptoms are similar to the common cold and include a runny nose, sore throat and cough. The flu also adds a high fever and body aches to the mix. “The flu is much more severe and you basically feel like you can’t get out of bed,” added Lagasca. “Something that’s gone around the community — that the flu is a stomach bug — but you can get (gastrointestinal) symptoms with the flu but it is predominantly a respiratory illness.” The flu season runs between October and February. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 67 reported deaths in N.C. Across the nation, 37 children have died of the flu See FLU, page A2
JOSHUA ROBERTS | REUTERS
A man hangs lights in preparation for interviews after the State of the Union address in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30.
INSIDE The N.C. General Assembly examines disaster relief funding Jones & Blount
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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Cooper greenlights Atlantic Coast Pipeline Business leaders and small-town officials praise decision, look forward to economic boom By Donna King North State Journal
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FLU from page A1 this year. The flu can be a serious illness, especially for adults older than 65, children younger than 5, pregnant women and those with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart disease. Health officials encourage citizens to be vaccinated. DHHS encourages vaccinations for everyone 6 months and older. Pharmacies, doctor’s offices, health centers and hospitals are all offering the flu vaccine. Depending upon where you receive your shot, the cost can range from free to at most $50. “Even though flu season is up and full blown, it’s still important to get your flu vaccine because
RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has issued the necessary water permits to allow the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) in North Carolina. The 600-mile natural gas line passes through West Virginia and Virginia, through eight counties in N.C., and ends in Robeson, N.C. Environmental groups have been pressuring Gov. Roy Cooper to deny the permit and stop construction of the pipeline. Cooper’s administration has previously rejected its permit applications asking for more environmental mitigation information. In exchange for approval of the project, Dominion Power and Duke Energy, which own the ACP, must give $57.8 million to a discretionary fund that Cooper controls. The millions go into an escrow account for Cooper and his agencies to distribute for environmental mitigation related to the project and for economic development costs in the towns affected. “Preserving clean water and the integrity of the communities where this pipeline is constructed will be a priority,” Cooper said. “I have asked our environmental regulators at DEQ to hold this project accountable and to continue to insist on clean water, effective sedimentation control and high air quality along the path of the construction. At the same time, I am continuing to push for more renewable energy, especially solar and wind.” However, environmental groups criticized Cooper in spite of the fund. “Gov. Cooper cannot dress up this pipeline approval by throwing a few million dollars for environmental mitigation, which in itself acknowledges there will indeed be severe impacts to communities and our natural resources,” said Amy Adams of Appalachian Voices. According to the details of the fund, half of the money is due now and the remaining half is due when the project is complete, but
before it goes into service. Also, the companies get the money back if the project is canceled. “In the event that Atlantic terminates the project before it is placed into service, whether in the unexpected event that the project fails to obtain or maintain state approvals or other necessary permits, certifications, consents, approvals or for any other reason in Atlantic’s sole discretion, the Governor of the State of North Carolina shall deliver the proportional share of the mitigation funds … to Atlantic within 30 days of written notice,” the agreement reads. Supporters say the infrastructure project will help meet the state’s growing energy needs and reduce energy costs. The pipeline will create thousands of jobs during construction and permanent jobs after. The N.C. Department of Commerce and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest have supported the project because natural gas access will also draw manufacturing industry to rural parts of eastern N.C. “The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a huge opportunity for Eastern North Carolina,” Forest said in a video news release. “We just can’t unleash the economic potential that has eluded the eastern part of our state without this pipeline.” According to a survey conducted by Hickman Analytics and released by the Consumer Energy Alliance, 52 percent of registered voters statewide support the project, with 32 percent against it. When the survey interviewed voters in counties directly impacted, 60 percent of people are in favor of the pipeline, and 29 percent are opposed. “This new pipeline will allow North Carolina to reap the benefits of the fossil fuel driven energy revolution that is powering America’s economic growth,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham). “I sincerely hope this signals a new willingness by Gov. Cooper to reject the radical anti-business elements that dominate today’s Democratic Party and work with Republicans on pro-growth economic policies that will create jobs in North Carolina.” The pipeline is 36 inches in diameter in N.C. and is planned to snake along I-95. ACP developers say they will begin construction in 2018, hiring more than 17,000 workers.
good reads Entrepreneurial Life: The Path from Startup to Market Leader Author: Robert Luddy Published: 2018 Genre: Business
NSJ Staff ROBERT LUDDY’S new book “Entrepreneurial Life: The Path from Startup to Market Leader” details the values and lessons he’s learned in starting CaptiveAire, the largest commercial kitchen ventilation company in North America. Luddy shares his history as one of eight children in a hardworking, poor family and the leadership and business insights he’s gathered over the last 40 years. North State Journal: What made you decide to write this book? Robert Luddy: The original idea of the book was to document the history and operating strategies of CaptiveAire. I added in my personal background. As the book progressed, I wanted to communicate the nature of entrepreneurial life as a life choice. Some individuals think in terms of starting a business and selling out at a young age and retiring. The reality is it takes a very long time to develop a great business. Think of Fred Smith of FedEx — he remains the chairman after 47 years.
NSJ: Why have you become engaged in the public charter school movement? RL: Most employers are very cognizant of the education and skills delicenses of current and future employees. It was obvious to me that charters were one of the best competitive ideas in public education. I helped lobby for the N.C. Charter School bill, passed in 1995. NSJ: What advice do you have to would-be entrepreneurs with just an idea and limited capital? RL: Start as a small business and do most of the work yourself. Milton Friedman referred to this as sweat capital. This is a very slow process but also affords the opportunity to learn and grow personally. It took about eight years for my company to gain financial stability, but during those years we gained expertise and learned how to be resourceful and compete under adversity. “Entrepreneurial Life: The Path from Startup to Market Leader” can be purchased at www.lulu.com.
NSJ: What role does the entrepreneurial spirit play in the nation’s and the state’s economy? RL: The entrepreneur must anticipate future needs, including innovation. Since 2000 we have witnessed many new businesses, which satisfy old and new market requirements. From restaurants, taxi (Uber), online shopping and an array of personal services. Entrepreneurs create new competition, which is critical to a vibrant marketplace.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAPTIVEAIRE
SOTU from page A1 United States with a decade-long path to citizenship. In return, he has demanded the end of the visa lottery, funding for a wall on the border with Mexico and measures to curb family sponsorship of immigrants, called “chain migration.” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said so far Democrats are not on board with Trump’s proposals. “We didn’t agree on anything,” Durbin said after a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Monday. The White House says that the second year of the Trump administration will have a major focus on infrastructure. Trump is promoting a $1.7 trillion plan to rebuild America’s aging roads, bridges and airports, all vital parts of the national economy that critics say have been neglected over the past decade. A leaked draft of the president’s proposal last week showed that the White House plan involves $100 billion in cost-sharing payments for urban projects and $50 billion for rural projects, with the remaining money largely split among “transformative” projects such as high-speed trains
there are still cases and you’re going to be protected within two weeks of getting that vaccine. We’re still encouraging everyone to get the flu vaccine,” said Lagasca. Many people question the effectiveness of a flu shot and whether to forgo the vaccination. “There has been some stir that the vaccine doesn’t work anymore. The CDC has analyzed our current strain that’s circulating and the strain in the vaccine, and it’s similar,” said Lagasca. “If you haven’t already gotten your flu shot, get your flu shot now.” People who have flu symptoms should contact their doctor immediately. Doctors can determine if the patient needs treatment with
“It’s really encouraging to be able to come and hear an upbeat tone at a State of the Union. Economic confidence is coming back to America.” — House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and funds for federal transportation lending projects. The final proposal is expected to be out in mid-February. Early word that infrastructure will be a priority gave a boost to construction stocks on Tuesday. The State of the Union comes just a day after the U.S. House voted to publicly release a memo that those who’ve seen it say outlines partisan, anti-Trump bias in the FBI, which led to Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating alleged campaign collusion with Russia, an investigation that Trump has called a “witch hunt” and “hoax.” After that vote on Monday, the memo now sits in a secure room at the White House, able to be released at the president’s discre-
“We’re still encouraging everyone to get the flu vaccine.” — Dr. Alicia Lagasca, East Carolina University a prescription antiviral drug such as Tamiflu. According to DHHS, early treatment with an antiviral drug can help prevent flu infections from becoming more serious. Treatment with a prescription antiviral drug, such as Tamiflu, is especially important for hospitalized patients, people with severe
CARLOS BARRIA | REUTERS
President Donald Trump departs after the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 26.
tion. He reportedly did not want to release it before the State of the Union address out of concern for overshadowing a positive message. His staff and Republican lawmakers agreed that it should hold until after the speech. “It’s really encouraging to be able to come and hear an upbeat tone at a State of the Union,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (D-Wis.) told reporters. “Economic confidence is coming back to America.”
flu illness and people who are at high risk of serious flu complications based on their age or health. It’s important to be proactive in fighting the flu, preventing the flu and preventing the spread of the sickness. Precautions people can take to protect against the spread of flu and other viruses include: • Staying home when sick until fever-free for at least 24 hours • Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then discarding the tissue promptly • Washing hands frequently, preferably with soap and water • Frequently using sanitizer wipes to clean surfaces in schools and work, or equipment in the gym before and after use During most flu seasons, senior
The viewing audience for Tuesday’s speech is likely to set viewing records. When Barack Obama delivered his first speech to a joint session in 2009, 52.4 million people tuned in, but throughout his second term less than 40 million people watched each year. Trump’s first address to a join session of Congress in 2017 was watched by 47.7 million people, 16.4 million more viewers than Obama’s last State of the Union address in 2016.
citizens have suffered the most, followed by young children. This year; however, baby boomers, or those aged 50-64, have been grappling the hardest with the flu after the senior population. “Baby boomers have higher rates (of hospitalization) than their grandchildren right now,” said Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said influenza activity had begun to taper off in some parts of the United States, particularly in states on the West Coast, but the season was far from over. Flu activity “remains high for most of the U.S., while some areas are still writhing,” he said.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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BUSINESS Jim Hackett, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company, speaks at the Ford press preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, on Jan. 14.
BRENDAN MCDERMID | REUTERS
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Ford to buy Durham-based TransLoc in bid to expand transport services A move into transportation software by major auto maker signals strategy to set new standard for connecting vehicles and public transit with ride services, dedicated drivers and fleet management.
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Despite North Carolina’s increased unemployment rate, signs point to a continuation of our economic expansion heading into 2017. N.C. is continuing to grow jobs. More people are participating in the labor force. And the U.S. economy as a whole, which greatly impacts local conditions, is showing no signs of slowing.
