RALEIGH — Footage posted online by an independent journalist shows police in Raleigh discussing tactics for arresting ReOpen NC protesters in 2020 as well as joking about COVID-19 PPE use to “support” the idea the protest was a “public health hazard.”
Tillis reintroduces bill to block federal funding of Confucius Institutes
Raleigh Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and several of his colleagues reintroduced the CONFUCIUS Act aimed at preventing federal funding of institutes on college campuses backed and often operated by Communist China.
“Any institution in the United States connected to the Chinese Communist Party should be stripped of federal funding,” Tillis said.
“They are echo chambers for an adversarial regime and threaten free speech in American colleges and universities.”
The Act will restrict funding to any higher education institution that has a relationship with a “Communist Chinese entity of concern” or a Confucius Institute.
North Carolina had at least two CI’s which are now closed down; one at North Carolina State University and another at UNC Charlotte.
A.P. DILLON Air Force to review base where airman leaked documents Washington, D.C.
The Air Force has opened its own investigation into how a lone airman could access and distribute possibly hundreds of highly classified documents, top Air Force leaders told Congress on Tuesday.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he has directed the Air Force inspector general to go look at the Air National Guard unit based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira served and “anything associated with this leak that could have gone wrong” and allowed the leak to happen.
Teixeira, 21, was charged Friday in the U.S. District Court in Boston with unauthorized removal and retention of classified and national defense information. He is expected back in court for a hearing Wednesday.
The leaks have raised questions as to how a single airman could have removed so many documents without being detected, why there were not safety checks in place and how the documents could have lingered online undetected for months.
In addition, the Air Force is conducting a service-wide review of how each command handles classified information, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown told committee members.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas Southwest Airlines planes were briefly grounded nationwide Tuesday for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, leading to more than 1,800 delayed flights just four months after the carrier suffered a much bigger meltdown over the Christmas travel rush.
By midday on the East Coast, more than 40% of all Southwest flights were delayed, and the airline accounted for nearly twothirds of all delays nationwide.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Independent journalist Stephen Horn tweeted out a video containing clips of police interactions prior to the arrest of a single protester, Monica Ussery.
Horn’s tweet contained a link to a longer video where two unidentified law enforcement officers are seen joking around about how ReOpen NC protesters told Raleigh Police Captain Dedric Bond to “go pound sand”
The students protested the removal of Jamie Marsicano due to domestic terrorism charges
By Matt Mercer North State JournalCHAPEL HILL — Students at the University of North Carolina School of Law organized a ‘walkout’ over the school’s apparent decision to remove Jamie Marsicano from the school.
Marsicano, who most recently was arrested and charged with domestic terrorism in March for his role at an anti-law enforcement riot in Atlanta, has a lengthy arrest record in violent left-wing activism. He has been arrested five times around Mecklenburg County in the past several years.
Marsicano was booked under the name “James Marsicana” according to NewsNation and identifies as a “white trans femme organizer” online.
A petition filed by some of the students confirms that Marsicano was barred from campus following his arrest in connection with the Atlanta riot.
“We, the undersigned, are writing in response to the EEAC’s recommendation, and Chancellor Guskiewicz’s subsequent order, barring our dear classmate, friend, and colleague, Jamie Marsicano, from UNC’s campus. We object to the EEAC committee’s findings and ask that you consider our voices as evidence in reconsidering Jamie’s ability to come to campus and attend classes in person,” the petition read.
On Thursday, April 13, more
than 100 protesters marched across the school’s campus chanting, “Jamie’s not in class! We are not in class!” The demonstrators then entered an administrative building and read aloud an open letter urging university officials to reverse the decision against Marsicano, the Associated Press reported.
The students also added that they want Marsicano be allowed to finish the semester and return to in-person classes with no conditions.
A student at the law school who wants Marsicano back on campus said he is barred from attending in-person classes or participating virtually via Zoom, but can watch livestream feeds of classes.
The law school has promoted Marsicano on their dean’s follow list, perhaps in part due to his sta-
Chapel Hill-based States
Newsroom received funds from subgroup of Arabella Advisors
By A.P. DillonNorth State Journal
RALEIGH — A report issued in February by a dark money grant-making group shows heavy funds distribution in North Carolina.
Arabella Advisors describes itself as a “philanthropic advising firm” that is a “Certified B Corporation that provides guidance and support to the world’s leading philanthropists and impact investors.” The organization houses several “grantmaking” organizations that include the Sixteen Thirty Fund, The Hopewell Fund, and the New Venture Fund. These grantmaking subgroups redistribute funds from dark money sources to other groups and non-profits.
On Feb. 7, Arabella Advisors released its latest impact report that spans work done by the
group between 2001 to 2022. The report details four primary ways Arabella helped “changemakers achieve greater impact” that include “moving more resources, using the right vehicles, operating efficiently and effectively, and elevating equity.”
“Like our previous impact report, this report shows the remarkable diversity and scale of the work Arabella does for our various clients,” Arabella CEO Rick Cruz said in a press release. “The Arabella team works with foundations and philanthropists, helping them find better ways to achieve the changes they envision. We work with nonprofit organizations and leaders, taking on complex challenges and arduous tasks to enable them to focus more squarely on their missions.”
According to the press release, Arabella helped its nonprofit clients make more than 10,000 grants to more than 4,000 grantees located in more than 100 countries and in all 50 US states, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. The organization’s grant distribution breakdown con-
after Bond had told protesters they would be arrested if they didn’t disperse.
“They basically told him [Bond] to go pound sand,” an unidentified female officer says in the video. “So we’re going to go arrest some motherf**kers. Alright, let’s go.”
The unidentified female offi -
does for our various clients.”
Arabella CEO Rick Cruz
firmed that the number of grants for North Carolina were in the 201-800 range for the period of 2017 to 2021.
Examples of projects in the Impact Report include “Rewiring America: Paving the way for a historic federal deal to support electrification;” “Fund for a Safer Future: Joining forces to advocate for common-sense gun reform,” “Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund: Leveraging fiscal sponsorship to jumpstart massive investments to fight climate change,” and “Google. org Environmental Justice Data Fund: Designing an inclusive
tus as the son of well-known Charlotte philanthropist Michael Marsicano. The elder Marsicano was the long-time leader of the Foundation for the Carolinas and is currently leading Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles’ $250 million ‘Racial Equity Initiative.’
Atlanta Police said about the riot on March 5 the group of “violent agitators” used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers. They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers.
The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism.
According to documents obtained by North State Journal the decision to remove Marsicano from the rests with the university’s top leadership including Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz.
Marsicano appears to have been subject to the university’s Emer-
See WALKOUT, page A8
“The report shows the remarkable diversity and scale of work Arabella
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GRANTS from page A1
grantmaking process to support data-driven environmental justice work.”
Other projects target child mental health and one includes collaboration with the Pfizer Foundation for efforts focusing on “equitable black health,” as well as working with the Irving Harris Foundation Tenets Initiative on “Refreshing internal structures to provide more equitable mental health services for children.”
In 2022, Arabella opened its fifth national office in Durham. Funds managed by Arabella spent $896 million on progressive campaigns and activities during the 2020 election cycle.
One recipient of Arabella-tied funding is States Newsroom, located in Chapel Hill.
States Newsroom operates a network of left-wing and hyper-partisan news websites and is led by Chris Fitzsimon, formerly of NC Policy Watch, a blog run by the left-leaning NC Justice Center.
In late February of this year, States Newsroom made the acquisition of NC Policy Watch official.
“On March 1, ownership of the project will be transferred from the Raleigh-based North Carolina Justice Center, the state’s leading anti-poverty advocacy organization from which it has operated as an editorially independent project since 2007, to
PROTEST from page A1 cer then asks with a laugh, “Do we have to mask up?” The male officer wearing the body camera from which the footage was taken responds, “We don’t have any.”
Later in the clip, officers talk about how they think the protesters will leave after one or two protesters are arrested. The officer wearing the body camera then asks, “What are they doing wrong?”
“What I want to do is make an example out of [noise interference] and what I’m hoping is that as we start locking up a few of these agitators that the rest will just automatically disperse,” Bond said during an address to the officers present.
Bond is also seen in the video telling officers that there had been “a long conversation with Lorrin Freeman and when all is said and done and you see the videos that are already online and everything, it’s obvious that we can’t allow that to happen.”
Lorrin Freeman is the district attorney for Wake County.
Acts 11:26
The lives of the converts were so different from their unbelieving neighbors, that they were called Christians. It is supposed that the name was given them in mockery or contempt by the heathen people of Antioch. But the name stuck, and is now used universally to describe those who follow Christ. It may not be the very best of names.
Perhaps disciples is a better term — disciples means learners, followers. We should all be disciples of Christ and should ever be learning of Him, growing in grace and likeness of Him as we follow Him.
Perhaps believers is a better name. It carries in itself the thought that we are saved by believing on Christ. It is faith which works the victories in this world.
Perhaps followers would be better. To follow Christ is to receive Him as Master and to cling to Him in obedience and devotion wherever we may go.
Chapel Hill-based States Newsroom,” a press release issued by States Newsroom said.
“Fifteen years ago, when NC Policy Watch joined the NC Justice Center, it was a small initiative devoted to providing progressive commentary and analysis about state policy and politics,” States Newsroom Director and Publisher Chris Fitzsimon said. “Today, it’s a valued partner in our growing national network. It only makes sense for it to be formally affiliated with the larger organization,” he continued.
NC Policy Watch will be renamed “NC Newsline,” per a recent post on its website.
North State Journal reached out to States Newsroom about why the organization chose NC Policy Watch and if other blogs were considered.
“States Newsroom has supported NC Policy Watch’s dedicated reporting for years, so it only made sense to formally bring the newsroom into our organization to sustain its growth,” a States Newsroom spokesperson wrote in an email response.
“As the newsroom’s new permanent home, we look forward to supporting their journalism on the issues affecting the people of North Carolina.” States Newsroom got its start as a project of the Arabella-run 501(c)(3) Hopewell Fund under the name “Newsroom Network.”
In 2019, Hopewell Fund issued a grant totaling $250,000 to
The captain continued, saying they knew there was another event planned for the following week and suggesting arrests might stop further protests. He also says he and Freeman discussed avoiding protesters who may have kids with them.
“We already got the Intel that they›re planning to do this again next Tuesday,” Bond said. “So, I think this is the opportunity to get it right this time and hope that we won›t, uh, have to go to the same thing next Tuesday.”
The full clip published by Horn shows over a dozen officers surrounding Ussery immediately before her arrest.
In a transcript of some additional footage, Bond told the officers that he, the state capitol chief, and the legislative chief “just had a conversation with Lorrin Freeman to make sure we were all on the same sheet of music on our plan of action.”
In the transcript, Bond went on to say that “Lorrin Freeman was cool with the matter and the manner in which we were going to do it and the fact that we were going to proceed with it at
But the word “Christian,” given at Antioch as a sneer — is now used everywhere. It is full of meaning. Those who are Christians should be like Christ — “little Christs.” They should represent Christ in the world. Those who see them — should see the image of Christ in them!
Matthew Henry says, “Hitherto the followers of Christ were called disciples, that is, learners, scholars; but from that time they were called Christians. The proper meaning of this name is, a follower of Christ; it denotes one who, from serious thought, embraces the religion of Christ, believes His promises, and
makes it his chief care to shape his life by Christ’s precepts and example. Hence it is plain that multitudes take the name of Christian — to whom it does not rightly belong! But the name without the reality — will only add to our guilt. While the bare profession will bestow neither profit nor delight, the possession of it will give both the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
J.R. Miller was a pastor and former editorial superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication from 1880 to 1911. His works are now in the public domain.
room and including $395,000 to NC Policy Watch’s parent group, The NC Justice Center.
States Newsroom has reportedly also received funding from The Wyss Foundation, originally founded by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss with a focus on land conservation in the Americas.
As of 2020, Wyss’ foundation reported revenue of well over $34 million and assets of over $2 billion.
In 2016 the Wyss Action Fund was renamed The Berger Action Fund and began pouring millions into Arabella’s Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund.
That same year the foundation changed names, and more possible improper partisan political activity was revealed when Wikileaks published leaked emails showing its “Democracy Strategy” with longtime Clinton ally and strategist, John Podesta.
The strategy detailed that Wyss would spend $100 million between 2016 and 2020 advocating for automatic voter registration, voter engagement, and “anti-voter ID” lawsuits. Half of the money was earmarked to restore “progressive” voter demographics.
States Newsroom for the purpose of “Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy.” Available tax records show Sixteen Thirty Fund distributed $3,365,700 in grants to 13 North Carolina progressive groups between 2016 and 2019. Between
2014 and 2019, available records show The New Venture Fund distributed $2,548,732 to over 25 North Carolina entities.
In 2019 alone, available filings show The Hopewell Fund dropped $1,282,303 across six groups, including States News -
said that it was later explained to her she was being “merely detained.”
Raleigh Police Captain Dedric Bond
all. So we got the blessings from everybody... uh, the secretary of state is cool with it.”
The video also shows Bond telling arresting officers to be sure they were wearing “PPE” despite neither Bond nor the dozens of officers in attendance wearing a mask or gloves. “So, make sure we’re having proper PPE equipment on and addressing them,” said Bond. “That will support my claim that this is a public health hazard.”
Footage of Ussery’s arrest does not show Ussery being Mirandized and Ussery told North State Journal that at no time was ever read her rights. She
Ussery was arrested during the first ReOpen NC protest held on April 14, 2020, in a parking lot near the General Assembly by Capitol Police Officer Derick Proctor. She was charged with two misdemeanors; one for allegedly violating Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order 121 which barred gathering in public spaces and ordered citizens to stay at home and one for trespassing.
The charges against Ussery were dismissed and expunged in February of this year. The footage tweeted by Horn had been denied to Ussery and her attorney throughout her two-yearlong court battle.
Ussery told North State Journal that law enforcement claimed there was no footage due to their request coming after the time period an agency is required to retain such footage.
During the course of the more than two-year legal fight, law enforcement changed their story on the footage multiple times, at first giving her attorney a single
An earlier version of this story referred to the Wyss Foundation changing its name to the Berger Action Fund. The Wyss Action Fund, a separate organization with a different stated mission, changed its name to Berger Action Fund.
clip and then later giving her attorney three gigabytes of footage.
Ussery told North State Journal that not all of the footage they asked for was turned over.
When her charges were resolved and dropped, the judge hearing her case placed a gag order prohibiting her from sharing it with anyone outside of those legally representing her. At that time, Ussery told North State Journal that she was seeking to have the gag order removed.
“I believe we would have gotten through [the criminal case] a lot better and quicker had I been allowed that body cam footage prior to my first case,” Ussery told North State Journal in an interview earlier this year.
A Give Send Go campaign has been set up for Ussery to pay legal bills: https://www.givesendgo.com/14thamendment
Ussery had no comment on the footage released by Horn. North State Journal reached out to Horne and he said “Neither RPD nor the DA’s office has reached out” to him about the footage.
“What I’m hoping is that as we start locking up a few of these agitators that the rest will just automatically disperse.”
“The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
RALEIGH — North Carolina
Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, has joined other Democratic attorneys generals in challenging a federal judge’s decision to block the abortion drug mifepristone.
A coalition of 24 attorneys general had filed a friend-of-thecourt brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to stop Kacsmaryk’s order while appeals are made.
Representing North Carolina, Stein joined that brief along with Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the FDA to stay its approval of mifepristone on April 7 and gave the federal government a week’s time to respond.
On April 12, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals altered Kacsmaryk’s ruling, allowing continued use although barring dispensation of the drug by mail. The U.S. Supreme Court stepped in on April 14, putting the Fifth Circuit’s order on hold until 11:59 p.m. on April 19.
Following action late last week by the U.S. Supreme Court, the same group of attorneys general, led by Stein, filed friend-of-thecourt brief urging the Supreme Court to maintain approval for and access to the abortion drug.
In a past press statement, Stein characterized the drug as “safer than Tylenol or Viagra.” He also called mifepristone “critical in providing access to safe abortion care.”
Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 and various pro-life groups brought the case to end its use. The drug is in pill form and is administered along with another drug called misoprostol. The two pills are typically given a few days apart.
Mifepristone works by cutting off the supply of hormones that maintain the interior of a woman’s
uterus which interrupts the uterus’ ability to support the pregnancy and ultimately causes the uterus to eject its contents, including the fetus.
Among the “common side effects” of mifepristone are vaginal bleeding, cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, back
pain, and tiredness. The less common, however, more severe side effects include allergic reactions, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, infections after abortion, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), and hematometra (collection of blood in the uterus).
Stein, who is running for governor in 2024, has repeatedly refused to defend state law by seeking enforcement of a blocked 20-week abortion ban following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision that returned abortion law decisions back to the states.
Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) and Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) countered Stein’s refusal by filing a motion to intervene with the court.
“North Carolina’s reasonable restrictions on chemical abortions are designed to protect women, plain and simple. However, the Attorney General has made it abundantly clear that when faced with the opportunity to uphold his oath or advance his political career, he will pick his career every time,” House Moore and Berger said in a joint statement at the time. “Since Attorney General Stein won’t do the job he was elected to do, legislative leaders will intervene in this case to defend our state’s pro-life laws.”
The motion asked U.S. District Judge William Osteen to vacate his 2019 ruling blocking the state’s
20-week abortion law instituted in 1973 based on the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court and other past precedents.
“Within moments of the Dobbs decision being issued, the attorney general decried the ruling and posted on Twitter asking people to donate to his political campaign so that he could fight against pro-life laws,” Berger and Moore wrote in their motion. “He (Stein) publicly opposes the statutes he is tasked with defending and is engaged in fundraising efforts based on his opposition.”
The Republican lawmaker’s prevailed, and on Aug. 17, 2022, Osteen lifted the injunction on the law.
Osteen addressed plaintiffs supporting the continuation of the injunction, stating that “Contrary to the parties’ arguments, leaving the injunction in place wrongfully heightens confusion because to do so is misleading as to the effect of Dobbs.”
“Neither this court, nor the public, nor counsel, nor providers have the right to ignore the rule of law as determined by the Supreme Court,” Osteen wrote in his decision.
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools English teacher Kimberly Jones was named the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year at a luncheon held at The Umstead Hotel in Cary on April 14. Jones was also named teacher for her school and district and replaces the 2022 Teacher of the Year, Leah Carper, an English teacher at Northern Guilford High School.
“Every school needs a Mrs. Jones,” State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said. “It’s obvious that students thrive in her classes, and that she makes things happen for the better in her school. I look forward to the contributions she’ll be making across North Carolina as state Teacher of the Year.”
“Congratulations to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Teacher of the Year – an inspiration to students and a voice for educators,” said Dr. Lou Muglia, president and CEO of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. “The passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to students’ success is a testament to the profound impact that great teachers have on shaping our future generations. We look forward to collaborating with the 2023 North Carolina Teacher of the Year and the regional finalists.”
“Despite significant financial and professional development
investment from school districts via curriculum adoptions and increased access to technology, Black and Brown students have yet to reach parity in achievement levels with their White peers,” Jones said in her application for NCTOY. “I have committed myself to learning more about the systemic inequities and pedagogical barriers within school and community environments that
contribute to the disparity.”
Outside the classroom, Jones serves as an equity team leader for her school and on the district’s instructional planning team.
On the issue of diversity among teachers, Jones said in her submission she believes “it’s imperative for all students to see themselves and their identities positively reflected in their learning … Stu-
dents of color need and deserve to have educators who look like them as positive factors in their formal education, and White students also deserve to have educators that reflect the diverse world in which they will be building their futures.”
Jones has previously served as a lead teacher for the school’s English 10 professional learning community and was an area coordinator for Governor’s School West, where she also taught for 12 years. As North Carolina Teacher of the Year (NCTOY), Jones will travel the state during the 202324 school year as an “ambassador for the teaching profession.”
Perks of being named NCTOY include attending a seminar at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), receiving a mobile device from Lenovo valued at approximately $1,600, an engraved vase, and a trip to the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp.
The NCTOY also receives a prize pack and opportunity to be honored during a football game from NC State Athletics,
Various monetary awards bestowed on the NCTOY include a cash award of $7,500, another $2,500 from Flow Honda to assist with travel costs in the state as Teacher of the Year, and $1,000 from Bojangles and the opportunity to travel abroad through an endowment sponsored by Go Global NC.
Additionally, each of the nine finalists for this year’s NCTOY award will also receive a $250 Amazon gift card from No Kid Hungry.
The other regional finalists who vied for the award were:
Northeast: Casey Schulte, Bath Elementary (Beaufort County Schools)
Sandhills: Teena Robinson, Mineral Springs Elementary (Richmond County Schools)
Northwest: Shea Bolick, South Caldwell High (Caldwell County Schools)
Piedmont-Triad: Tiffany Wynn, Thomasville Middle (Thomasville City Schools)
Southeast: Laura Wilson, Roger Bell New Tech Academy (Craven County Schools)
Western: Rachael Ray, Madison High (Madison County Schools)
Southwest: Rachel Frye, East Lincoln High (Lincoln County Schools)
Charter School: Ryan Henderson, Sugar Creek Charter School North Carolina began honoring outstanding teachers through its Teacher of the Year program in 1970.
“Every school needs a Mrs. Jones.”
Superintendent Catherine Truitt
National Park Week is happening April 22 to April 30 this year. Entrance fees will be waived on Saturday, April 22 to kick off the celebration and to encourage everyone to enjoy their national parks in person.
North Carolina has 10 parks to enjoy across the state and the parks saw nearly 18 million visitors last year.
“National parks are really amazing places and we want everyone to experience them,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “The entrance fee-free days encourage people to discover the beauty, history and inspiration awaiting them throughout the country.”
