VOLUME 2 ISSUE 42 |
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
inside Hornets revamp defense for 2017-18, Sports Celebrate 150 years with rides, fried foods, shows and animals. Crowds descend on the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Oct. 17 during the 150th North Carolina State Fair. Thousands upon thousands go to the State Fair every day of the 10-day affair for rides, food, games, shows, animals and more. The State Fair continues to Sunday, Oct. 22. See more in the good life.
EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Durham, Chapel Hill students treated for tuberculosis Durham Public health officials confirmed Tuesday a Northern High School student in Durham has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and is being isolated at home during treatment. The announcement follows the confirmation last week that a UNC-Chapel Hill student tested positive for the disease as well. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious but treatable respiratory disease spread by coughing, talking or sneezing.
5 driving behaviors cause most deadly accidents Raleigh Oct. 15-21 is Teen Driver Safety Week in N.C., a reminder that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death in teenagers. The state’s “5 to Drive” campaign says the five most dangerous and deadly driving behaviors are alcohol, lack of seat belt use, distracted driving, speeding and extra passengers. In 2016, 87 teenaged drivers ages 15 to 19 years old were killed and another 10,453 were injured in N.C. Forty-two of those killed were not using their seat belt at the time of the crash and 49 were speeding. This year to date, 48 teens have lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes.
Trump to make opioid announcement next week Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would likely make an announcement next week on the opioid crisis, which a White House commission suggested should be declared a national emergency. If Trump were to declare the epidemic a national emergency, it could potentially unlock some crisis funding and special regulatory waivers to boost prevention programs and make the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone, more readily available.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Stein sues Trump on behalf of NC over Obamacare By Roberta Rampton and Richard Cowan Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein signed up the state to a lawsuit against President Donald Trump after the administration decided to end Obamacare subsidies. N.C. is one of 18 states who sued the Trump administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping the critical element of the Affordable Care Act. The 2010 law enacted by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama relied on taxpayer-paid subsidies, called “cost-sharing reductions” (CSR), that cost $7 billion this year and were estimated at $10 billion for 2018, according to congressional analysts. “As far as the subsidies are concerned, I don’t want to make the insurance companies rich,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “They’re making a fortune by getting that kind of money.” Republicans say that the subsidies were never legal because Obama enacted the federal expenditure through executive order, not the legislative process. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Stein joined other Democrats accusing Trump of sabotaging the law. “I am suing President Trump today for his unlawful and reckless decision to stop payments that help hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians afford health insurance,” said Stein in a statement released on Twitter. Democratic attorneys general from the 18 states as well as Washington, D.C., filed the lawsuit in
“The president is not going to continue to throw good money after bad, give $7 billion to insurance companies unless something changes about Obama care that would justify it. It’s got to be a good deal.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
See STEIN, page A3
N.C. lawmakers from Raleigh and D.C. join forces to push for tax reform.
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By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's latest effort to restrict visitors from eight countries deemed by the Department of Homeland Security to be high-risk. The ruling came just a day before it was set to take effect. The state of Hawaii sued in federal court in Honolulu to block Trump's latest policy, arguing that federal immigration law did not give him the authority to impose the restrictions on six of those countries. Hawaii did not challenge entry restrictions relating to North Korea and Venezuela. Democrat-appointed U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu had previously blocked Trump's last travel ban in March. In his ruling on Tuesday, Watson said Trump's latest travel ban violates
PHOTO COURTESY OF TED BUDD
federal immigration law. The White House said the policy was derived from investigations at the Department of Homeland Security where officials there determined that the countries in question would not provide security information on visitors, and were therefore high-risk. The open-ended ban, announced last month, targeted people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea, as well as certain government officials from Venezuela. It was the latest version of a policy that had previously targeted six countries identified as "countries of concern" by the State Department but had been restricted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The policy "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor: it lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States,'" Watson wrote. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
People head into a polling place at the Wake County Board of Elections in downtown Raleigh to vote,
Legislature opens ballots to third parties in veto override
By Donna King North State Journal
Jones & Blount
20177 52016
Policy was scheduled to take effect on Wednesday
Lawmakers rejected Cooper’s veto, canceling the 2018 judicial primaries and easing entry for third parties
INSIDE
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Federal judge blocks latest Trump travel restrictions
RALEIGH — The state legislature voted Tuesday for the 10th veto override since Gov. Roy Cooper has been in the Executive Mansion, well more than half of his 13 total vetoes. The lawmakers needed a threefifths vote to override, voting in the Senate Monday night 26-15 along
party lines and in the House Tuesday morning, 72-40. Two Democrats voted in favor of overriding the governor’s veto: Reps. William Brisson (D-Bladen) and Elmer Floyd (D-Cumberland). This time the override is on an election bill aimed at making it easier to get third-party candidates on the state’s election ballots, but also canceling the 2018 judicial primaries. Lawmakers say they want to allow newly eligible candidates to be able to get a closer look at planned new judicial district maps. The efSee THIRD PARTIES, page A2
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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10.18.17 #98
NC leads nation in pharma development Study shows more than 700 clinical trials have been conducted in the state since 2004 By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal
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THIRD PARTIES from page A1 fort to update judicial district lines was launched over the summer by Rep. Justin Burr (R- Stanly), but some members of both parties say its overdue. “The North Carolina House is carefully implementing changes to judicial districts, giving candidates for the court more certainty and fairness as they analyze changes to the elections process,” House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) said in a statement. “The House is responding to input from court officials by allowing judicial candidates time to fully consider the impact of potential redistricting before deciding whether or not to file.” Senate Bill 656, the Electoral Freedom Act of 2017, says that for just the 2018 election cycle judicial candidates will run during the general election alone, with a filing
GREENVILLE — Before drugs can be prescribed by a doctor or sold over the counter at local pharmacies, researchers, doctors and the federal government must have an adequate understanding of the medicine, how it can be used, how it treats a condition, what possible side effects could be caused, and its rate of success and failure. This is where clinical trials are deemed necessary. A new report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) found that biopharmaceutical research companies are or have conducted more than 700 clinical trials of new medicines in eastern North Carolina since 2004 which places one-third of North Carolina on the forefront of new research and development in the United States. In addition, the life science industry powers North Carolina’s economy, supporting 259,000 jobs and generating $77.6 billion in economic activity. “North Carolina is a global life science leader and eastern North Carolina, led by East Carolina University, is playing an ever-increasing role in the R&D and testing needed to bring these new products to market,” said Mark Phillips, NCBiotech vice president of statewide operations and executive director of the eastern office. “NCBiotech is committed to leading this transformational endeavor.” The PhRMA report, “Research in Your Backyard: Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials in Eastern North Carolina,” notes that clinical trials in eastern N.C. are a vital part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval , process. “North Carolina has a longstanding commitment to strengthening the life sciences industry, which is evidenced by the innovative research and
period in June. It also makes it easier for a third party to be officially recognized in N.C. and reduces the number of petition signatures required for unaffiliated candidates to get on general election ballots. The measure also lowers the percentage of votes required to avoid a runoff in primaries from 40 percent to 30 percent. Cooper and other opponents say the bill is cutting off voter access by canceling the 2018 judicial primaries. "The legislature is angry that their bad laws continue to be overturned by the courts, and their solution to abolish a scheduled election and once again take away voters’ rights is wrong,” said Cooper in response to the override Tuesday. “This is the first step toward a constitutional amendment that will rig the system by moving to partisan, legislative selection of judges. Al-
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHRMA
Mark Phillips, NCBiotech vice president of statewide operations and executive director of the eastern office, speaks to Flint Harding with Avoca at “Research in Your Backyard” in Greensboro on Oct. 10.
development happening right here in Eastern North Carolina,” said Rep. Susan Martin (R-Wilson), co-chair of the N.C. Legislative Life Sciences Caucus. “Collaboration between the industry and legislators is vital as we continue to drive biopharmaceutical research and innovation at our universities and across the state.” Since 2004, 715 clinical trials in eastern North Carolina have targeted diseases and conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. The trials provide critical data that the FDA uses to determine new drug approvals of breakthrough medicines. Participating in a clinical trial is a volunteer process chosen by the patient and allows for him or her to not only have an active
“Democrats have always claimed to champion “voter rights.” Yet the governor vetoed a bill that would have given all voters the right to vote for more people for all offices.” — Libertarian Brian Irving lowing legislators to pick their own judges for political reasons is a bad idea." The Libertarian Party of N.C. was strongly critical of Cooper’s veto. “The governor claims this is the ‘the first step toward a constitutional amendment that would rig the system so that the legislature would
The state’s life science industry supports 259,000 jobs and generates $77.6 billion in economic activity. role in their health care but also be part of the process toward finding new treatments and cures. East Carolina University and the Brody School of Medicine are two entities where research and clinical trials are playing a vital role in furthering medical advancement in eastern North Carolina. “As a pediatric oncologist at East Carolina University, I am proud to be a part of Children’s Oncology Group, a network of
pick everybody’s judges in every district instead of letting the people vote for the judges they want.’” said party leader Brian Irving in a press release. “This reasoning is curious because no such constitutional amendment bill exists. And even it did, a majority of North Carolina voters would have to approve it. So how would that be rigging the system?” Cooper won the state’s gubernatorial election in 2016 by 10,277 votes. In that election statewide turnout was more than 68 percent. However, in the 2010 primaries, overall voter turnout for more than three-quarters of N.C. counties was less than 25 percent and a quarter of counties had 10 percent turnout or less. “This override vote will not only improve ballot access for third-party and unaffiliated candidates, it will also bring certainty to our
providers and centers that conduct research and clinical trials to ensure our patients are provided with the most advanced treatment options,” said Dr.Beng Fuh, pediatric oncologist at East Carolina University. “This way we can improve outcomes and decrease the suffering of our children with cancer and provide their families with hope.” PhRMA is an innovative biopharmaceutical research company, devoted to discovering and developing medicines that enable patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives. Since 2000, PhRMA member companies have invested more than $600 billion in the search for new treatments and cures, including an estimated $65.5 billion in 2016.
judicial election schedule and allow time for a thorough discussion about the best system to ensure the most highly qualified judges are on the bench in North Carolina,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) in a statement Monday. Unaffiliated voters are expected to impact coming elections in big ways. Since 2008, unaffiliated voter registrations have surged nationwide by nearly 30 percent. In N.C. this fall unaffiliated registrations passed Republicans for the first time to become the second largest voter group in the state with 2,058,201 voters, according to the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement. Democrats still have the largest number of voters in the state with 2,640,729, but have lost 101,600 party members since 2009. Republican registrations have grown by 51,000 registered voters in that time.
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Controversy over conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza’s upcoming speech at UNCG Lt. Gov. Dan Forest had offered to pay fees for event By NSJ Staff RALEIGH — An upcoming visit to UNC Greensboro by conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza set off allegations from a conservative campus organization that the N.C. university was charging the group more than the campus charged Hillary Clinton for a similar visit. In a post Friday, Young America's Foundation accused UNCG of violating its own policies for campus events by charging the conservative students a fee to host D'Souza. The post drew a response from N.C. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest who offered to pay the fees to enable D'Souza to come to the Greensboro campus. “Spencer Brown, my campaign will pay the fee for this event to go forward,” Forest said in a tweet. “Have your people contact my office and thank you for pushing for free speech. #yaf #dsouza #freespeech #spencerbrown” Reached by phone. Eden Bloss, senior director of media relations at UNCG, said that the group was being charged $1 for the room and that most of the other fees were for audio-visual equipment and other costs associated with the event. "We are all about free speech," said Bloss, while adding "we're excited" to have D'Souza come to campus. Bloss also provided the North State Journal with a copy of the contract for the event which lists a facility fee of $1 and estimated expenses of more than $800, which includes staffing, cleanup and other equipment costs. Jamey Falkenbury, press secretary for Forest, said their office had
"been informed by the group organizing the event that the UNCG administration has reversed course and waived the fees." Falkenbury added, "We think this decision by the administration is the appropriate course of action." Subsequently, the Young America's Foundation updated their initial statement that "As of 5 p.m. ET today, the powers that be at UNCG corrected the error they previously stood by and at last followed their own policy that requires an event hosted and organized by one of their students be treated as such." “The University agrees to your request to have the speaking event scheduled for Nov. 2, 2017, considered as a ‘Group B (University events with fees, and University-related events),’ according to the UNCG Facility Use Policy,” the school said in a letter to the group.” While this classification does waive the normal Facility Use fee (there is a $1 fee for contractual purposes), it is important to note that the event will not be without cost to the student group. Specifically, UNCG College Republicans will still be responsible for technical needs and staffing, including UNCG Police, at cost; your group will also be responsible for 28 percent Administrative Fee of the total fees for the event, per your requested use of the Facility Use Policy. Draft/estimate costs will be outlined to you, in writing, following a logistics meeting. Actual costs will be billed after the event and all costs are computed.” D'Souza is scheduled to speak on campus Nov. 2 in YAF's nationwide campus lecture program, this one called "D'Souza Unchained." According to the contract, his speech is entitled, "The Nazi Roots of the American Left.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DINESH D’SOUZA
Conservative filkmaker Dinesh D’Souza is set to speak at UNC Greensboro on Nov. 2.
U.S. Senate Republicans gain moment on tax reform budget measure By David Morgan Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday gained crucial support for a vote on a budget resolution, key to enacting sweeping tax reform for the first time in 30 years. President Donald Trump and Republican leaders want the tax changes signed into law by January. Two Republican lawmakers, once seen as potential “no” votes, said they would likely support the measure. A third, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), may vote “yes” depending on what the final resolution looks like. "I am leaning 'yes'," Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters as the chamber prepared for what is expected to be a late Thursday vote on the fiscal 2018 spending blueprint. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced on Sunday that she will likely vote yes. Both the Senate and House of Representatives must agree on a budget resolution to unlock a legislative tool known as reconciliation that Republicans need to move tax legislation through the Senate without support from Democrats. Though Murkowski said her final decision would depend on what amendments are added to the budget, her qualified support reduces the possibility of failure. Murkowski was one of three Republicans who sank the Senate
health care bill in July. Paul told reporters there is a possibility he will vote yes. "We're in discussions on it. We're trying to get it to a document that we think represents what we stand for," Paul said. Without a budget and reconciliation, Republicans would need 60 votes in the Senate, where they hold a 52-48 majority. Republicans usually can lose no more than two votes. But with Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) ill, their margin of error for the budget has shrunk to only one "no" vote. Earlier, the White House released a report saying middle-class Americans would eventually see their incomes rise more than $4,000 from the Trump plan to cut the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. Democrats have lambasted the Trump tax plan as a giveaway for the wealthy. Trump fired back in a separate tweet on Monday: "The Democrats only want to increase taxes and obstruct. That's all they are good at!" Republican Congressmen Mark Walker and Ted Budd, both representing N.C. in the U.S. House of Representatives, were in Greensboro last week touting the plans for federal tax reform. They joined state lawmakers in saying N.C. should be the model for changes that trigger economic growth. For more on that story, turn to Jones and Blount on page A7.
PHOTO CREDIT | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Sgt. Robert B. Bergdahl, center, is escorted into the courthouse after a lunch break during his Oct. 16 hearing in the case of United States vs. Bergdahl in Fort Bragg.
