North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 41

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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 41

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

inside Hurricanes open season with win, Sports

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Fans and players alike stand for the national anthem before the season opener Saturday between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

NC sends emergency management help to Puerto Rico Raleigh More emergency management personnel are headed to Puerto Rico to assist with recovery from Hurricane Maria.

On Tuesday morning, a team of 10 emergency management staff left for the island territory to help coordinate disaster response. The team includes emergency managers from Chatham, Haywood and Hyde counties, and a State Highway Patrol employee originally from Puerto Rico. The group will be deployed for two weeks. They join 200 N.C. National Guard troops already there working. The death toll from Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico is now 43. Sixteen percent of the island has electricity restored.

U.S. Supreme Court declines to review computer hacking cases

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Princeville is still the home of their hearts, a year after Matthew Of the 750 single-family homes in Princeville, a third had major damage from Hurricane Matthew

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal

Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sidestepped a growing controversy over who can give permission to access a computer, a debate that goes to the core of what constitutes hacking in this era of widespread use of the internet and social media.

The justices turned away two cases over whether it is a violation of federal antihacking law for account holders to give a thirdparty access to a computer system they do not own themselves. In doing so, they left in place a lower court ruling that found only computer system owners may grant authorization, and not account holders or employees with legitimate access credentials.

PRINCEVILLE — Hope in Princeville remains strong.

Princeville, the oldest town chartered by blacks in America, still has hope, strength and perseverance as it continues to plan and rebuild a year after Hurricane Matthew.

“The heart of Princeville is to stay where it is,” said Mayor Bobbie Jones. “Our ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears built this town. If we move, what does that say about the sacrifice and work of the freed slaves who established us?”

Princeville was established

by freed slaves on an unwanted flood plain. Since its incorporation, the town has repeatedly flooded. Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 brought crippling destruction, leaving businesses closed and homes evacuated.

The elevation of Princeville is a mere 30 feet. The dike protecting the town stands at 37 feet. The town was engulfed in water when the Tar River rose to 42 feet following Hurricane Floyd. In the first week of October Hurricane Matthew hit N.C., and three days later floodwaters silently and quickly brought devastation to the town. The Tar River rose again to 36 feet, one foot short of the dike’s peak.

Despite the despair caused by these natural disasters, the See PRINCEVILLE, page A3

“The heart of Princeville is to stay where it is.”

Jones & Blount

20177 52016 $2.00

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GREENSBORO — This weekend Donald Trump was in N.C. for the first time since being elected president. On Saturday night, Trump arrived in Greensboro for a private fundraiser held at the home of Louis DeJoy, national deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee and president of LDJ Global Strategies. DeJoy served as the N.C. state chair for Trump Victory during the campaign, helping to deliver the swing state for Trump. His wife, Aldona Wos, served as the N.C. secretary of Health and Human Services under former Gov. Pat McCory.

Cost to attend the event ranged from $2,700 for individual dinners to $35,000 for co-hosts. Listed among the co-hosts were Melanie and Ed Broyhill of Winston-Salem, Jane and Roddy Dowd Jr. of Charlotte, April and Fred Eshelman of Wilmington and Raleigh developer John Kane.

While the event was a high-dollar one by most standards, the most recent campaign finance reports show that the RNC is breaking new ground not with the big check-writers, but with the small ones, and analysts say that Trump is the reason.

“Citizens in every state have donated to the Republican Party because they want even more of the economic and political leadership offered by our Party and the Trump Administration.”

— RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn

See TRUMP page A3

MIKE THEILER | REUTERS

U.S. President Donald Trump uses an umbrella in a heavy rain and surrounded by security as he arrives for a fundraising event at the home of former New Breed Logistics CEO Louis DeJoy, in Greensboro, N.C.

By Timothy Gardner and Emily Flitter Reuters

Gov. Cooper vetoes election bill, signs budget changes into law

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By Donna King North State Journal

Trump EPA moves to eliminate Obama-era energy regulations

— Bobbie Jones, Princeville mayor

INSIDE

Trump drives record RNC small-donor fundraising

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally proposed on Tuesday to scrap the agency’s Obama-era energy regulation plan known as the “Clean Power Plan,” as the Trump administration seeks to slash fossil fuel regulation.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a notice that the agency intended to repeal the plan, which it said relied on controversial calcu-

lations of economic costs and benefits.

The agency said it is “committed to righting the wrongs of the Obama administration by cleaning the regulatory slate,” and that “any replacement rule will be done carefully, properly, and with humility, by listening to all those affected by the rule.”

Ending the plan could save up to $33 billion in compliance costs in coming years, the notice said.

The move is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to revive the See ENERGY, page A12

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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10.11.17 #97

“Elevate the conversation” Visit North State Journal online! nsjonline.com jonesandblount.com nsjsports.com carolinabrewreview.com chickenbonealley.com EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

North State Journal (USPS PP 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins Publisher Donna King Editor Cory Lavalette Managing/Sports Editor Ray Nothstine Opinion Editor

Published each Wednesday

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From right: Speaker of the House Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain), Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest converge on the speaker’s podium

General Assembly overrides veto of GenX funding Gov. Cooper has vetoed 13 bills and the N.C. General Assembly has overridden eight of them.

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — Last week, the N.C. House and the N.C. Senate voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 56, a measure that sends $435,000 to local authorities charged with testing and treating the Cape Fear River for the chemical compound GenX. The fluorinated chemical has been released by the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant for the past 37 years as a by-product of producing nonstick coatings. Some of the money will go to the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority which is running a pilot test that, so far, appears to clear the water of GenX.

“Providing immediate resources for water treatment facilities and researchers in Southeastern North Carolina was an important step to protect the people of the Cape Fear region,” said House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain).

“We will continue to hold hearings in the House Select Committee on North Carolina River Quality to investigate the GenX contamination and develop solutions that ensure administrative accountability and clean drinking water for our citizens.”

CFPUA is directed in the bill to coordinate with utilities in both Pender and Brunswick counties for ongoing monitoring, withdrawal and treatment of the Cape Fear.

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington receives the rest of the money for water testing and studying the long-term health effects of GenX, which have not yet been determined. The Centers for Disease Control is currently studying GenX, but similar compounds

Buncombe County police take down an opioid trafficking ring in nursing homes Operation Bad Medicine yields 19 arrests of health care workers allegedly selling opioids from assisted living facilities

By Donna King North State Journal ASHEVILLE — Nineteen health care workers have been charged in Buncombe County with a total of 61 felonies, including trafficking $72,000 in opium

or heroin.

The arrests come after a sixmonth anti-opioid abuse project called Operation Bad Medicine.

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office along with the Buncombe County Anti-Crime Task Force worked to target health care workers who they allege were illegally diverting opioid prescription pain medication from area health care, nursing and assisted living facilities throughout the county.

Police allege that those charged were trafficking illegally obtained opioid prescription medication in

amounts too large for one individual to consume and in too short of a time. Investigators say it indicates that the traffickers were illegally selling the opioids.

In total, police records show that 13,151 dosage units of opioids, 383 dosage units of amphetamines, and 120 dosage units of benzodiazepines with a street value of nearly $72,000 were allegedly illegally obtained by the defendants.

Those charged include: Payal A. Patel, Samantha Gail Hannah, Matthew Allen Adair, Benjamin Russell Seagle, Tara McDonald

“It’s a shame that families in the lower Cape Fear region had to wait this long for a solution.”

— Sens. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) and Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) have shown links to cancer.

The bill also launches an electronic filing database for chemical discharge permits. Among the controversies in the issue is that Chemours had a federal consent order to discharge GenX but it did not appear on the state permit.

Lawmakers want the new electronic system to keep better track of permits and chemical discharge.

Cooper vetoed the bill in September saying that he didn’t think

Watkins, Kara Kimberly Glenn, Irvin Vance Keys Jr., Walter Fleming Wade IV, Kelly Shane Whitson, Jennifer Denise Morgan, Majorie Katherine Aultman, Dustin Andrew Walden, Candy Ray Walden, William Joseph Brooks, Zhanna Nickolaevna Balvk, Elva Denise Silvers, Brandon Alexander Freeman, Holly Mae Pruitt and Harold Grant Utz. The charges of trafficking in opium or heroin are in three levels, depending on how much of the drugs was found. Minimum mandatory sentences range from 70 months for between four and 14 grams, to level three felony, which is 225 months in prison for more than 28 grams. Additional fines ranging from $50,000 to $500,000.

Last month N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein announced that

it allotted enough money and he opposed where the money went.

Instead of local authorities, he called for $2.6 million to go to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality for research. Outcry over the discovery of GenX in the Cape Fear has been a focus of meetings and concern for months in New Hanover County and other areas along the N.C. coast, which rely on the Cape Fear for drinking water.

“It’s a shame that families in the lower Cape Fear region had to wait this long for a solution because of the governor’s veto, but we are pleased our Senate colleagues ended the delay and helped make this local solution that will actually help clean our drinking water a reality,” said Sens. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) and Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick.)

The N.C. House voted 70-44 and the N.C. Senate voted 30-9 in favor of overriding the veto.

he is seeking documents from manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids as part of an investigation into whether manufacturers and distributors are using illegal practices in their marketing and distribution of prescription opioids.

Stein said the Department of Justice is investigating opioid manufacturers Endo, Janssen, Teva/ Cephalon, Allergan and Purdue Pharma. They have also requested documents from opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

In N.C. drug overdoses are the No. 1 cause of accidental death, topping car accidents for the first time. The N.C. Department of Justice estimates that nearly four people die each day from accidental drug overdose in N.C.

Want to learn more about North Carolina Agriculture?

The First Furrow www.FirstFurrow.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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Gun control debate focus on ‘bump stocks’ after Vegas shooting Staunch gun-control Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) says “I’m not sure there is any set of laws that could have prevented it”

By NSJ Staff RALEIGH — The U.S. Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn (R-Texas), has called for lawmakers to investigate “bump stock” accessories that increase the rate of fire of certain weapons. This call comes after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Congress should ban the devices.

The spotlight has fallen on bump stocks after Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing more than 50 people and injuring hundreds. Twelve of the 23 guns in his hotel room were fitted with bump stocks, officials said.

Automatic weapons have been illegal in the United States for more than 30 years but devices like bump stocks are allowed under current law.

“If somebody can essentially convert a semi-automatic to an automatic weapon by buying one of these and utilizing it, and cause the kind of mayhem and mass casualties that we saw in Las Vegas, that’s something of obvious concern that we ought to explore,” said Cornyn, the Senate majority whip and a conservative Texas gun owner who has opposed some restrictions on firearms in the past.

Stricter gun laws have been proposed after previous mass shootings, but most Republicans and some Democrats repeatedly

have balked at what they see as infringements on the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In this situation, staunch gun-control advocate Feinstein said, “I’m not sure there is any set of laws that could have prevented it.”

Feinstein said 26 senators were co-sponsoring her bill to ban the devices, all Democrats, but she also planned to approach Republicans.

Last year Cornyn and Feinstein tried to find common ground on legislation to keep suspected terrorists from buying firearms after a shooting in Orlando killed 49 people. However, the two senators made different proposals, and both were voted down by the Senate. Some other Republicans, including Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, said they were willing to at least examine Feinstein’s bill on bump stock devices.

“If it comes over from the Senate, I’m willing to look at whatever legislation they think might be prudent,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus in the House.

The National Rifle Association said on Sunday it would oppose an outright ban on bumpstock devices. However, the gun rights group, which has seldom embraced new firearms-control measures, stunned gun control advocates last week when it issued a statement voicing willingness to support a restriction on bump stocks.

On Sunday, the organization said it was open to regulation but opposed any legislation banning the devices.

“We don’t believe that bans have

GEORGE FREY | REUTERS

A bump fire stock that attaches to a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing rate is seen at Good Guys Gun Shop in Orem, Utah.

“If somebody can essentially convert a semiautomatic to an automatic weapon by buying one of these and utilizing it, and cause the kind of mayhem and mass casualties that we saw in Las Vegas, that’s something of obvious concern that we ought to explore.”

— John Cornyn (R-Texas), Senate majority whip ever worked on anything. What we have said has been very clear — that if something transfers a semiautomatic to function like a fully

automatic, then it ought to be regulated differently,” Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Cox and Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s chief executive, accused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under Democratic former President Barack Obama of paving the way for the use of bump stocks and creating legal confusion about their usage.

In a joint statement, Cox and LaPierre also called for National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which they say “will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.” The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 was introduced in January by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.).

Several Republican lawmakers suggested last week that they were receptive to legislation to curb the use of bump stocks, including Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.),

TRUMP from page A1 In an analysis published by the Washington Post over the weekend, the RNC pulled in $7.3 million in August and nearly half ($3 million) was from donors giving $200 or less. By comparison, the DNC took in $4.3 million in August, its worst August haul in 11 years. By Aug. 31, 2017, the RNC raised $93 million in 2017 and the DNC, $46 million in 2017.

Of those figures, the Republicans have gotten $40 million from small donors and the Democrats have gotten $25 million from small donors.

“The RNC is taking in far more $’s than the Dems, and much of it by my wonderful small donors,” Trump tweeted Saturday on the news. “I am working hard for them!”

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said small donors have made a big difference, and the same trend was true during the campaign. By Election Day in November 2016, a record $238.6 million of Trump’s campaign funds were from $200-or-less donors. That accounts for nearly 70 percent of the campaign’s individual donations. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders got $99 million from small donors and Hillary Clinton’s $200-and-under donors gave $136.8 million.

“The Republican Party continues to thrive because of steady support from the American people,” said McDaniel, who joined Trump at the Greensboro fundraiser. “We are thankful for individuals across the country who have expressed confidence in us to support President Trump and defend Republican majorities in Congress.”

The continued donations under $200 to the RNC may be partially fueled by the media and perception among Republican rank-and-file that Trump doesn’t get fair coverage.

Ari Fleischer, former Republican President George W. Bush’s

the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, who said such controls were an area where Congress may be able to act.

But House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who himself was nearly killed by a gunman earlier this year while at a baseball practice, was cautious on Sunday about potential new legislation.

“I do think it’s a little bit early for people to say they know what to do to fix this problem,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“A week ago most people didn’t know what a bump stock was, so to think that we’re now all experts and know how to write some panacea law, it’s fallacy,” Scalise added.

