North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 19

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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 19

www.NSJONLINE.com |

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Inside Wood Ducks spark Kinston baseball revival Sports

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Grace Perry dances with fellow graduates before the College of Education graduate recognition ceremony at East Carolina University in Greenville.

the weekend

News BRIEFing N.C.’s two biggest cities to gain hundreds of new jobs

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Charlotte and Raleigh Two big job announcements came this week for N.C.’s biggest cities. Credit Suisse announced Tuesday it will add 1,200 new jobs in N.C. mostly by moving positions from its New York offices to its corporate center in Raleigh over the next few years. The move is an effort to cut their overhead costs and nearly doubles the Swiss bank’s presence in Wake County.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said Credit Suisse plan to invest $70.5 million into the Raleigh facility and will qualify for $40.2 million in an economic development grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce. In Charlotte, AXA announced a 550-job expansion Tuesday. One of the largest U.S. financial protection companies, AXA plans to spend $18 million to expand its University City’s Innovation Park location.

ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

NC treasurer advances on campaign promises Dale Folwell says he has cut management fees by millions, but a tricky fixed income environment and great expectations makes for tough choices

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — Upon his election to state treasurer of North Carolina, Dale Folwell pledged to get to work immediately looking for ways to save the state money and apply his realist attitude to the management of the N.C.’s investment funds.

The former motorcycle mechanic and accountant had spearheaded a similar challenge as secretary of the N.C. Depart-

Trump fires Comey from FBI post Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday. In a statement the White House said Comey was relieved of his duties on the recommendation of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he believes replacing Comey will provide a “fresh start” for the FBI. Comey was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2013.

ment of Employment Security in the administration of Gov. Pat McCrory, steering implementation of unemployment insurance reforms that enabled the elimination of billions in debt to the federal government ahead of schedule. Through the first five months of his term, Folwell is bringing a similar level of determination to the Office of State Treasurer.

Since entering office in January, Folwell said he has contacted more than 150 money managers representing 99 percent of the state’s pension plans assets and asked them “who they are, how much money they manage, how well they perform, and how much they charge in fees.”

So far, he has been able to cut See TreasurER, page A8

Senate rolls out budget proposal

By Mollie Young North State Journal RALEIGH — The N.C. Senate released its $22.9 billion state budget Tuesday, focusing spending efforts on raises for state employees, including teachers and principals, community health centers, and tax cuts. The full text of the proposed budget was not released until after press time, but Senate leaders outlined its key spending priorities and pointed to past success building the state’s Rainy Day fund and cutting personal and corporate income taxes.

“Anyone who has seen our Senate budgets over the past six years will not be surprised that this budget continues our philosophy of improving outcomes in public education, providing generous tax cuts for the middle class and job creators, controlling spending

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Moms in office: the challenges of leading a family and a government A Mother’s Day roundtable at The Flour Box

By Mollie Young North State Journal

Another veto from the governor’s office Jones & Blount

EAMON QUEENEY | North State Journal

20177 52016 $2.00

See Budget, page A2

Sen. Harry Brown discusses the Senate’s budget proposal during a press conference at the General Assembly.

INSIDE

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growth, and saving for the future,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The plan boosts spending by 3.5 percent over the actual amount the government spent last year, and according to Berger it will include “across-the-board” teacher raises.

“It is consistent with what we’ve done thus far in trying to get to the point where a teacher gets to the top of the [pay] scale in 15 years,” said Berger. “We don’t quite get there in this [budget], but we are moving in that direction.”

Senate leaders are providing about $600 million more for public education, and would like to award teachers an average 3.7 percent raise this year and 9.5 percent raise over two years.

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From left: Stokes County Education Board Member Cheryl Knight, Alamance County Commissioner Amy Galey, North Carolina State Speaker Pro Tem Sarah Stevens, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and Huntersville Town Commissioner Melinda Bales all gather for tea and finger foods at the Flour Box Tea Room in Winston-Salem’s historic Old Salem district. The women came together to talk about the unique blessings and difficulties that come to women and mothers in elected office.

WINSTON-SALEM — In the quaint Flour Box Tea Room in historic Old Salem, five women gathered to exchange stories of motherhood: the joys, the challenges, the early morning routines — simple things all mothers can relate to. But these women also have a very unique experience in common: they are all elected officials.

According to a 2015 report from Meredith College, women still make up less than 25 percent of all appointed and elected offices in North Carolina. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, state Speaker Pro Tem Sarah Stevens, Alamance County Commissioner Amy Galey, Stokes County Education Board Member Cheryl Knight, and Huntersville Town Commissioner Melinda Bales are among that minority.

The primary reason there are so few women in office today is not due to overt discrimination or structural deficiencies; says the Meredith report, but the fact that women seldom seek office on their own.

Foxx, who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and has two grandchildren, told the group over tea and lemonade that she doubted herself when she first contemplated running for ofSee MOTHER’S DAY, page A2

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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Turning of the tassel Two distinguished UNCW graduates were among 2,615 to walk across the stage this past weekend at graduation

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By Emory Rakestraw for the North State Journal ILMINGTON — On a Friday afternoon, more than W 500 students from the Cameron College of Business at UNC Wilmington prepare to walk across the stage and receive their diploma.

This year’s graduation included four commencement ceremonies with 2,200 undergraduates, 400 undergraduates and 15 doctoral students.

One of those walking in the May 5, 2 p.m. commencement is Julian E. Morris, a recognized graduate known for his avid participation in student groups and honor societies, including being a Student Government Association senator.

“I would tell my freshman self to slow down and breathe — I have always been impatient to succeed,” Morris said. “One of the most important pieces of advice I’m going to take into post-grad life is that you create your own opportunities, and I intend to do just that.”

Creating opportunities isn’t a new concept for Morris. As an undergrad, he started the digital marketing company Jules & Gem Media, and he also served as chairman of the Zero-Waste TealGate project that was recognized by the Student Government Association with the “Project of the Year” award.

While Jules & Gem Media was indeed a learning experience for the young entrepreneur, he recently accepted a full-time job offer in Raleigh and plans to focus his time and energy into developing skills in the digital marketing arena.

From the blow of the trumpets beckoning the entrance of graduates, to caps in the air, across North Carolina graduation is a magical time for students taking

EMORY RAKESTRAW | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

new steps into the next chapter of their life. Commencement speaker Donald E. Godwin, a prolific Texas lawyer and Wilmington native, told Cameron School of Business Graduates, “It’s important to view this as a starting line rather than a finish line. ... As you coast the world will go by you, your journey today continues past today.”

For one distinguished UNCW graduate, Nicholas Charles Sweet, that journey includes a one-way ticket to Germany to work as an English teacher’s assistant in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz. Sweet, a Fulbright Scholar, had known from a young age he wanted to at least have some involvement abroad.

Between visits from his French grandmother to his German heritage, he said his main “aha” came while studying in Germany. “[It came when] when I walked through the streets of Heidelberg, the city I studied in, for the first time,” said Sweet. “Being able to speak German on a day-to-day [basis], meeting other international students, and taking interesting classes, my mind was made up.”

With the help of the Fulbright Scholarship, Sweet will be able to

“I would tell my freshman self to slow down and breathe — I have always been impatient to succeed.”

— Julian Morris pursue long-term dreams of both living abroad and teaching English. The competitive Fulbright Scholar Program awards 8,000 grants annually in teaching, research or a combination of both.

The grants include 1,600 U.S. students per year. Since its inception in 1946, approximately 370,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated in the program.

“It begins with a rather lengthy application and a meeting with

MOTHER’S DAY from page A1

BUDGET from page A1

fice in Watauga County in 1973.

“I was at a school board meeting one night, as an observer, and the school board was being particularly incompetent that night,” Foxx reminisced. “And this man said to me, ‘Why don’t you run?’

And I said, ‘No, no, I’m not qualified’ — and he said, ‘You mean you’re not as qualified as those turkeys are?’”

Foxx had already earned her master’s degree and was teaching courses at Appalachian State, yet she still questioned her right to sit on the board — something she says is still happening today, more than four decades later.

“A lot of women think that they need to know everything there is to know about a subject [before they run],” said Foxx. “It is not a criticism of women, but we’re not great risk-takers sometimes.”

Studies support the idea that self-doubt is playing a substantial role in suppressing female candidacy. The Meredith report found men in North Carolina were 60 percent more likely than women to assess themselves as “very qualified” to run for political office.

“I think [women] analyze: can we do it? can we do it effectively?” said Bales, a Huntersville town commissioner who also chairs the Lake Norman Transportation Commission. Foxx chimed in to agree, “We are much more analytical, much more planned.”

But when women run, women often win. In the 2014 elections, for example, 25 percent of the candidates across North Carolina on the ballot were women, but 63 percent of these candidates won their races.

“We all have an obligation to use our talents at the highest and best use,” said Foxx.

Stevens, a state representative from Surry County and new Speaker Pro Tem, said there is an additional wrinkle when you are trying to balance politics and motherhood.

“Tremendous mommy-guilt,” said Surry, who has two daughters, three stepchildren and four stepgrandchildren. “I felt like I always should have been there for my kids.”

But all five women said an overwhelming sense of responsibility and the lessons their children would learn from the experience outweighed sitting it out.

“I wanted to lead by example,” said Knight, a 34-year-old mother of a 5- and 2-year-old, with a third baby due at the end of June.

Knight is part of a new generation

The proposal includes a new plan that will allow teachers licensed in STEM and special education, and those that accept positions in low-performing schools to begin at a higher pay grade on the salary schedule.

It also aims to recruit and retain highly qualified principals, with $28.5 million in pay boosts for principals and assistant principals, including an opportunity for principals to earn up to $15,000 in bonuses.

Consistent with years past, Senate leadership committed to continued tax relief by proposing to decrease the personal income tax rate from 5.499 to 5.35 percent in 2018, and increasing the amount of income that is exempt from state income tax.

The thriving business community in North Carolina will also see continued tax cuts if the Senate plan moves forward, lowering the corporate income tax rate from 3 percent to 2.75 percent in 2018, and to 2.5 percent in 2019.

“We’re more interested in giving money back to the taxpayers than the governor,” said Berger.

“As we have seen over the past couple of years, when we allow the taxpayers to keep more of their money, they put that money to use in the economy, as opposed to sending it to Raleigh for the government to spend.”

The budget process is bound to differ from recent years as Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper now sits in the Executive Mansion.

Cooper and the legislature have publicly agreed in principle on focusing state resources on education. However the amounts are different. Cooper released his budget recommendations last month, which proposed spending $23.5 billion in the first year of the biennial increasing to $24 billion in the second year.

The plan also appears to include some policy statements including an effort to raise the age of juvenile convictions as an adult from 16 to 18. The issue has been resonating across state government garnering support from the N.C. attorney general, the judicial branch and the N.C. House — which is running it as separate legislation. The Senate budget also creates a new executive level Department of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice to manage the proposed changes.

“It’s a priority of the Senate, and the budget is a document that sets forth priorities,” Berger said, later indicating that one

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A detail look at some of the decorations inside the Flour Box Tea Room in Winston-Salem’s historic Old Salem district.

The Flour Box Tea Room and Cafe is located at 137 West Street in Winston-Salem; serving English style tea, lunch, dinner, wine and beer.

The Flour Box is serving a Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, May 9-14 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., by reservation only.

Hot tea is poured inside the Flour Box Tea Room.

of female leaders. Today in Stokes County, where Knight serves, five of the six school board members are female.

For Bales, most days begin at 5 a.m. trying to push two teenage boys out the door in time for school. Between the carpools, extracurricular activities, and evening meetings, Bales said the balance is a challenge, but a necessary one.

“The reason I ran for office is because I looked at my kids and I looked at my town, and I said, ‘When they are looking to settle down, I want them to settle down right here in Huntersville, and the only way to do that is to make sure the quality of life and the job opportunities are there,’” said Bales.

“I know that I’m making a difference in this role. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.”

Galey, an attorney in her first term as a county commissioner, says she finds joy in watching her

children participate in the political process.

“That was the best feeling after the election, when my 16-year-old hugged me and said ‘I’m proud of you, Mom’” Galey beamed. “He had seen how hard I worked, and he had been a part of it.”

At the end of the day, these women are just like any mom, they simply hope the choices they make as parents will raise responsible, good humans.

Galey recalled another moment during her campaign, when her son Jack approached a voter at the polls and talked with him for a few minutes about his mom.

“The man went in and voted, and when he came out he said, ‘You know, I voted for your mom because I figured if she can raise a nice young man like you she’s going to do a good job with the county.’” Galey told the group with a smile, “Those moments help to make up for the difficulties.”

an on-campus committee who sends a recommendation to the Fulbright Program,” Sweet said of the process. “Then, a notification in January if you make it through the first round of the application.

During the first week of April, the finalists are selected and notified.”

While living in the International House dorm his freshman year, Sweet was introduced to UNCW’s ESL Conversation Partner program.

“I had the opportunity to meet and work with students from all over the world, which was an excellent learning experience,” he said. “I came to learn that I have a passion for foreign language education and would like to pursue a career in something related to it.”

Sweet said the best way for students looking to study abroad or get involved in ESL is speaking to a professor.

While both Sweet and Morris are taking completely different paths, this past weekend signifies a simultaneous new beginning and closing chapter not just for the two, but for all graduates who walked across the stage, received their diploma and turned their tassels.

3.7%

over last year’s spending

$300M

for Rainy Day fund

tax rates will drop from 5.499% to 5.35%

$600M more for public education way or another “something will be done” about the raise the age issue this year.

The budget also provides $150 million in disaster relief assistance to victims of Hurricane Matthew and upgrades the Controlled Substance Reporting System so doctors and pharmacies can better track prescriptions.

It also allocates $15 million over two years to community health centers, rural health centers, free clinics and other health services that focus on uninsured rural communities.

The House budget is due to be released next. The two chambers alternate each year taking the first stab at a state budget. After the House releases its budget, conference committees will reconcile differences in the chambers’ budget proposals, at which point the consensus budget will be sent to Cooper for signature.

Lawmakers have stated they plan to pass a budget and adjourn the 2017 session by mid-June.

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“My mother and my grandmother are my biggest influences.

I am honored to continue the tradition of teaching and graduating from East Carolina. I hope to be half of the great teachers they were.”

Grace Perry

graduation CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

ECU graduate heads to the front of the class Out of more than 5,000 graduates in the class of 2017, many are headed back to school

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal ALLACE — All families have their own traditions W that make them unique. For the

family of Alexandra “Grace” Perry, the tradition of teaching and being a member of the Pirate Nation flow through the family lines.

Grace is the third generation of her Duplin County family to graduate from East Carolina University. Majoring in special education, she graduated magna cum laude from ECU’s College of Education over the weekend and is poised with a desire to make a difference in future generations.

“I always wanted to have that type of influence on a child — to encourage them and help them find the best in themselves,” said Grace. “Teaching is in my blood. I always knew I had it in me.”

Her grandmother Grace Sanderson Farrior graduated in December 1952 from East Carolina College and her mother was a teacher as well.

“I always wanted to be a teacher. I remember hearing my mother talk about her experience. At that time, if you had children, you had to quit working. She taught until I was born in a one-room schoolhouse in Duplin County,” said Grace Farrior.

“Mama taught me and my brother for a half-day in language arts. She integrated the arts into the curriculum. There was no art, music or drama in the schools then, so she put those activities into the day,” said Sarah Farrior Perry.

Farrior’s daughter and Grace’s mother, Sarah Farrior Perry, graduated from East Carolina in 1983 with a bachelor’s in art education. Farrior taught fifth grade for 37 years and earned a master’s in 1958. Sarah Perry recently retired after 32 years in the classroom.

“My mother and my grandmother are my biggest influences.

I am honored to continue the tradition of teaching and graduating from East Carolina. I hope to be half of the great teachers they were,” said Grace.

Farrior, Sarah and Grace have all had their own experiences in education and teaching. Farrior was the first Teacher of the Year for Wallace Elementary School in the early 1980s. Sarah has spent her years teaching K-12 the value of arts in a curriculum, while Grace advocates for children with special needs, something she knows about first hand.

“When they come into my classroom, they might have trouble reading or not be able to do math. When they come into the art room they can be successful and that success carries on into the classroom,” said Sarah. “‘Maybe I can do this math problem or maybe I can read this book because I just painted soand-so.’ I gave them a problem to solve. That’s all art is, it’s problem-solving and building critical thinking skills. It’s helping them understand someone designed that rocking chair or that house.

Art is everywhere, without art there is nothing,” she added.

Everyone agrees that helping children feel confident in the classroom is key to encouraging learning. Grace was diagnosed at a young age with severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She has trouble focusing, with repeating noises, and classrooms are not always quiet, but Grace has adapted techniques over the years to help her focus.

“Her fifth grade teacher created a list of Grace’s behaviors made from her observations to be passed on to every teacher after her that details, ‘when Grace does this, it means this,’” said Sarah.

“It helped her education in the classroom considerably from fifth grade forward.”

“For instance, when I don’t look at you directly or I fidget with my hair, it doesn’t mean I’m not listening to you, I just need to refocus my attention,” added Grace.

By living with ADHD herself, Grace feels she has a better understanding of how children with special needs learn and how to adapt programs and techniques in the classroom to help students find the best in themselves.

“It has helped and hindered me, as well as challenged me in different ways,” said Grace. “I can relate to my students more.

Learning does not come easy for people with disabilities.

“I try to teach my students some of the same strategies I use.

For example with reading, they can underline key words, draw a box around names, and use those strategies to help them refocus on reading a paragraph,” she said.

Grace spent her teaching internship in a special education classroom at West Green Elementary School in Snow Hill working with 13 students with disabilities ranging from autism to ADHD to emotional behavior disorders.

“I loved my experience and the kids. The school has great partnership with ECU so I was able to be a part of a co-teaching model and be paired with a teacher who was very involved in helping make me a good educator,” said Grace.

She wore the thumbprints of each of her students on her mortarboard during graduation.

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH PERRY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH PERRY

Top, Grace Perry dances with fellow graduates before the College of Education graduate recognition ceremony at East Carolina University in Greenville. Perry graduated with a bachelor’s degree in special education with a special education adapted curriculum license.

Middle, Perry hugs her mother, Sarah, and grandmother Grace Sanderson Farrior before the College of Education graduate recognition ceremony at East Carolina University.

Bottom left, Grace Sanderson Farrior taught at Wallace Elementary School for 36 years after graduating from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in 1953 and master’s degree in 1958.