Industry Employment: UP 4,446,500 Total Nonfarm Jobs, UP 71,500 over the year (as of 10/17) Real Taxable Retail Sales: UP $54.1M over the month, UP $401.0M over the year Residential Building Permits: UP 2.0% over the month, UP 16.9% over the year Job Postings: UP 12.2% over the year
By Emily Roberson North State Journal DETROIT — Ford Motor Co announced Thursday that it will buy transportation software companies Autonomic Technologies Inc and TransLoc Inc for undisclosed sums as part of a strategy to expand ride services and transport businesses. Ford said Sunny Madra, the chief executive of Autonomic, will join Ford to run a new unit called "Ford X" to develop new transport services businesses. Palo Alto, California-based Autonomic has about 70 employees. Durham-based TransLoc provides demand-response technology for city-owned microtransit solutions. Ford said acquiring TransLoc will allow their newly created Smart Mobilty initiative to leverage its operational expertise, network of city relationships, and proven track record of providing solutions to cities globally. The ultimate goal in utilizing TransLoc’s software design is to “improve the rider experience with dynamic routing.” Marcy Kevlorn, president of Ford Mobility said, “We believe transportation done right – as part of a systems approach – can bring life back to our cities.” Kevlorn noted the roles both TransLoc and Autonomic play in Ford’s strategy: “We believe the integration of the technology and talent from Autonomic and TransLoc into our Mobility team will further bolster our ability to deliver robust solutions for personal owners, fleet opera-
tors and cities, with speed and at scale.” Ford last year bought an undisclosed stake in Autonomic. Ford Chief Executive Jim Hackett this month outlined plans to use Autonomic to develop a Transportation Mobility Cloud service that would serve as an industry standard for connecting vehicles and public transit. Neil Schloss, chief financial officer for Ford's Smart Mobility operations, said the automaker could make more acquisitions as it tests different ways to generate revenue from transportation services and vehicles connected to the internet. Ford, for example, plans to expand a test of a service providing non-emergency medical transport, such as transferring patients from a hospital to a nursing home. Ford is working with a hospital in the Detroit area, and now plans to expand the effort, Schloss said. "We do all the fleet management, we have the drivers and we provide the service," Schloss said. Ford last week reported a loss of $299 million on investments in mobility services, and forecast higher spending this year. Still, investments in transportation services are small compared to overall spending. Ford shares are down 3.5 percent for the year to date, and slumped earlier this month after company officials warned that 2018 results would decline from 2017 levels because of higher commodity costs and other factors. Ford reported lower-than-expected profits for the fourth quarter of 2017, and analysts expressed frustration that Hackett did not offer more specific details on how the company intends to rebuild profits in its core automotive business. TransLoc created at NCSU Conceived as a bus tracking app after founder Josh Whiton, then a student at NC State, had waited an hour for a bus that wasn’t running
“Today is a momentous day for @TransLoc. We’re joining forces with @Ford to create the future of mobility. Proud to join an iconic company & of the entire TransLoc team. It’s an honor to work with such an amazing group making real impact in the world.” — TransLoc CEO Doug Kaufman via Twitter that day, TransLoc has evolved its software applications to be on the cutting edge of mobile, real-time transit connectivity. With an eye toward solving transit systems’ biggest challenges, especially in urban, densely-populated cities, TransLoc CEO Doug Kaufman has led the company to envision itself in precisely the larger role that presented itself with Ford’s offer. Priming the company for the acquisition, growing partnerships in recent years with Google, Uber, GoRaleigh, Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and alma mater NC State allowed a broad base of users to provide the feedback software engineers needed to further target existing transportation gaps. As the Ford deal was announced last week, Kaufman took to Twitter. “Today is a momentous day for @TransLoc. We're joining forces with @Ford to create the future of mobility. Proud to join an iconic company & of the entire TransLoc team. It's an honor to work with such an amazing group making real impact in the world.” Kaufman has said that TransLoc will remain in Durham. Reuters contributed to this report.
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New Book Celebrates Eastern NC Public Power Communities “Just east of I-95 lies a countryside dotted with undiscovered jewels. From tranquil state parks to historical battlefields and lighthouses to scenic beaches and vibrant, bustling centers of economic growth. This is eastern North Carolina.” So begins “Facing East: The Public Power Communities of Eastern North Carolina,” an inviting hardcover book showcasing the rich history and spirited personalities of the 41 public power cities and towns in eastern North Carolina. Produced by ElectriCities of North Carolina, “Facing East” is a unique economic development tool, designed to help attract commercial, industrial and retail customers to these colorful communities. Packed with warm, vivid photographs and entertaining stories, the book introduces readers to memorable places, like legendary barbecue joints and unexpected music halls, as well as to the people who are the heartbeat of these communities. A companion book featuring public power communities in western North Carolina will be published in early 2019.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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Record flu cases in N.C.
House Committee receives Hurricane Matthew recovery update
This flu season is on track to be one of the most deadly with 67 deaths reported in N.C. already. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services gathers flu prevalence information from sentinel health providers across the state. These providers monitor and treat outpatient cases of the flu and report the data to DHHS and the federal Centers for Disease Control.
By Emily Roberson North State Journal The House Select Committee on Disaster Relief met on Monday to receive updates from various state agencies about their work to implement directives established in the Disaster Recovery Acts of 2016 and 2017. Multi-agency efforts have been underway to mitigate infrastructure damage, displacement and outstanding property claims resulting from Hurricane Matthew’s devastating floods in Eastern North Carolina last year. Leading the efforts to award grants to eligible entities and provide loans to affected businesses, the Golden LEAF Foundation has been awarding appropriated disaster relief funds through collaboration with the N.C. Department of Commerce. Golden LEAF program officer Kasey Ginsberg told the committee that while permitting delays and federal policies often present challenges, claims are being assessed and funds are being distributed as effectively as possible in partnership with fellow state agencies, as they also continue to educate the public
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through a series of forums around the affected areas. To date, of the $50 million appropriated, over $49 million has been awarded to businesses and municipalities to begin rebuilding. Scott Farmer, Executive Director of the N.C. Housing Finance Agency spoke to the frustrations of citizens and local governments he often hears in meetings across eastern N.C. Farmer says that often with so many moving parts, claimants have to wait for the funding entities to “catch up with one another.” He noted for the committee, however, that the NCHFA has been able mobilize their partners such as Habitat for Humanity and various ministry organizations to begin utilizing the $20 million disaster relief allocation from the state. Nearly $16 million of that allocation has been awarded to affected areas, resulting in new home loans, construction and repairs. Legislators were complimentary to the agencies for their hard work in navigating one of the worst natural disasters in North Carolina’s history, and largely expressed their commitment to ensuring the revitalization of the affected communities in Eastern North Carolina.
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WEST Cashiers to get a new sewer plant Jackson County The Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board’s unanimously voted earlier this month to accept a federal funding offer for a new sewage treatment plant. The new plant is expected to be built in three phases. The first phase will cost $9.5 million and handle an additional 125,000 gallons per day and will be operational in 2020.
Lees-McRae elects new president Avery County The Lees-McRae College Board of Trustees elected Dr. Herbert L. King Jr. as the 16th president in the 118year history of the institution on Jan. 19. King previously served as vice president for institutional advancement at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Va. King received his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Virginia, his master’s degree in educational administration from Lynchburg College, and his bachelor’s degree in English and history from HampdenSydney College. AVERY COUNTY JOURNAL
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20-year anniversary of Rudolph manhunt
N.C. mayors head to D.C. Durham County Mayors from cities across the region gathered in the nation’s capital to talk infrastructure last week. Mayors from Charlotte, Asheville, Rocky Mount, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting where they called on the federal government to increase focus on key infrastructure projects including highways, bridge repair and mass transit. The mayors had scheduled a visit to the White House, which the U.S. Conference of Mayors President, Mitch Landrieu, canceled in protest of the administration’s move to investigate so-called “sanctuary cities” by requesting records on their compliance with federal immigration law.
Cherokee County This week marks 20 years since a manhunt for western N.C. man Eric Robert Rudolph took over headlines and kept the western part of the state on the lookout. Rudolph became one of the FBI’s Most Wanted after he was indicted for a string of bombings, including one at the Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park that killed one woman and another of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., that killed a police officer. Rudolph was apprehended by a Murphy, N.C., police officer after his abandoned car was found in Cherokee, sparking the manhunt. Rudolph pled guilty in 2005 and was sentenced to 4 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
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Missing man found safe Transylvania and Henderson counties The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office announced that John Marshall Fullbright Jr., 37, was found Wednesday afternoon in the Pisgah National Forest. He had been missing since Monday after he walked away from his campsite looking for firewood. Authorities from Transylvania and Henderson counties helped locate the man. U.S. NEWS
Mecklenburg County Two teenagers from Myers Park High School were located Monday after being missing for three days. Adam Rahrig and Journey Young had been sleeping in a tent and were located near Carowinds amusement park. Authorities say the teens were attempting to “go off the grid” and distance themselves from family and friends. Their families said the teens were under a lot of pressure and they would be seeking counseling. They were located by friends who reached out to them on social media. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
EAST
Sweet potato farmers honored Wilson County Jerome and Diane Vick were honored by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission for their dedication and hard work in the sweet potato industry. The Vicks started growing sweet potatoes in 1975, founding Vick Family Farms in Wilson. The company grows, packs and ships sweet potatoes. The Sweet Potato Commission recognized the couple at the group’s 58th annual meeting last week. THEPACKER.COM
15th anniversary of West Pharmaceutical explosion Lenoir County Jan. 29 marked the 15th anniversary of the West Pharmaceutical Explosion in Kinston. Making national headlines, the deadly explosion left six dead, many wounded and the plant destroyed. Firefighters used approximately 10,000 gallons of water a minute to put out the fire. After the explosion, West Pharmaceutical built a new plant on Highway 70 and currently employs 320 people. KINSTON FREE PRESS
Teacher’s union cuts public school superintendent from convention Wake County The N.C. Association of Educators snubbed the Department of Public Instruction’s chief, Superintendent Mark Johnson, cutting him from the guest list of their annual convention. Johnson overseas the N.C. Public School System and its traditional public schools, public charter schools, virtual school, magnet schools and other options. The teacher’s union president, Mark Jewel, called Johnson “clearly destructive” because he’s advocated parental choice in education. He also opposed Johnson’s comment last week in which he said that a starting N.C. teacher’s base salary of $35,000 was “good money” especially for new college graduates in rural areas. This is the first time in the union’s 48-year history that the superintendent of public schools was not invited to the convention. WRAL
Wilmington mayor delivers State of the City address New Hanover County Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo noted in his State of the City address this week that the city remains in good fiscal shape, has a balanced budget and a AAA bond rating. Downtown revitalization was a major success in 2017 with the updates to the Riverwalk, demolition of the Water Street parking deck, completion of the Embassy Suites hotel, and the beginning phases of the North Waterfront Park project. The fire department is preparing to build a new public safety training facility, with an indoor firing range, this year. STAR NEWS ONLINE
Greenville budget shows increased tax revenue Pitt County According to a midyear report by Greenville Assistant City Manager Michael Cowin, the city’s revenues are higher and expenses are lower than project for the midyear budget. Cowin said the change is, in part, due to higher tax revenue and higher-thanaverage vacancy rates for city positions. Total revenue for the city is budgeted at $80,893,720, with $92,085,640 in expenses. The budget planned for the $11,191,920 spending excess, which mostly was used for one-time projects and prior expenses that carried over. Cowin said staff now projects $6,731,283 in excess expenses.
Opioid addiction on the rise in Halifax County Halifax County Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said the region’s drug problems take some people by surprise. During an opioid forum held at The Center for Energy Education just outside Roanoke Rapids, law enforcement officials gathered to discuss the growing epidemic. Roanoke Rapids police Chief Chuck Hasty said his department seized more than 40,000 dosage units of heroin in 2017.
N.C. Supreme Court strikes elections board merger By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — On Friday, the state’s highest court rejected legislative efforts to merge the state board of elections and the ethics commission into one body of half Democrats and half Republicans. Siding with Gov. Roy Cooper, the majority Democrat court ruled 4-3 with Cooper that a law passed by state legislature mandating an even split between Democrats and Republicans on the state’s board of elections violated the N.C. Constitution’s separation of powers clause. The three Republican justices dissented, saying that an earlier court victory, McCrory v. Berger, established that the governor could not be given only a minority of appointments, but did not have to be given a majority. In Cooper’s case, the new bipartisan board is an even number of members from each party appointed by the governor. Any earlier court had dismissed Cooper’s claim, but his lawyers appealed. “I appreciate the Court’s careful consideration,” Cooper said in a statement
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after the decision. “Access to the ballot box is vital to our democratic process and I will continue to protect fair elections and the right of North Carolinians to vote.” The state legislature passed a bill (S.B. 68) last year that would merge the two boards into one bipartisan commission. Cooper vetoed that bill, but it was overridden by the legislature. Previously, the law said that a majority of state and local elections boards are to be affiliated with the same party as the governor. Justice Paul Newby said in his dissent that the only separation of powers issue in this case was the court encroaching on the constitutional authority of the N.C. General Assembly. In the ruling, the N.C. Supreme Court ordered that the case return to the lower three-judge panel for further consideration in light of the decision. There, lawyers will argue what the new board should look like or whether it should return to the board that existing before S.B. 68 was passed. The threejudge panel is expected to receive the remanded case by mid-February.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
A6
north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor | Troy Kickler, deputy opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
President Andrew Jackson responds to the “Sanctuary State” Nullification Act of California
“The inclination of states such as California to declare themselves “Sanctuary States” and thereby nullify federal immigration law unilaterally must therefore be opposed and reversed.”