Investigators remain largely in the dark about what drove Paddock, a retired real estate investor and high-stakes gambler, on Oct. 1 to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

first press secretary, said any shift in the way people viewed the press and the president was likely the product of an oppositional relationship that both sides had pushed since the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Trump throws fastballs directly at the press’ head. He does it almost every day,” Fleischer said.

“This makes those who oppose Trump draw into the press,” elevating its stature among those who would otherwise not trust the media, he said.

“But the press has played into it by the mistakes they’ve made, by missing the rise of Trump and being too liberal,” Fleischer added.

“They’ve helped create this environment.”

As both parties move toward what is expected be expensive 2018 midterm congressional races, with Republicans holding a majority in both chambers. Democrats have been strategizing on which seats might be vulnerable, but money could be a problem.

For Republicans being able to put significant policy accomplishments on the board is even more critical.

Trump is turning his attention to immigration, health care and tax reform. On Sunday, he sent a list of initiatives that he wants to see in any immigration policy including money for more border patrol agents and tighter rules on asylum seekers.

He also announced Tuesday that he will sign an order this week allowing small businesses and individuals to band together as associations to buy health insurance plans across state lines.

Supporters say it will increase competition and drive down prices. Immigration and Obamacare are two issues that were critical to Trump voters, and donors, in 2016.

Third quarter campaign finance reports are due to the Federal Elections Commission by Oct. 15.

PHOTOS BY MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

One year ago the Tar River flooded the town of Princeville due to the heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew.

PRINCEVILLE from pageA1 town continues to rally together and rebuild itself. The town and its supporters recently joined together to host “Hope for Princeville,” a day dedicated to celebrating its history and building its future.

Community meetings are routinely held to gather input from citizens on the rebuilding process.

During this first year since Hurricane Matthew, the town has made several changes to as-

sist in preventing such damage in the future and help with bringing services back to normal. In May, the Princeville Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed to have services in the town’s critical buildings rebuilt on higher ground after an unofficial request by the governor’s office.

Princeville Commissioners agreed to transfer services provided by the town hall, fire department, senior citizens and public works to buildings on high-

er ground, so long as the state provides in writing the town of Princeville will maintain ownership of the original buildings to be able to repurpose them.

In January, North Carolina received $198 million grant for Hurricane Matthew recovery, with nearly $159 million of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery earmarked to several hardest-hit areas, including Edgecombe County in which Princeville resides.

MIKE THEILER | REUTERS

President Donald Trump descends the stairs of Air Force One using an umbrella in a heavy rain as he arrives for a fundraising event at the home of former New Breed Logistics CEO Louis DeJoy, in Greensboro.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Nation & WORLD

Trump prepares measure to punish companies that outsource jobs Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump said he has prepared an “economic development” measure that would punish companies that globally outsource jobs. The bill would provide economic incentives for companies, Trump said in an interview with Forbes magazine published on Tuesday, and reward firms that maintain jobs in the U.S., and deliver punitive measures against those that move operations offshore.

Student arrested in fatal shooting of police officer at Texas college Lubbock, Texas A 19-year-old Texas Tech freshman has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a police officer in Lubbock, officials said on Monday night. The university was on lockdown after Texas Tech police said they went to check on the welfare of the student, Hollis Daniels, earlier on Monday and after allegedly discovering drugs officers took him to the school’s police station. Daniels allegedly pulled a gun, shot an officer in the head and then fled on foot before being caught and arrested later, officials said.

Michigan to charge state’s top medical official in Flint water deaths Flint, Michigan Michigan’s top medical official will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for her role in the city of Flint’s water crisis, which was linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that caused at least 12 deaths, state prosecutors said on Monday. Dr. Eden Wells, the state’s chief medical executive who already faced lesser charges, would become the sixth current or former official to face involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the crisis.

Catalonia nears possible independence proclamation despite Madrid warnings Madrid Police tightened security at Catalonia’s parliament on Tuesday as regional leader Carles Puigdemont prepared to address a session that may unilaterally declare independence from Spain despite Madrid’s warnings of counter-measures.

Puigdemont, a 54-year-old former journalist, was holding a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to decide how to press an independence drive that has stirred powerful emotions in the region and raised concern in European Union partner states.

MIKE BLAKE | REUTERS

Air Force One departs Las Vegas past the broken windows on the Mandalay Bay hotel, where shooter Stephen Paddock conducted his mass shooting along the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas hotel weighs fate of notorious 32nd floor suite Authorities still looking for motive in shooting that killed 58

By Alexandria Sage Reuters LAS VEGAS — What will become of the now-notorious Las Vegas hotel suite that 64-year-old retiree used to stage the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history?

That is the difficult decision facing the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a week after Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd at an outdoor concert from room 135 on the hotel’s 32nd floor, killing 58 and injuring more than 500.

“I wouldn’t want to stay in that room,” said tourist Randy Dockery of Murphy, N.C., as he visited

a makeshift memorial for the victims in a narrow patch of grass along the Las Vegas Strip.

The suite’s shattered gold-tinted windows are now discreetly covered over. The resort, owned

by MGM Resorts International, has yet to say what it will do with the space.

The challenge is particularly difficult for a hotel in Las Vegas, a place where visitors go to escape everyday lives and real-world problems.

“How do they navigate the fact that this happened in their hotel?” said Andrea Trapani, managing partner at Identity, a Detroit-area public relations firm that provides crisis communications for hospitality brands. “A lot of challenging, tough questions and decisions are going to be made.”

Officials facing similar deci-

Trump seeks border wall, crackdown on unaccompanied minors for ‘Dreamer’ deal N.C. legislators front and center in immigration reform

By Jeff Mason Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump presented a list of immigration principles this week that he says should be part of any deal that extends protection to “dreamers,” the 800,000 people who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

Among the top requirements in funding for a border wall along

the U.S.-Mexican border, one of his major campaign points. The document also calls for tighter standards for those seeking asylum, denial of federal grants to “sanctuary cities” that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws, 10,000 more Customs and Border Patrol agents, and a requirement that employers use an “E-Verify” to keep illegal immigrants from securing jobs.

A White House official told Reuters on Sunday the principles were a guide for the legislative process it hopes Republicans and Democrats will take up.

“The administration can’t be serious about compromise,” said

sions at the schools, churches and other places where mass shootings have taken place in recent years have gone in a variety of directions.

Some of the venues have been dismantled completely. Others, like the San Bernardino, Calif., community center where a husband and wife killed 14 people in December 2015, have reopened, with officials saying that getting back to work helping people was integral to healing.

The Orlando, Fla., nightclub where a gunman killed 49 people in June 2016 remains closed, and the owner plans to turn it into a memorial.

Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six adults were killed in 2012, was demolished and rebuilt four years later.

“We applaud the administration’s leadership on principles that will be critical to any immigration policy changes.”

— Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a joint statement. “We told the president at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures … but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced a bill last month, called the SUCCEED Act, that would establish a merit-based system that allows those here on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), or “dreamers,” to work, study or serve

A spokesman for Mandalay Bay declined to comment on its plans.

“The hotel was absolutely a victim as well, and by transforming some space into something that honors the victims, they could hopefully promote healing and actually some good,” said Kim Miller, president of Florida-based Ink Link Marketing, whose work includes advising companies on crisis management.

The debate about moving forward respectfully continues as investigators try to determine shooter Stephen Paddock’s motives.

“In coordination with the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit, a comprehensive picture is being drawn as to the suspect’s mental state and currently we do not believe there is one particular event in the suspect’s life for us to key on,” Lombardo said.

There is no indication anyone other than Paddock fired on the crowd, Lombardo said, adding investigators are talking to family members and the girlfriend of the gunman.

in the military to stay in the U.S. legally. If they arrived before 2012, don’t have a criminal record or outstanding tax debt, and stay working, in school or in the military, they could apply for citizenship in 15 years. Tillis and his co-sponsor, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), said Trump verbally agreed to the basic concepts in the bill.

“The priorities laid out by the White House are helpful in starting a conversation about how to best reform our nation’s immigration system for the long-term,” said Tillis’ spokesman, Daniel Keylin.

“In the short-term, Tillis remains focused on a legislative fix that would pair much-needed border security with a merit-based solution for the DACA population.”

The White House’s wish list also expands the list of “inadmissible aliens” to include members of gangs, those who have been convicted of an aggravated felony, and former spouses and children of drug and human traffickers if they receive benefits from such behavior.

U.S. Army Sgt. Bergdahl expected to plead guilty to desertion

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 31, who was held captive by the Taliban for five years after walking off his post in Afghanistan, is expected to plead guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the Associated Press reports, citing two people with knowledge of the case. The plea is expected to be filed later this month with the military court trying the case at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville. The trial was scheduled to begin on Oct. 23.

“We have no comment on that report,” said Eugene Fidell, one of Bergdahl’s lawyers, when Reuters reached him by phone on Friday.

In 2009, Bergdahl left his post near the Pakistan border, telling fellow soldiers that he was a survivalist and he wanted to draw atten-

tion to a “leadership failure” in his unit. His disappearance sparked a regionwide manhunt in which several soldiers were seriously injured.

Bergdahl was captured and said he suffered torture, abuse and neglect at the hands of Taliban forces.

In 2014, Bergdahl was released in a prisoner swap with five Taliban detainees held by the U.S. in a decision that was criticized by many Republican leaders. President Donald Trump has called Bergdahl a “dirty, rotten traitor.”

President Barack Obama said Bergdahl served “with honor and distinction,” during a 2014 Rose Garden ceremony announcing his release. Republicans objected to the swap because, among other issues, they were not notified of the deal until after the five Taliban members had been released. The five Taliban members were sent to Qatar for “indefinite house arrest,”

according to the Qatari government in the terms of their release.

Bergdahl was charged in 2015 with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy by endangering U.S. troops. The latter offense carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Fort Bragg officials would not confirm the AP report.

“We continue to maintain careful respect for the military-judicial process, the rights of the accused and ensuring the case’s fairness and impartiality during this ongoing legal case,” said Fort Bragg Army spokesman Paul Boyce.

The presiding judge in the case, Army Col. Jeffrey R. Nance, earlier ruled that soldiers who had been injured looking for Bergdahl would be allowed to testify against him.

Reuters News Service contributed to this report.

JONATHAN DRAKE | REUTERS | FILE

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl leaves the courthouse after an arraignment hearing for his court-martial in Fort Bragg, on Dec. 22, 2015.

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MIKE BLAKE | REUTERS

A firefighting helicopter drops water to help save a home during a wind driven wildfire in Orange, Calif.

Crews battle California wildfires as death toll creeps up Hundreds of homes destroyed, 15 dead in state’s wine country

By Marc Vartabedian Reuters SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Firefighters battled 15 wildfires on Tuesday that have killed at least 15 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Northern California while raging through the state’s world-famous wine country.

Efforts to control the fires were helped by the wind dying down on Monday, Brad Alexander, a spokesman for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said.

However, the death toll could still rise, he said.

Schools and colleges near the wildfires canceled Tuesday’s classes and two hospitals in Sonoma County were forced to evacuate, state officials said.

About 1,500 homes and commercial buildings had been destroyed, Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said on Monday.

Much of the damage was in California’s wine country north of San Francisco. Sonoma County bore the brunt of the fatalities, with seven fire-related deaths confirmed there, according to the sheriff’s department. Two people died in Napa County and one in

“The top priority is still the evacuations for the most active fires because life protection is the No. 1 concern.”

— Brad Alexander, California Office of Emergency Services Mendocino County, officials said.

An 11th death was reported in Yuba County, NBC News reported. The total rose to 15 Tuesday.

Some 20,000 people had been evacuated from their homes since

Sunday, officials said, while CNN said more than 100 had been treated for fire-related injuries, including burns and smoke inhalation.

The 15 fires broke out during the weekend and were fanned by high temperatures and dry conditions. They spread across some 73,000 acres, fire officials said.

The largest fire, covering 42 square miles and 39 square miles, respectively, struck in Napa and Sonoma counties. The status of the grape crop currently being harvested there was unclear.

In addition to potential damage to vineyards from fire itself, experts say sustained exposure to heavy smoke can taint unpicked grapes.

Fred Oliai, 47, owner of the Alta Napa Valley Winery, said winemakers were nervous.

“You can’t see anything,” he said in a telephone interview. “The smoke is very dense.” Oliai had not been able to get close enough to his vineyards to see if flames reached

his 90-acre property. “We got our grapes in last week but others still have grapes hanging,” he said.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and five other counties.

That included Orange County in Southern California, where a wildfire on Monday destroyed at least a half dozen homes in the affluent Anaheim Hills neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents, authorities said.

Patients at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa were being removed early Monday morning, according to NBC Bay Area reporter Laura Garcia. “Gurneys being brought out, people in wheelchairs and walkers loaded in cars,” Garcia wrote on Twitter.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory warning for the early part of the week. It said it expected winds at 20 to 35 mph and gusts of at least 45 mph.

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

NC Cotton Industry As you see from the map, most of N.C.’s cotton is grown in the Coastal Plains region however some can be found in the rolling hills of the Piedmont. Read on to learn more about the cotton industry in North Carolina!

Sprayberry installed as national head of Emergency Management Association

By Donna King North State Journal

Facts about North Carolina cotton production: • In 2017 N.C. planted 375,000 acres of cotton.

• This year N.C. is ranked seventh in U.S. cotton production by acreage. As recent as 2014, N.C. was ranked as high as third.

• A bale of cotton weights 480 pounds.

• One bale of cotton can produce 215 pairs of denim jeans.

Did you know?

• N.C. is projected to produce 745,000 bales of cotton this year.

Marshall Grant, a North Carolina farmer and cotton industry leader, was instrumental in establishing the nationwide Boll Weevil Eradication Program. The program is often credited with saving the U.S. cotton industry and continues to provide positive economic and environmental impacts.

• The economic impact of N.C.’s 2017 cotton crop should exceed $250 million.