Bottom right, Sarah Perry taught art in elementary schools for 32 years after graduating from East Carolina University in 1983. Perry spent the last 23 years teaching at Wallace Elementary School, where her mother taught for 36 years.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

Collegiate counties

Cooper vetoes nuisance law reforms

By Jeff Moore North State Journal

More than half a million students will graduate from a four-year college or university in N.C. this spring. While many will jump right into their careers, thousands of them will head back to school to study law or medicine among other graduate programs. With seven law schools across the state, and now a fifth medical school, the class of 2017 has plenty of options.

On May 20, Campbell University’s medical school will graduate 150 physicians as part of its inaugural 2017 class. Launched in 2013, the school’s unique mission is

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper has used his veto pen once again, this time to undo legislation limiting the amount of damages that can be awarded in certain nuisance claims.

“The agriculture and forestry industries are vital to our economy and we should encourage them to thrive,” said Cooper leading off a statement explaining his decision to veto the bill. “But nuisance laws can be used to protect property rights and make changes for good. We used nuisance laws to force the Tennessee Valley Authority to stop air pollution from flowing into North Carolina and we won damages to improve air quality.

“Special protection for one industry,” continued the governor, “opens the door to weakening our nuisance laws in other areas, which can allow real harm to homeowners, the environment and everyday North Carolinians.”

House Bill 467 worked its way through the N.C. General Assembly last month as more than two dozen relevant nuisance claims worked their way through federal courts in the Old North State. It limited the amount of damages that could be awarded in specific nuisance claims amid a lack of precedent on the issue as cited by the presiding judge in the federal case. The legislation elicited fiery debate on both sides

specifically to educate and prepare community-based osteopathic physicians for the rural and underserved areas of N.C. The need in rural N.C. is great, according to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. They report that the number of medical school graduates choosing primary care over a specialty dropped 50 percent between 1997 and 2005. The growth and aging of North Carolina’s population is expected to increase demand for primary care by 34 percent between 2004 and 2020.

Indicates counties with a four-year college or university

TINT OF CORN: COUNTY NAMES: C:west 0 Benton Greenery Sans returning Bold, to areas Burning permits required affected by wildfires M: 12 12pt.

Watauga County Rutherford County Y: 59.4 During spring wildfire season, a burn As spring sets in, parts of Chimney permit is now required by the North Rock and Lake Lure that were ravaged K: 6 Forest Service for outdoor Carolina by wildfires last fall are turning green burning, regardless of size. The free burn permit is available online and helps fire personnel keep tabs on existing fires. A permit is required for all burning of natural vegetation and debris. It is unlawful to burn any manmade materials. Permits are approved when conditions are OK’d to stage an outdoor fire.

Watauga Democrat

70 brewers withdraw from Wicked Weed event Buncombe County After Wicked Weed announced their sale to Anheuser-Busch, more than 70 breweries have pulled out from the brewery’s fourth annual Funkatorium Invitational on July 8 in Arden. Haw River Farmhouse Ales owner Ben Woodward said the decision was to make a statement against AB InBev, the world’s largest brewing company.

The backlash could also have an impact on Eblen Charities, which gets 100 percent of event proceeds.

Other breweries are planning to have a separate fundraiser for Eblen while the Funkatorium Invitational still plans to go on despite growing backlash.

again. Amber White with Chimney Rock State Park said hikers and visitors won’t see any difference at all.

Lake Lure Town Manager Roy Nalley said everything is back to normal and the majority of problems were caused by digging fire lines and not from flames. Luckily, the fire’s flames were not hot enough to consume whole trees and caused no major aesthetic issues.

Layers of burned, dead leaves have also been beneficial for plant growth.

U.S. News & World Report

Single mother of three killed by driver charged with DWI Haywood County A Haywood County woman and her dog were killed in a car accident Sunday, and the driver of the other vehicle has been charged with DWI. Jordan Landt Webb, her son and the family dog were in Webb’s car when Mark Armstrong, 71, allegedly ran a stoplight and crashed into Webb’s car.

Webb’s 15-year-old son was taken to Mission Hospital with injuries, and Armstrong is in jail and charged with DWI and death by vehicle.

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BLACK RULE: Western region: Piedmont Green PIEDMONT EAST Solid black, .5 pt weightCourt orders Piedmont region: NState Red $125,400 for lawyer Cheerwine ‘Centennial Fox attacks couple, kills pets Eastern region: NState Navy Johnston County Celebration’ this weekend Rowan County Cheerwine, the iconic family-owned soft drink invented in Salisbury, will host its 100-year celebration this weekend. The event takes place from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and features free Cheerwine, live music, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a biergarten, people’s choice BBQ competition and partnership with Amtrak to help people get to the event.

WCNC.com

North Carolina taxpayers must pay $125,400 to Jack O’Hale, attorney for Highway Patrol trooper Charles Jones.

In 2007, a cellphone video surfaced of Jones kicking his drug detection dog during a training exercise. Then-Gov. Mike Easley demanded Jones be fired, but the state appeals court eventually ruled his firing improper and he returned to work in 2012 and received more than $200,000 in back pay. The attorney’s payout is large due to the state losing a series of court battles in the case.

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Washington County The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has decided to look into the shooting death of a woman in the town of Plymouth. Kendra Janice Norman, 27, was found shot to death Sunday night. The owner of the home, Rosa Holley — who is the grandmother to Norman’s son — said she was staying with her after being evicted. The SBI confirmed Monday that Norman, a mother to three girls and one boy, was pregnant with her fifth child.

Both the SBI and Plymouth Police are investigating the shooting.

Good Samaritan’s SUV stolen after car crash

Proofs:

0

Hickory Daily Record

Extra deputies on patrol at middle school

Lawmakers target human trafficking in North Carolina

By Mollie Young North State Journal

Hickory Daily Record / WITN

WITN

Guilford County Residents of Guilford County are clearing away debris from severe Wake County storms that ripped through the area Three people have been charged after over the weekend. With the county a three-car crash that resulted in a and DOT stopping at State Road passenger stealing the vehicle of a Publication: 150, residents are left to either clean Good Samaritan who stopped to help. North State Journal up debris themselves or hiring a The crash happened aroundIO2#:a.m. in None crew. Neighbors say the trees are Morrisville, and Lauren Starks, 2017-05/03 Issue: 24, too dangerous to tackle without was the passenger who attempted Ad Type: theft TP4C professional help, but have received of the vehicle. Starks, a Duke nurse, B: = None Glover Park Group - 426630-07 Client: bids of more than $10,000 for tree and the driver were both charged with United Health Group Project: removal.

DWI and an unidentified driver was T: = 23” x 6” S: = 22.5” x 5.5” Campaign: 2017 United Health alsoGroup charged with a DWI. Here to Serve Creative: Fox8 WGHP

of pregnant woman

Craven County Director of the Craven County Health Department Scott Harrelson confirmed a fox attacked a man and woman around 6 p.m. Friday night on Tuscarora Rhems Road. The man was doing yard work when the fox came out of the woods and attacked and killed his pet chicken and duck. The fox then turned and bit the man twice on the leg and ran up to the porch and attacked the woman sitting there. Luckily a neighbor intervened and hit the fox with a rake. The fox was sent to a state lab for testing to see if it was rabid and the couple will receive a series of shots.

Hickory Daily Record / News & Observer

Neighbors seeking help for storm cleanup

** All counties have a 1.5 pt. white stroke SBI investigating shooting death

Mother Earth Motor Lodge celebrates ribbon-cutting

Lenoir County The new Mother Earth Motor Lodge Dare County Ship Info: North State Journal celebrated the official ribbon cutting Five deputies were on patrol NoneTuesday ceremony Tuesday morning. Formerly at Manteo Middle School for extra Mid-town Motor Lodge, the new space None measures after rumors of a threat features a 1960s throwback with 20 None, None None against the school. The deputies were suites and 25 single rooms that look Attn: None there as a precaution. Investigators exactly like the original when the motel ruled threats were unfounded T: Noneand first opened in 1964. The renovation parents were notified rumors were not E: tony@northstatemedia.com also includes restoration of the kidneycredible. Nonetheless, deputies and shaped pool. heightened security measures were still provided.

WITN

of the aisle as lawmakers struggled with passing a law that might affect ongoing legal proceedings.

Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson), a produce farmer from Autryville, said that the governor’s latest veto demonstrates a pattern of behavior of refusing to stand up for N.C. farm families, “I am incredibly disappointed in Gov. Cooper for once again turning his back on family farmers and rural North Carolina and putting out-ofstate trial lawyers first,” said Jackson in a press release.

In late April, the Cooper administration withdrew from a lawsuit challenging the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Rule — a regulation that the agriculture industry said was a gross overreach by the federal government.

According to insiders, more than $100,000 in lobbying fees were deployed in a 24-hour period as the legislature wrestled with the bill’s legal implications and questions about its constitutionality.

Ultimately, an amendment was adopted that excluded the current court cases from the legislation and the bill was passed. In the final vote, the N.C. House passed the measure with 74 votes, a margin that would provide for an override of Cooper’s veto if legislative leaders decide to overpower the governor once again.

This marks Cooper’s fourth veto since taking office, three having been overridden by a Republican super-majority in the state legislature.

RALEIGH — State lawmakers are taking steps to further combat human trafficking in North Carolina.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, North Carolina is among the top 10 states for human trafficking cases.

This number reflects both sex trafficking and forced labor.

Joy Anderson, a sex trafficking survivor, said she was brought to Charlotte by her traffickers who dragged her and other women around the country, often following large conventions and events.

“I actually didn’t know the term ‘sex trafficking’ when I was enslaved,” said Anderson, who joined lawmakers, including bill sponsors Reps. Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg), Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) and Chris Malone (R-Wake), at a press conference on Tuesday. “I just thought this was my lot in life.”

Brawley says that the Safe Harbor Law passed in 2013, which significantly increased punishment for both traffickers and purchasers, helped to crack down on the illicit industry but that it became increasingly clear that additional support was needed for the victims of human trafficking.

“What do we do with the women when they get out?” asked Brawley, “They don’t have a good home to go back to, and in many cases they don’t really have a skill, they are bearing psychological scars.”

House Bill 910 would allocate $50 million for direct victim assistance and education programs, including $37.5 million for shelter beds and $13.5 million for mental health services. The bill would also establish a pilot program for students in grades 6, 8 and 10 to educate them about the dangers and warning signs of human trafficking.

For women like Anderson, the bill demonstrates that people out there care about them.

“That dark and evil lifestyle is so scary, I didn’t think there would be a way out,” said Anderson. “I was in a hotel, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Is this all I was born for?

I’d rather die, or will somebody help me?’”

The state will partner with nonprofits to provide living and medical services for victims.

Bill sponsors said the numbers are still a work in progress, and that H.B. 910 is just one more layer in their commitment to end human trafficking in the state.

“We have to get serious about human trafficking, folks,” said Malone. “We’re helping the victims get the services they need, and become whole again.”

Outer Banks Voice

WNCTimes WLOS ABC 13

T: 23” S: 22.5”

H CA RO L I N A T R O N

NS VAT I O O N IN

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At UnitedHealth Group, we’re honored to serve those in North Carolina working to improve health care. How? By rewarding quality S: 5.5”

and affordability, by providing doctors with data and insights to prevent and treat illness, and by developing technology that helps consumers manage their own health care. These are just a few of the ways the more than 5,000 of us in North Carolina are working to make health care more modern, high-performing and simpler.

UnitedHealthGroup.com/NC 426630-07_UHG_NorthStateJournal_May3-2017_DPS4C.indd 1

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Drew Elliot, opinion editor | Ray Nothstine, deputy opinion editor

Visual Voices

EDITORIAL | Drew Elliot

Tony Copeland in H.B.2 dreamland Copeland’s shaky grasp on chronology makes Donald Trump look like a history professor.

North Carolina, as you may have heard, has won the 2017 Prosperity Cup, an award for economic competitiveness based on objective data compiled annually by Site Selection magazine. The Tarheel State is on a three-year run at the top of the listings (although the 2016 honor was shared with Texas).

The ranking itself is a combination of factors. They include total new and expanded facilities, total capital investment in new and expanded facilities, total new jobs created, state tax climate as ranked by the Tax Foundation, and performance in the Beacon Hill Institute’s State Competitiveness Index.

The rankings are an indicator of past performance — who landed the jobs — rather than a guide for companies looking to relocate or expand. In other words, it’s a measure of accomplishment, not a “best state to move your business to” list.

Site Selection’s editor-in-chief, Mark Arend, had a little fun writing the state’s profile for the May issue of the magazine, contrasting the objective data with the national headlines North Carolina garnered in 2016.

North Carolina taking home the Prosperity Cup would come as a “shock to some,” Arend wrote, meaning those who saw only the media’s obsession with House Bill 2: “National sporting events booked at North Carolina venues bailed, some companies pulled the plug on expansions or relocations, and the lights went out in the state as a destination for capital investment.

“Well, the last part didn’t actually happen — not by a long shot.

“In fact, North Carolina ranked fourth nationally in total new and expanded facility

announcements for 2016 in Site Selection’s March 2017 Governor’s Cup ranking, with 289 projects. It ranked seventh nationally in the per capita Governor’s Cup tally of projects for the year — these performances are unchanged from the previous year.”

But don’t tell that to Anthony Copeland, Gov. Roy Cooper’s commerce secretary.

His own dream-like obsession with H.B. 2 apparently continues, based on his comments in the magazine: “When Gov. Cooper brought me in to work with him, his first priority was to reverse the damage that had happened with H.B. 2,” he said. After detailing all the work Cooper did to get the bill repealed, Copeland concludes that “…by and large the global corporate world is ready to get back to work in North Carolina.”

And evidently, it’s not just the repealed H.B. 2 that keeps Copeland up at night.

The secretary, who has worked in economic development for many years, detailed a litany of woes, starting with Amendment 1, the creation of the public-private partnership for economic development, and the fight over corporate incentives.

But not to worry. “Corporate investors,” Copeland says, “now are saying they are ready to move forward.”

To be fair to Copeland, he couldn’t know that Arend was going to destroy his argument before dropping in the quote, and he may have made other (perhaps coherent) comments that Arend didn’t include.

To recap: the state has been tops in these rankings for three straight years. The rankings just released don’t have anything to do with the H.B. 2 repeal — they are based on 2016

performance. The battle over Amendment 1 ended in 2014. The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina started work in 2014. Funding for incentives ran out in 2014 and was replenished in 2015. H.B. 2 was on the books for most of 2016. Yet the state’s competitiveness ranking has not been surpassed by any other for the period January 2014 - December 2016.

Copeland’s shaky grasp on chronology makes Donald Trump look like a history professor.

Remember when former Gov. Pat McCrory and John Skvarla, his commerce secretary, were laughed at when they said that the impact of H.B. 2 would prove negligible to the state’s economy? As more and more data comes in from 2016, it appears many in the state, especially in the news media, owe them an apology.

Nearly all businesses choose where to locate for business reasons, not politics or social commentary. North Carolina is No. 2 in Forbes’ Best States for Businesses for 2016, and it is No. 1 in Ernst & Young’s rating for lowest state and local business tax burden for 2016.

No matter some leaders’ detached fantasies to the contrary, North Carolina has done the right things for business. The jobs are following.

EDITORIAL | Ray Nothstine

Cooper’s meager talk on tax cuts North Carolina legislators are responsibly charting an alternative course for this state.

One of the most misleading phrases used by Gov. Roy Cooper is the term “corporate tax giveaways.” A simple Google search of “Roy Cooper” and “corporate tax giveaways” produces a plethora of examples of the governor using this class warfare rhetoric across the state.

The line, perhaps an effective one given its frequent use, conjures up images of fat cats on private jets partying with an endless supply of cigars, whiskey, and women. Meanwhile, thousands of feet below, school children toil in medieval squalor. Students are studying hard to make the state more competitive for the future, but supposedly are blocked from having all the resources they need to achieve. Cooper, of course, implies that tax cuts, or returning money to businesses, will harm investments in education.

While speaking at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce at the beginning of this month, Cooper implored area businesses to eschew tax cuts for more spending. “In my conversations with CEOs about jobs in North Carolina, the first question they ask me is not what is your corporate tax?” Cooper declared. “The first question is ‘do you have the people who can perform the jobs that I can create?’” (CEOs considering North Carolina for business are probably much more knowledgeable than politicians when it comes to the cost of doing business in a state). At any rate, Cooper added that tax cuts for businesses and investment in education is “pretty much an either-or choice.”

This either-or view takes a very dim and meager outlook on returning property to

people and businesses through tax relief.

While Cooper secured a narrow victory because of drummed-up chaos on social issues, his rhetoric, along with some Democrats in the state, is tied to outdated class warfare and the reckless budgets of the past. Cooper can afford to moderate given the political realities in the legislature by offering lip service to “targeted middle-class tax cuts.” Of course, he stops any talk of tax relief right there, preferring to wager more on government over entrepreneurs and the people who take risks to create jobs and grow the economy.

The good news is another larger-thanexpected surplus and responsible fiscal management by the legislature has ratcheted up the debate on the expansion of tax cuts.

The Senate proposal (Senate Bill 325), along with tax cuts mostly beneficial to the middle class, cuts the corporate rate by one quarter of a percent over the next two years. From 3 percent down to 2.5 percent by 2019.

Strong budget management and comprehensive tax cuts are a major reason for growth and expansion across the state, making North Carolina one of the best places in the nation for business. Many at the Chamber of Commerce know this well, so Cooper at least receives credit for attempting to make his case to what should be a more skeptical audience.

But the “either-or” line is pessimistic pandering. Every business dollar taxed is a dollar removed from the company and removed from production and economic investment. Lower business taxes have resulted in higher wages and lower

unemployment. This nation has suffered from lower rates of growth over the last decade, which are symptoms of too much regulation and lack of entrepreneurial risk-taking. North Carolina legislators are responsibly charting an alternative course for this state.

Investment in education is important going forward too, especially in a state with population growth and economic innovation.

But throwing more money at education does not necessarily produce better results.

This is exemplified especially by our current education system, especially with less dollars reaching the classroom and increasingly gobbled up by administrative staff and costs.

Almost 40 percent of the general fund goes toward education.

Republicans are right to consider higher teacher pay but to balk at throwing more productive money at a status quo system.

Promises of better education and schools are often an easy way to get the citizenry to part with their earnings, which is why Cooper is parroting those lines across the state.

However, the General Assembly’s commitment to tax relief, including for businesses, is not merely “corporate tax giveaways,” but an invaluable investment in freedom and human flourishing.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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Guest Opinion | ROBERT ORR

North Carolina’s duty to protect victims More than 30 states around the country already guarantee these rights to victims of crime as well as federal courts.