Editor’s note: South Carolina threatened to resist federal tariff acts of 1828 and 1832 and thereby “nullify” federal authority to pass national laws. President Andrew Jackson, a staunch state’s rights supporter and patron saint of the modern Democratic Party, nonetheless recognized such efforts would destroy the young nation and issued his Proclamation Regarding Nullification on Dec. 10, 1832. We wondered what his response would look like if amended slightly and edited down considerably to respond to the California declaration of being a sanctuary state along with dozens of other cities in the country recently. THE STATE of California has declared itself to be a Sanctuary State in contradiction of all federal law and authority. The ordinance is founded on the strange position that any one state may not only declare an act of Congress null and void but prohibit its execution. California wants to assert that the true construction of the Constitution permits a state to retain its place in the union and be bound by none of its laws other than those it may choose to consider as constitutional. It is evident that to give the right of resisting laws in such a manner, coupled with the uncontrolled right to decide what federal laws to follow, is to give each state the power to resist all federal laws. If California considers federal immigration laws null and void, there would be a clear constitutional objection to enforcement in every state, and no immigration law could be enforced anywhere; for all federal law must be equally applied across the entire nation. If this doctrine had been established at an earlier day, the union would have been dissolved in its infancy. Article XIII of the Articles of Confederation states that “every State shall abide by the determinations of Congress on all questions which by that Confederation should be submitted to them.” The most important objective in the Constitution was “to form a more perfect Union” than that which existed under the Confederation. Is it possible that our Constitution, written and ratified to “form a more perfect Union,” could create a national government solely dependent for its existence on the local interest, the party spirit or a prevailing faction in a single state? The power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one state, incompatible with the existence of the union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with
every principle on which It was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed must be negated. Our Constitution does not contain the absurdity of giving power to Congress to make laws and another power to the states to resist them. The states ratified the Constitution knowing that a veto on the laws of the United States was not reserved to them to exercise by any application on federal law. The Constitution gave the right of determining immigration law expressly to Congress, not each individual state. The states have no control over the exercise of this right other than changing congressional representatives through biannual elections. The Constitution gave immigration policy power to the representatives of all the people, checked by the representatives of the states, and by the executive branch. California gives this power to the legislature, or the convention of a single state, where neither the people of the different states, nor the states in their separate capacity, nor the chief magistrate elected by all the people in the union, have any representation or say in the matter. Whenever any law of the United States displeased any state, such as regarding abortion, taxation or environmental protection, and they acted to nullify it as California is doing now on federal immigration law, we would soon cease to be a nation. The states have not retained their sovereignty. When they joined the union, they surrendered essential parts of their sovereignty such as the right to make treaties, declare war, levy taxes, exercise exclusive judicial and legislative powers, and make national immigration policy. The states are no longer sovereign. The allegiance of their citizens was transferred to the government of the United States. They became American citizens first and owed primary obedience to the Constitution of the United States and to laws made in conformity with the powers vested in Congress. Not the states. The inclination of states such as California to declare themselves “Sanctuary States” and thereby nullify federal immigration law unilaterally must therefore be opposed and reversed.
EDITORIAL | TROY KICKLER
Literary gems in N.C. back catalog
It’s a good idea to keep some of the old works — some North Carolina classics — in your reading rotation. ... You may unexpectedly find a literary gem or a new favorite novelist.
WHETHER a North Carolina native or not, the Old North State has produced some literary giants with national and international reputations. Some, like Robert Ruark of Southport, were a big deal during their day, and some, such as Thomas Wolfe of Asheville, are still discussed widely in literary circles. Others have gone relatively unnoticed. One overlooked literary is James Ephraim McGirt. Born near Lumberton in Robeson County, McGirt later embarked on some entrepreneurial adventures and became a successful businessman. McGirt was always writing, however. Many times his literary passion competed with his vocational duties. He often started penning prose before the workday ended. In Philadelphia, the Robeson County native started McGirt’s Magazine, a monthly and later a quarterly publication that explored the news and arts in the African-American community (1903-09). He marketed his publication, however, for black and white readers. He returned to North Carolina and became one of the best-known and most influential AfricanAmericans in the Triad. With his sister, he turned a small entrepreneurial endeavor, Star Hair Grower Manufacturing Company, into a “lucrative” enterprise that employed scores of people and had obtained a national market. McGirt’s seemingly mundane, rural upbringing provided plenty of material for his
poetry and stories. In “Avenging the Maine” (1899), for instance, he discusses the land and a rural lifestyle. A lot of his work includes moral lessons, too. The corpus of his work has been considered to be of “uneven quality” — a fact he blamed on his vocational distractions. For sure, he was not as gifted a writer as Paul Laurence Dunbar, but McGirt, in various ways, may have contributed more to the burgeoning AfricanAmerican literary scene. A controversial literary figure and lifetime contrarian was Wilbur J. Cash. (My introduction to Cash was as an undergrad, when my professor unexpectedly asked me — in front of everyone — if I thought “the South” was more of an idea — a created concept — or a particular place. All I was thinking about, really, was what might I order later for lunch.) Cash grew up in Boiling Springs, N.C. Wary of “preacher colleges,” he still attended Wake Forest College where he was exposed to new ideas and became a budding iconoclast. (No doubt he liked the controversial Darwinian perspective of the college’s head, Dr. William Poteat). After graduation, Cash was a freelance author and a reporter for the Charlotte News. His most famous essay, “The Mind of the South,” caught the attention of a well-known publisher, Alfred Knopf, who wanted the North Carolinian to expand his ideas in a published book of the same name in 1941. Essentially, Cash argues that there are many
Souths. He challenges the “cavalier myth” — the Old South — and the image of a progressive and industrialized South — the New South. To Cash, the South is a “mind of the soil rather than the mills.” To Cash, the South is not “Gone With The Wind,” but the yeoman experience. Reviews were generally kind, but some believed Cash’s “unbiased history” was too limited. It was from a “hillbilly point of view.” After the book’s publication and few months later in Mexico City, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, yet paranoid and seemingly troubled, Cash unfortunately died most likely from suicide. He never was able to write his lifelong ambition, writes George Tindall, a “fictional saga of a southern industrial community.” It’s a good idea to keep some of the old works — some North Carolina classics — in your reading rotation. Maybe choose to read an author who is unfamiliar to you. You may unexpectedly find a literary gem or a new favorite novelist. You may eventually find yourself in used bookstores, looking for more of his or her works. You may eventually have a lighter wallet and hear your bookshelves groaning. But if you are like, me you won’t regret it.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
GUEST OPINION | DR. ERIC HALL
Innovative School District is an education partner for local schools
The ISD is committed to working together with local communities to mitigate all barriers to student success.
THE INNOVATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT (ISD) reached a major milestone when the Public Schools of Robeson County School Board recently voted unanimously to transfer Southside Ashpole Elementary in Rowland, N.C., into the ISD. Getting to that decision was an arduous journey fraught with passion, controversy and misinformation. Fortunately, the conversations that took place during the process led to a mutual trust and understanding between the ISD and the local community; although there is still work ahead to raise awareness with the broader public about the ISD and what it will mean to the schools and communities with whom we will partner. The ISD, the Rowland community and local school board are now engaged in an intentional, strategic, transparent and accountable partnership. This partnership sets the ISD apart from the other school reform models to which we are often inaccurately compared. When critics suggest that the ISD is “taking away local control” or that “it didn’t work” in other places, it indicates that we must do more to raise awareness of what the ISD is and what it is not. The ISD is not, for example, taking away anything. Our approach demands effective community engagement. With a focus on the whole child and a commitment to building capacity in both schools and communities, we address the barriers to success that students face both in and outside the classroom. The ISD also actively seeks thought partners and we invite advocates and critics alike to have a conversation with us. Success for the ISD and the students we serve hinges on tapping into local community resources and engaging committed partners. Another misconception is that the ISD is a charter school. The legislation that drives the ISD defines a school operator as an “entity.” An entity may include a college, nonprofit, corporation or education-service organization which hires a proven leader with a history of success in improving student achievement. Also, charter schools are schools of choice; the ISD is not. When a school is
transferred into the ISD, we continue to serve the same student population. School reform is difficult and the solutions are complex. For instance, we cannot just assume that more funding is the answer. Since 2010, 61 low-performing schools across the state have received more than $140 million in additional funds through federal School Improvement Grants. Many of these schools remain low-performing even after this investment. Proven strategies, engaged partners, strong school leaders and effective teachers with high expectations for student success are far more relevant to improving outcomes. The least talked about yet most promising aspect of the ISD are the Innovation Zones (I-Zones), which are a group of low-performing schools in a school district where an innovative school is established. In an I-Zone, schools are granted flexibilities to facilitate improved student achievement and funding to hire a proven leader to manage the local I-Zone strategy with greater autonomy to drive improvements for all schools within a zone. Students who are not proficient in reading by fourth grade are significantly more likely to drop out; this highlights the sense of urgency we must have in our lowperforming schools. At Southside Ashpole, for example, only 18.4 percent of students were proficient in reading and math last school year. Like other low-performing schools, this is not due solely, or even mostly, to issues within a school. In-school performance issues can be resolved through professional development, strong leadership and greater accountability. Outside factors — poverty-related barriers and other nonacademic challenges — are more difficult to overcome. We can’t allow them, however, to be used as an excuse. The ISD is committed to working together with local communities to mitigate all barriers to student success. Dr. Eric Hall is superintendent of the North Carolina Innovative School District
COLUMN | WALTER E. WILLIAMS
JONATHAN ERNST | REUTERS
President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), listens during a bipartisan meeting with legislators on immigration reform at the White House in Washington on Jan. 9. In a follow-up bipartisan meeting held on January 11, Trump questioned why the United States would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as “s---hole countries,” according to two sources familiar with the comments.
Immigration lies and hypocrisy
There is another difference between today and yesteryear. Today, Americans are taught multiculturalism throughout their primary, secondary and college education.