No information available or 0 acres

1 acre — 500 acres

501 acres — 5,000 acres

WEST

5,001 acres — 10,000 acres

10,001 acres — 15,000 acres

Franklin High’s cheerleaders display second scripture sign despite controversy

Multiple tornadoes hit western NC, thousands without power Caldwell County The National Weather Service said multiple tornadoes touched down in western N.C. with more than 12,000 businesses and homes without power at one point and 5,000 still in the dark Monday afternoon. The storms were part of the remnants of Nate, which came ashore in Mississippi as a Category 1 hurricane but downgraded to a tropical depression as it made its way up through Alabama and Tennessee.

Parts of Caldwell, Wilkes, Watauga, Ashe, Catawba, Rutherford, Lincoln, Cleveland and Burke counties were all under a tornado warning. Burke, Polk and Caldwell Counties all reported tornado damages. The NWS is working to determine just how many tornadoes touched down in the area. Officials with the Triple Community Fire Department said that firefighter Jason Keith Hensley, 40, was hit and killed by a car while he was clearing storm debris from a road in Morganton. The driver of the car, Randall Stewart, was charged with driving while impaired.

WLOS

A7

Macon County At the Sept. 29 high school football game at Franklin High, the cheerleaders presented a huge banner reading “We are not ashamed 10:33.”

The banner contained reference to scripture and was the latest in a debate over religious student signs at Franklin’s football games. Back in August, the cheerleaders held a banner for players to run through that read, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” with a magic marker drawing of a cross. After a picture of the sign was displayed on social media, Macon County school superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin got a letler from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation — a national nonprofit that pursues separation between church and state in media and the courtroom — saying the banner was promotion of religion by the public school. In Highlands recently, about 50 people showed up to a school board meeting in support of the student signs.

Baldwin told the crowd that the school system will remain neutral on the issue and they will follow federal and state laws regarding freedom of speech.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

15,001 acres — 25,000 acres

> 25,001 acres

PIEDMONT

You can hear Mr. Grant’s story in his own words at:

www.cottoninc.com/corporate/About-Cotton-Incorporated/Hall-of-Fame

New online university established

Marijuana delivered to Charlotte home Mecklenburg County Charlotte homeowners were shocked to find a package full of nearly $30,000 in marijuana delivered to their doorstep.

The package, delivered last week, contained 15 1-pound bricks of marijuana according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Drug traffickers have previously used wrong addresses to avoid police.

WSOC CHARLOTTE

Duke Energy linemen to compete in international competition Mecklenburg County Eighty-five Duke Energy line technicians will compete in the International Lineman’s Rodeo on Oct. 14 in Bonner Springs, Kan. Now in its 34th year, the rodeo attracts the best linemen from around the world competing in events that test job-related skills such as simulated hurt-man rescues, equipment repair and pole climbs. Competitors are judged on speed, agility, technique and safety procedures. All Duke Energy participants at the rodeo earned their spots by competing in regional Duke Energy competitions in 2016 and 2017.

Competitors who earned a spot in 2016 were unable to participate due to Hurricane Matthew power restoration efforts.

Wake County North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest announced a new partnership establishing Western Governors University North Carolina — nc.wgu. edu — an online university aimed at expanding access to higher education for North Carolinians. Created through an agreement between the state and nonprofit Western Governors University, WGU North Carolina will offer accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four high-demand fields critical to North Carolina’s economy: business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. Forest and North Carolina leaders in business and education joined WGU President Scott D. Pulsipher at the North Carolina State Capitol to announce the partnership.

PR NEWSWIRE

EAST Cucalorus Festival comes to Wilmington New Hanover County The 23rd annual Cucalorus Festival takes over downtown Wilmington from Nov. 8-12 and will screen more than 70 documentaries — including the world premiere of Ricky and Cherie Kelly’s racially charged motorcycle doc “Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches” and the international premiere of Shawn Hitchins’ fiery, flamboyant stage show-doc “Ginger Nation.”

Cucalorus will screen more than 250 films at the fall festival.

NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Store owner combats shoplifting with shaming Hertford County Shoplifters beware as the Ahoskie Market and Rich Square Market are taking a new approach to combating shoplifting. After owner Frank Timberlake noticed a continuation of shoplifting in his two stores, he started placing the names of shoplifters on the marquee outside his stores. Instead of raising prices on products to cover the losses from thieves stealing, he now places their names on the marquee for everyone in town to see.

THE ROANOKE-CHOWAN NEWS HERALD

Kitty Hawk woman wins $1M on lottery ticket Dare County Vickie Woolard of Kitty Hawk won the last $1 million prize in the Ultimate Millions scratch-off game. Woolard bought the $30 ticket at a Duck Thru in Nags Head. She claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

She had the choice of taking a $1 million annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. Woolard chose the lump sum and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $417,015.

THE OUTER BANKS VOICE

Community College adds workforce development programs Craven County Five workforce development programs at Craven Community College are now eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. The five workforce development programs now eligible for VA benefits include Commercial Driving License, Barbering and HVAC on the New Bern campus, Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Power Plant Preparatory Course on the Havelock campus, and welding, which is offered at both locations. The CDL program is ongoing, while the other four programs will begin new terms in the spring.

NEW BERN SUN JOURNAL

PR NEWSWIRE

Always growing ncotton.org

RALEIGH — North Carolina Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry began his one-year term this week as president of the national organization of emergency managers. Elected by his peers, Sprayberry was installed at the 2017 NEMA Annual Forum this past weekend in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“I am honored to serve my fellow emergency managers and look forward to a productive year leading our organization,” said Sprayberry. As one of his goals during his tenure, Sprayberry said he wants to increase diversity of the workforce in emergency management.

“There are many who do not know what it is that emergency managers do, and how we work to prepare and protect the public,” said Sprayberry. “We can work harder to educate students and qualified young people about our field and recruit them to the emergency management profession.”

Sprayberry has become a fixture at the head of the state’s award-winning emergency

management operation, most recently calmly delivering updates and instructions to the media during Hurricane Matthew, last year’s battle again western N.C. wildfires, and in preparations for this year’s storms.

He was appointed as the director of N.C. Emergency Management under Gov. Pat McCrory in February 2013, after serving as deputy director and pperations section chief since 2006. He is also the North Carolina deputy Homeland Security adviser and serves as vice chair of the National Advisory Council at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Sprayberry is a former Marine and member of the N.C. Army National Guard where he served as a field artillery and infantry officer. Sprayberry is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College in addition to holding a bachelor’s and master’s degree from UNC Charlotte.

Launched in 1974 to create an avenue for exchanging information and best practices, NEMA is the professional association for emergency management directors from all 50 states, eight U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

Cooper vetoes elections bill, signs budget changes

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — Republican lawmakers at the General Assembly are saying that Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of an elections bill Monday is based on rumors, not the bill language. Cooper vetoed H.B. 656, which made it easier for third party candidates to get on N.C. ballots and eliminated the 2018 judicial primaries. Cooper, a Democrat, said it was the first step toward the legislature trying to appoint judges rather than have them elected.

“This legislation abolishes a scheduled election and takes away the right of the people to vote for the judges of their choice,” Cooper said in a press release. “It is the first step toward a constitutional amendment that will rig the system so that the legislature picks everybody’s judges in every district instead of letting the people vote for the judges they want. If the legislature doesn’t like the fact that judges are ruling many of their laws unconstitutional, they should change their ways instead of their judges.”

Republican lawmakers say it isn’t so.

They say the bill will boost third party participation in elections. According to data released from the Bipartisan State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement last month, unaffiliated voters are now the second largest voting group in the state. They also say the bill allows time for a much-needed study and overhaul of the state’s judicial districts.

“The rumors Gov. Cooper cited to justify his veto aren’t in this bill, which

simply gives lawmakers time to conduct the thorough and deliberate study of North Carolina’s judicial elections that groups across the political spectrum — including members of our judiciary — have repeatedly called for,” said Senate Select Committee on Elections Chairman Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell). “I hope my colleagues will override his veto.”

The measure reduces the number of signatures required for third party candidates and unaffiliated candidates to run. It also makes other changes to the rules in N.C. about third parties running for office, including pushing off the candidate filing deadline until June. Republicans say that increasing third party participation would reduce the need for low-turnout second primaries.

“It’s unsurprising that the plurality winner of the closest gubernatorial election in North Carolina history is afraid for voters to have more choices at the ballot box,” said House Committee on Elections & Ethics Law Chairman David Lewis (R-Harnett) in a statement.

“This legislation makes needed, nonpartisan reforms to our ballot access laws and gives judicial candidates the time they need to analyze any forthcoming changes to judicial maps that the General Assembly may make,” he added.

Also on Monday, Cooper signed into law S.B. 582, a bill that makes some changes and technical corrections to the state budget.

Among them is continuing the annual $30 million tax credit for the film industry, which was scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2020.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

BUSINESS

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Zach Medford, president of Isaac Hunter’sHospitality, poses for a photograph in his new bar Parliament in Raleigh’s Glenwood South district.

n.c.

FAST FACTS Sponsored by

First Citizens Bank recently completed the 2017 First Citizens Bank Small Business Forecast, which is a survey of 250 small business owners/managers in NC, SC, FL and CA. These businesses each employ fewer than 500 people and the majority have annual revenue of under $1 million. The responses within the North Carolina survey provided some incredibly encouraging news about our state’s small businesses, and confirms what many here already know: NC is one of the best places in the nation to do business.

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This week, we present one of the two primary themes that emerged from the NC respondents in the FCB third annual Small Business Forecast:

North Carolina is a State of Optimism

70%

considered their business successful or very successful in 2016.

71%

are optimistic or very optimistic about the economy in the next 2-3 years.

70%

consider NC to be a great place to start a business.

A bartender, a business man, and a trolley conductor walk into a bar...

Local entrepreneur Zack Medford challenges and encourages fellow Raleigh businesses to invest in and commit to the capitol city’s downtown renaissance

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal

“As you see us getting bigger and making national headlines, you see a lot of national chains that want to come in. To me, that’s inevitable, but there is nothing better for our economy, workforce, people and culture, than local businesses that are privately owned.”

RALEIGH – With credit cards bearing his name and no money in his pocket, Zack Medford began a quest to open a neighborhood bar in Raleigh built on luck, credit and a passion. Closing in on a decade later, he has four Raleigh bars and a trolley to his name.

“I started out financing my part — Zack Medford of Isaac Hunter’s on credit cards.

I did it without any money in my While it was a challenge at the pocket and had a large credit line after a bunch of debt I paid off,” start – there was a fourth partner who embezzled money from the said Medford.

“I actually began bartending trio before the bar ever opened in college to pay off debt I had – the labor proved fruitful and raised on my credit cards. I was eventually three more bars joined able to use that credit I had in my the mix.

Patrons can venture to Coglin’s, name to help finance my portion.

I really started with nothing. I a bar dedicated to paying homage was incredibly lucky to start the to the 1980s and 1990s; Paddy business at the right time, with O’Beers, a fusion of a craft beer the right people and crew, and to retail store and sit-down bar; and Parliament, a classy cocktail start a business people loved.”

Medford, 34, is referring to bar offering a picturesque view of Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, a Fayette- Glenwood South.

“Raleigh is a city that really hit ville Street neighborhood bar he opened in 2008 with business its stride in the last 10 years. It’s partners Ben Yannessa and Brad really starting to come alive and Bowles under the umbrella of the population is doubling. It’s exciting to be here,” said Medford.

Isaac Hunter’s Hospitality.

“I like people. Being behind the “I count my lucky stars we were bar, you’re able to run into people in Raleigh when this movement you might not meet anywhere started. I’m glad we could be a else. People are from all walks of small part of that.”

Opening within the last month, life whether it’s a rich politician or the guy that works down at the his newest adventure is the Great Jiffy Lube. You meet these people Raleigh Trolley with fellow busiand realize how cool and inter- nessman Andrew Payne.

“We wanted to build a bulk esting so many different types of touring company to show off evpeople are,” said Medford.

“You learn a lot bartending, erything Raleigh has to offer from but not everything,” he added. the nightlife to history to bou“The learning curve was steep tique shopping to football games,” said the Raleigh native. opening a bar.”

“I really want to support local Raleigh business. As you see us getting bigger and making national headlines, you see a lot of national chains that want to come in. To me, that’s inevitable, but there is nothing better for our economy, workforce, people and culture, than local businesses that are privately owned,” said Medford. “We are using the trolley to spotlight all that Raleigh is.”

For Medford, it’s not just the hospitality of the bar scene and nightlife in Raleigh that he’s passionate about. He seeks out civic and leadership opportunities in the downtown area and has been vocal in objecting legislation presented by the Raleigh City Council if he believes it hinders small businesses.

He’s raised money for community partners such as the Oak City Outreach Center, which prevents homelessness. He’s participated in Leadership Raleigh through the local Chamber of Commerce.

In 2004, when he was still a student at North Carolina State University, he ran for the Raleigh City Council earning 14 percent of the vote in a four-way race.

He spoke out against the City Council when they wanted to pass legislation keeping consumers from drinking beer on outdoor patios of downtown restaurants and bars. He rallied businesses, made t-shirts and held protests which kept the legislation from passing. He recently released a series of viral videos challenging burger chain Wahlburgers, which is looking at bringing the chain to downtown Raleigh, to be involved in the local community.

“As a business owner, it’s essential to realize you aren’t here to just make money. You are here to give back to the community. It’s our responsibility as a business owner,” said Medford. “When there is a need out there, whether it’s a coat or making cards for firefighters, it’s up to small business owners to rise to the occasion.”

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Sponsored by

Celebrate small-town living in Hobgood For 15 years running, in the small public power community of Hobgood, North Carolina, the second Saturday in October means one thing: the annual Cotton Festival.

Started as a way to raise money for the town’s revitalization efforts, the festival has grown into a celebration of small-town living and agriculture— especially cotton. The Hobgood Cotton Festival is a major effort by volunteers and is supported by sponsorships from local businesses and communities, bringing to life a favorite saying of the town’s residents: “Working together works.”

To see what they mean, head to the eastern tip of Halifax County this Saturday, Oct. 14, for some family fun that will not disappoint. Grown-ups and kids alike will enjoy the Healthy Kid Zone with its obstacle course, hula hoops and juggling instruction. Live music all day long will feature great hometown entertainers like musicians Laura Davis and Parks Boyd. While shopping for crafts, unique gifts, and jams and other delicious food from vendors galore, be sure to get your face painted and grab your favorite balloon animal!