Chronic wasting disease
found in deer
Wilkes County
Chronic wasting disease has been detected in a deer found in Wilkes County, leading the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission to take emergency action to prevent the spread of the illness, often called zombie deer disease. The ailment is a prion disease that attacks a deer’s nervous system. The commission’s emergency action enacted rules that prohibit fawn rehabilitation, govern the transportation of deer carcasses and carcass parts, prohibit the placement of minerals and salt licks to congregate wildlife at any time, and prohibit the placement of bait, food, or food products to congregate wildlife outside of the hunting season.
NCWILDLIFE.ORG
Police searching for car thieves
McDowell County
The Marion Police Department is looking for three men that stole cars from a local dealership over the weekend. Surveillance video shows the three men breaking into aside door of Marion Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Ram early in the morning. They were able to break into a lockbox and retrieve the keys for three vehicles. They stole a 2023 Chrysler 300 Touring, a 2020 Dodge Charger and a 2021 Dodge Ram.
State Journal
enacted by Republican lawmakers, North Carolina now has one of the lowest personal income tax rates in the southeast.
WBTV
Five people face murder charges after body found Jackson County Police have arrested five people as part of a homicide investigation following the discovery of a woman’s body in Jackson County. Alison “Ali” Thomas was found dead on March 5 on national forest land after being reported missing two weeks earlier.
Amanda Griffin, Brandon Kisiah, Shawn Adkins, Michael Kasminoff and William Mulenex were all arrested and charged with first degree murder. Kasminoff also was given kidnapping charges.
Plane crash kills one
Cherokee County
WLOS
A small plane crashed over the weekend, killing the pilot, who was the only person aboard. Robert “Bobby” Ibrahim, of Kentucky, was flying the plane when the single-engine aircraft crashed near Fairview Road on Saturday morning. The plane had just taken off from Western Carolina Regional Airport. Witnesses said the plane made a turn, then went down and crashed in a fireball. Ibrahim was declared dead at the scene.
US will not prosecute suspect in US tourist death in Mexico
Mecklenburg County
U.S. officials will not federally prosecute the person suspected of killing a Charlottearea woman vacationing in Mexico last year. Shanquella Robinson was seen being beaten in a viral video last fall at a resort development in San Jose del Cabo. Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice said the available evidence and autopsy results do not support a federal prosecution. Mexican prosecutors in the state of Baja California Sur filed charges late last year against another U.S. woman suspected of killing Robinson on Oct. 29. They are trying to get her extradited to face charges in Mexico.
Police continue to probe fatal shooting by state agent
Wake County
WLOS
Mebane woman gets second chance at life with lifesaving kidney donation
Alamance County
For nearly five years, Katina Johnson waited anxiously for a kidney. Today, she wakes up thankful for a second chance at life.
“I feel really good,” Johnson said. “ She had Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease and did dialysis at home seven days a week, eight hours a day. On March 31, she received a surprising phone call.
“The kidney coordinator said you need to come to the hospital, come get your blood drawn we have a room for you,’ Johnson said. She hopes her story encourages those waiting on a lifesaving transplant to advocate for themselves.
WFMY
AP
Police say they’re continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of a teenager in Apex by an agent from the State Bureau of Investigation. The shooting occurred early Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of a sporting goods store, Academy Sports. Police said the shooting followed a shoplifting incident that involved the teen and an unidentified female. Police said the two had run out of the store and were encountered by an SBI agent in the parking lot. Police said the male subject was shot, and a firearm was recovered on the ground next to him.
AP
14-year-old fatally shot, 5 wounded at home
Wayne County Police say a 14-year-old girl was killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting during a gathering at a home. The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. in Goldsboro. The Goldsboro Police Department says the five who were wounded were stable and being treated at Wayne Memorial Hospital. Goldsboro police are investigating what led to the shooting with help from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. No further information was immediately released.
Infected deer found in area
Cumberland County
Australian Company to create 200 new jobs and invest $4 million in Statesville
Iredell County EPOC Enviro, a PFAS remediation company, will create 226 new jobs and invest more than $4.1 million to locate its first North American production site to Statesville. EPOC Enviro is a subsidiary of OPEC Systems, an Australian global environmental engineering firm. The new location will provide 260,000 square feet of manufacturing space. New positions include electricians, engineers, fitters, managers, technicians, and administrative personnel. The average annual salary for the new positions is $64,464. The project could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $14.5 million per year for the region.
NC.GOV
Man arrested for starting several fires
Edgecombe County Charles Wade Newell, 54, of Pinetops, was arrested over the weekend and charged with five counts of second-degree arson, felony flee to elude, driving while impaired and reckless driving to endanger after he allegedly set several house fires in Pinetops and Tarboro early Saturday morning. A description of the suspect was given at one of the fire scenes, and police arrested Newell after a vehicle and foot chase.
AP
A deer found in Cumberland County suffered from chronic wasting disease, a prion disease that attacks the animal’s nervous system and is always fatal. The disease was detected in deer found in Cumberland and Wilkes counties, leading the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to take emergency action to prevent the spread. Hunters are urged to safely dispose of deer carcasses by double bagging them and burying them where they fell, without moving them.
NCWILDLIFE.ORG
Multiple cars and houses hit by gunfire over weekend
WRAL
Martin County An incident over the weekend resulted in several homes and vehicles being struck by bullets. Gunfire broke out shortly before midnight on Saturday night in Oak City. Martin County police said that the gunfire took place at a party in the area of Chestnut Street and Old West Martin School, and there were no injuries. A number of homes and cars in the area were struck. Police are still investigating and have not released information on suspects or reasons for the incident.
WITN
RALEIGH
— A bill backed by Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) would reduce personal income taxes in the state on an annual basis beginning this year. Berger is a primary sponsor of Senate Bill 651, titled Tax Relief For All, along with Sens. Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) and Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus).
“Republicans in the Senate have a different idea than Democrats when it comes to tax policy,” Berger said in an April 5 statement. “They would like to raise your taxes to fund a costly, big-government agenda. Senate Republicans would rather cut your taxes so you can keep more of your hard-earned money.”
The one-page bill reduces state individual income tax rates on an annual basis beginning with the current tax year:
2023: 4.75% to 4.5%
2024: 4.6% to 3.99%
2025: 4.5% to 3.49%
2026: 4.25% to 2.99%
2026: 3.99% to 2.49%
North Carolina North Carolina’s 4.99% personal income tax was reduced to 4.75% on Jan. 1 of this year.
Ten years ago, the Tar Heel state had the highest personal income tax rate in the southeast with a personal tax rate of 7.75% and a 6.9% corporate income tax. Due to the tax reforms
“When Republicans took majorities over a decade ago, Democrats had left us with a bloated tax system,” Rabon said. “Today our tax system is competitive, lean, and allows us to continue making improvements that benefit all North Carolinians.”
“Our tax policy has proven successful, and we are excited to build on that success,” said Newton.
“We believe this tax package will return a significant amount of money to taxpayers while still maintaining the needed revenue to run the state smoothly.”
The press release also took aim at Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, citing his attacks on tax cuts implemented by General Assembly Republicans and stating that “This year he’s taken that criticism to a new level by calling for a tax hike in his proposed budget.” Republican leadership at the legislature called Cooper’s final budget proposal as governor “reckless.”
The governor’s proposal would spend $67 billion and increase spending by $33 billion this year or 18% and spend an additional $34.2 billion the year after; another increase of 3.9%.
In contrast, Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) agreed to spend $29.7 billion, a 6.5% increase, in 2023-24 and spending of $30.8 billion in 202425; a 3.75% increase.
North State Journal
RALEIGH — The NC Chamber, which is North Carolina’s top business advocate, has named Jake Cashion as the organization’s vice president of government affairs.
Cashion returns to the organization after leaving to lead a team expansion of an Allen Tate realtors team he runs with his wife, Brooke. He worked as the at Brooke Cashion and Associates - Allen Tate, a business he runs with his wife, Brooke. He spent six years at the NC Chamber from 2011 through 2017 and was a director of government affairs. In his tenure he helped lead unemployment insurance reform efforts, the “NC Can’t Afford to Wait” campaign to achieve transportation funding reform, tort reform and other significant business issues.
Cashion’s new role lead lobbying, advocacy and
political efforts.
“It is great to welcome Jake back to the NC Chamber team. Jake has a stellar reputation as a coalition builder and tireless advocate for policies that make our state a great place to live and work,” said Gary J. Salamido, president and CEO of the NC Chamber.
The return of Cashion allows the NC Chamber’s General Counsel, Ray Starling, to focus on the NC Chamber Legal Institute full-time. The CLI develops legal strategies to protect job creators from threats originating within the court system.
“Ray can now solely focus his expertise on the issues affecting the North Carolina business climate being brought through the courts.
This shift broadens the expertise of our already formidable team and will only strengthen our ability to best represent North Carolina’s job creators everywhere policy is shaped,” Salamido added.
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
WOULD YOU WANT to be in a political party that hated your guts?
Or any organization really. The moment other members of any organization start criticizing, ostracizing or flat-out attacking you in public and in person, they are making it pretty darn clear they do not want you to continue being part of their “club.”
You are not going to change them. So, you do what any rational person would do which is to shake the dust off your feet “as a testimony against them” when you leave them behind, so says the Gospel of Luke.
conservative business person, you can forget speaking your mind today in the Democrat Party. The concept of “peace and love” does not apply when it comes to how leftist socialist Democrats deal with conservative thought from the college campus to the corporate boardroom.
Unaffiliated (UNA) voters are now the “plurality” in North Carolina with 2,589,900 voters. By default, UNAs have become the “big tent” party of full acceptance of what a voter thinks or believes simply because there are no strictures on what to believe — yet.
A pro-life Democrat can believe in every other tenet of the increasingly Socialist Democrat Front of America ― and they will still be banished into oblivion for such heresy.
The NC Democrat Party’s visceral, vitriolic reaction to state Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) changing her party affiliation is the most recent example of Democrats doing everything they can to become the national party of “tiny tents” ― and it may not work out as they hope.
Political parties are either growing into “big tents” to win majorities in legislatures ― or they are shrinking to the point where each faction has its own little tent from which it fights every other faction for power and space. The Federalist Party became a small tent party and soon vanished. So did the Whig Party.
Since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, both parties have taken steps to purge themselves of non-true believers with various litmus tests. Granted, the Republican Party has had its share of internecine warfare and bloodletting.
But the Democrat Party ― man! If you cross the line and make the Sandinistas now in charge of the national and state party angry, they will stop at no limits to drum you out of their midst pronto.
If you were a pro-life Democrat as recently as 2006, there was (some) room for you in the Democrat Party. No longer; a pro-life Democrat can believe in every other tenet of the increasingly Socialist Democrat Front of America ― and they will still be banished into oblivion for such heresy.
There used to prominent God-fearing Democrats back in the day ― and now God is booed at national Democrat Conventions. If you want to be a member of a political party that embraces atheism and laughs at religious faith ― join the Democrat Party.
If you were a law-and-order Democrat in the 20th century, there’s no room for you at the inn anymore. You have to embrace early release of violent criminals; toleration of rampant looting of Walmart stores and random indiscriminate physical attacks on innocent senior citizens in order to remain a member in good standing with today’s Democrat Party.
If you were a free-thinking hippie of the 60s who grew up to be a
EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS
Democrats have been shedding registered voters like leaves in the fall for years now and number 2,410,219. Republicans have been gaining voters but are still in third place with 2,189,440 registrants, over 200,000 behind Democrats.
Most UNAs are disaffected former Democrats and Republicans who come home and vote for the “least bad” candidate each election. Very few of them are true “swing” voters who vote solely for the person and change their voting habits election-to-election. However, these roughly 6% of true independents make the difference in most statewide races which have been won by Republicans by razor-thin margins.
UNAs are just begging for the days when leaders are elected to make collective reasonable decisions for our self-governed government; balance budgets and keep taxes low; allow the economy to grow and produce new jobs ― and stop telling everyone what to do or what to buy in their personal lives.
The day when UNAs figure out how organize will be the day they start holding primaries and getting people elected. They will become “The Big Tent Party” overnight.
Political parties come and go. They become what the majority of people with the same underlying philosophy want them to become ― not what dictators from above tell them they have to become.
Screaming at people and calling them names is no way to entice many people to join your political party. It is the quickest way to becoming extinct as a political force in America.
LAST WEEK, U.S. women’s soccer team star Megan Rapinoe added her name to a letter that was written in opposition to the recently introduced “Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act.”
and something called “women’s sports.”
Men typically run faster than women, can swim faster than women, can bench press more weight than women, etc.
When you think about it, Rapinoe has been a pretty lousy spokeswoman for the women who she claims to represent.
If passed and signed into law, it would be added to Title IX and would keep boys and men who identify as a girl or a woman from being allowed to participate in girls’ and women’s sports.
The letter, which was also signed by 40 or so other professional female athletes, suggested that the priorities of Republican politicians who supported such legislation were skewed, and should be focused on things other than allegedly “forcing” children who now supposedly identify as the opposite sex “to sit on the sidelines, away from their peers and their communities.”
The letter was careful to use emotionallyloaded terms related to children throughout, like “girls,” “kids,” etc., and completely overlooked the larger point of how the bigger issues in this debate are the teenage, college, and pro athletes who were born men but who now identify as women and seek to participate in women’s sports.
Science has repeatedly confirmed that there are inherent physical differences between men and women that cannot be changed by a doctor and medications. It’s the main reason why there is something called “men’s sports”
We’re seeing transgender “female” athletes like Lia Thomas crush their female competition on the women’s sports side, and the same holds true in other women’s sporting events like cycling and weightlifting.
And yet activist athletes like Rapinoe, who never once had to go up against a man in competition nor compete against one for her position on the women’s soccer team, assert that it should be okay for transgender women to take part in women’s sports, knowing well and good that the advantages the transgender women have over actual women are innate.
For years now, Rapinoe has appointed herself as a spokeswoman of sorts for women on issues like sexual harassment, equal pay in the workplace, and “equity in sports.”
But every time the rubber has met the road, Rapinoe has picked her lane — the LGBTQ lane, of which she is also a member — and has chosen to stand with people who, if they had their way, would cause women’s sports as we know them now to cease to exist.
Astonishingly, she once even claimed that as far as sports were concerned that it was “just not that important” to make the distinction between men and women.
When you think about it, Rapinoe has
been a pretty lousy spokeswoman for the women who she claims to represent when you consider the fact that she’s also an advocate for men who identify as women to be allowed to play on women’s teams, a position which completely undermines women’s sports.
But Rapinoe rarely plays soccer anymore, and as such she effectively has no skin in the game.
You can rest assured, though, that if a man had come for her position on the soccer team when she was an active player, she’d have pitched a very public fit and would have garnered sympathy from all the usual corners despite the fact that her predicament would be the very road women are headed down should lawmakers listen to “woke” sports figures like Rapinoe instead of relying on simple common sense and what science has shown us for centuries.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
What Perry considers micromanagement is really just management, period.
FOR MUCH of the last century, Democrats controlled North Carolina.
Since 2010, however, voters bestowed that power on Republicans, who have appointed conservatives like me to govern the UNC system.
Democrats have made political hay from bashing our leadership. Look beyond the bad-mouthing, though, and you’ll see what’s motivating them: They’re not in charge any more, and it’s killing them.
Consider Roger Perry, a UNC Chapel Hill trustee from 2003 to 2011 and board chairman from 2007 to 2009. It’s clear that Perry desperately wants his party in power again. That’s why he founded ― and is funding ― the Coalition for Carolina, which claims to be a “nonpartisan” network of university supporters concerned about “partisan interference” by trustees.
While it’s unclear exactly how much money Perry and his comrades have spent on the coalition to date, it might as well be an arm of the N.C. Democratic Party. Case in point: It was set up by the same attorneys who established N.C. Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Josh Stein’s campaign infrastructure. And if you look at Perry’s lifetime political contributions, you’ll discover that almost all of his $380,000 went to Democrats. Make no mistake: The coalition’s sole purpose is to try to convince North Carolinians that Republican-appointed trustees are hell-bent on destroying the university.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
UNC-CH’s only hope, they say, is voting the Republicans out of Raleigh. Perry and other Democrats are spending millions through public relations machines such as the Coalition for Carolina to convince you that the only path to redemption is on Election Day. When asked in a 2021 interview about accomplishing the coalition’s ultimate goal, Perry said “(t)he only way to do that may be at the ballot box.”
Perry and other Coalition of Carolina founders actually gave away their true purpose with some bureaucratic sleight of hand. In 2021, the coalition formed as a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit, a classification that doesn’t allow for tax-deductible donations. The group raised about $120,000 in four months before establishing a second organization with the same name (but adding the word “Foundation”) to create a tax deductiblefriendly 501(c)(3). Now Perry and other partisans are operating what’s essentially a dark money PAC while purporting to save the university and giving
Democrat donors a tax write-off for their political expenditures. Why are they so eager to seize control of the university again? In a March 29 article in the Daily Tar Heel, Perry says he’s troubled by current trustees “getting outside their guardrails and trying to overly influence and usurp things that historically have been administered and handled” by university employees — a convoluted way of calling the current board of trustees “micromanagers.”
What Perry considers micromanagement is really just management, period. The ugly truth is that previous Democrat-majority boards, including the one he led, adopted a laissez-faire management style that “oversaw” and condoned out-of-control spending and skyrocketing tuition and helped create a structural deficit. Had Perry’s board and others done their jobs, the university might not have, for instance, offered sham classes to students and protected a system of athletics that prioritized winning over academic integrity.
Since Republicans have taken a more prominent leadership role at the university, the board no longer rubber-stamps the administration’s every request. We question and work to problem-solve alongside them. Rather than simply giving the appearance of oversight, we’re actually reviewing documents and scrutinizing budgets. We’ve worked with the administration to keep tuition flat for a seventh consecutive year; eliminated the $100 million structural deficit; instituted tuition transparency so families know the true costs; protected free speech; and, most recently, begun reviewing the return on investment of individual majors and departments.
Genuine governance requires reformers, not spendthrift cheerleaders. North Carolinians deserve stewards of their university who are willing to do the work, not just enjoy the rewards of the position. The actions of Perry and his fellow Democrats are blatant and craven attacks on Republicans.
Thoughtful Tar Heels will see these charades for what they are: orchestrated political enterprises by politically ambitious “university supporters” who don’t understand that proper oversight sometimes requires saying “no” and doing more than attending games and cocktail parties. The public needs to demand accountability from these politicallydriven actors and groups that seek to write-off their political attacks on Republicans and the university.
Marty Kotis is a member of the UNC Board of Trustees who lives in Greensboro
The bill will protect consumers while protecting their most important right — the right to decide for themselves.
A BILL TO REGULATE online sports wagering is making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly. If all goes according to plan, North Carolinians could finally join residents in 35 other states in being able to legally place their bets by the next Super Bowl.
Prior to sponsoring this bill, I was not what you would consider a typical supporter of expanded gambling. But sports wagering is a unique issue, and one that is truly as old as sports themselves. We have a stock market, we have a state Lottery, and success or failure in business comes down to making smart decisions. Why should we draw the line at predicting the outcome of sports contests?
If people are going to bet on sports, I decided, along with my co-sponsors, that it should be in an open and transparent fashion that protects the integrity of sports competitions, but also gives people a safe and well-regulated outlet for this activity.
HB 347 is the result of years of compromise and debate, shaped by the principles that make North Carolina a fiscally responsible and attractive place to do business, and integrating ideas from both sides of the aisle. Of course, any policy will have its detractors, and we have taken their input under consideration as well. The end result is a well-rounded bill that will protect consumers while protecting their most important right — the right to decide for themselves.
Without question, North Carolina stands to benefit from the passage of this legislation. Regulated sports wagering will bring in approximately $60-80 million in new tax revenue each year, which will go not only to shoring up the state’s General Fund, but a number of worthy causes including youth sports funding in all 100 counties and athletic programs at state public universities that don’t have the benefit of Division 1 football programs to generate revenue.
For those who say that the state shouldn’t be sanctioning this kind of behavior, I ask, in all earnestness, is there another practical solution? Throughout history, prohibition has never worked and certainly isn’t working as a policy
today.
The appetite for sports wagering is enormous; it’s all around us already, whether we like it or not.
Virginia and Tennessee are among 35 states that already have legal sports wagering. Legal options in neighboring states aside, our state’s prohibition on sports wagering has given rise to an illicit network of anonymous online sports betting websites, available to anyone with a credit card 24/7. These shady illegal operators draw hundreds of millions of dollars from our state each year. We want to keep that money here in the state, grow local business, put that tax revenue to good use, and give consenting adults a safe option with a legal product that will protect consumers and their personal information. Turning a blind eye to the current offshore gambling problem is simply not a solution; we owe our constituents a better alternative.
For those who have concerns that gambling addiction will increase, we have dedicated an unprecedented two million dollars to enhance the state’s mental health and problem gaming resources. The bill will ensure that no North Carolinian needs to wonder where to go for help, and will require all licensed sports wagering operators to offer responsible gaming tools including self-exclusion options. For those who claim this will open the doors to entice minors to bet, we have implemented safeguards as stringent as any law in the country to ensure that all users of sports wagering apps are of legal age, and any advertising of sports wagering products cannot target underage populations.
We have learned from dozens of other states that have already taken the steps to regulate online sports wagering, and we are confident that the time is right for North Carolina to take this much-needed step. I believe a strong, bipartisan majority of legislators, in the House and the Senate, support HB 347. The time is now to pass this important bill and get it to Governor Cooper for his signature.
Rep. Jason Saine represents NC House District 97 in Lincoln County
IMAGINE WHAT it would be like if your young child was being treated unfairly by a teacher at the school.
Imagine if that teacher headed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee at the school and taught your child that all Republicans are “white supremacists” trying to create Jim Crow 2.0.
Imagine if that teacher taught your child from a book called “Woke, a Young Poets Guide to Justice.”
Now imagine that you politely and professionally asked to speak with the school about these things, and your school reacted by summarily expelling your children from the school to eliminate you from asking further questions and to intimidate the other parents who had expressed similar concerns.