PRESIDENT DONALD Trump reportedly asked why the U.S. is “having all these people from s--hole countries come here.” I think he could have used better language, but it’s a question that should be asked and answered. I have a few questions for my fellow Americans to consider. How many Norwegians have illegally entered our nation, committed crimes and burdened our prison and welfare systems? I might ask the same question about Finnish, Swedish, Welsh, Icelanders, Greenlanders and New Zealanders. The bulk of our immigration problem is with people who enter our country criminally from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. It’s illegal immigrants from those countries who have committed crimes and burdened our criminal justice and welfare systems. A large number of immigrants who are here illegally — perhaps the majority are lawabiding in other respects — have fled oppressive, brutal and corrupt regimes to seek a better life in America. In the debate about illegal immigration, there are questions that are not explicitly asked but can be answered with a straight “yes” or “no.” Does everyone in the world have a right to live in the U.S.? Do Americans have a right to decide who and under what conditions a person may enter our country? Should we permit foreigners landing at our airports to ignore U.S. border control laws just as some ignore our laws at our southern border? The reason
those questions are not asked is that one would be deemed an idiot for saying that everyone in the world has a right to live in our country, that Americans don’t have a right to decide who lives in our country, and that foreigners landing at our airports have a right to just ignore U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Immigration today, even when legal, is different from the immigration of yesteryear. People who came here in the 19th century and most of the 20th century came here to learn our language, learn our customs and become Americans. Years ago, there was a guarantee that immigrants came here to work, because there was no welfare system; they worked, begged or starved. Today, there is no such assurance. Because of our welfare state, immigrants can come here and live off taxpaying Americans. There is another difference between today and yesteryear. Today, Americans are taught multiculturalism throughout their primary, secondary and college education. They are taught that one culture is no better or worse than another. To believe otherwise is criticized at best as Eurocentrism and at worst as racism. As a result, some immigrant groups seek to bring to our country the cultural values whose failures have led to the poverty, corruption and human rights violations in their home countries that caused them to flee. As the fallout from President Trump’s indelicate remarks demonstrates,
too many Americans are afraid and unwilling to ask which immigrant groups have become a burden to our nation and which have made a contribution to the greatness of America. Very unfortunate for our nation is that we have political groups that seek to use illegal immigration for their own benefit. They’ve created sanctuary cities and states that openly harbor criminals — people who have broken our laws. The whole concept of sanctuary cities is to give aid, comfort and sympathy to people who have broken our laws. Supporters want to prevent them from having to hide and live in fear of discovery. I’d ask whether, for the sake of equality before the law, we should apply the sanctuary concept to Americans who have broken other laws, such as robbers and tax evaders. We should not fall prey to people who criticize our efforts to combat illegal immigration and who pompously say, “We’re a nation of immigrants!” The debate is not over immigration. The debate is over illegal immigration. My sentiments on immigrants who are here legally and who want to become Americans are expressed by the sentiments in Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” which is on a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty and in part says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
A7 COLUMN L. BRENT BOZELL III AND TIM GRAHAM
Weinstein amnesia rules at Sundance EMBERS OF THE HOLLYWOOD left flew M to Utah for the Sundance Film
Festival (and its homegrown women’s march) with a small item of regret on their agenda. Just last year, they had put on their pink knit hats and marched for women’s rights with one of the most visible figures at Sundance ... Harvey Weinstein. How to handle this embarrassment? National Public Radio ran a short “Harvey who?” sound bite from an archived recording of Sundance founder Robert Redford: “Well, I think Harvey Weinstein was like a moment in time. And I think that we’re going to move past that. I don’t think he’s going to stop the show.” NPR reporter Mandalit del Barco noted, “The first question at the press conference opening the festival was if Sundance somehow enabled Harvey Weinstein.” After all, some of his accusers say he abused them at Sundance. Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam in turn responded, “They were nothing we were aware of at the time.” That claim of ignorance hasn’t helped any other corporation or church or institution facing a sexual-abuse mess like this. Somehow, it’s been good enough for the beautiful people at Sundance. The NPR reporter carefully avoided recalling the optics of Weinstein’s mingling in the women’s march last January. She headed straight for the official spin: Sundance has a new code of conduct to revoke credentials of harassers. And Utah’s attorney general now has a hotline for people to report sexual misconduct. But did everyone at this festival enable Weinstein? Of course. Del Barco would never remind listeners that two years ago at Sundance she was enthusiastically boosting Weinstein and his latest effort, a forgettable TV miniseries adaptation of “War and Peace.” In 2018, NPR and CNN were urgently helping paper over the embarrassment. CNN Films co-produced a new documentary that oozes all over about feminist Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. So she became the toast of Sundance, a progressive palate cleanser for the Weinstein enablers. And Del Barco gushed: “NPR’s own Nina Totenberg will be interviewing her here at a small venue. And that’s a really hot ticket!” Del Barco helpfully promoted other new documentaries debuting at the festival, saying: “There are also other documentaries about ... Jane Fonda and civil rights attorney Gloria Allred, who’s been representing many of those women who accused Harvey Weinstein and comedian Bill Cosby and Roy Moore of sexual harassment and rape. And on Saturday, Allred and Fonda are scheduled to speak at a rally on the anniversary of the Women’s March.” At Sundance, Allred pandered to the crowd. She said: “I’m so proud of you and your courage. Give yourself a round of applause for standing up for women’s rights!” Fonda added, “When we are equal, we are not abused!” NPR also avoided the films at Sundance that clash with the official line against sexual violence. First, there was “The Tale,” described by Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast as “The Disturbing Child Rape Movie That Left Sundance Speechless.” It’s supposed to have “resonance” with the current vibe. It’s about an adult woman who realizes she was raped at age 13 (and showing that rape caused people to walk out of the screening). Second, there was “Piercing.” Marlow Stern, also of The Daily Beast, was “tickled” by the action. The lead character has “convinced himself that the only way to cast out this demon inside him and achieve true domestic bliss — to be normal — is to capture, maim and murder a female prostitute.” But the prostitute he acquires changes the stakes by “violently stabbing herself in the right thigh with a pair of scissors.” Remind us again how Hollywood is mending its ways regarding its mistreatment of women. L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org.
A8
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Nation & WORLD
NEWS IN IMAGES
HANNAH MCKAY | REUTERS
Britain’s Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, visits a bandy ice rink during her official visit with Prince William in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 30.
Washington, D.C. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved to extend surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page shortly after assuming office last spring, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with a secret Republican memo. The extension shows the Department of Justice, under President Donald Trump, saw reason to believe that Page was acting as a Russian agent, the paper reported on Sunday.
FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe to take “terminal leave” after FBI director reportedly reads memo By Donna King North State Journal
U.N. employees in Gaza hold protest strike over U.S. aid cut
Netanyahu flies to Moscow for talks on Syria with Putin Moscow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow on Monday to discuss Israeli concerns about any expansion of Iran's military foothold in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I will discuss with President Putin Iran's relentless efforts to establish a military presence in Syria, which we strongly oppose and are also taking action against," said Netanyahu.
Mexico to send troops to stem violence after record 25,000 murders Mexico City Mexican officials said on Sunday the government was set to unleash troops to crack down on criminal groups in regions where a surge in violence led to more than 25,000 murders last year. National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said federal police troops will work with local officials to round up known major criminals and bolster investigations.
Shock gives way to despair in Kabul after ambulance bomb Kabul, Afghanistan Kabul is in despair this week after a Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 100 people and wounded at least 235 in the worst attack in the Afghan capital in months. A week ago, the Taliban killed more than 20 people in a siege of the city's Intercontinental Hotel. Another six people were killed in an assault claimed by Islamic State on the office of aid group Save the Children in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
A kurdish girl gestures during a protest against the Turkish attacks on Afrin in Qamishli, Syria, on Jan. 30.
U.S. House panel votes to release Republican memo alleging anti-Trump bias
Report: Rosenstein approved surveillance extension of former Trump adviser
Gaza Strip Schools, clinics and food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip were closed Monday due to a one-day strike by the 13,000 employees of the United Nations agency that serves the Palestinians. The Palestinian employees have been angered by a U.S. decision to cut its annual contribution toward the running of the United Nations' Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA), which runs 278 schools in Gaza attended by some 300,000 students.
RODI SAID | REUTERS
PABLO SANHUEZA | REUTERS
A demonstrator confronts riot police during a rally in defense of the nationalization of lithium reserves in the country, in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 29.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEAM USA
Snowboarder Jamie Anderson models Team USA’s official Ralph Lauren uniform in New York on Jan 22.
Record 242 Team USA athletes head to Olympic Games, in heated jackets Pyeongchang serves as host from Feb. 9-25 By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — The United States will send the largest team ever to attend a Winter Olympics, 242 athletes, to next month’s Pyeongchang Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee says. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, figure skating favorite Nathan Chen and speedskater Shani Davis, the winner of four Olympic medals, headline the team of 107 women and 135 men who will be seeking to earn the United States their 100th Olympic gold and 300th medal. The Americans won 28 medals, including nine golds, at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and with 103 Olympians returning, they are looking for an equally strong showing. “It’s been pretty brutal to wait for another Olympics,” said Vonn, who will be making her fourth appearance at a Games having missed out on a trip to Sochi in 2014 with a knee injury. The official uniform of the team is once again produced by Ralph Lauren, featuring all American-made pieces. But a heavy coat will be key as the athletes don the red, white and blue in likely freezing temperatures for the opening ceremonies. Calling it the “next evolution in wearable technology,” Ralph Lauren has the athletes in heated parkas that provide 11 hours of warmth through electronic printed conductive inks, printed in the shape of an American flag in carbon and silver ink and
bonded to the interior of the jackets. The printed conductive inks are flexible, stretchable and connect to a battery pack with three settings. The uniform is all USA colors with touches of frontier fashion with mountain boots and fringed suede explorer gloves with hand-beading. “Ralph Lauren is excited by the convergence of fashion and function, and we are committed to supporting Team USA athletes by outfitting them with the latest innovative technology,” said David Lauren, chief innovation officer for Ralph Lauren. “We’re proud that we’ve worked so closely with the athletes, as well as the U.S. Olympic Committee, to keep evolving and improving. The uniform celebrates the American spirit, with iconic pieces updated with modern details and technical fabrications.” As eye-catching as the Team USA uniform will be, the 169 Russian athletes will have the most noticeably plain garb, after the IOC issued conduct guidelines on Friday that said Russian athletes who compete as independents at next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics must wear neutral uniforms that say “Olympic Athlete from Russia” on them and cannot grab a Russian flag or stage alternate medal ceremonies. The International Olympic Committee in December banned Russia from the Feb. 9-25 Games in South Korea because of the country’s doping violations. The IOC has said if Russia respected the decisions it could potentially be admitted back under its own flag at the Games’ closing ceremony.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines this week to release a classified memo that those who’ve read it say shows anti-Trump bias by the FBI and the Justice Department in seeking a warrant to conduct an intelligence eavesdropping operation. The memo reportedly casts former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe as part of an FBI effort using the FISA surveillance law to undermine newly elected President Donald Trump. Fox News reports that FBI Director Christopher Wray read the memo on Sunday, the day before McCabe announced he would take “terminal leave,” which means he has accrued enough leave to depart his post now but not officially retire until March with full benefits. The memo was commissioned by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the committee’s Republican chairman, who says the memo shows that the FBI and the Justice Department abused their authority in asking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge to approve a request to extend an eavesdropping operation on Carter Page, an adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign. The memo charges that the FBI and the Justice Department based the request on a dossier compiled by a former British spy hired to dig up negative information on Trump by a research firm partially financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, a source close to the committee said. McCabe was at the center of developments in the subsequent investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. Adding to the criticism of McCabe, his wife, Dr. Barbara Jill McCabe, ran for Virginia state senate in 2016 and accepted a $500,000 campaign dona-
tion from a PAC run by Clinton ally, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Dr. McCabe lost the election, and according to campaign finance reports filed with the state of Virginia, donated the balance of her campaign account to charity. However, it is permissible in Virginia for a candidate to keep the balance of the account for personal expenses. Lawmakers who’ve read the memo called for transparency and its public release. Monday’s House vote gives Trump five days to release the memo to the public, including possibly reading it into the congressional record, but if he does not act it becomes public automatically. The House committee also agreed to give all House members time to read another memo produced by Democrats countering the Republican report. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) argued that the Democrats’ memo should go public without House members reading it first, calling it “a sad day” for the intelligence committee. “Today this committee voted to put the president’s personal interest, perhaps their own political interests, above the national interest,” Schiff said. The memo’s release and McCabe’s resignation come amid a congressional investigation that recently found the FBI “lost” five months-worth of texts between two staffers, one of whom worked directly for McCabe. The staffers exchanged thousands of anti-Trump comments alluding to a “secret society” within the bureau, should Trump win the White House. “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk,” agent Peter Strzok wrote to FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who wrote that they needed an insurance policy against Trump. Asked about McCabe’s departure, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters, “I can tell you the president wasn’t part of this decision-making process.” Sanders also said Trump continues to have “full confidence” in Wray, the current FBI director.
KEVIN LAMARQUE | REUTERS
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe pauses while testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in Washington, D.C., on June 7.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018
SPORTS the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT
NSJ 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Felton suspended from school, ineligible to play for Tar Heels Freshman point guard Jalek Felton has been suspended from the University of North Carolina and is not eligible to play for the Tar Heels, the school said in a Tuesday press release. UNC did not give a reason for Felton’s suspension, citing privacy laws. Felton, a four-star recruit from West Columbia, S.C., and the nephew of former North Carolina player Raymond Felton, had played in the Tar Heels’ first 22 games this season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 assists.