For more information about the festivities, visit @HobgoodCottonFestival on Facebook.

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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THE BRIEF Aeroflow Healthcare announces new facility in western NC

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LANCE CPL. AUSTIN LIVINGSTON

Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, attend a Hiring our Heroes’ Military Spouse Program Event at Marston Pavilion in Camp Lejeune.

Job challenges for N.C. military spouses receive White House attention Ivanka Trump and WH advisor Kellyanne Conway visit Jacksonville’s Marine families to renew the administration’s commitment to supporting military spouses with focused employment policies

Google takes on GoPro, Snap with compact smart camera

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal CAMP LEJEUNE — Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway visited Camp LeJeune last week to discuss the unique struggles military spouses face in the workforce, ways in which the Trump administration can help make improvements, and the difficulty of child care for working mothers.

The White House team’s visit was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program which included the duo co-hosting a military spouse symposium on the base. Trump, advisor to the President, Conway, Counselor to the President, and Jennifer Korn, special assistant to the President and White House Deputy Director for the Office of Public Liaison, led the conversation with military spouses.

Trump and Conway greeted active duty Marines and military spouses and restated the Trump administration’s commitment to employment policies that will support careers in the 21st century.

“The Trump administration is committed to preparing the workforce of the future for the work of the future,” said Trump.

Asheville Aeroflow Healthcare, a leading provider of durable medical equipment and one of Inc. Magazine’s “5000 Fastest Growing Companies”, has announced the purchase of a new building and fulfillment facility in Asheville, NC. The new 35,000 square foot facility will consolidate product inventories currently housed in two separate Asheville locations to a single, centralized distribution center, allowing for increased efficiency and improved rates of delivery to Aeroflow customers.

Aeroflow will employ about 30 procurement, distribution and clinical services employees within the fulfillment facility when it opens in fall of 2017, with plans to add about 50 employees by the end of 2018. Aeroflow will also expand its corporate, call center and administration teams. The new facility is located at 65 Beale Rd, Arden, NC less than four miles from Aeroflow’s national headquarters at 3165 Sweeten Creek Rd., Asheville, NC.

Trump and Conway visited Camp Lejeune to thank the recently-deployed service members and take part in a spouse transition summit panel discussion with Camp Lejeune military spouses to learn more about the career challenges they face.

The officials engaged in a conversation with military spouses, diving deeper into the career challenges they face and discussing opportunities for improvement.

The panel took questions from the audience addressing a range of issues including college credit transfers for military spouses, business tax credits for promoting military spouse hiring, and child care capacity on military installations.

Launched in 2011, Hiring Our Heroes is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast net-

work of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Hiring Our Heroes has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through more than 1,100 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and on military installations overseas; a suite of free online career-based resources; and the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s longterm competitiveness. They educate the public on the conditions

necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future.

“Our military spouse team works hard each and every day to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced by military spouses as they search for meaningful careers. The White House has shown a strong commitment to that mission, and we look forward to the impact of our collective efforts,” said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes.

San Francisco Google’s announcement that it was planning to launch a smart video camera as part of its push into hardware sent shares of action camera maker GoPro Inc down more than six percent on Wednesday. Google Clips will be the first standalone camera from the search and advertising company, which has expanded its hardware business over the last year. Its signature feature draws on machine learning technology to automatically begin recording when notable actions are detected.

Google’s recent move into smartphones, speakers and laptops has put the search giant into competition with Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc. Clips, which Google said is “coming soon,” takes on compact cameras such as GoPro’s Hero5 Session and Snap Inc’s Spectacles as each strives to make the process of recording video simpler and more mobile. GoPro stock closed down 6.3 percent at $10.39. Shares of Snap, which derives revenue mostly from ad sales on its social media app, dropped 0.75 percent to $14.53.

Piedmont Tirad Partnership is the private sector leadership organization working to advance the economy of the Piedmont Triad region. PTP does this by connecting, convening, advocating, and marketing. We are supporting regional development platforms including megasite development, the aeroplex anchored by Piedmont Triad International Airport and the redevelopment of Whitaker Park Complex. We believe supporting these transformational projects will prepare the Triad to compete for major economic development job generators.

OUR MISSION as a private leadership organization is to connect and leverage the region’s leaders and assets to drive increased economic growth and jobs.

OUR VISION is to be globally recognized as a dynamic and prosperous region where collaborative culture, emerging innovation and thriving talent generate sustainable, significant economic growth outpacing the southeast United States.

Visit www.PiedmontTriadNC.com | Contact us at info@ptpnc.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Ray Nothstine, opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | RAY NOTHSTINE

Keep liberals talking on gun laws After all, Barack Obama’s lectures and threats for gun control by executive order was a boon for gun sales.

WHILE MANY FREEDOMS in America have been dissipating with the growth of government and cultural decay, this does not include the right to firearms or Second Amendment protections.

Immediately after the Las Vegas massacre, gun control advocates began spouting off for everything from increased regulation to firearm confiscation. The rush to politicize the tragedy with “blood on their hands” remarks while bodies had yet to be identified or recovered only adds to the ghoulish nature of our contemporary politics. Late night comics were quick to lecture Americans on gun control, often advocating for many policies already in place. Hysteria, hypocrisy, and ignorance of firearms on the left is doing little to nothing to curtail Second Amendment rights, and that is good thing for inherent rights in North Carolina and the nation.

After all, Barack Obama’s lectures and threats for gun control by executive order was a boon for gun sales.

In one of the most egregious examples to elevate politics over human life, a CBS executive attacked the victims after the massacre. “I’m actually not even sympathetic [because] country music fans often are Republican gun toters,” executive CBS Hayley Geftman-Gold wrote on her Facebook page. She was quickly terminated.

Hillary Clinton chimed in with her tone-deaf remarks with an attack on the National Rifle Association a few hours after the shooting: “The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the

deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get.” She vowed to keep fighting for more gun control on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

In an interview with the Daily Caller, New York Congressman Charlie Rangel said that “Law abiding citizens just shouldn’t have to carry a gun.” After the Daily Caller reminded Rangel of his own armed taxpayer police protection Rangel laughingly responded, “Well that’s a little different. I think we deserve–I think we need to be protected down here.”

If that wasn’t enough, celebrities and journalists took to social media to declare that the American Founders did not envision a nation with rapid fire weapons, presumably implying they would have never approved the Second Amendment if there was ever to be anything beyond slow loading muzzle loaders. British comedians and journalists piled on smugly bragging that mass shootings are rare in Europe because of strict gun control. Some celebrities, like actress Debra Messing, took to Twitter to praise Australia’s gun confiscation initiatives, presumably implying it was a good model for the United States. Some even demanded a ban of automatic weapons, which has been in place for over three quarters of a century. Predictably, many editorial boards rushed to call for more gun restrictions, blaming the GOP for expanding firearms rights.

In truth, attacks against the NRA and other

gun advocates lose momentum after tragic shootings for two simple reasons: The NRA is backed by millions upon millions of law-abiding Americans who are vocal. Congress has made little effort to clamp down on gun rights because their constituency opposes more regulations.

When pending legislation on firearms are brought before Congress, as many congressional staffers can attest, it’s the pro-gun constituency who flood the office with mail.

Despite the unfortunate tragedy of mass shootings, there is little to no evidence that angst for more government control and regulation of firearms will prevent shootings. Chicago and other urban enclaves with stricter gun control far outpace settings with much laxer restrictions.

Brazil has stricter gun laws than the U.S. and has twice the amount of gun deaths per capita than our own country.

Part of the reason there is an increase in screeching and emotional outbursts after a tragedy where a firearm is used stems from the realization that expanding gun rights are the new norm. One of the best arguments for the rights to bear arms is not just that it is an inherent protection enshrined in our Bill of Rights, but that tens of millions of Americans safely exercise that right daily.

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

NCGOP did not invent gerrymandering in 2011 When it comes to redistricting, that means state legislatures.

Not the Supreme Court. Or the president.

THE SUPREME COURT heard arguments last week about a redistricting case in Wisconsin that some believe was “too extreme” when it came to drawing state legislative maps purely for partisan political purposes.

What is “too extreme?”

How about a congressional district that was drawn in North Carolina that was 91 percent Democrat by registration in 1984? Would that today be considered too extreme for partisan political purposes by everyone concerned about gerrymandering?

That was the makeup of the Second Congressional District I ran in during the 1984 campaign as a Republican. Sadly, the same masses of lawyers and advocates who are today running to the Supreme Court to declare gerrymandering as “unconstitutional” in any way, shape or form were not as concerned about it in 1984.

The issue of drawing legislative districts is a specific constitutional duty given to state legislatures in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution to coincide with every decennial census.

Alexander Hamilton argued during the ratification process in New York that “the true principle of a republic is, that the people should choose whom they please to govern them.”

When it comes to redistricting, that means state legislatures. Not the Supreme Court. Or the president.

Not even the U.S. Congress or Senate. The elected representatives closest to the voters themselves are the elected representatives in state legislatures and general assemblies.

The Supreme Court has assiduously stayed away from issuing firm definitive rules and parameters for redistricting since 1789 mainly because the Court has consistently seen it as an issue specifically reserved for the state legislatures to handle, for better or worse.

Governor Elbridge Gerry himself started it all in 1812 during the war with England, when he signed a state legislative redistricting plan to benefit and advantage his Democratic Republican Party in Massachusetts.

The North Carolina General Assembly has

a long and proud history of drawing partisan gerrymandered districts at the federal and state level long before the Republicans took over control in 2010.

All of it by Democrats since at least 1898.

What are some fair, common-sense ways to perhaps put some boundaries on gerrymandering without having the Supreme Court dictate the makeup of every legislative map going forward.

They could rule that in order to insure “one-man, one-vote” equality of all citizens who are registered to vote, districts should be drawn in a relatively compact, contiguous manner that follows existing county or municipal lines where people have a “community of interest” they can elect representatives to represent them on.

Rural districts have nothing in common with a bigcity representative who doesn’t know what “gee” and “haw” means to a farmer. Metropolitan areas don’t need to be represented by elected officials who have no idea of what a two hour commute is to work since they may walk to work every day to name just one example.

If the Supreme Court unwisely sets specific percentage targets for redistricting by party, what happens if Democrats change their party to “Progressive” and Republicans change their name to “Conservative?” Do they have to go rule again?

What happens if parties change philosophy over time as has happened many times in American history? Would the same percentages still hold if the Supreme Court rules in such specificity?

What about unaffiliateds today? Should they be mechanically drawn into districts so they can win by an arcane formula concocted by a majority of 9 unelected Supreme Court Justices in order to mete out “fair representation” for those registered voters?

If the Supreme Court issues specific dictates governing redistricting, which is clearly a state prerogative in the Constitution, they might as well retroactively disqualify every district drawn in America since 1789 and say the Founders got it all wrong and the Supreme Court should have been the legislative map-drawers from the beginning.

LETTERS Senate can save Pell Grants from cuts THE FUTURE of financial aid is in dire straits. Pell Grants, which ensure low-income students the opportunity to attend college, are under attack in Congress.

The FY17 spending agreement passed by Congress in May 2017 rescinded $1.3 billion from Pell Grants. This plan cut the grant program’s surplus, which is funding needed to pay for grants when the congressional prediction for how much aid is needed falls short.

The current Pell surplus is at $8.5 billion, and it has taken years to grow. But, if the economy tanks and job opportunities decrease, more students will go back to college, and the Pell Grant program will see a shortfall. Recently, the FY18 spending agreement that passed the House in July proposes a cut of an additional $3.3 billion of the $8.5 billion surplus, much to the ire of college affordability advocates. The cut places the program at risk of future reductions to grants that would exacerbate student debt and limit access to higher education.

Our only saving grace is that the Senate has yet to act or debate on this proposed spending bill. To pressure senators, the NCPIRG chapter at UNC-Chapel Hill will host a week of action to protect Pell Grant funding this week from Oct 9-13. We urge you to call your senators and congressional representative to voice your concerns regarding the future of Pell Grant funding before it is too late. Join us in raising awareness by tweeting #PellRaiser on your social media accounts.

Kent McKane Chapel Hill

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

A11

GUEST OPINION | REP. JASON SAINE

Strategic tax reform Four out of five small businesses rely on debt financing including 75 percent of startups.

AS SENIOR CHAIRMAN of the Finance Committee in the North Carolina House of Representatives, I am proud to have played a leading role in the tax reform efforts that have turned our state’s economy around in just a few short years. As you can imagine, I am very supportive of efforts to enact long overdue tax reforms at the federal level. Our country’s economic future is at stake.

However, I am opposed to any proposals to limit interest deductibility that may be included in the tax reform package. Maintaining interest deductibility is essential to any successful tax plan and to making our economy stronger and our nation more prosperous.

Eliminating interest deductibility would fundamentally change the tax code in a way that would harm businesses. Interest deductibility is a product of basic accounting. All U.S. business are taxed on the profits they earn. As everyone knows, profits are the money that is left over when cost are subtracted from revenues. Interest payments are a cost of doing business, just as much of a cost as payroll or office rent. Thus, interest payments must be subtracted from a company’s bottom line to arrive at an accurate profit.

Credit is the lifeline for virtually all businesses in the U.S. In fact, borrowing is not limited to large companies. Four out of five small businesses rely on debt financing including 75 percent of startups.

Debt financing is critical to businesses as it is what makes it possible for them to grow and hire more employees. At a time when we need to our national economy growing and to get people back to work, limiting interest deductibility would have the opposite effect.

While some believe substituting 100 percent expensing for interest deductibility would balance the books out for businesses, it would not. Many small businesses already enjoy full expensing through Section 179, which was made permanent by Congress in the PATH Act of 2015. For them there would be no trade off at all, only higher borrowing cost. Adding 100 percent expensing while limiting interest deductibility would be a net gain only for the very few businesses that don’t require borrowing to make new investments. Essentially, you can’t expense what you can’t afford. Overall, replacing interest deductibility with 100 percent expensing would only raise the cost of capital for businesses and reduce their investment over time.

Along with tax reform, a key agenda item for President Trump is infrastructure improvements.