U.S. Army Sgt. Bergdahl pleads guilty to desertion, endangering troops The charges against Bergdahl carry a possible life sentence By Colleen Jenkins Reuters FORT BRAGG — U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty on Monday to deserting his duties in Afghanistan in June 2009 and endangering the lives of fellow troops, a step toward resolving the politically charged case that could send him to prison for life. The 31-year-old Idaho native told a judge at Fort Bragg that he walked off his combat outpost in Paktika province and headed to a nearby base to report "critical leadership problems" in his chain of command. But he got lost after 20 minutes, was captured by the Taliban several hours later and spent the next five years in captivity. The dangerous search for him that ensued — and the Taliban prisoner swap that won his release in 2014 — drew wide derision from soldiers and Republicans. The Obama administration arranged a deal to trade five captured high-level Taliban leaders for Bergdahl without consent or notice to Congress until after the Taliban leaders were released. They were sent to Qatar for “in-
definite house arrest,” according to the Qatari government in the terms of their release. Obama later said that Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” in a 2014 Rose Garden ceremony announcing the deal. Several U.S. soldiers were seriously injured in initial 45-day search for Bergdahl, but officials spent years trying to locate and rescue him. During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump called Bergdahl "a nogood traitor." Bergdahl's lawyers had argued that such comments made it impossible for him to get a fair trial, but military judges refused to dismiss the charges. 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. In court on Monday, Bergdahl admitted wrongdoing but said he never intended to put anyone at risk. "I didn't think there'd be any reason to pull off a crucial mission to look for one guy," he said, adding his actions were "very inexcusable." In a 2016 interview with a British filmmaker obtained by ABC News/Good Morning America and aired on Monday, Bergdahl rejected the notion that
he sympathized with his captors. He has said he endured torture, abuse and neglect at the hands of Taliban forces and was confined to a small cage for more than four years. He pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy without any sentencing agreement with prosecutors, lawyers said. The latter offense carries a possible life sentence. Jeffrey Addicott, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, said defense lawyers are betting the judge will give Bergdahl a lighter punishment. Nance can consider Bergdahl's time in captivity, but Addicott doubts it will help the soldier much. "He knew what the Taliban was, and he inflicted that on himself," said Addicott, now a law professor at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. Bergdahl, who remains on active duty in a clerical job at a base in San Antonio, said he tried to escape his captors up to 15 times. The first attempt came on the day he was caught, he said. Blindfolded, with a blanket over his head and his hands chained behind his back, he decided to run from the village where he had been taken. But he quickly was tackled, he said, and taken to another location.
STEIN from page A1 federal court in California on Friday. The states include: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington state. The states asked the court to force Trump to make the next subsidies payment to insurance companies. Legal experts said the states were likely to face an uphill battle in court. Trump’s action came just weeks before the period starting on Nov. 1 when individuals have to begin enrolling for 2018 insurance coverage through the law’s marketplaces. The administration will not make the next payment to insurers, scheduled for Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. Trump criticized the subsidies as “a disgrace” and “a total gift” to insurers, while Democrats say that canceling the subsidies would drive up premiums. “We’ll negotiate some deal that’s good for everybody. But they’re (Democrats) always a bloc vote against everything. They’re like obstructionists,” Trump told reporters. The Senate failed in both July and September to pass legislation backed by Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, due to opposition by a handful of Republican senators. One of them, Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine who had been contemplating running for governor next year, on Friday said she planned to remain in the Senate and would use her voice in reforming the health care system. In a press conference held in the White House Rose Garden
YURI GRIPAS | REUTERS
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 16.
Monday, Trump and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (RKy.) tried to move past the tensions over efforts to repeal Obamacare with a show of unity. “Despite what we read, we’re probably now — I think at least as far as I’m concerned — closer than every before,” Trump said at the press conference with McConnell. “The relationship is very good. We’re fighting for the same thing — we’re fighting for lower taxes, big tax cuts, the biggest tax cuts in the history of our nation.” Trump expressed optimism that Republicans and Democrats in Congress will also be able to craft a short-term fix for health care insurance markets. “I think we’ll have a short-term fix and then we’ll have a long-term fix, and that will take place probably in March or April,” Trump said. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray
(D-Wash.) have been trying to craft a bipartisan deal aimed at helping stabilize health insurance markets under Obamacare. Congressional aides have said that such a deal could include two years of funding to continue the subsidies that Trump has revoked, coupled with new flexibility for states on their handling of some Obamacare provisions. In N.C. 480,000 residents across the state signed up for health insurance through the exchange, but 80 percent of them had just one option of carrier after UnitedHealthcare and Aetna dropped out saying that even with the subsidies, it was too expensive for them to participate. Now Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the only option for most N.C. participants. However, Trump signed another executive order last week that allows consumers to buy scaled-down insurance across state lines.
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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Nation & WORLD
6 injured in Louisiana oil platform explosion New Orleans One worker is missing and six are injured after an oil production platform operated by a New Orleans company exploded and caught fire in Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain late on Sunday, authorities said. The platform is operated by Clovelly Oil, confirmed Donald Mackenroth, a Clovelly vice president reached by phone. He said the cause of the explosion and fire was not clear, and declined to comment on the number of workers on the platform.
Judge declines to dismiss bribery charges against Sen. Menendez Newark, N.J. The bribery case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) survived a key test on Monday, as the federal judge overseeing his trial rejected a defense motion to throw out the most serious charges. U.S. District Judge William Walls in Newark, N.J., allowed the trial to proceed on all charges. He had suggested on Oct. 16 that he was inclined to dismiss the core of the case based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that narrowed the legal definition of public corruption. Analysts have speculated that the outcome of the case could legalize some gifts to public officials.
Daimler recalls more than 1M vehicles for air bag fix Berlin Daimler AG is recalling more than 1 million Mercedes-Benz cars and sport utility vehicles worldwide to address potential unintended air bag deployments, the German automaker said on Monday. The safety recall covers 495,000 vehicles in the U.S., 400,000 in Britain, 76,000 in Canada and a few hundred thousand in Germany, company officials said. An electrostatic discharge, coupled with a broken clock spring and insufficient grounding of steering components, can lead to inadvertent deployment of the driver side front air bag in vehicles subject to the recall, the company said. A Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman said there had been "a handful of instances where drivers suffered minor abrasions or bruises" due to the air bag problem. No deaths have been reported.
Trump to visit Asia Nov. 3-14, focus on North Korea, alliances Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii between Nov. 3-14, the White House said on Monday, amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Trump will "call on the international community to join together in maximizing pressure on North Korea," the White House said in a statement, and will meet family members of Japanese citizens who have been abducted by North Korea.
U.S. will help restore water, power to Raqqa after fall of ISIS in Syria Washington, D.C. The U.S. will take the lead in helping to clear rubble and restore basic services after the fall of ISIS in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa, the State Department said Tuesday. “We will assist and take, essentially, the lead in bringing back the water, electricity and all of that,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a briefing. “But eventually the governance of the country of Syria is something that I think all nations remain very interested in.” “The United States and our allies have prepared for next steps and will continue to work with partners to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and support the stabilization efforts in Raqqa and other liberated areas,” Nauert said.
U.S. Supreme Court to decide major Microsoft email privacy fight
forcement data demands, with a clear focus on strong human rights protections for all internet users," said Greg Nojeim, a senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology digital rights group, which backs Microsoft in the case. The Microsoft dispute is the second that the justices have agreed to hear in their current term that touches upon privacy rights in the digital age. The other case concerns whether police officers need a warrant to access information on the past locations of cellphone users that is held by wireless carriers. Rulings in both cases are due by the end of June.
Trump administration appeals ruling favoring Microsoft while prosecutors worry about a ruling harming criminal probes By Lawrence Hurley Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a major privacy dispute between the Justice Department and Microsoft over whether prosecutors should get access to emails stored on company servers overseas. The justices will hear the Trump administration's appeal of a lower court's ruling last year preventing federal prosecutors from obtaining emails stored in Microsoft computer servers in Dublin, Ireland, in a drug trafficking investigation. That decision by the New Yorkbased 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals marked a victory for privacy advocates and technology companies that increasingly offer cloud computing services in which data is stored remotely. Prosecutors say a ruling in favor of Microsoft could undermine a range of criminal investigations. Microsoft, which has 100 data centers in 40 countries, was the first U.S. company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the country. There have been several similar challenges, most brought by Google. "If U.S. law enforcement can obtain the emails of foreigners stored outside the United States, what's to stop the government of another country from getting your emails even though they are located in the United States?" Brad Smith, Microsoft's presi-
Beyond the reach
SHANNON STAPLETON | REUTERSL
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during a Reuters Newsmaker event in Manhattan on Sept. 27.
dent and chief legal officer, said in a blog post on Monday. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. Government lawyers said in court papers that the lower court ruling "gravely threatens public safety and national security" because it limits the government's ability to "ward off terrorism and similar national security threats and to investigate and prosecute crimes." The case attracted significant attention from technology and media companies concerned that a ruling favoring the government could jeopardize the privacy of customers and make them less likely to use cloud services because of concern that data could be seized. Though Microsoft is based in Washington state, the court said the emails were beyond the reach of U.S. domestic search warrants issued under a 1986 law called the Stored Communications Act. The Microsoft customer in question told the company he was based in
“If U.S. law enforcement can obtain the emails of foreigners stored outside the United States, what’s to stop the government of another country from getting your emails even though they are located in the United States?” — Brad Smith, Microsoft president Ireland when he signed up for his account. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress to update the 1986 law, a move that Microsoft has backed. "Regardless of the ultimate decision, Congress should resolve the issue of cross-border law en-
The lower court ruling put stored electronic communications held overseas beyond the reach of U.S. prosecutors even when there is probable cause that they contain evidence of a crime, Justice Department lawyers said in court papers. In the appeals court, Microsoft was supported by dozens of technology and media companies including Amazon, Apple, CNN and Verizon, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce business group. A coalition of 33 U.S. states and Puerto Rico backed the Justice Department's appeal, saying in court papers that obtaining customer data from tech companies is vital to a broad range of criminal investigations, including child sexual exploitation and murder. The Supreme Court has twice in recent years ruled on major cases concerning how criminal law applies to new technology, on each occasion ruling against law enforcement. In 2012, the court held that a warrant is required to place a GPS tracking device on a vehicle. In 2014, the court ruled that police need a warrant to search a cellphone seized during an arrest.
The US solar industry's fastest growth is in red states Solar projects across the nation will receive $12.3 billion in taxpayer-paid subsidies between 2016 and 2020 By Donna King North State Journal LOS ANGELES — North Carolina is among the 10 fastest-growing solar markets for the second quarters of 2016 and 2017. Other states on the list include Utah, Alabama and Mississippi. Eight of the 10 top solar markets voted for Donald Trump. But GTM Research, a pro-solar energy market information firm, says that politics isn’t driving the growth in red states; low cost of development and large taxpayer-paid subsidies are. Trump has been a critic of some forms of renewable energy, saying they are expensive and dependent on government subsidies. N.C. is among those offering subsidies for solar development and solar companies are taking them. Utah, N.C. and Texas each installed more than 1 gigawatt of solar, or enough to power about 700,000 homes over the past year. Solar expansion in the middle of the country is offsetting its slowing growth in the maturing California and northeast markets. That marks a big shift for an industry that has historically relied on politically liberal coastal states where renewable energy development is mandated to combat air pollution and climate change. With falling development costs, solar firms now see strong prospects in conservative states with no such mandates. Solar providers in rural states have also gotten a boost from a pair of other federal programs. One is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program from former President Barack Obama, which provided more than $400 million in federal taxpayer funding to install rural solar projects in 2015 and 2016. Seventy percent of the money went to states that voted for Trump. The other is the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), a law requiring utilities to buy renewable power from small
PHOTO COURTESY OF CYPRESS CREEK RENEWABLES
The Apple One 4.9 MW solar project, built by Cypress Creek Renewables, is pictured in Newton, N.C.
providers if their prices are competitive with fossil fuels — something solar developers have only recently been able to offer. Duke Energy says that PRUPA has created a “distorted marketplace” for solar energy estimating that they will overpay for solar energy by about $1 billion dollars this year. They are requesting that solar farm developers bid for the right to build solar farms. Georgia and California already use a bidding process. Solar farm developers are opposed to a change. "Climate change has never come up in any discussion about why we would do a project," said Matt Beasley, chief marketing officer for Silicon Ranch, a solar developer based in Nashville. "It is always about the economics." The estimated costs of solar power generation have dropped 85 percent since 2009, making its unsubsidized cost more than, but competitive with, natural gas in the sunniest locations, according to a report by Lazard, an asset management firm.
Still, the sector's growth continues to rely on public support. The U.S. Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation earlier this year estimated that solar projects would receive $12.3 billion in tax breaks between 2016 and 2020. Energy Secretary Rick Perry last month called for new rules to subsidize coal and nuclear energy, arguing that the rise of weather-dependent solar and wind power would make the grid less reliable. This week, Trump's Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt, said during a speech in Kentucky that he would scrap incentives for renewable energy firms and let them "stand on their own," while acknowledging the decision rests with Congress. Other Republicans are outspoken in their continuing support for the incentives, citing economics rather than environmental reasons. “The expansion of solar and other clean technologies has created thousands of jobs and reduced emissions," said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). "Once these technologies
have reached a competitive position in the energy market, a gradual reduction in incentives is an appropriate way to approach their sustained growth.” Solar and wind energy firms have become important constituents in some Republican-led states because they employ about 300,000 people nationwide — six times the number working in the coal industry, according to industry and government data. In 2015, a Republican-controlled Congress extended lucrative tax credits for renewable energy industries through 2020, primarily a tax credit worth 30 percent of the cost of residential and utility-scale installations. Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, called solar subsidies “inconsistent with market-based energy policy.” “Solar is a competitor — and a handsomely subsidized one, along with wind,” he said. Reuters News Service contributed to this story.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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Scientists detect gravitational waves and light from star collision Discovery solidifies century-old Einstein prediction By Scott Malone Reuters
JIM URQUHART | REUTERS
Death toll in California wildfires rises to 41, firefighters gain ground Thousands of structures have been destroyed by wildfires that ignited last week burning an area larger than New York City
By Paresh Dave Reuters SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Firefighters began gaining ground on wildfires that killed at least 41 people in the past week, the deadliest blazes in California’s history, as winds eased and searchers combed charred ruins for more victims with hundreds still missing. The most destructive Northern California fires were more than half contained by Monday, and tens of thousands of residents who had fled the flames in hard-hit Sonoma County were allowed to return to their homes north of San Francisco. More than 5,700 structures were destroyed by more than a dozen wildfires that ignited a week ago and consumed an area larger than New York City. Entire neighborhoods in the city of Santa Rosa were reduced to ashes. “The weather has improved from the high, dry winds we experienced last week, but there’s still winds and high temperatures at high elevations,” said Amy Head, a Cal Fire spokeswoman. “Even if the winds don’t pick up, it’s re-
ally steep country and we could have some issues with embers flying across lines. We’re not out of the woods yet.” Mendocino County authorities said power company PG&E would begin flying low in the county to check lines and re-establish power. About 11,000 firefighters supported by air tankers and helicopters were battling blazes that have consumed more than 213,000 acres. About 50 search-and-rescue personnel backed by National Guard troops were combing tens of thousands of charred acres in Sonoma County for bodies, sheriff’s spokeswoman Misti Harris said. “Once it’s safe to go through, we’ll search every structure,” she said. Twenty-two people were killed in Sonoma County and 174 were still listed as missing, though the number was dropping as more people checked in with authorities. The driver of a private water tender died in Napa County in a vehicle rollover on Monday, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted for the picturesque Napa Valley resort town of Calistoga, whose 5,000 residents were ordered out by authorities four days ago. Returning to the unknown In Redwood Valley, a scorched Men-
Firefighters work to control a wildfire in Sonoma, Calif., on Oct. 14.