Virginia closes in on No. 1 after win at Duke Virginia continues to pull closer to No. 1 Villanova in The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. The Cavaliers (20-1) received 17 of 65 first-place votes from a media panel following wins over Clemson and Duke. Villanova (20-1) remained at No. 1 for the fourth straight week, receiving 47 first-place votes. Despite the loss to Virginia, Duke (18-3) stayed at No. 4 while UNC (16-6) fell nine spots to 19th after losing both games last week.
JOHN KLEBA | US SPEEDSKATING
Winston-Salem native Kimani Griffin competes at the U.S. Speedskating Olympic Trials in Milwaukee on Jan. 5.
SPORTS
NBA
Wizards’ Wall facing knee surgery, could miss two months Washington Wizards point guard John Wall could miss up to two months after he undergoes a procedure on his ailing left knee set for Wednesday, according to multiple reports. A report from ESPN set the two-month timeline, while a Washington Post report has Wall, a Raleigh native, set to miss six to eight weeks. The Post report described the operation as a clean up and noted that the 27-year-old will not play in next month’s AllStar Game. Wall underwent an MRI exam on his left knee Monday and then traveled to Cleveland for further examination. He previously had fluid drained from the knee and had undergone injections in hopes of alleviating the pain. Wall missed the Wizards’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and was previously expected to sit out Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as a result of the ailment. Wall is averaging 19.4 points in 37 games and ranks second in the NBA in assists per game (9.3). The Wizards entered Tuesday at 27-22, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
They’re both traits he said he picked up from his mother, Pam Griffin, a now-retired professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His talent for music and athletics is also hereditary. His grandmother was a classiBy Brett Friedlander cal pianist and teacher. His father, North State Journal who left the picture when KimaKIMANI GRIFFIN is no ni was 7, was a talented baseball stranger to the biggest of stages or player good enough to get a look from professional scouts. His parthe brightest of spotlights. ents met while playing in a band He’s already been there. As a 17-year-old prodigy, the together. Given his choice of instruments Winston-Salem native performed as part of a nationally broadcast to play, Griffin picked the guitar recital at Carnegie Hall in New and almost immediately began York. A decade later, having trad- playing it well. “He just has a beautiful touch,” ed his classical guitar in for a pair his mother said. of skates, he’s hoping While Griffin’s profithat the experience ciency in music may have will help prepare him been preordained, his for the next defining “He sold skill on skates came about moment in his life. purely by chance, thanks Griffin will repre- us a pair of to a friend’s birthday parsent the United States used (inty at a Winston-Salem in the 500-meter roller rink when he was 8. speedskating event line) speed Things didn’t go well at the Pyeongchang skates and that first time he put Olympics later this there it wheels on his feet. But month. each time he fell, he got While there aren’t started.” back up more determined many similarities bethan ever to stay upright tween playing music the next time. He had his and racing against the — Pam Griffin, mother bring him back clock on a slick sheet of mother of to the rink to practice ice, there’s something Kimani Griffin and eventually got good to be said for knowing enough that he caught the what to expect when the entire world is watching you eye of an employee. “One of the floor guards came perform at the highest levels of over and said, ‘There’s something your craft. In many ways, playing Carn- about that kid. He’s got a lot of egie Hall is to a musician what natural ability,’” Pam Griffin recompeting in the Olympics is to called. “He sold us a pair of used (in-line) speed skates and there it an athlete. “You could say that,” said Grif- started.” Between school, music and fin, who now lives and trains in Salt Lake City. “Both take years speedskating, the Griffin’s life of dedication, focus and commit- became a whirlwind of guitar lessons and recitals, rollerblade ment. “I’m definitely going to be un- practices and competitions, with der a microscope in Pyeongchang, homework and some semblance of and you could definitely hear a pin a social life squeezed in between. It wasn’t until that concert in drop at Carnegie Hall. Luckily, I do well under pressure and I like the attention.” See KIMANI, page B4
Winston-Salem native Kimani Griffin went from Carnegie Hall musician to Olympic athlete
NC State’s Freeman, Duke’s Bagley earn ACC weekly honors Allerik Freeman’s perfect performance from beyond the 3-point arc against North Carolina helped the NC State guard earn his first ACC Player of the Week award. Marvin Bagley III, meanwhile, continued his domination of the league’s Rookie of the Week award by winning it for the sixth time. Freeman scored a career-high 29 points on Saturday to lead NC State to an overtime victory against rival North Carolina. Duke’s Bagley, who averaged 23.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games last week, shared Rookie of the Week honors with Miami’s Lonnie Walker IV.
NC native trades strings for skates
KIM HONG-JI | REUTERS
Randi Griffin (front, sixth from right, blonde) poses with national team members for a group photo with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon during an inaugural ceremony ahead of 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 24.
Apex’s Randi Griffin goes for Olympic hockey gold Duke grad student will compete for unified Team Korea By Shawn Krest North State Journal
knee- or butt-first onto the ice.” Griffin preferred the action, and padding, that hockey provided. “My first Hurricanes game was in Greensboro, before they moved to PNC Arena, probably in 1998,” she said. “I loved so many of those players: Keith Primeau, Ron Francis, Sami Kapenen, Jeff O’Neill, Arturs Irbe. I knew the whole roster.” There was no turning back for her. “I remember the first time I saw a group of boys playing hockey after one of my figure skating lessons, and it immediately captured me,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘I can totally skate with them.’ After that, my figure skating coach would catch me racing around the ice pre-
WHEN THE FEMALE figure skaters take the ice at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, it’s possible that Randi Griffin’s mother will take a moment to wonder what might have been. When Randi was a young girl in Apex, her mother enrolled her in skating lessons. They didn’t take. “For one thing, I hated the outfits,” Griffin said. “I’m a tomboy for life. I also never enjoyed having to get up smiling after crashing elbow-, See RANDI, page B4
INSIDE Wolfpack Nation is abuzz after NC State knocked off rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday. With wins over four ranked teams — including three that were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the games — the Wolfpack is hoping to go make the NCAA Tournament in March. Those signature wins, however, are offset by a weak nonconference schedule and a couple disappointing losses. Will the Pack be dancing into the postseason? NSJ’s Brett Friedlander looks at NC State’s resume compared to the defending champion Tar Heels. B3 CHARLES LECLAIRE | USA TODAY SPORTS
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
B2 WEDNESDAY
01.31.17
TRENDING
Brady Hoke: The Carolina Panthers hired the former Michigan Wolverines coach to be their defensive line coach. Hoke replaces Eric Washington, who was promoted to defensive coordinator. It is the first NFL gig for the 59-year-old Hoke, who was assistant head coach and defensive line coach at Tennessee last season. He served as interim head coach for the final two games after Butch Jones was fired. Hoke was head coach at Michigan from 2011-14, compiling a 31-20 record. He also served as head coach for San Diego State (2009-10) and Ball State (2003-08).
beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES
MLB
The Cleveland Indians will remove the smiling “Chief Wahoo” logo from their on-field uniforms beginning in the 2019 season, the team said Monday, in a concession to critics who have long assailed the image as a racist caricature. In discussions spanning the past year, Major League Baseball had urged the team to remove the logo even though many of its fans had wanted to keep it, according to a statement issued by MLB and the Indians.
JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS
“Definitely not to the top.” MMA middleweight and Wilmington native Derek Brunson when asked where he goes from here after a knockout loss in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on Fox event in Charlotte.
KEN BLAZE | USA TODAY SPORTS
Blake Griffin: The Clippers traded the 2009 first overall pick to the Pistons for a package of players and draft picks. Los Angeles received guard Avery Bradley, forwards Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic, and firstand second-round draft picks. In exchange, the Pistons will acquire Griffin, former UNC forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed. Griffin, averaging 22.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, is in the first season of a five-year contract valued at more than $170 million after becoming a free agent last summer. Jaromir Jagr: The NHL’s No. 2 all-time scorer cleared waivers and was assigned to HC Kladno in the Czech Republic, the Flames announced Monday. Calgary put the 45-year-old, who hadn’t played since Dec. 31, on waivers Sunday. Jagr tallied a goal and six assists in 22 games after signing with the Flames on a one-year, $1 million deal in October. A native of Kladno, Jagr owns the team he will play for, which is in the Czech second division.
KIM KLEMENT | USA TODAY SPORTS
MLS
TENNIS
“Now that the world has witnessed Noah Hanifin’s flow, things will never be the same.” NHL reporter Katie Brown’s tweet on Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin’s hair during the fastest skater competition during NHL All-Star Weekend.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
7 of 7 NC State guard Allerik Freeman’s shooting from 3-point range in the Wolfpack’s 95-91 overtime upset of rival UNC on Saturday in Chapel Hill. Freeman set an ACC record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss by making all seven of his attempts. Freeman has made 33.9 percent of his 3-point attempts this season and leads the Wolfpack with 14.5 points per game in a team high 33.5 minutes a night.
TORU HANAI | REUTERS
ANDREW INNERARITY | REUTERS
Roger Federer fought off a fierce challenge from Croatia’s Marin Cilic to claim a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title with 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory on Sunday. The 36-year-old won his 20th grand slam title on a witheringly hot day in Melbourne that led to the roof being closed at Rod Laver Arena.
MLS announced Monday that it has awarded a group led by David Beckham an expansion franchise in Miami. The announcement comes four years after Beckham exercised his option to own a team. The league has yet to announce the unnamed team’s start date. Raleigh and Charlotte have pursued an MLS team.
NBA
New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, who was voted a starter for the All-Star Game, suffered a season-ending left Achilles injury on Friday against Houston. Three nights earlier Cousins had a 44-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist effort, becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to have a 40-20-10 game. Oklahoma City forward Paul George will replace Cousins at the All-Star Game. ROBERT HANASHIRO | USA TODAY SPORTS
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Wolfpack’s tournament resume includes big wins, questionable schedule NC State has knocked off three top-10 teams, but two losses during its underwhelming nonconference slate raise doubts By Brett Friedlander North State Journal Moments after scoring a career-high 29 points to lift NC State to an overtime win at rival North Carolina on Saturday for its third victory this season against a top‑10 opponent, Allerik Freeman was asked if he thinks the Wolfpack is an NCAA tournament team. It was a question so obvious, he didn’t feel the need to answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own. “Why wouldn’t it be?” the graduate transfer guard said. Going strictly by the eye test, there’s no question that the Wolfpack is worthy of being one of the 68 teams selected into the NCAA tournament field 5½ weeks from now. Its three wins against top-10 opponents also present a strong argument for inclusion. The problem is, appearance and a few high-profile wins aren’t the only criteria used by the committee that determines which teams get into the final bracket and which are left out. It’s the reason why despite almost identical records, State (15-7, 5-4 ACC) is currently teetering precariously on the NCAA tournament bubble while UNC (16-6, 5-4) is still being penciled in as a four seed by most of those who project such things for a living. The biggest difference between the teams is the strength of their nonconference schedules. While the Tar Heels’ slate is ranked as the nation’s third-most difficult, bolstered by games against top-tier opponents Michigan State, Arkansas, Tennessee and Ohio
B3 opportunities left to continue building on its recent success. Keatts and his team can take the guesswork out of the equation by finishing strong, knocking off another ranked opponent or two and presenting a resume to the committee that simply can’t be ignored on Selection Sunday. Not that, at least publicly, State is looking that far into the future. “I try not to get these guys to concentrate on each individual school in the league,” Keatts said. “We know there are some outstanding programs, Carolina being one. We just talk about being in the race. I try not to get them to focus on the top tier. We just stay the course and try to focus on the next opponent.”
GOOD WINS VS. BAD LOSSES, A COMPARISON UNC and NC State might have similar records, but the schedules they’ve played to get to those records have been anything but the same. Here is a comparison of the two teams and why they’re ranked so disparately by both the human polls and the computers: BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
Wolfpack forward Lennard Freeman drives to the basket during NC State’s overtime win over UNC on Saturday at the Smith Center. The win was NC State’s latest resume-building effort over a ranked opponent.