The North State Journal editorial (“Raise the age now, but pause on Marsy’s law,” May 3) regarding House Bill 551, also known as Marsy’s Law, unfortunately simply got it wrong in a variety of ways. As one of many individuals who strongly support Marsy’s Law, I find it necessary to set the record straight for the benefit of your readers and all those victims of crime across North Carolina who are advocating for passage of this legislation.

I have spent my career on the front lines of the legal community in North Carolina as a lawyer for over 40 years, including 18 of those years as a judge on our Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. I have also worked as a practicing lawyer, represented defendants and, as an acting district attorney, also prosecuted defendants. I know full well the challenges out there and the terrible consequences that victims of crime face.

While your editorial acknowledges that the intentions of this proposed amendment to the North Carolina Constitution are “good and pure,” you indicate that this amendment does little more than “copy” existing provisions. Nothing could be further from the truth. A reading of the existing article in our constitution on victims’ rights demonstrates that those rights are only executed through whatever laws the General Assembly might pass or amend and can be changed by legislative process. The proposed amendment to our state constitution set forth in H.B. 551 replaces this legislative “guarantee” to one actually enshrined in our constitution. If passed, Marsy’s Law would make sure that victims and their families have explicit constitutional rights not dependent on any given legislature to pass or amend or repeal laws impacting their rights.

In addition, it is simply incorrect to say that H.B. 551 will “give victims the right to intervene in criminal cases.” This amendment does no such thing — it does not make victims parties to criminal trials. What it does do is provide a victim the right to assert his or her rights under this section — rights such as being notified of pending court action that could result in a defendant being released from prison and the right to be heard in court

proceedings where important decisions are being made that could impact the victim.

I find it truly remarkable that your editorial states that “if North Carolina’s criminal justice system does not treat victims fairly,” then “that is reason for study and deliberation.” To cavalierly treat men and women, children and adults who have been victimized by crime, many of which are of the most violent nature, “unfairly” is simply inconceivable.

We have a civic responsibility to make sure, not just that victims and their families are treated fairly by the criminal justice system but to make sure that their voices and concerns are an integral part of the process. We also must affirm that those victims have rights under our constitution that are comparable to those rights guaranteed to criminal defendants.

More than 30 states around the country already guarantee these rights to victims of crime as well as federal courts. It seems like common sense that North Carolina should do the same for its victims of crime and do it quickly.

Your suggestion that the General Assembly in considering H.B. 551 providing for a constitutional amendment to strengthen the rights of victims and their families should “take a pause,” is without question the wrong approach. Every day in the criminal justice system all across our state, victims and their families struggle, not only with the consequences of the crimes committed against them, but with the complexities and inconsistencies of an overwhelming caseload in the criminal courts of our state. District attorneys, clerks of court, judges, and victim assistance personnel try mightily to help but the need for defined constitutional rights for those victimized by acts of violence and other felonies cannot simply be pushed aside and “studied.”

The General Assembly should move forward as quickly as possible to pass H.B. 551 and submit this proposed constitutional amendment protecting victims’ rights to the citizens of this state for adoption.

Robert Orr is a retired associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Supporters of Marsy’s law participate in a press conference at the Legislative Building on April 4, 2017.

The drive-through counties in Carrboro, Chapel Hill’s more liberal neighbor. (Didn’t think that Iwaslive possible, did you?) We’ve got more

Priuses per capita than anywhere else on the planet, our main gathering place is a food co-op, and a surprising number of our residents see hula-hooping as their primary source of exercise.

It’s easy for me to go about life in my little bubble. I’m surrounded by like-minded neighbors, many of them transplants from elsewhere in the country, like me.

But get in the car and go for a drive and you’ll see how quickly things change.

Those Priuses give way to pickup trucks, farmers markets are replaced by actual farms, Trump lawn signs proudly persist, and there’s a Dollar General in every town.

I can’t help but think that I live in one North Carolina, while there’s a completely different version of this state just outside of the city limits.

Trump’s 4 percent margin of victory in North Carolina was reasonably close.

Despite our H.B. 2-tarnished reputation, we’re still a moderate, purple state, right?

Yes and no.

Despite the seemingly close presidential race, only 13 of the 100 counties in the state were won by margins of 10 percentage points or less.

Put simply, our big purple state is actually a collection of tiny blue and red landslides.

And this isn’t just a North Carolina trend: The website Five Thirty Eight recently reported that only 303 of 3,113 counties nationwide were won by singledigits.

North Carolina is just a mini-America — big and red and speckled with blue bubbles.

I live in one North Carolina, while there’s a completely different version of this state just outside of the city limits.

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

column | WALTER WILLIAMS

What do Leftists celebrate?

Marx had a racial vision that might be interesting to his modernday black supporters.

STEVE KULP

May Day celebrations were held all across the fruited plain, with leftist radicals and unionists worshipping the ideals of communism. Communism is an ideology calling for government control over our lives. It was created by Karl Marx, who — along with his collaborator, Friedrich Engels — wrote a pamphlet called “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” In 1867, Marx wrote the first volume of “Das Kapital.” The second and third volumes were published posthumously, edited by Engels.

Few people who call themselves Marxists have ever even bothered to read “Das Kapital.” If one did read it, he would see that people who call themselves Marxists have little in common with Marx.

For those who see Marx as their hero, there are a few historical tidbits they might find interesting. Nathaniel Weyl, himself a former communist, dug them up for his 1979 book, “Karl Marx: Racist.” For example, Marx didn’t think much of Mexicans.

When the United States annexed California after the Mexican War, Marx sarcastically asked, “Is it a misfortune that magnificent California was seized from the lazy Mexicans who did not know what to do with it?” Engels shared Marx’s contempt for Mexicans, explaining: “In America we have witnessed the conquest of Mexico and have rejoiced at it. It is to the

interest of its own development that Mexico will be placed under the tutelage of the United States.”

Marx had a racial vision that might be interesting to his modern-day black supporters. In a letter to Engels, in reference to his socialist political competitor Ferdinand Lassalle, Marx wrote: “It is now completely clear to me that he, as is proved by his cranial formation and his hair, descends from the Negroes who had joined Moses’ exodus from Egypt, assuming that his mother or grandmother on the paternal side had not interbred with a n---r. Now this union of Judaism and Germanism with a basic Negro substance must produce a peculiar product. The obtrusiveness of the fellow is also n----r-like.” Engels shared Marx’s racial philosophy.

In 1887, Paul Lafargue, who was Marx’s son-in-law, was a candidate for a council seat in a Paris district that contained a zoo.

Engels claimed that Lafargue had “one-eighth or one-twelfth n----r blood.” In a letter to Lafargue’s wife, Engels wrote, “Being in his quality as a n----r, a degree nearer to the rest of the animal kingdom than the rest of us, he is undoubtedly the most appropriate representative of that district.”

Marx was also an anti-Semite, as seen in his essay titled “On the Jewish Question,” which was published in 1844. Marx asked: “What is the worldly religion of

the Jew? Huckstering. What is his worldly God? Money. ... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist. Money degrades all the gods of man — and turns them into commodities. ... The bill of exchange is the real god of the Jew. His god is only an illusory bill of exchange. ... The chimerical nationality of the Jew is the nationality of the merchant, of the man of money in general.”

Despite the fact that in the 20th century alone communism was responsible for more than 100 million murders, much of the support for communism and socialism is among intellectuals.

The reason they do not condemn the barbarism of communism is understandable. Richard Pipes explains: “Intellectuals, by the very nature of their professions, grant enormous attention to words and ideas. And they are attracted by socialist ideas. They find that the ideas of communism are praiseworthy and attractive; that, to them, is more important than the practice of communism.

Now, Nazi ideals, on the other hand, were pure barbarism; nothing could be said in favor of them.” That means leftists around the world will continue to celebrate the ideas of communism.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

We use the term “fly-over states” to describe those red parts of the country that lie between the big clue cities. I’d like to introduce a new term into the lexicon: “drive-through counties.”

In the 12 years I’ve been in North Carolina, I’ve driven all over this great state of ours. Yet, while I’ve passed through through most of its counties, I’ve only really spent quality time in 10 of them.

Sure, I’ve stopped to take a leak in Duplin County on my way to the beach, but do I really know anything about the place? And was the hot dog I bought at a gas station in Wilkesboro the best food the area had to offer? No and (hopefully) no.

Summer is almost here and a lot of us are going to hit the road on vacation.

Whether you’re headed for higher altitudes or cooling-off at sea level, here are a few suggestions to help get to know the state a bit better: Take the scenic route Google Maps gives you the option to “skip highways.” It might add a little time to your trip, but the road less traveled is usually more interesting.

Buy local The next time you’re on a road trip, skip the McNuggets and find a local eatery.

This state is full of good food, and a little research can help you find it.

Talk to strangers When you stop along the way, strike up a conversation with the people you meet.

Find a way to get to know something about the place you’re in.

Embrace your discomfort This is the hard part. For most us, there are two North Carolinas: The one you live in and the one that makes you a little uncomfortable. Just don’t let that discomfort get in the way of an otherwise meaningful experience.

Find the best barbecue in Bertie County.

Did you hear about the popcorn farm in Yadkinville?

There’s a Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum in Littleton.

What I’m trying to say is that instead of sitting here in my beloved blue bubble of Carrboro, it’s my responsibility to try to understand the other North Carolina.

And if you live in your North Carolina, you should probably get to know mine. I promise to take you for a ride in my Prius, buy you a kale salad at the co-op, and teach you how to hula-hoop.

Steve Kulp is a graphic designer and brand strategist in Carrboro.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Nation & WORLD

macron wins

the BRIEF 82 Chibok girls freed after being held captive for 3 years

by Islamic militants Abuja, Nigeria A group of 82 girls held captive for three years

by Islamist Boko Haram militants were freed over the weekend in exchange for several militant commanders. They met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital Abuja on Sunday.

The girls’ kidnapping made international news for years as celebrities and former first lady Michelle Obama took to social media to call for their return. The return of the 82 on Saturday marked the second group release of the 200 Chibok girls originally kidnapped — with both deals brokered

by Switzerland and the International Red Cross.

Twenty-one were released in October. A few others have escaped or been rescued, and 113 of the girls are believed to be still held in captivity by Boko Haram.

Head of ISIS in Afghanistan confirmed killed CHRISTIAN HARTMANN | REUTERS

French President-elect Emmanuel Macron celebrates on the stage at his victory rally near the Louvre in Paris, France on May 7.

Sen. Lindsey Graham curious about President Donald Trump’s business deals with Russia S.C. lawmaker and president clashed in Republican presidential primary Reuters ASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) W said Tuesday he wants to know

more about President Donald Trump’s business dealings in relation to Russia, but that congressional investigations may have to avoid the matter if they would conflict with an FBI probe.

Graham asked former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Monday whether he had concerns about Russian ties to Trump’s business interests. Clapper said he could not comment because the issue could be a subject of an ongoing investigation.

CNN reported Tuesday that Graham intended to look into Trump’s business ties to see whether any connections exist between Russia and the Trump campaign or the president’s associates.

But Graham also told the net-

work that the subcommittee, which he chairs, may have to “steer clear” of the issue if it conflicts with the FBI’s probe of Russia and the Trump campaign.

He clarified later that he had not taken any new actions.

“This is nothing new here,” he told reporters at the Capitol. “I’m not a prosecutor. But if you ask me if I want to know if there are any Trump business ties to Russia that are inappropriate, the answer would be ‘yes.’”

Graham told CNN it would be helpful to see Trump’s tax records but that it was too soon to say whether he would be willing to subpoena them, the network said.

Graham and Trump exchanged barbs in the media when both were among the 17 candidates who ran for the Republican nomination during the 2016 presidential race.

Graham defended John McCain after Trump had criticized the longtime Arizona senator, and Trump responding by giving out Graham’s phone number on television.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

AARON P. BERNSTEIN | REUTERS

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) greets former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she testified about potential Russian interference in the presidential election before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Nangarhar, Afghanistan The head of ISIS in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib, was killed in an operation on April 27 conducted jointly by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces in the eastern province of Nangarhar, U.S. and Afghan officials said on Sunday. Hasib, appointed last year after his predecessor Hafiz Saeed Khan died in a U.S. drone strike, is believed to have ordered a series of high profile attacks including one in March 8 on the main military hospital in Kabul, a statement said.

Netanyahu tosses Hamas policy paper on Israel into trash

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

State Treasurer Dale Folwell speaks during a Council of State meeting.

TREASURY from page A1

$25 million in fees en route to meeting his campaign pledge to cut $100 million before the end of his first term.

“The fees cut so far are the floor, not the ceiling,” added Folwell.

While cutting fees helps move the needle toward efficiency goals, the other side of the ledger must be addressed as well.

But that is often a harder pill to swallow for current and to-be pensioners. In late April, Folwell announced a lowering of the rate of assumed investment returns in the N.C. Retirement Systems Funds from 7.25 percent to 7.20 percent.

According to Folwell, the fund has not earned its assumed rate of return of 7.25 percent on average for the last 15 years. For the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2016, the fund reported a return of 6.3 percent.

“The North Carolina General Assembly has fully funded the state’s pension plans, putting them on a solid footing,” said Folwell. “However, because the projected rate-of-return has not been met, we must begin taking gradual steps toward reflecting the actual historical rate. Doing this will provide the best opportunity to meet the state’s longterm obligations as well as maintain its AAA bond rating.”

Folwell explained that expected rates of returns were set years ago when interest rates were far higher, and have not adjusted to the steady decrease in rates over the years culminating in the near zero rate environment implemented during the 2008/2009 financial crisis.

“When interest rates were high, it was relatively easy to make your assumed rate by just investing in low-risk bonds,” added Folwell. “Since we have been in an essentially zero interest rate environment for the past 15 years, achieving that same rate in the future is unrealistic.”

However, the low interest

rates have a silver lining as they allow for cheaper financing of existing debt. Folwell announced last week that the N.C. Council of State approved the issuance of up to $150 million in General Obligation Refunding Bonds as well as up to $300 million in Limited Obligation Refunding Bonds.

The bonds will be used to refund outstanding obligations to take advantage of lower interest rates, thus reducing financing costs for taxpayers. While the exact amount of savings will be determined when the bonds are sold, according to Folwell it could be in excess of $50 million depending on interest rates at the time.

“When interest rates decline, many decide to refinance the mortgage on their house. The state is taking this opportunity to do the same,” said Folwell. “As treasurer, I will continue to monitor these opportunities and look to save taxpayer money wherever we can.”

The bonds to be refunded were used to finance a variety of projects around the state. Sale of the bonds is anticipated for midto-late July 2017.

Along with the belt-tightening efforts, another financial development has acted as a wind at the treasurer’s back: the stock market has been registering new highs on a mixture of U.S. policy optimism and central bank largess, adding to a year of resilient gains despite myriad unexpected geopolitical events. That has helped the state’s investment funds perform well.

Through the first quarter of 2017, the fund — comprised of the retirement plans the Department of State Treasurer manages — reported gains of 4.1 percent, and nearly 10 percent over the last 12 months ending March 31.

“Our public equity portfolio did especially well during the first quarter of this year,” said Folwell. “But fixed income continues to lag due to historically low interest rates.”

Jersusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday symbolically tossed into a bin a Hamas policy paper published last week that set out an apparent softening of the Palestinian Islamist group’s stance toward Israel. In a document issued last Monday, Hamas said it was dropping its longstanding call for Israel’s destruction, but said it still rejected the Jewish state’s right to exist and continued to back “armed struggle” against it.

Fire in Okefenokee wildlife refuge forces evacuations in Georgia Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A wildfire in Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has forced dozens of nearby residents to leave their homes, authorities said on Sunday, adding that the blaze might not be fully contained for months. About 130,000 acres, or about a quarter of the refuge, have already burned along the state’s southwest border with Florida, said Melanie Banton, a spokeswoman for firefighters and park officials. An estimated 500 firefighters have been battling the West Mims Fire, which began on April 6.

Man sues to stop New Orleans from removing Confederate statue New Orleans A New Orleans preservationist on Monday sued to stop the city from removing a statue of a Confederate general that critics say glorifies the era of slavery in the U.S. South.

The lawsuit, filed by Richard Marksbury in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, says the city cannot legally take down the statue of Confederate States Army General P.G.T. Beauregard because it does not own the memorial or the land it’s on.

wednesday, MAY 10, 2017

Return of the quack!

Wood Ducks pitcher Wes Benjamin (12) throws a pitch in the fifth inning during the game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, April 21. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans defeated the Kinston Wood Ducks 6 - 3.

the Wednesday Sideline report

SPORTS

NFL

Panthers Beane gets second Bills interview Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane may be emerging as the favorite for the GM job with the Buffalo Bills. Beane will get a second interview with the Bills for their general manager vacancy, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bills fired Doug Whaley as general manager one day after the 2017 NFL Draft ended. Beane, who is familiar with Buffalo coach Sean McDermott, is one of three candidates to get a second interview, including Texans director of pro personnel Brian Gaine and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown.

INSTON — If you maintain it, they will come.

That was the City of Kinston’s motto for five K long years after its minor league team left town, as

Tebow inks multi-year deal with SEC Network

NFL

Ex-WR Burleson joins ‘The NFL Today’ desk for CBS Former NFL wide receiver turned football analyst replaced Bart Scott on the set of “The NFL Today,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus announced on Monday. Burleson, who also hosts “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network, will stay in that role and add work on CBS Sports Network’s “That Other Pregame Show” show as well. golf

Daly ends 13-year drought with Champions Tour win John Daly went well over a decade without winning a professional golf tournament, and when he managed to finally pull out a victory he celebrated in the most John Daly way possible, by taking a champagne bath on the 18th green. Daly, now 51 years old, shot 3-under 69 on Sunday at the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands in Texas for his first-ever win on the Champions tour title. Daly picked up a cool $322,500 for the victory and eeked out the win despite finishing with a bogey on the final three holes.

“It feels really good,” Daly said.

Fans flock to Kinston with stadium, team flourishing again

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal

cfb

Former Heisman Trophy winner and current New York Mets minor league baseball player Tim Tebow inked a multi-year deal with the SEC Network to continue in his role as an analyst with the traveling “SEC Nation” show.

Tebow, who was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, has worked with ESPN since he left the NFL in 2014.

Eamon Queeney | North State Journal

Christopher Hanewinckel | usa today sports images

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) prior to the game against the Nashville Predators in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on April 17.