docino County town of about 1,700 people, Jami Flores and her family sifted through the ruins of their two-story rental home, which was reduced to rubble. “There’s been a lot of crying and a lot of emotions,” Flores, 42, said. Flores, her husband and daughter fled last week after being awoken by the smell of smoke, not uncommon in the area. Seeing a red haze, they rushed to leave amid falling ash and arriving firefighters. “The mountain was on fire,” Flores said. Now she wonders, “Where do we all go next?” Firefighters gained control of two of the deadliest fires in wine country’s Napa and Sonoma counties: The Tubbs fire was 70 percent contained and the Atlas fire 68 percent contained, Cal Fire said. Half of the Redwood Valley fire, which alone was responsible for eight deaths in Mendocino County, was extinguished by Monday. The 41 confirmed fatalities make the fires California’s deadliest since record-keeping began, surpassing the 29 deaths from the Griffith Park fire of 1933 in Los Angeles. About 40,000 people remained displaced. At least a dozen Napa Valley and Sonoma County wineries were damaged or destroyed, throwing the state’s wine industry and related tourism into disarray. Cal Fire estimated the fires would be contained by Friday. The year’s wildfire season is one of the worst in U.S. history, with nearly 8.6 million acres burned by Oct. 13, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The worst on record for the same period in a year was 9.3 million acres in 2015.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Scientists in the United States and Europe have for the first time detected gravitational waves, the ripples in space and time predicted by Albert Einstein, at the same time as light from the same cosmic event, according to research published on Monday. The waves, caused by the collision of two neutron stars some 130 million years ago, were first detected in August in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories, known as LIGO, in Washington state and Louisiana as well as at a third detector, named Virgo, in Italy. Two seconds later, observatories on Earth and in space detected a burst of light in the form of gamma rays from the same path of the southern sky, which analysis showed likely to be from the same source. Less than two years have passed since scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology first detected gravitational waves coming off two black holes. The gravitational waves had been predicted by Einstein in 1916, as an outgrowth of his groundbreaking general theory of relativity, which depicted gravity as a distortion of space and time triggered by the presence of matter. Three U.S. scientists who made that discovery were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics earlier this month. The findings published on Monday help confirm Einstein's theory, said the researchers, whose work was published in Physical Review Letters. "From informing detailed models of the inner workings of neutron stars and the emissions they produce, to more fundamental physics such as general relativity, this event is just so rich," said MIT senior research scientist David Shoemaker. "It is a gift that will keep on giving." The LIGO instruments work in unison and use lasers to detect remarkably small vibrations from gravitational waves as they pass through the Earth. Previously, scientists could only study space by observing electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light, infrared light, X-rays and gamma rays. Those waves encounter interference as they travel across the universe, but gravitational waves do not, meaning they offer a wealth of additional information. The colliding neutron stars were smaller than the black holes that LIGO previously detected. Black holes are so dense that not even photons of light can escape their gravity. Neutron stars are relatively small, about the size of a city, the compact remains of a larger star that died. The National Science Foundation, an independent agency of the U.S. government, provided about $1.1 billion in funding for the LIGO research over 40 years.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Murphy to Manteo
Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount
Pig farms in North Carolina
Lawmakers say the fed should check out N.C. for tips on tax reform
Check out the map to which N.C. counties have more than 2,000 pigs on their farms! Counties with a star are among the leaders in pork production in the state.
Leading Counties
Number of Pigs
Duplin
1,940,000
Sampson
1,900,000
Bladen
720,000
Wayne
550,000
Greene
330,000
Robeson
325,000
Jones
270,000
Lenoir
260,000
Pitt
260,000
Pender
245,000
WEST WCU shooting victim dies after being taken off life support Jackson County The Western Carolina University student shot and killed two weeks ago was laid to rest on Sunday. Jacob Ray of Hendersonville was shot last week near the WCU campus and taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville. His parents decided to take their 21-yearold son off of life support last Monday. Nineteen-year-old Aja Makalo and 17-year-old Zavion Southerland, are both charged with first-degree murder in his death and authorities have said they could upgrade the charges. WLOS-TV
Did you know? • In total hog production, N.C. ranks 2nd nationally, behind Iowa. • The world’s largest pork processing plant is in Bladen County. • Pork production racks up $3 billion in annual income and $8 billion in annual sales.
N.C. counties that have farms with over 2,000 hogs
• The N.C. pork industry supports 46,000 full-time jobs.
Leading N.C. counties in number of hogs on farms
• Every part of the pig is processed and used in a wide range of products we use every day. Edible parts of the pig that aren’t used by American consumers are exported for use in foreign markets.
Hemorrhagic disease affecting N.C. deer Swain County The N.C. Wildlife Commission says it has received multiple reports of dead, dying or sick deer so far this hunting season. It says there have been 64 cases of hemorrhagic disease confirmed in Western North Carolina, including Cherokee, Clay, Macon, Swain, Henderson and Transylvania counties. While a common disease, it usually only shows up every five or six years. It is often spread by insects and is gone by the first frost. The commission says that the N.C. deer population is healthy overall.
PIEDMONT NC sees highest homeowners’ insurance jump in U.S. Forsyth County U.S. homeowners’ insurance premiums are expected to reach $93 billion in 2017, says Aon Benfield, a global reinsurance intermediary firm with offices in Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem. The report showed U.S. homeowners had an average 3 percent premium rate increase during the 18 months prior to August 2017, with the highest average rate increase of 7 percent in Texas and N.C. In 2016, rates were $91 billion, up from $89 billion in 2015. INSURANCE JOURNAL
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES
Couple completes global journey in HondaJet Guilford County Honda Aircraft Company customers Kim and Julian MacQueen returned to their home in Pensacola, Fla., this week after completing their “Around the World in 80 Stays” journey in their HondaJet, manufactured in Greensboro. The couple’s trip covered 30 countries, 28,000 nautical miles and marked the first around-theworld flight for a Honda aircraft. The MacQueens compiled an impressive list of achievements including five speed records. One record was set travelling from Pensacola to Greensboro in one hour and 29 minutes.
EAST Atlantic Coast pipeline approved Edgecombe County The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to approve a federal permit for the $5.5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline on Friday. Approximately 160 miles of the project will run through eastern North Carolina. Environmentalists say they plan to fight the project with lawsuits, but the approval allows it to move forward. Supporters of the project say it will help meet critical energy needs and fuel economic growth in the eastern part of the state. TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Grants to fund women in agriculture
Peak fall foliage expected this weekend
Alleghany County Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture and Heifer USA, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger, are offering $50,000 for local farmers in Alleghany, Ashe, Wilkes and Watauga counties. Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is releasing a request for proposals for farmers focusing on increasing production through innovation and sustainable methods. Applications will be due by Nov. 30. Interested applicants must attend one pregrant application clinics this month.
Watauga County Biologists at Appalachian State University expect that the fall leaves will be at their brightest this weekend around Boone and Blowing Rock, as temperatures dip into the 30s. Elevations above 4,000 feet, like Grandfather Mountain, are already showing a vivid display according to visitors and locals. Asheville may not have peak foliage color until the end of October.
GOBLUERIDGE.NET
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WFMY NEWS
Carolina Small Business Development Funds invests in charter schools Wake County Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina and the Carolina Small Business Development Fund announced a partnership this week to boost the number of public charter and private schools in rural counties. They are committing $5 million to support building school capacity in rural and underserved areas. PEFNC has helped to open 15 new public charter schools through its N.C. Public Charter School Accelerator initiative. In 2011 N.C. lifted the charter school cap, but 40 counties do not have a charter school. CAROLINASMALLBUSINESS.ORG
Higdon sworn in as U.S. attorney for Eastern District of N.C. Pitt County Robert J. Higdon Jr. has taken the oath of office to become the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of N.C. President Donald Trump nominated Higdon on Aug. 2, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 28. He took the oath of office from Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever. As U.S. Attorney, Higdon is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Eastern District of North Carolina, which includes the 44 easternmost counties. The office has 108 employees. THE GREENVILLE DAILY REFLECTOR
New Bern mayor re-elected Charlotte City Council approves development near slave gravesites Mecklenburg County The Charlotte City Council gave the green light Monday to a development project in University City, despite objections from neighbors. The complex will hold apartments, restaurants and retail space and the builder is contributing $10,000 for the preservation of the slave cemetery found on the property holding 19 graves. A Topgolf facility was supposed to be the centerpiece of the development, but the company pulled out amid the controversy and is looking for a different Charlotte location.
Craven County Incumbent New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw will remain in office for another term. Outlaw defeated former mayor Lee Bettis in last week’s election. Outlaw received 63 percent of the votes cast compared to 27 percent for Bettis. Political newcomer Ernie Williams finished third. New Bern voters also elected three town aldermen; Sabrina Bengel received 51 percent of the vote for the Ward 1 seat, Johnnie Ray Kinsey got 53 percent for Ward 4 and the Ward 5 seat went to Barbara Best with 51 percent of the vote. WNCT-TV
Kill Devil Hills water tower to be replaced Dare County Kill Devil Hills plans to replace a familiar landmark, the town water tower, with a new one that will handle nearly twice the volume. Plans include a separate monopole for cell antennas. Town commissioners approved the project at their October meeting. The project on the 373,000-square-foot property will cost an estimated $3 million. THE OUTER BANKS VOICE
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
SHOW THEM
GREENSBORO — Congressmen Ted Budd and Mark Walker held a press conference last week to discuss the tax reform efforts going on in Washington, D.C. The White House rolled out a series of goals for the most comprehensive tax reform in 30 years that includes doubling the standard deduction, raising child tax credits and lowering the personal and corporate tax rates. “It’s a bold framework outlining the direction we want to go in the coming weeks and months with the goal of bringing growth that we haven’t seen in years,” said Budd (R-N.C.). Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, N.C. Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance) and Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford) joined the members of the D.C. delegation to call for N.C. to serve as a model for tax reform at the federal level. “We believe that the individual earner should be able to keep their money in their pocket, whether they are high-income earners or low-income earners,” said Forest. “We believe that’s best for America and here in North Carolina we’ve been proving that to be the case for some time.” In 2013 a new Republican-led N.C. legislature started the process of modernizing the state’s tax code during a time that N.C. had the fifth-highest unemployment rate and the ninth-highest personal income tax rate in the country. “We knew that we had to change course. The logical step was tax reform,” said Hardister. “So we cut the personal income tax. The top marginal rate was 7.75 percent. We cut that down to 5.50 percent this
year. Next year it goes down to 5.25. The corporate income tax was 6.9 percent. We cut it down to 3 percent this year. Next year it goes down to 2 percent. Standard deductions, which primarily benefit lowincome families, have been drastically increased.” Critics have said the proposed federal changes would create an even larger budget deficit, something that even supporters concede, saying that that some of the federal reform ideas would initially add to the federal deficit, but they say it will pay off in the end. N.C. lawmakers heard the same thing from critics who say tax reform and cuts would blow a hole in the state budget. This year N.C. has a $500 million budget surplus and is one of 12 states with a AAA credit rating. “If it worked here, it will work in our nation's capital,” said Hardister. “Our work has been praised by the Tax Foundation, Forbes, CNBC, Ernst & Young, and the Wall Street Journal. What we've done here can serve as a model not only for other states, but also for members of Congress.” With three manufacturing megasites in his district, Walker hopes the state and federal tax reform efforts will keep more corporate money in the state. “North Carolina is the only state in the South that does not have an auto manufacturing plant, and that is something that we need to drive to by reducing that corporate rate and letting more money come back into North Carolina,” said Walker.
Governor makes 21 appointments to board and commissions By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — This week Gov. Roy Cooper named 21 new appointees to various state boards and commissions. North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services: Danielle Coleman, of Charlotte, is clinical director of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services Program for Empowerment Quality Care Service. Ann Akland, of Knightdale, is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Honorable Carla Cunningham, of Charlotte, is a member of the N.C. House. Dr. Randall Best, of Raleigh, is a physician in the emergency department of Durham VA Medical Center and in the division of emergency medicine at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Anthony Haire, of Fayetteville, is a behavioral therapist who works with the Community Re-Entry Program. Barton Cutter, of Raleigh, is the co-owner and manager of Cutter’s Edge Consulting. Azell Reeves, of Greensboro, co-founded the Guilford County Schools Exceptional Children Parent Advisory Council. Brett Schulthorp, of Asheville, is a therapist at the Asheville Counseling and Wellness Center. Chief of Police Thomas Bashore, of Nashville, started the HOPE Initiative which has helped more than 200 individuals with substance use disorder.
Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee: Deborah M. Brown, of Cary, is a classroom teacher and named the 2017 North Carolina Charter School Teacher of the Year. Medical Care Commission: Karen Moriarty, of Raleigh, is the founder and CEO of Carillon Assisted Living. Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging: Loris McLellon, of Whiteville, served as the director of the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Center. Steve Mostofsky, of Greensboro, is the president and CEO of TTI Global Resources. North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission: Dr. Susan White (chair) is the executive director for the North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute for UNC. Hartwell Carson, of Asheville, is the French Broad Riverkeeper. Heather Jacobs Deck. of Washington, is the deputy director of Sound Rivers. Dr. Albert Rubin, of Pittsboro, is retired from NCS State Department of Biological Sciences and Agricultural Engineering. LeToya Ogallo, of Raleigh, is a senior environmental specialist with Duke Energy. Natalie Berry ,of Hendersonville, is an engineer for Henderson County Engineering Department. Jonathan Bivens, of Wilson, is the vice president for engineering for S.T. Wooten Corporation. Mark Taylor, of Greensboro, is a senior consultant with Golder Associates.
CARE.
Consumers rely on us to produce quality pork in a responsible manner, so it’s important they know the principles that guide pork producers. Everyone involved in pork production – from farm owners to animal caretakers – has an obligation to use best practices in raising and caring for animals. Let’s show the world how much we care. Visit www.pork.org to learn more about best practices in animal care.
©2017. Funded by America’s Pork Producers and the Pork Checkoff.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
BUSINESS
PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
A look inside one of the guest rooms of the brand new StateView Hotel on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh, Oct. 17.
n.c. FAST FACTS Sponsored by
On-Campus hotel seeks to attract techsavvy business travelers, local guests StateView offers top-notch views, meeting spaces, and amenities in the heart of NCSU’s Centennial Campus
Approved Logos
This week, we present results that emerged from the NC respondents in the FCB third annual Small Business Forecast, which shed light on what drives consumers to small businesses:
Web or Social?
64%
have seen an increase in customers who find out about their business through their website
60%
have seen an increase in customers who find out about their business through their social media activity
38%
have seen an increase in leads or requests through their website
34%
have seen an increase in leads or requests through their social media activity
RALEIGH — North Carolina State University in partnership with Marriott’s Autograph Collection just opened an innovative hotel complete with the spirit of the Wolfpack. The StateView Hotel, located at NSCU’s Centennial Campus, is providing a unique experience driven by innovative technology and interactive spaces. With views of Lake Raleigh,the state-ofthe-art hotel includes 164 guestrooms and suites, tech savvy meeting spaces, an outdoor pool, a one-of-a-kind bar and restaurant, and specialized design ideas that give a nod to the heritage of the Wolfpack nation. One of the key components of the StateView is collaboration. There are places designed for you to collaborate on ideas and stories to help you move your business forward. We offer little areas for you to plug in and create,said Karris Deis, director of sales and marketing. In homage to the collaboration of ideas from NCSU graduates, visitors will find specially designed wallpaper that includes a list of all the patents, a government license denoting a title of an invention, and the graduates who own them. Swatches of fabric can be found in the library as a nod to the College of Textiles. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences play a role in the in-house restaurant which features North Carolina foods and beverages including locally sourced sweet potatoes and blueberries. Flask & Beaker, the only restaurant of its kind, fea-
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Sponsored by
By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal 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.
n.c.
Kings Mountain festival promises a lot of fun and a little history
Part of the Marriott’s Autograph Collection series, the luxury hotel boasts 164 guest rooms and suites, a signature restaurant and bar and outdoor pool among other amenities.