Does this sound like something that would never happen in North Carolina?
Well, it happened to my two young children at Charlotte Latin.
Latin is marketed to parents as an apolitical, merit-based classical education private school which teaches children how to think, not what to think. When a new headmaster, Chuck Baldecchi, was installed in mid-2020, a notice was sent out to all parents that the school has a new “foundational” position which said DEI would be the lens through which every aspect of the school’s culture and curriculum will be managed.
Suddenly, alarming virtue-signaling, and woke class assignments were implemented.
I was one of the leaders of a group of 60+ alarmed parents who created a group, Refocus Latin, which requested an audience with Latin’s Board. We were invited to make a presentation, with the explicit promise there would be no retaliation against us.
The presentation included images of artwork that suddenly began to appear in the school, such as a picture of Jesus with his throat cut and black blood flowing out from his body with the words “God is Dead.” The presentation also included a book that amounted to a how-to manual for gay sex found in the children’s library and a story containing a man graphically raping a young boy. The Board listened politely, then told us they would not have any more meetings or discussions with us.
In retaliation for meeting with the Board and in response to the circulation of the presentation following the meeting, Baldecchi went on a video conference with all parents and faculty, angrily denouncing the parents in Refocus Latin as “awful” and “threatening the fabric” of the school. He ominously told school employees to notify him about any parent that raises concerns about Latin’s culture and curriculum.
About one week later, I sent an email requesting an opportunity to discuss with the head of the middle school, Todd Ballaban, that my son reported to me that his teacher taught the class that Republicans are White supremacists who are trying to create Jim Crow 2.0. He said his teacher also told him he was not able to remove his mask to drink water or to use the bathroom.
Ballaban refused to talk with me, replying that he would instead go straight to the teacher to do a “thorough investigation” but promised no retaliation. In 68 minutes, he completed his investigation, and, copying Baldecchi, he asked to have an in-person meeting. Suspicious, I confirmed it was legal to record such a meeting. At the meeting, my children’s enrollment agreements were pulled out of a folder and Baldecchi summarily expelled them, effective that day, to intimidate other parents who were speaking out against his policies.
I tried to contact every member of the Board, receiving only a reply from Baldecchi’s former college classmate and close friend, Board Chair Denny O’Leary, saying Baldecchi could expel any child at any time if he deemed that the school did not have a “positive and collaborative working relationship” with their parents.
Despite the pledge of no retaliation, O’Leary said that the Board would not investigate or hear from us about the summary expulsions. Four days after Latin expelled my children, the Board sent out an email slandering my family. Every detail of this story is documented at www. honoraboveall.org.
In response, my family filed a lawsuit against Latin, each member of the Board, Baldecchi, and Ballaban. We have filed a petition at the N.C. Supreme Court to request that the court hear the case as a matter of compelling public interest.
We do not want to see this happen to any other family. Cancel culture is an evil that must be defeated, as it, and woke ideology, is what actually threatens the fabric of our society.
Doug Turpin is CEO of Coalition For Liberty which can be reached at www. coalitionforliberty.com
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s monthslong absence from the Senate to recover in California from shingles has become a vexing problem for Democrats who want to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees to the federal courts. Now there is some pressure from within her party, and her state, to resign.
With frustration mounting among Democrats, Feinstein on Wednesday asked to be temporarily replaced on the Senate Judiciary Committee while she recuperates. The statement came shortly after a member of California’s House delegation, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, called on her to step down, saying it is “unacceptable” for her to miss votes to confirm judges who could be weighing in on abortion rights, a key Democratic priority.
It will not be easy to temporarily replace Feinstein on the influential committee. Republicans could block such a move, given that the full Senate must approve committee assignments.
The conundrum for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stems from his party’s fragile hold on power. Democrats are clinging to a 51-49 majority in an aging Senate where there have been several absences due to health issues this year.
A look at the politics surrounding Feinstein’s absence, and how Democrats are navigating the situation:
EXTENDED ABSENCE
Feinstein, 89, has been away from the Senate since Feb. 27, just two weeks after she announced she would not run for reelection in 2024.
Her office disclosed March 2 that she had been hospitalized in San Francisco and was being treated for a case of shingles. “I hope to return to the Senate later this month,” she said in a statement at the time.
Now, six weeks later, Feinstein’s office will not give a timeline for her return, even as Congress comes back into session Monday from a two-week recess.
It is unclear how long Feinstein
expects to be away from Washington or whether she might resign before the end of her term. She has already faced questions in recent years about her cognitive health and memory, and has appeared increasingly frail. But she has defended her effectiveness.
STALLED JUDGES
Since February, Feinstein has missed more than 50 votes. Her absence on the Judiciary Committee means that Democrats can only confirm judges who have some Republican support because Democrats only have a one-seat majority on the panel.
The committee chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has acknowledged that the pace of confirmations has slowed. “I can’t consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee,” Durbin told CNN.
There are currently 12 federal judge nominees whom Democrats say they have been unable to advance because of Feinstein’s absence. It is not clear how many would have Republican support.
AN UNUSUAL REQUEST
Feinstein’s request to be tempo-
rarily replaced on the panel is uncommon and the politics at play are complicated. Committee assignments are typically approved easily in the full Senate at the beginning of each two-year session. Replacements are generally only made when a senator dies or resigns.
To change the committee membership, Democrats will have to hold a vote. While committee rosters are generally approved by a voice vote, just one Republican objection would trigger a roll call. Because of Senate rules, Democrats probably would need 60 votes to replace Feinstein — meaning at least 10 Republicans would have to help Democrats and support the move.
That is far from assured. Judicial nominations are a highstakes matter for both sides, and the process has become steeped in partisanship. Republicans have so far stayed quiet. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he will return from his own medical absence on Monday, after a head injury in a fall last month.
Feinstein’s February an-
nouncement that she will retire from Congress when her term ends next year has triggered a scramble for her seat in a strongly Democratic state.
Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff have already launched Senate campaigns to succeed Feinstein. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in 2021 that he would nominate a Black woman to fill the seat if Feinstein were to step aside before her term ends. Khanna has endorsed Lee, who is Black.
Other Californians — including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — have come to Feinstein’s defense.
Pelosi told a San Francisco TV station that she’s “seen up close and firsthand her great leadership for our country, but especially for our state of California. She deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty.”
Pelosi suggested sexism has played a role in the way Feinstein has been treated.
“I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way,” Pelosi said. “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.”
A STORIED CAREER
Feinstein has been a political trailblazer since she was the first woman to serve as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s. First elected to the Senate in 1992, she was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee, privy to the nation’s top secrets, and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat.
While she often has worked across party lines, she faced criticism in recent years from Democrats who said she was letting Republicans off easy in bruising judicial fights.
Feinstein infuriated liberals in 2020 when she closed out confirmation hearings for now-Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett with an embrace of the then-Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and thanked him for a job well done.
A month later, she announced she would remain on the committee but step down as the senior Democrat.
The Associated Press
FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines — U.S. and Filipino forces blasted vehicles with anti-tank missiles in combat-readiness drills in the Philippines that are part of a show of American firepower that has alarmed China.
The long-time treaty allies are holding their largest joint military exercises called Balikatan — Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder — in decades. They involve about 17,600 military personnel and will feature live-fire maneuvers, including a ship-sinking rocket attack and beach assaults to simulate retaking an island near the disputed South China Sea.
In a gunnery range at Fort Magsaysay, a northern Philippine training camp for Filipino special forces, American and Filipino troops fired Javelin guided missiles toward three target vehicles simulating a battle zone. The missiles streaked at a low altitude for more than half a kilometer (half a mile) toward their targets and exploded in a fireball that shook the ground.
“This is what it looks like when the U.S. and Philippine militaries come together, train together,” U.S. Army Pacific commander
Gen. Charles Flynn said.
“What you’re witnessing here today is really operationalizing everything that our political leaders are talking about from integrated deterrence to campaigning to building an enduring advantage,” Flynn told journalists invited to witness the drills.
U.S. troops also displayed other weapons including sniper rifles with night-vision scopes that could hit targets more than half a mile away with high precision, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, which are rocket and missile launchers that have been used by Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Philippine army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner said the Philippine military wants to acquire Javelins and HIMARS from the United States under a special foreign military sales arrangement that is part of efforts to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
It’s uncertain when the Philippines can secure such weapons while Ukraine presses the U.S. and other Western nations for more military assistance, he said.
“These weapon systems are relatively more affordable for us as we shift to external defense,” Brawner said.
Last month, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office last June, said the Philippine military’s focus is shifting from decades of battling communist and Muslim insurgents to external defense to ensure the protection of the country’s territory as disputes with China over the contested South China Sea persist.
Marcos also approved a wider U.S. military presence in the Philippines by allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps. That’s a sharp turnaround from his predecessor Rodrigo
Duterte, who feared that an American military footprint could antagonize Beijing.
Efforts under Marcos to boost the territorial defenses have dovetailed with the Biden administration’s bid to strengthen alliances to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan, a self-governed island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.
China has strongly opposed the expanded American military presence in the Philippines, which allows U.S. forces to establish military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan and in western Philippine provinces facing the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.
China had warned that a deepening security alliance between Washington and Manila and their ongoing military drills in the Philippines should not harm its security and territorial interests or interfere in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said such military cooperation “should not target any third party and should be conducive to regional peace and stability.”
Romney gets 1st likely challenger in ‘24 Utah Senate primary Farmington, Utah
A potential challenger to Republican first-term Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah took a major step toward jumping into next year’s race, expected to be one of the GOP’s hardest-fought primary contests in 2024.
With memories of Romney’s two votes to impeach former President Donald Trump still fresh, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson announced he was forming an exploratory committee 14 months before the scheduled primary.
Utah needs a “conservative fighter” who represents its values, not a “professional career politician,” Wilson told The Associated Press.
“I don’t have any illusions that, as speaker of the house, I’m a household name. But that’s really not what this is about. What this is about is me going out and understanding what people care about,” he said.
Romney, 76, has long been revered in Utah as one of the most prominent members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a person who helped save the 2002 Winter Olympics after a bribery scandal. But the Republican Party’s rightward lurch and his stance as an outspoken Trump antagonist has sparked a growing chorus of questions about his reelection prospects.
Though Wilson is the first to launch an exploratory committee, former U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz said in February that he was thinking about running. A representative for state Attorney General Sean Reyes has said many were pressuring him to run as well.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived to the Brazilian capital Monday as Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushes a diplomatic approach for peace in Ukraine that has irked both Kyiv and the West.
The meeting between Lavrov and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira was set in March, when they held a bilateral at the summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in New Dehli.
Lula has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine while proposing a club of nations including Brazil and China to mediate peace. On Sunday, he told reporters in Abu Dhabi that two nations – both Russia and Ukraine – had decided to go to war, and a day earlier in Beijing said the U.S. must stop “stimulating” the continued fighting and start discussing peace.
As part of his effort to end hostilities, Lula also has withheld munitions to Ukraine, despite a request from Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
After his stay in Brazil, Lavrov will travel to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
Lavrov has repeatedly stressed that Moscow’s ties with countries such as Brazil are crucial to the foundation of a multipolar world order, which does away with what he described as “the West’s monopoly on shaping the framework of international life” in a speech to the lower house of Russian parliament in February.
gency Evaluation and Action Committee, which acts in emergency situations in connection with student behaviors “which require a faster response than the student judicial system’s procedures can provide.”
Made up of members of university leadership including the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the EEAC holds jurisdiction in five
cases student behavior: Applicants for admission or readmission with records of violence or academic dishonesty; applicants who have been convicted of a crime involving assaultive or felonious behavior or who has a record of academic dishonesty; students whose behavior makes them a threat; students charged with violent crime; students charged with a violation of university drug policies; and stu-
dents whose behavior makes them a danger to themselves.
The committee may use any relevant information about the behavior of a student or applicant or about criminal charges that have been brought against them. Formal rules of evidence shall not apply. The information includes, but it not limited to copies of police records and court documents, written summaries of information written
statements and oral testimony.
UNC Chapel Hill has not responded to requests for public records or commented on the matter, citing the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Marsicano’s attorney told the Associated Press that the charges are baseless and local prosecutors do not have evidence “directly tying”
Marsicano to the scene.
“To be clear, we do not have video
surveillance of (Marsicano) on the scene or running from the scene,” prosecutor Lance Cross said during a hearing last month at which Marsicano was granted a $25,000 bond. Prosecutors had called for Marsicano to be denied bond, saying he is an “anarchist” who was wearing muddy, black clothing and had been arrested in connection with protests dating back to 2016 according to one report.
What you’re witnessing here today is really operationalizing everything that our political leaders are talking about from integrated deterrence to campaigning to building an enduring advantage.”
NFL
Drummond latest exec to resign from Panthers
Charlotte Steven Drummond, the Panthers’ vice president of football operations, resigned last Wednesday. He was the highest-ranking black official on the football side of the organization, ranking only behind general manager Scott Fitterer and assistant general manager Dan Morgan. Drummond had essentially served at owner David Tepper’s right hand man since taking over the VP role in 2021. He joins former CEO of Tepper Sports Nick Kelly and Panthers president Tom Glick as executives who have departed in recent years. Drummond had been with the Panthers since 2005 serving in various roles.
MLS
Late goal helps Rapids
tie Charlotte FC
Charlotte
Michael Barrios scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to rally the Colorado Rapids to a 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC on Saturday night.
Neither team scored until Max Alves da Silva found the net in the 54th minute for the Rapids (1-3- 4). Kerwin
Vargas answered with the equalizer for Charlotte (1- 4 -3) when he scored unassisted in the 62nd minute. Charlotte grabbed the lead three minutes later after Kamil Józwiak took a pass from Karol Swiderski and scored. Barrios’ equalizer was just the fifth goal of the season for Colorado, which became the fourth team in league history to score three or fewer goals in its first seven matches. The two teams played to a scoreless draw last season in the only other meeting.
Charlotte outshot Colorado 17-13, but the Rapids had a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. George Marks finished with five saves for Charlotte.
William Yarbrough stopped one shot for the Rapids.
Charlotte remains home to host Columbus on Saturday.
RALEIGH — Neither the Islanders nor the Hurricanes scored a single power play goal in the four-game season series between the two teams.
Carolina’s power play made sure that wouldn’t be the case in their first round playoff series.
The Hurricanes got power play goals from Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen on their first two
chances of the night, their penalty kill was perfect and Antti Raanta made 25 saves in a 2-1 Carolina win in front of a sellout crowd at PNC Arena in Monday’s Game 1 of the first round matchup.
“It’s obviously a lot nicer to put some in than not to,” said Carolina defenseman Brent Burns, who assisted on both goals. “I think it’s more if you’re doing things right and feeling good about it. It’s been building, I think. It’s something we work on every day, and it’s nice to see some go in.” Both Raanta and the Hurricanes’ penalty kill were equally important. The Islanders were
The former Delaware coach spent the last three seasons at Temple as an assistant
By Jesse Deal North State JournalGREENSBORO — This year was North Carolina A&T’s first in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Aggies will enter next season with a men’s basketball coach who knows his way around the school’s new league.
Former Delaware Blue Hens coach Monté Ross was introduced last week as the 14th head coach in the history of the A&T men’s basketball program.
“I was excited and my family was excited,” Ross, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Temple, told NSJ. “They knew it was something that I wanted. I think there was an extra bit of excitement because of the league that A&T is in — the CAA — and the familiarity that I have with that. A couple of the (current) coaches were assistants when I was a head coach there, and now they’re head coaches too.”
Ross replaces interim coach Phillip Shumpert, who led the Aggies to a 13-19 (8-10 CAA) record and a sixth-place finish in the school’s first season in the CAA after being elevated to the position when the school abruptly fired Will Jones in August just a few weeks before the start of official practice for the 2022-23 season.
The Aggies get a coach who is both familiar with North Carolina
and the CAA.
Ross, 53, played four years at A&T rival Winston-Salem State under legendary head coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines before spending 13 seasons as a Division I assistant coach at various programs.
In 2006, the Philadelphia native began a 10-year head coaching stint at Delaware where he became the Blue Hens’ second-winningest coach in history with a 132-184 overall record. Ross was named Colonial Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 after leading his team to a conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Coach Ross brings a decade of head coaching experience in the CAA, where he was tasked with building a program,” NC A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III said in a press release. “He had some outstanding seasons for the Delaware men’s basketball program, and we think that translates well for us at North Carolina A&T as we strive to win championships in the CAA. We hired the best person to lead and mentor our young men on and off the court.”
Ross will be tasked with building a program that has been hit hard by the transfer portal this spring.
Six Aggies — including top scorers Marcus Watson (14.2 points per game) and Kam Ward (17.3) — have entered the transfer portal since March 13. Four-star prospect Duncan Powell, redshirt freshman guard Chase McDuffie, sophomore guard Trey Crews III and sophomore guard Love Bettis also decided to part ways with the school.
Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns on goalie Antti Raanta
limited to just four shots on goal in eight minutes of power play time, six of which Carolina survived despite having key penalty killers Burns and Brady Skjei in the box.
“The best penalty killer is always your goalie, No. 1,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He made a couple of really good saves. The guys in there blocked some shots. They did what they had to.”
Doing what they had to do seemed to be the theme of the night between the Metropolitan Division rivals. Carolina used its forecheck to pressure the Islanders’ defense and the shutdown line led by Jordan Staal to neutralize New York’s top line that included Mathew Barzal, playing for the first time since he was hurt Feb. 18.
“It’s been a long time since he’s been out,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said of Barzal, “and to come out win a playoff game, in this kind of atmosphere, it’s not an easy thing to do, and I thought he showed well.”
Outside of the goalies — Ilya
See HURRICANES, page B4
Ross admits that the increased activity in the transfer portal makes it difficult for smaller schools to keep burgeoning talent around, especially when Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals are factored into the landscape for prospective college athletes.
I think there is a bit of frustration because it’s the unknown, and as coaches, we always want to deal in the known as much as possible,” he said. “This state of college athletics is the great unknown at the end of the year — for most teams, if not all teams.
“You have to be able to adjust, and most of the coaches that have learned to adjust are successful down the line. If you bring in a freshman and that freshman knocks it out of the park, there’s going to be a lot of times that people are going to be telling them that they can go play at a high level.”
One positive turn is highly sought-after shooting guard Marquavious Brown — a four-star high school prospect out of Georgia — signing his letter of intent with the
Aggies last week, providing a needed boost to the roster’s guard depth. Brown had originally committed to Georgia but reopened his recruitment last year and received offers from Kansas State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas Tech, UAB, VCU, Washington State and Xavier. He eventually committed to Georgia State but again backed out before signing with A&T.
While currently recovering from an early-season injury and surgery in December, Brown is expected to be ready for the first game of the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve only gotten a chance to see highlights of him because he was committed to Georgia State prior to signing on with us,” Ross said.
“Once we start the practices and workouts, we’ll know exactly what he has and what he can do. He’s coming off an Achilles injury that has limited him the last couple of months, but we’re looking forward to him.”
And the school is hoping Ross can lead the Aggies to its first winning season since 2017-18.
“That’s what you need at this time of year, your goalie to be the best player. And he was.”
Winston Gandy:
The Duke assistant is leaving Durham to join Dawn Staley’s staff with the South Carolina women’s basketball team. Gandy takes the place of longtime Gamecocks assistant Fred Chmiel, who became Bowling Green’s coach. Gandy spent the past three seasons at Duke. He has also worked at Rice and served as player development coordinator for the NBA’s Washington Wizards. Staley said Gandy makes strong connections with young people and will be an asset for the Gamecocks.
Peter Laviolette:
The former Hurricanes coach and the Washington Capitals have decided to part ways after the team missed the playoffs. General manager Brian MacLellan described it as a mutual parting. Laviolette coached the Capitals for the past three seasons and his contract was expiring. The Capitals reached the playoffs in each of the first two before losing in the first round.
Brian Hartline:
The Ohio State offensive coordinator was hospitalized after being injured in an ATV accident on his property. According to a statement from OSU’s athletic department, Hartline and an unidentified friend were transported to Riverside Hospital in Columbus with “non‑life threatening injuries.” Hartline confirmed on Twitter that he crashed a utility terrain vehicle on his property. The 36‑year‑old, who was promoted to coordinator in January, said he’s doing well. He took part in Ohio State’s spring game Saturday.
Forward Miles Bridges will need to serve a 10‑game suspension once he signs a contract with an NBA team. The league officially suspended the Hornets’ restricted free agent for 30 games following a domestic violence incident. But Bridges sat out the entire 2022‑23 season and the NBA said that was enough to say 20 of the 30 games have been served. He pleaded no contest in November to a felony domestic violence charge and the remaining counts against him were dismissed.
Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin on managing the health of former Duke star Zion Williamson.
Chase Elliott on the March 3 snowboarding accident that led to a broken leg. The 2020 Cup Series champion said he will continue to snowboard.
PRIME NUMBER
$750K
Fine imposed by the NBA on the Dallas Mavericks for allegedly engaging in “conduct detrimental to the league” by sitting out most of their key players against the Bulls on April 7. The NBA says Dallas had a desire to lose the game “in order to improve the chances of keeping its first‑round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.”
The Panthers agreed to terms with free agent Damiere Byrd, bringing the receiver who spent four seasons (2015‑18) with the team back to Carolina. Byrd later played for Arizona, New England, Chicago and Atlanta, with his best year coming in 2019 when he caught 47 passes and a touchdown with the Patriots.
UNC forward Dontrez Styles has decided to transfer to Georgetown after two years in Chapel Hill. Styles was also courted by Tobacco Road rival NC State after he entered the transfer portal, but he decided to join coach Ed Cooley and the Hoyas. Styles played under 6 minutes a game in each of his two seasons with the Tar Heels.
Jordan Martinook, left, was selected by the Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association as the Hurricanes’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that honors perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication. The PHWA also voted Sebastian Aho as the team’s MVP and selected Antti Raanta as the recipient of the Josef Vasicek Award for cooperation with the media.