State, the Wolfpack’s 149th-rated schedule is dragged down by the likes of South Carolina State, Bryant, Charleston Southern and Presbyterian. Because all of those teams are ranked lower than 300 in the latest RPI index, they hold little to no weight in the NCAA tournament selection process. It also doesn’t help matters that State suffered early-season losses to Northern Iowa and UNC Greensboro, the latter coming at home. Those defeats now seem as though they happened an eternity ago, especially in the context of the improvements the team has made since the start of the ACC season in general and the return from suspension of sophomore guard Markell Johnson specifically. But because of the criteria used by the selection committee, they’re blemishes that
can’t completely be covered up. In retrospect, new coach Kevin Keatts could have helped his team’s tournament chances had he challenged it with some more difficult nonconference tests. Getting to the postseason, however, was the least of Keatts’ worries at the time in which he put the schedule together. At that point he was more concerned with finding as many wins as possible for a team with a patchwork roster that figured to be in the early stages of a rebuilding effort. Even after a stunning upset of then-No. 2 Arizona in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving weekend, the perception of an overmatched Wolfpack remained unchanged. In fact, it was only enhanced after State lost its first two ACC games at Clemson
and Notre Dame by a combined margin of 46 points. Since then, the Wolfpack has completely altered its narrative. With Omer Yurtseven developing into a dominant big man and Johnson becoming a dynamic playmaker who has helped fellow guards Allerik Freeman and Braxton Beverly become better shooters, State has won five of seven, with three of those victories coming against ranked opponents and two on the road. “I think these guys are learning how to fight. I think they’re learning how to compete,” Keatts said after Saturday’s win at the Smith Center. “I think our guys understand that if we play together and stay together as a team, we can be successful.” The good news for the Wolfpack is that with half of the ACC schedule remaining, there are still plenty of
UNC NC State
Record 16-6 15-7 RPI 11 65 KenPom 13 64 SOS 3 67 NC SOS 4 149 vs. Quad 1 4-4 4-4 vs. Quad 2 4-1 0-1 vs. Quad 3 6-1 4-2 vs. Quad 4 2-0 7-0 Note: Using RPI rankings, Quadrant 1 consists of games against opponents ranked 1-30 at home, 1-50 at neutral sites and 1-75 on the road; Quadrant 2 consists of games against opponents ranked 31-75 at home, 51-100 neutral and 76-135 on the road; Quadrant 3 consists of games against opponents ranked 76-160 at home, 101-200 neutral and 136-240 on the road; Quadrant 4 consists of games against opponents ranked 161-above at home, 201-above neutral and 241-above on the road.
KIMANI from page B1
JOHN DAVID MERCER | USA TODAY SPORTS
UNC cornerback M.J. Stewart returns a kick against South Carolina cornerback JaMarcus King during the first quarter at the 2018 Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Local players shine at Senior Bowl NC State, UNC, App State, NC A&T all represented in Mobile, Ala. By Brett Friedlander North State Journal FOR THE SECOND straight week, an NC State defensive lineman not named Bradley Chubb stole the show at a college football all-star game. This time it was tackle Justin Jones, who won the award for being the top defensive lineman during the week of practice leading up to the Senior Bowl. The 6-foot-2, 312-pound Georgia native stood out as a run-stopper and space-eater who impressed the NFL scouts in attendance with his agility for a man his size. “From the beginning on Tuesday until the end, he stood out,” Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage said. “He was the one who emerged here.” Jones was credited with two tackles while playing for the North team, which lost 45-16 to the
South in Saturday’s game in Mobile, Ala. His now-former Wolfpack teammate, fellow defensive tackle B.J. Hill, also played in the game, making one tackle. Like Jones, Hill enhanced his stock in the upcoming NFL draft with an impressive week of practice. “How talented is this NC State defensive line? Bradley Chubb will be a top-five pick and his two linemates dominated all week,” wrote Matt Miller, Bleacher Report’s lead NFL draft analyst. “Justin Jones showed off the power and anchor skills while B.J. Hill was quick and explosive, knifing through the line. Both have a chance to hear their names called in the third round after a strong Senior Bowl.” Jones wasn’t the only in-state player to be honored for his work in Mobile. North Carolina cornerback M.J. Stewart was recognized by Savage as the week’s best defensive back. It was an award that validated his decision to pass up last year’s draft to return to the
Tar Heels for his senior season — a campaign that didn’t go according to plan with his team stumbling to a 3-9 record. “I don’t think I counted a single rep where M.J. Stewart lost in the one-on-ones,” draft analyst Jonah Tuls wrote. Stewart was credited with two tackles and two pass breakups during Saturday’s game as a member of the winning South squad. He also returned three punts for 24 yards, with a long of 14. “Oftentimes if you’re on a team that doesn’t win very much, they discount you a little bit,” Savage said. “Now you’re here as a standalone entity, now go show up. And he did in a big way.” Other in-state players that made positive impressions were NC State hybrid back Jaylen Samuels, NC A&T offensive tackle Brandon Parker and Appalachian State offensive guard Colby Gossett. Samuels, who is still uncertain about what position he’ll play in the NFL, saw action as both a running back and a moving tight
end, rushing for 37 yards and catching both of his targets for 14 yards in the game. “Jaylen Samuels looks so natural as a route runner and receiver,” wrote Eric Galko of OptimumScouting.com and The Sporting News. “At his size, with his body control, and his pass catching ability, he’s going to be really coveted as the process continues.” Parker and Gossett anchored a line that helped the South side pile up 540 total yards. At 6-7, 303 pounds, Parker was the tallest player at the Senior Bowl, but it was more than just his size that wowed the scouts. “You can see the potential he has,” wrote J.R. Willis of UnderdogDynasty.com, while making note of his “quick feet and great strength.” Also of note, Raleigh native Braxton Berrios of Miami had one catch for four yards while returning five punts for 70 yards; former East Carolina quarterback Kurt Benkert, who finished his career at Virginia, completed 4 of 11 passes for 90 yards with one touchdown and one interception; and Fayetteville and Boston College defensive end Harold Landry pulled out of the game with an injury.
New York, which was part of the PBS television series “From the Top at Carnegie Hall,” that he was forced to choose one of his loves over the other. That’s when he became one of two students nationally that year to be awarded the prestigious Woodruff Scholarship to the Columbus State School of Music. It didn’t take long, however, for the skating bug to bit him again. After two years of college in Georgia, he decided to move to Salt Lake City and get back on the track — this time one covered in ice — with an eye toward qualifying for the Olympics. “I visited Salt Lake in the summer of 2008 just before I started (college) and that was the first time I ever tried long track,” Griffin said. “They had an in-line-to-ice transitional program out there, funded by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and I did that for about two years.” The program has helped produce several Olympians, including fellow North Carolinian Heather Richardson Bergsma of High Point. Although there are many similarities between in-line and ice skating, Griffin said the differences made the transition more difficult than it might seem. “They’re both skating in a sense, but as far as the technical aspect, the way you create speed and go fast is quite different on ice,” Griffin said. “On wheels if you want to go fast, you just kind of push harder and go faster. Basically, you try harder. On ice, there’s just one way to accelerate and that’s by creating a downward force into the ice and staying with that pressure for as long as you can through the entire push into the next step.” Like that skating motion, Griffin’s career has gradually gained momentum and picked up speed. He made the U.S. World Cup team in 2014, won his first gold medal at the American Cup final in 2016, and last December qualified for his first trip to the Olympics by finishing third in the 500 at the U.S. Trials in Milwaukee. It’s an accomplishment that still hasn’t completely sunk in, even as he prepares to make the trip to South Korea. Though he plans to continue competing for the foreseeable future once the Olympics are over, Griffin is hoping that his experience on this big stage turns out to be as beneficial to his future as the one at Carnegie Hall was a decade ago. “Making the Olympic team is opening some doors for me,” he said. “I would like to use this platform as a springboard to not just be a skater, but have my music talent recognized as well.”
B4
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Knockout loss slows Wilmington native Derek Brunson’s middleweight title hopes UFC contender loses main event in Charlotte
By Shawn Krest North State Journal CHARLOTTE — Derek Brunson’s road to a UFC Middleweight title shot hit a roadblock in his home state Saturday night. A loss in the main event of UFC on Fox 27 in Charlotte has Brunson not sure where he’ll go next. “Definitely not to the top,” he said. “Definitely not into the top five or anything.” The Wilmington product had won two straight bouts by firstround knockout, vaulting him to No. 8 in the UFC’s Middleweight Division and earning him a main event in North Carolina. It was the first time Brunson fought in the Tarheel State since Dec. 4, 2010 — his fifth pro fight and years before the UFC came calling. The home cooking was not friendly to Brunson, however. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, the No. 3 middleweight in the world, stopped Brunson with a firstround TKO. Souza also knocked Brunson out the first time they fought, in 2012, in Brunson’s last bout before joining the UFC. He was hoping that five years of development would change the outcome. “Everything was going good,” Brunson said. “I was feeling good. I felt I had the speed advantage, big-time. I had him swinging and missing.” Brunson prefers an extremely aggressive approach, charging forward and hunting an early knockout. It often paid dividends, leading to seven first-round stoppages in his last nine fights. Against the 38-year-old Souza, a former Strikeforce Middleweight champion, however, Brunson was a bit more cautious.
JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS
Ronaldo Souza, right, knocks Derek Brunson out with a kick during UFC Fight Night Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
The two spent nearly the first minute circling and feeling out the opponent. “I saw some places where I could’ve turned it up more,” Brunson said. “But I really wanted to stick to my game plan. Be patient. Take my time. I didn’t want to make any mistakes out there.” In the second minute, Brunson began to open up. He threw several front kicks to Souza’s head and body, a relatively new addition to his Octagon arsenal. The move seemed to open up Souza’s defenses, allowing Brunson to move forward with extended combinations
“I saw the kick coming, but I covered up kind of lazy. I learned the hard way that I’ve got to be tighter.” — Derek Brunson of punches. While the flurries didn’t do much damage to Souza, it allowed
Eagles wide receiver Mack Hollins, a former walkon at UNC, is looking to win a Super Bowl in his first NFL season.