“The hotel features superior design, intimate guest rooms, collaborative meeting spaces and more, perfect for the modern traveler and locals alike.” — Dale Bullock, General Manager
tures modern American gastro pub dishes using locally-grown ingredients and regional recipes. The bar menu features cocktails dubbed, “The Professor”, “The Grad Student”, and “The Practicum.” “Everyone is welcome. Locals
can drop by just to take a look at the space or dine in the restaurant,” said Deis. The StateView is also LEED Silver certified, committed to energy conservation, sustainability and bio-tech advances. The conference rooms offer a drop-screen with remote shade and are powered by more than 50 percent of natural light. Dale Bullock, general manager of the StateView Hotel, added, “The StateView will provide guests with one-of-a-kind experiences inspired by the spirit of the NC State Wolfpack. The hotel features superior design, intimate guest rooms, collaborative meeting spaces and more, perfect for the modern traveler and locals alike. We can’t wait to share all we have to offer with our community this October - one thing is for sure, it’s exactly like nothing else.”
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The Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival is a celebration of all things Kings Mountain, a North Carolina public power community since 1905. The two-day event kicks off this Friday, Oct. 20, and includes the Kings Mountain High School Homecoming Parade, amusement rides, an obstacle course, delicious food, a human hamster ball course, and live music through Saturday night. A festival must? Catching a performance of “Ghosts of Kings Mountain,” a family-friendly dramatic production that organizers say brings “the Battle of Kings Mountain to life with the help of some ‘undead’ patriots.” That battle is one of the most important of the American Revolution, and it happened just nine miles south of town. Performances start at 2 p.m. Saturday and continue every hour. In all the fun, you may not even realize you’re getting a history lesson! Suddenly find that you need quiet time? Fear not. Less than a mile from downtown is the Kings Mountain Gateway Trail—five and a half miles of shady scenic greenway paths perfect for hiking, biking, walking, picnics and camping. Learn more about the festival and the trail at www.cityofkm.com.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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THE BRIEF Nordstrom family suspends attempt to take U.S. retailer private
DARREN ORNITZ | REUTERS
Pedestrians use their smart phones as they pass a T-Mobile retail store in Manhattan.
T-Mobile, Sprint aim to announce merger without asset divestitures-sources Wireless giants build unique merger strategy aiming for smooth negotiations with federal regulators By Liana B. Baker and Aniali Athavalev Reuters T-MOBILE U.S. INC and Sprint Corp plan to announce a merger agreement without any immediate asset sales, as they seek to preserve as much of their spectrum holdings and cost synergies as they can before regulators ask for concessions, according to people familiar with the matter. While it is common for companies not to unveil divestitures during merger announcements, T-Mobile’s and Sprint’s approach shows that the companies plan to enter what could be challenging negotiations with U.S. antitrust and telecommunications regulators without having made prior concessions. Reuters reported last week that some of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust staff were skeptical about the deal, which would combine the third and fourth largest U.S. wireless carriers. However, regulators can only begin reviewing a corporate merger once it has been agreed to and announced. T-Mobile and Sprint are preparing a negotiating strategy to tackle demands from regulators regarding asset sales, including the divestment of some of their spectrum licenses after their deal is announced, the sources said. The companies’ announcement
of a merger agreement, currently expected to come either in late October or early November, will focus on the potential benefits of the deal for U.S. consumers, including the advancement of next-generation 5G wireless technology, which requires considerable investment, the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. T-Mobile and Sprint declined to comment. “It is better for Sprint and T-Mobile to listen and learn the concerns of regulators first, and see whether there is anything that can be done to address those concerns,” MoffettNathanson research analyst Craig Moffett said. A combination of T-mobile and Sprint would create a business with more than 130 million U.S. subscribers, just behind Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc. Companies often chose not to make any pre-emptive announcements on divestitures when they announce mergers. For example, when U.S. health insurers Anthem Inc and Aetna Inc separately announced deals two years ago to acquire peers Cigna Corp and Humana Inc, they did not reveal which assets they would be willing to divest. U.S. federal judges shot down both mergers on antitrust grounds earlier this year. Some media and telecommunications deals in recent years have been announced with divestitures, such as U.S. cable operator Comcast Corp’s proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable in 2014, which was later called off after regulatory pushback. When U.S. TV
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“It is better for Sprint and T-Mobile to listen and learn the concerns of regulators first, and see whether there is anything that can be done to address those concerns.” – Craig Moffat, research analyst station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its acquisition of peer Tribune Media Co in May, it said it might sell certain stations to comply with regulators. Companies often also choose to place caps in their merger agreements on the size of divestitures they would be willing to accept in their negotiations with regulators. T-Mobile and Sprint have not yet agreed to include such a cap in their merger agreement, though it is possible they will do so, one of the sources said. Spectrum holdings UBS research analyst John Hodulik said in a research note earlier this month that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will likely force T-Mobile and Sprint to make some divestitures of spectrum, since the combined company would have the most airwaves in its sector with more than 300 MHz, putting it ahead of Verizon’s and AT&T’s holdings. T-Mobile spent $8 billion in a
government auction of airwaves earlier this year. Sprint stayed out of the auction, touting its holdings of high-band spectrum, which it says can move large volumes of information at high speeds. Having access to a lot of spectrum is particularly important for the 5G wireless offerings that AT&T and Verizon hope to launch to better compete with high-speed Internet services from cable companies. T-Mobile and Sprint believe that the U.S. antitrust enforcement environment has become more favorable since the companies abandoned their previous effort to combine in 2014 amid regulatory concerns, according to the sources. The two companies have not yet introduced a breakup fee in their merger negotiations that would compensate one side if regulators reject the deal, though it is possible one will be agreed to by the time the deal is signed, the sources said. Investors have been waiting for the deal to be announced since Reuters first reported last month that T-Mobile and Sprint were close to agreeing tentative merger terms. Sprint shareholders are expected to receive little to no premium in the deal, meaning that Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp , which controls Sprint, and other Sprint shareholders will own around or more than 40 percent of the combined company. T-Mobile majority owner Deutsche Telekom AG and the rest of the T-Mobile shareholders will own the remainder. It is still possible that the negotiations between T-Mobile and Sprint will conclude without a deal, the sources have cautioned.
Seattle Nordstrom Inc said on Monday that a founding family group had suspended attempts to take the U.S. department store operator private because of difficulties in arranging debt financing for its bid ahead of the key holiday shopping season. Nordstrom shares dropped as much as 7 percent as investors were again reminded of the challenges of the U.S. brick-andmortar retail sector, which has seen a record number of bankruptcies this year amid competition from e-commerce firms such as Amazon.com Inc and offprice stores like TJX Cos Inc. Nordstrom’s rival Hudson’s Bay Co, owner of the Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor retail chains, has also been exploring going private, Reuters has reported. Its shares dropped 5 percent on Monday as analysts said the chances of other retailers clinching such deals had become slimmer. “It’s difficult to make a case for private equity investing in these legacy retail companies when the play is really not about growing the company so much as right sizing it,” said Neil Saunders, retail analyst at Global Data.
U.S. Supreme Court to decide major Microsoft email privacy fight Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a major privacy dispute between the Justice Department and Microsoft Corp over whether prosecutors should get access to emails stored on company servers overseas. The justices will hear the Trump administration’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling last year preventing federal prosecutors from obtaining emails stored in Microsoft computer servers in Dublin, Ireland in a drug trafficking investigation. That decision by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals marked a victory for privacy advocates and technology companies that increasingly offer cloud computing services in which data is stored remotely. Prosecutors say a ruling in favor of Microsoft could undermine a range of criminal investigations. Microsoft, which has 100 data centers in 40 countries, was the first U.S. company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the country. There have been several similar challenges, most brought by Google.
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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Ray Nothstine, opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | RAY NOTHSTINE
What does it take to end film subsidies? North Carolina’s AFP Director Donald Bryson and other free-market advocates have rightly tagged the giveaways as “corporate welfare.”
ONE OF the most prevalent narratives from many Republicans in North Carolina is that the GOP dominance in the General Assembly has been an economic boon for the state. While this is true, one issue that should have North Carolinians scratching their heads is ending the sunset proposal for film subsidies. The program was set to be killed off by 2020. Instead, the grant rebates were extended indefinitely by the General Assembly earlier this month, offering $34 million in breaks for this fiscal year and $31 million next year. Shockingly, Republican State Rep. Ted Davis of New Hanover decried that the subsidies are “not as much as I would have liked to have seen.” While North Carolina is sometimes cited as the economic model for other states and Washington, our state is trailing behind when it comes to abandoning film subsidies. A little less than a decade ago, 43 states boasted incentive packages to lure film companies to their respected states. That number has dropped by 10 because lawmakers are starting to realize that the benefits do not outweigh the cost to the taxpayer. Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation reported in 2014 that film subsidies returned 19 cents to the economy for every dollar spent by the state, a pretty paltry return that should have even star struck proponents questioning their support. Many states have either curtailed their
credits or in the case of Florida, Michigan, and Alaska, nixed them all together. Even Louisiana, once the darling of film subsidies in the South, valued at hundreds of million annually, figured out it can no longer sustain its harmful impact to the state budget. “It’s not the government’s role to pick winners and losers,” noted Andres Malave, who was speaking for Florida’s chapter of Americans for Prosperity in 2016. “The film industry is an important part of the economy, but the legislature should implement policies that benefit businesses across the board.” Malave makes an important point that legislatures often use subsidies and special corporate incentives to avoid a more holistic approach to tax cuts and deregulation. To do just that will attract a fair, more diversified, and robust economic climate. North Carolina’s AFP Director Donald Bryson and other free-market advocates have rightly tagged the giveaways as “corporate welfare.” A recent study cited in the Washington Examiner last month noted that 70 percent of the tax incentives go to large companies and not small businesses. Bryson has wisely vowed that AFP will hold “some members accountable for their support of subsidizing Hollywood.” One of the main arguments for increasing incentives is that North Carolina is losing business to neighboring states. Film
lobbyists flex their muscle by threatening that economic development will be slowed by fleeing movie crews for more crony minded states. The point they are protesting reveals the validity of the argument of film subsidy detractors: The jobs are not a permanent fixture in the state but in most instances are gobbled up by temporary out of state workers. Not lost on some citizens, is the fact that Hollywood figures decry more taxes for the public, while simultaneously seeking out tax breaks for their own industry. While the film and entertainment grant is an erroneous use of state funds, it’s a strong reminder that cronyism is pervasive in government. Another example fortunately receiving more pushback from citizens across the nation is the use of taxpayer funds to build athletic and performance venues. Many lawmakers depend on the fact that the citizenry blindly believe that the subsidies are an economic boon which creates jobs and revenue for the state. Credit should be given to AFP and the John Locke Foundation for sounding the alarm for so long on film subsidies in North Carolina. Ultimately, it’s up to North Carolinians to be a leader on this issue instead of following the dwindling herd.
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
‘Politics is Philosophy By Other Means’ Our convoluted income tax system would set their powdered wigs on fire as they tried to fill out even a basic income tax form 1040 on their own.
CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, a Prussian general, wrote in his classic book on military strategy in 1818, “On War:” War is a mere continuation of policy by other means. Taken one step further, this axiom can become: “Politics is a mere continuation of philosophy by other means.” Everyone has their own individual philosophy about how the world ought to be. These ideas and concepts come from some source from history unless the person has a personal epiphany and makes them up out of thin air somehow. Many people want to expunge any personal philosophy from the public arena as we engage in discourse about our selfgovernance. That is humanly, psychologically, mentally and physically impossible to achieve. We are not automatons that can be programmed to consume raw data in bits and bytes and spit them back out without some processing through our human emotions, thought patterns and worldview. Many on the left have adopted the collectivist populist philosophy of class warfare to “raise taxes on the rich!” This line of thinking can be traced back to the Social Contract of Rousseau in the 18th century and Hegel early in the 19th and, sadly, reached its full-blown expression in
Karl Marx in 1859. When it comes to using politics as a means to implement a particular philosophy into the American consciousness and public policy, the left has already “won” in many respects. We have a progressive tax code; a massive entitlement system covering health, welfare and retirement programs for a majority of Americans today and a federal government that spends over 20 percent of our entire GDP each year. Contrast the progressive tax code of today with the original intent of our Founders when it came to taxes. “[A]ll duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States” they wrote and ratified in Article 1, section 8 of the US Constitution. Our Founders had no intention of singling out any class of taxpayer for special or unusual taxation policies no matter their wealth or income status. Our convoluted income tax system would set their powdered wigs on fire as they tried to fill out even a basic income tax form 1040 on their own. We are supposed to be a nation of liberty, fairness and equal opportunity. All concepts instituted in our Constitution by our Founders after reading philosophers such as John Locke and Adam Smith. Our tax code should not be used as
target practice against any particular set of taxpayers nor should it favor any particular set of taxpayers either. Today, somewhat amazingly, it does both. Consider when the left says “the rich should pay their fair share!” in taxes. According to whose standards, theirs or some philosopher from the 1800s? Who gets to decide exactly what their ‘fair share” should be anyway? The top 0.1 percent of all taxpayers, or about 140,000 people out of 140 million taxpayers, already pay 16 percent of all income taxes paid today. The top 1 percent pay 35 percent of all income tax. The top 10 percent of all taxpayers in the United States today pay two-thirds of all income tax paid to the federal government. Perhaps the left is referring to Luke 12:48 which says: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Except that would be bringing religion into government debate, not just philosophy. There is a real philosophical war going on in the halls of Congress right now over this very question as our Congressmen and Senators struggle not only with tax reform but with determining the very size and scope of our federal government after years of aggressive expansiveness under President Obama. Politics is hand-to-hand combat. Let’s hope it stays in the realm of philosophy.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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GUEST OPINION | TROY KICKLER
Climate change interest present at American founding
No doubt merchants and traders and captains and sailors would be interested in any short-term or long-term changes.
THE YEAR 2017 has been one of many violent hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the seventh most active in recorded history, as of October 15, according to the Weather Channel. As a result, more than a few have questioned whether climate change and global warming are the cause. I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV. Also, I do not know the literature enough to discuss the causes of climate change. What I do know is that the debate regarding climate change is anything but new. In fact, America’s founders discussed the topic. One such founder was North Carolina signatory of the U.S. Constitution, Hugh Williamson. The Pennsylvania native later lived in Edenton, North Carolina. Williamson had diverse intellectual interests and many degrees; he was a licensed minister, a scientist, a mathematician, a businessman, a physician, and a political philosopher. (He was not a dilettante but an accomplished professional in various disciplines.) He was a vocal delegate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and his contributions included playing key roles in the Connecticut Compromise, the inclusion of the impeachment process, the length of senatorial terms, and the process of a congressional override of a presidential veto. Using a cumbersome title so fashionable during the era, Williamson authored “An Attempt to Account for the Change of Climate, which has been observed in The Middle Colonies in North America” (1770). Williamson stated that the climate in the Middle Colonies—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware--had been changing since 1730. (He was born in 1735.) Through time, the winters were not as cold, and the summers were not as hot. Early scientific notions that lands on the same latitude had the same temperature had been debunked. Williamson stressed that winds and topography must be considered. Landforms and the clearing of forests, he argued, affected winds and thereby influenced temperature differently. Williamson then focused on the Middle Colonies. There seemed to be a commercial interest in learning about climate change, and in particular, winds and frosts. No doubt merchants and traders and captains and sailors would be interested in any short-term or long-term changes. The flow of goods depended on the ability to transport them. Williamson wrote: “The hardness of our frosts, the quantity and continuance of our snows, are very unequal now, to what they have been, since the settlement of the Province.” As a consequence, waiting times, observed
Williamson, had been reduced from 3-5 weeks to 2-3 weeks. Many American founders cited ancient Greeks and Romans. In this case, Williamson cited the Roman poet Virgil’s accounts of harsh winters in Italy. The Romans, for instance, worried about frozen wine in casks and took great effort to shelter cows from the frost. By the mid-1700s, writes Williamson, Italians feared harsh winters as little as his colonial counterparts in South Carolina and Georgia. To understand this phenomenon, he examined the changing conditions of northern Europe. In short, Williamson’s conclusion was that land cultivation mitigated winter cold and increased summer heat. Although cleared plains absorbed heat, Williamson argued that the uncultivated mountains produced winds that made for temperate summers. As American lands became more cultivated, the result would be more heated soil, less wind, and warmer winters. Although a decrease in frosts would “be injurious to . . . wheat and winter’s grain,” land cultivation would be generally beneficial. He predicted the growth of the “tender Vine” in all the colonies, and there would be, he claimed, fewer swamps. As a physician, Williamson ended his essay by relaying a concern for his patients. A professional duty demanded that he understand climate change and how it affected his patients. Williamson may have had other reasons to study climate change. European contemporaries argued colder weather and less cultivation made for inferior American lands. Therefore, the first settlers struggled during the initial winters, and American animals and plants were smaller and less hearty. Williamson and his American counterparts disagreed (see Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist #11 for an example). Some founders produced charts showing American and European animals to be of comparative size. Williamson’s essay was, in part, an effort to show that climate change had been occurring in America and that American lands were indeed being cultivated. Climate change is more frequently, more extensively, and more scientifically debated and discussed in modern-day American politics and conversations, to be sure. The discussion, however, is as old as the nation. Troy L. Kickler, holds a doctorate in history. He is author of “The King’s Trouble Makers” and co-editor of an upcoming anthology exploring the political contributions of North Carolina founders.