Hurricanes land their man, sign goalie Scott Darling to four-year deal Former Blackhawks goalie will earn $16.6M as expected No. 1 netminder

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — Ron Francis’ three-year tenure as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes could be summed up with one word: patience. While the team’s ownership has asked the fan base for that difficult expectation through eight playoff-less seasons, no one exemplified it better than Francis, the team’s former captain whose No. 10 hangs in the PNC Arena rafters.

On the exact third anniversary of his hiring as team’s GM, Francis made perhaps the biggest move and gamble of his time running the Hurricanes, trading a thirdround draft pick to Chicago in exchange for the exclusive rights to negotiate with goaltender Scott Darling, who was set to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Francis’ move paid off, and Darling won’t be hitting the open

market this summer after signing a four-year, $16.6 million contract Friday to be the hopeful savior in net for the NHL’s youngest team.

"When you look at the size of Scott — 6'6, 230-plus — you look at the body of work he's put in to this point ... you get a sense of where you think he can be and what you think he can do," Francis said on a conference call. "I like the fact that he's big and competitive as hell."

Darling, 28, had outgrown his job as backup to Blackhawks ace Corey Crawford, but he’s still unproven as an everyday starter in the NHL. His numbers point to him being more than capable.

Darling is 39-17-9 in 75 career appearances with a .923 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average. Most impressively, he jumped into the net in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs in place of Crawford and went 3-1 with a .936 save percentage and 2.28 goalsagainst average in five appearances, helping the Blackhawks on their trip to a title.

See Darling, page B8

the city continued to maintain the pristine grounds at historic Grainger Stadium.

The field was mowed and manicured regularly. The seating area remained painted and maintained. Even the turf was replaced at one point, all in hopes of someday luring professional baseball back.

It was almost a real life field of dreams, although field of wishful thinking might have been more accurate.

“Although it appeared that the market for professional baseball was gone forever, it was our belief that the community and this region were better off investing in Grainger than to let her go to ruin,” said Mayor B.J. Murphy. “It was a very conscious decision to continue maintaining the grounds in the hopes that one day we could entice professional baseball back.”

Considering that the municipality of about 22,000 on the banks of the Neuse River was the smallest market in organized baseball at the time of the Kinston Indians’ departure in 2011, the city’s chances of getting back into the game appeared to stand somewhere between slim and none.

But against all odds, the efforts of Murphy, city parks and recreation director Bill Ellis, former team owner Cam McRae and others paid off last fall when the Texas Rangers — lured by a groundswell of local support and the availability of a movein ready stadium — decided to relocate their Class A farm team from Victorville, Calif. to Kinston.

Playing as a Carolina League expansion franchise, the Down East Wood Ducks are off to a rousing start while drawing large crowds and rave reviews after their first month of operation.

“Until I got here, I had no idea how excited people were about it and how passionate they were

Playing as a Carolina League expansion franchise, the Down East Wood Ducks are off to a rousing start while drawing large crowds and rave reviews after their first month of operation

See Wood Ducks, page B4

Inside

Jim Dedmon | USA TODAY Sports

Wilmington played host and the reviews are in for the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. From a viewer perspective, the tournament was fabulous, providing gorgeous aerial shots of eastern North Carolina’s lush coastal area. Dustin Johnson, Pat Perez and Jon Rahm all battling it out late before Brian Harman stole the tournament with a long birdie on 18 helped too. The pros all agree: Wilmington did a fabulous job. Page 3

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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05.10.17

Trending

Kyle Lowry: Raptors guard announced Monday that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent this offseason.

Lowry will be one of the top available players on the market and reports have indicated he may want to head to the Western Conference to play.

Rudy Gay: Kings guard will opt out of the final year of his contract with Sacramento, his agent said. Gay, 30 years old, signed a three-year, $40 million extension in 2014 and was due to make $14.2 million next year. He averaged 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2016-17 before tearing his left Achilles.

Nene: Rockets center will miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a groin injury against the Spurs in the first quarter of Game 4, a 125-104 Houston victory. The veteran was averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game against San Antonio.

Colin Kaepernick: The former 49ers quarterback, who has yet to find a home with an NFL team several months after opting out of his contract with San Francisco, could be more interested in continuing to do social activism than he is in football according to a report from The MMQB’s Peter King.

Rawleigh Williams: Arkansas running back who led the SEC in rushing yards (1,360) in 2016 announced his retirement after suffering another neck injury.

Williams, who suffered the injury during the final play of the Arkansas spring game, announced his decision in a lengthy letter posted on the school’s website.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

horse racing

Although Always Dreaming was a favorite at the 2017 Kentucky Derby, there were some pretty massive payouts on trifectas at Churchill Downs thanks to Looking at Lee (33-1) finishing second and Battle of Midway (40-1) finishing third. A $2 exacta paid $336.20, a $1 trifecta paid $8,000 and a $1 superfecta with Classic Empire paid $75,974.50.

John E. Sokolowski | Usa TsI

“If we had LeBron on our team too, we would have won.”

Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan, explaining why he believes his team lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers again in the playoffs, this time falling to LeBron James and company to the tune of a 4-0 second-round sweep.

Brian Spurlock | Usa Today Sports images

nhl

golf

Chris Nicoll | Usa Today Sports images

“He’s dirty. Dirty player. ... Just dirty. I don’t respect that.”

Warriors forward Draymond Green, who has repeatedly kicked his opponents in lessthan-appropriate places and been punished for it, bashed Kelly Olynyk on social media for being a dirty player.

mlb

48 Number of strikeouts combined in Sunday night’s Yankees-Cubs game that ultimately lasted a whopping 18 innings, the most strikeouts ever in a single baseball game. And viewers were also treated to a game that lasted 6 hours and 5 minutes, with the Yankees winning 5-4 and sweeping the series.

New York also overcame a blown save by closer Aroldis Chapman.

Christopher Hanewinckel | Usa Today Sports images

Jim Dedmon | Usa Today Sports images

The Wells Fargo Championship was a showcase for Eagle Point golf course in Wilmington, N.C. But it was also a tale of family for Brian Harman, who got emotional after winning and while watching his young daughter grab Dottie Pepper’s CBS microphone.

The Nashville Predators continued their Cinderella run through the NHL playoffs by eliminating the St. Louis Blues in six games and advancing to the franchise’s first ever conference finals. Who says teams in the South can’t play hockey well?

nba

Emotions have been running high in the second round of the NBA playoffs, but things hit a tipping point for Patrick Beverley on Sunday night, when he found out just hours before the Rockets played the Spurs that his grandfather died. Beverley was seen walking into the Rockets arena openly weeping and was forced to stop warming up because he was overcome with emotion. He played 25 minutes in the victory, finishing with 10 points and six assists.

Troy Taormina | Usa Today Sports images

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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TPC Sawgrass gets new look ahead of Players Championship in Jax

Splitter to Spoiler

The venerable golf course will be different for the players this coming weekend

By Tom LaMarre The Sports XChange mess with a masterpiece.

Don’t

Marvin Gentry | USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) celebrates winning the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7.

Stenhouse wins first top-tier race at his home away from home icky Stenhouse Jr. has talent. That much is R undeniable. Whether or not that

talent would ever translate over to the Monster Energy Cup Series remained to be seen.

Talent finally proved itself out Sunday in Talladega as Stenhouse drove past Kyle Busch in the final lap and held off pushes from Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray to pull off his first victory at NASCAR’s top level.

“It feels really good to get that first win here,” Stenhouse said.

“I remember sitting in the bus watching this race and knowing that this is a racetrack that we’ve had good success at, we’ve ran well.

You know, so close to home. It feels awesome to get the first win here.”

Winning at Talladega was a huge deal for not only Roush Fenway Racing — it was nearly a three-year wait, after all — but Stenhouse as well. A Mississippi native, Stenhouse grew up dreaming about driving into Victory Lane at the largest superspeedway in NASCAR. Having team owner Jack Roush and girlfriend Danica Patrick there to celebrate with him was more than a dream come true.

“It was special,” Stenhouse said. “Pulling into Victory Lane and seeing Jack and Danica standing there together, they’re the same height (laughter), it was super special. She supports me through anything I need to do, whether it’s spend more time at the shop, whether it’s we need to fly somewhere a little bit later because I need to spend a little bit more time with the guys at the shop or want to go to dirt races or anything like that. She’s been so supportive and knows how hard that I’ve worked, and to have her there was really awesome.”

As for Roush, the once dominant team has been a shell of itself over the last three years.

Once a four-car team, RFR has been stripped down to a two-team program with the exits of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle in recent seasons.

No Roush driver has made NASCAR’s playoffs in the last two years. Prior to 2015, a minimum of two cars made the playoff-style format since it started in 2004.

In 2005, all five drivers made the Chase when Greg Biffle came just short of winning a third straight title for RFR. Despite the team’s obvious struggles, this season was already looking like a turning point for the program as a whole. Now with Stenhouse’s spot in the postseason all but secured, the focus can turn to Trevor Bayne to get the other RFR car into the playoffs.

“We knew it was a possibility for both Trevor and I, if you look at the way Trevor has ran, as well, real consistent, and now that’s our next objective is to have both cars in the Chase,” Stenhouse said.

“The way we’re running, you don’t have to win. ... For us, it’ll be nice to go out and just gather as much information throughout this year and go out and contend for wins.”

Almirola’s party spoiled by likely penalties Aric Almirola did almost everything right in Talladega over the weekend. He wheeled the No. 98 car to Victory Lane in the

R. Cory Smith

Xfinity Series for Richard Petty Motorsports then avoided carnage on Sunday to come away with his second fourth-place finish of the season and first since the Daytona 500.

This was all great. Failing postrace inspection after the Monster Energy Cup race was, well, not.

Securing the top-five finish put the No. 43 team just one point outside the crucial 16th-place position after Dega. However, if he’s docked points for failing the post-race inspection — which seems like a foregone conclusion — Almirola would slide down several spots.

Similar penalties handed out have seen drivers docked as much as 35 points or incurred encumbered wins. Almirola didn’t win the race, but losing 35 points could see him drop from 17th down to a tie for 21st with Daniel Suarez and moving Kasey Kahne into the bubble spot just outside the playoffs.

On a weekend where Almirola thrust his name into the spotlight in nearly every way imaginable, this is not the type of publicity he or RPM needs after two solid outings.

Danger in Dega comes with the territory There’s a reason why the term the “Big One” only exists in Talladega and Daytona. Sure, tracks like Pocono, Michigan and even Indianapolis often produce wide-open racing and huge crashes, but no track produces the type of carnage of a superspeedway.

Sunday didn’t disappoint.

Chase Elliott and A.J. Allmendinger were battling for second place when Allmendinger got into the left side of Elliott’s bumper. The No. 24 spun out, taking the No. 47 with it and causing a massive 18-car pileup that included Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

“He just apologized. I don’t know that it was really his fault per se,” Elliott said of Allmendinger. “He had a big run and he kind of got to my bumper and just happened to be in a bad spot coming up off the corner and was skewed a little bit to my left rear. And when that happens, it just unloads these cars too much.”

Restrictor-plate racing produces pack racing. In turn, pack racing produces cars traveling at speeds in excess of 200 mph. When one car turns, guess what happens to the field directly behind it? You guessed it — chaos.

But the drivers who have the gnarliest wrecks are often remembered just as much as the winners themselves. Sure, Stenhouse’s victory will be memorable because it was his first, but Allmendinger landing upside down on Sunday might be the lasting image for fans.

That seemed to be the thinking in some quarters when it was announced last year that there would be changes made to architect Pete Dye’s gem, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, on the grounds of PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Most players and fans will get their first look at those changes this week in the 44th Players Championship, which has earned its nickname of golf’s “Fifth Major.”

Defending champion Jason Day of Australia got a sneak preview of the alterations two months ago on Players Championship media day and said the fans should enjoy them, especially on No. 12, which has become a driveable par 4.

“Obviously with the changes on (Nos.) 12, 6 and 7, to make it more exciting in a way that shots can go either way on the golf course, leads can change quickly,” said Day, who won the Players by four strokes over Kevin Chappell last year. “It’s what fans want to see, not so much what players want to see but what fans want to see, definitely.

“It’s going to be interesting where they position the tee (on No. 12). ... It’ll be interesting to see if a lot of guys go for it. The biggest thing is that left-hand side. If balls are bounding down there, will they go in the water or not, that will determine a lot (for) guys, because I think you’ve got to go 20 to 25 yards between the mounds and the fairway where it kind of runs down, so you’ve got to be pretty accurate.

“If you lay back far enough, you can shoot yourself straight up the green. If you lay back but you’re too far up there, then you’ve got that 45-degree (shot) over the mounds, and you can possibly go in the water.

“A lot of thinking, which is what they probably wanted, especially when you’re standing on the tee on a Sunday.”

The Stadium Course was able to reopen this year despite losing more than 200 trees and being flooded when more than 14 inches of rain fell during Hurricane Matthew last October.

In addition to the par-4, 360-

Stephen Lew | usa today sports images

Jason Day (left) and Rickie Fowler (right) react to a shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale on April 27.

yard 12th hole being shortened to 302 yards, where golfers are tempted to go for the green despite water, a long bunker on the left and three pot bunkers right of the green, a lake was added between the sixth and seventh holes.

Also, all 18 greens were replaced with TifEagle Bermuda grass, with two new greens added to the practice area, which was expanded with input from three-time PGA Tour winner Jonas Blixt of Sweden.

“By having greens on the range, you can see how the ball reacts,” Blixt said. “You can get a visual of how the ball really works on the golf course.”

The changes, made with the blessing of 91-year-old Dye, did not involve the last three holes of the Stadium Course, already considered one of the most difficult finishes in golf.

The 16th is a 523-yard par 5, where Rickie Fowler hit a brilliant approach shot from 239 yards to within 2 feet to set up an eagle en route to winning the Players in 2015.

No. 17 is the infamous 137yard par 3 with the island green, where Tiger Woods sank his memorable “better than most” putt from 60 feet on his way to the title in 2001.

And No. 18 is an intimidating 462-yard par 4, with water all the way down the left side and trees on the right. In 2004, Adam Scott of Australia hit his approach on the 72nd hole into the water but sank a 10-foot bogey putt to win by one stroke over Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

Of course, Scott also hit two balls into the water and made a quadruple-bogey 8 on the hole last year.

“You ain’t got no room to bail out anywhere on 16, 17 or 18,” Boo Weekley said. “The 16th is a great hole, a great risk-reward kind of hole. Those last two holes? Praying doesn’t hurt.”

Although most players enjoy the challenge of the Stadium Course, it is really a love-hate relationship, but that is different from when it first opened, when it was more like hate-hate for most of the best golfers in the world.

Dye’s creation, inspired by the vision of then-PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, was not an instant hit in 1982, except maybe with Jerry Pate -- who won the first Players contested on the Stadium Course, then took Dye and Beman with him for a celebratory leap into the water.

“They ruined a perfectly good swamp,” J.C. Snead said. ”(It’s) 90 percent horse manure and 10 percent luck.”

Added Tom Weiskopf: “It’s like being inside a great big pinball machine.”

Of course, the layout matured over the years, and the fact that top players such as Woods, Day, Scott, Fowler, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Tom Kite, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Justin Leonard, Lee Janzen, Henrik Stenson, David Duval, Sergio Garc1a, Sandy Lyle, K.J. Choi, Matt Kuchar and Martin Kaymer have won the Players at TPC Sawgrass speaks volumes.

“It’s one of the biggest tournaments of the year,” Day said. “It’s one you want to win (because) it might help put you in the Hall of Fame.”

Many of those guys are either already in the Hall or well on their way.

Eagle Point, Wilmington draw high praise from PGA players

By NSJ Staff The drama was thick as the humid summer air down the stretch of the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship, and the PGA Tour event, taking place in Wilmington for the first time in tournament history, appeared to be headed for a playoff on Sunday until Brian Harman seized the title with a birdie-birdie finish.

Harman’s final shot was as improbable as him besting Dustin Johnson for the title — he drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a closing 4-under-par 68, giving him a dramatic one-shot victory over Johnson and Pat Perez at Eagle Point Golf Club and a 10-under 278.

The top-ranked Johnson was denied an opportunity to win his fourth consecutive title on the PGA Tour because of Harman’s heroics. Playing for the first time

since a slip down some stairs resulted in a back injury that knocked Johnson out of the Masters last month, he posted backto-back 67s after barely making the cut on Friday.

On the decisive par-5 18th hole, Harman’s second shot sailed over the green near a corporate tent. After Harman got relief, his chip barely landed on the edge of the green. From there, however, he made the winning putt.

“I didn’t hit a great chip. It didn’t turn out very good,” Harman said, “but I guess it went where it was supposed to.”

The tournament moved from Charlotte to Wilmington because of the 2017 PGA Championship taking place at Quail Hollow. And it could not have been more well received.

No less than Phil Mickelson, who spent Sunday firing down back-nine birdies to climb his way

Jim Dedmon | USA TODAY Sports

Brian Harman celebrates his victory during the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Eagle Point Golf Club.

back to even par on the day and four-under on the tournament, praised the work done by the Eagle Point and Wells Fargo organizers.

“This was a really a great event for us,” Mickelson said, via WWAY in Wilmington. “This is an incredible turnout, support for this tournament and coming to a town where we haven’t had golf before, to see the way the people turned out and supported the event was pretty impressive.”

Another top player in the world, Adam Scott, describe the course as “flawless” during the competition.

Even local golfers appreciated the course, with Hickory native and Western Carolina standout J.T. Poston telling WWAY that he always imagined playing in Charlotte but was thrilled to step foot on Eagle Point.

“Growing up and watching it in Charlotte, I’ve always envisioned myself playing in it there. But to be honest, I mean, it’s been incredible here,” Poston said. “Golf course is definitely a championship style golf course and a lot of guys have enjoyed it. I haven’t heard a single person say a bad thing about it.”

It was appreciated by more than just pros, with Wells Fargo Executive Director Kym Hougham calling it “a marvelous week” and propping up the possibility for a return to golf in Wilmington.

“I’ll say this, Wilmington and Eagle Point definitely put their best foot forward,” Hougham said via WECT TV. “And they certainly deserve a look if there’s ever an opportunity.”

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Field of dreams

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

“This team and baseball being back in Kinston has sparked a level of optimism in our community that I haven’t seen in my 36 years here.”