“I wasn’t out doing anything that was wild or crazy.”
“A big part of it is on him.”MATTHEW HINTON | AP PHOTO
SPRING IN NORTH Caroli-
na is known for its inconsistency, with bitter cold bringing back memories of winter and sweltering heat foreshadowing the summer to come, often on the same day. Spring is also a time for college football to give a sneak preview of what’s ahead when the season hits its stride in the fall.
Many of the college teams across the state are coming off seasons as up and down as the spring temperatures across the state. They used their two weeks of spring practice to start to sort out question marks on their respective rosters and get a sense of which players will step up and help replace departed talent in 2023.
Over the three-week span that ends this weekend, virtually every major program in the state will finish the spring season with their annual scrimmages. Here’s a look at what’s taken place in the spring games that have been played so far and a look ahead at the teams that are still finishing up on the practice field.
Wolfpack getting defensive
NC State got a taste of the undependable spring weather in North Carolina, kicking off its spring game last week in rainy, 48-degree weather. The result was a sloppy game that was dominated by the Wolfpack defense.
They say if you don’t like the weather in North Carolina, wait a few minutes, and it’ll change. The same could be said of NC State’s starting quarterback last season. The Pack ran through four different players at QB1 last year. Two of them — Ben Finley and MJ Morris — were back for the game, joined by Brennan Armstrong, a graduate transfer from Virginia, where he was one of the ACC’s passing leaders in 2021.
Competing against Sam Hartman, Devin Leary and future
NFL players Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett, Armstrong led the conference in passing yardage two years ago. Now reunited with his former offensive coordinator Robert Anae, hired by State coach Dave Doeren over the offseason, the Pack hopes Armstrong finds his old form.
He finished 14 of 28 for 127 yards in the spring game, throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned for a score, and no touchdowns. Finley also threw a pick-six, but the big news from the brother of former Wolfpack starter and current NFL
passer Ryan Finley is that he entered the transfer portal after the game, apparently not liking his chances of beating out Armstrong for the job. Morris avoided any interceptions and had an impressive 62-yard touchdown pass for the team’s offensive bright spot.
Big shoes to fill at ECU
East Carolina also played its spring game a week ago, and the Pirates hope to build on their first bowl win since 2013 this season. There’s no truth to the rumor that Holton Ahlers quarterbacked that team to its bowl win a decade ago. Ahlers, who left after five record-breaking years as the ECU starter, left the biggest vacancy on the Pirates’ depth chart.
Alex Flinn looks like he’s up to the task of replacing Ahlers. He went 19 of 22 for 173 yards in the game, leading the team on three scoring drives — one a 59-yard pass to Jsi Hatfield and the other a 62-yard keeper. Flinn led all rushers with 68 yards on four attempts. Freshman Javious Bond also gave ECU fans reason to believe in the team’s ground game, rushing for 64 yards on six carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run.
Mason Garcia had 152 yards on 17-of-29 passing but was victimized by a pair of interceptions as the ECU defense had a big day.
Four Pirates defenders had multiple tackles for loss and seven defensive players recorded a sack. Jamari Young, with three TFLs and two sacks, was the star on that side of the ball. The game featured an interesting incentive, with the Gold team defeating the Purple, 17-9, and earning a postgame meal of steak and shrimp. The losing side, according to coach Mike Houston, would be served beanie weenies.
What dreams Maye come
UNC won nine of its first 10 games last year and became the league’s final Coastal Division champion before dropping four straight to close out the year. The Tar Heels bring back quarterback Drake Maye, who earned mention as a dark horse Heisman candidate before the late-season spiral. Maye and the Heels will try to find the magic of the first part of last year as they return
to the field in 2023. Maye looked in midseason form in the BlueWhite game, completing 10 of 13 for 156 yards and two scores — a 35-yard pass to Tez Walker and a 13-yarder to Nate McCollum.
Those names may not sound familiar to Carolina followers. Both were transfer portal additions — Walker from Kent State and McCollum from Georgia Tech — after UNC lost its top two receivers from last season, Josh Downs and Antoine Green, to the NFL.
The UNC secondary, which was the team’s Achilles’ heel last season, was rebuilt, with many of last season’s key players departed and replaced with transfer portal additions. The secondary held up well in the spring game, and the defensive line appears to be deep and productive, which should help reduce the amount of time the secondary needs to defend. Offensive line, which struggled against the pass rush in the game, and running back, where no one has stepped forward from a crowded group, appear to be the biggest question marks.
Sam I am not
The Demon Deacons held their spring game on Saturday, and all eyes were on the quarterback spot. Sam Hartman left for Notre Dame after rewriting the Wake Forest record book, and the Deacs are now led on offense by Mitch
The Associated Press
DAN SNYDER has an agreement in principle to sell the Washington Commanders to a group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales that includes Magic Johnson for a North American professional sports team record $6.05 billion.
It’s the biggest step yet in the process of Snyder selling the storied NFL franchise he has owned since 1999. But it’s far from the last one before the group assumes control.
What happens now?
Currently, there’s a fully financed, nonexclusive agreement in place, but it has not yet been signed by the buying and selling parties. They’ll work out the fine print with lawyers and execute a binding agreement to complete the sale process at the team level.
The league then gets involved for a thorough vetting process, including background checks and an evaluation by the finance committee. Once everything checks out, it goes to the owners for a vote, with three-quarters (24 of 32) needed to approve the sale and make it official.
That could happen as soon as the next owners meeting in Minnesota in late May, though it would not be alarming in any way if the
process took longer than that to unfold.
Who are the new owners?
Harris, 58, is best known in sports for owning the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils along with partner David Blitzer, and he also has a stake in the Crystal Palace soccer club in the Premier League. He was born in Chevy Chase, Maryland, grew up in the Washington area and made his money through a private equity firm.
Last year, Harris led a group that tried to buy the Denver Broncos before they were sold to Walmart heir Rob Walton for a then-record $4.65 billion.
Rales, 66, also grew up outside the nation’s capital and with his brother started the Danaher Corporation, a science and technology conglomerate. He and his wife also founded the private Glenstone museum in Potomac, Maryland. Rales joined Harris’ bid in early March.
Johnson, 63, could be the face of ownership after joining the group in late March. The well-known basketball Hall of Famer who has become a successful executive previously owned a piece of the Lakers and currently has stakes in Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
What’s the price?
The $6.05 billion price tag for
the Commanders is above the $5.6 billion Forbes values the team at, but it meets the number Snyder was looking for in order to sell.
Beyond being more expensive than the Broncos, it’s higher than the $4 billion Mat Ishbia paid for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Mercury. Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets for an MLB-record $2.42 billion in 2020. When Fenway Sports Group purchased the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021, a dollar figure was not released, though Forbes valued the team at $845 million. Harris, Rales and Johnson were
not the only group to reach the final stages to get the Commanders.
Canadian investor Steve Apostolopoulos also entered a fully financed bid of $6 billion.
Earlier this week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos decided not to make an offer — perhaps he waits until the Seahawks become available? — and that sped up the process of Snyder choosing to sell to the Harris group.
What happens to the team?
It’s not clear if new ownership will have the chance to rebrand
Griffis. He made a statement that he’s ready for prime time with a 19-for-29 outing that produced 319 yards and two touchdowns, and that’s with several drops by his receivers and several holding and pass interference calls on the defense that moved his team but didn’t add to his stat line. Coach Dave Clawson said that he completed nearly 80% of his passes over the spring practice sessions. Griffis will be supported by perhaps the best set of targets in the ACC. Donavon Greene returns and was a spring game star with three catches for 111 yards and a score. Sophomore Wesley Grimes, who had four catches last year, had 10 grabs for 157 yards. Taylor Morin added a touchdown. And the rest
App State finished its spring practice in March and didn’t hold a game. Joey Aguilar and Ryan Burger appear ready to battle in fall camp for the starting quarterback job. Duke looks to build on a successful debut season for coach Mike Elko and will hold its spring game this weekend. Charlotte, who has a new coach in Biff Poggi and a new conference with the move to the American, will enter its new era with a spring game this weekend as well. Then we have a three-month break before late summer leads us into the 2023 season.
the Washington team that only became the Commanders in early 2022, or if there’s any interest in doing so. Team president Jason Wright has said he would like to stay on in the role he was hired for by Snyder in 2020.
Ron Rivera is expected to remain as coach and head of player personnel, along with general manager Martin Mayhew and the rest of the front office. If the Commanders get off to a rough start or miss the playoffs, changes could happen once the new owners get a feel for the organization.
The biggest task for the longterm future of the franchise is reaching an agreement on a new stadium. The team’s lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027 and the rushed-to-completion stadium that opened in 1997 has not aged well.
Virginia has long figured to be the front-runner to land the new stadium, but that was with Snyder doing the negotiating, and the legislature there abandoned a bill to fund one last year.
The site of old RFK Stadium — the team’s longtime home in the District of Columbia — is the dream location for many, but it comes with government hurdles. There is land available across the Anacostia River from Nationals Park that could be an option. Or Harris’ and Rales’ connections to Maryland could keep the team there, perhaps in a location closer to public transit and easier to navigate.
The decision is crucial for a franchise that has not won a championship in more than 30 years and is desperate to bring fans back, which already will get a jumpstart with Snyder gone.
Richard Petty’s hometown of Randleman unveiled a statue of him and his late wife, Lynda
North State Journal
THE CITY OF RANDLEMAN unveiled a statue of legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty and his late wife, Lynda, in the new Richard Petty Tribute Park on Saturday. Ed and Melissa Walker of Carolina Bronze Sculpture in Seagrove made the statue, which shows Petty holding a trophy in the air with his arm around Lynda as the two look at each other.
Richard Petty and his children Lisa, Rebecca, Sharon and Kyle attended the unveiling at 103 Hil-
lary St. at which Mayor Gary Betts also proclaimed April 3 as Richard Petty Day to be celebrated annually in Randleman.
“The Petty family will always be known and revered as the victors in the winner circle of life,” Jeff Freeman of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce said.
Petty, known as “The King,” won a record 200 NASCAR Cup Series races, and his seven championships is tied for the most with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jimmie Johnson. Lynda, who died in 2014, served on the Randolph County School Board for 16 years and also the Randolph County Commission.
“It means the most to see my mama in this way and see her honored in her hometown,” Kyle Petty said.
Kyle Petty on the new statue of his parents, Richard and Lynda Petty
Top
Ed
poses for a picture with his children
HURRICANES from page B1
Sorokin was arguably the best player on the ice, making 35 saves in losing for the fourth time in five games against Carolina this season — the Hurricanes’ much-maligned power play was the star of the show by scoring on its first two opportunities.
With the Islanders’ Hudson Fasching in the penalty box for an offensive zone trip in the game’s opening minutes, Carolina needed just five seconds to convert.
his
Carolina’s Sebastian Aho won the faceoff cleanly back to Martin Necas at the point. Necas slid the puck over to Burns, who passed to Aho in the right circle for a one-timer that gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead just 3:47 into the game. “We’ve been doing that (play) all year, and that’s the first time it hit,” Brind’Amour said.
The Hurricanes pushed their lead to 2-0 — and their power play to 2-for-2 — when Burns’ one-timer was redirected in front
by Noesen at 2:27 of the second period. It was Noesen’s second career playoff goal in his fifth postseason game, with the other coming in 2018 with the Devils in Game 3 of the first round against the Lightning. That goal proved to be a game-winner, and so did Monday’s redirection.
“It’s right where he does his job,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s very, very good at tipping pucks around that 5-foot area.”
The Islanders got their only
goal 24 seconds after Noesen scored when defenseman Ryan Pulock’s shot was altered by a stick check from Carolina’s Brady Skjei and fooled Raanta. The fluttering puck rolled up the Hurricanes goalie’s stick and in to halve the lead at 2-1.
But that was all that got by Raanta. The veteran goalie, who wasn’t announced as the Game 1 starter over Frederik Andersen until Monday morning, made two 1-on-1 stops on Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall in the open-
ing minutes of the third period to keep Carolina ahead.
“It was obviously a good way to start the period, get those couple saves and get that good feeling going,” Raanta said.
He then made saves in the final 90 seconds with Sorokin on the bench for an extra attacker to seal the win and give the Hurricanes a 1-0 series lead.
“That’s what you need at this time of year, your goalie to be the best player,” Burns said. “And he was.”
“It means the most to see my mama in this way and see her honored in her hometown.”PHOTOS BY HEARTOFCAROLINAS.COM AND PJ WARD- BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL right: Sculptor Walker places hand on the statue he created to honor Richard Petty, center, and his late wife Lynda. Bottom: From left to right, Richard Petty Lisa, Rebecca, Sharon and Kyle following the unveiling of the new statue in Randleman.
$2,713,873,327
$100,461,771
$179,003,004
$6,667,437,324
MCCARTHY from page B5
the nation’s debt limit into next year — putting the issue squarely in the 2024 presidential election — coupling it with a plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels, recoup unspent COVID-19 funds and cap future spending at no more than 1% a year over the next decade.
Republicans, he said, also want to attach policy priorities, including imposing work requirements to recipients of government aid that would result in cuts to benefit programs in the federal safety net for poorer Americans.
And McCarthy said the House Republicans also want to tack on H.R. 1, an expansive energy bill that would favor oil, gas and coal production — and ease permitting regulations — undoing many of Biden’s climate change-fighting initiatives.
Without commenting on the House plans, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the president can’t simply put his fingers in his ears. “The White House needs to stop wasting time and start negotiating” with the speaker, he said.
Many economists have suggested that it may take a stock market selloff to force an agreement, showing the risks of a possible default. But McCarthy said after his speech during a question period that he wasn’t gauging market reaction for guidance on the debt limit.
“The markets go up and down,” he said.
McCarthy is working furiously to unite the “five families” — the various caucuses including the Freedom Caucus, Republican Study Committee and others within the House Republican majority — around a plan that could be presented to Biden to kickstart negotiations.
Federal spending skyrocketed during the COVID-19 crisis, rising to $7.4 trillion in 2021, before sliding back to $6.2 trillion in fiscal 2022, according to Treasury Department data. The nation’s debt load has also climbed steadily, doubling during the George W. Bush administration with the 9/11-era wars overseas and spiking again during the Obama administration as spending rose and tax revenue plummeted during the Great Recession.
The nation runs more than $1 trillion in annual deficits, and the last time the federal budget balanced was 2001.
McCarthy noted that President Ronald Reagan similarly warned of government spending. The cuts the House Republicans want to make are not “draconian,” McCarthy said.
He pledged not to touch the Medicare and Social Security programs important to older Americans that other Republicans want to cut.
Once, his speech was interrupted by applause from the executives and others at the stock exchange.
The White House and Democrats in Congress have been unwilling to engage in talks with the Republicans, saying Congress must simply raise the debt limit without conditions.
Biden in particular, has been here before as vice president during the 2011 fiscal standoff that sent jitters through the economy as the Republicans demanded steep spending cuts.
The sweeping proposal from McCarthy will likely be too expansive for the White House to consider, but serves as a political lever to push Biden back to the negotiating table.
The Associated Press NEW YORK — Expecting a tax refund? It could be smaller than last year. And with inflation still high, that money won’t go as far as it did a year ago.
The more than 100 million taxpayers who have had their returns processed as of April 7 got refunds that were an average of 9.3% less than last year, in part due to pandemic relief programs expiring.
The filing deadline for most taxpayers is Tuesday, though it has been extended for parts of California, Alabama, Georgia, New York, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana that were hard hit by severe weather.
The average refund is $2,878, down from $3,175, a difference of nearly $300, according to the most recent IRS data available.
For many households, especially working families, the tax refund is the biggest one-time financial windfall of the year, said Kathy Pickering, chief tax officer of H&R Block.
“We know that working families in general are the most cashstrapped,” she said, adding that the expanded earned income tax and child tax credits during the COVID pandemic provided a lot of benefits for families with children.
The child tax credit, for example, is reverting to $2,000 per child, while the pandemic credit was as high as $3,600 per child.
The child and dependent care credit, a tax break available to parents and those who care for family members while they work, had been expanded to a maximum of
$8,000 in 2021 and is now a maximum of $2,100.
“As those provisions expired, that’s had a big impact,” Pickering said.
Pickering said that more Americans took on side hustles, gig and freelance work during and since the pandemic, and so they may be experiencing the self-employment tax and the consequences of a lack of withholding. A traditional employer who provides a W2 withholds taxes from each paycheck, meaning less of a potential shock at the end of the tax year.
Ted Rossman, an analyst with Bankrate.com, said those who receive refunds tend to use the money “very practically,” often to pay off debt and boost savings.
REVIEW: 2023 HYUNDAI IONIQ 6
We know that working families in general are the most cash-strapped. As [child tax credit] provisions expired, that's had a big impact.”
Kathy Pickering, H&R Block“What I do think is definitely significant is the fact that other costs have gone up,” Rossman said.
“It’s bad enough that this is taking 10% off your tax refund, but on top
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hyun-
dai has done something interest-
ing with its electric car platform.
Whereas most electric cars are running on a 400-volt architecture, Hyundai chose to spend what were likely billions of extra dollars to develop a mainstream 800-volt architecture for its EVs called E-GMP. This not only added R&D costs but also made the vehicles more expensive to build — but there’s a big payoff in the end.
Even “new” EVs like the Cadillac Lyriq, built on GM’s latest and greatest Ultium platform, are running on 400-volt, as is the Ford F-150 Lightning and even Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The main difference, at least so far as the user is concerned, is in charge speed.
Without getting too deep into the physics, a car with an 800volt battery pack can generally charge twice as fast as with a 400-volt pack. As a result, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and my test car this week, the Ioniq 6, can charge their batteries from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes (at an appropriately equipped fast charging station), while a Ford Mustang Mach-E would take two to three times as
long.
If you imagine the voltage as a garden hose, the 800-volt system is a larger hose and thus can carry significantly more water to the battery or the motor. Or think of it as a four-cylinder engine versus a V8. The net effect is that vehicles built on Hyundai and Kia’s E-GMP platform are significantly more future-proofed than much of the competition.
In three or four years, an Ioniq 6 bought today will still charge at up to 350 kWh — likely as quickly as the then-new vehicles from folks like Ford and GM — while a Ford Mustang Mach-E bought today will continue to max out at around 150 kWh. That ability to charge quickly is the number one reason to buy the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
A midsize sedan similar in size to the Hyundai Sonata, the Ioniq 6 nonetheless punches well above its weight and continues Hyundai’s climb into the ranks of premium vehicles alongside brands like Mazda. The bang for the buck in the Ioniq 6 is impressive.
Inside, you get a pair of large displays dominating the dash, with a comfortable and attractive steering wheel that is, curiously, missing any brand logo. Instead of the Hyundai H, you see a series of four lit-up dots in the center of the wheel — dot-dot-dot-dot being
of that, your groceries might be up, and rent, and gas prices. This is money that a lot of people really count on every year.”
“Even a difference of $300 on the tax refund, that does pale in comparison to the stimulus people received during the pandemic,” he said. “Psychologically, economically speaking, it probably feels like, ‘Just one more thing.’ So maybe it weighs on confidence more than actual spending.”
Alaina, 32, a Florida-based fiber artist who asked to be identified by her first name to protect her privacy, said her refund will go toward house repairs and “clearing up debt.”
“I have a lot on credit cards and have had to borrow money from people that I need to pay back,” she said. “I wish it could go for fun stuff, but money is too tight.”
Alaina, who sells her work online, has been self-employed since she lost her job in the healthcare sector in 2021. She said she hasn’t yet filed her taxes this year but that last year she and her husband, who is unemployed, received about $3,600 after filing jointly.
According to Bankrate’s Rossman, there’s a possibility that this year’s lower tax refunds could weaken consumer spending and, as result, help slow inflation.
“It’s bad news for households because people want higher refunds, obviously, but I think perhaps quietly the Fed might cheer,” he said.
To combat inflation, the Fed has been raising interest rates to increase the cost of borrowing money, with the hope of slowing the economy.
Unfortunately, for those households that have spent through their savings, and who are now relying on credit cards to get by month to month, those higher interest rates have also led to average credit card interest rates of over 20%.
Morse code for the letter H. These glow blue during normal operation but go red when you’re in reverse as an extra telltale that you might not be going in the direction you expect.
Thankfully, there is a volume control knob, but there’s also a somewhat odd “touch” setup with fixed controls for adjusting the climate. Like the Ioniq 5, there are no permanent buttons for the heated seats, which is frustrating, but at least in the Ioniq 6 there is a permanent button that takes you to the screen where you can turn the seat heaters.
In other odd design decisions, the window controls are next to the center console, behind the dual cupholders, and exactly where a woman might put her handbag. There is ample room here for seat heater buttons, by the way, but moving the window switches there does make the doors sleek and streamlined. There is a wireless phone charger and a USB-A charging port, and there’s a massive storage spot underneath this flying console, probably where the handbag should go. Thanks to the completely flat floor, the interior is incredibly spacious, and the car feels significantly larger inside than a midsized sedan. Rear seat legroom is impressive, and the
apocryphal two-adult-couples-going-to-dinner-together would be very comfortable in the Ioniq 6.
The outside will draw some compliments and some complaints, I’m sure. Design is always in the eye of the beholder, and I must compliment Hyundai on its intentional strategy to diversify its lineup by making each car look completely different. Many other brands — ahem, Audi — have all their cars look the same, so you can never quite tell which of the zillion SUV offerings you’re looking at.
The Ioniq 6 looks something like the very unattractive Mercedes-Benz EQS at the front, which makes sense because they’re both designed to be as slippery as possible. It replicates the Porsche Taycan at the back, complete with a duck wing. I like it, but, as with the EQS, it’s far superior to be inside the car looking out than the other way around.