WALTER WILLIAMS
Who pays what in taxes? OLITICIANS EXPLOIT public ignorance. Few areas of P public ignorance provide as many
opportunities for political demagoguery as taxation. Today some politicians argue that the rich must pay their fair share and label the proposed changes in tax law as tax cuts for the rich. Let's look at who pays what, with an eye toward attempting to answer this question: Are the rich paying their fair share? According to the latest IRS data, the payment of income taxes is as follows. The top 1 percent of income earners, those having an adjusted annual gross income of $480,930 or higher, pay about 39 percent of federal income taxes. That means about 892,000 Americans are stuck with paying 39 percent of all federal taxes. The top 10 percent of income earners, those having an adjusted gross income over $138,031, pay about 70.6 percent of federal income taxes. About 1.7 million Americans, less than 1 percent of our population, pay 70.6 percent of federal income taxes. Is that fair, or do you think they should pay more? By the way, earning $500,000 a year doesn't make one rich. It's not even yacht money. But the fairness question goes further. The bottom 50 percent of income earners, those having an adjusted gross income of $39,275 or less, pay 2.83 percent of federal income taxes. Thirty-seven million tax filers have no tax obligation at all. The Tax Policy Center estimates that 45.5 percent of households will not pay federal income tax this year. There's a severe political problem of so many Americans not having any skin in the game. These Americans become natural constituencies for big-spending politicians. After all, if you don't pay federal taxes, what do you care about big spending? Also, if you don't pay federal taxes, why should you be happy about a tax cut? What's in it for you? In fact, you might see tax cuts as threatening your handout programs. Our nation has a 38.91 percent tax
After all, if you don’t pay federal taxes, what do you care about big spending?
EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The sun rises over the Blue Ridge Mountains seen from the Wayah Bald Tower along the Appalachian Trail outside of Franklin, N.C.
COLUMN | SUSAN ESTRICH
Old dogs Our vet, Dr. Schlanger, is a wonderful man. I am a very good customer.
OLD DOGS TEACH you the meaning of love. Judy couldn’t get up this morning. She’s 14, my oldest, and she’s named after my best friend, who died. A brilliant idea, it seemed, at the time. I was missing her, and this would be a way to talk to her every day. The first Judy taught me not to be afraid of dogs. It sounds silly, but my mother raised me to fear them. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing a dog, so we never had one; my mother was so afraid of life that sometimes it seemed she hardly dared to live. My friend Judy’s dog, who rode in the car for two hours to go to the door in the hospital parking lot where Judy would meet her in her wheelchair, was named Molly. My 12-year-old dog is Molly. Irving, 10 years old and the baby of the bunch, is named for my father, who died 40 years ago. Three old dogs. I try not to think about it. Rosie helped me raise my children and now helps me take care of my dogs. The children are grown. The dogs are old. Rosie’s dog, Sunshine, is Judy’s sister. She beat cancer. How do you freeze time? Just days ago, so smug was I, telling the woman who put in my garden that of course I would cover the cost of surgery for her dog, younger than any of mine; that I was happy to pay, happy so long as it was not my dog. When she came by today to pick up the check, my son was carrying Judy outside. How foolish to feel smug. Rosie left for Rome today on a church trip, something she has dreamed of all her life. I pushed her out the door. My son came and is staying with me. So I didn’t practice law today. I don’t know what anyone wanted. I didn’t write a brief or read a case. I sat with Judy. Our appointment was at 4:30. She didn’t get up at 6 a.m., but I did. I stroked her head until it was time to take her to
the vet. A lot of hours. I fed her from my hand. I watched her breathe. I kissed her and told her how much I loved her. I reminded her how, back when she was a little puppy, I told her that she would be bigger than all the big dogs she hid from. And she is. And she is the sweetest girl in the world. Molly thinks Judy is her mother. Molly was sick when we brought her home — abused, we assumed. Judy took her into her bed, and they have been together every night since. When we took Judy to the vet, Molly waited by the door. When we got home, she got in bed with her. Our vet, Dr. Schlanger, is a wonderful man. I am a very good customer. My dogs get better care than most people on the planet: better care meaning more loving care, and not just more visits and pills. He just saw me a few weeks ago for Judy’s arthritis. We talked about how well she was doing. I was not supposed to be back today. My son sat with me. They took an X-ray. “Not bad,” Dr. Schlanger said. “She might get better.” They found a harness, and we walked her outside. She went to the bathroom. I filled the prescriptions: some of the same meds I take. By the time we left she was a little better — almost standing on her own. She rode home in my lap. No miracles promised. But maybe. I’ll take maybe. My mother was wrong. Loving Judy is the best of me, loving dogs, loving my children: This is the best I can be. Even if I cannot freeze time. Especially so. Susan Estrich is an author and law professor, and was campaign manager for 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.
on corporate earnings, the fourthhighest in the world. The House of Representatives has proposed that it be cut to 20 percent; some members of Congress call for a 15 percent rate. The nation's political hustlers object, saying corporations should pay their fair share of taxes. The fact of the matter — which even leftist economists understand, though they might not publicly admit it — is corporations do not pay taxes. An important subject area in economics is called tax incidence. It holds that the entity upon whom a tax is levied does not necessarily bear its full burden. Some of it can be shifted to another party. If a tax is levied on a corporation, it will have one of four responses or some combination thereof. It will raise the price of its product, lower dividends, cut salaries or lay off workers. In each case, a flesh-and-blood person bears the tax burden. The important point is that corporations are legal fictions and as such do not pay taxes. Corporations are merely tax collectors for the government. Politicians love to trick people by suggesting that they will impose taxes not on them but on some other entity instead. We can personalize the trick by talking about property taxes. Imagine that you are a homeowner and a politician tells you he is not going to tax you. Instead, he's going to tax your property and land. You would easily see the political chicanery. Land and property cannot and do not pay taxes. Again, only people pay taxes. The same principle applies to corporations. There's another side to taxes that goes completely unappreciated. According to a 2013 study by the Virginiabased Mercatus Center, Americans spend up to $378 billion annually in tax-related accounting costs, and in 2011, Americans spent more than 6 billion hours complying with the tax code. Those hours are equivalent to the annual hours of a workforce of 3.4 million, or the number of people employed by four of the largest U.S. companies — Wal-Mart, IBM, McDonald's and Target — combined. Along with tax cuts, tax simplification should be on the agenda. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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DENIS BALIBOUSE | REUTERS
CHARLES PLATIAU | REUTERS
STOYAN NENOV | REUTERS
Main, Hikers enjoy a warm autumn day near the Lac Bleu near Arolla in the Val d’Herens, Switzerland Oct. 12. Middle left, A French CRS riot policewoman faces with French steel workers from the French CGT trade union during a demonstration in Paris, Oct. 13. Middle right,Bulgarian Muslim bride Dhzemile Lilova, 30, poses with friends and relatives in front of the dowry wearing a special make-up called “ghelina” during her wedding ceremony in the village of Draginovo, Bulgaria Oct. 13.
NOT ALL VODKA IS MADE FROM POTATOES SWEET POTATOES ARE VEGETABLES VEGETABLES ARE GOOD FOR YOU
— YOU’RE WELCOME Covington vodka is available in 750 mL and 1.75 L. covingtonvodka.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
WINSLOW TOWNSON | USA TODAY SPORTS
Hornets center Dwight Howard protects the rim against Celtics forward Jaylen Brown during an Oct. 2 preseason game at TD Garden in Boston. Charlotte is hoping Howard — a three‑time NBA Defensive Player of the Year — can bolster its defense.
the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT
SPORTS
COLLEGE
Paul, Gerring lead Wake Forest Hall of Fame class The Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame will induct five new members on Feb. 17, including North Carolina natives Chris Paul and John Gerring. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the Demon Deacons’ basketball game with NC State that day. Paul, from Lewisville, was a star basketball player for the Deacons and just started his 13th season in the NBA. Gerring, the 1957 ACC men’s golf champion and a High Point native, is the class’ Heritage inductee. The other three athletes voted in were Michelle Sikes (track and field), Lauren Crandall (field hockey) and Steve Vallos (football).
COLLEGE SOCCER
Four NC soccer players up for award Four soccer players from North Carolina colleges and are among the finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Duke’s Imani Doresy, High Point’s Becca Rolfe and UNC Charlotte’s Martha Thomas were among the 10 women’s soccer players named finalists for the award, and Wake Forest’s Jon Bakero is a finalist in men’s soccer. The awards are given to NCAA Division I seniors who “have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.” Tomas Hilliard-Arce, a native of Matthews, N.C., who plays at Stanford, is also up for the men’s award.
NFL
Trade for Dwight Howard gives coach Steve Clifford a familiar stopper
“Cliff is Cliff. He’s going to push you to the limit.”
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb’s draft stock has improved thanks to his dominant senior season.
Seniors Chubb, Stewart having vastly different seasons Both defenders had high expectations after passing up NFL Draft By Brett Friedlander North State Journal RALEIGH/CHAPEL HILL — Bradley Chubb and M.J. Stewart both passed up the chance to enter the NFL Draft by going back to school for their senior seasons. Each made their decision for similar reasons, to complete some “unfinished business.” That, however, is where the comparison ends. Because while Chubb’s return to NC State has been exactly what he hoped, Stewart’s experience at rival North Carolina has been a disappointment of epic proportions.
The silver lining for Stewart is that his team’s dramatic lack of success hasn’t adversely affected his individual draft stock. He’s still considered one of the top cover corners available and is projected as a second- or third-round pick. Chubb, on the other hand, has catapulted himself from the middle or bottom of the first round to potentially one of the first five players selected with a dominating performance that has already produced 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss — a total that ranks second nationally. As impressive as those individual statistics might be, the number that means the most to him is the six straight wins the Wolfpack See FINAL SEASONS, page B4
Panthers’ Kuechly held out of Tuesday practice; Kalil returns Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who left last Thursday’s game against the Eagles with a neck and head injury and is in the NFL’s concussion protocol, was at the team’s practice Tuesday but did not participate. The team has not yet diagnosed Kuechly with a concussion, which would be at least his third in as many years. Meanwhile, center Ryan Kalil, who has played just one game this season, was in full pads at practice and worked out, making him a possibility for this weekend’s game at Chicago. Kalil has missed the past five games with a neck injury.
New additions could help Hornets find defensive ego
STEVE CLIFFORD knows the reason why the Charlotte Hornets finished 10 games below .500 last year. “We need to get our defensive ego back,” he said. Last season, Charlotte saw slippage in just about every defensive category. Their .456 field goal percentage allowed was a dozen points higher than it had been in any of the three previous years. It ranked 15th in the NBA, after two top-10 finishes in three seasons. The three-point defense saw a similar decline. Opponents hit at a .369 clip, 20 points higher than in 2015-16, good (so to speak) for 25th in the league. Advanced stats weren’t much better. The team was in the NBA’s bottom 10 effective field goal percentage allowed after finishing in the top 10 two of the previous three years. The team defensive rating fell to 14th after three straight top-10 finishes. “I don’t know whether I took the defense for granted,” Clifford said. “It had been what we built everything on here for three years. Maybe I wasn’t as demanding, didn’t teach it as well. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility. We have to do better. I have to do better.” The Hornets’ front office did its part to help improve the defense, swinging a blockbuster off-
— Dwight Howard, Hornets center
See HORNETS, page B4
JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford talks with forward Marvin Williams during a preseason game against Boston.
UNC escapes punishment after 7-year investigation NCAA rules sanctioning school for “paper courses” outside of its jurisdiction By Brett Friedlander North State Journal
BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
UNC coach Roy Williams laughs during the Late Night with Roy season kickoff event Friday at Dean Smith Center. The school learned earlier in the day it would not face further NCAA sanctions.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina raised its latest basketball championship banner to the rafters of the Smith Center on Friday at its annual Late Night With Roy event. That’s not all the Tar Heels and
their fans have to celebrate. A few hours earlier, UNC scored a major and unexpected victory when the NCAA ended its seven-year investigation into the university’s African and Afro-American Studies program without issuing any sanctions. In its report issued Friday morning, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions announced that it could not conclude UNC had violated the See UNC, page B4
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
B2 WEDNESDAY
10.18.17
TRENDING
Zeke Rodney: The Wake Forest defensive tackle was added to the Bednarik Award watch list last week. The 6-1, 305-pound junior joins teammate Duke Ejiofor on the list, which also includes NC State’s Bradley Chubb, Duke’s Ben Humphreys and UNC’s M.J. Stewart. The award, named for Pro Football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, is given annually to the nation’s best defensive player. The last player from an N.C. school to win the award was UNC’s Julius Peppers in 2011.
Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay’s Super Bowl aspirations were dealt a serious blow when the two-time MVP suffered a broken right collarbone Sunday on a hit by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. Barr drove Rodgers’ throwing shoulder into the turf in the first quarter, putting the Packers’ season in jeopardy. Backup Brett Hundley took over for Rodgers, going 18 of 33 for 157 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions in Minnesota’s 23-10 win.
Nikolaj Ehlers: The Winnipeg Jets’ left winger had two game-winners — including the clincher against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday — among his five goals in three games last week, earning the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Oct. 15. The 21-year-old Dane had a natural hat trick — three consecutive goals in a game — Oct. 9 against Edmonton, the third player in franchise history to pull off the feat. Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, both when the team was the Atlanta Thrashers, had previously scored natural hat tricks.
beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES
NASCAR
The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup playoffs got a shakeup Sunday courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway. Just 12 drivers finished on the lead lap — including winner Brad Keselowski — setting up a final Round 2 race at Kansas where only two drivers, Keselowski and points leader Martin Truex Jr., are already safe. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray currently sit below the cutoff line, but Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas will determine who moves on.
JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS
“We had opportunities to win. And we didn’t.” Panthers quarterback Cam Newton after Carolina lost 28-23 at home to Philadelphia last Thursday.