As a supporter of addressing our infrastructure needs, I know how important our infrastructure is to our long term economic growth. However, limiting interest deductibility will only serve to hinder our ability to meet future infrastructure needs. Plans to increase infrastructure spending through public-private partnerships or an infrastructure bank would greatly increase the cost of capital needs for infrastructure projects if interest deductibility is taken away. The result would be fewer completed projects along with greater financial burden on our citizens in the form of tolls and higher taxes.

One argument supporters of eliminating interest deductibility tout is in today’s low interest rate environment, the impact of eliminating it won’t be that severe and is worth the sacrifice in the entire scheme of tax reform. However, they fail to point out that interest rates will inevitably rise. When that happens, the full impact of higher borrowing cost will greatly constrain business investment. This will lead to slower economic growth, less hiring and greater financial volatility.

As a member of the NC House, I always look to see how federal policies may affect the state.

Limiting or eliminating interest deductibility would be a tremendous blow to our state’s economy. Even a 25 percent limitation on the deductibility of interest would cut economic growth in NC by almost $1 billion. As a result, there would be a significant slowdown in job growth and a major decline in take home pay. Major industries many citizens rely on like manufacturing, construction, and transportation would take major hits. If limiting interest deductibility would have that kind of impact on NC, just imagine the nationwide impacts.

I sincerely hope Congress works with President Trump and passes tax reform quickly. I have seen firsthand the positive economic impact tax reforms have made here in North Carolina. After a decade of subpar national economic growth, the time to act is now. However, if Congress wants to ensure tax reform is effective and leads to sustained economic growth, eliminating or limiting interest deductibility must not be a part of the package.

Represenative Jason Saine represents the 97th North Carolina House District with encompasses Lincoln County.

WALTER WILLIAMS

Our broken moral compasses S GEORGE ORWELL SAID, "some ideas are so stupid that A only intellectuals believe them." Many

stupid ideas originate with academics on college campuses. If they remained there and didn't infect the rest of society, they might be a source of entertainment, much in the way a circus is. Let's look at a few stupid ideas peddled by intellectuals.

During the Cold War, academic leftists made a moral equivalency between communist totalitarianism and democracy. Worse is the fact that they exempted communist leaders from the type of harsh criticism directed toward Adolf Hitler, even though communist crimes against humanity made Hitler's slaughter of 11 million noncombatants appear almost amateurish. According to Professor R.J. Rummel's research in "Death by Government," from 1917 until its collapse, the Soviet Union murdered or caused the death of 61 million people, mostly its own citizens. From 1949 to 1976, Communist China's Mao Zedong regime was responsible for the death of as many as 78 million of its own citizens.

On college campuses, the same sort of equivalency is made between capitalism and communism, but if one looks at the real world, there's a stark difference. Just ask yourself: In which societies is the average citizen richer — societies toward the capitalist end of the economic spectrum or those toward the communist end? In which societies do ordinary citizens have their human rights protected the most — those toward the capitalist end or those toward the communist end? Finally, which societies do people around the world flee from — capitalist or communist?

And where do they flee to — capitalist or communist societies?

Leftists should get rid of the concept of white privilege and just call it achievement.

President Donald Trump delivers a speech on tax reform in Indianapolis, Indiana Sept.

27.

JONATHAN ERNST | REUTERS

COLUMN | BAKER MITCHELL

Nearer, my Bank, to Thee: State and local taxes must remain deductible

True, the local cost increase of local taxes may be offset by a federal decrease, but the net effect is to sweep up more money off Main Street and cast it out into the Black Lagoon.

RUSSELL KIRK’S eighth conservative principle teaches us that the more local the power and decision-making, the better we are served.

Because tax revenue confers power on the collector, taxation at the local level is much preferred to taxation at the national level.

“For a nation is no stronger than the numerous little communities of which it is composed.

A central administration, or a corps of select managers and civil servants, however wellintentioned and well trained, cannot confer justice and prosperity and tranquility upon a mass of men and women deprived of their old responsibilities. That experiment has been made before; and it has been disastrous. It is the performance of our duties in community that teaches us prudence and efficiency and charity.”

Russel Kirk, Conservative Principle 8.

While the just-released tax plan put forth by the Trump administration has many good features, the plan’s elimination of deductions for state and local taxes will shift tax revenue from local communities to Washington.

Nondeductible local taxes will make these taxes more painful for the citizen and cause local politicians to reduce services in order to keep local taxes at a minimum. With reduced locally controlled services, the locals will have to prevail upon the federal government to fill the gap. The feds will be happy to do this because they then get to tighten the reins with all of their one-size-fits-all terms and conditions in exchange for giving your money back to you.

“You need a new fire truck and cannot afford it?

We are only too happy to provide matching funds, but you have to adopt these new personnel policies for your firemen.”

“Need a new school building? Sure, here is a

grant from DC. We’re glad to oblige; and by the way, here is your new history curriculum.”

“Potholes in your street? No problem — our dough converts readily to asphalt; but your paving contracts have to have to have a few minor new conditions.”

Estimates for the local tax rates as a percentage of income range from 8 percent to 12 percent with the national average being about 10 percent. If you are in the new 25 percent tax bracket, retaining the present deductibility of these taxes would make their effective cost to you of 7.5 percent.

Eliminating the deduction will push the effective rate up to the full 10 percent. For a couple with a combined taxable income of $80,000, the added 2.5 percent amounts to a $2,000 annual increase for the household that local politicians will try to minimize or hide increased fees. Pressure from voters encourages local pols to cut taxes, delay projects, increase fees, or reduce services.

True, the local cost increase of local taxes may be offset by a federal decrease, but the net effect is to sweep up more money off Main Street and cast it out into the Black Lagoon. The only way to avoid the reallocation is for the local politicians to stand firm and declare that they don’t care that the scheme is costing you more, they are not going to reduce taxes to remediate the effect on your pocketbook. Don’t hold your breath.

Regardless of how one manipulates the math, nondeductible local taxes will translate to less local money and more federal money which, in turn, translates to less local control and more remote control and misery. Kirk would call the plan imprudent, inefficient, and uncharitable.

Baker Mitchell is a businessman and former university professor who lives in Wilmington, N.C.

More recent nonsense taught on college campuses, under the name of multiculturalism, is that one culture is as good as another. Identity worship, diversity and multiculturalism are currency and cause for celebration at just about any college. If one is black, brown, yellow or white, the prevailing thought is that he should take pride and celebrate that fact even though he had nothing to do with it. The multiculturalist and diversity crowd seems to suggest that race or sex is an achievement. That's just plain nonsense. In my book, race or sex might be an achievement, worthy of considerable celebration, if a person were born a white male and through his effort and diligence became a black female.

Then there's white privilege.

Colleges have courses and seminars on "whiteness." One college even has a course titled "Abolition of Whiteness."

According to academic intellectuals, whites enjoy advantages that nonwhites do not. They earn higher income and reside in better housing, and their children go to better schools and achieve more. Based upon those socio-economic statistics, Japanese-Americans have more white privilege than white people.

And, on a personal note, my daughter has experienced more white privilege than probably 95 percent of white Americans. She's attended private schools, had ballet and music lessons, traveled the world, and lived in upperincome communities. Leftists should get rid of the concept of white privilege and just call it achievement.

Then there's the issue of campus rape and sexual assault. Before addressing that, let me ask you a question. Do I have a right to place my wallet on the roof of my car, go into my house, have lunch, take a nap and return to my car and find my wallet just where I placed it? I think I have every right to do so, but the real question is whether it would be a wise decision. Some college women get stoned, use foul language and dance suggestively. I think they have a right to behave that way and not be raped or sexually assaulted. But just as in the example of my placing my wallet on the roof of my car, I'd ask whether it is wise behavior.

Many of our problems, both at our institutions of higher learning and in the nation at large, stem from the fact that we've lost our moral compasses and there's not a lot of interest in reclaiming them. As a matter of fact, most people don't see our major problems as having anything to do with morality.

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

A12

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

NEWS IN IMAGES

ALVIN BAEZ | REUTERS

JONATHAN BACHMAN | REUTERS

A musician walks in the French Quarter as Hurricane Nate approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast in New Orleans on October 7.

Ruth Santiago refreshes herself with water from a pipe after Hurricane Maria destroyed the town’s bridge in San Lorenzo, Morovis, Puerto Rico.

ABED OMAR QUISINI | REUTERS

ALAA AL-FAQIR | REUTERS

A Free Syrian Army fighter holds a weapon as he stands on a military vehicle in a rebel-held area in the town of Dael, Syria.

Members of the Samaritan community take part in a traditional pilgrimage marking the holiday of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, atop Mount Gerizim near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Scott Pruitt, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, answers a question during the Concordia Summit in Manhattan.

ENERGY from page A1 country’s coal industry and lower energy costs. His administration has promised to reduce the regulatory burden on coal and oil drilling, which are some of the hardest hit industries during the recession and employ many of his 2016 voters who reported feeling abandoned by the Democratic Party.

During a 2016 campaign stop, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, referring to the transition to clean energy, said, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” The comment haunted her campaign in key coal states like West Virginia and drove those voters into the Trump camp.

Environmentalists and other supporters of the Obama plan say they will fight Tuesday’s move in court. They say Pruitt’s cost estimates did not fully consider billions of dollars in savings from reduced medical bills that would result from steep cuts in pollution from coal or the future damage done from lasting carbon emission.

The Clean Power Plan was finalized in 2015 under President Barack Obama but never came into effect. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court put the brakes on it after energy-producing states said the agency had blatantly overreached

JEENAH MOON | REUTERS

its legal authority.

Pruitt’s statement said the plan went beyond the law by forcing power plants to take action to cut emissions not just at the plants but also “outside the fence line” — for instance, by investing in alternative energy production.

Following the announcement, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) said Pruitt’s announcement will

ultimately rein in power costs for consumers.

“Working families all across North Carolina are already struggling to pay their bills or living paycheck to paycheck,” said Hudson.

“This is welcome news for them.

By many estimates, the Obama administration’s power plant rule would have increased their energy bills by 20 percent or more — and

had no measurable impact on the environment. I applaud President Donald Trump for taking action to stop this energy bill hike and to help create a more affordable and reliable energy supply.”

The EPA is obliged to regulate carbon emissions after it proclaimed in 2009 that the pollution endangers human health. Part of that was the Clean Power Plan

which sought to reduce emissions from power plants to below 2005 levels by 2030.

Republicans praised Pruitt’s move to repeal one of Obama’s signature policies. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate’s environment committee, said the Clean Power Plan would have hurt energy workers in his state of Wyoming, the country’s top coal-producing state.

David Doniger, a lawyer at non-profit environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the repeal would put Americans in greater danger from extreme weather and particulate pollution from coal plants.

The EPA’s announcement also comes the day after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration sent a letter rejecting the permit application for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project. Duke Energy and three other energy companies are building a threestate, 600-mile pipeline to carry natural gas through eastern N.C. Economic development officials in the east have been counting on it to draw companies that want to tap in to it. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality gave Duke two weeks to resubmit the application with additional information on their erosion and sediment control plan.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

JIM DEDMON | USA TODAY SPORTS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a light moment before his last race with team owner Rick Hendrick during the Bank of American 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT

SPORTS

Dale Jr. says final goodbye to Charlotte

PGA

Champions Tour comes to NC

Stock car racing’s most popular driver, who will retire at the end of the season, finishes 12th in his last race at his home track

The PGA Tour Champions visit Cary for the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club from Friday through Sunday. Last year, Doug Garwood claimed his first victory in his 44th start on the tour, closing with an 8-under-par 64 to win by four strokes. Garwood, who never won on the PGA Tour and has three victories as a pro, took control by carding four consecutive birdies through No. 10 and pulled away with birdies on the 13th and 16th holes.

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal

the game.

“The trainers let me know, ‘You can do this. It just may not be the most comfortable thing ever,’” Bradbury said. “And I knew I was going to be out there with my guys.

We’re a unit. If I wasn’t out there, I would feel like I was letting them down.”

Besides, Bradbury seemed to say with a shrug, it’s just a rib injury.

“You’re not going to leave a game feeling 100 percent playing offensive line,” he said.

That’s the attitude of the Wolfpack’s line this season. While the potential draft picks on the defensive line have gotten the lion’s share of the attention, the big guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage have been just as crucial to the team’s success.

CHARLOTTE — The first time Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was 1983.

He was 9 years old at the time and the cars were only toys. He and future crew chief Tony Eury Jr. would roll them down the hill on the infield road course while his father drove the real thing to NASCAR glory around the big track.

Dale Jr. has gone on to become a star in his own right, nearly as popular as his old man, which is why Sunday was such a bittersweet occasion for both the retiring driver and his legion of loyal fans.

When he climbed out of his blue and silver No. 88 Chevrolet after a nondescript 12th place finish at the Bank of America 500, it marked the last time he will have raced a car at the venue that he referred to as his second home.

“This track has been real special to me,” said Earnhardt, who grew up only a few miles up Interstate 85 in Kannapolis. “This is one of the few tracks that I probably never missed a race since I was a little boy. I’ve been coming here a really long time (and) have a lot of memories here in and out of the car.”

Those hoping for Earnhardt to make one final memory in his farewell performance at Charlotte came away disappointed Sunday.

But that was hardly a surprise.

In 30 races this season, he’s finished in the top five only once, to go along with five top 10s and a single pole. He was also put at a disadvantage when he crashed his primary car in practice Friday, forcing him to use a backup ride he complained was “undriveable” over his radio after the first of the race’s three stages.

Chances are he still probably wouldn’t have won even if everything had gone according to plan.

Earnhardt never won a points race at his home track. He did, however, take the checkered flag in NASCAR’s All-Star race in 2000, passing another second-generation driver — Dale Jarrett, the 1999 Cup champion who is the last driver from N.C. to win a title — to earn the victory that remains one of his favorite career achievements.

“That was an incredible experience and a big surprise for all of us,” he said. “We just couldn’t believe it. And it was great that Dad was in the race and we passed him at the end, among many guys we passed.