Pricing starts in the mid$40,000 range, with an estimated range as high as 361 miles for the least-equipped RWD car with the largest battery. Adding a more powerful, dual-motor all-wheel drive system drops the range as low as 270 miles which is still pretty solid, especially considering the Ioniq 6’s fast charging abilities.
Like with the Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6, I continue to be impressed by the EVs Hyundai is making, and they make a compelling case for even EV skeptics to consider converting to electric.
($100.00) required by
from
Spring Fling Albemarle Market to take place this weekend
The Spring Fling Albemarle Market event is set to take place this weekend. This two-day event, presented by Sunny Day Markets, will be fun for the whole family and is free of admission. Come out and support our local veterans and enjoy an array of local vendors from all over the Carolinas. There will be several food and beverage trucks on site, a kid zone, gem mining, adult axe throwing, and more. In addition, there will also be a raffle held with tons of awesome prizes. All of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the American Legion Post 76. The event will run from Saturday (10 am – 4 pm) until Sunday afternoon (10 am – 3 pm) and is located at 24302 S Business 52 in Albemarle. Parking is free and open to the public.
NCDHHS announces Pandemic EBT program updates
A program that helped 1.6 million children get healthy food for the last three years is coming to an end, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services announced last Friday. The Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program will continue this summer for K-12 students who attend school in person after the United States Department of Agriculture granted an extension. To be eligible to receive benefits this summer, students must already qualify for or take part in their school’s freeor reduced-price meals program. Families who have not already qualified for free or reduced lunch should apply by May 1. Benefits for all other children, however, will end in May at the end of the school year. This includes children younger than six who receive Food and Nutrition Services. Benefits will also end in May for students who attend virtual or home school. The North Carolina P-EBT program will not be available during the 2023-2024 school year. If you need information on how to apply for free or reduced-price meals, contact your child’s school. To apply for FNS, visit www. ncdhhs.gov/FNS or apply through your local county Department of Social Services. While P-EBT ends this summer, the FNS program is still available to North Carolina families. For more information on P-EBT, frequently asked questions, or additional updates, please visit www.ncdhhs.gov/PEBT.
ALBEMARLE — North Caro -
lina House Bill 246, also known as the Revise Pharmacy Benefits Manager “PBM” Provisions bill, was introduced in the state’s General Assembly last month with Stanly County Republican Rep. Wayne Sasser as a primary sponsor.
Designed to crack down on controversial business practices that have led to the top three PBMs — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx — controlling roughly 80% of the prescription drug market, HB 246 takes aim at the shadowed industry that acts as a contract-negotiating middleman between health policy purchasers and providers via spread pricing and rebates.
Proponents of the PBM industry say the companies perform a net-positive service for Americans by negotiating against the large drug companies that set prices. Additionally, small businesses looking to offer competitive health care benefits to em-
ployees and their families often utilize PBMs because of the benefits and cost savings.
However, Sasser, a pharmacist by trade, says he doesn’t understand why PBMs should be a component of the health care system at all.
“None of this benefits the patient or the insurer,” Sasser told SCJ on April 13. “In all 50 states, from deep-red to deep-blue, legislators have introduced bills or passed laws that crack down on anti-competitive PBM practices like spread pricing, retroactive fees, patient steering, mandatory mail order and sweetheart deals for PBM-owned pharmacies.”
“Rebates and spread pricing provide no help to the customer or consumer. They just add to the cost of health care. No business should add $15 billion to the cost of health care without providing a service that improves health.”
Critics of the bill say that PBMs deserve scrutiny — rather than excessive regulations — and that the new proposal would lead to government overreach in dictating how employers and sponsors
“No business should add $15 billion to the cost of health care without providing a service that improves health.”
Rep. Wayne Sasser
contract with private businesses for health care, effectively driving up prescription drug costs for families, health care plan sponsors, small businesses and large employers.
In an editorial column in last week’s North State Journal, guest author Travis Groo, chair of the Libertarian Party of Wake County, wrote that HB 246 “limits employers’ and other health care plan sponsors’ ability to use lower-cost pharmacy options,” resulting in “greater out-of-pocket expenses.”
Sasser contends that the current PBM system has evolved
RALEIGH — A state audit of volunteer fire department grants issued by the N.C. Department of Insurance has cited problems with the way the grants were distributed.
The audit included $56.2 million in grants distributed by the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI) spanning Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 31, 2022.
According to the press release by the State Auditor’s office, “As of Nov. 30, 2022, $41.1 million (73%) was disbursed to volunteer fire departments.”
Two findings were included in the audit made claims that the grants were made with “limited verification” the departments
were eligible to either receive funds or had “the greatest need” of the funds and also that DOI “did not disburse Fire Grants to volunteer fire departments in accordance with DOI policy.”
“DOI management stated it did not verify all self-reported information used to determine whether volunteer fire departments were eligible to receive grants and were most in need because it did not have adequate staff to verify recipient self-reported information nor did they reassign other DOI staff,” the audit states. “Instead, DOI required the volunteer fire departments to attest that their information was correct as part of the application process.”
The audit also stated, “According to DOI management, some Fire Grants were disbursed without documentation that supported the volunteer fire department’s reported expenditures
“The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants.”
State Fire Marshal Mike Causey
because of an increase in the number of grants DOI was required to administer.”
The audit made several recommendations based on its findings, such as DOI independently verifying information reported to DOI by a volunteer fire department, DOI making sure it has the staff to verify the information, and making sure the grants are
past its initial usage, adding that it needs to be modified when just a few companies control such a large portion of the market and that the official numbers don’t always add up.
“Monopolies don’t have competition and the audits show they manipulate the contracts for their profits,” he said. “Originally, they just handled the computer transactions for 10 cents a claim. Then they figured out they could charge rebates and spread pricing to make money.”
Sasser continued: “The PBM has no liability like the insurance company does…In 2021, they collected $20 billion dollars from drug manufacturers. Those rebates had to raise drug costs. Centene, which uses CVS Caremark, has been forced to pay more than 900 million in legal settlements to at least 19 states so far. Centene has decided to sell their $30 billion block of business.”
HB 246 passed its first reading in March and will move to the Health House Standing Committee later this month.
The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country artist HARDY drove the success of his hit song “Wait in the Truck” with Lainey Wilson all the way to the Academy of Country Music Awards, where he is the leading nominee. And his duet partner was not far behind, as “Yellowstone” actor and
singer-songwriter Wilson earned six nominations including female artist of the year and album of the year during nominations announced last week. The awards show will be held in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks and airing on Prime Video. Among Hardy’s seven nominations are two in the song of the year catego-
North State
RALEIGH — Business Court
Judge James Ammons issued a 12-page order on April 14 that included a $677.8 million dollar figure in the long-running Leandro education funding case. Ammons was tasked with “recalculating the amount of funds to be transferred in light of the state’s 2022 budget.”
The breakdown of the $677.8 million to cover years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan includes recalculated amounts of $509,701,707 for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction,
$133.9 million for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and $34.2 million for the University of North Carolina System. Ammons’ final total is a match to the amount cited by the Office of State Budget and Management last December and is a similar number to that submitted by the N.C. Department of Justice lawyers. Lawmakers had recently put forth a figure of around $376 million.
Attorneys for legislative leaders had submitted over $48 million in credits for spending in five areas to bring down the overall total, however, Ammons disagreed.
ry: “Wait in the Truck” and “Sand in My Boots,” a song performed by Morgan Wallen and co-written by HARDY, Ashley Gorley and Josh Osborne.
The most awarded artist in ACM history made another record when Miranda Lambert received her 17th female artist of the year nomination. She surpassed Reba McEntire, who had 16 nominations in that category,
and Lambert, the Texas native, has four other nominations this year, including entertainer of the year and album of the year for the critical favorite Palomino.”
Nominees for entertainer of the year include Lambert, Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood. Ashley McBryde and Jon Pardi are nominated alongside Wilson, Combs and Lambert for album of the year. Female artist of the year nominees are Kelsea Ballerini, Lambert, McBryde, Carly Pearce and Wilson. Male artist of the year nominees are Brown, Combs, Jordan Davis, Stapleton and Wallen.
given out “in accordance with DOI policy.”
DOI’s response agreed with the first point of the audit but disagreed with the second.
“ The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants,” Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey said in an emailed statement to North State Journal.
“Our department is always looking for ways to optimize and enhance our processes in the awarding of grants. We believe that we
were administering the grants in accordance with the applicable statutes and rules, although we understand that the State Auditor disagrees.
“In future grant programs, we will require that county finance managers review and verify financial data before a grant application is submitted to the Department,” wrote Causey. “While we continue to examine each of the issues outlined in the audit, including our own self-reporting mechanism structure, our office is fully resolved to support the professional work our staff does to enhance volunteer fire departments through the Office of State Fire Marshal.”
“With respect to LegislativeI ntervenors’ legal argument concerning recurring funding in Year 2, this Court will not disturb Judge Robinson’s “diligent and precise” calculations for Year 2,” Ammons wrote. “The arguments of the LegislativeI ntervenors would require the Court to make a conclusion of law about an issue not presently before the Court on this limited remand, as set forth above.”
Last November, the former 4-3 Democrat-controlled Supreme Court, in essence, reaffirmed the 2021 $1.75 billion transfer order issued by former Leandro Judge David Lee. The then-Democratic-controlled
The Volunteer Fire Department Fund was established in 1987 to provide grants to pay for equipment and capital improvements. Under state statute, DOI is responsible for the issuance of the grants in four areas that include fire grants, base allocation grants, supplemental grants and emergency reserve grants.
Fire grants cover equipment purchases and capital improvements to ensure fire protection services. DOI awarded $18.5 million of fire grant funds to 968 volunteer fire departments for an average of $19,082 per volunteer fire department during the period covered by the audit. As of Nov. 30,
court had ordered three state offices to transfer the funds from the state’s treasury despite the state constitution giving power of appropriations solely to the legislature. The Supreme Court’s ruling landed just four days before the 2022 election, and the ruling was characterized as being about “power” by dissenting justices.
The state controller, one of the three entities ordered to make the transfer, objected to Lee’s ruling, obtaining a writ blocking the transfer and later protesting in oral arguments before the Supreme Court that the office did not have the necessary legal authority to make the transfer.
Lee, who passed away in October 2022 after a battle with cancer, was replaced by business court Judge Michael Robinson in the spring of 2022. Robinson examined the spending and returned a dollar amount of $785 million.
I n January 2023, the Supreme
2022, “$13.0 million (70%) was disbursed to 779 volunteer fire departments for an average of $16,678 per volunteer fire department,” according to the audit report.
Base allocation grants cover mitigation of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a volunteer fire department’s ability to fundraise for additional money. DOI awarded $8.0 million of base allocation grant funds to 798 volunteer fire departments for an average of $10,000 per volunteer fire department during the months covered by the audit, which notes that 100% of those funds had been dis-
“The arguments of the Legislative-Intervenors would require the Court to make a conclusion of law about an issue not presently before the Court on this limited remand.”
Judge James AmmonsCourt installed two new justices, flipping control to a 5-2 Republican majority. The new court blocked the funding transfer order in March after the state controller renewed their objections. The court also directed Ammons to only come up with a dollar figure, signaling the Supreme Court will likely examine whether or not the three entities originally ordered to transfer the funds have the power to do so.
tributed as of Nov. 30, 2022.
Supplemental grants are awarded to volunteer fire departments, rescue or emergency medical services (EMS) units for operations and functions uses. According to the audit, DOI awarded $29.8 million of supplemental grant funds to 851 recipients for an average of $35,000 per recipient and as of Nov. 30, 2022, $20.1 million (68%) had been disbursed.
Emergency reserve grants are awarded to volunteer fire departments for buying equipment or other capital needs in the event of an emergency. The audit reported no grants of this nature were disbursed as of Oct. 31, 2022.
IT’S JUST ONE POLL, conducted by SSRS Research for CNN, but it provides interesting evidence about where voters are on issues, and it isn’t glaringly inconsistent with other survey research.
So “which political party’s views are closer to” yours on each issue?
Answer: mostly the Republican Party. On the economy (41%-29%), immigration (40%-30%), crime and policing (40%-28%), government spending (35%-26%) and parents’ rights (36%-33%).
narrowly elected Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, that high crime in black neighborhoods results from anger at low corporate tax rates.
Biden’s statement this week that he’s “planning” to run for reelection shows a certain nervousness about the possibility that he, like his immediate predecessor, may have difficulty winning re-nomination.
OcasioCortez’s brand of “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters.
Admittedly, the Republicans’ margin is closer on America’s role in world affairs (35%-32%) and freedom of speech (37%-35%), and Democrats have the advantage on social and cultural issues (36%-33%) and abortion (40%-30%).
But the overall picture is fairly clear. Although respondents usually have more negative feelings about the Republican than the Democratic party, on this particular set of issues — not out of line with other polls on voter priorities — Republicans have a statistically significant advantage over Democrats on four issues and Democrats on only one.
That’s reasonably consistent with President Joe Biden’s job approval, which is currently 44% and has been running at about that level, and occasionally well below, most of the time since the disorderly withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. But it’s at least somewhat dissonant with polls matching Biden against former President Donald Trump, in which the latter leads 44% to 42% — a statistical tie.
One revealing thing about these numbers is that they show majorities of American voters rejecting both the 45th and 46th presidents, and are presumably in the market for a 47th. But even more revealing is that Republicans’ apparent advantage on salient issues has not produced an electorate determined to reject an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent.
That’s true even though Biden himself, after tacking left on virtually every issue during Ron Klain’s months as White House chief of staff, has now, during Jeff Zients’ weeks in that post, taken a couple of stands that suggest an awareness of vulnerability on some key issues.
He’s announced changes in immigration policy apparently designed to prevent some illegal border crossers to apply for asylum status. One suspects that the administration welcomes the vocal opposition from the left, which may help Biden and other Democrats convince voters that he has abandoned what can plausibly be attacked as an open borders policy.
And, despite cries of anguish from the defund-the-police left, Biden declined to veto Congress’ bipartisan overturning of the District of Columbia legislation reducing the penalties for violent crimes. This shows a lack of confidence in the liberal talking point that violent crime is less prevalent than it was 30 years ago and in the argument, advanced by the
As the Washington Post’s Republican columnist Henry Olsen points out, a YouGov poll gives Biden 81% job approval among Democrats but reports that only 48% of them want him to run again.
That has prompted the Spectator’s conservative writer Ben Domenech to make the perhaps puckish suggestion that Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY) challenge the incumbent. Some 47 years younger than Biden, she will reach the constitutionally required age of 35 in October 2024.
Domenech compares an AOC candidacy to Pat Buchanan’s challenge of the first President George Bush in 1992 and suggests that just as Buchanan presaged Republicans’ post-Bush movement toward isolationism and protectionism, so Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of what I call “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters strong enough to have provided the decisive votes earlier this month in the City of Big Shoulders.
As for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump faces announced or possible opposition from serious figures in early-primary states — South Carolina’s Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu — who could potentially be ticket-balancing VPs. The Manhattan district attorney’s flimsy indictment last week boosted Trump’s numbers, at least temporarily, but as I noted last week, primary preferences are usually readily changeable.
Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights, analyzing his firm’s polling, classifies 25% of Republican voters as Always Trump, 15% as Never Trump and 60% as up-for-grabs. That suggests there is plenty of room for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been competitive with Trump in twocandidate pairings, to overtake Trump if and when early-state candidates and former Vice President Mike Pence fall by the wayside.
Bottom line: Republicans have some advantage on issues, but there’s probably a bigger advantage for the party whose voters eschew residual loyalties and dump their overage and unpopular 2020 presidential nominees.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.
Every schoolkid knows — or used to know — that the United States has three branches of government. At least that’s what the textbooks say.
But really, we have four branches of government.
roughly reversed. He also got rid of stringent cost-benefit analysis for new rules. This was to ensure that the regulation wasn’t going to have a price tag far exceeding any societal benefit.
We are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year.
That’s because Congress — the legislative branch — has for decades delegated lawmaking authority to the unconstitutional fourth branch of the U.S. government: independent regulatory agencies. By some estimates, there are more than 300 of these agencies sticking their nose into every aspect of American life and business, from what kind of car you can buy to the temperature setting on your thermostat to what you can build on your own private property.
Who are these regulatory czars accountable to? Who elected them?
To his credit, former President Donald Trump tried to rein in the regulatory blob. He promised to rescind two regulations for every new regulation enacted while he was president. He actually repealed about five rules for every new one. But President Joe Biden LOVES to regulate.
On his first day in office, Biden rescinded the Trump policy, and the ratios have been
Now we are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The federal government doesn’t abide by the Ten Commandments. Now there are more than 10,000. Biden’s latest whopper is an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would effectively ban the production of gas-powered cars within 10 years.
Almost all recent presidents left office with more rules and red tape than when they entered. Ronald Reagan and Trump were two exceptions. Richard Nixon created the EPA, even though states were doing a fine job cleaning air and water. It was the George W. Bush administration that passed an energy bill requiring household appliances like home refrigerators and dishwashers to be “energyefficient,” which in practice meant they didn’t work very well.
What can be done to trim the tentacles of the regulatory octopus? How about cutting those budgets and their enormous
bureaucratic staffs? Over the last 30 years, the budgets of the regulatory agencies have more than tripled after adjusting for inflation from $25 billion to $75 billion. If Biden has his way, next year the regulatory octopus will exceed $100 billion to arm super-regulators like Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission. Khan has tremendous authority over whether businesses should be able to merge. She’s never run even a lemonade stand in her whole life.
Congress still has power over the purse. Cutting the regulatory budgets in half would still ensure safety, financial soundness and a clean environment while saving half a trillion dollars over 10 years. The Republicans should start by ensuring that the snoops at the IRS don’t get 87,000 more IRS agents to harass citizens and pry into every private transaction we make.
Yes, we want sound regulation. But it shouldn’t cost our families and businesses $2 trillion a year.
Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. His latest book is “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”
NBA
Former NBA star Kemp charged in shooting
Seattle
Prosecutors in Washington state have charged sixtime NBA all-star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone. Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day. However, a statement by Tacoma police did not indicate Kemp was shot at. Kemp played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
AUTO RACING
Kirkwood wins Long Beach for 1st career IndyCar victory
Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Kirkwood won the first race of his IndyCar career by holding off Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. The 24-year-old Kirkwood started on the pole for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and closed out the win at the most prestigious street course race in the United States. Grosjean finished second and was followed by Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou as Honda drivers swept the topfive.
HOCKEY
Knight’s hat trick lift U.S. women over Canada at Worlds
Brampton, Ontario
Hilary Knight scored three times, including the goahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline
Harvey added a goal and assist for the U.S. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and MariePhilip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada.
Merseyside, Englald
The Grand National horse race was delayed by around 15 minutes after animal rights activists scaled fences around the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and got onto the track. Merseyside
Police said a total of 118 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offenses in a bid to disrupt the prestigious race. Some of the activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. Some apparently attempted to handcuff themselves to the obstacles.
Chase Elliott finished 10th in his return after missing six races due to a broken leg suffered snowboarding on March 3
The Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson never thought he would tame the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track at Martinsville Speedway.
And then came Sunday.
Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott.
It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and 15th in the last three seasons for the 2021 Cup
champion. Larson has struggled mightily at Martinsville in the past. In his previous 17 races here, he had only three top-five finishes and never finished better than third. “I never, ever would have thought I would have won here,” Larson said. “This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Because of his lack of past success at the track, Larson joked that he doesn’t have room picked out for where to keep the 6-foottall grandfather clock awarded to the winner. Larson said the clock immediately becomes one of his most prized possessions because it serves as a reminder of how hard he has worked to win at a track where he never felt comfortable.
“This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Kyle“I’ve left here just mad. I’ve hated this place, and I’ve wished it would flood,” Larson said with a laugh. “I wished a lot of bad things on this place.”
Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
Logano was thrilled with his re-
The 2020 Cy Young
The Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan — Shunned by major league clubs, Trevor Bauer is trying to find his way in Japan where fans are drawn by his near celebrity status and seem unconcerned by domestic violence allegations against him.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner pitched his first competitive game in almost two years on Sunday and said he’s almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball after being shunned by major league teams.
Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan — best known as the home of the United States Seventh Fleet — he allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.
The minor league park usually draws a few hundred spectators. The team said live streaming views reached 77,000 — 15 times
the usual 5,000.
“I thought the day went really well,” Bauer said. “The stuff was good, the command was good. The health was good. I feel like I’m ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count.”
Bauer said he was not sure when he’d be ready to start for the big club. He seems likely to get
another minor league start before moving up.
Despite not pitching in a competitive game since 2021, he said it all felt familiar.
“I’ve stayed ready,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all. The game came to me well. It didn’t speed up on me. I commanded the ball. There really
sult, knowing he didn’t have the car to hold off Larson late in the race on a restart.
“We got lapped twice and at one point I would have been happy to finish on the lead lap,” Logano said with a laugh.
His luck changed when he stayed out on the track when he caught a timely yellow caution flag, helping him suddenly land in the top five and in contention to win.
“There are days when you are mad about second place, but today is not one of those,” Logano said.
Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the last five years, finished 10th in his first race since breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident that forced him to miss six weeks. He ran in the mid-20s for most of the race before closing strong. Because he’s so far behind in the points race, Elliott likely needs a victory to get into the playoffs. He qualified 24th for Sunday’s race.
The Cup heads to Talladega next weekend for the first of two races at the 2.66-mile course. Ross Chastain won the spring race there last season and Elliott captured the fall race.
wasn’t any adjustment. Just competitive baseball instead of throwing to hitters in a cage.”
Bauer is in Japan on a oneyear deal that could let him prove himself and return to the majors where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in 2021.
Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
Bauer joined his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave. The Dodgers cut him in January but owe him $22.5 million this season.
Fans in Japan don’t seem bothered by Bauer’s past. Hundreds lined up outside the stadium after he pitched, hoping for a glimpse or maybe an autograph.