ADAM HAGY | USA TODAY SPORTS
CHARLES LECLAIR | USA TODAY SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
“Without a doubt, he showed up at Heinz Field — it’s a different spelling — and played his butt off.” NC State coach Dave Doeren on running back Nyheim Hines, who had 137 rushing yards and a punt return for a touchdown in the Wolfpack’s 35-17 win over Pitt.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
0 Penalties committed by Appalachian State football against Idaho, contributing to the Mountaineers erasing a 20-point deficit against the Vandals and winning, 23-20, to remain unbeaten in the Sun Belt Conference at 3-0. App State is still penalized an average of 67.2 yards per game, ranking 11th out of 12 teams in the Sun Belt. Only Troy (77 yards in penalties per game) has averaged more.
GREGORY J. FISHER | USA TODAY SPORTS
THOMAS JOSEPH | USA TODAY SPORTS
The road was unkind to four of the Associated Press poll’s top 10 teams last week. The biggest surprise was Clemson’s loss at ACC also-ran Syracuse, while No. 8 Washington State was throttled at Cal, 37-3, and No. 5 Washington (13-7 at Arizona State) and No. 10 Auburn (27-23 at LSU).
The University of Louisville athletics board voted Monday to terminate the contract of basketball coach Rick Pitino. The decision came two and a half weeks after the Hall of Fame coach was placed on administrative leave due to an FBI investigation that alleged corruption at several schools, including Louisville.
MLB
Exactly 29 years after Kirk Gibson hit his legendary pinch-hit home run off Oakland A’s closer Dennis Eckersley to give the Dodgers a win in Game 1 of the 1989 World Series, Justin Turner crushed a walk-off three-run homer of his own to enter Dodgers lore. Turner’s three-run blast off the Cubs’ John Lackey pushed Los Angeles a 2-0 series lead over Chicago in the National League Championship Series, giving the Dodgers a commanding edge. ROBERT HANASHIRO | USA TODAY SPORTS
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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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Pirates defense still looking for answers ECU allowing 50 points, 600 yards per game By Brett Friedlander North State Journal
BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones is pressured by UNC linebacker Cole Holcomb during their game Sept. 23 at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
Blue Devils line trying to keep quarterback safer OL thinks quarterback Daniel Jones has been hit too much this year By Shawn Krest North State Journal DURHAM — Duke quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked once during the Florida State game last week. For an offensive line that has struggled to protect the sophomore quarterback this year, that’s progress. “It comes to a point where you’re tired of seeing your quarterback on the ground,” said right guard Zach Harmon. It’s happened plenty of times this season. Baylor sacked Jones five times. A week later, North Carolina got him three times. Miami also had five sacks. For the season, Jones has been hit 26 times. He was hit just 31 times in 12 games all of last year. “It’s like a shot to your stomach, when you see him get hit,” Harmon said. “You’ve just kind of got to buck up and say you don’t want to see that anymore.” That’s easier said than done. “I don’t think any light bulb went off,” coach David Cutcliffe said. “I think there were some alarms that were set by myself and my assistants. It’s not as simple as waking up and realizing your quarterback is getting hit too much.” With a young quarterback like Jones, it’s even more troubling because of the impact that the repeated hits will have on his psyche. “It does a lot of things to you,” Cutcliffe said. “There’s a difference between playing quick and playing hurried. There’s a real fine line.
I have this clock in my head — I know what quick is. When the ball is snapped, I know exactly when I want it out. It’s just from a lot of years. We pride ourselves on not holding the ball. “What happens when you start feeling hurried, you actually lose that timing mechanism, because your feet aren’t set. You’re anticipating a problem before a problem even occurs. There are a million things you’ve got to watch,” he continued. “I don’t think a lot of that has entered into Daniel yet, but it’s going to some. It’s going to.” The offensive line has had to deal with mental demons from the opponents’ sack binge. “Baylor did a great job,” Harmon said. “They had a lot of blitz packages and stunts that were pretty exotic. We hadn’t seen it on film from them before. It took a lot of adjusting that game. After that, we’ve tried to expect the unexpected from defensive fronts.” Instead of worrying about the tricks and twists, the line has gotten back to focusing on their jobs. “Regardless of what look we’re going to get, we need to make sure our scheme is sound,” Harmon said. Florida State didn’t get to Jones that often, although Harmon admits that they played the Blue Devils one-on-one, without many tricks. Still, it was the first boost the beleaguered unit’s confidence has had in quite a few weeks. “We’ve spent the last couple weeks really trying to protect him,” Harmon said, “because if we keep him off the ground, we’ll have a chance with whoever we play. That’s what we truly believe. What fuels us is not seeing him on the ground.” Cutcliffe puts it even plainer.
“There is no passing game without pass protection,” he said. “None. Zero.” Duke to honor former coach Spurrier Former Blue Devils head coach Steve Spurrier will be honored during the home game against Pitt, prior to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Spurrier coached Duke from 1987 to 1989 and was a two-time ACC coach of the year. In addition to being one of only two coaches to have sustained success with the Blue Devils in recent years, Cutcliffe has another connection to the Ol’ Ball Coach. “My brother Paige played with Steve at Florida,” Cutcliffe said. “Paige was a defensive lineman. I vividly remember Steve Spurrier’s career, because it was the only time in my life growing up that I wasn’t an Alabama football fan. When my brother turned down Alabama and went to Florida, he was lucky his last name was still Cutcliffe, and that’s the truth.” Somehow, during Paige’s time with Spurrier on the Gators, coach Cut ended up with an odd souvenir. “One thing I wished I still had was the chinstrap I got from him,” Cutcliffe said. “Wouldn’t you know, somewhere along the way, it got lost. That was not very smart on my part.” As far as Spurrier the coach, Cutcliffe considers him a role model. “He influenced a lot of us,” Cutcliffe said. “He was a trendsetter in throwing the football. He was a competitor of ours at Tennessee, with his taunting of us. ‘You can’t spell Citrus Bowl without UT.’ He was a clever guy. He had a lot of fun coaching football and played it at an extremely high level.”
Deacons use bye week to prepare for Yellow Jackets’ triple option Defense readies for unique offense; starting QB John Wolford returns to lineup By Brett Friedlander North State Journal THE ACC’S football schedule makers didn’t do Wake Forest any favors by having the Deacons play heavyweights Florida State and Clemson in consecutive weeks. But at least they gave coach Dave Clawson’s team a break by allowing them last week off to recover and reset before having to face Georgia Tech and its sometimes confounding triple option offense. “Each bye week is a little bit different in terms of where it is in the season (and) who your next opponent is,” Clawson said on the ACC’s weekly coaches teleconference last week. “A lot of times we’ve taken bye weeks to kind of look at the first half of the year and review what we’re doing well, what we’re not doing well, things we need to work on. “It’s a little different this year with our bye week coming before Georgia Tech,” Clawson continued. “Because of their unique style of offense and what they do, we’ve devoted probably a little bit more
time to them this week than we normally would if you played a team that ran a more traditional offensive system.” The Yellow Jackets, as they usually do, lead the ACC in rushing at 362 yards per game. They’re led by quarterback TaQuon Marshall, a converted running back, and B-back KirVonte Benson, who rank first and third in the league individually with an average of better than 100 yards on the ground per game each. Wake (4-2, 1-2 ACC) has held its own this season defensively, including in its losses to the Seminoles and defending national champion Tigers. Slowing down Tech (3-2, 2-1) is a different animal, though, because of the unusual nature of their run-oriented attack. “The triple option brings a lot of new challenges,” senior linebacker Grant Dawson said Tuesday. “You pretty much run a different defense than you do the rest of the year. The bye week has helped us prepare for this week.” It has also helped the Deacons get healthy again — especially at quarterback, where starter John Wolford is ready to return after missing the Clemson game with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.
Central Florida wide receiver Dredrick Snelson boasted before last week’s game against East Carolina that his team would score 70 points against the Pirates. It wasn’t all that much of a stretch, considering that Snelson’s Knights came into to the game with the nation’s highest-scoring offense and ECU’s defense ranks last among 129 FBS schools in both scoring and yards allowed. As much as the Pirates tried to help UCF accomplish its 70-point goal by allowing touchdowns on a punt return and an interception return, the Knights were only able to put 63 on the board in their lopsided victory in Orlando on Saturday. That, however, was small consolation for a program that has already done enough to embarrass itself this season without having an opposing player publicly call it out. “It was a statement that he made and did I talk to our guys about it, yes,” ECU coach Scottie Montgomery said Monday in reference to Snelson’s verbal jab. “But there was no talking about it that was going to help, you just have got to go out and play.” The Pirates (1-6, 1-3 AAC) have had a hard time doing that this season. Their defense hasn’t just been bad, it’s been historically bad. Consider that ECU has been burned for 60 or more points three times and 56 on another occasion in its first seven games. It has allowed its opponents to average of 50 points and 600 yards, well within reach of the FBS single-season records for futility of 50.7 points per game by Louisiana-Lafayette in 1997 and 553.3 yards given up by Maryland in 1993.
To Montgomery’s credit, he hasn’t sat back and let the futility happened. Before the season, he brought in graduate transfers Korrin Wiggins from Clemson and Gaelin Elmore from Minnesota to try and solidify his secondary and pass rush. He also switched from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-2-5 in an attempt to put the players on hand in a better position to make plays. Once the games began, the second-year coach fired defensive coordinator Kenwick Thompson and replaced him with defensive line coach Robert Prunty. Just last week, he brought in 73-yearold former Minnesota head coach John Gutekunst to serve as a “defensive analyst.” All the tweaks in the world, however, can’t overcome the Pirates’ glaring lack of talent and speed, the latter of which was exposed in recent AAC losses to Central Florida and South Florida. “If there was one thing that I wish I would have known a little bit sooner is that, overall, we have to recruit a faster athlete,” Montgomery said Monday. “In this last game I thought a lot of our guys played their heart out, but there were a couple of situations where we were out-ran.” If there’s one silver lining to ECU’s current situation it’s that Saturday’s opponent, Brigham Young, is as bad at moving the football as the Pirates are from stopping it. The Cougars (1-6) have scored only nine touchdowns all season and rank next-to-last in the FBS scoring an average of 11.4 points per game. “We are really excited to be able to get a chance to come back and play homecoming, get a chance to get a win against a football team that is also coming in here trying to win as well,” Montgomery said. “I think this will give us a good boost of energy going into our open date and we can finish strong.”
TEAM PREVIEWS
Appalachian State vs. Coastal Carolina Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3
Preview: The Mountaineers (4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) have staged fourth quarter comebacks in each of the past two weeks to stay unbeaten in conference play. They figure to have an easier time of things Saturday against a Coastal Carolina team that has lost five straight since an opening week win against UMass. Players to watch: DE Tee Sims had two sacks and LB Eric Boggs had two fourth quarter fumble recoveries to lead App State’s winning rally last Saturday at Idaho. Chanticleer QB Tyler Keane has completed 66 of 114 passes this season for 904 yards and eight touchdowns. Fast fact: The Mountaineers battled back from a 20-0 third quarter deficit at Idaho, their largest comeback since coming back from a 35-14 deficit to beat Chattanooga in 2010. App State has outscored its last two opponents 44-14 in the fourth period. What to expect: The Mountaineers are a 24-point favorite at home and should have little trouble handling an opponent still in the process of transitioning to FBS status. — Brett Friedlander
Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech When Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Where Bobby Dodd Stadium Watch ESPNU
Wolford was replaced by backup Kendall Hinton, who completed 14 of 30 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 92 yards on 24 carries. “John was probably at about 80 percent and we just made a decision that we thought Kendall Hinton at 100 percent would give us a better chance to win the game with John at 80,” Clawson said. “We did not want John to take another hit that possibly would keep him out for longer. “We just made a coaching decision that we thought would give us the best chance to win. John will be able to play against Georgia Tech. Hopefully giving him this extra time will let him get closer to 100 percent for Georgia Tech.”
Charlotte vs. UAB Jerry Richardson Stadium Saturday, 6:30 p.m. beIN
Preview: For the second time in as many weeks, Charlotte faces an opponent for the first time ever. The 49ers are looking for their first win. UAB is 4-2, 2-1 in CUSA with its three CUSA games decided by a total of six points. Players to watch: UAB freshman running back Spencer Brown has rushed for 168 and 167 yards the last two weeks. Charlotte freshman running back Aaron McAllister had 157 yards and two touchdowns last week, including a school-record 89-yarder. Fast fact: UAB is in its first season back after the school shut down the program following the 2014 season. This year’s team has 15 players who played on that 2014 team, including five starters. Head coach Bill Clark is also back for his second season as coach, three years after his first. What to expect: Charlotte has the chance to end the season on a positive note. The Niners’ next two foes are both sub .500, but first they need to find a way to slow the Blazers’ running game. — Shawn Krest
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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Hurricanes’ brothers together in Nebraska
fact that he failed to pick off a pass. That and the way the Tar Heels finished the season, with three straight losses, weighed heavily in his decision to postpone his entry into the NFL. “It was another year of college football and having fun with my brothers or living out a childhood dream,” Stewart said before the season started. “It was really tough. (But) I didn’t want to end my college career with zero interceptions. I decided I wanted to come back and end on a bang and make people remember who I am.” That bang has turned out to be more of a whimper. Stewart’s season is best summed up by a single play in his team’s latest disheartening loss. With the Tar Heels trailing by six midway through the fourth quarter, he scooped up a Virginia fumble near midfield and took off in the opposite direction. But just as it appeared he was on his way to a go-ahead touchdown, the play was whistled dead because his foot touched the sideline as he scooped the ball up. UNC ended up losing 20-14 to fall to 1-6 overall, 0-4 in the ACC. As disappointing as the situation might be, Stewart hasn’t let his disappointment show. “He’s kind of the heart and soul of everybody right now,” Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said. “He’s the guy that’s the leader, the one making sure everybody’s staying positive, everybody’s staying together. He’s doing a tremendous job.”
season trade to bring in an AllStar player who is very familiar with Clifford’s defense. “Defense is set,” said new Hornets’ center Dwight Howard. “It’s the same thing we ran in Orlando.” Clifford was an assistant with the Magic from 2007 to 2012, a period that coincided with Howard’s blossoming as a defensive player. During the time they were together, Howard won Defensive Player of the Year three times. He led the NBA in blocked shots twice, defensive rebounds five times, defensive rebounding percentage twice, total rebound percentage once, defensive rating three times and defensive win shares four times. He also made his first six All Star teams in Clifford’s six seasons in Orlando. In the seven seasons Howard has played without Clifford, he’s made two All Star teams and led the league in defensive rebounding once. As much as Howard will help the defense, being reunited with Clifford promises to help him find a comfort level that has eluded him in recent seasons. “It’s the same Cliff,” Howard said. “Cliff is Cliff. He’s going to push you to the limit. He wants the best out of you.” Clifford points out that, while Howard is a defensive force, he’ll help the team on both ends of the court. “He’s someone who is still an elite basket protector,” Clifford said. “But people forget he’s also one of the most efficient players in the league offensively.” Howard’s presence also shifts Cody Zeller to the bench, which Clifford thinks will also help the team. “One of our issues last year was that when we went to the bench, we struggled,” he said. “This puts Cody into a role that he can absolutely excel in. We’re not only getting a starter that’s a frontline player, we’re taking a position where we struggled, and it really should be a position of great strength now.” In addition to Howard, the Hornets have added two rookies that are expected to have an immediate impact. Charlotte took Kentucky one-and-done shooting guard Malik Monk with the 11th overall pick in the draft. “He’s a shot-maker,” Clifford said. “Having Michael Carter-Williams or Julyan Stone — a point guard with size to play with him — is critical for him. If you look at most of the guys his size in the league who are able to play well, they’re paired with a point guard with size to guard the bigger player in the opposing backcourt.” In other words, Monk will likely start his career coming off the bench, since the smaller Kemba Walker, one of the top point guards in the East, will be starting. Monk and the rest of the second unit have thrived in the preseason, providing energy and production off the bench. Second-round draft pick Dwayne Bacon, out of Florida State, has played himself into a role on the team as well. “He’s been terrific,” Clifford said. “Not good — terrific. I watched him in summer league and said that down the road, he could be good. Down the road. But he had a couple games — it’s exhibition, so you have to temper your excitement — but he’s played all-around games in exhibition. He guarded Gordon Hayward and Wesley Matthews and did a good job. He’s maturing quickly.” The three new additions have helped upgrade Charlotte’s rotation and, if things go well, the Hornets may just find their defensive ego again.
more. They were both found guilty of “unethical conduct” and “failure to cooperate” with the NCAA. In the end, though, their primary roles outside the athletic department made it impossible for the NCAA’s most serious allegation against UNC — a lack of institutional control — to stick. As could be expected, UNC officials were ecstatic about the favorable ruling and the fact it signals an end to its ongoing battle with the NCAA. “We believe this is the correct and the fair outcome,” chancellor Carol L. Folt said. Folt, who was hired after the scandal became public, said UNC has made significant changes to its academic policies since her arrival. While Folt and athletic director
Bubba Cunningham acknowledged their school may have avoided serious NCAA penalties because of a technicality and that the public perception of Friday’s ruling will be that the Tar Heels got away with something, they offered no apologies. “We had some things that occurred that we haven’t been proud of,” Cunningham said. “Unfortunately, sometimes the behavior you’re not proud of just doesn’t quite fit into a bylaw or rule, and that’s what we’ve been talking about for five years. “We’re not proud of the behavior, but we didn’t think it violated the (NCAA) bylaw and today, the Committee on Infractions revealed to us that they came to that same conclusion.”