See WOLFPACK, page B3

See DALE JR., page B3

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

NBA

Jordan donating $7M to at-risk communities

NC State guard Terronne Prescod (70) clears a path for running back Jaylen Samuels during the Wolfpack’s win Thursday over Louisville at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Overshadowed Wolfpack line paving way for offense

NBA Hall of Famer and Hornets owner Michael Jordan will give $7 million to open medical clinics for people in at-risk communities in Charlotte. Two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics are set to open in 2020. “It is my hope that these clinics will help provide a brighter and healthier future for the children and families they serve,” Jordan, 54, said in a release Monday.

Offensive unit, often eclipsed by NFL talent on D, bands together

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

NC State moves up in both polls

RALEIGH — NC State center Garrett Bradbury had to be helped off the field during Thursday’s win over Louisville. Soon, the team released an update on his condition, saying he was being taken for a chest X-ray, and his return was questionable.

“Bradbury’s out there, lying on the ground,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “Ribs are all beaten up. A lot of guys wouldn’t be tough enough to deal with that.”

Bradbury, however, isn’t one of them. A few series later, he took his place back in the middle of State’s offensive line and finished

NC State moved up four spots in both the AP and Coaches polls after a home win over then-No 17 Louisville. The Wolfpack enter Week 7 ranked No. 20 in both polls. It’s the highest NC State has been ranked since the Wolfpack reached No. 15 on Sept. 1, 2003.

The Pack jumped five spots in the poll to reach No. 12, 15 years ago. This is the biggest poll jump for them since then.

This is also the first time NC State has been in the Top 25 in back-to-back weeks since Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, 2003.

“If I could say anything to Junior, we all love him no matter what he does.”

— Danny Miller, Concord NASCAR fan

INSIDE

NFL

Peterson traded from Saints to Cardinals Running back Adrian Peterson was traded Tuesday from New Orleans to Arizona after just four games with the Saints. Peterson, who spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, had just 27 carries with New Orleans. The Saints received an undisclosed 2018 draft pick in exchange.

JAMES GUILLORY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Carolina Hurricanes kicked off the 2017-18 season and were greeted by a sellout crowd at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes rewarded them by getting their first home win to start a season since 2008, knocking off the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in the shootout. In 2010, the team won a “home game” in Finland as part of a back-to-back set against — you guessed it — Minnesota to open the season. See all the sights from Saturday’s win, plus a feature on the Hurricanes’ new-look fourth line featuring Marcus Kruger, Joakim Nordstrom and Brock McGinn. B4

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

B2 WEDNESDAY

10.11.17

TRENDING

Mitch Trubisky: The former UNC quarterback and second overall pick got his first start with the Bears on Monday night but didn’t fare much better than the man he replaced, former NC State QB Mike Glennon. Trubisky went 11 for 24 with just 122 yards and one touchdown in a 20-17 home loss to Minnesota.

Trubisky’s interception inside his own 30 to Vikings safety Harrison Smith with 2:32 remaining set up Minnesota’s game-winning field goal.

Jemele Hill: The ESPN personality was suspended after a second violation of the network’s social media policy. Hill, who faced criticism last month for calling President Donald Trump a “bigot” and “white supremacist” on Twitter, was suspended two weeks for imploring fans to boycott companies that advertise with the Dallas Cowboys after the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, said he would bench players who don’t stand for the national anthem.

Gary Anderson: The coach and Oregon State agreed to part ways Monday after a 1-5 start. Anderson went 2-10 and 4-8 in his two full seasons with the Beavers before the slow start in 2017. He had $12.4 million remaining on his deal, but walked away from the contract, saying “Coaching is not about the almighty dollar.” Assistant coach Cory Hall was named interim coach.

Alexander Ovechkin: The Capitals sniper reminded the NHL he’s still among the world’s best goal scorers, registering a hat trick in Washington’s season-opening win at Ottawa and following it up with four goals two nights later at home in a 6-1 win over Montreal.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

RANDY SARTIN | USA TODAY SPORTS

“That was one of the best bye weeks we’ve had here in a very, very long time.”

MMA

Former NC State wrestler Darrion Caldwell, right, won the Bellator MMA bantamweight championship on Friday night. Caldwell, a Wolfpack grappler from 2007 to 2011 and the 2009 NCAA champion, won a unanimous decision over champion Eduardo Dantas in Thackerville, Okla. The title shot was originally planned for April, but Caldwell suffered an undisclosed injury, which resulted in the five-month delay. It was Caldwell’s first MMA bout in 307 days, the longest layoff of his career. “Everything happens for a reason,” Caldwell said. “Everything happens at God’s speed.”

Embattled Tennessee coach Butch Jones, who also coined the phrase “leadership rep” during his Monday presser conference.

KEVIN JAIRAJ | USA TODAY SPORTS

NFL

MLB

JAMES GUILLORY | USA TODAY SPORTS

“Shh.” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters after he was asked when the rest of the NHL would catch on to defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s (74) shootout move, which won the game for Carolina on Saturday.

BOB DECHIARA | USA TODAY SPORTS

JASEN VINLOVE | USA TODAY SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

6 Interceptions for App State’s defense in its 45-31 win over New Mexico State on Saturday, breaking the school record of five set in 1968 (Elon) and matched in 1991 (Mississippi College).

Starting cornerbacks Tae Hayes and Clifton Duck each had three picks, tying the school record for a player. The Mountaineers got a 27-yard go-ahead touchdown pass on a trick play that saw true freshmen wide receivers Malik Williams — a high school quarterback — and Thomas Hennigan hook up.

The Dolphins added to their run of controversies when offensive line coach Chris Foerster resigned Monday after video emerged of him snorting a white substance. Miami has dealt with Bullygate and Laremy Tunsil’s bong video, and stunned coach Adam Gase said, “I don’t think I can say what my reaction was” to the latest flap.

The Astros were the first team to advance to MLB’s final four, finishing off the Red Sox with a 5-4 win in Game 4 to clinch the series. Houston scored three times in the final two innings, then held on despite allowing an inside-the-park home run to Boston third baseman Rafael Devers in the bottom of the ninth.

NASCAR

JIM DEDMON | USA TODAY SPORTS

The Monster Energy Cup playoffs continue to be dominated by two drivers. Martin Truex Jr., who won the postseason opener only to see Kyle Busch win the next two, took the checkered flag Sunday at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first race of the playoffs’ second round. With the win, Truex earned an automatic pass to the third round. Busch’s crashinduced 29th-place finish dropped him to sixth in the points.

Always Dry. Always Comfortable.

introducing the NEW 29 Express

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Find us on

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Duke focuses on fundamentals Problems of last two weeks will get fixed in practice, Cutcliffe vows

By Shawn Krest North State Journal DURHAM — After a 4-0 start, Duke has lost its last two games.

The offense has sputtered, and the defense has given up big plays.

With that in mind, coach David Cutcliffe delivered a message to his players.

“If you don’t like what you’re getting,” he said, “you’d better change what you’re doing.”

Cutcliffe and his staff revamped the team’s approach to practice this week, as Duke prepares to host a Florida State team that’s far better than its 1-3 record.

“Practice and preparation can become something you just do,” Cutcliffe said. “You’ve got to look at the actions you take in practice and balance it with the results you’re getting and the results you want. If the passing game is not what you want it to be, whether it’s a combination of accuracy, drops or protection, you’ve got to change your approach.”

That may sound like a panic move, but it’s business as usual for Cutcliffe.

“I’ve been through a lot as a coach,” he said. “I don’t think you

ever punch a bell that’s called an alarm. You study what’s leading to the results. I’m about work. An alarm, to me, says, ‘Hey! We’ve got a problem!’ Work says we’re approaching everything in a way to end the problem. That’s where the focus lies.

“We’ve had times where I’ve probably wanted to panic,” Cutcliffe continued. “At Ole Miss, we went out to play Wyoming (the Rebels lost 37-32 to drop to 1-3).

If it could go wrong, it did. I saw a lot of things that day I didn’t think I’d ever see. But it was no time to panic. I’ve been shut out as coordinator at University of Tennessee. I’ve been part of a staff there that hit 0-6. A guy got on top of a billboard and wouldn’t come down until we won. I thought we were going to break up a family.

You’re driving to work and see a guy roosting on a billboard. You just work.”

So, as FSU game week opened, the team took a long look at mechanics and fundamentals.

“I don’t think I was as balanced as I should’ve been, at times,” said quarterback Daniel Jones. “I don’t think I was as fundamentally sound as I need to be to throw the ball consistently and accurately.”

Cutcliffe also made sure the receivers focused on little things.

“I can tell before the play,” Cutcliffe said. “I can stop play at prac-

B3 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

East Carolina at UCF Spectrum Stadium Saturday, 7 p.m.

CBSSN

Preview: The Pirates (1-5, 1-2 AAC) will face a nationally ranked opponent for the fifth time in seven games when they travel to Orlando to take on the 21stranked Knights (4-0, 2-0) on their homecoming. ECU lost 47-29 in Greenville last year, but leads the all-time series 10-5.

AMBER SEARLS | USA TODAY SPORTS

Duke quarterback Daniel Jones and the Blue Devils will try to right the ship at home against Florida State.

tice after watching us line up, look at their stances and tell whether we’re going to have a positive play or not. There’s a mentality to lining up right.”

All of those corrections need to be done in practice before the coaches or players can even worry about the game.

“There is no such thing as a gamer,” Cutcliffe said. “I’ve heard that term before. I’ve been in athletics a long time. There are no gamers. They show up in practice.

For receivers, short-space quickness and the ability to separate all

starts with your stance. It starts with your start. I don’t care if it’s press coverage or off coverage.

You need absolute focus. Catching a football is still partially focus.

It’s talent, but there’s a mentality.”

To emphasize his point, Cutcliffe quoted auto pioneer Henry Ford. “‘If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right,’ Cutcliffe said. “That’s where we are.”

“Henry Ford would’ve been a hell of a receivers coach,” he added. “I’d have hired him if he wasn’t already so busy.”

Players to watch: Redshirt freshman LB Aaron Ramseur has been one of the few bright spots for ECU’s defense, recording 11 tackles and an interception in his first career start last week against Temple. UCF WR Tre’Quan Smith had five catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday in the Knights’ storm-shortened 51-23 win against Cincinnati.

Fast fact: The Pirates are 15-31 against FBS teams from the state of Florida and have lost seven of their last eight matchups with Sunshine State opponents, with the only win coming at UCF in 2015.

What to expect: ECU, which ranks dead last nationally in scoring defense at 47.8 ppg, will have its hands full against a UCF team that leads the nation at 47.5 points per game.

— Brett Friedlander

Fedora knows UNC is on razor’s edge for bowl eligibility Tar Heels’ clean-shaven coach hoping for a rally like 2013

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal CHAPEL HILL — Larry Fedora said he was running out of answers after Saturday’s 33-10 loss to Notre Dame and is willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to turn his North Carolina football team around.

Turns out he wasn’t kidding.

Monday morning at his regular weekly session with the media, Fedora showed up without the beard he’s been sporting for the past year-and-a-half.

The sixth-year coach acknowledged that shaving probably won’t do anything to change the Tar Heels’ fortunes, saying that “if that was the case, I would have done it a long time ago.” But at this point, with his team languishing at 1-5 (0-3 ACC) and an injury list as long as both arms combined heading into Saturday’s game against Virginia, anything is worth a try.

“What we’re seeing now is just a whole multitude of issues that we’ve got to get cleaned up,” Fedora said, noting that he and his staff went through the game film from Saturday’s loss with a “fine-toothed comb” in search of what went wrong and how to fix it.

“The frustrating thing is that we’re making some of the same mistakes over and over,” he said. “To me, if things aren’t going the right way, you work even harder if that’s even possible. We’re trying not to leave any stone unturned.”

One tangible change Fedora said he plans to make is his becoming more involved in the offensive playcalling, which came under fire Saturday — particularly on short yardage situations and a goal-line play UNC vs. that cost UNC both two points and Virginia momentum just before halftime.

The Tar Heels’ once-potent spread When offense has mustered just a single Saturday, touchdown in each of the last two games.

3:30 p.m.

Although injuries, the inexperience of quarterback Chazz Surratt and some Where spotty line play have all contributed to Kenan the dropoff, UNC has averaged only 11.3 Memorial points and 296.3 yards over the past Stadium three games after starting the season Watch scoring at a 39.3 point clip over the first RSN three weeks. “'I’ll be much more involved when we are in between series and those kinds of things and what I would like to try to do,” he said, adding that quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf will continue to make the actual play calls from the press box. “I don't know if that will be the answer, but it's something I feel like where I can help the most."

While there’s a palpable sense of disappointment and frustration surrounding the Tar Heels these days, their own history tells them that it’s still too early to give up on the season.

Back in 2013, Fedora and his team got off to a similar 1-5 start, but turned things around to win five of their last six in the regular season before beating Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl to finish 7-6.

That team, however, was loaded with future NFL players — including Eric Ebron, Ryan Switzer, Landon Turner, Russell Bodine, Tre Boston and Kareem Martin — rather than a group of untested youngsters and backups filling in for injured starters. It also faced a much easier schedule than this current group, which still has dates left with ranked opponents Virginia Tech, Miami and NC State.

Even Saturday’s matchup against Virginia, once thought of as a sure win, now seems in doubt with the Cavaliers riding high at 4-1 (1-0 ACC).

Despite all they have going against them, the example of 2013 is at least something the Tar Heels can rally around.

Another is the attitude of leaders such as center Cam Dillard.

“There’s six games left, that still puts us in contention for a bowl,” the Florida transfer said. “Coach always talks about facing adversity. Well shoot, this is about the biggest adversity as we’re going to face this year. We need to come out and continue to keep our eye on the prize, because this team is talented and capable of many things. We just have to keep pushing.”

DALE JR. from page B1 “He got to see it happen. He had a great view of the whole thing. I don’t know if he wasn’t proud then, I don’t know that he ever was. But it was a big deal and he was really happy.”

Earnhardt Jr. may have had to fight for the approval of his sometimes crusty father, but he very rarely let his fans down.

He won their hearts by returning to Daytona just four months after Dale Sr. was killed in a crash there and drove to an emotional victory in the Pepsi 400. It was one of his 26 career victories. Although he never won a series championship, a feat his father accomplished a record seven times, his charismatic popularity helped make him the most popular driver on the Monster Energy Cup Series for the past 14 seasons.