Mack Hollins, Joe Thuney looking for Super Bowl rings By Shawn Krest North State Journal MACK HOLLINS is ready for the Super Bowl. The wide receiver for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles was so excited about ending his rookie season in the world’s biggest game, he didn’t want to wait for the team to fly out to Minnesota. Sunday, Hollins posted a video of himself riding a bike, while wearing his Eagles helmet. “1,360 miles to go,” he tweeted. Later in the day, Hollins arrived with the rest of the team in Minnesota for Sunday’s big game. “It was a long ride,” he joked. “It was chilly, but I made it.” Hollins actually flew, with the rest of his teammates, and got the full experience of just how big a deal making it to the Super Bowl is. “You get off the plane, and there’s 60 cameras there,” he said. “It’s a pinch yourself kind of thing.” Hollins, a former UNC Tar Heel who joined the team as a walk-on and eventually worked his way into a big-play receiver and fourthround NFL Draft pick, is just one
pology, and I mostly do stuff about primate evolution and ecology,” she tending to play hockey when I was said. Despite her family background, supposed to be practicing my routine, and she would be like ‘Randi Griffin’s 2015 trip to Seoul was the first time she’d ever been to Korea. Griffin, WHAT are you doing?’ “Before that, my exposure to There was just one problem: Her Korean culture came through my gender. “Everyone, including my parents, grandparents, who live in a Korejust said, ‘Girls don’t play hockey,’” an neighborhood in Chicago, and she said. “Then, when women’s the thing that rubbed off on me the hockey appeared for the first time in most was the food,” she said. “I don’t the 1998 Olympics, they couldn’t say speak Korean. I know basic survival that anymore. My parents bought phrases, numbers, and I can read, me my first set of hockey gear. I poorly. Luckily, most of my teammates speak at least some think my mom was skepEnglish, and about half tical at first, but once she are fluent.” realized how much I loved Park eventually learned it, she was very support“I remember how to use public transive.” portation, got herself back So, while Mom might the first into shape, and returned feel pangs of regret at the time I saw to play summer hockey start of Olympic figure the next year. In January skating in the Gangneung a group of Ice Arena this year, more boys playing 2017, she moved to Korea full-time to work with the likely she’ll be severnational team. al hundred yards to the hockey Over that time, she’s northeast, in the Gang- after one of helped to bring the naneung Hockey Centre, tive Korean members of screaming her heart out my figure the team up to speed on for her daughter. skating the game, with the help Griffin will compete for of Park and some other Olympic gold in women’s lessons, North American imports, ice hockey. However, in an and it a group that includes the interesting turn of events, immediately team’s coach, Sarah Murthe native North Carolinray. ian and Duke graduate captured “It’s incredible how student will play for Team me.” far they’ve come,” Griffin Korea. said. “When I first joined Four years ago, the Korean Ice Hockey Associa- — Randi Griffin the team, what I really noticed was the lack of hocktion began building their ey sense and systems. The 2018 team and reached out to American and Canadian girls were really fast, and some of players with names that sound- them had great hands, but it felt like ed Korean. “Griffin” didn’t exactly chaos on the ice. We play a much stand out, but they found Caroline more disciplined game now.” Griffin has continued her Duke Park, a former women’s hockey player at Princeton. She told them graduate work remotely. “I’m in the about the tough Harvard player dissertation writing phase, and my with a Korean mom and Ameri- advisers agreed that I could continue working on my dissertation can-sounding name. On Park’s recommendation, while living in Korea and training Team Korea reached out to Griffin, with the team,” she said. “It certainwho promptly ignored their email, ly hasn’t been easy. I feel like I’m at first thinking it was some type of working all the time.” Team Korea will also be the censcam. Eventually, the organization connected with her and invited her ter of worldwide attention once the to help pioneer the national pro- games start. The team is adding a group of North Korean players and gram. “They offered to pay for me to will skate as a unified team, under visit Seoul in the summer and play one flag. For now, Griffin and the in their summer women’s league,” other players are trying to ignore Griffin recalled, “and I decided to the political ramifications and just go, not really knowing what to ex- focus on the ice. Griffin is also trying to keep her pect or whether anything would emotions in check as she prepares come of it.” Other than a few “beer league” for her Olympic dreams to come games, she hadn’t played much true, without the frilly outfits and hockey since her Harvard career glitter. “There is this countdown clock ended in 2010. She’d devoted her time since to coaching youth hock- we walk by every day on the way to ey and working on her doctorate the rink,” she said. “Every time I see at Duke. “It’s in biological anthro- it now, I get butterflies.” RANDI from page B1
JAMES LANG | USA TODAY SPORTS
State, Carolina players among several Super Bowl ties to the state
Brunson to control the action. Souza responded by targeting counterpunches at the end of Brunson’s attacks. He landed a body kick at the 3:15 mark and slowed Brunson with a short right hook 15 seconds later. Brunson continued to advance in the fight’s third minute, throwing three- and four-punch combinations. Souza appeared to hurt Brunson with a straight counter right at the 2:15 mark. “I saw his punches,” Brunson said. “One time, he threw a punch, and it hit my shoulder. It got me off balance, and I kind of faded back.”
of several members of the Eagles and New England Patriots who have North Carolina roots. While Hollins got a jump on the Super Bowl star-making machine with his biking video, New England offensive lineman Joe Thuney stole the show at Monday evening’s Super Bowl Opening Night festivities. Thuney was handed a Rubik’s Cube by a reporter who was — inexplicably — dressed in a shark costume and challenged to solve it. The former NC State guard was up for the challenge, solving the cube in less than 80 seconds. Like Hollins, Thuney found the perfect NFL landing spot after leaving the ACC Triangle rivalries behind. Selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, he’ll be playing for his second Super Bowl ring in as many seasons. “I couldn’t have written a better script,” he said. One of Thuney’s Patriots teammates appears to be on the verge of a fairy tale ending. Fayetteville’s Dwayne Allen, a former Terry Sanford High Bulldog, had just 10 catches at tight end this season. With All-Pro Rob Gronkowski recovering from a concussion, Allen may see his role increase. On the other side of the field, Hollins has plenty of Old North State company in Eagles green.
Quarterback Carson Wentz, who started most of the year before going down to injury, was born in Raleigh, although he moved to North Dakota at age 3. Hamlet’s Dannell Ellerbe, who played football and track at Rockingham’s Richmond High, was a late-season pickup for the Eagles at linebacker. He’ll be looking to win his second Super Bowl ring. His first came with the Ravens in 2013. Backup running back Kenjon Barner was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2013 and spent his rookie season on special teams. Like Barner, several members of the Eagles coaching staff spent time with the Panthers. Head coach Doug Pederson was one of the original Carolina Panthers, getting selected off of Miami’s roster in the expansion draft. He was cut before the team’s opening game, however. Instead, that Panthers opener was started by quarterback Frank Reich, who is now Pederson’s offensive coordinator with the Eagles. Eagles linebacker coach Ken Flajole had the same role with the Panthers from 2003 to 2008. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was never a member of the Panthers, but he had a oneyear stopover in North Carolina as secondary coach of NC Central in 1991.
Brunson was able to stuff Souza’s lone takedown attempt of the fight, overhooking the veteran’s arm and pulling both fighters back to their feet, where Brunson landed a knee to the body. “I knew he was going to punch and shoot,” Brunson said. “I knew, as a wrestler, him taking me down was something I was too worried about. I thought I had an advantage on the feet.” Brunson then charged across the cage, throwing punches. The backpedaling Souza landed the best punch of the sequence, however, landing a left counter that halted Brunson in his tracks. Souza then foreshadowed the end of the fight by immediately throwing a sweeping head kick that just barely missed its target. Ten seconds later, the sequence repeated itself. Souza landed a counterpunch, then followed it up with a sweeping head kick. This one connected with Brunson’s temple, sending him sprawling to the mat. Souza pounced, hitting Brunson with a short left as he tried to get back to his feet. An overhand right followed, and then three lefts. Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight at that point, ending it after 3:50. “I was relaxing, thinking I was that much faster than him,” Brunson said. “I saw the kick coming, but I covered up kind of lazy. I learned the hard way that I’ve got to be tighter.” Brunson didn’t have any complaints about the timing of the stoppage, even though he was still fighting back at the time the referee stepped in. “It could have gone a little bit longer, but in this game, you’ve got to defend yourself,” he said. “You can’t get caught with good shots, because the refs are going to make sure guys aren’t taking big damage. “I can’t blame anybody but myself,” Brunson added. “I look at the replay and, man, I cover up tighter and we’re still in the fight.” Instead, Brunson goes back to the drawing board. “I’ll take a little bit of time off,” he said. “Maybe take a week off. Then I’ll get back to training. Line something up and get back at it.”
WEDNESDAY
1.31.18
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Grammy Awards suffers ratings slump, Page 7
JOURNaL
the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND
sweet and sour | krispy kreme 2,400 calories, 12 doughnuts, 5 miles, 1 hour. The mantra of the Krispy Kreme Challenge epitomizes the test of physical fitness and gastrointestinal fortitude. The 14th Krispy Kreme Challenge will take place on Feb. 3 in downtown Raleigh as runners (and walkers) make a 5-mile trek to complete a unique challenge with a decidedly North Carolina flavor. MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL | FILE
Bringing in the dough(nuts) Krispy Kreme spikes their original glaze with lemons By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal WINSTON SALEM — When life hands you lemons, make doughnuts. Krispy Kreme, the Winston-Salem-based doughnut company, asked fans to choose a new flavor in an online poll last month. With 2 million votes, lemon was crowned the winner beating out the likes of blueberry, caramel and maple. It’s seems fans of the chain prefer a citrus bite over sweeter alternatives. The #VoteForGlaze campaign was the first time Krispy Kreme let America decide an glaze flavor for the brand’s iconic doughnut. Fans selected from four flavors — blueberry, caramel, lemon and maple — through online voting in mid-January. Lemon was America’s top choice, garnering 36 percent of the vote. Caramel received 26 percent of the vote and blueberry received 20 percent followed by maple, which received 18 percent. “Lemon won the vote, but we can’t glaze over the fact that the other three flavors all received a lot of support, even beyond the votes. Our fans’ passion for these flavors – and others — came through loud and clear on social media. So while
the polls are closed, our minds are not,” said Jackie Woodward, the chief marketing officer of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. For one full week, life will get a little zestier as the lemon doughnut will be available in participating locations around the nation. Krispy Kreme says it will announce the exact dates in the spring.
This isn’t the first time Krispy Kreme has added non-traditional flavors to their menu line-up. Last year, the company took their flavors to new heights with the addition of a Solar Eclipse-themed doughnut that saw the traditional glazed doughnut dipped in chocolate. The N.C.-based firm also surprised with a one-day-only gingerbread doughnut on National Gingerbread House Day on Dec. 12, 2017. For another short period last
year, Krispy Kreme teamed up with Hershey’s and produced a decadent treat dubbed the Reece’s Peanut Butter doughnut. Filled with Reese’s Peanut Butter cream, dipped in milk chocolate icing, topped with Reece’s Peanut Butter pieces and drizzled with chocolate and peanut butter. The treat was definitely rich. This week Krispy Kreme released a new Valentine’s Day called Oreo Cookie’s and Kreme. The heart-shaped doughnut is filled with Oreo Cookie cream, dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with Oreo cookie crumbles and drizzled with red icing. The chain will feature three additional Valentine’s Daythemed doughnuts this year: an unglazed heart-shaped doughnut dipped in white icing and topped with a red, pink and white Valentine’s sprinkles, a cream-filled heartshaped doughnut dipped in strawberry-flavored pink icing and decorated with sugar eyes, hearts and a chocolate smile and a chocolate-iced doughnut topped with festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles. Krispy Kreme is celebrating its 80th anniversary and there are sure to be more surprise flavors, fan votes and theme doughnuts in the years to ahead. In the mea ntime, grab a coffee and a doughnut to get you through the day.
play list
Feb. 1 Dvorak “Serenade for Strings” Pinecrest High School, Southern Pines Delight in Dvorak’s, “Serenade for Strings,” a musical performance presented by the North Carolina Symphony. Not only will you hear one of Dvorak’s timeless masterpieces, but also the premiere of a new concerto by NCS musician, Terry Mizesko. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Feb. 1-Feb. 3 38th Annual NC Jazz Festival Hilton Riverside Hotel, Wilmington Don’t miss a jazz-filled weekend at the 38th Annual NC Jazz Festival in beautiful Wilmington. The three-day event will include performances by Mangrove, Rossano Sportiello, Chuck Redd, Debbie Kennedy, Bruce Harris, and many, many more. Visit the NC Jazz Festival website for a complete list of performers, showtimes, and ticket information.
Feb. 2 12th Annual Groundhog Day Celebration Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock Join with family and friends at the Animal Discovery Den as the resident woodchuck checks for her shadow. If she sees her shadow, then back inside her burrow she will go for there will be six more weeks of winter. The celebration begins at 10:30 a.m., and admission is free. McDonald’s Rhythms of Triumph 2018 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro Come celebrate the 18th year of Rhythms of Triumph — a concert honoring black history. Distinguished performers include Grammy Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees The Isley Brothers, in addition to Joe and Con Funk Shun. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets may be purchased through the Greensboro Coliseum box office.
Feb. 3 15th Annual Fat Saturday Gumbo Festival RayLen Vineyards & Winery, Mocksville Discover a piece of New Orleans at the RayLen Vineyards & Winery Mardi Gras celebration. Enjoy delicious seafood gumbo and king cake and dance to the sounds of authentic Cajun zydeco band, Bayou Diesel. The celebration begins at 11:00 a.m. and tickets may be purchased at RayLen Vineyards online.