Wood Ducks from page B1 about baseball coming back,” team general manager Wade Howell said. “I was already excited about being part of a new franchise. I mean, how many times do you get the chance to start a minor league operation like this? Not many. But the first time I came I got even more excited because people were really behind it and you could see there was a lot of potential.”

The first glimpse of that potential came on April 10, opening night, a festive occasion that couldn’t have gone better had it has been scripted.

With a crowd of 4,267 packed into a ballpark whose official capacity is listed at 4,100 — on a Monday, no less — the Wood Ducks scored a run in the bottom of the 10th to claim a walkoff 4-3 win against the Winston-Salem Dash.

Although the team has cooled off somewhat after a hot start, the momentum that began with that first game is still going strong.

“If they’re going to come out and support us, we want to give them a good show,” said manager Howard Johnson, a former major league third baseman who played on World Series champions with the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets. “We just want to continue what we’ve been doing. We’re excited to be a part of this thing (and) the Texas Rangers are too.”

Truth be told, the Rangers had their eyes on Kinston as early as 2014 when they ended their affiliation with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Their plan to procure an existing Carolina League franchise fell through, however, and they opted instead to buy the High Desert Mavericks of the California League.

In the meantime, Kinston did its best to justify the cost of keeping Grainger Stadium operational by hosting local high school games there as well as the annual Freedom Classic, a three-game series each February between baseball teams from the Naval and Air Force academies.

That turned out to be a smart decision after High Desert’s stadium lease was voided early last season, forcing the team to cease operation. It’s a situation that created a natural attraction between the Rangers and Kinston once the Carolina League announced its intention to expand by two teams.

The Fayetteville franchise currently playing in Buies Creek was the other. Unlike that team, which is affiliated with the Houston Astros, the Wood Ducks didn’t need to find an interim home while waiting for a stadium to be built. And with a 12-year contract to play in Kinston, they won’t have to go looking for another one for a long time.

“It was the perfect alignment of their needs and our desires,” Murphy said. “Our internal policy as a government here has always been to try to find a way to say yes, not no. I think with us being flexible, having access to an incredible stadium in a region of the state that desperately wanted a professional team and them being a corporate owned team, all the stars aligned to make this work.”

It’s working better than anyone could have imagined.

Home dates at Grainger are almost as much of an event as a game, especially on Fridays when the atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of local food trucks before and during the game, and fireworks afterward.

Much like Kinston itself, with its growing restaurant and craft beer scene downtown, Wood Ducks crowds are an eclectic mix of old and new.

There are the traditional baseball fans, some of whom have been coming to games for decades, in the quaint covered grandstand with its subtle green seats, Down the right field line on the patio, one of the aesthetic upgrades added by the Wood Ducks upon their arrival, children scramble around in a protected play area while young adults sit at picnic tables paying only slightly more attention to the action on the field.

Every now and then, their conversations are interrupted by a high-pitch screeching over the PA system — a signal that there are, ahem, Ducks on the pond — or the even more threatening sound of someone yelling “head’s up!” when a foul ball is headed in that direction.

“Minor league baseball has been around here for so long, for so many years, it’s just become part of the community,” said Stan Stedner, a long-time fan of the Kinston Indians who began going to games at Grainger in 1986 and who now serves as an usher for the Wood Ducks. “It’s not like going to Wilmington or Raleigh or someplace like that.

“You can see it on the people’s faces. They’re having a good time, but they also take pride in the fact that this is a team of our own.”

The Wood Ducks are more than just a local phenomenon, though.

Because of the catchy nickname, an even more marketable logo and the acronym DEWD that adorns everything from clothing in the small but always crowded stadium gift shop to the team’s colorful mascot, the team has quickly gained widespread appeal.

It’s a success that’s somewhat bittersweet to old-timers like Stedner and politicians like Murphy, who would have liked to seen Kinston be incorporated into the franchise’s name. But because of the size of the immediate market, general manager Howell said it made better business sense to market the Wood Ducks to the entire Down East region.

“There was a little bit of pushback, just because it was different. I understand that,” he said. “But we were always thinking from a regional standpoint. We were never trying to run away from Kinston. The DEWD acronym really plays into social media and hashtags and things like that.

“Talking to people connected with the teams in the past, they said that if you can somehow connect with the region and make it everybody’s team, you can get that buy-in a little more than just people thinking it’s the city’s team. For the city, the more people that come in here the more that will and spend money.”

An example of that took place last weekend when despite flooding concerns, a bigger than expected crowd attended Kinston’s annual BBQ Fest on the Neuse on a night in which the baseball team drew nearly 3,000 for a game against the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks.

Murphy said many of those in attendance at Grainger Stadium came early so that they could also take part in the festivities at the BBQ Fest and vice versa. It’s the kind of situation that has helped turn Kinston’s wishful thinking into a dream come true.

“Our community has faced two decades of decline because of federal policies that led to the loss of tobacco and textiles, compounded by Hurricane Floyd in 1999 that literally wiped out neighborhoods,” Murphy said. “For the past 10-15 years our community has struggled to find an identity.

“We have seen that start to turn around with the advent of a foodie culture here, the microbrewery culture and some success on economic development. But this team and baseball being back in Kinston has sparked a level of optimism in our community that I haven’t seen in my 36 years here.”

B.J. Murphy, Kinston mayor

A vendor walks by seated fans during the Down East Wood Ducks’ game.

Photos by Eamon Queeney | North State Journal

Wood Ducks pitcher Wes Benjamin (12) warms up before the Down East Wood Ducks’ game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C., April 21.

Gum wrappers are seen scattered with sunflower seends in the Wood Ducks dugout.

Wood Ducks pitcher Steven Bruce (15) cleans his shoes before the game.

A detail look at the logo as ushers wait to help fans before the Down East Wood Ducks’ game.

Fans dance to the YMCA song during the Down East Wood Ducks’ game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Grainger Stadium.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Derby champ Always Dreaming heads to Preakness early

By The Sports XChange

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Knox’s Twitter

Caption goes in three columns here50 words Usdant omnimus tiaspid elibus quibus ad que nempe corest dolo ea am velique enisquiam ipsundia.

What's next for UNC, Duke after Kevin Knox chooses Kentucky?

Both programs counted on five-star small forward to solidify roster

By Shawn Krest North State Journal orth Carolina and Duke both got bad news on the reN cruiting trail on Saturday. Kevin Knox, the five-star small forward who was the top remaining unsigned player available in the class of 2017, announced on Twitter that he will play at Kentucky next season.

Knox is expected to be a oneand-done player and NBA lottery prospect. His decision came as a bit of a surprise, as all indications had Duke as the favorite to land him, followed by Carolina.

The McDonald’s All-American narrowed his list of colleges to a final four and took official visits to Duke, Kentucky, UNC and Florida State during the basketball season.

Knox’s father is a former NFL player and Seminole alum.

Following the season, Missouri made a late push after hiring Cuonzo Martin as head coach.

Knox took a final official visit there a month ago.

Kentucky’s John Calipari and FSU’s Leonard Hamilton made their final case on April 18, when each coach paid Knox a home visit.

UNC’s Roy Williams, Duke’s Mike

Krzyzewski and Missouri’s Martin each visited the following day.

Knox would have likely stepped into UNC’s starting lineup from day one, replacing Justin Jackson, who left for the NBA after his junior season. The Heels return Joel Berry II, Theo Pinson and Kenny Williams, who all had starting experience last season, but only Berry started all year.

Power forward Tony Bradley, a freshman last year, will attend the NBA Combine this week and may return to school, depending on the feedback he receives. If Bradley remains in the draft, forward Luke Maye is the only returning Tar Heel player with any size.

Carolina brings in a five-man recruiting class that includes threestar power forward Sterling Manley and three-star center Brandon Huffman, as well as four-star power forward Garrison Brooks, who signed with the Heels a week ago.

The Heels also met with William & Mary graduate transfer Jack Whitman, but he chose to play his final season for Kansas instead.

Knox’s decision could have an even bigger implication for Duke, who may return just five scholarship players from last season— guard Grayson Allen, forwards Javin DeLaurier and Jack White and centers Marques Bolden Antonio Vrankovic. Allen is the only starter, and the other four players were not included in the regular playing rotation. Point guard

Frank Jackson, who will be at the NBA Combine this week, may also choose to return to school.

Duke currently has a four-man recruiting class, with the possibility of adding point guard Trevon Duval and center Mohamed Bamba. Five-star power forward Wendell Carter is the only frontcourt player in the group.

For both Carolina and Duke, there are few options available at Knox’s small-forward position. Brian Bowen is the highest-rated unsigned player at the position. The five-star has been considering Arizona, Creighton, Michigan State and NC State and has had little interest from Carolina or Duke up until this point.

Four-star Jordan Tucker is the next-best option. He’s taken official visits to Syracuse, Villanova and Indiana and is also considering Villanova, Oregon and Georgia Tech. Duke appears to have at least made some progress with Tucker, although the Blue Devils have a lot of ground to make up.

Carolina may turn to power forward Jeremiah Tilmon. The 6-foot11 four-star is looking at Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana.

While the remaining options will help make up for some of Knox’s production, it may be too much to ask any of them to solidify either team’s starting lineup or put them over the top as a title favorite, as Knox would have done.

Always Dreaming, coming off an impressive win at the Kentucky Derby, will get an early start on preparations for the May 20 Preakness.

The colt is expected to arrive at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, hoping to avoid some early struggles adjusting to Churchill Downs when he arrived in Kentucky.

Always Dreaming ran through a soggy track to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 3/4 lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez their second victories in the race but their first together.

Always Dreaming opened a clear lead in the stretch and finished the 1 1/4 miles in 2 minutes, 3.59 seconds. He paid $11.40 as the 9-2 favorite.

“It feels awesome,” Pletcher said Sunday morning, via the Baltimore Sun. “I think it’s still sinking in. The first one’s special but this one is just as good or even better. We felt coming in we had a good chance and we had some anxious moments during the week. But we were just happy to see him deliver the performance we felt he was capable of.”

Pletcher had to make adjustments with the workouts leading up to the Derby as Always Dreaming refused to relax.

The trainer has decided to give the champion almost two weeks to adjust to Pimlico. Pletcher said Always Dreaming will gallop daily at Pimlico rather than a harder,

timed workout.

“He was so headstrong when he got here (for the Derby) that I don’t think staying here for another week is going to be an advantage,” Pletcher said Sunday morning. “I don’t think going to Belmont for a week and then moving again is an advantage. So just looking at what the options are, I think Pimlico, there aren’t usually a lot of horses training there, and it’ll be a quiet environment. It’ll give us time to settle in and if we need to, make any adjustments.”

Pletcher is winless in eight attempts at the Preakness. His previous Derby winner, Super Saver, finished a disappointing eighth at Pimlico in 2010.

Always Dreaming will be in Stall 40 at Pimlico, the corner spot traditionally reserved for the Derby winner.

“I think we want to follow the tradition,” Pletcher said. “That stall’s been successful plenty of times. And Pimlico is usually great. They’re very accommodating.”

The field for the 142nd Preakness is already taking shape.

Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee is “definitely a possibility” to run, trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Classic Empire, the morning-line favorite and fourthplace finisher in the Derby, was bothered by a swollen right eye Sunday, trainer Mark Casse said, adding if the condition doesn’t linger, he will strongly consider a shot at the Preakness.

Brian Spurlock | usa today sports images

John Velazquez aboard Always Dreaming (5) wins the 2017 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 6.

MLB NOTEBOOK

Braves release Howard, Taillon has surgery for possible cancer

By The Sports XChange Braves release former Phils slugger Howard The Atlanta Braves released former World Series champion and 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard from his minor league contract.

Howard batted just .184 with one extra-base hit in 42 plate appearances in 11 games for Triple-A Gwinnett. The 37-year-old veteran also struck out 11 times. Atlanta signed Howard last month in a bid to see if the former Philadelphia Phillies slugger had anything left in the tank.

Howard spent 13 seasons with the Phillies before the club used a $10 million buyout on his contract in the offseason. He shared the team lead in homers with 25 last season but also batted a career-worst .196.

Howard enjoyed his best season in Philadelphia in 2006, when he set career highs in homers (58), RBIs (149) and batting average (.313) en route to being named the NL MVP. Howard also set the tone in the 2008 World Series, launching three homers as Philadelphia dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.

His 382 homers rank second on the Phillies’ career list, behind Hall

of Famer Mike Schmidt. Howard has also collected 1,194 RBIs and batted .258 with Philadelphia.

Pirates’ Taillon has surgery for possible cancer Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon underwent surgery for suspected testicular cancer at Allegheny General Hospital on Monday morning, the team announced.

Taillon, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury on Saturday, alerted the Pirates’ medical staff of an abnormality. The 25-year-old consulted with Dr. John C. Lyne, who performed the surgery.

“Jameson has again proven to us what a strong person he is by the way in which he has reacted to this development. We are appreciative of Dr. Lyne and the staff at Allegheny General Hospital for their invaluable expertise and efforts in caring for Jameson,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said.

“We have told Jameson that our only priority is his health and well-being. His teammates, our coaches, baseball staff and entire organization will support him in his recovery in every possible way and we will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.”

The recommended treatment plan for Taillon is pending further testing.

Trout has ‘clean and normal’ MRI on hamstring Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout underwent an MRI on his ailing left hamstring and the results were “clean and normal,” general manager Billy Eppler told reporters.

Trout, who has been sidelined for back-to-back games with the injury, likely will sit out Monday’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics.

The two-time American League MVP said he expects to play in Tuesday’s second game of the threegame series.

Trout, who is in the midst of a 17-game hitting streak, is tied with New York Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro with an AL-best .355 batting average entering play on Monday.

Gausman bounces back with quality start Orioles starter Kevin Gausman finally put together a decent outing for Baltimore and bounced back nicely from his one-inning outing the last time out that saw him get ejected.

Gausman (2-3) was back on the mound for Baltimore after being ejected in the second inning of his last start, Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. Gausman was sharp, holding the Nationals to two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk over seven innings -- his longest outing of the year.

“It was big for me,” Gausman said. “Wish I had been able to do that last start, but obviously some things happened. It was just good to go out there and feel like myself.”

Gausman retired 10 straight batters before Jayson Werth flared a single in the fourth and manager Buck Showalter displayed a surprising amount of faith in him by bringing him back out in the seventh inning despite Gausman being well over 100 pitches at that point.

Yankees shrug off sleep issues for seventh-straight win The Yankees (21-9) arrived in Cincinnati at around 5 a.m. EST on Monday after an 18-inning victory over the Cubs on Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

It wasn’t the perfect performance for the bleary-eyed Bronx Bombers, who committed two errors. However, Tanaka (5-1) gave New York what it needed with the bullpen limited coming off Sunday’s marathon. He allowed four runs (three earned) and 10 hits, including a two-run home run by Joey Votto in the seventh. It was Votto’s 10th home run this season.

Tanaka walked one and struck out six over 112 pitches.

Gary Sanchez went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for New York.

Reds starter Rookie Davis, one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects before being traded to Cincinnati in exchange for Aroldis Chapman in December 2015, allowed five runs, four earned, and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Davis (1-2) struck out the side in the fourth, but the damage was done.

It was a rough night for Reds

pitchers, in particular Drew Storen, who hit three batters in the seventh, including one with the bases loaded to force in a run. Storen was the first Reds pitcher to hit three batters in an inning since Raul Sanchez on May 15, 1960, versus the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was bombs-away for the Yankees in the eighth when Gardner and Holliday each hit their sixth home runs of the season off Barrett Astin.

Cubs put Heyward on DL, deal Szczur to Padres The Chicago Cubs traded outfielder Matt Szczur to the San Diego Padres and placed outfielder Jason Heyward on the 10-day disabled list Monday due to a sprained finger on his right hand.

The Cubs received minor league right-hander Justin Hancock in return for Szczur, who was designated for assignment on Saturday to allow the Cubs to add a pitcher to their bullpen.

The Cubs picked up the contract of right-hander Dylan Floro from Triple-A Iowa to replace Heyward.

Floro, 26, who signed a minor league deal with Chicago during the offseason, is 1-0 with a 5.06 ERA in eight appearances.

Szczur, 27, hit .211 with no home runs and three RBIs this season for the Cubs. Last year, he played in 107 games for the World Series champions and batted .259 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. Heyward’s move to the DL is retroactive to Saturday. He is batting .253 with three home runs and 17 RBIs this year after going just 1-for-13 during the Cubs’ recent homestand.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

B7

Local Roundup

UNCW's Bryce given release, ECU picks up two big transfers

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal UNCW’s Bryce released from scholarship C.J. Bryce, a first-team All-CAA selection who led UNC Wilmington to the conference championship and an NCAA tournament bid last season, has been released from his scholarship according to a report by Alex Riley of the Wilmington StarNews.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore shooting guard from Charlotte led the Seahawks in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor on his way to earning MVP honors at the CAA tournament. UNCW won two straight conference titles during Bryce’s two seasons and finished his career at the school with 925 points and 318 rebounds.

Bryce, who will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out next season under NCAA transfer rules, is considered one of the most highly sought-after transfers this offseason.

Although he has not yet given

any indication as to where he might finish his career, there is speculation that Bryce could potentially follow his former coach at UNCW, Kevin Keatts, to NC State.

ECU picks up big transfers in football, basketball East Carolina’s football and basketball teams both picked up big transfers Saturday.

That’s big, as in the size of 6-foot6, 280-pound defensive end Gaelin Elmore and 7-foot rebounding machine Usman Haruna, both of whom will be eligible to contribute right away for the Pirates next season. Coach Scottie Montgomery’s football program also picked up a second graduate transfer Saturday when former Clemson running back Tyshon Dye committed to play for the Pirates.

Dye rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for the national champion Tigers last season. A former four-star recruit, his career at Clemson was slowed by a back injury as a freshman. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Georgia native chose ECU over Miami after attending the Pirates’ spring game

last month.

Elmore, a graduate transfer from Minnesota who like Dye will have one year of eligibility remaining, will provide a major boost to a pass rush that was a major Achilles’ heel for ECU last fall. He played in 38 games, with nine starts, during his three seasons with the Gophers, picking up 39 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four fumble recoveries.

He announced his choice on his Twitter account, choosing the Pirates over Arizona.

Haruna, meanwhile, will help fill a void in the low post for coach Jeff Lebo’s basketball team created by the graduation of Andre Washington and the transfer of Deng Riak.

A native of Nigeria, Haruna played the past two seasons at Bismark State, a junior college in North Dakota.

Known primarily for his rebounding, he set a school record last January by pulling down 29 boards in a game. He averaged 11.1 rebounds while scoring 9.3 points per game as a sophomore last year.