His stature on the circuit in general and Charlotte in particular was vividly illustrated this weekend by the bobblehead that was issued to commemorate his final race in North Carolina. The cover of the race program also featured a depiction of his growth at the track through the years.

Despite the added attention from NASCAR and the fans, Earnhardt did his best to downplay the significance of Sunday’s race — saying that he is still too focused on trying to win to get caught up in the nostalgia of his impending retirement.

True to his word, there were no tears or sentimental statements when he emerged from his car. He simply pulled on a blue and red hat with his sponsor’s logo on it and talked about next week’s race in Talladega.

“I wish we could have done a little better obviously,” was about all he had to say.

So do the many fans in attendance who came wearing his colors. But where he finished didn’t matter as much to them as was the opportunity to say goodbye and see their hero race one more time in person.

“It’s sad and happy at the same time,” said Danny Miller, a Concord resident who was a fan of Dale Sr. before carrying his allegiance over to his son. “If I could say anything to Junior, we all love him no matter what he does.”

WOLFPACK from page B1 Two different linemen — guard Tony Adams and tackle Will Richardson — have won ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week, the first time two Pack linemen have been honored since 1996. They haven’t allowed quarterback Ryan Finley to be sacked in ACC play this year.

The 5-1 Pack will be looking to get bowl eligible in a road game at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Panthers are 0-2 in the ACC and are ranked in the bottom three in the conference in rush defense, pass defense and sacks by the defense.

That should have the Pack line ready to dish out punishment.

“I’m ecstatic about it,” Doeren said of his offensive line. “I think all programs that play well on the offensive line and defensive line are pretty good programs.”

Working against Brandon Chubb and the rest of the all-stars on the defensive line has helped to strengthen the offensive line.

“The line has had a great

His absence from the circuit next year will create a void that will only make NASCAR’s battle against a dwindling fan base that much more difficult.

But at least one former Earnhardt associate believes that racing will be just fine without a member of its first family in the field for the first time in four decades.

“There are so many up-andcoming young superstars that I think the fan base that cheers for Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have to just find their next favorite,” former crew chief Steve Letarte told Charlotte’s NPR affiliate, WFAE. “I don't think it'll all go to one guy. I don't think one person can step into the shoes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., but I do think there is a class of young stars that can fill the void.”

Before that happens, Earnhardt is being given a sendoff befitting his stature in the NASCAR community.

Only instead of getting the kind of gifts usually associated with a farewell tour — rocking chairs, grandfather clocks, plaques, etc. — he’s asked for the tracks he visits for the final time to make more meaningful gestures of their appreciation.

Management at Charlotte Motor Speedway complied by announcing the creation of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concussion Research Fund at Charlotte’s Levine Children’s Hospital.

It’s a cause near and dear to the driver’s heart, since he missed the final six races of last season while suffering from lingering concussion symptoms after a crash at Michigan last June. The injury played a role in Earnhardt’s decision to retire.

“I didn’t need any silly stuff and goofy gifts that I am just going to go take home and put in a warehouse and store away somewhere and never see,” he said. “I thought this is a great opportunity to sort of make an impact in each little area in each community and if the tracks can get creative it would be awesome to see what they come up with.

“It feels so good to see others get help and be helped. I want everybody to be happy. That is kind of my thing and the way I’ve always been.

Hopefully, this season makes a lot of people happy, so that is the deal.”

opportunity to go against a great defensive line in camp and spring ball and bowl prep,” Doeren said.

“We don’t play anybody up front that is better than what they get to see in practice. We’ve got good players up front, and our O-line has benefitted from competition in NC State at practice.”

Pittsburgh They’ve also benefitted from a When close relationship off the field, which Saturday, noon leads to fierce Where camaraderie Heinz Field across the unit.

Watch Known as the RSN Band of Brothers, the line handled injuries to Bradbury and Terrone Prescod (who also returned) without missing a step.

“I hated to see the go down,” Doeren said, “but what I loved to see was how mad it made those guys and how hard they wanted to play. There’s a great environment in that room right now, playing for each other.”

App State at Idaho Kibbie-Asui Activity Center Saturday, 5 p.m.

ESPN3

Preview: ASU (3-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) rallied from a fourth quarter deficit in a home win for the first time since 2014 last Saturday against New Mexico State. Now the Mountaineers travel three time zones away to Moscow, Idaho, for a conference game against a 2-3 (1-1) Idaho team coming off a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Players to watch: DBs Clifton Duck and Tae Hayes tied a school record by intercepting three passes each in last week’s 45-31 win. The six picks are a school record. Idaho’s Cade Coffey earned a Sun Belt weekly honor after going 3 for 3 on field goals and is averaging 52.3 yards on seven punts in last week’s 21-16 loss to Louisiana.

Fast fact: Taylor Lamb is 30-11 as ASU’s starting quarterback, tying him with D.J. Campbell for the second-most wins in school history. Armanti Edwards won a record 42 games.

What to expect: If the Mountaineers can stay focused on their lengthy road trip, they should be able to take care of business against the Vandals.

— Brett Friedlander

Charlotte at WKU Houchens-Smith Stadium Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

FloSports

Preview: Charlotte is running out of chances to post its first win of the season, and a road trip to 3-2 Western Kentucky could be an opportunity to get over the hump.

Players to watch: WKU quarterback Mike White rushed for both of the Hilltoppers’ touchdowns last week, while also throwing for 208 yards. He leads CUSA in completion percentage and completions. Charlotte free safety Ben DeLuca had 17 tackles last week in a loss to Marshall, one shy of the school’s single-game record.

Fast fact: WKU and Charlotte play for the first time. Western Kentucky is 9-2 against first-time opponents since 2013. Charlotte is 6-21 against first-timers over that span, with a four-game losing streak, including losses to Kansas State and NC A&T this year.

Charlotte also plays UAB for the first time later this season.

What to expect: The Niners have had some near misses, including losses by one and four points. With a homecoming game against UAB following, a win at WKU could lead to a winning streak.

— Shawn Krest

North State Journal for Saturday, October 11, 2017

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North State Journal for Saturday, October 11, 2017

B5

“Just because you’re playing on the fourth line doesn’t mean you have to only play defense.”

Joakim Nordstrom, Hurricanes forward

The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after their opening night win over the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena.

Hurricanes left wing Joakim Nordstrom (42) reacts after scoring on Minnesota Wild goalie Alex Stalock (32) in the first period.

Hurricanes fans celebrate after the NHL win over the Minnesota Wild.

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin scores the game-winning goal on Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock (32) in the overtime shootout at PNC Arena in Raleigh, on Oct. 7. Carolina opened its home season by defeating the Wild 5-4 in the shootout.

Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno reaches in on Carolina Hurricanes center Victor Rask (49) as he controls the puck in the third period.

Hurricanes’ fourth line relied on for more than just defense Marcus Kruger, Brock McGinn and Joakim Nordstrom are a shutdown trio who can add secondary scoring

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — The first — and only — offensive zone start for the Carolina Hurricanes’ fourth line in Saturday’s season opener came 11:18 into the first period with a few seconds remaining on the power play.

Center Marcus Kruger was kicked out of the faceoff circle — “I thought I had a pretty clean win

there,” he said on Monday — and linemate Brock McGinn stepped in to take the draw.

A second had clicked off the clock, so the referees took a moment to straighten things out, giving the line a chance to discuss the upcoming draw.

“We had some time to talk it over, what we wanted to do on that faceoff,” Kruger said.

McGinn lined up against Wild captain Mikko Koivu, with Kruger

Hurricanes goalie Scott Darling blocks a shot from Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter in the third period.

sliding to the right wing.

“I was lucky to win that one — I think it went off my foot,” McGinn said.

Kruger got the puck and curled to the right of Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock.

“My first thought was maybe to pass it to Nordy, but when I saw I couldn't do that I tried to put it in [Stalock’s] feet,” said Kruger, who was set to play in his 400th NHL game Tuesday against Columbus.

A scramble ensued and eight seconds after the puck was dropped it was in the net, with Joakim Nordstrom, the third forward on the line, credited with the goal that tied the game at 1.

“It's interesting; up to that point they had our last three evenstrength goals, that line,” coach Bill Peters said of the trio. “Two against Washington (in the preseason finale), one against Minny to get us on the board.

“It's a good line. It's a good line we have a lot of confidence in.”

The wings have stayed the same, but the addition of Kruger in the middle — taking the place of Jay McClement — solidifies the check-

ing line.

“That's been my role pretty much in Chicago for the past few years, so it's nothing new, really,” Kruger said. “I think that's an opportunity we want to embrace and do as good as we can.”

It also gives Peters options he hasn’t had since coming to Raleigh three-plus years ago.

“It's a different feel. Our depth is so much better,” Peters said after the 5-4 shootout win over the Wild.

“The Kruger line, you can start them against anybody, you can start them in the D zone.”

And he did. Other than the one shift that resulted in their goal, the Kruger line was sent out almost

exclusively in the defensive zone against lines centered by Koivu or Eric Staal, the Wild’s top two centers. That doesn’t, however, mean the line is just charged with preventing goals.

“Just because you're playing on the fourth line doesn't mean you have to only play defense,” Nordstrom said. “So we're trying to treat the puck like our baby and hold onto it and try to make plays at the right time.”

Nordstrom and Kruger already had chemistry from their time together with the Blackhawks and on Team Sweden at this summer’s World Championships, so the duo hasn’t missed a beat at even

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin (5) and right wing Sebastian Aho (20) celebrate Hanifin’s game-tying goal in the third period.

strength or when killing penalties together.

“From Day One, when I started my career over here in Chicago, he kind of took me under his wing,” Nordstrom said of Kruger. “So off the ice, it's been nice to have him here, and on the ice, obviously, he's proven to be a really good player.

“He can play against any player out there. He can play as a shutdown player; he's got a lot of offense in him to make plays with the puck,” Nordstrom added. “So that's something I feel is maybe different from last year, adding a little bit more offense on to our fourth line.”

Peters has said the line, which could include newcomer Josh Joo-

ris at times, frees up Jordan Staal from handling all the tough assignments on a nightly basis. That means more offensive draws for the team’s best faceoff man — Staal won 59.1 percent last year, fourth among NHL players with at least 150 taken — that could lead to more scoring.

Just don’t count out the fourth line from creating some goals of their own.

“We don't want to get scored on ever, and I think we can match up against any line and go in the offensive zone and do work,” McGinn said. “So I think we're just really building together right now as a line, and it's a lot of fun.”

Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal (12) tries to force the puck past Carolina Hurricanes goalie Scott Darling (33) in the third period.

WEDNESDAY

10.11.17

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL

play list

the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

National Farmer’s Day Thursday, Oct. 12 is National Farmer's Day and in the Old North State you should not have to look very hard to find a farmer to celebrate. North Carolina is home to more than 48,000 farming operations from Murphy to Manteo.

October is a fitting month for celebrating farmers as North Carolina’s harvest is nearing completion.

With more than 8 million acres in production, North Carolina is a world leader in crops and livestock.

Tobacco, soybeans, corn and sweet potato crops contribute to billions in crop value while poultry and hog farms drive the livestock economy.

North Carolina is eighth in the nation in total value of agricultural products and sixth in livestock and poultry. N.C. ranks first nationally in tobacco and poultry production and second in hogs and Christmas trees.

Oct. 12-22 2017 N.C. State Fair Raleigh The N.C. State Fair is the largest event in the state and the largest 11-day agriculture event in the nation. The fair is all about showcasing the finest of N.C. with a horse show, livestock show, culinary competitions and the "Homegrown Music Fest" concert series featuring more than 100 concerts.

Oct. 13-14 50th Annual Fall Pottery & Glass Festival Creedmoor Enjoy live demonstrations of pottery, glass, wood turning, kiln openings and firings, and raku firings. There will be live music, plant sales and on-site food trucks.

Oct. 13-15 32nd Annual Oktoberfest Hickory Oktoberfest is a festival that offers a weekend of family entertainment.

Five stages offer nonstop musical entertainment. Kids can enjoy the Kidsfest area, offering amusement rides and games for all ages. Artisans will be selling pottery, jewelry, glass, fabrics and woodcrafts. Commercial vendors have a variety of merchandise ranging from sunglasses to handmade soaps.

Peanuts Pumpkin Patch Express Bryson City

COPYRIGHT ©, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2017, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.

Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle dies at age 90

By Bernie Woodall Reuters

On board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, guests will hear a narration of Charles Schulz’s “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as the train travels to the Pumpkin Patch. Upon arrival, passengers will be greeted and have a photo opportunity with Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy.

Activities to enjoy at The Great Pumpkin Patch will include campfire marshmallows, a coloring station, trick or treating, a bouncy house, hayrides, live musical entertainment and pumpkin picking.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Y.A. Tittle, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants, has died at the age of 90, the 49ers said on Monday.

Tittle died on Sunday surrounded by his family, his former team said in a statement.

It did not provide the cause of death.

Sports cable network ESPN reported that Tittle died at Stanford Hospital near his home in California.

Oct. 14-15

history marked

Mumfest New Bern MumFest is one of the finest award-winning festivals in the state of North Carolina. It is recognized statewide as a major eastern North Carolina family festival, and it has received numerous awards over the years including Best N.C. Main Street Downtown Event, Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 October events, and the Sun Journal Reader’s Choice winner as Best Festival for many years running.

Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz Festival Kure Beach Enjoy the sounds of blues and jazz with two days and two stages of entertainment accompanied by delicious locally prepared seafood at The Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz Festival. Headliners include "Mud" Morganfield Blues Band (fronted by Muddy Waters’ son), Roomful of Blues, the Nick Moss Band, Carolyn Wonderland, the Randall Bramblett Band, Freeport Jazz, and "Funky" LeRoy Harper Jr.

Oct. 12, 1858 Thalian Hall opens in Wilmington Thalian Hall in Wilmington opened with a gala celebration in 1858. Long a cultural and political center of Wilmington, Thalian Hall’s origins lie in the Thalian Association, a theatrical company organized in 1788 that took its name from Thalia, the Greek muse of comedy. When the old theater facility began to garner negative attention from traveling troupes, Wilmington town fathers decided to construct a new facility, which would serve as a theater, library and city civic center. Over the years, it has been referred to as Thalian Hall, the Wilmington Opera House and the Wilmington Academy of Music. Thalian Hall survived the Great Depression, receiving a $50,000 Works Progress Administration Grant for renovations and performances. After the Second World War, a new series of renovations took place, followed in 1973 by a period of rebuilding after a catastrophic fire.