Dozens wore his BayStars jersey with his No. 96 — chosen because that’s his goal for his average fastball velocity — 96 mph.
“I felt like I was pretty close to 100% today,” Bauer said.” Obviously, I have to have a couple more outings to get up the pitch count. But I feel 100%.”
It’s the Englishman’s first victory since he won the U.S. Open last year
The Associated Press
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Matt Fitzpatrick’s earliest memories of Harbour Town were as a spectator wondering if Tiger Woods would play the RBC Heritage. He was always disappointed, since Woods only played once at Hilton Head, in 1999, when Fitzpatrick was 4 years old.
“I remember saying to my dad, “Is Tiger (Woods) going to be here?” he recalled.
Now, Fitzpatrick’s got a sweeter memory at the Pete Dye layout he played as a child on vacations.
Fitzpatrick defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third playoff hole on Sunday, stuffing his approach in close on the par-4 18th to secure his first victory since the U.S. Open last June.
“I think I can retire now,” joked the 28-year-old Englishman, who
uses a Harbour Town-style lighthouse headcover. “This is one I really wanted.”
Fitzpatrick hit 9-iron to within 1 foot on the closing lighthouse hole to set up the winning birdie.
Fitzpatrick had to sweat out a couple of prime chances by Spieth on the first two extra holes. Spieth raised his putter in triumph before watching his 12-foot birdie putt catch the right edge and spin out the first time the pair played the 18th. Then Spieth’s 9-foot birdie attempt ran out of steam on the right edge at the 17th hole.
“I felt every putt he hit was going to go in,” Fitzpatrick said. Spieth still doesn’t understand how that first playoff putt didn’t drop.
“I think if I hit the same putt 10 times, it goes in eight,” Spieth said.
The fifth-ranked men and 10th-ranked women have a combined 25-3 record
By Jesse Deal North State JournalWINGATE — Wins have been aplenty inside Ir-
win Belk Stadium the past few months as Wingate University’s lacrosse programs are having one of its most successful years in program history.
With a combined 18-0 record in South Atlantic Conference games this season (25-3 overall), the Bulldogs men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have won their regular season conference titles and are both ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II national rankings as SAC Tournament play awaits.
Coach Tim Boyle and his fifth-ranked men’s team (11-1, 9-0 SAC) wrapped up their first undefeated conference schedule on April 15, cruising to a 24-7 home victory over Coker for their 10th consecutive win.
The Bulldogs locked up their fifth SAC title in program history; the team now has two regular season championships along with three SAC Tournament championships.
Wingate will finish its regular season schedule on April 22 with a noon visit from fourth-ranked UIndy before getting ready for the SAC Tournament on April 25-30.
“She is such a special person on and off the field, she constantly pushes everyone to be the best they can be.”
Wingate women’s lacrosse coach Abby Wiley on Bulldogs midfielder Leah Knowles
“It should go left at the very end there on the grain. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
There was no doubt about the final hole as Fitzpatrick, from 187 yards out, hit the front of the green and watched the ball settle next to the hole. Spieth’s attempt from 26 feet away rolled past and Fitzpatrick tapped in for the victory.
Fitzpatrick felt the shot was true from the moment he struck it. He wasn’t sure how close it came, but he got an idea when his spotted his family cheering wildly.
“I knew it was good because my mom and my girlfriend were jumping up and down,” he said.
Fitzpatrick won $3.6 million from the elevated purse of $20 million in the sixth designated event of the year on the PGA Tour, topping a field that included seven of the world’s top 10 players.
Patrick Cantlay, grouped with Fitzpatrick and Spieth, was third after a 68 left him at 16-under. Xander Schauffele was another stroke behind after a 66. Sahith Theegala shot 65 and Hayden Buckley a 67 to tie for fifth at 14-under.
On the same day that the Wingate men’s team won its regular season title, coach Abby Wiley and the 10th-ranked women’s team (14-2, 9-0 South Atlantic Conference) also defeated Coker to earn their 10th straight win, guaranteeing a share of the regular season title with a 22-2 victory.
Wingate can claim the outright conference championship on April 22 at Limestone when the firstplace Bulldogs are hosted by the third-place Saints.
As far as individual honors, Bulldog graduate student face-off specialist James Kotcamp was recently named the Varsity Gems South Atlantic Conference men’s lacrosse Specialist of the Week. Kotcamp earned SAC weekly honors for the first time this season and the second time in his career.
Meanwhile, the accolades keep pouring in for Wingate All-American midfielder Leah Knowles, who was named the Varsity Gems South Atlantic Conference women’s lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth consecutive week. The senior from Hickory received that honor for the sixth time in her career.
She was also named the National Player of the Week by USA Lacrosse Magazine and the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.
“What an amazing accomplishment for Leah to be recognized nationally back-to-back weeks,” Wiley said in a university press release. “She is such a special person on and off the field, she constantly pushes everyone to be the best they can be.”
Knowles has 47 goals, 19 assists, 99 draw controls, 45 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls this season, ranking third in the SAC in goals, points and draw controls, as well as ranking sixth in assists and eighth in ground balls.
Connor Bedard, the top prospect in this summer’s NHL Draft, carries the Championship Cup after Canada defeated Czechia in overtime to win the IIHF World Junior Championships in January in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Connor Bedard is the crown jewel of this year’s draft class
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — At one point, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson downplayed the importance of the NHL Draft lottery on his team’s offseason plans. Moments later, Davidson allowed himself a wide grin as he pondered the possibilities.
“The top of the draft’s good,” he said with a smile. “Yeah, it’s a special top of the draft. There’s no doubt about it.”
It’s so good that a single pingpong ball could have a ripple ef-
fect beyond the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets — or another lucky NHL team looking to turn a dismal season into a blue-chip player.
High-scoring forward Connor Bedard is the top prize as the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, but University of Michigan star Adam Fantilli would be quite a return for whichever team gets the No. 2 pick. Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson also are expected to go in the top five.
Land one of those top spots in the May 8 lottery, and a rebuilding team could decide to accelerate its timeline through free agency. The franchise that takes a chance on Michkov, who has a more uncertain future because of his contract
with his Russian team, could position itself for another top pick in 2024.
The tantalizing talent of Bedard and Fantilli was an undercurrent throughout a season when the bottom of the standings was almost as interesting as what was going on at the top.
Anaheim (23-47-12) secured the league’s worst record by dropping its last 13 games. The reward is a 25.5% chance of its first No. 1 pick in the draft, and the Ducks are assured of a top-three selection when the lottery is held.
Wherever Anaheim lands in the draft, GM Pat Verbeek is preaching patience when it comes to the team’s prospects — including anyone that arrives via the lottery.
“I’m not going to rush players. Not going to put them in bad situations in order to get them to the NHL before they’re ready,” he said Friday.
Columbus (25-48-9) lost 5-2 to Buffalo on Friday night, clinching the second-best odds for No. 1 at 13.5%. The Blue Jackets were followed by Chicago (26-49-7), which closed its season with a 5-4 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Thursday night.
San Jose (22-44-16) dropped its last six games of the season. It has a 9.5% chance when it comes to winning the lottery, followed by Montreal (31-45-6) at 8.5% and Arizona (28-40-14) at 7.5%
Before falling on hard times, Chicago had a run of three Stan-
ley Cup titles in six seasons that was fueled in part by a pair of top picks. The Blackhawks took Jonathan Toews at No. 3 in 2006 and then drafted Patrick Kane with the top overall selection in 2007.
But Kane was traded to the New York Rangers in February, and Davidson announced Thursday that the team would not re-sign Toews this summer. The upcoming lottery could send a marquee attraction to an Original Six franchise in need of some star power. “As we sit right now, we’ve got a full board. We’re not taking anyone off,” Davidson said. “We’re looking for the best players. We can’t pass up on talent. That’s the main endeavor is we need to find high-end talent.”
“I think I can retire now. This is one I really wanted.”
Matt FitpatrickAP PHOTO AP PHOTO Matt Fitzpatrick holds the championship trophy after winning a three-hole playoff against Jordan Speith to claim the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is back at work in the U.S. Capitol on Monday, almost six weeks after a fall at a Washington-area hotel and extended treatment for a concussion.
The longtime Kentucky senator, 81, has been recovering at home since he was released from a rehabilitation facility March 25. He fell after attending an event earlier that month, injuring his head and fracturing a rib.
McConnell arrived at the Capitol early Monday and is expected to work a full schedule in the Senate this week.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday,” McConnell tweeted last week. “We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
McConnell returns to the Senate ahead of a busy stretch in which Congress will have to find a way to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and negotiate additional aid for the Ukraine war, among other policy matters. And he comes back as several other senators have been out for medical reasons, raising questions about how much the Senate will be able to achieve
in the coming months with a 5149 split between the parties.
Already, the GOP leader’s absence, along with those of Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and John Fetterman, among others, have added to the Senate’s lethargic pace in the first few months of the year. Unlike the last two years, in which Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer was able to push through key elements of President Joe Biden’s agenda with the help of a Democratic-led House, the Senate has been significantly slowed with Republicans now in charge in the House. And absences have made even simple votes like nominations more difficult.
One immediate question for
McConnell upon his return is whether to help Democrats temporarily replace Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee as she continues to recover in California from a case of the shingles. Democrats have become increasingly frustrated as the Democrat’s more than six-week absence on the panel has stalled confirmation of some of Biden’s nominees, and Feinstein has asked for a shortterm substitute on the committee.
Democrats can’t do that, though, without help from Republicans, since approval of the process would take 60 votes on the Senate floor. Two GOP members of the Judiciary panel, Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, have already said they don’t believe that Republicans should help Democrats replace Feinstein.
It is unclear when Feinstein, 89, will return to Washington. Her office has so far declined to say.
Also returning to the Senate on Monday is Fetterman, who was hospitalized for clinical depression in February. He was treated for six weeks at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and his doctors say his depression is now “in remission.”
Fetterman’s announcement that he was checking himself into the hospital earlier this year came after he suffered a stroke last year and has struggled with auditory processing disorder, which can render someone unable to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. The Pennsylvania Democrat, 53, now uses devices in conversa-
“We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell
tions, meetings and congressional hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time.
In a statement when he was released from Walter Reed late last month, Fetterman said the care he received there “changed my life.”
“I’m excited to be the father and husband I want to be, and the senator Pennsylvania deserves,” said Fetterman, who won praise for his decision to seek treatment.
McConnell visited his Capitol office on Friday ahead of his Monday return. In video captured by NBC News, h walked into the building without assistance as aides kept close by.
This was the second major injury for McConnell in recent years. Four years ago he tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery. The Senate had just started a summer recess, and he worked from home for some weeks as he recovered.
McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs.
The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — Step into a U.S. military recreation hall at a base almost anywhere in the world and you’re bound to see it: young troops immersed in the world of online games, using government-funded gaming machines or their own consoles.
The enthusiasm military personnel have for gaming — and the risk that carries — is in the spotlight after Jack Teixeira, a 21-yearold Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was charged with illegally taking and posting highly classified material in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.
State secrets can be illegally shared in countless different ways, from whispered conversations and dead drops to myriad social media platforms. But online gaming forums have long been a particular worry of the military because of their lure for young service members. And U.S. officials are limited in how closely they can monitor those forums to make sure nothing on them threatens national security.
“The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade,” said Dan Meyer, a partner at the Tully Rinckey law firm, which specializes in military and security clearance issues.
Foreign intelligence agents could use an avatar in a gaming room to connect with “18 to 23-year-old sailors gaming from the rec center at Norfolk Naval Base, win their confidence over for months, and then, through that process, start to connect with them on other social media platforms,” Meyer said, noting that U.S. spy agencies have also created avatars to conduct surveillance in the online games World of Warcraft and Second Life.
The military doesn’t have the authority to conduct surveillance of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil — that’s the role of domestic law enforcement agencies like the FBI. Even when monitoring members of the armed forces, there are privacy issues, something the Defense Department ran into headon as it tried to establish social media policies to counter extremism in the ranks.
The military does, however, have a presence in the online game community. Both the Army and the Navy have service members whose full-time job is to com-
pete in video game tournaments as part of military esports teams. The teams are seen as an effective way to reach and potentially recruit youth who have grown up with online gaming since early childhood. But none of the services said they had any sort of similar team playing online to monitor for potential threats or leaks.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sue
Gough said its intelligence activities are primarily focused internationally. In collecting any information on Americans, the Defense Department does so “in
accordance with law and policy and in a manner that protects privacy and civil liberties,” she said in a statement to The Associated Press. She said the procedures must be approved by the attorney general.
Instead, the military has focused on training service members never to reveal classified information in the first place. In wake of the online leaks, the department is reviewing its processes to protect classified information, reducing the number of people who have access, and reminding the force that “the re -
“The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade.”
sponsibility to safeguard classified information is a lifetime requirement for each individual granted a security clearance,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in a memo issued Thursday following Teixeira’s arrest.
But that may not be enough.
“These various gaming channels are just another form of social networks,” said Peter W. Singer, whose novel “Burn In” centered on attacks on the U.S. that are plotted in a private chamber of an online war game — and where all the plotters use avatars of historical figures to disguise themselves.
Singer, who has advised the Pentagon on future warfare, expects that future espionage and plotting will likely find haven in some of these private online worlds.
“There’s a shift from it being viewed as niche, and for kids to adults using it for everything from marketing and entertainment to criminality,” Singer said. “Is this the future? Most definitely.”
But besides the legal limitations on monitoring these games, the vast number of sites and private chats would be virtually impossible for the Pentagon to manage, Singer said.
“Your answer to this can’t be ‘How do I find it on video game channels?’” Singer said. “Your answer has to be, ‘How do I keep it from getting out in the first place?’”
WHEN REP. KEVIN McCarthy emerged from a messy 15-ballot election and ascended to House speaker, he was emboldened rather than chastened by the fight, declaring that his father taught him early on in life: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
So far, McCarthy has logged surprise successes in the new Congress: The Republican House has passed dozens of bills, many of them bipartisan, including politically potent efforts targeting crime and the COVID-19 pandemic that left President Joe Biden almost no choice but to sign the bills into law.
McCarthy has opened the Capitol more fully to visitors, relishing the onlookers who stop to snap selfies during his impromptu hallway news conferences. He hosted his first foreign leader, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, with a diplomatic flourish, leading a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers standing up to China.
On Monday, McCarthy delivered a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, another sign of his rising influence.
In many ways, it was inevitable that whoever followed the last House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would operate differently because of the oversize role she played as one of the most
powerful congressional leaders in modern times.
But McCarthy is remaking the speaker’s office in his image, including reclaiming a private room just steps from the House floor for meetings. The silver-haired father shuns many of the formal trappings of Congress — he may never return to the televised briefing room at the Capitol for formal news conferences — as he begins
to tap into the enormous powers at his disposal. He often suggests he’s being underestimated. House Republicans stunned Washington with some unexpected early victories when they took control in January for the first time in four years. Republicans all but forced Biden into signing early bills into law, including one to roll back the District of Columbia’s crim-
inal code. Democrats were furious when the White House abandoned efforts to veto the measure and played into the GOP’s toughon-crime rhetoric.
On other measures, McCarthy found Democrats willing to cross party lines — to create a select committee focused on U.S. competition with China, to require the administration to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 and to require an abrupt end to the national pandemic emergency. Hard-right critics who withheld their support of McCarthy during the 15 ballots it took to become speaker until he agreed to their demands seem relatively satisfied at the outcome.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., the past chairman of the Freedom Caucus, in an interview. “I can’t complain.”
To establishment conservative observers, the House under McCarthy is a welcome contrast to the past two years of Democratic party rule in Washington.
“Now there’s actually a check and balance,” said Eric Cantor, a former GOP leader. “He is delivering that every day and very effective, obviously, at holding his troops together.”
As McCarthy balances his own Reagan-styled optimism against the Trump-aligned populists in his conference, he has kept close to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally. She has been leading efforts to ease detention conditions for defendants facing some of the most severe charges stemming from the Cap -
itol riot.
In another gesture toward his right flank, McCarthy released thousands of hours of the riot video footage about the riot to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has fanned false conspiracy theories of the attack. McCarthy was among those members of Congress who voted on Jan. 6, 2021, against certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump.
Even the House investigations into Biden and his family that were supposed to be a capstone of the new Republican majority have spun into a free-for-all with several committees examining all aspects of the federal government.
“Tough job,” said GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told The Associated Press about the speaker. “But he’s doing great.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who was among the holdouts during the weeklong speaker’s election, said it all may make McCarthy “the best speaker” in his lifetime.
“We are proud of him,” said Clyde, whose crime bill was the first Biden signed into law.
“I mean, he’s proven he can fight. He’s proven that he’ll stick it out. Well, that should terrify the White House and terrify the Senate. The House is in control.”
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 28 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in a sprawling fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
The three Guzman sons charged — Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar — are known as the Chapitos, or little Chapos, and have earned a reputation as the more violent and aggressive faction of the cartel.
Of the three, only Guzmán López is in custody, in Mexico.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the three indictments aimed at hitting the cartel’s global network, standing alongside Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors.
The defendants span a broad swath of a complex manufacturing and supply network. They include Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.
Others are suspected of running drug labs in Mexico or accused of providing security, weapons and illicit financing for the drug trafficking operation.
The wide-ranging case comes as the U.S. remains in the grip of a devastating overdose crisis largely by fentanyl poisonings. Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, a record-setting number.
Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by more than 400% since 2019, officials said, and this fiscal year’s seizures have already surpassed the total for all of 2022.
Most of the fentanyl trafficked in the United States comes from the Sinaloa cartel, the Drug Enforcement Administration says.
“Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic,” Garland said. “We will never forget those who bear responsibility for this tragedy. And we will never stop working to hold them accountable for their crimes in the
United States.”
The Sinaloa cartel’s notorious drug lord, known as El Chapo, was convicted in 2019 of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation. At Guzman’s trial, prosecutors said evidence gathered since the late 1980s showed he and his murderous cartel made billions of dollars by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. A defiant Guzman accused the federal judge in his case of making a mockery of the U.S. justice system and claimed he was denied a fair trial.
In outlining the charges Friday, Garland described the violence
of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials. That has included people fed to tigers owned by Guzman’s sons, sometimes while the victims were still alive, Garland said.
Eight of those charged have been arrested and remain in the custody of law enforcement officials in Colombia, Greece, Guatemala and the U.S., Milgram said. The U.S. government is offering rewards for several others charged in the case, including up to $10 million for Guzman’s other two sons.
Friday’s indictments were filed in New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.
Along with the five defendants from China and Guatemala accused of supplying the cartel with precursor chemicals, two Chinese firms were also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Friday.
U.S. government officials are pressing Chinese officials to do more to stem the shipment of those chemicals. With Washington-Beijing relations strained, the Biden administration says it has looked to allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to make clear to China that the issue is a global problem, according to senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters following the announcement of the indictment.
Ovidio Guzmán López, one of Guzmán’s sons, was arrested in January in the Sinaloa capital of Culiacan. Ovidio Guzmán, nick-
named the Mouse, had not been one of El Chapo’s better-known sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years earlier. This time Mexico successfully got Guzmán out of Culiacan. In 2019, authorities had him, but they released him after his gunmen began shooting up the city.
Some 30 people among authorities and suspected gunmen died in the operation, which unleashed hours of shootouts shutting down the city’s airport. The U.S. government is currently awaiting the younger Guzmán’s extradition.
Ovidio Guzmán López and another brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, allegedly helped move the Sinaloa cartel hard into methamphetamines, producing prodigious quantities in large labs. They were previously indicted in 2018 in Washington on drug trafficking charges.
The other two sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar, are believed to have been running cartel operations together with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. They were previously also charged in the U.S. in Chicago and San Diego.
Zambada had been rumored to be be in poor health and isolated in the mountains leading the sons to try to assert a stronger role to keep the cartel together.
The DEA said it investigated the case in 10 countries: Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and the United States. “Death and destruction are central to their whole operation,” Milgram said of the cartel.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Asheboro to host its first Mariachi Festival
The City of Asheboro has officially announced that it will be hosting the city’s first Mariachi Festival on the first weekend of May. The festival will consist of two days of events, with a paid concert featuring Latin GRAMMYwinning female group Flor de Toloache on Friday, May 5, at the Sunset Theatre. Tickets for this performance are $35 for orchestra seating or $25 for balcony seating, and can be purchased online at SunsetTheatre.eventbrite.com or in person at the Asheboro Cultural & Recreation Services office. The following day, there will be a free event at Bicentennial Park featuring local mariachi bands from the Triad, including Asheboro’s own Ballet Folkloric Guadalupano. In addition to the musical performances, the Mariachi Festival will also host a variety of food trucks, hold a taco-eating contest, and offer plenty more exciting activities. For additional information about the festival, please call the Cultural & Recreation Services office at 336-626-1240 (ext 1).
An Asheboro woman was arrested and charged with arson after setting fire to a house this past week.
According to a press release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a residential fire on April 11. By the time deputies arrived on the scene, fire crews had already managed to contain the fire. Prior to the fire, deputies were called out to the same residence because of arguments taking place between persons living at the Asheboro home. One resident of the home claims that she heard someone beating on the outside of the home and shouting that it was on fire. Following an investigation, Paula Lee Garner Faucette was arrested and charged with felony first-degree arson. She was issued a $100,000 secured bond and scheduled to appear in Randolph County District Court the day after her arrest.
RANDLEMAN — Hundreds of residents and fans gathered Saturday afternoon in Randleman to see the unveiling of a statue of the “King of NASCAR” himself, Richard Petty, at the new Richard Petty Tribute Park.
The event was the culmination of five years of planning and fundraising by the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, which raised the funds for the statue and park, along with a donation from NASCAR.
The public ceremony took place on Hilliary Street, behind the police station and next to the library.