Like Elmore, he announced his decision to attend ECU via Twitter.

In addition to the Pirates, he was

also pursued by Memphis, Charlotte, VCU and others.

UNC, Duke lacrosse open NCAA tourney on road The North Carolina women’s lacrosse team will begin defense of its 2016 national championship as the No. 2 overall seed in this year’s tournament while the Tar Heel men, who are also coming off a national title, will begin their postseason run on the road.

Duke was also selected to play in the men’s tournament while High Point and Elon were the other state schools receiving bids to the women’s event during selection shows Sunday night.

As one of the top six national seeds, UNC’s women (16-2) received a first round bye. Coach Jenny Levy’s Tar Heels will play their first game at home on Sunday against the winner of Friday’s matchup between ACC rival Virginia (11-8) and Elon (13-8).

High Point (15-3) will play at Towson (12-6) on Friday with the winner advancing to a second round game at top-seeded Maryland two days later.

Besides UNC and UVA., four other ACC teams earned spots in the 26-team women’s bracket. The others are sixth-seeded Syracuse, Boston College, Louisville and Notre Dame.

On the men’s side, UNC barely snuck into the field after winning

Harvey suspension the latest misstep in a nightmare Mets season

NFL NOTEBOOK

The Mets are having a no-good season so far and Matt Harvey is not helping

By Jerry Beach The Sports XChange

Photo credit | North State Journal

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (left) greets Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (right) after their game at Raymond James Stadium.

Cutler retires to join FOX, Panthers’ Beane gets look for Bills GM job

By NSJ Staff Ex-Bears QB Cutler joins FOX Sports Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler agreed to a contract with Fox Sports on Friday after a tepid free-agent market helped guide the 34-yearold into broadcasting.

Cutler’s contract places him on the No. 2 NFL broadcast team at Fox Cutler spent the past eight seasons with the Bears. But he was let go by the John Fox-led regime in March and no serious suitors emerged. Cutler has not officially retired from the NFL, however.

Cutler auditioned with Fox on Thursday. The network was seeking a replacement for John Lynch after the latter became the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager earlier this offseason.

Cutler will be part of a threeman booth with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis.

Panthers’ Beane gets second interview for Bills’ GM job Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane may be emerging as the favorite for the GM job with the Buffalo Bills.

Beane will get a second interview with the Bills for their general manager vacancy, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bills fired Doug Whaley as general manager one day after the 2017 NFL Draft ended.

Beane, 39, was the first of three candidates to interview with Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula at their home in Boca Raton, Fla. Houston Texans director of

the ACC tournament championship last week.

Coach Joe Breschi’s 8-7 Tar Heels will travel to upstate New York on Saturday to take on eighth-seeded No. 8 Albany (14-2) in a 7:30 p.m. game that will be televised by ESPNU. The winner faces a potential quarterfinal date against top-seeded Maryland in Newark, Del. on Sunday, May 21.

Duke (12-4) was also unseeded and will play at No. 6 Johns Hopkins (12-4) at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal matchup against either third-seeded Ohio State or Loyola (Md.) in Hempstead, N.Y. on Saturday, May 20.

Two other ACC teams — No. 2 seed Syracuse and No. 4 Notre Dame — were also included in the 17-team field.

Both the men’s and women’s Division I Final Four will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Memorial Day weekend.

North Carolina will also be represented in the Division II tournament, with Lenoir-Rhyne playing host to Tampa and Wingate traveling to Limestone in first round men’s games Saturday. If both win, they would be matched against each other in the national semifinals.

Queens. Meanwhile, will take on Regis (Col.) in a first round women’s game in St. Charles, Mo., on Friday with the winner taking on top-seeded Lindenwood (Mo.) 24 hours later.

player personnel Brian Gaine and Philadelphia Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown also interviewed in Florida.

Beane is familiar with new Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who spent six seasons with the Panthers as the defensive coordinator.

Beane has been in the NFL for 19 years, all with the Panthers. He also worked as director of football operations and was named assistant general manager in June 2015. He served as interim GM in 2012 before the Panthers hired current general manager Dave Gettleman.

Jets WR Anderson charged with resisting arrest in Miami New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested at a music festival in Miami on Sunday night and charged with a felony count of resisting arrest with violence.

Anderson got into a fight with security at the Rolling Loud Festival after being told to leave and he then pushed a police officer, according to a MiamiDade Police Department report.

Anderson continued to fight with police while on the ground and was then arrested, according to the report. He also was charged with obstruction of justice.

“We are aware of the situation,” the Jets said in a statement Monday. “This is a pending legal matter and we will have no further comment at this time.”

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Anderson, who turns 24 on Tuesday, signed with the Jets last year as an undrafted free agent out of Temple. He had 42 catches for 587 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season.

Allen says Redskins not ready to hire new GM Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen says the organization has not decided about on the selection of the next general manager.

Allen told ESPN Radio on Friday that the Redskins are still looking and evaluating personnel to determine the front office structure.

The Redskins fired Scot McCloughan in March after two years as general manager and there have been reports that Allen may not hire a GM and instead reallocate the responsibilities of existing front office members.

“No, there has been no decisions made,” Allen told ESPN 980, a station owned by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. “The process, we are going to take our time. We want to get it right what we do.

“There is no submission to the league on a form or anything like that. We are going to keep talking and decide what is the best thing for the Redskins.”

Before being fired, McCloughan had been cut out of the Redskins’ decision-making process. He was not involved in coach Jay Gruden’s contract extension, the re-signing of tight end Vernon Davis or the exclusive tag placed on quarterback Kirk Cousins.

“As far as what we are going to do, it hasn’t changed since March,” Allen said. “We are going to be in the process of looking to see what we need to add to our personnel department to enhance the people that are here.

“There is some good quality people out there that’s available that we are talking to. We are going to put together the right team with the Redskins that is going to help us win.”

NEW YORK — A bizarre season for the New York Mets took another hairpin turn Sunday morning when the team announced it had suspended righthander Matt Harvey three days without pay for a violation of team rules.

Harvey was scheduled to start the series finale against Miami on Sunday afternoon.

Neither general manager Sandy Alderson nor manager Terry Collins identified the violation.

Alderson said Harvey, whose suspension began Saturday, was sent home.

“There’s things with this job that certainly are internal, that the public can’t see and (understand) how hard it is,” Collins told reporters. “And this one’s a tough one. We hope to put it behind us and move forward.”

Collins’ pre-game press conference was far briefer than usual.

Afterward, he held a closed-door meeting with the Mets (14-15), whose lineup Sunday will be missing four Opening Day position players.

First baseman Lucas Duda, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and left fielder Yoenis Cespedes are all on the disabled list while shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is day-to-day with a left thumb injury.

“Anytime you get a chance to not have somebody with you, it’s not the way you want it to be, regardless of what the reason is,” Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson said. “Unfortunately that’s going to be something that happens in a season. We’ve seen it up to this point. This isn’t the first guy that’s not going to be with us when we take the field, for whatever reason.”

This is not the first off-field drama involving Harvey, who appeared to be New York’s next big sports star when he started for the National League in the All-Star Game at Citi Field and earned the nickname “The Dark Knight of Gotham.”

Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2013 that cost him all of 2014, when he knocked heads with the Mets over where he would rehab. The righthander, who resides in Manhattan and is a staple of the gossip pages, was eventually allowed to spend time in New York instead of at the team’s spring training facility in Florida.

Harvey fought the Mets’ plans to shut him down for all of 2014 and earned a tongue-lashing from Collins when he appeared on a local radio station — during a game — and said he hoped to pitch at some level late in the season.

Harvey made 29 regular-season starts in 2015 but was embroiled in controversy in September when he said he believed he had a 180-inning limit in his first post-surgery season. He missed the Mets’ first workout of the postseason after he said he overslept.

Despite the so-called innings limit, Harvey made four postseason starts for the Mets — he threw 216 innings between the regular season and playoffs — and was on the mound in Game 5 of the World Series, when he threw eight shutout innings before convincing Collins to let him pitch the ninth instead of turning the ball over to closer Jeurys Familia with a tworun lead. But Harvey gave up a walk and a double to start the inning and the Royals tied the game before eventually clinching the championship with a 12-inning win.

Harvey was 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 14 starts last season before undergoing surgery to repair thoracic outlet syndrome. He is 2-2 with a 5.14 ERA in six starts this season.

Brett Davis | Usa today sports images

New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) prepares for a game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park in Atlanta on May 2.

B8

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

LeBron hits historical highs in Cavs sweep of Raptors

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) during the third quarter in game four of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on May 8.

James and the Cavs dominated against Toronto

By Larry Millson The Sports XChange

Chris Nicoll | Usa Today Sports Images

Warriors bring out brooms, appear largely unstoppable Golden State is really tough to handle on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball

By Johnn Coon The Sports XChange SALT LAKE CITY — Starting strong is Golden State’s trademark in the postseason.

The Warriors find ways to impose their will on offense and defense from the opening tip. They push the pace on offense, force turnovers on defense and bury opponents in a deep hole, forcing foes to spend the better part of four quarters trying to climb out.

That certainly was the scenario Utah experienced once again when Golden State advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 121-95 victory over the Jazz on Monday night, completing a four-game sweep.

The Warriors dominated Utah in every facet of the game during the opening quarter. Golden State outscored the Jazz 39-17 in the period while limiting Utah to 6-of-25 shooting (24 percent) from the field.

Once the Warriors hit full speed, Utah could not do much of anything to derail that train.

Golden State improved to 8-0 in the postseason after leading wire to wire against the Jazz.

“Guys really came out focused,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who had a triple-double. “We knew what the game plan was and executed that game plan. Everybody was on a string, starting these games out.

I think the most important thing, though, is we imposed our will on the game. We had the game at our pace.”

Stephen Curry scored 30 points and Klay Thompson added 21 for Golden State. Kevin Durant added 18 points, and Green chipped in 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. JaVale McGee contributed 12 points.

The Warriors shot 51.2 percent from the field -- making 11 3-pointers -- and dished out 28 assists on 43 total baskets.

“We have a lot of talent,” Curry said. “We have guys that try to do it by committee. That’s our approach to every game. We never know who’s going to have a hot night. We try to move the ball, use each other to create open shots, and when we do that, the ball is hopping and a lot of good things happen.”

The Warriors will face the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Houston Rockets series after sweeping a conference semifinal for the first time since current NBA playoff format began in 1984.

Gordon Hayward scored 25 points and Shelvin Mack added 18 for the Jazz. Dante Exum had 15 points off the bench, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Utah never fully recovered after enduring another sluggish first quarter. The Jazz did take some solace in eclipsing 50 wins and winning a playoff series for the first time in several years despite enduring tons of injuries throughout the season.

“We knew we kept getting better as a group,” Gobert said. “We kept believing in ourselves. We didn’t want it to end that way, but I’m excited about our future and the way this team’s getting better every year.”

After trailing by double digits throughout much of the first half, Utah made Golden State sweat a bit during the third quarter. The Jazz closed within 68-63 after Mack drove for a floater.

Durant answered with backto-back baskets to push the lead back to double digits at 73-63.

Utah hung around behind the efforts of Hayward and Mack, who combined for 23 points in the third quarter.

Golden State pressed down on the gas pedal in the final minute of the third quarter. Curry and Andre Iguodala combined for back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Warriors up 93-79 heading into the fourth.

Golden State held onto a double-digit lead throughout the final period.

“They’re a historically great

team,” Hayward said. “You have to be almost perfect on every possession or else they turn it into an 8-0 run, 9-0 run or 10-0 run, so you can’t have mental lapses against a team like this. It will be a great learning experience for us to realize this is what it takes.

It can be one mental lapse and it turns the game, turns the momentum.”

Golden State overwhelmed and outsmarted the Jazz on both ends of the court throughout the first quarter. The Warriors forced four turnovers, and they shot 12 of 21 from the floor and 12 of 12 from the foul line.

Curry buried back-to-back 3-pointers and Green cut to the rim for a hammer dunk to fuel an 8-0 spurt that gave the Warriors a 12-3 lead. Green capped an ensuing 10-1 run with a 3-pointer that put Golden State ahead 247.

The Warriors led by as many as 24 points in the first quarter after McGee threw down a dunk to put Golden State up 39-15.

“One of the things we kept telling our guys is we didn’t want them to be comfortable offensively,” Warriors acting head coach Mike Brown said. “We wanted to get up into them and force the issue.”

Utah used a 16-2 run to get back in the game early in the second quarter. Exum ignited the run with a finger-roll layup on the final Jazz possession of the first quarter. Exum then finished it off with another layup, helping Utah trim Golden State’s lead to 41-31.

Utah also closed the half on 12-2 run — highlighted by backto-back 3-pointers from Joe Ingles and Exum — and cut the Warriors’ lead to 60-52 going into the locker room.

But ultimately the Warriors were just too much. Each time the Jazz would get within 10 points, Golden State would crank up the tempo or stretch the floor or just let Curry/Durant take over for a few seconds.

Just like Jazz’s hopes for winning this series, any sort of comeback would evaporate quickly.

TORONTO — The Cleveland Cavaliers remain undefeated in their first eight playoff games this season.

That does not mean it has been easy, even though they were able to complete a four-game sweep of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday afternoon with a 109-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors after giving up the lead in the fourth quarter.

“We understand it’s never easy especially in a close-out game,” said Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, who scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and added nine assists. “There’s desperation at their end and desperation at our end.”

LeBron James scored 35 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had six assists to lead the Cavaliers, who won the NBA championship last season and will play either the Boston Celtics or Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference finals.

“Winning close-out games is always tough,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. “Give credit to (Raptors coach Dwane) Casey, he had them ready to play, they came out and competed. They made threes today, it was tough on us.”

The Raptors were playing without point guard Kyle Lowry, who sustained a sprained left ankle in Game 2 on Wednesday. He was in uniform for Game 3 but did not play and was scratched from Game 4.

“They have good players, even without Kyle,” Lue said.

Casey said, “It’s tough because we know we can play better than we did in the first two games, and we didn’t. Today, I thought the players laid it on the line. I thought the guys played with grit, toughness, togetherness. ... "(The Cavaliers) present so many problems offensively, they have so many weapons. ... The way they were making shots, and they were well-guarded, you’re going to have to score 117-118 points a night to beat them.”

Cleveland had a 12-point lead after the first half and entered the fourth quarter ahead by five.

The Raptors took a 93-92 lead with 6:38 to play when Serge Ibaka made a free throw to complete a three-point play.

Irving put the Cavaliers back on top with a 3-pointer and with 5:34 to go and made two free throws to make it a four-point lead.

Irving’s layup with four minutes remaining had Cleveland ahead by eight points.

“In that fourth quarter, I just went to (isolations) for Kyrie,” Lue said.

“We needed that spark,” said James, who hit a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left to put the Cavaliers ahead by 11.

“They went to him on isos,” Raptors point guard Cory Joseph said.

“I tried my best ... but he made

DarlinG from page B1 The biggest question was whether Darling would test free agency on July 1. But it turned out Francis and Darling had the same thing in mind.

"I was super-excited when the trade happened, and my goal the whole time was to sign with Carolina. ... Once we worked out the contract part, it was a no-brainer."

Darling said via conference call Saturday.

Born in Newport News, Va., but raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Darling had a tumultuous path to the NHL. He was a highly touted recruit to the University of Maine and a sixth-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007, but flamed out after two college seasons amid struggles with anxiety and drinking.

He fell all the way to the Southern Professional Hockey League — he would later become the first of the league’s alumni to reach the NHL — before turning around his life and career and beginning his climb up the pro ranks. He made his NHL debut Oct. 26, 2014 and has been a mainstay in Chicago’s goalie rotation since.

Darling is not only one of the biggest goalies in the NHL, but one of the largest players in league history. That should be a sight for Hurricanes coach Bill Peters’ sore eyes, as he has pleaded for his goalies (Eddie Lack in particular)

Chris Humphreys | USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in Denver on April 4.

to play big and square. Darling, at 6-foot-6 and 232 pounds, can’t help but be big.

The move to trade for and sign Darling likely ends Cam Ward’s run as the team’s de facto No. 1 goalie, a job he’s held since the 2006 playoffs when he led the

team to the Stanley Cup and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s best player.

Meanwhile Lack, brought in two seasons ago to do the same thing now expected of Darling, looks like the odd-man out after a roller-coaster stay with the team.

The hope is Darling will Carolina's postseason drought, a stretch that has led to dwindling attendance and the exit of long-time GM Jim Rutherford and former captain Eric Staal.

Darling’s contract, which has an annual cap hit of $4.15 million,

some tough shots.”

“A lot of the offense was on LeBron’s shoulders,” said Irving, who was willing to share the load.

James had nine points in the fourth quarter.

Kyle Korver added 18 points, including 4 of 6 on three-point attempts, for the Cavaliers off the bench, and Channing Frye contributed 10 points.

Ibaka scored 23 points for the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan had 22 points and eight assists, Joseph scored 20 points and added 12 assists, P.J. Tucker had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Norman Powell scored 10 points.

“You have to give them credit, they are a heck of a 3-point-shooting team,” DeRozan said. “They get hot, one of the best shooters in the league in Kyle Korver. They do a great job of getting him going and it showed tonight.

“They’re a hell of a team for a reason. They have one of the greatest players of all time. It’s something that we great experience with playing these guys two years in row (in the playoffs, including the Eastern Conference finals last year) and we just have to figure it out. ... It’s going to be a long summer.”

Toronto led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter that ended tied at 28. DeRozan left the game briefly with 8:07 to play in the second quarter after he was inadvertently kicked in the midsection while guarding Iman Shumpert.

The Cavaliers opened a 14-point lead on Korver’s 3-pointer late in the first half.

Cleveland led 61-49 at the intermission with James and Korver leading the scoring with 16 points apiece. Korver, who did not play in the first quarter, was 6 of 8 in the second quarter, including his four 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers got their lead up to 16 points in the third quarter before the Raptors chipped away to reduce the lead to seven points on Ibaka’s 3-pointer from the corner with 4:44 to play.

Tucker closed out the scoring in the third quarter with a 3-pointer from the corner to cut Cleveland’s lead to 85-80.

Tucker opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to two points. The Raptors trimmed the lead to one point early in the fourth on a threepoint shot by Fred VanVleet but James answered with a 3-pointer.

Notes Toronto activated C Lucas Nogueira for Game 4 after PG Kyle Lowry (sprained left ankle) was scratched from the lineup.