The most recent restoration occurred in 1990. Today, Thalian Hall continues to serve Wilmington in the capacity originally intended in 1858 — hosting theatrical events and housing city offices.

SOURCE: NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Tittle played professional football from 1948 to 1964, including 10 years with the 49ers and four years with the Giants.

During his 1961-1964 tenure with the Giants, he quarterbacked them to three straight NFL championship games, all of which the team lost. He won the league's Most Valuable Player award in 1963.

Before turning professional, the Texas-born quarterback, born Yelberton Abraham Tittle on Oct. 24, 1926, played college football at Louisiana State University.

He was named the most valuable player in the 1947 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, a scoreless tie

with the University of Arkansas that became known as the "Ice Bowl" because of the harsh wintry conditions that included snow and ice.

Tittle, whose bald head made him look older than his years, was the subject of an iconic photo taken during his last season in 1964. It shows him on his knees, sitting on his ankles, without a helmet and bleeding from a gash in his head after throwing a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Tittle, who was selected seven times to play in the Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Oct. 10, 1934 Wilson native appointed first archivist of the United States

Oct. 14, 1927 Charles Lindbergh lands in Greensboro

Oct. 15, 1951 Wake Forest sets up new campus

President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed R. D. W. Connor as the first Archivist of the United States.

Robert Digges Wimberly Connor, born in Wilson in 1878, was also the founding father of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. In 1903, Connor accepted an appointment to the newly formed North Carolina Historical Commission. He worked for four years as the unpaid secretary of the commission while also working with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, promoting public education through speeches and articles. In 1906, Connor accepted a salaried position as secretary of the N.C. Historical Commission. Connor’s stalwart leadership and his investigative mind guided the agency through its early years. When Roosevelt appointed Connor to the national post, Connor found himself again having to build an archival program from the ground up.

He successfully educated Washington bureaucrats as to the need for proper records management and justified the urgency for protecting records of archival quality. He remained as Archivist of the United States until 1941. Early in his tenure with the state, Connor wrote, “no people who are indifferent to their past need hope to make their future great.”

On this day, Charles Lindbergh landed at Lindley Field in Greensboro to celebrate its opening. Greensboro businessmen in the 1920s touted their city as the site for a major airport, being the midpoint between northern cities and those in the Deep South.

Leaders from Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem worked to establish an air field on property purchased

by Guilford County and Greensboro from Paul C. Lindley in 1927. Drawing visitors to the opening ceremony for Lindley Field was national hero Charles Lindbergh in his famous airplane, Spirit of St. Louis. Lindbergh completed the first nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris in May 1927. Drawing on his success, he flew throughout the United States to encourage air flight. He visited Lindley Field as part of a three-month tour that took him to 48 states and 82 cities, racking up 147 speeches and 1,290 miles of parade routes. As a result of his tour, interest in the uses of air flight, particularly the use of air mail, exploded. Lindbergh’s Greensboro visit, one of only two in North Carolina during the tour, highlighted the potential prominence of the city as an aviation center.

President Harry S. Truman spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Winston-Salem campus of Wake Forest College. The president spoke for 20 minutes covering the history of the college and praising the people who made the move possible. A scale model of the planned campus was available for attendees to examine.

The move was several years in making.

College trustees and the Baptist State Convention had agreed to move the school to the Forsyth County site during the previous decade, after the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation promised to fund the college in perpetuity if it moved. Charles and Mary Babcock, the daughter of R. J. Reynolds, donated 350 acres near Reynolda House for the campus. The school’s roots, though, go back much further. The Baptist State Convention launched Wake Forest Institute in 1834 on the site of a Wake County plantation with an enrollment of 16. Designed to teach Baptist ministers and laymen, the school required students to spend half their day performing manual labor on the plantation. In 1838, the school was renamed Wake Forest College, and the provision for manual labor was abandoned in favor of rigorous academic training. The village in Wake County that developed around the college became known as Wake Forest.

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Judges Mike Adcock, right, and L.T. Woodlief, left, both of North Carolina State Biological and Agricultural Engineering, watch as a teen backs in a trailer during the FFA Tractor Driving Event at Southern Farm Show, Feb. 2, 2017.

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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ENTERTAINMENT Bon Jovi, Radiohead among Brit-heavy Rock Hall of Fame nominees

By Jill Serjeant Reuters LOS ANGELES — "Livin' on a Prayer" rocker Bon Jovi, British singer Kate Bush and influential English alt-rock band Radiohead were nominated on Thursday for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on a list heavy with British artists.

Eight of the 19 nominees for 2018 induction, including 1980s rock band Dire Straits, electro-pop band Depeche Mode and progressive 1960s rockers the Moody Blues — best known for "Nights in White Satin" — are British musicians.

Artists must have released their first recording at least 25 years ago to be eligible for nomination.

Music fans and industry experts will vote on the list, which will be reduced to five or six

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL O’BRIEN

Comedian Ralphie May dead at 45

Hall of Fame inductees whose names will be announced in December. The 2018 induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland in April.

Posthumous nominations this year included American blues singer-songwriter and activist Nina Simone, 1940s gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the J. Geils band, whose founder J. Geils died in April, and 1950s American guitarist Link Wray.

Other nominees included British heavy metal band Judas Priest, British 1980s duo Eurythmics, U.S. rapper and actor LL Cool J, and The Cars.

The inductees are chosen by fans voting online and by an international body of more than 900 artists, historians and members of the music industry who are asked to consider musical influence, innovation, and length and depth of career.

LOS ANGELES — Comedian Ralphie May died after suffering cardiac arrest on Friday in Las Vegas, his manager and publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 45.

“We are heartbroken to announce the untimely death of our friend, Ralphie May,” his publicist, Stacey Pokluda, said in a statement. “Ralphie had been battling pneumonia and had canceled a handful of dates over the last month in an effort to recover. Earlier this morning at a private residence in Las Vegas his body was discovered.”

May rose to fame after he finished in second place in the first season of “Last Comic Standing” in 2003. His career took off after that, as May, who was born in Tennessee and raised in Arkansas, parlayed his Southern charm into stand-up dates

Grammy-winning rapper Nelly was arrested near Seattle early on Saturday after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her on a tour bus, police said. The woman dialed 911 to report the sexual assault had occurred when the bus was parked at a shopping center in Auburn, local police said in a statement.

Jason Aldean opens 'Saturday Night Live' with tribute to Las Vegas victims Jason Aldean, who was performing on stage when a gunman fired down on a Las Vegas concert killing 58 people, made a surprise appearance on "Saturday Night Live," paying tribute to the victims of the worst-ever U.S. mass shooting with a song by the late Tom Petty. "Like everyone, I'm struggling to understand what happened that night, and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal," Aldean said as he opened the late-night comedy sketch show.

Linklater's war veteran comedy speaks to modern America, says star "Last Flag Flying," a comedydrama about Vietnam war veterans, will resonate with Trump's America, despite, or perhaps because of, its period setting, actor Bryan Cranston said on Sunday after a screening at the London Film Festival. Set in the United States in December 2003 — when U.S. forces in Iraq were dragging Saddam Hussein out of a "spider hole" — it is the story of three aging former servicemen who reunite to bury the son of one of them who has been killed in action.

May, who is known for his 2nd place finish on ‘Last Comic Standing’, died Friday

By Alex Stedmany Variety

Rapper Nelly arrested on sexual assault allegation

across the county, as well as appearances on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and “The Wayne Brady Show.”

Most recently, May had a Las Vegas residency at Harrah’s, including shows that were scheduled for Friday and Saturday. He was set to hit tour stops in Tennessee, Alabama and Ohio later this month. On Wednesday, he won the Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo.

The comedian had four specials on Comedy Central — “Girth of a Nation” (2006), “Prime Cut” (2007), “Austin-tatious” (2008), and “Too Big to Ignore” (2012) — in addition to two Netflix specials in 2015, “Unruly” and “Imperfectly Yours.” He also recently appeared on Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer.”

He is survived by his wife, Lahna Turner, and two children, April June May and August James May.

Box Office: 'Blade Runner 2049' fades to $31.5 million opening weekend

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Jon Bon Jovi performs for thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters at NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum during a midnight rally on Nov. 7, 2016.

“Blade Runner 2049” is heading for a downbeat $31.5 million opening weekend at 4,058 sites in North America. Sunday's estimated result throws serious doubt onto high hopes for a box office success story. In one of the most surprising turnarounds in recent years, "Blade Runner 2049" fell far short of expectations, which had been in the $45 million to $50 million range at the start of the weekend amid stellar reviews, strong advance ticket sales, and the revered status of 1982's original "Blade Runner."

FILM REVIEW: ‘MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE’

By Amy Nicholson Variety LOS ANGELES — The overwhelmingly cute “My Little Pony: The Movie” (the font squeezes hearts into each “O” and “P,” and the spiders have googly pink eyes) is less a film than a feature-length “very special episode” of the TV hit “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” a kiddie cartoon that’s spent seven seasons insisting that everyone needs a hug (villains, too).

Audiences who haven’t followed the glitter-bomb adventures of bossy bookworm Twilight Sparkle, glamorous Rarity, hyperactive Pinkie Pie, introverted Fluttershy, speed demon Rainbow Dash and country girl Applejack don’t get a helping hoof in understanding the land of Equestria — and audiences saddled with cynicism will have to shake it off by the first chords of the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat.”

The My Little Pony movie doesn’t argue to be seen in theaters. Director Jayson Thiessen and his main voice actors Ashleigh Ball, Tabitha St. Germain, Tara Strong and Andrea Libman have already done more than 100 installments of the show; the big screen version is simply longer.

The only upgrade in its flat, bright animation is that the giant pupils of its pony, unicorn and pegasus heroines, here blown up to the size of tractor tires, dazzle with 10 dots of light, not two. Yet, parents might embrace “My Little Pony: The Movie” on home video, if only to test the musical’s opening promise that “doing the Pony puts

MAGE COURTESY OF LIONSGATE AND HASBRO.

us in a trance.”

For those who forgot about the toy franchise after it sold 150 million plastic ponies in the ’80s, seven years ago Hasbro handed the reins to Lauren Faust, a writer, director and animator on the cult smash “The Powerpuff Girls.”

Faust prettied up the ponies, slimming their legs and snubbing their noses so short they can barely wear sunglasses. More importantly, Faust gave her characters clashing personalities, and centered the series on her six heroines pushing past their differences to become best friends. Instead of easy afterschool platitudes, the show focused on advanced lessons: how to accept flaws, forgive mistakes and melt anger with empathy — sophisticated stuff for an audience with an intended age of 7.

Emphasis on intended. Grown men love ponies, too — so much that they’ve become Equestria’s most infamous groupies. In 2014, the Morgan Spurlock-produced documentary “A Brony Tale” met

Iraq vets, motorcycle mechanics and oddball college bros who adore the show. They argue that Brony culture isn’t about immaturity or perversion. It’s a brave battle against the stereotype that boys can’t like pink. To them, what’s truly deviant isn’t the fan art found on 4chan, but a society that armors men against cuddles.

Still, in “My Little Pony: The Movie,” the evil satyr Storm King (Liev Schreiber) has enslaved the ponies of Equestria with leather bridles, a look that unmistakably suggests S&M. As the fillies seek to dethrone him, they’re hunted

by Storm King’s minion Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt), a unicorn with a broken horn that fizzes like a sparkler, who stalks them wearing black rubber. Another punchline has a male character reaching down out of frame to reassuringly pat his crotch.

If the entendres are deliberate, the screenwriting team of Meghan McCarthy, Rita Hsiao and Michael Vogel isn’t confessing — though they do give a sen-

Fluttershy (Andrea Libman), Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain), Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rainbow Dash (Ashleigh Ball), Pinkie Pie (Andrea Libman) and Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) in My Little Pony: The Movie.

timental role to Bronies’ favorite character, a cross-eyed klutz that internet fans named Derpy Hoooves. (Hasbro hastily dubbed the awkward pony Muffins.) And the film has plenty of adults-only gags, as when Tempest Shadow summons her incompetent boss, and the lazy and ungrateful old coot arrives to the sound of a dial-up modem. No one born in this millennium would recognize that diss.

The movie has a gut distrust of men, carnivores and earth tones. Feline con man Capper (Taye Diggs) combines all three, so naturally, he lures the ponies to his home with wicked intentions. “Apologies for the state of my litter box,” he purrs. “I wasn’t expecting guests.”

Luckily for Twilight Sparkle and friends, “My Little Pony: The Movie” is chiefly under the control of powerful women, from Equestria ruler Princess Celestia (Nicole Oliver) and Queen Novo (Uzo Aduba) of the hippogriffs, to feathered pirate Capt. Celaeno

(Zoe Saldana) and pop goddess Songbird Serenade (Sia), who, like the eight-time Grammy nominee who voices her, dyes her mane black and white. It’s the rare cartoon where guys are so sidelined they’re almost nonexistent. The only major male character is a baby dragon named Spike (Cathy Weseluck). While that imbalance shouldn’t feel revolutionary, it does. (Perhaps the seahorses introduced here can advise the girls on asexual reproduction.)

Beat by beat, “My Little Pony: The Movie” is at once cliched and exceptional. Are there songs about childhood memories and loyalty and play dates? Of course.

Does it end in a group hug? Naturally. But the challenges, and their solutions, are emotionally wise.

Ponies solve problems by listening, not brawling — fisticuffs are for the Transformers and G.I. Joe. They soothe sinister pirates who threaten to “scar them — emotionally,” and disarm one of Storm King’s goons by comforting him while he cries. Take the MPAA’s PG rating at its word: This is literally “mild action.”

By the time Storm King growls, “I’m so totally over the cute pony thing,” misanthropes might agree.

Yet, its sweetness stampedes over the audience’s resistance. “My Little Pony: The Movie” knows it’s made to sell toys, but its heart is earnest and its jokes just shy of self-deprecating. Listen closely during a ponies-in-peril slavery scene and you’ll hear a monster screech what Hasbro execs pray kids will leave the theater howling: “I want all seven for my collection!”

North State Journal for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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