Josiah Slavin and Eero Teravainen are new teammates with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — The Hurricanes started the season with players from five different countries on the roster, ranging as far east as Oulunsalo, Finland, all the way to Spokane, Wash. Carolina 23-year-olds Jaccob Slavin and Teuvo Teravinen grew up nearly 5,000 miles apart — Slavin in Denver, Teravainen in Helsinki — and now play together in the southeastern U.S. in Raleigh. It’s not that far-fetched: two men reaching the NHL from opposite sides of the globe is the norm in locker rooms around the league, especially when they come from hockey-playing families. Teravainen’s younger brother and sister also play. The Slavins — Jaccob and his four siblings — all grew up playing hockey in Colorado. Eighteen-year-old Josiah, the only forward in the Slavin clan, is playing in the USHL — an American junior hockey league — and was just traded from the TriCity Storm across Nebraska to the Lincoln Stars on Oct. 4. Eero Teravainen, Teuvo’s 18-year-old brother, is in his second season as a defensemen with the Stars. “It was a little weird playing against him last year,” Josiah said of skating against Eero. “I always knew his brother was with my brother [in Carolina]. It was weird seeing him on the ice. And then getting traded here, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s even weirder that we’re playing together, too.’” Just like their big brothers Jaccob and Teuvo in the NHL, they were on opposite sides for a season but now have a common goal. “He’s enjoying it, and I think they’ve connected a little bit so far, so that’s good,” Jaccob said of Josiah joining Eero on the Stars. The roles for the Slavins and the Teravainens are flipped in Lincoln. Josiah is the only Slavin sibling to play forward instead
BRANDON ANDERSON | LINCOLN STARS
Eero Teravainen (9) and Josiah Slavin (11) — the younger brothers of Carolina Hurricanes players Teuvo Teravainen and Jaccob Slavin — are now teammates after the USHL’s Lincoln Stars acquired Josiah from the Tri-City Storm in an Oct. 4 trade.
“I didn’t think about playing together, but when he got here I thought it was pretty funny.” — Eero Teravainen of defense — “Joe’s kind of the oddball out there,” Jaccob said — while Eero is a defenseman. Teuvo and their sister, 15-year-old Satu, each play forward. “I don’t know why I’m D,” Eero said. “I think I was kind of a bigger guy when I was younger. So the coaches put me on defense, so I think that’s it. … I’m the lone wolf.” Teuvo had a different explanation for why Eero is a defenseman. “I was always playing outside my house and stuff, so maybe I was the forward and he was playing the D,” Teuvo said. “He’s always been more like a D guy. He
likes to play that, and he is still playing like a two-way D, so he likes to play offense, too. Josiah’s siblings — sister Jordan and brothers Justin, Jaccob and Jeremiah — are all defenseman. “When I was younger I liked to score goals, and it just kind of stuck,” Josiah said. He’ll get a chance to do it against his old team Saturday and the following Friday when Lincoln visits Tri-City for two games. “It’s not too emotional,” Josiah said of playing his old team, channeling Jaccob’s calm demeanor. “I’m close with the guys there, so it’ll be good to see them. But no friends on the ice.” Josiah and Eero keep tabs on their brothers and the Hurricanes, saying they watched two of the team’s first three games together. “I saw that big shootout goal,” Eero said of Jaccob’s game-winner in the opener against the Wild. “He’s been doing that move since he was like 12 years old,” Josiah said of Jaccob’s go-to back-
FINAL SEASONS from page B1 has put together since an opening week loss to South Carolina, a streak that has done as much to enhance State’s national stature as his own. “The sky’s the limit for this team,” Chubb said. “That’s the main reason I came back, because I knew we weren’t done. It’s just good to see things coming to fruition.” Chubb’s best moments this season have come in his highest profile games. He recorded seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in a 2721 win at Florida State on Sept. 23, an effort that was somewhat overshadowed when he celebrated by spitting on the Seminoles’ logo at midfield. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end shifted the focus back onto his play two weeks later when he outshined Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in a nationally televised Thursday night victory against Louisville. Chubb set the tone that night by sacking Jackson on the game’s second play. He punctuated the 39-25 victory by blocking an extra point, much to the delight of a packed house at Carter-Finley Stadium that included a group of State students that expressed its admiration for him with a few splashes of body paint. It was the kind of moment Chubb envisioned last January when he sat down to discuss his future with Wolfpack coach Dave
UNC from page B1 organization’s academic rules because the so-called “paper courses” in the AFAM program over an 18year period were made available to the general student body, as well as athletes. UNC was accused of five Level 1 violations, the most serious under the NCAA’s bylaws, as part of a seemingly never-ending scandal that first came to light during the summer of 2010. Despite some harsh rhetoric from both sides and the national media the case came to an end quietly. The NCAA wound up agreeing with UNC — though reluctantly — that the matter was out of governing body’s jurisdiction. “After reviewing all the informa-
BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS
UNC cornerback M.J. Stewart breaks up a pass intended for Virginia wide receiver Andre Levrone during Saturday’s game at Kenan
Doeren. “We talked about finishing what we started. That was one of the factors,” Doeren said of a season in which Chubb posted 10.5 sacks — the third-highest total in school history — but the Wolfpack lost four games by a touchdown or less. “There was a lot of factors. I guarantee you, seeing the student section paint their bodies with ‘Chubb for Heisman’ made him feel good. That was pretty awesome. He’s playing so good, the students love him. He’s a cult hero right now and he deserves it. He’s playing his butt off.” About 20 miles to the west in Chapel Hill, Stewart is too. The 6-0, 205-pound defensive back has recorded 23 tackles and two sacks to go along with a
tion available to the hearing panel, the hearing panel concluded that it is more likely than not that student-athletes received fraudulent credit by the common understanding of what that term means,” SEC commissioner and Committee on Infractions chairman Greg Sankey said during a teleconference shortly after the report was released. “It is also more likely than not that North Carolina personnel used the course to purposely obtain and maintain student-athletes’ eligibility. “Those strong possibilities, however, are not what the hearing panel could use to evaluate whether academic violations occurred. The hearing panel had to rely on NCAA principle, which defers to the school’s academic policies. North Carolina maintained that
team-leading eight pass breakups, bringing him within three of the school career record of 35. Unlike Chubb, though, his efforts have gone largely unnoticed as a member of a defense that ranks at or near the bottom of the ACC in virtually every statistical category. “To be real, it’s not what I pictured my senior season being,” Stewart said Saturday. “But that’s the game of football. Anything can happen.” Stewart led UNC with four interceptions as a sophomore in 2015 on a team that won 11 games and the ACC’s Coastal Division championship. Although he tied for the league lead with 18 pass breakups last year, he was disappointed by the
“We had some things that occurred that we haven’t been proud of.” — Bubba Cunningham, UNC athletic director the courses did not violate their academic policies in place at the time the courses were completed.” The only penalties levied by the NCAA were a five-year “show cause” placed on former UNC department chair Julius Nyang’oro and a reprimand for AFAM secretary Debra Crowder — neither of whom are affiliated with the university any-
HORNETS from page B1
hand. “He taught it to me when I was really young. I just can’t do it as well as him.” Josiah and Eero will head to the NCAA next year, and Eero is actually committed to the University of Denver in the Slavins’ hometown. Josiah could offer some pointers on life in the Mile High City, and perhaps a homecooked meal? “That sounds good. I probably should ask him,” Eero said. Josiah is undecided on where he’ll go to college next year, but “there’s a couple possibilities to go back to Colorado right now,” he said. Could the duo stick together on the Pioneers — the defending NCAA champions and early-season No. 1 team — next fall? “Yeah, we could,” Josiah said. For now, the duo will be together with the Stars, and their big brothers — along with the rest of their families — will be watching. “We’ll see if there’s a lot of goals made by Slavin and assisted by Teravainen,” Teuvo said.
WEDNESDAY
10.18.17
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL
Check out the N.C. State Fair this week!
the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND
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Oct. 20-21 Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival Fayetteville The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival is returning this year for two days of festivities, including hayrides, a haunted house, bands and brews. Friday’s entertainment lineup includes local country band Avner Clark and Saturday’s entertainment lineup features Rivermist and SkyDog. On Saturday only, enjoy Fayetteville’s Food Truck Festival.
Oct. 20-22 Appalachian Harvest Festival Robbinsville This three-day harvest festival features a Friday night campfire, music jam, 5K race, a one-mile fun run, live music and demonstrations of apple cider pressing.
Oct. 20-22
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GLEAN
North Carolina is the nation’s top producer of sweet potatoes; however, not all sweet potatoes make it to the grocery store. Through gleaning, a process of gathering and repurposing the leftover vegetables and fruits, a new healthy eating option can be an alternative thanks to a new food company called Glean.
Oct. 21-22
A harvest of faith Faith and farming are combined in a clean eating venture By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal SNOW HILL — Plant, cultivate, harvest — three words farmers value completely. However, these three words can have even more meaning. “There is a really neat analogy between growing and farming,” said Laura Hearn. “Plant, cultivate, harvest. It’s obvious on the agriculture side, but it is also a thing you do with people. God plants seeds in us that make us want to invest in other people and by doing that, we all have richer lives,” Hearn, 33, and her brother, Will Kornegay, 31, have created Glean, a brand of foods that provides a healthy eating option and in turn donates a pound to the hungry per pound sold. “Glean, for us, the name of the company stems from the biblical concept of gleaning in the Bible,” said Kornegay. “Farmers in the Bible were mandated by law to allow the poor and unfortunate to actually glean their fields. They were required to leave some of their crop in the field for those people to glean and live off of. “We took that to heart and broadened it a little bit by saying, ‘We want to repurpose that by gleaning vegetables that cannot be used and give back,’ he added. “One of the greatest commandments from Jesus in the New Covenant is to love one another. I truly believe that as it says in Corinthians, that the Holy Spirit is written on your heart. You see an outward change from an inward transformation. As that transformation occurs, you begin to show more love for everyone and begin to love the things God loves and hates the things God hates. With Glean, we see it as a great opportunity to share that love.” From their passion for people and agriculture, this venture was created. “Farmers leave products in the field like sweet potatoes that have
Sweet Potato Flour and Pumpkin Flour are two of the products offered by Glean, a locally farmed and produced food company in Snow Hill.
Will Kornegay and Laura Hearn, a brother and sister team, founded Glean in the summer of 2017.
insect damage or growth damage, or things that are not viable for a retail outlet,” he said. “We’re taking products farmers would typically lose and left in the field, and repurposing them for products that can help people’s lives.” Kornegay and Hearn, with their
backgrounds in sweet potato production, gathered the used fruits and vegetables from local farmers and began the process of gleaning to turn them into flour and powders. Currently, they produce a sweet potato flour, a pumpkin flour and a beet powder.
Carolina Balloon Fest Statesville Carolina Balloon Fest is a weekend of family fun with hot air balloon competitions and flights, tethered balloon rides, entertainment on two stages, a wine and craft beer garden, Saturday evening balloon glow, kids zone, walk in balloon, pilot meet and greet, artisan village and marketplace, and a variety of festival foods on Eat Street.
“One thing people may not realize is when they are shopping in grocery stores, they are looking for a perfect produce,” said Hearn. “With this produce, while it may not look perfect, the quality is fine. Our mission aligns with reviving produce and people with purpose.” “The goal is for us to work with farmers to use their fruits and vegetables they can’t use in the field to make other healthier options for people,” added Kornegay. A mix for smoothies. A breader for seafood. A topping for yogurt. There are plenty of ways consumers can use the flour and, of course, each powder comes with its own source of nutrients and protein. “These are all very versatile items,” said Hearn. “Beets have their own unique flavor profile. They can all be used as a flour alternative for people who are gluten-free or looking to add different nutrients or flavor profiles into their existing recipes. It’s really good as a blend with your favorite flour, whether it’s almond flour, gluten-free or regular flour, for cakes and pies. They mix well with soups and sauces to thicken or add flavor. “There is so much usage in being able to take a dehydrated sweet potato and using it for a healthy eating option,” she added. Most importantly, for every pound sold, a pound is given to a person fighting hunger through local food banks and homeless shelters. Organizations wishing to partner can contact Glean via their website. “Our passion is helping people, and it’s important to us we do that in all that we do,” added Kornegay. Glean graciously offered North State Journal readers a chance to try their products at a reduced cost. Readers can visit www. liveglean.com to purchase a powder ranging in price from $9.99 to $19.99 and enter the code: “NSJ15” for a 15 percent discount. To top it off, you’ll find a delicious sweet potato cookie recipe perfect for the fall season.
Autumn with Topsail Topsail Beach The event features live beach music, entertainment, more than 100 regional artists, a variety of food, games and rides for children.
Oct. 21-22 37th N.C. Oyster Festival Ocean Isle The annual N.C. Oyster Festival brings together toe-tapping music, culinary delights, unique shopping and the regionally celebrated oyster to thousands of tourists and locals each year. With two full days to enjoy the, visitors can walk the grounds and peruse the variety of vendors showcasing their artwork and crafts, listen to featured entertainers, enjoy the competition as a spectator or go for the gold in one of the oyster contests.
Oct. 20-28 N.C. Yam Festival Tabor City Tabor City hosts the North Carolina Yam Festival each October. This event features a pageant, cooking contests, yam auction, parade and the annual “Taste of Tabor.”
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North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
NeCessities! history marked Oct. 18, 1853
State Fair gets its start
north carolina state fair
On this day in 1853, the first North Carolina State Fair opened in Raleigh just south of downtown. At the initial fair, as with those that followed, all manner of plants, animals and handicrafts were entered for review. Cash prizes were awarded for first and second place entries. In preparation for the first fair, citizens were encouraged to invite fairgoers into their homes, as it was anticipated that the public facilities would not be adequate to accommodate everyone. Indeed, on its busiest day, 4,000 people attended the first State Fair. During that first year, and for many years following, the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad transported all of the presentation materials at no charge and offered attendees a half price trip to Raleigh. The Civil War and its aftermath interfered with fair operations from 1861 to 1868. The fair was reopened in 1869 by the Agricultural Society and remained at the same location until 1872. In 1873, with assistance from the city of Raleigh, the Agricultural Society purchased a 55acre tract on Hillsborough Street and moved the fair to that location. In 1928, the fair moved to its present location on Blue Ridge Road where every October brings the sweet smell of cotton candy, the roar of the midway and the chance to take home a prize for agricultural products.