PG Cory Joseph started at point guard for the Raptors with Lowry out. ... There were no points in the first 2:19 of the game before Cleveland F LeBronJames scored on a dunk off a fastbreak. ... The Raptors shot 50 percent from the field in the first half but committed 11 turnovers leading to 17 Cleveland points. Cleveland’s five first-half turnovers led to only two points.

represents a big raise, but still only makes him currently the 23rd highest paid goalie in the NHL next season. He should be even lower on the list by October, with Ben Bishop, the biggest free agent goaltender on the market this summer, expected to easily exceed that number.

Francis will need to find a taker for one of his other two goalies — both Ward and Lack have a year remaining on their one-way contracts — but he can now shift his attention to an offseason that includes the expansion draft, June’s entry draft and the opening of free agency on July 1.

The Hurricanes are expected to shore up their bottom pairing on defense and could also be in the market for an impact forward for a team that ranked tied for 20th in goals scored. Only one team, the Ottawa Senators, scored fewer goals than Carolina and made the postseason.

Francis has a wealth of draft picks — six of the draft’s first 73 selections — and also the cap space to be players in the expansion draft market, where teams may be willing to trade players rather than have them exposed and lost for nothing to the incoming Vegas Golden Knights.

Francis’ job isn’t done, but with Darling’s addition he has scratched off the biggest item on his offseason to-do list.

Free gear, seven hockey lessons, $97. Page C3

WEDNESDAY

05.10.17

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL

play list

May 11-13

the good life photos courtesy of the carolina hurricanes

Wilmington Wine & Food Festival Wilmington Experience the Wilmington Wine & Food Festival, giving you the opportunity to explore exquisite culinary pairings from top area chefs and their notable wine selections.

21st Annual Nashville Blooming Festival 2017 Nashville This annual festival offers something for everyone, from a carnival and live entertainment, to a parade and great festival food.

IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

dig in | National Shrimp Day

Small food, big deal

May 12-13 Longleaf Film Festival at the North Carolina Museum of History Raleigh An annual juried festival that is free to attend for the community of film lovers in and around North Carolina, featuring both local and international documentary and narrative short and feature films that make you think harder, reach further and look deeper.

May 12-14 Commemorative Air Force Fighters & Bombers Tour Sanford It’s Warbird Weekend at Raleigh Exec Jetport. Step back in time and see what it was really like to be part of the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Navy during World War II.

May 13 Oink & Ale Eden Kickoff the beginning of summer with a block party-style festival featuring beer, live music and the best BBQ in Eden. photos by Madeline Gray | North State Journal

Melvin Cooper, of Raleigh, prepares a shrimp burger at Saltwater Seafood Market and Fry Shack in Raleigh.

This one-day event boasts more than 60 microbrews on tap, 40 barrel-aged bourbons and succulent, mouth-watering barbecue. Additional attractions include live bluegrass, blues and rock music, a cigar tent, and tasting seminars lead by pitmasters, head distillers and brewmasters.

North Carolina’s second largest seafood catch is celebrated in all of its forms on National Shrimp Day

By NSJ Staff May 10 is National Shrimp Day, and citizens of the Old North State are fortunate to have easy access to the delicious “fruit of the sea.”

North Carolina shrimp are harvested in all of the state’s coastal fishing waters to the tune of almost 7 million pounds per year on average. The commercial shrimp industry is worth more than $13 million each year to the state’s economy.

Three species of shrimp call N.C.’s waters home: brown, pink (spotted) and white (green tail). Brown shrimp are the state’s No. 1 species and make up more than two-thirds of shrimp caught. The shrimp are being caught off of the coast now and the high season for brown shrimp landings is in the summer.

Mike Earp, owner of Saltwater Seafood in Raleigh, said 2017 has been a good shrimping year so far in North Carolina.

“We are seeing white and brown shrimp coming from Morehead City in our seafood case,” Earp said.

Shrimp ranks as the top U.S. seafood with the average American consuming more than four pounds each year. Earp said that popularity may be because, “Shrimp are easy, simple to cook and can be ready in just four minutes.”

According to Earp, large shrimp are the most popular size with 21-25 shrimp per pound.

“Large shrimp are great for grilling, shrimp boils, and shrimp and grits,” he said.

If you are interested in cooking your own shrimp, a good rule of thumb is that two pounds of shrimp in their shells will yield about one and a quarter pounds when peeled. The accompanying recipe is a triedand-true N.C. favorite for boiled shrimp.

If you want to continue the shrimp celebration as summer moves on, the town of Sneads Ferry hosts an annual Shrimp Festival which will be held Aug. 1213. The event features a car show, concerts, a shrimp dinner, parade and cooking demonstrations.

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival Charlotte

17th Annual North Carolina Folk Arts Festival Saint Pauls Featuring fabulous art crafted

by North Carolina artisans, delectable southern foods and a musical review of different genres showcasing a variety of styles and backgrounds.

Raw shrimp from Saltwater Seafood Market and Fry Shack.

Steamed Shrimp Ingredients:

1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound of North Carolina shrimp

In a saucepan, combine the first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Add shrimp and stir gently.

Cook for about 4 minutes or until tender. Drain and remove shells and veins on back.

Source: N.C. Department of Agriculture

inside business From global to local, Business covers N.C.’s stake in Europe’s shifting powers, along with our most recent national accolade.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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NeCessities! history marked May 7, 1964 ‘War on Poverty’ presidential visit President Lyndon Johnson and N.C. Gov. Terry Sanford visited the home of tenant farmer William David Marlow near Rocky Mount as part of Johnson’s “War On Poverty” legislation tour. The 15-minute visit included a photo opportunity of Johnson with the family of 10 and essentially launched his tour of Appalachia. As show for visiting journalists and politicians, the family was told to hang a load of laundry on their clothesline and keep the children barefoot. Never thinking himself as poor, Marlow eventually wrote the president, “We have just found out that we are the joke of a whole nation.”

photos by christine T. Nguyen | North State Journal north carolina state archives

President Lyndon Johnson and N.C. Gov. Terry Sanford visit the home of tenant farmer William David Marlow near Rocky Mount as part of Johnson’s “War On Poverty” legislation tour.

May 8, 1953 The ACC is born A meeting between representatives of the Southern Conference in Greensboro resulted in the birth of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Initial members were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest. Virginia was accepted later that year. Names like Dixie, Tobacco and Southern Seven were proposed but Eddie Cameron from Duke suggested the name that ultimately stuck.

May 10, 1949 Morehead Planetarium opens The Morehead Planetarium located on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill opened as the first planetarium in the South and on a university campus. At the time, it was the sixth planetarium in the nation. The planetarium was a gift of John Motley Morehead III and supervised by Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapely. Architects who worked on the Jefferson Memorial oversaw the project, which took 17 months and cost $3 million. During the 1950s to 1970s it was a hub of NASA’s astronaut training program. In 1973, an observatory with a telescope was added and in 1984 it became the first planetarium to use computer animation in its shows.

May 13, 1830 Birth of Zebulon Vance Zebulon Baird Vance was born in Reems Creek in Buncombe County. Vance grew up in Asheville and studied at UNC Chapel Hill. During the Civil War, Vance, a popular colonel, was selected by the Conservative Party as candidate for governor in 1862. After an overwhelming victory, Vance who was just 32 at the time, became the youngest chief executive in state history. Vance later served as a state senator, U.S. congressman and governor as a Democrat. He was wellknown and well-liked for his personality and oratorical skills.

Monica M. Gillespie cuts a birthday cake to celebrate St. Mary’s School’s 175th anniversary on August 27, 2016.

St. Mary’s School marks 175 years The all-girls school has celebrated throughout the school year and will culminate the festivities with a gala

By NSJ Staff

Saint Mary’s School will mark its 175th year with a gala celebration on Friday, May 12, 2017 — exactly 175 years to the date that the original 13 girls arrived for their first day at the school in 1842. The gala will take place on the school’s campus under a big-top tent. The 175th Anniversary Gala is the crowning event following months of special activities and celebrations commemorating Saint Mary’s 175 years of educating women. Saint Mary’s is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12.

The school was founded in 1842 by the Rev. Aldert Smedes who believed that “an educated woman can make a difference.” The school’s campus on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the North Carolina Civil War Trails.

Uplif ti Fl o r a n g ls

For the w the last d ecade eddin ha decon d a love a g world h ff a str uc ted fl air w ith l s a re year’s looking u owers, bu ow, p t by ad center pie , literally. things ces fe ding Th i s el mo incor porat re dimen dramatic table ing heig sion an d ht an your d dressin on the g up cha n delie r s.

down the aisle Spring is in full bloom! For all the brides-to-be who are amid planning the big day, get ready to be inspired with Sarah Lindh’s top trends that guests are embracing and excited about this wedding season: The Return of Color

After years of blush and neutral pallets, the biggest trend for 2017 is inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year “Greenery,” a zesty yellow green. Give your décor a vibrant take and pump up the color.

Pushing the Envelope

Presentation is everything!

The importance of a wedding invitation continues to evolve by tempting guests in the overall design of the wedding and has expanded into design textures by incorporating mediums like velvet, suede, linen and printed vellums.

Mismatched Bridesmaids

Rather than a one-dress-fitsall approach, fashion-forward brides in 2017 are asking their bridesmaids to wear coordinating attire for a cohesive look.

Different prints, fabrics, hues and hemlines can mix and match beautifully, but this trend is not for the faint of heart in fashion risk-taking!

Capturing Moments

Brides are beginning to favor and request more of a photojournalistic style for their wedding photography. It’s not just about perfectly posed pictures captured in dreamy tones with the soft lens. There is a shift for candid pictures with palpable emotion.

Fashion Your Own Forest

Restaurant Chic

Transforming trees and greenery into an atmosphere of an enchanted forest has stepped indoors. Brides are adding lush focal points in their venues while utilizing open space with hanging candlelight from limbs to warm up the space. Trees add drama, texture, tone and scale to any room, so if you can’t dine alfresco bring a little nature inside.

Wedding design meets restaurant design by adding custom bars and elaborate lighting schemes with lots of lounge spaces to make even a tented event feel like a fun, stylish bar. Specialty beverages along with a variety of imaginative custom barware and swag are perfect details for your discerning guests to enjoy.

Faraway Destinations

Local Flavor

Whether you marry on a Caribbean beach, at a European castle, or on a Blue Ridge mountaintop, destination weddings have become a significant trend. More and more of our brides are cutting their guest count and taking the plunge to find that perfect and sublime experience to say, “I do”.

Food as art and entertainment is on fire in 2017! Local hotspots are in the forefront and the presentation is as important as the taste itself. Try small plate stations for a variety of bites, a gin cart for mixologists, or an oyster shucking table that will create signature moments which are fun, delish and memorable.

Quiet Jams

The latest party trend called Silent Discos are the best solution to noise police and city ordinances that won’t kill the dance floor buzz. Guests listen to music through wireless headphones to keep the party going past 11 p.m. in a silent oblivion. Truth be told, it took us a minute to get on board, but once you see it in action, it’s hilariously fun.

Mobile Feast

A twist on the expected traditional sit-down dinner is being replaced with a fun gourmet ‘to-go’ option. Food and dessert trucks are all the rage in quick comfort food savors to delight the pickiest of eaters. If you don’t want to forgo a plated dinner, have the main course served family style with a twist.

And for a late-night option, have a dessert truck stop by for a satisfying sweet treat!

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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thrive | youth hockey

Hurricanes’ First Goal program offers kids affordable chance to play hockey For $97, kids 4 to 8 get all the gear they need to play, plus seven lessons

helmet

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal ALEIGH — Twenty years after bringing the NHL to North R Carolina, the Carolina Hurricanes

continue to cultivate grassroots hockey fandom in several ways.

And there’s no better way to maintain and sustain a growing fanbase than by hooking the younger generation.

Enter youth hockey and the First Goal program.

The program, in its second year across all 30 NHL cities, gives newcomers ages 4 to 8 a complete set of hockey gear, seven on-ice training sessions and two tickets to a 2017-18 Hurricanes game for just $97.

Last year 253 area kids signed up and participated, and Shane Willis — the team’s youth and amateur hockey coordinator since 2011 and a former Hurricanes player — said it was so successful they’ve nearly tripled the space available.

“It’s really gone off the charts,” Willis said. “We announced [May 1], and at all the rinks except Garner we’ve doubled capacity. We’ve now brought in Hillsborough, Greensboro, Charlotte and Fort Bragg to try to expand to. We’re shooting for 650 and as of Day 2 we were already at 480.”

Nine rinks across the state are part of the program, with on-ice sessions starting in mid-July and running until the end of August.

Dates for the Charlotte sessions are yet to be determined.

As of early this week all of the Triangle locations (Cary, Garner, Hillsborough, two in Raleigh, and Wake Forest) had sold out, but the program’s sites in Charlotte, Fort Bragg and Greensboro still had space available.

Willis said First Goal addresses the main concern parents have to consider when getting their kids involved in youth hockey — cost.

“So at $97 to fully outfit your son or daughter in equipment and then get those training sessions is very key,” Willis said. “And then we’re moving them into the next step programs, whether it be Learn To Skate or Learn To Play 1 or Learn To Play 2. We had a really good retention rate.”

Tom Edwards’ son Owen, now 9, was a part of the First Goal program last year in Wake Forest, and he has progressed from only being on skates a few times to now being ready to join a team.

“It kind of opened the door enough that it allowed him and us to be able to make the decision of whether it would be something he’d be interested in or not,” Edwards said.

The NHL and the NHL Players

jersey shoulder, elbow and shin pads gloves

hockey pants and socks

stick skates equipment bag *not pictured A participant models the free gear the First Goal program provides.

Association partnered with CCM Hockey to outfit the players. Enrollees in the First Goal program receive a helmet, shoulder, elbow and shin pads, gloves, hockey pants and socks, skates, a jersey, equipment bag and a stick, all in Carolina Hurricanes’ colors.

The free gear — the $97 fee covers the ice time and other associated costs — draws in families who maybe wouldn’t otherwise try hockey.

“It’s not like, say, basketball where you just kind of show up,” Edwards said. “Or baseball you just kind of bring a glove and maybe a pair of cleats and work from there. Ice hockey is a completely different thing where it is a major

To learn more about or register for the First Goal program, go to: www.carolinahurricanes.com/ firstgoalprogram

investment just to get the opportunity to get out on to the ice.”

North Carolina youth hockey numbers (18 and under) are on the rise, more than quadrupling to nearly 7,000 since the Hurricanes moved to the state in 1997, according to numbers provided by USA Hockey. Participation has grown 9 percent in the last five years under Willis’ watch.

And the target audience of the

First Goal program — players 8 and under — is growing even more rapidly. In the past five seasons, Mite players (currently those born in 2008-2010) have increased by 31 percent, and are up 18 percent this year. More than 300 girls now play youth hockey in N.C., a 39 percent increase since 2012-13.

Willis said all those numbers will continue to climb with families like the Edwardses going from First Goal to Learn to Skate and play lessons and into house league play.

“The main thing is you’re creating that fan base, the future fan that wants to be Jeff Skinner or who wants to be Sebastian Aho,” Willis said.

Locations for First Goal program Bojangles Coliseum (Charlotte) Cary Polar Ice House Cleland Ice Rink (Fort Bragg) Garner Polar Ice House Greensboro Ice House Orange County Sportsplex (Hillsborough) Raleigh Center Ice Raleigh IcePex Wake Forest Polar Ice House

Want to learn more about North Carolina Agriculture?

The First Furrow www.FirstFurrow.com

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Madeline Gray | North State Journal

North Carolina Museum of Art is hosting their summer film series starting this June.

Summer time is movie time July 14

As the school year comes to a close, the calendar will begin to crowd at the local cineplex. Hollywood’s major studios have their hopes riding on certain films. We cut through the packed Friday releases to highlight the most anticipated films of the summer.

By Clayton Abernathy North State Journal May 12

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Director Guy Ritchie reimagines the medieval tale of King Arthur.

Starring Charlie Huffman as Arthur along with Jude Law, David Beckham and Djimon Hounsou.

May 19

Alien: Covenant Director Ridley Scott returns to the Alien franchise with a sequel to 2012’s “Prometheus,” which started a prequel series to Scott’s original Alien saga.

The film takes a crew of married couples to a new world whose only inhabitant is an android named David, played by Michael Fassbender. The film stars Katherine Waterson, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo and Fassbender, who also plays Walter, a robot on the Covenant spaceship.

May 26

Baywatch Dwayne Johnson teams up with Zac Effron to translate culttelevision show “Baywatch” to the silver screen. The actioncomedy pairs Johnson as the leader of an elite group of lifeguards with a former Olympian (Effron). Hilarity ensues and there is a cameo by David Hasselhoff. Directed by Seth Gordon.

War for the Planet of the Apes The third film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series pits ape leader Caesar against the humans in a battle to determine the fate of Earth. Andy Serkis portrays Caesar and Woody Harrelson stars as The Colonel, a soldier obsessed with eliminating the apes.

May 26

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Johnny Depp is back once again as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth installment of the Disney franchise. This time, Sparrow is chasing an elusive artifact that allows its possessor to control the seas. Javier Bardem plays the bad guy and Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush reprise their pirate roles. Sir Paul McCartney makes a cameo appearance.

June 2

Wonder Woman Gal Gadot stars in the origin story of Wonder Woman. While Gadot’s role in “Batman v.

Superman: Dawn of Justice” gave viewers a glimpse of the character with some of her future Gal Gadot is teammates, DC’s Wonder this movie will Woman fully develop the character ahead of her role in “Justice League,” which will be released in November 2017. The film also stars Chris Pine and Robin Wright.

June 16

Rough Night The ensemble cast of Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer and Zoe Kravitz comes together for a comedy about a bachelorette party gone wrong.

July 21

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Photo courtesy of STX Entertainment

Dane DeHaan stars in “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

The R-rated comedy is directed

by Lucia Aniello and also features Dean Winters and Ty Burrell.

school. Kirsten Dunst plays a school teacher and Elle Fanning portrays a teenage student named Alicia.

June 23

Transformers: The Last Knight

June 30

Director Michael Bay continues at the helm of the fifth installment in this Paramount franchise. Mark Wahlberg returns to star in this summer action flick that sees good robot Optimus Prime again facing off against his nemises Megatron in a story arc that will explain why the Transformers keep coming back to Earth. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins, Stanley Tucci, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

Gru and his minions return in a parent-friendly animated feature with Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig reprising their voice roles along with newcomer Trey Parker (“South Park”) as the voice of Balthazar Bratt, Gru’s latest nemesis.