Brooke Simpson Welcome Home Concert Halifax Community College, Weldon Welcome Brooke Simpson home for her debut concert at The Centre at Halifax Community College. Simpson is a native of Halifax County and was a finalist on last season’s NBC The Voice. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and tickets may be purchased online.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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NeCessities! history marked February 1, 1960
Landmark lunch counter protest in Greensboro Four African American college students sat down at the lunch counter at Woolworth’s Department Store in downtown Greensboro and asked to be served. They were refused, launching a sit-in movement that would spread throughout North Carolina and the South. The four students, Ezell Blair, Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil and David L. Richmond, were all freshmen from nearby North Carolina A&T State University. Sit-ins by college students during the next several months forced the
integration of businesses in the region. Local media attention led to national coverage. The protest spurred similar efforts across the country, sparking a national call to battle by civil rights activists who endorsed the nonviolent form of protest to demonstrate society’s inequities for blacks. In April 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), an outgrowth of the sitin movement, organized at Shaw University in Raleigh. The sit-ins and demonstrations throughout the South, slowly led to changes in local attitudes. Nationally, these and other protests ultimately led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both of which assured the legal rights of blacks.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The Carroll A. Deering was a five-masted commercial schooner built in Bath, Maine, in 1919.
January 31, 1921
Ghost ship found off of Cape Hatteras The impressive five-masted commercial schooner Carroll A. Deering was found wrecked on Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. At the time, she was returning to Newport News from a trip to Brazil. Built in 1919 by the G. G. Deering Company in Bath, Maine, the ship was among the last wooden schooners built before their eclipse by iron shipbuilding. Two days before the discovery of the wreck, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse keeper reported seeing the ship. On the morning of the Jan. 31, the Coast Guard discovered the foundered boat, ostensibly abandoned. When the
seas calmed four days later and the Coast Guard was able to reach the ship, it was clear the vessel had been abandoned — the crew and their navigational equipment, belongings, documents and lifeboats were all gone, but interestingly dinner was on the stove and the captain’s cabin was a mess. A few months later, the ship was hauled from the rocks and dynamited, so it wouldn’t be a hazard to mariners in the area. The mysterious circumstances of the wreck became the subject of investigation which included a visit to Dare County by the FBI. Various explanations for the wreck surfaced, including the effects of the Bermuda Triangle, Bolshevik pirates and mutiny. All of these explanations were discredited by investigation, and the cause remains a mystery.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WAKE FOREST HISTORICAL MUSEUM
February 3, 1834
Wake Forest Institute opens January 31, 1890
Wake Forest Institute opened with an initial enrollment of 16 students. The school’s first building, a simple provincial house, was the home of Dr. Calvin Jones, a founder of the Medical Society of North Carolina, officer in the War of 1812 and long-time trustee of the University of North Carolina. Jones sold his plantation at Wake Forest to the Baptist State Convention, which established the school. By the end of 1834, 72 students were in attendance. The dwelling house was used as the residence
A trust to bust: American Tobacco Company organized The American Tobacco Company was incorporated, creating the world’s largest tobacco conglomerate. Driving the creation of this industrial giant was James B. “Buck” Duke of the Durham-based W. Duke, Sons and Company. Facing tough competition from another Durham-based smoking tobacco firm, Duke had decided in 1881 to enter the cigarette business. By leasing newly invented cigarette-rolling machines from the Bonsack Company of Virginia, launching elaborate advertising campaigns and acquiring many smaller competitors, W. Duke Sons had become one of the nation’s top tobacco companies by 1890. Joining with W. Duke Sons that year to form American Tobacco were Allen & Ginter, W. S. Kimball & Company, Kinney Tobacco and Goodwin & Company. Under Duke’s leadership, American Tobacco grew to monopolize the tobacco market, and in 1907, federal regulators filed an anti-trust suit against the corporation. After much litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered it dissolved in 1911. Duke helped reorganize American Tobacco into three companies: a much smaller American Tobacco, Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company and P. Lorillard Company. During the 1970s and
February 5, 1944
Father of the Airborne, Maj. Gen. William Lee ends career
1980s, American Tobacco began acquiring a variety of non-tobacco products. It renamed itself American Brands in 1986, and since then, it has become Fortune Brands.
William Carey Lee, the “Father of the Airborne,” suffered a heart attack that ended his military career. Born in Dunn in 1895, Lee volunteered for the United States Army during World War I. After the war, he remained in the army and, in 1939, was assigned to the Chief of the Army’s office in Washington, D.C. There he became part of a maverick group of army officers advocating for the development of an airborne army infantry force. The Army authorized the development of a test platoon of paratroopers, and placed
of the first president of the college, Samuel Wait, and for classrooms. The carriage house was used as a chapel. Seven former slave cabins—well-made but without windows—were used as dormitories. In 1946, the trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation offered Wake Forest generous funding to move to Winston-Salem. The State Baptist Convention accepted the offer, and construction began in that city in 1951. The original Wake Forest College campus was sold to the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1956. The original house, restored it to its 1830s appearance, is now operated as part of the Wake Forest College Birthplace Museum.
Lee in charge. When the Amy raised two airborne divisions, Lee received command of the 101st. He oversaw its development and training and was instrumental in getting airborne and glider operations going at Camp Mackall and LaurinburgMaxton Army Air Base. The inclusion of the airborne divisions in the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 was a direct result of Lee’s work. Nevertheless, he was unable to participate due to the heart attack. However, the members of the 101st Division, the Screaming Eagles, were ordered to yell the name “Bill Lee” as they departed their transports over France in the early morning hours of D-Day. Lee died in 1948, and is buried in Dunn.
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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ENTERTAINMENT Grammys take ratings hit Grammy winners NEW YORK — The Grammy Awards, the highest honors in the music industry, were handed out on Sunday at a ceremony in New York. The following is a list of winners in key categories.
Album of the year “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Record of the year “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Song of the year PHOTOS BY LUCAS JACKSON | REUTERS
Elton John and Miley Cyrus perform “Tiny Dancer” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York, on Jan 28.
Bruno Mars triumphs at Grammys; Jay-Z is biggest loser
Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 song “Don’t Stop” helped power Bill Clinton into the White House in 1992, and on Friday it was the former U.S. president doing the honors for the band. Clinton presented Fleetwood Mac with statuettes as the 2018 MusiCares honorees, making them the first band to win the annual award given to a musician for creative achievements and charitable work.
Oprah says she’s not running for president, but fans are undeterred Media mogul Oprah Winfrey apparently ended her brief flirtation with a run for the presidency in 2020, telling InStyle magazine in an interview published on Thursday that she was not interested. But the leader of a political action committee supporting Winfrey said he would still try to persuade her to run and continue seeking to recruit 1 million supporters.
Best new artist Alessia Cara
By Piya Sinha-Roy Reuters NEW YORK — R&B artist Bruno Mars won the top prize at the Grammy Awards on Sunday in another victory for pop-driven music over rap, now the most popular genre in the United States. While Mars was a winner, rap-legend Jay-Z struck out with zero wins on eight nominations. The telecast was also not a winner for CBS after overnight ratings revealed that the show was one of the least-watched in Grammy’s history. Mars won six Grammys including song of the year for his hit single “That’s What I Like,” and both record and album of the year for “24K Magic.” His win denied rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z the honor of becoming the first hip-hop artist in 14 years to win the coveted album of the year award. “These songs were written with nothing but joy, with love, and that’s all I wanted to bring with this album, seeing everybody dancing,” Mars, 32, said. He also paid tribute to his album of the year rivals — Jay-Z, Lamar, Childish Gambino and Lorde — saying: “Thank you, guys, for blessing the world with your music.” Lamar, 30, regarded as one of the most innovative rappers of his generation, won five prizes mostly in rap categories for his album “DAMN.” and single “Humble.” Rap became the biggest music genre in the United States in 2017, Nielsen Music reported. Veteran Jay-Z, whose soul-baring album “4:44” had gone into the show with a leading eight nominations, won nothing and chose not to perform at the three-hour show. The losses by Lamar and Jay-Z in the top categories marked another year when pop music won over more socially incisive work. Adele beat Beyonce in 2017, and in 2016 Lamar lost album of the year to Taylor Swift. Lamar opened Sunday’s show at New York’s Madison Square Garden with a medley of his hits, accompanied by dancers in military fatigues and later dressed in red hoodies as they mimicked being shot. On the red carpet, dozens of attendees wore or held white roses to support the “Time’s Up” movement, which kicked off at the Golden Globes. The campaign found its way onto the Grammy stage through presenters and performers — including Elton John, who had a white rose on his piano during a performance of his hit “Tiny Dancer” accompanied by Miley Cyrus. Actress and singer Janelle Monae said the music business had to address issues of equal pay for women, abuse of power and harassment. “We come in peace, but we mean business. And to those who would dare try to silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up,” Monae said in a reference to the
“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip; Artist: Bruno Mars
Bill Clinton repays a favor to Fleetwood Mac at MusiCares ceremony
Best traditional pop vocal album “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90” — Dae Bennett, Producer
Best pop vocal album “Divide” — Ed Sheeran
Best urban contemporary album
BRIAN SNYDER | REUTERS | FILE
Former president Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and talk show host Oprah Winfrey wave to the crowd at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Dec. 9, 2007.
“Starboy” — The Weeknd
Best R&B album “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Best rock album “A Deeper Understanding” — The War on Drugs
Best country album “From A Room: Volume 1” — Chris Stapleton
Best roots gospel album “Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope” — Reba McEntire
Best gospel album Top, Bruno Mars accepts the Grammy for album of the year for “24K Magic” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York, on Jan 28. Bottom, Show host James Corden speaks on stage.
movement. On a night when male artists dominated the winners list, R&B newcomer SZA, the most-nominated woman with five nods, left empty-handed. The U.S. television audience for Sunday’s Grammy Awards — broadcast on CBS — was off by more than 6 million viewers versus the 2017 awards. Citing Nielsen data, CBS said 19.8 million Americans tuned in for the three-and-a-half-hour broadcast compared to 2017 when 26.1 million people watched. The lowest audience for any Grammy Awards show was in 2006, which drew an audience of 17 million. The show got generally poor reviews. USA Today called the Grammy Awards an “out of touch embarrassment” while host James Corden was criticized on social media for lame jokes and a lackluster performance. Some of music’s biggest stars, including Swift, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce were either not nominated or did not perform, and some of the digs at President Donald Trump and his policies appeared to have turned some viewers off.
“These songs were written with nothing but joy, with love, and that’s all I wanted to bring with this album, seeing everybody dancing.”
“Let Them Fall In Love” — CeCe Winans
Best contemporary christian music album “Chain Breaker” — Zach Williams
‘Beetle Bailey’ comic strip creator dead at 94 Mort Walker, the artist and creator of the decades-long running comic strip “Beetle Bailey” about the antics of a work-shirking Army private, died at his home Saturday, his family said. He was 94.
‘Tears in Heaven’ as Grammy performers remember Las Vegas victims Three country artists who performed at the Las Vegas festival that became the bloody setting of America’s deadliest mass shooting reunited Sunday night on stage at the Grammy Awards to sing the Eric Clapton hit “Tears in Heaven.”. Country singers the Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris and North Carolina native Eric Church all performed at the Route 91 country music festival before gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, fired into the crowd on Oct. 1, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more, the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Paddock also killed himself.
— Bruno Mars, who won six Grammys
Box Office: ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ sprints past ‘Jumanji’
One of the most talked-about moments came toward the end of the broadcast when former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, along with musicians Cher, Cardi B. and Snoop Dogg read excerpts from “Fire and Fury,” Michael Wolff’s scathing book about Trump’s first year in office. On the Hollywood website Deadline.com, commenter Lars Johnson said he was not surprised at the poor ratings. “People listen to music to relax. The political ranting and raving made it a good night to watch something else ... which it seems many people did.”
Fox’s “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” has ended the three-week reign of Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome the “Jungle” with a respectable $23.5 million at 3,787 North American locations for the weekend. “The Death Cure,” starring Dylan O’Brien in the finale of the dystopian trilogy, performed at the top end of forecasts with the best performances in the west and south central regions. The opening had been delayed for a year following injuries O’Brien suffered on the set.
LUCAS JACKSON | REUTERS
Reba McEntire accepts the Grammy for best roots gospel album for “Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope” during the pre-telecast at the 60th Annual Grammy Award show in New York on Jan. 28.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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