Oct. 18, 1929
Thomas Wolfe and “The Old Kentucky Home” On this day in 1929, Charles Scribner’s Sons published “Look Homeward, Angel,” the bestknown novel by Asheville author Thomas Wolfe. Inspired by a marble angel outside his father’s monument shop on Pack Square, Wolfe wrote his first and largely autobiographical novel about the fictional Gant family wherein the father is a volatile stonecutter and the mother a business-minded boardinghouse operator. Wolfe was only 6 when his own mother, Julia Westall Wolfe, left her husband and older children and bought the “Old Kentucky Home,” a rambling Victorian boardinghouse in downtown Asheville, to which she brought young Tom. With his family divided, Tom felt lost amongst his mother’s tenants and resentful of the changes the tourists were wreaking on his hometown. Always aware of the life and people around him, Wolfe later turned his observations into a novel in which his mother’s boardinghouse became “Dixieland” and Asheville, the fictional town of “Altamont.” Although names were changed, Asheville residents still recognized Wolfe’s characters as themselves and were scandalized. Only in 1937, a year before he died, did Wolfe return home to visit. He was, however, buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery. His mother’s boardinghouse is now the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, one of the state’s historic sites.
EVENTS AT THE NC STATE FAIR TAKEN BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
150th State Fair off to big start The N.C. State Fair is underway in Raleigh and will run through Oct. 22. The fair kicked off with the opening of a new attraction for the state’s craft beer and wine industry called the Public House, and the first days have featured blue-ribbon competitions in traditional agricultural categories. Highlights of the first week include:
Oct. 19, 1874
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco empire starts On this day in 1874, R.J. Reynolds purchased his first lot, next to rail lines in Winston, from the Moravian Church. Born into a prosperous Virginia tobacco family, Reynolds started what he called the “Little Red Factory” in 1874 with just $7,500 and some college and business school under his belt. A year later, the factory and its 12 workers had produced 150,000 pounds of Southern flat plug chewing tobacco. By the time of Reynolds’ death in 1918, the company had grown to a workforce of 10,000 spread across 121 buildings in Winston-Salem. The diversified tobacco manufacturing business included chewing and pipe tobacco and the legendary Camel cigarette. Other popular Reynolds brands included Winston, Salem, Vantage and Doral.
Oct. 19, 1948
President Harry S. Truman visited in N.C. President Harry S. Truman visited Raleigh and delivered the main address at the unveiling of the “Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation” monument on Union Square, which surrounds the State Capitol. The work honors the three presidents born in North Carolina: Andrew Jackson of Union County, seventh president of the United States (1829-1837); James Knox Polk of Mecklenberg County, 11th president of the United States (1845-1849); and Andrew Johnson of Wake County, 17th president of the United States (1865-1869). Interestingly, while North Carolina claims all three presidents as native sons, all were elected while residents of Tennessee. The idea for the statue was conceived by Commissioner of Revenue A. J. Maxwell. He took the idea to several legislators and a resolution calling for the monument’s creation passed the General Assembly in March 1943, though work didn’t get underway until a commission was created to complete the project in 1945. Several sculptors submitted designs for the monument, but the commission ultimately chose New York sculptor Charles Keck for the project. It was one of Keck’s last major works as an artist. Gov. R. Gregg Cherry, Secretary of the Army Kenneth Royall, U.S. senator and former governor Clyde Hoey and descendants of each of the three presidents joined Truman in dedicating the monument.
FIVE INDUCTED INTO N.C. STATE FAIR LIVESTOCK HALL OF FAME Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler inducted the following new members into the N.C. State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame: Casey Armstrong of Enfield was inducted for her decades of service to the horse industry and support of N.C. State Fair horse shows. Jean Fish of Fuquay-Varina was a fixture for more than 30 years at the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association’s fair booth in the Jim Graham Building. Carol Turner of Raleigh retired from the N.C. State Fair Livestock Office in 2010, but comes back each year to assist with the N.C. State Fair Special Awards Show. Mike Smith of Madison, who has Down syndrome, became the first and only exhibitor in the N.C. State Fair Special Awards in 1997. The next year, Smith brought a friend, who also had Down syndrome. Twenty years later, the show has grown to include hundreds of special needs youth and adults over two weekends. Wesley Looper has been an exhibitor and supporter of the N.C. State Fair swine shows for more than 25 years. Looper and his family have exhibited champion swine in every division of the N.C. State Fair over the years including Junior Market Barrow, Open Market Barrow and Performance Market Hog. Since 1980, the Livestock Hall of Fame has served to recognize and honor outstanding supporters of the fair’s livestock shows. Candidates can be producers of livestock who have exhibited and promoted livestock shows at the fair, a person who has served as a fair employee or volunteer, and representatives of business, extension workers or others from agricultural organizations.
COMPETITION RESULTS Wineries in Hendersonville, Mount Airy take top honors The 2017 N.C. State Fair Wine Competition, sponsored by the N.C. Wine and Grape Growers Council, featured 397 total entries in commercial and amateur categories. Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards in Hendersonville earned Best of Show in two categories. Its white wine blend, Laurel Hill, won Best of Show in the Bunch Grape category. The winery also earned Best of Show in the Fruit/ Honey category for its blackberry dessert wine, Chestnut Gap Cottage, which is made from blackberries grown in Henderson County. Old North State Winery won Best of Show in the Muscadine category for its Fish Hippie Seersucker Social White. The Mount Airy winery has been making wine since 2002. In the amateur competition, Clyde Mendenhall of Greensboro won Best of Show (Bunch Grape) for his cabernet sauvignon. Ron Powell of Mocksville won Best of Show (Muscadine) for his Carlos muscadine wine. Stephen Macon of Holly Springs won Best of Show (Fruit/Honey) for his strawberry wine, Ruby Slippers. Pumpkin and watermelon break State Fair records A 1,458.5-pound pumpkin grown by Elijah Meck of Randleman and a watermelon weighing 316 pounds grown by Todd Dawson of Garner took the top prizes in Thursday’s Great Pumpkin and Watermelon Weigh-Off at the N.C. State Fair. Both entries shattered the previous state records of 1,404 pounds for a pumpkin and 262.5 pounds for a watermelon, according to contest officials. Tobacco tying contest winners The defending champion Looping Fools of Maple Hill repeated as the winner’s circle of the N.C. State Fair
Tobacco Stringing Contest, notching the team’s fifth title. Team members Sandy and Ken Jones of Maple Hill in Pender County and Michael Sunday of Holly Ridge in Onslow County took home $250, a blue ribbon and a plaque. Sandy Jones looped the stick of tobacco in 51.67 seconds. The second-place team was the Golden Girls with Benson residents Nancy Stewart and Susie Allen, and Peggy Norris of Dunn. They took home $150, a ribbon and a plaque. Stewart looped the stick in 59.58 seconds. The third-place team was the Brown Stringers of June Bodenhamer of Rural Hall, Faye Macemore of Hamptonville and Debbie Grocer of Ronda. They took home $100, a ribbon and a plaque. Bodenhamer’s stringing time was 1:01.38. Judging was based on a combination of stringing time and stick quality, including bundle size, evenness of leaf heads, 36-38 bundles on a stick, tightness, evenness, neatness and holding ability. All three teams were close in quality points and the winner was determined by time. Raleigh resident wins State Fair sweet potato recipe contest Beth Matheson of Raleigh won first place and $250 in the N.C. Sweet Potato Commission’s Sweet Potato Tailgating contest for her Spicy Smoky BBQ Sweet Potato Salad Saturday at the N.C. State Fair. Kellie Williams of Cary earned second-place honors and $175 for her Sweet Potato Egg Nog recipe. Third place and $125 went to Virginia Thompson of Durham for a Sweet Potato and Chorizo Burrito recipe. Honorable mention and $75 went to Kristen Frybort of Raleigh for her Yummy Sweet Potato Quiche. All recipes had to include at least 1 ½ cups of fresh sweet potatoes and entries were judged based on taste, most creative use of sweet potatoes and preparation time.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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ENTERTAINMENT Netflix to boost international kids content as viewership spikes By Cynthia Littleton LOS ANGELES — Netflix is rapidly growing its investment in children’s programming with international appeal as the company’s kidvid viewership is growing at a faster clip outside the U.S. Andy Yeatman, Netflix’s director of kids and family content, told the crowd at Mip Jr. on Sunday that viewership of programs in its designated Kids and Family section has climbed 13 percent of late in the U.S. but has spiked some 61 percent in markets outside of Netflix’s home base. Netflix would not give up much in the way of viewership stats other than to say that of its 104 million members households worldwide, more than half of them have watched kids and family content. Netflix has 200 shows in the kids and family section that have been viewed by at least 2 million households. Yeatman said that level of sampling proves “we’re not just doing well with the head but we’re pretty far down the long tail as well.” Most of Netflix’s kidvid fare is acquisitions. Yeatman told Mip Jr. attendees that Netflix is actively shopping for projects in which it can help offer finishing funds in exchange for a first-run window outside of the home market. The Guillermo del Toro toon “Trollhunters” ranks among its most original kids productions. That show was more than six years in the making and will be back for a second season, Yeatman said. Yeatman emphasized that Netflix is capitalizing on its SVOD structure to allow creators more freedom with production. “We’re blurring the lines be-
MIKE BLAKE | REUTERS
“We’re blurring the lines between what a movie and series is ... We’re moving away from standard episode structure ... We’re varying the format to ensure the property stays present in kids’ minds.” — Andy Yeatman, director of kids and family content at Netflix tween what a movie and series is,” Yeatman said. “We’re moving away from standard episode structure. We’ll talk to people about order-
ing a certain number of minutes or hours — some will be episodes, some will be (longer) specials and some will be short-form content. We’re varying the format to ensure the property stays present in kids’ minds.” During his keynote session, Yeatman unveiled Netflix’s series order for an animated series “Mighty Little Bheem,” based on the well-known Indian cartoon character Chhota Bheem. The series is one of a number of Netflix animated properties that are “nondialogue,” relying on only visual storytelling, which helps them around the world. Netflix has also ordered its first original series for South Korea, “Yoohoo and Friends,” which features a cuddly character and his four sidekicks who travel around
the world to help local animals in trouble. At present, Netflix has 37 original kidvid series. Building up its live-action bench is a priority as the bulk of its shows are animated. “Free Rein,” a drama produced out of the U.K. about a girl from the U.S. who bonds with a mysterious horse when her family spends the summer in the English countryside, is a good model of what Netflix is looking for. In the animation arena, Netflix has had a prosperous relationship with DreamWorks Animation. Yeatman told Variety he expects that to continue despite DWA’s acquisition by NBCUniversal. Netflix’s global platform is a prime springboard for IP that Comcast and NBCU can exploit in various other arenas. At the same time, Netflix has given some thought to launching its own animation studio given its appetite for original series. Netflix recently created a licensing and merchandising arm that will work with its original kidvid properties. However, the goal is primarily to enhance the value of the IP rather than sell toys and T-shirts. “We’re trying to get them into kids lives in a way that goes beyond our platform,” he said. Netflix is doubling down on its kidvid investment because there is clearly more competition coming in the ad-free streaming arena, Yeatman said. SVOD is ideal for children’s programming because parents don’t have to worry about advertising messages and the on-demand structure is a good fit for kids who often like to watch favorite shows over and over. “We know there are going to be more and more competitors coming into the space,” he said.
Harvey Weinstein expelled from Academy of Motion Pictures The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled producer Harvey Weinstein on Saturday, after allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted a number of women over the past three decades, a sharp smack for a Hollywood mogul known for powering a string of films to Oscar gold. The academy said in a statement that its 54-member board of governors “voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy.”
Viacom, Charter agree to extend renewal deadline Viacom and Charter Communications agreed on a short-term extension of their renewal deadline, a source familiar with the matter said, as the companies aim to avoid the immediate blackout of Viacom networks. If no deal is reached, 16.6 million subscribers of Charter’s Spectrum service will lose Viacom’s networks, which include Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. Box Office: ‘Happy Death Day’ Crushes ‘Blade Runner 2049’ With $26.5 Million “Happy Death Day” has cause for celebration. The latest from Blumhouse and Universal is leading the box office this weekend with $26.5 million from 3,149 locations. That puts it far ahead of “Blade Runner 2049,” which is skidding to $15.1 million during its second weekend at 4,058 locations, down 54 percent from its disappointing opening weekend.
WWE signs first woman wrestler from Arab world in global push World Wrestling Entertainment signed its first female performer from the Arab world on Sunday, smashing cultural taboos as the U.S.-based pageant seeks to piledrive its way into lucrative foreign markets. Shadia Bseiso, a Jordanian versed in jiu-jitsu, dreams of encouraging more Arab women to take up sports — and of one day maybe even crashing a metal chair over WWE mega-star John Cena.
Lawyer who threatened defamation suit against New York Times leaves Weinstein defense
DYLAN MARTINEZ | REUTERS | FILE
Ed Sheeran performs on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in Britain on June 25.
Ed Sheeran injured in biking accident The collision with a car may affect upcoming tour dates By Jem Aswad Variety LOS ANGELES — Ed Sheeran injured his right arm Monday morning in a biking accident in London, according to British media reports, which may affect a series of upcoming tour dates. The singer, 26, was riding his bike when a car struck him, the reports said. “I’ve had a bit of a bicycle accident and I’m currently waiting on some medical advice, which may affect some of my upcoming shows,” Sheeran wrote in an Instagram post, which features a photograph of his right arm in a cast. “Please
stay tuned for further news. Ed x” Sheeran’s Asian tour was scheduled to begin Oct. 22 in Taiwan, before heading to Japan, in South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. He is also scheduled to play at holiday radio shows in the U.S. in December. The singer recently completed an extensive U.S. tour. The injury could cause substantial problems for the singer’s live performances, as he usually performs solo, accompanying himself on guitar. Last month Sheeran took part in a series of “secret” concerts for Give a Home, which raises awareness and funds to support
“I’ve had a bit of a bicycle accident and I’m currently waiting on some medical advice, which may affect some of my upcoming shows. ... Please stay tuned for further news.” — Ed Sheeran via Instagram Amnesty’s “I Welcome” campaign to protect the human rights of refugees. Starting in Auckland and ending in Los Angeles, 100 of the 300 shows were held in the United States. Sheeran performed in
Washington D.C.; other artists who performed included Ani DiFranco (in New Orleans), The National (in Edinburgh, Rudimental (in London), Jake Bugg (in Nottingham), Hozier (in Dublin), to name a few. Sheeran’s D.C. performance featured Jean-Jean Bashengezi (‘JAJA’), a guitarist, singer and refugee who now lives in the city. Bashengezi’s music draws influence from his roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was forced to flee in 1994 when his country descended into deadly conflict following the Rwandan genocide. “We all deserve a home, not just the memory of one,” said Sheeran. “That’s why I’m proud to join Give a Home campaign in raising awareness for the global refugee crisis and funds for Amnesty’s important work.”
Attorney Charles Harder has withdrawn from the legal team of Harvey Weinstein after previously threatening to sue the New York Times over its reports that the movie producer had been the target of sexual harassment complaints, said a source familiar with the matter on Sunday. The New York Times reported on Oct. 5 that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact. The New Yorker magazine then reported on Oct. 10 that 13 women claimed Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them.
North State Journal for Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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pen & Paper pursuits JANRIC CLASSIC SUDOKU
FALL COLORING!
SOLUTIONS FROM 10.11.17