June 23

The Beguiled Director Sofia Coppola adapts Thomas Cullinan’s 1966 novel.

Colin Farrell stars as a wounded Union soldier who seeks refuge in an isolated Confederate girls boarding school at the end of the Civil War. Nicole Kidman stars as the headmistress of the

Despicable Me 3

July 7

Spider-Man: Homecoming Tom Holland jumps into the role of Peter Parker as Spider-Man finally gets a solo film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jon Watts directs the summer blockbuster that also stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

The film also features Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Donald Glover and Jon Favreau.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne star in this film adaption of a 1960s French science fiction comic book. Set in the 28th century, the film follows special operatives charged with keeping order and safeguarding the future of the universe. Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Clive Owen and Rihanna also star.

July 28

Atomic Blonde Charlize Theron stars as an MI6 operative called in to Berlin just before the fall of the Berlin Wall to take out an espionage ring that has killed an undercover agent.

She is then embroiled in a larger plat that jeopardizes the West’s entire intelligence apparatus.

James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones also star.

Aug. 4

The Dark Tower This long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s novel series stars Idris Elba as a gunslinging knight who is the last hope of the parallel universe of Mid-World.

Matthew McConaughey stars as the antagonist known as The Man in Black, and Tom Taylor stars a young boy who discovers MidWorld.

the BRIEF

WEDNESDAY, may 10, 2017

Lowe’s expands, changes its military discount program

DYLAN MARTINEZ | reuters

A man walks through Newton Ferrers, Devon, Britain, on April 11. Scott McCready has seen British tourists flock to his Briar Hill holiday lodge park since the plunge in the pound made foreign trips more expensive. Within hours of the Brexit vote the bookings started to pour in for his site situated between ancient woodlands and a creek on the southwest coast of England.

Neil Hall | reuters

A shopper passes a display of bananas in a supermarket in London on April 11. British retail sales shrank at the fastest rate in nearly seven years during the past three months, despite a pickup in February, adding to signs that a major driver of Britain’s economy is faltering after last year’s Brexit vote.

photo iillustration by Dado Ruvic | reuters

Euro and Pound banknotes are seen in front of Brexit letters in this picture illustration taken April 28.

Eric Vidalelibus | reuters

European chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, arrives at a EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, April 29.

BUSINESS French President-elect Emmanuel Macron celebrates on the stage at his victory rally near the Louvre in Paris on May 7.

world economy

Brexit good for UK/NC trade says Vote Leave leader Former CEO of Vote Leave Matthew Elliott spoke in Raleigh Monday, describing what animated the Brexit campaign and what the results could mean for NC

By Jeff Moore North State Journal

ALEIGH — As the French election results settle in the minds of Europeans, the leader of the last and R much more surprising polling result from across the

Christian Hartmann | REUTERS

Global Markets react to French election; Euro dips, but emerges ‘bullish’

By Rodrigo Campos Reuters NEW YORK — Stocks dipped and the euro fell on Monday from highs touched after pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron’s emphatic and expected victory in France’s presidential election as investors cashed in recent gains.

European equities dipped, with French shares underperforming the wider market after having hit their highest in more than nine years on Friday.

The euro fell the most against the dollar since late March, having risen in overnight trade to just above $1.10 when opinion polls signaled the scale of Macron’s victory over anti-euro nationalist Marine Le Pen. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 touched a record high before turning negative in late morning trading.

“The (French election) results came in as expected and the market had already factored that in,” said Andre Bakhos, managing director at Janlyn Capital in Bernardsville, N.J. World stocks, as measured by MSCI’s 46-country world index hit a record high and the main measure of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan rose 0.8 percent.

Shares resumed trading in Tokyo after a three-day market holiday. The Nikkei closed up 2.3 percent at a 17-month high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 15.1 points, or 0.07 percent, to 20,991.84, the S&P 500 lost 2.98 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,396.31 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 12.48 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,088.28.

• Euro supported as solid data points to possible ECB tapering • Euro near 7-month high vs Swiss franc • Dollar/yen near highest since mid-March The pan-European STOXX 600 index lost 0.13 percent while France’s CAC 40 index fell 0.9 percent.

Emerging market stocks rose 0.56 percent. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 0.77 percent higher.

In currency markets, the dollar index rose 0.45 percent, with the euro down 0.64 percent to $1.0925. The euro earlier touched a six-month high of $1.1024.

The Japanese yen weakened 0.11 percent versus the greenback at 112.86 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.2938, down 0.32 percent on the day.

“The euro couldn’t sustain the rally as it took to consolidating a 3 percent spike since France’s presidential vote started two weeks earlier,” said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions in Washington.

“Nevertheless, the euro appears to have emerged from the French vote with a relatively bullish bias as dissipating political risk should intensify the spotlight on the (European Union) bloc’s improving economic prospects.”

pond made a stop in Raleigh Monday to speak at the John Locke Foundation. Matthew Elliott, a senior fellow at the Legatum Institute and former CEO for the United Kingdom’s Vote Leave campaign, revealed the undercurrents that paved the way for “Brexit” and why he thinks even the Old North State stands to benefit.

“What we’ve seen with Brexit, what we’ve seen with the election of Donald Trump, and actually what we’ve seen with the rise of the anti-establishment parties in other European countries is basically a move into a new era, a new chapter of world history,” said Elliott, explaining that nearly two decades of centrist politics on both sides of the Atlantic left voters feeling that even opposing candidates merely offered more of the same.

Elliott said the European Union (EU), while having its birth as a single customs area, had morphed over the years into a new level of politics unto itself, leaving Europeans struggling with issues of sovereignty and culminated in Brexit.

“Sixty percent of our laws are coming from a body that we feel is undemocratic, unaccountable, unresponsive to the needs and wishes of UK voters,” said Elliott. “They wanted to be able to control the laws governing their lives once again. The driving force was the issue of sovereignty, that issue of independence.”

Further, Elliott explained that immigration also played a large part in U.K. voters choosing to leave the EU. As poorer eastern European countries joined the union, British leaders’ estimates of 13,000 people relocating to the U.K. gave way to the reality of millions of eastern Europeans moving to the British Isles.

“That was clearly a system where the government had lost control over migration,” stated Elliott.

The biggest take away from Brexit though, according to Elliott, is that their economy didn’t collapse as suggested by the “remain” campaigners and even then-President Barack Obama. The U.K. economy had the highest growth of any G7 country in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Elliott also predicted that their continued success after Brexit will mean more for North Carolina too, as new trade deals are established. North Carolina already exports nearly $1.4 billion in goods annually to the U.K., and the British recently chose Raleigh as one of three American destinations for a new trade office.

“That figure would, I think, be much higher were we to have that trade deal,” surmised Elliott.

Elliott said he was encouraged by the performance of new Prime Minister Theresa May as well as President Donald Trump’s emphasis on establishing better trade ties between the two nations.

Mooresville, NC National home improvement retailer Lowe’s has expanded its everyday military discount program to include all honorably discharged veterans, as of May. The chain also has expanded the 10 percent discount to Lowe’s online shopping, which will include free parcel shipping.

It will provide for faster checkout and add the ability to use the discount at selfcheckout in stores, said Lowe’s spokeswoman Karen Cobb. But the procedure for getting the discount has changed: Active-duty service members, retirees and veterans must sign up online for the Lowe’s personal shopping card to qualify for the discount.

This is not a credit card.

Spouses and dependent children up to age 18 can also get the discount, although the online signup process doesn’t include an option for “spouses” or “children.”

Capital Bank to merge with Tennessee’s First Horizon Charlotte Charlotte-based Capital Bank Financial said Thursday it will be acquired

by Memphis, Tenn.-based First Horizon National, the latest Charlotte bank to get swallowed up in a merger within a week. First Horizon will merge with Capital Bank, Charlotte’s second-largest bank holding company by assets, in a $2.2 billion deal that still needs approval from regulators and shareholders of both companies. The combined company is expected to have $40 billion in assets, as First Horizon’s $30 billion combines with Capital Bank’s $10 billion.

In a statement, First Horizon CEO Bryan Jordan said the combination with Capital Bank will help his company, the largest bank in Tennessee by deposits, more quickly achieve its “critical” financial targets.

The companies said the merger will create the fourth-largest regional bank in the Southeast by assets.

Ralph Lauren to cut 107 jobs in North Carolina Greensboro Ralph Lauren has confirmed rumored plans to eliminate jobs at its Triad facilities. The job cuts affect the company’s distribution center at 2755 N.C. 66 in Kernersville, its e-commerce service center at 4100 Beechwood Drive in Piedmont Centre in Greensboro, distribution center at 4190 Eagle Hill Drive in High Point, and call center and warehouse at 201 N. Pendleton St. in High Point. The company’s WARN Act notice, which appeared Monday on N.C. Department of Commerce’s website, listed a combined 107 jobs, the bulk of which will be eliminated by July 15.

Ralph Lauren said in a statement that the local job cuts are part of a restructuring to “return the company to sustainable, profitable growth” and that “North Carolina remains a critically important hub for our business.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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n.c.

FAST FACTS

The lake at Berkeley Pit in Butte, Mont., is a pool of toxic mining waste. However it might also hold the key to treating drug resistant infections, a looming world health crisis.

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A year after Texas stole her 2015 crown, North Carolina has been named Site Selection Magazine’s Prosperity Cup winner again. Editors lauded “the strategic significance of a North Carolina location to companies already there ... [or] to most considering it a potential addition to their real estate portfolios.” Big business wins were noted — such as the new CSX railroad hub in Rocky Mount and energy innovator Trilliant Networks’ announcement that it will establish its global headquarters in the Research Triangle Area.

However, the underlying business infrastructure that attracts employers, workers, visitors and residents to North Carolina tipped the vote in our favor.

photo courtesy of nasa

Potentially life-saving antibiotic discovered in toxic slime

Here are the biggest business advantages according to the magazine:

Scientists have created a compound from two natural fungi that could be the answer to a looming world health crisis

• one of the most educated

By Donna King North State Journal

workforces in the U.S. • a temperate climate • two international airports • a top financial center (Charlotte) • three coastal ports • a desirable mid-Atlantic location • top research universities and community colleges • a 3 percent corporate income tax rate

MISSOULA, Mont. — Scientists have discovered a naturally occurring, potentially life-saving antibiotic deep inside a toxic mine in Montana. Operating as a mine from 1955 to 1982, the pit is now filled with acidic water. The water is home to a toxic bounty of heavy metals and chemicals, including copper, iron, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and sulfuric acid. The water is murky and reddish toward

the surface due to iron-rich compounds, and transitions into a brighter spectrum of yellows and greens as the copper concentration increases with the depth.

The discovery came after two species of fungus isolated from a highly toxic mine, called the Berkeley Pit, in Montana were mixed in a lab at the University of Montana. The two fungi created a compound that kills four antibiotic-resistant strains of MRSA, strep throat and anthrax. Scientists also see one of the fungus as

having a possible cancer-killing property.

As reported in the Journal of Natural Products, The molecular structure of these compounds resembles a known class of antibiotics called macrolides, and when the researchers observed how one of these new compounds — called berkeleylactone A — functioned when strains were cultured together, they say the resulting combination appears to attack harmful bacteria in a ground-breaking way.

“Mode of action studies have shown that, unlike other macrolide antibiotics, berkeleylactone A does not inhibit protein synthesis

nor target the ribosome, which suggests a novel mode of action for its antibiotic activity,” the team reports.

Researchers don’t know how it works yet, only that it does.

Whether these findings can be translated into a medication is a way off, but in development. However, infectious disease specialists say that development in the area of drug-resistant pathogens is critical to what they believe to be a looming public health crisis.

Often called “superbugs” antibiotic-resistant pathogens and diseases like MRSA, tuberculosis and E. coli, currently claim about 700,000 lives a year worldwide, 23,000 in the U.S. and 50,000 in Europe. A recent student from the U.K. estimates that figure will rise to an annual 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050, more than cancer and diabetes combined.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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Puerto Rico files for biggest ever U.S. local government bankruptcy

By Nick Brown Reuters Puerto Rico announced a historic restructuring of its public debt last week, touching off what may be the biggest bankruptcy ever in the $3.8 trillion U.S. municipal bond market.

While it was not immediately clear just how much of Puerto Rico’s $70 billion of debt would be included in the bankruptcy filing, the case is sure to dwarf Detroit’s insolvency in 2013.

The move comes a day after several major creditors sued Puerto Rico over defaults on its bonds.

Bankruptcy may not “Unlike immediately change Detroit, there the day-to-day lives of isn’t billions of Puerto Rico’s people, 45 percent of whom live in unencumbered poverty, but it may lead to future cuts in pensions artwork and worker benefits, and to fund a possibly a reduction in restructuring.” health and education services.

The island’s economy —David Tawil, has been in recession for Maglan Capital nearly 10 years, with an unemployment rate of about 11 percent, and the population has fallen by about 10 percent in the past decade.

The bankruptcy process will also give Puerto Rico the legal ability to impose drastic discounts on creditor recoveries, but could also spook investors and prolong the island’s lack of access to debt markets.

Bankruptcy under promesa law The debt restructuring petition was filed by Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board in the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, and was made under Title III of last year’s U.S. Congressional rescue law known as PROMESA. The Title III provision allows for a court debt restructuring process akin to U.S. bankruptcy protection. Puerto Rico is barred from a traditional municipal bankruptcy protection under Chapter 9 of the U.S. code.

The filing includes only Puerto Rico’s central government, which owes some $18 billion in debt backed by the island’s constitution.

On paper, it does not include $17 billion of sales tax-backed debt, known as COFINA debt, or debt from other agencies.

But those debts are likely to be pulled into the bankruptcy, or included in separate bankruptcy proceedings in coming days, Elias Sanchez, an adviser to Gov. Ricardo Rossello, told Reuters last week.

Puerto Rico’s massive pension debts will also likely get restructured in the bankruptcy.

“Title III was especially compelled by the commonwealth’s need to restructure $49 billion of pension liabilities,” the oversight board said in the filing.

Bigger bankruptcy than Detroit The previous largest U.S. public bankruptcy, Detroit’s in 2013, covered some $18 billion in debt. The city was able to reach an agreed debt restructuring with stakeholders, in part by soliciting huge contributions from philanthropic foundations so it did not need to sell the city’s art collection.

But “unlike Detroit, there isn’t billions of unencumbered artwork to fund a restructuring” in Puerto Rico, said David Tawil, whose fund, Maglan Capital, held Puerto Rico’s general obligation debt but has since sold it.

Brian Snyder | REUTERS

Job seekers speak with potential employers at a City of Boston Neighborhood Career Fair in Boston on May 1.

U.S. job growth rebounds sharply, unemployment rate falls to 4.4 percent

By Lucia Multikani Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. job growth rebounded sharply in April and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent, near a 10-year low, pointing to a tightening labor market that likely seals the case for an interest rate increase next month despite moderate wage growth.

Nonfarm payrolls surged by 211,000 jobs last month after a paltry gain of 79,000 in March, the Labor Department said on Friday. April’s job growth, which was broad-based, surpassed this year’s monthly average of 185,000.

There were hefty increases in leisure and hospitality, health care and social assistance as well as business and professional services payrolls.

The drop of one-tenth of a percentage point in the jobless rate took it to its lowest level since May 2007 and well below the most recent Federal Reserve median forecast for full employment.

“These developments should keep the Fed firmly on track to hike rates again in June and should motivate a hawkish shift in the interest rate forecasts they will release at that meeting,” said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.

The hiring rebound supports the U.S. central bank’s contention that the pedestrian 0.7 percent annualized economic growth pace in the first quarter was likely “transitory,” and its optimism that economic activity would expand at a “moderate” pace.

The Fed on Wednesday kept its benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged and said it expected labor market conditions would “strengthen somewhat further.” It raised rates by a quarter of a percentage point in March and has forecast two more increases this year.

Financial markets are pricing in a roughly 83 percent probability of a 25-basis-point rate increase at the Fed’s June 13-14 policy meeting, according to CME Group’s FedWatch program.

Prices of benchmark U.S. Treasuries rose modestly on Friday, while U.S. stocks closed higher, with the S&P 500 ending at a record high close. The dollar fell marginally against a basket of currencies as investors turned their attention to the second round of France’s presidential election on Sunday.

Wage growth lags The U.S. economy needs to create 75,000 to 100,000 jobs per month to keep up with growth in the working-age population.

Republican President Donald Trump, who inherited a strong job market from the Obama administration, has vowed to sharply boost economic growth and further strengthen the labor market by slashing taxes and cutting regulation.

Trump later hailed the numbers in a tweet: “Great jobs report today — it is all beginning to work!”

In April, average hourly earnings rose 7 cents, or 0.3 percent. However, downward revisions to previous months lowered the year-on-year increase to 2.5 percent, the smallest gain since August 2016, from 2.6 percent in March.

But there are signs wage growth is accelerating as labor market slack diminishes. A government report last week showed private-sector wages recorded their biggest gain in 10 years in the first quarter.

With the labor market expected to hit a level consistent with full employment this year, payroll gains could slow amid growing anecdotal evidence that firms are struggling to find qualified workers. That could also boost wages.

“While there is still some labor market slack, it is diminishing rapidly. This is likely to put upward pressure on wages,” said David Berson, chief economist at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio.

A broad measure of unemployment, which includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment, dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 8.6 percent, the lowest level since November 2007.

The employment-to-population ratio rose one-tenth of percentage point to an eight-year high of 60.2 percent.

This measure has risen for four straight months.

The labor force participation rate, or the share of working-age Americans who are employed or at least looking for a job, fell to 62.9 percent from an 11-month high of 63 percent in March.

It has rebounded from a multi-decade low of 62.4 percent in September 2015, and economists see limited room for further improvement as the pool of discouraged workers shrinks.

Construction payrolls rose by 5,000 last month and manufacturing payrolls increased by 6,000. Leisure and hospitality payrolls jumped by 55,000 in April. Professional and business services payrolls rose by 39,000. Health care and social assistance employment increased by 36,800.

Retail payrolls gained 6,300 after two straight months of declines. Retailers including J.C. Penney, Macy’s and Abercrombie & Fitch have announced thousands of layoffs as they shift toward online sales and scale back on brick-and-mortar operations.

Government payrolls jumped by 17,000 last month as an increase in hiring by local governments offset a decline in federal government employment.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, May 10, 2017

pen & Paper pursuits

Janric classic sudoku

4. Color your state!

The North Carolina state fruit: scuppernong

Solutions from 5.03.17