The opening ceremony drew a crowd estimated of more than 200 people, consisting of the extended Petty family, Randleman mayor Gary B. Betts Sr., Asheboro mayor David Smith, Brian Biggs (R-NC House-70), county commissioners, North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey, residents, and fans of
the Pettys.
At the ceremony, Betts and the Board of Alderman announced a special proclamation declaring
ASHEBORO — A dream that began as a high school boy working at a service station cleaning cars has transformed into a family legacy for the Asheboro community and beyond. Donald and his son, Toby Strider, have long been patrons of the area and have plans to continue their legacy by allowing new ownership of the Strider-Buick-GMC-Subaru dealership and the expansion of their used car dealership Home Plate Motors.
“The dream of having a new car dealership just evolved,” Toby said. “He [Donald] went from washing cars to buying and selling a few used cars, to having his own lot.”
starting with washing cars.
“The first time I sold cars was the summer between my sophomore and junior year of college,” Toby said. “I was nervous as could be, but my dad said, “Son, it’s not that hard. If there’s a problem with a car, if there’s a dent, scratch, stain, or whatever, show that to the customer first. Don’t try to hide anything.” A month after Toby graduated from college, he began handling the parts and services aspects while his father handled sales.
“I had to learn to work with the public at sixteen years old, and that’s a valuable education that you can’t get in a classroom.”
Toby Strider
In 2001, Toby and his father bought Donald’s partner out of Strider-Buick-GMC-Subaru, making the dealership their own family business. Toby was twelve years old when he began working at the dealership,
“A smile goes a long way; listening and genuinely caring about their [customers’] concerns instantly tends to build trust,” Toby said.
“I had to learn to work with the public at sixteen years old, and that’s a valuable education that you can’t get in a classroom.”
Strider-Buick-GMC-Subaru has long held its reputation of having trustworthy staff, some of whom have been working
April 3 of each year as Richard Petty Day in Randleman.
The statue of Richard and Lynda Petty was cast by Carolina Bronze
Sculpture Inc in Seagrove and was sculpted by owner Ed Walker. He worked with the Pettys, including spending time with the late Lynda Petty’s hairstylist.
The City of Randleman dedicated the park to the Petty Family “in honor of their service to community organizations, philanthropy through the Petty Family Foundation, leadership on the school and tourism boards and more,” according to a statement.
“We are proud to have Richard Petty as a friend of our tourism industry in Randolph County,” said Amber Scarlett, executive director of The Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau. “He may not realize the true impact of his continued presence in Randleman. Thousands of visitors from all over the world travel to the Petty Museum and Garage and Victory Junction each year. Richard Petty made a conscious decision to stay in his hometown and make an impact here in Randleman, in Randolph County. We love having him as our hometown hero that promotes our area every day.”
In a news conference prior to the unveiling, Petty spoke briefly about calling Randolph County home.
“Racing has given me the opportunity to go to Europe, Asia, Australia, all over the world, and I’ve never been anywhere where I didn’t like
See PETTY, page 6
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Schools Board of Education met Monday, April 17, with recognitions as well as budgetary matters as the central parts of the agenda. The board started the meeting by recognizing the two students from Randolph County who were selected for the North Carolina Governor’s School.
“The North Carolina Governor’s School is a four-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students, integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on each of two campuses,” said Public Information Officer Tim Moody. “The program is administered by the Public Schools of North Carolina, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction through the Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education. Students are selected to attend the North Carolina Governor’s School through a compet-
itive process after being nominated by their public school unit or non-public school.”
The program, which is open to rising seniors, with exceptions made for rising juniors in selected performing/visual arts areas, is located on two campuses, Salem College in Winston-Salem and Meredith College in Raleigh, and has a maximum of 335 students
See BOE, page 2
IT’S JUST ONE POLL, conducted by SSRS Research for CNN, but it provides interesting evidence about where voters are on issues, and it isn’t glaringly inconsistent with other survey research.
So “which political party’s views are closer to” yours on each issue?
Answer: mostly the Republican Party. On the economy (41%-29%), immigration (40%-30%), crime and policing (40%-28%), government spending (35%-26%) and parents’ rights (36%-33%).
narrowly elected Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, that high crime in black neighborhoods results from anger at low corporate tax rates.
Biden’s statement this week that he’s “planning” to run for reelection shows a certain nervousness about the possibility that he, like his immediate predecessor, may have difficulty winning re-nomination.
OcasioCortez’s brand of “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters.
Admittedly, the Republicans’ margin is closer on America’s role in world affairs (35%-32%) and freedom of speech (37%-35%), and Democrats have the advantage on social and cultural issues (36%-33%) and abortion (40%-30%).
But the overall picture is fairly clear. Although respondents usually have more negative feelings about the Republican than the Democratic party, on this particular set of issues — not out of line with other polls on voter priorities — Republicans have a statistically significant advantage over Democrats on four issues and Democrats on only one.
That’s reasonably consistent with President Joe Biden’s job approval, which is currently 44% and has been running at about that level, and occasionally well below, most of the time since the disorderly withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. But it’s at least somewhat dissonant with polls matching Biden against former President Donald Trump, in which the latter leads 44% to 42% — a statistical tie.
One revealing thing about these numbers is that they show majorities of American voters rejecting both the 45th and 46th presidents, and are presumably in the market for a 47th. But even more revealing is that Republicans’ apparent advantage on salient issues has not produced an electorate determined to reject an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent.
That’s true even though Biden himself, after tacking left on virtually every issue during Ron Klain’s months as White House chief of staff, has now, during Jeff Zients’ weeks in that post, taken a couple of stands that suggest an awareness of vulnerability on some key issues.
He’s announced changes in immigration policy apparently designed to prevent some illegal border crossers to apply for asylum status. One suspects that the administration welcomes the vocal opposition from the left, which may help Biden and other Democrats convince voters that he has abandoned what can plausibly be attacked as an open borders policy.
And, despite cries of anguish from the defund-the-police left, Biden declined to veto Congress’ bipartisan overturning of the District of Columbia legislation reducing the penalties for violent crimes. This shows a lack of confidence in the liberal talking point that violent crime is less prevalent than it was 30 years ago and in the argument, advanced by the
As the Washington Post’s Republican columnist Henry Olsen points out, a YouGov poll gives Biden 81% job approval among Democrats but reports that only 48% of them want him to run again.
That has prompted the Spectator’s conservative writer Ben Domenech to make the perhaps puckish suggestion that Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY) challenge the incumbent. Some 47 years younger than Biden, she will reach the constitutionally required age of 35 in October 2024.
Domenech compares an AOC candidacy to Pat Buchanan’s challenge of the first President George Bush in 1992 and suggests that just as Buchanan presaged Republicans’ post-Bush movement toward isolationism and protectionism, so Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of what I call “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters strong enough to have provided the decisive votes earlier this month in the City of Big Shoulders.
As for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump faces announced or possible opposition from serious figures in early-primary states — South Carolina’s Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu — who could potentially be ticket-balancing VPs. The Manhattan district attorney’s flimsy indictment last week boosted Trump’s numbers, at least temporarily, but as I noted last week, primary preferences are usually readily changeable.
Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights, analyzing his firm’s polling, classifies 25% of Republican voters as Always Trump, 15% as Never Trump and 60% as up-for-grabs. That suggests there is plenty of room for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been competitive with Trump in twocandidate pairings, to overtake Trump if and when early-state candidates and former Vice President Mike Pence fall by the wayside.
Bottom line: Republicans have some advantage on issues, but there’s probably a bigger advantage for the party whose voters eschew residual loyalties and dump their overage and unpopular 2020 presidential nominees.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.
Every schoolkid knows — or used to know — that the United States has three branches of government. At least that’s what the textbooks say.
But really, we have four branches of government.
roughly reversed. He also got rid of stringent cost-benefit analysis for new rules. This was to ensure that the regulation wasn’t going to have a price tag far exceeding any societal benefit.
We are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year.
That’s because Congress — the legislative branch — has for decades delegated lawmaking authority to the unconstitutional fourth branch of the U.S. government: independent regulatory agencies. By some estimates, there are more than 300 of these agencies sticking their nose into every aspect of American life and business, from what kind of car you can buy to the temperature setting on your thermostat to what you can build on your own private property.
Who are these regulatory czars accountable to? Who elected them?
To his credit, former President Donald Trump tried to rein in the regulatory blob. He promised to rescind two regulations for every new regulation enacted while he was president. He actually repealed about five rules for every new one.
But President Joe Biden LOVES to regulate.
On his first day in office, Biden rescinded the Trump policy, and the ratios have been
Now we are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The federal government doesn’t abide by the Ten Commandments. Now there are more than 10,000. Biden’s latest whopper is an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would effectively ban the production of gas-powered cars within 10 years.
Almost all recent presidents left office with more rules and red tape than when they entered. Ronald Reagan and Trump were two exceptions. Richard Nixon created the EPA, even though states were doing a fine job cleaning air and water. It was the George W. Bush administration that passed an energy bill requiring household appliances like home refrigerators and dishwashers to be “energyefficient,” which in practice meant they didn’t work very well.
What can be done to trim the tentacles of the regulatory octopus? How about cutting those budgets and their enormous
bureaucratic staffs? Over the last 30 years, the budgets of the regulatory agencies have more than tripled after adjusting for inflation from $25 billion to $75 billion. If Biden has his way, next year the regulatory octopus will exceed $100 billion to arm super-regulators like Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission. Khan has tremendous authority over whether businesses should be able to merge. She’s never run even a lemonade stand in her whole life.
Congress still has power over the purse. Cutting the regulatory budgets in half would still ensure safety, financial soundness and a clean environment while saving half a trillion dollars over 10 years. The Republicans should start by ensuring that the snoops at the IRS don’t get 87,000 more IRS agents to harass citizens and pry into every private transaction we make.
Yes, we want sound regulation. But it shouldn’t cost our families and businesses $2 trillion a year.
Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. His latest book is “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”
NBA
Former NBA star Kemp charged in shooting Seattle
Prosecutors in Washington state have charged six-time NBA all-star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone. Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day. However, a statement by Tacoma police did not indicate Kemp was shot at. Kemp played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
Kirkwood wins Long Beach for 1st career
IndyCar victory
Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Kirkwood won the first race of his IndyCar career by holding off Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. The 24-year-old Kirkwood started on the pole for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and closed out the win at the most prestigious street course race in the United States. Grosjean finished second and was followed by Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou as Honda drivers swept the top-five.
HOCKEY
Knight’s hat trick lift
U.S. women over Canada at Worlds Brampton, Ontario Hilary Knight scored three times, including the go-ahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline Harvey added a goal and assist for the U.S. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and MariePhilip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada.
Chase Elliott finished 10th in his return after missing six races due to a broken leg suffered snowboarding on March 3
The Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. —
Kyle Larson never thought he would tame the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track at Martinsville Speedway.
And then came Sunday.
Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott.
It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and 15th in the last three seasons for the 2021 Cup champion.
Larson has struggled mightily at Martinsville in the past.
In his previous 17 races here, he had only three top-five finishes and never finished better than third.
“I never, ever would have thought I would have won here,” Larson said. “This place has been so tough on me and just does not
suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.” Because of his lack of past success at the track, Larson joked that he doesn’t have room picked out for where to keep the 6-foottall grandfather clock awarded to the winner.
The 2020 Cy Young winner hadn’t pitched competitively since 2021 after being accused of domestic violence
The Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan — Shunned by major league clubs, Trevor Bauer is trying to find his way in Japan where fans are drawn by his near celebrity status and seem unconcerned by domestic violence allegations against him.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner pitched his first competitive game in almost two years on Sunday and said he’s almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball after being shunned by major league teams.
Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan — best known as
the home of the United States Seventh Fleet — he allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.
The minor league park usually draws a few hundred spectators. The team said live streaming views reached 77,000 — 15 times the usual 5,000.
“I thought the day went really well,” Bauer said. “The stuff was good, the command was good. The health was good. I feel like I’m ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count.”
Bauer said he was not sure when he’d be ready to start for the big club. He seems likely to get another minor league start before moving up.
Despite not pitching in a competitive game since 2021, he said it all felt familiar.
“I’ve stayed ready,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all. The game came to me well. It didn’t speed up on me. I commanded the
Larson said the clock immediately becomes one of his most prized possessions because it serves as a reminder of how hard he has worked to win at a track where he never felt comfortable.
“I’ve left here just mad. I’ve hated this place, and I’ve wished it
would flood,” Larson said with a laugh. “I wished a lot of bad things on this place.”
Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
Logano was thrilled with his result, knowing he didn’t have the car to hold off Larson late in the race on a restart.
“We got lapped twice and at one point I would have been happy to finish on the lead lap,” Logano said with a laugh.
His luck changed when he stayed out on the track when he caught a timely yellow caution flag, helping him suddenly land in the top five and in contention to win.
“There are days when you are mad about second place, but today is not one of those,” Logano said. Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the last five years, finished 10th in his first race since breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident that forced him to miss six weeks.
He ran in the mid-20s for most of the race before closing strong.
Because he’s so far behind in the points race, Elliott likely needs a victory to get into the playoffs. He qualified 24th for Sunday’s race.
The Cup heads to Talladega next weekend for the first of two races at the 2.66-mile course. Ross Chastain won the spring race there last season and Elliott captured the fall race.
ball. There really wasn’t any adjustment. Just competitive baseball instead of throwing to hitters in a cage.”
Bauer is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to the majors where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in
2021. Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
Bauer joined his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave. The Dodgers cut him in January but owe him $22.5 million this season.
Fans in Japan don’t seem bothered by Bauer’s past. Hundreds lined up outside the stadium after he pitched, hoping for a glimpse or maybe an autograph.
Dozens wore his BayStars jersey with his No. 96 — chosen because that’s his goal for his average fastball velocity — 96 mph.
“I felt like I was pretty close to 100% today,” Bauer said.” Obviously, I have to have a couple more outings to get up the pitch count. But I feel 100%.”
I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all.”
Trevor BauerAP PHOTO Kyle Larson celebrates with his family after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
Trevor Bauer, shunned by MLB, makes Japanese baseball debut
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
RANDLEMAN — Brandon Varner’s wildly successful five-season stretch as Randleman’s girls’ basketball coach has come to an end.
“Just time to step away,” Varner said. “The biggest thing was the time I was putting into basketball. There’s really no breaks.”
Under Varner, the Tigers went 103-20, with half those defeats coming in his first season when the team went 15-10. Varner, 40, will remain as athletics director at Randleman Middle School, where he also is on the football staff.
“It was just getting to be a lot of time and going back and forth to the high school,” Varner said.
Randleman finished 27-2 during the past season following a 25-1 record in 2021-22. The Tigers were the Class 2-A West Region top seed in each of those seasons, reaching the regional semifinals this year for the fourth season in a row. “It was so much fun and so many memories,” he said. “So proud of what (the players) accomplished and how hard they worked. They bought in to accomplish everything as a team and were dedicated to being a championship team.”
Varner took charge of the program beginning with the 2018-19 season. The Tigers have rung up a 56-4 record in regular-season
conference play during his time.
Randleman was 24-3 in his second season and 12-4 in the pandemic-shortened slate in the 2020-21 academic year.
There will be a transition in the lineup as well. Senior standouts Gracyn Hall, Elizabeth York and Jordan Booker completed their eligibility. Gracie Beane and Audra Petty figure to form the nucleus for next season.
“It should be a very appealing job,” Varner said. “There’s a talented group of girls who work really hard and know how to win.”
Varner said his duties with Randleman Middle School, which included driving the bus for some
TRINITY — Bear Bradley is taking a job as a football head coach at a school in Randolph County.
Even though it’s a different stop than in a previous role, he said it feels like a return to a comfort zone.
Bradley has become the football coach at Trinity, leaving a similar position at Southern Guilford.
“The more I got thinking about it, I think it was one of those things; I already had some of those relationships,” Bradley said. “To be back in Randolph County and people you’ve known; there’s a family atmosphere, and you’re welcomed.”
Bradley spent four seasons (2013-16) as head coach at rival Wheatmore. So he said he’ll be familiar with many of the families who will have players on his first Trinity squad.
Bradley, 44, compiled a six-season record of 24-38 at Southern Guilford, a Class 3-A team. The Storm went 6-5 overall last season, finishing third in the Mid-State
3-A Conference behind Greensboro Dudley and Eastern Guilford.
Bradley replaces Marlon Morris, who stepped away after three seasons and a 9-16 record. The Bulldogs have posted back-to-back 4-6 records, with seven of those victories coming in non-conference games. So becoming more competitive in the Piedmont Athletic Conference is among the objectives.
Bradley coached from 2013-
teams, has kept him on the go. He said he sensed the need for near-constant attention on the girls’ basketball program, particularly without an assistant coach at all practices. “I felt it needed to be yearround if we’re going to be good,” he said. “I felt like that’s what we needed to do. During the season, if we’re not practicing, I felt like somebody is getting ahead of us.” Varner said he wouldn’t rule out returning to a coaching role if a season or two away has him itching to return. He also said a small-coaching assistant coaching position might be attractive as well.
16 at Wheatmore with a 14-31 record. Previously, he spent time as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Smoky Mountain, and at Randleman.
Bradley had two sons playing for his Southern Guilford teams. Malachi Bradley, a center, will graduate this spring, while quarterback/ linebacker Noah Bradley will join him at Trinity and be a junior on the 2023 team.
Coach Bradley said he’ll embrace the culture at Trinity.
“It’s a very appealing situation,” he said. “They’re more than ready and know what it takes to compete. They were always scrappy, blue-collar kind of people.”
Even though his new school will be a neighboring one from his role at Wheatmore, he considers this a chance “to come back to a place with business left unfinished.”
Clashing with traditional powers such as Greensboro Dudley and Southeast Guilford should prove beneficial, Bradley said.
“As a coach, you learned and grew,” he said. “It really challenges your knowledge of the game and pushes you to expand what you do.”
Bear Bradley will finish the school year as a teacher at Southern Guilford, where he instructs weightlifting. He said he’ll make the approximate 14-mile commute in the afternoons to address topics with the football program at Trinity.
Randolph Record
SOUTHWESTERN RAN-
DOLPH continued its dominance in softball with three more victories.
The biggest came against defending Piedmont Athletic Conference champion Providence Grove, which fell by 7-1 to the Cougars.
Entering this week, the Cougars held a 14-0 overall record and a 9-0 PAC mark, nearly wrapping up the regular-season title.
Macie Crutchfield struck out 14 Providence Grove batters with a four-hitter in Southwestern Randolph’s first game of last week. She walked three. Maddie Strider scored two runs.
Southwestern Randolph then socked host Central Davidson 19-3 behind Madison Varner’s five runs batted in.
The Cougars capped the week with a 10-0 ripping of visiting Randleman as Caressa King rapped four hits.
** Providence Grove won 2-0 against visiting Union Pines last Thursday as senior pitcher Emma Mazzarone struck out 14. That increased her career strikeout total to 792.
Medinger has been a steady performer for the Eagles, and he’s one of the core veterans on the team.
UCA went 3-0 last week, including winning a pair of tight Piedmont Athletic Conference matchups with Eastern Randolph. Medinger scored a run in the team’s 3-0 decision against Eastern Randolph.
Medinger, a senior utility player, is among the top UCA players in on-base percentage and run production. He was one of two UCA selections for the All-PAC team in 2022.
Entering this week with an 8-9 record, the Eagles are within two victories of matching last year’s win total that came in 25 games.
SOPHIA — Jason York wasn’t unscathed, but he was the winner in Saturday night’s 69-lap Late Models feature at Caraway Speedway. York, a Reidsville driver, was the top qualifier and started in the front spot, but he withstood several restarts to claim the victory.
Boo Boo Dalton of Liberty was the runner-up, followed by Buddy Isles, Justin Hicks and Jamie York.
In Modifieds, Josh Lowder was the wire-to-wire winner in the 35-lap race. Billy Gregg was the runner-up, followed by Mitchell Wright, Jaxson Casper and Justice Calabro.
In Mini Stocks, A.J. Sanders prevailed in the 12-driver field across 40 laps. Fast qualifier Chuck Wall was the runner-up,
with Johnny Baker, Luke Smith and Bryson Pickard comprising the next three spots.
In Challengers, Alex Stoltz stormed from the rear to capture the checkered flag. Tony Black was second, and Allen Vance took third ahead of Josh Williams and Blake Sharpe.
In UCARs, Daniel Hughes posted the victory ahead of Steven Collins, Justin Smith, Ron Mock and Josh Phillips completed the top five. Blair Patterson and Smith won UCARs heat races.
John Morton topped the field again in the Bootlegger feature over Robbie Perkins and Bentley Black.
In Southern Ground Pounders, Dennis Weaver was first across the line, followed by Bobby Griffin.
The next regular racing card at the speedway is set for April 29.
PROVIDENCE GROVE did what might have seemed like the unthinkable in Piedmont Athletic Conference baseball last week.
The Patriots knocked off state power Randleman and ended a multi-year streak of domination.
“Probably was unexpected,”
Providence Grove coach Glen Hunt said. “Not a lot of people thought we could go in and win that game.”
Providence Grove’s 3-2 victory halted Randleman’s 38-game winning streak against conference opponents that spread across parts of five seasons.
And two days later, the Patriots nearly did it again.
Providence Grove’s stunning victory came on Lemuel Coltrane’s three-run home run in the fourth inning at Randleman. How unusual was that?
It’s the only home run hit by the Patriots in what’s now 16 games played this year.
That blast off Seth Way followed singles by Andrew Canter and Joe Coltrane, that latter an attempted sacrifice bunt that turned into a single. Lemuel Coltrane, a right-handed batter, drove the ball over the fence in left-center field.
“He got ahold of a fastball, and it went out,” Hunt said.
Freshman Andrew Thomas threw a three-hitter with three walks and seven strikeouts to frustrate an often-potent Randleman offense.
“That game really went fast,” Hunt said. “All of a sudden, I looked up, and it’s the sixth inning, and we’ve still got the lead.”
The Tigers hadn’t lost a game to a conference opponent since April 25, 2019, to Providence Grove. Two days earlier that year, the Patriots also defeated Randleman.
After that week, the Tigers went on their conference domination, including a May 2, 2019, victory against Providence Grove in the league tournament final.
The pandemic limited Randleman to one conference game in
2020 before the rest of that season was canceled. The Tigers were 8-0 in PAC play this season before the loss.
The outcome ended Randleman’s nine-game overall winning streak this season.
Last Thursday, Randleman avenged that outcome with a 3-2 victory of its own against Providence Grove. Austin Lemons pitched a complete game while al-
lowing one earned run and Hunter Atkins drove in two runs, and Shawn Miller scored two runs for the Tigers.
“We played some pretty good defense in that game,” Hunt said.
Logan Fox had two of Providence Grove’s five hits off Lemons. Lemuel Coltrane doubled and scored, but Canter’s 5 2/3 innings on the mound went for naught. The loss means the Patri-
ots can’t catch Randleman in the regular-season standings.
Only Trinity, with two conference losses and four league games to go, can move to the top. That would require beating the Tigers twice this week.
Providence Grove has split four conference series to hold a 4-4 PAC mark and a 10-6 record entering this week.
“Hopefully, the kids realize
what they can do,” Hunt said. “Beating a team like Randleman should solidify that.”
** Southwestern Randolph won twice against Wheatmore, posting a 7-3 road victory as Grant Little pitched into the sixth inning without allowing an earned run in the PAC game. Adam Cole and Tyler Parks both had two hits, including a double apiece, and Grant Kirk scored two runs.
Later in the week at Asheboro, Austin Harvell’s grand slam in the sixth inning clicked in the mercy rule in a 12-1 romp. Cole launched a three-run home run, Easton Clapp had three hits and scored three runs, and Parks had two runs batted in. Jonah Campbell’s 5 1/3 innings on the mound earned him the victory.
In between those games, Southwestern Randolph hammered visiting Jordan-Matthews 18-6 as Eli Gravely drilled a home run and joined Harvell with three runs batted in.
** Jake Hunter and Brett Smith combined for Uwharrie Charter Academy’s 3-0 shutout of host Eastern Randolph. In the rematch, UCA won 4-3 at home in 10 innings, with Troy Carver and Caleb Brown knocking in runs in the 10th, which began with the score tied 1-1. The winning run scored on a passed ball. Eastern Randolph’s Stratton Barwick struck out 12 in seven innings.
UCA topped host Winston-Salem Atkins 11-2 in non-league play, with Walker Wilkins driving in three runs in the Eagles’ first outing of a three-win week.
** At Greensboro, Asheboro finished 1-2 in a three-day tournament at First National Bank Field.
Asheboro salvaged the seventh-place game on Tanner Marsh’s game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 2-1 victory against Northern Guilford on Saturday. Marsh struck out 10 in a six-inning pitching performance before Connor Adams worked the seventh for the victory.
Earlier, the Blue Comets lost 13-6 to Southeast Guilford and fell 2-1 to Western Alamance.
something, but I’ve never been anywhere where I like as much as I do Randolph County,” he said. “… It’s just home. I grew up here. I know the people here.”
The Petty family has been involved in the community for decades beyond Petty Fest and NASCAR Day. According to its website, The Petty Family Foundation has supported Randolph Community College, Operation North State, Disaster and Hardship Relief, Hospice of Randolph County, Local Youth Athletic Programs and Veteran Organizations, and nationally several charities supporting children and veterans.
Probably the most far-reaching, the Victory Junction camp was founded in honor of Adam Petty who was tragically killed in a practice session for a Busch Series race in 2000. Now a part of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, the camp “enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions by providing life-changing camp experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering; all in a medically-safe environment at no cost to the camper or their family,” according to its website.
Since opening in 2004, it has provided more than 115,000 experiences to children across the country. Kyle Petty’s annual charity ride helps to raise money for the camp.
May 16, 1942 — April 16, 2023
Mr. Jimmy Lee Stevens, age 80 of Randleman passed away Sunday morning, April 16th., at the Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro. Born in Randleman on May 16th, 1942 to Robert and Virginia Stevens. Jimmy was a member of Forest Park Baptist Church, the Balfour Masonic Lodge # 188 where he was past Master in 1982. He became of member of the Asheboro Masonic Lodge in 2021 after the closing of the Balfour Lodge. Jimmy graduated from Randleman High School in 1960 where he played football and basketball. He was a member of the Randleman Fire Department where he served for 18 years and left as Captain. He worked at Burlington Industries in Asheboro for 28 years and left when the plant closed. He then worked and retired from Dart Container in Randleman in 2007 after 19 years. Jimmy was married to Janice Underwood Stevens for 61 years. Jimmy is survived by his wife Janice, 1 daughter Rhonda Nunn (Eddie) of Randleman, 1 grandson Michael Nunn of Randleman.
September 13, 1932 — April 15, 2023
Mrs. Dorothy Ann Creel Willcox, age 90 of Asheboro passed away Saturday, April 15th 2023 at the Hospice House of Randolph , Asheboro NC. Born September 13 th. 1932 in Mobile , Alabama to Ben and Gladys Creel.
Mrs. Willcox is survived by 2 sons, James Lee Willcox Jr. ( Erin) of Utah and Robert Paul Willcox of Asheboro. 2 daughters, Linda Chambers of Austin Tx and Sara Robbins (Hoyt) of Asheboro. 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren. Mrs. Willcox was preceded in death by her husband James Lee Willcox and brother Ben Creel Jr.
Mrs. Willcox enjoyed camping, reading and feeding the goats at Crossroad Retirement Community. She also enjoyed playing scrabble, especially with her grandson Eric. She made beautiful crochet afghans ; made one for all her children and grandchildren. Mrs. Willcox was a member of First United Methodist Church in Asheboro. She was a registered nurse and retired from the Neil Medical Group,Kinston, NC.
October 23, 1934 — April 14, 2023
Mr. Israel Jaiman Aguirre, age 88 of Asheboro passed away Friday, April 14th, 2023 at the Hospice House of Randolph.
Mr. Aguirre worked as a skilled carpenter in the construction industry for his entire career.
Mr. Aquirre is survived by 3 sons, Ivan Jaiman of Asheboro, Osvaldo Jaiman of Boynton Beach, Fl. and Carlos Jaiman of New York. 2 Daughters, Maribel Maldonado of Loganville, Ga and Isabel Jaiman of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. 18 grandchildren.
October 6, 1937 — April 13, 2023
Edward Lacy Spivey, Jr., age 85, of Asheboro passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Clapp's Convalescent Nursing Home.
Mr. Spivey was born in Randolph County on October 6, 1937 to Edward Lacy Spivey, Sr. and Margaret Messick Spivey. Ed served his country in the U.S. Army. He was the owner/ operator of Northside Barber and Beauty Salons. Ed was a longtime member of Balfour Baptist Church, where he served as a Deacon. Ed enjoyed woodworking and collecting antiques.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Frances Ann Moffitt Spivey; sister, Sharon Spivey Beane (Eugene) of Randleman; and several nieces and nephews.
October 3, 1939 — April 13, 2023
Beverly Noell New, age 83, of Asheboro passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at her home.
Ms. New was born in Danville, VA on October 3, 1939 to Dewey and Bessy Mae Reed New. She retired from Black & Decker, Asheboro City Schools, and Walmart.
She is survived by her daughters, Teresa Bruno (Kevin) of Asheboro and Stephanie Weeks of Randleman; son, Dewey Michael New (Wendy) of Ramseur; 6 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; brother, Dewey Melvin "Buddy" New, Jr. (Nancy) of Asheboro; and sister, Carolyn New of Burlington.
May 17, 1951 — April 13, 2023
Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Ocheltree, age 71, of Asheboro passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Randolph Hospital.
Mr. Ocheltree was born in Nicholas County, WV on May 17, 1951 to Bazil and Pauline Browning Ocheltree. Ronnie served in the National Guard for 6 years where he guarded underground missiles in Washington, DC. He was the owner/operator of Branch Paint Company and was a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church. Ronnie enjoyed painting, crafts, fishing, and watching Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers football. In addition to his parents, Ronnie was preceded in death by his son, Shawn Raum, brother, Jimmy Ocheltree, and sister, Ann Sloan. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Judith "Judy" Mitchell Ocheltree; daughters, Megan Ritter (Dwayne) and Olivia Murray; sons, Austin Ocheltree (Lou), Tim Murray (Hannah), and Phillip Murray (Christal); 7 grandsons; 6 granddaughters; brothers, Richard Ocheltree (Kay) and Roger Ocheltree (Brenda); and sister, Vickie Patterson (Rocky).
August 21, 1936 — April 12, 2023
Janice Vickers Ward, age 86, of Asheboro passed away on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at the Randolph Hospice House.
Mrs. Ward was born in Moore County on August 21, 1936 to Robert and Iris Dunlap Vickers. Janice was a graduate of North Moore High School and was of the Baptist faith. She was formerly employed with Bossong Hosiery and retired from AcmeMcCrary Corporation. Following her retirement, she was employed with K&W Cafeteria. In addition to her parents, Janice was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin Ward and her sister, Eldena Vickers. Janice enjoyed the outdoors and watching birds. She enjoyed cooking and baking cakes for her family and shopping. She was an avid fan of the North Carolina Tarheels basketball team. She is survived by her daughters, Teresa Ward of Asheboro and Vicki Sherman (Jerry) of Fort Mill, SC; granddaughter, Melissa Burgess (Eric) of Fort Mill, SC; great grandson, Blake Burgess of Fort Mill, SC; nephew, Daris Deaton of Seagrove; and niece, Anne Marie Musslewhite of Seagrove.
January 22, 1945 — April 13, 2023
Mrs. Dora Mae Markwood Clodfelter, age 78, of Asheboro passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the Randolph Hospice House.
Dora Mae Clodfelter was born on January 22nd, 1945, to W.D. and Ella Mae Markwood. She was the eldest of 4 children. Dora Mae was a born leader and helped bring out the best in those around her. She started working at The Big Deal shoe store at a young age and eventually took over part of the business which she continued to run until her retirement. She was married to Larry Clodfelter for almost 50 years before his passing a couple of years ago. She remained very much in love with him and missed him every day. If you knew Dora Mae, then you knew her best friend Sylvia Welborn as they have been the best of friends for over 60 years. They have always been very supportive of each other and never short on laughter. Dora Mae helped raise all her nieces and nephews as if they were her own. Just like her siblings, she had a love for family. This was handed down from her parents and helped hold us all together. She was a strong, independent woman with a heart of gold. Dora Mae will be missed but she will be celebrated because she will remain within us through the memories of her and the great impact she had on all our lives. Along with her husband Larry Clodfelter she is preceded in death by her brother Harry Markwood and sister and brother-in-law Debbie & Paul Bunting. She is survived by her brother, William "Buddy" Markwood (Jane) of Asheboro; sister-in-law, Patsy Markwood of Asheboro; best friend, Sylvia Welborn of Asheboro; nephew, Dexter Markwood of Asheboro; niece, Scarlett Berg of Greensboro; nephew, Rodney Miller of Asheboro; nieces, Tabitha Ownsbey of Asheboro, Lori Haithcox of Pine Bluff, and Lisa Newton of Asheboro; and several great nieces and nephews.
August 13, 1930 — April 11, 2023
Evelyn Alexander Young, age 92 passed on Tuesday April 11, with her family by her side.
Evelyn was born on August 13, 1930 in Arcadia, Fla., and is the daughter of the late Harold George and Olive Andersen Alexander. She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert Dale Young and her sister, Tressie Carney.
She is survived by her children: Dale (Lisa) Young of Randleman, NC; Lyn (David) Lewis of Level Cross, NC; and Greg (Angela) Young of Mooresville, NC. She has 3 grandchildren: Suzanne (Ben) Hunt, Jacob and Matthew Young and 1 Great Grandson: Wells Hunt.
Evelyn earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education and enjoyed teaching Elementary school. She was an avid reader, loved to travel and had a great sense of humor. She loved going to church and was a lifelong member of the 1st United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The American Heart Association or to the American Diabetes Association.
August 22, 1939 — April 12, 2023
Bobby Ray Williams, age 83, of Asheboro passed away on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at his home.
Bobby was born in Moore County, in the Westmoore community, on August 22, 1939 to the late Elmer and Flora Williams. He proudly served his country in the United States Army, and he worked for Union Carbide / Energizer Battery for 44 years as an industrial mechanic. On July 2, 1967, he married the love of his life, LaVerne Auman Williams. She preceded him in death in 2012, after being married for 45 years. They were both members of New Hope United Methodist Church in Seagrove.
Bobby was a hardworking man, enjoying the simple things in life. He took great pride in his work and believed that details mattered in accomplishing a job well done. He treasured time with his family and at home, working outside, spending time on his tractor and growing a large garden every year.
In addition to his parents and wife, Bobby was preceded in death by siblings Eldon Williams, Lloyd Williams, Donna Rose McLeod and Bill Moore.
He is survived by his son, Dr. Brandon Williams and wife, Dr. Amy Williams, of Asheboro. His greatest joy for the last 11 years was his one and only granddaughter, Anna Virginia Williams, who gave him the prized title of PawPaw.
Additionally, he is survived by his brothers, Rufus Williams (Estelle), Johnny Williams (Margaret); sisters, Elise Hancock (William), Faye Lineberry and Brenda Maness; and many nieces and nephews.
The Associated Press
WHEN REP. KEVIN McCarthy emerged from a messy 15-ballot election and ascended to House speaker, he was emboldened rather than chastened by the fight, declaring that his father taught him early on in life: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
So far, McCarthy has logged surprise successes in the new Congress: The Republican House has passed dozens of bills, many of them bipartisan, including politically potent efforts targeting crime and the COVID-19 pandemic that left President Joe Biden almost no choice but to sign the bills into law.
McCarthy has opened the Capitol more fully to visitors, relishing the onlookers who stop to snap selfies during his impromptu hallway news conferences. He hosted his first foreign leader, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, with a diplomatic flourish,
leading a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers standing up to China.
On Monday, McCarthy delivered a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, another sign of his rising influence.
In many ways, it was inevitable that whoever followed the last House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would operate differently because of the oversize role she played as one of the most powerful congressional leaders in modern times.
But McCarthy is remaking the speaker’s office in his image, including reclaiming a private room just steps from the House floor for meetings. The silver-haired father shuns many of the formal trappings of Congress — he may never return to the televised briefing room at the Capitol for formal news conferences — as he begins to tap into the enormous powers at his disposal.
He often suggests he’s being underestimated. House Republicans stunned Washington with
some unexpected early victories when they took control in January for the first time in four years. Republicans all but forced Biden into signing early bills into law, including one to roll back the District of Columbia’s criminal code. Democrats were furious when the White House abandoned efforts to veto the measure and played into the GOP’s toughon-crime rhetoric.
On other measures, McCarthy found Democrats willing to cross party lines — to create a select committee focused on U.S. competition with China, to require the administration to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 and
to require an abrupt end to the national pandemic emergency. Hard-right critics who withheld their support of McCarthy during the 15 ballots it took to become speaker until he agreed to their demands seem relatively satisfied at the outcome.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., the past chairman of the Freedom Caucus, in an interview. “I can’t complain.”
To establishment conservative observers, the House under McCarthy is a welcome contrast to the past two years of Democratic party rule in Washington.
“Now there’s actually a check and balance,” said Eric Cantor, a former GOP leader. “He is delivering that every day and very effective, obviously, at holding his troops together.”
As McCarthy balances his own Reagan-styled optimism against the Trump-aligned populists in his conference, he has kept close to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally. She has been leading efforts to ease detention conditions for defendants facing some of the most severe charges stemming from the Capitol riot.
In another gesture toward his right flank, McCarthy released
thousands of hours of the riot video footage about the riot to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has fanned false conspiracy theories of the attack. McCarthy was among those members of Congress who voted on Jan. 6, 2021, against certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump.
Even the House investigations into Biden and his family that were supposed to be a capstone of the new Republican majority have spun into a free-for-all with several committees examining all aspects of the federal government.
“Tough job,” said GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told The Associated Press about the speaker. “But he’s doing great.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who was among the holdouts during the weeklong speaker’s election, said it all may make McCarthy “the best speaker” in his lifetime.
“We are proud of him,” said Clyde, whose crime bill was the first Biden signed into law.
“I mean, he’s proven he can fight. He’s proven that he’ll stick it out. Well, that should terrify the White House and terrify the Senate. The House is in control.”
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 28 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in a sprawling fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
The three Guzman sons charged — Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar — are known as the Chapitos, or little Chapos, and have earned a reputation as the more violent and aggressive faction of the cartel.
Of the three, only Guzmán López is in custody, in Mexico.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the three indictments aimed at hitting the cartel’s global network, standing alongside Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors.
The defendants span a broad swath of a complex manufacturing and supply network. They include Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.
Others are suspected of running drug labs in Mexico or accused of providing security, weapons and illicit financing for the drug trafficking operation.
The wide-ranging case comes as the U.S. remains in the grip of a devastating overdose crisis largely by fentanyl poisonings. Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug
overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, a record-setting number.
Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by more than 400% since 2019, officials said, and this fiscal year’s seizures have already surpassed the total for all of 2022.
Most of the fentanyl trafficked in the United States comes from the Sinaloa cartel, the Drug Enforcement Administration says.
“Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic,” Garland said. “We will never forget those who bear responsibility for this tragedy. And we will never stop working to hold them accountable for their crimes in the United States.”
The Sinaloa cartel’s notorious drug lord, known as El Chapo, was convicted in 2019 of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation. At Guzman’s trial, prosecutors said evidence gathered since the late 1980s showed he and his murderous cartel made billions of dollars by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. A defiant Guzman accused the federal judge in his case of making a mockery of the U.S. justice system and claimed he was denied a fair trial.
In outlining the charges Friday, Garland described the violence of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials. That has included people fed to tigers owned by Guzman’s sons, sometimes
while the victims were still alive, Garland said.
Eight of those charged have been arrested and remain in the custody of law enforcement officials in Colombia, Greece, Guatemala and the U.S., Milgram said. The U.S. government is offering rewards for several others charged in the case, including up to $10 million for Guzman’s other two sons.
Friday’s indictments were filed in New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.
Along with the five defendants from China and Guatemala accused of supplying the cartel with precursor chemicals, two Chinese firms were also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign
Assets Control Friday.
U.S. government officials are pressing Chinese officials to do more to stem the shipment of those chemicals. With Washington-Beijing relations strained, the Biden administration says it has looked to allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to make clear to China that the issue is a global problem, according to senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters following the announcement of the indictment.
Ovidio Guzmán López, one of Guzmán’s sons, was arrested in January in the Sinaloa capital of Culiacan. Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed the Mouse, had not been one of El Chapo’s better-known
sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years earlier. This time Mexico successfully got Guzmán out of Culiacan. In 2019, authorities had him, but they released him after his gunmen began shooting up the city.
Some 30 people among authorities and suspected gunmen died in the operation, which unleashed hours of shootouts shutting down the city’s airport. The U.S. government is currently awaiting the younger Guzmán’s extradition.
Ovidio Guzmán López and another brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, allegedly helped move the Sinaloa cartel hard into methamphetamines, producing prodigious quantities in large labs. They were previously indicted in 2018 in Washington on drug trafficking charges.
The other two sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar, are believed to have been running cartel operations together with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. They were previously also charged in the U.S. in Chicago and San Diego.
Zambada had been rumored to be be in poor health and isolated in the mountains leading the sons to try to assert a stronger role to keep the cartel together.
The DEA said it investigated the case in 10 countries: Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and the United States. “Death and destruction are central to their whole operation,” Milgram said of the cartel.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
NCDHHS announces
Pandemic EBT program updates
A program that helped 1.6 million children get healthy food for the last three years is coming to an end, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services announced last Friday. The Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program will continue this summer for K-12 students who attend school in person after the United States Department of Agriculture granted an extension. To be eligible to receive benefits this summer, students must already qualify for or take part in their school’s freeor reduced-price meals program. Families who have not already qualified for free or reduced lunch should apply by May 1. Benefits for all other children, however, will end in May at the end of the school year. This includes children younger than six who receive Food and Nutrition Services. Benefits will also end in May for students who attend virtual or home school. The North Carolina P-EBT program will not be available during the 2023-2024 school year. If you need information on how to apply for free or reduced-price meals, contact your child’s school. To apply for FNS, visit www. ncdhhs.gov/FNS or apply through your local county Department of Social Services. While P-EBT ends this summer, the FNS program is still available to North Carolina families. For more information on P-EBT, frequently asked questions, or additional updates, please visit www.ncdhhs.gov/PEBT.
RALEIGH — A state audit of volunteer fire department grants issued by the N.C. Department of Insurance has cited problems with the way the grants were distributed.
The audit included $56.2 million in grants distributed by the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI) spanning Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 31, 2022.
According to the press release by the State Auditor’s office, “As of Nov. 30, 2022, $41.1 million (73%) was disbursed to volunteer fire departments.”
Two findings were included in the audit made claims that the grants were made with “limited verifica-
“The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants.”
State Fire Marshal Mike Causey
tion” the departments were eligible to either receive funds or had “the greatest need” of the funds and also that DOI “did not disburse Fire Grants to volunteer fire departments in accordance with
DOI policy.”
“DOI management stated it did not verify all self-reported information used to determine whether volunteer fire departments were eligible to receive grants and were most in need because it did not have adequate staff to verify recipient self-reported information nor did they reassign other DOI staff,” the audit states. “Instead, DOI required the volunteer fire departments to attest that their information was correct as part of the application process.”
The audit also stated, “According to DOI management, some Fire Grants were disbursed without documentation that supported the volunteer fire department’s reported expenditures because of an increase in the number of grants DOI was
RALEIGH — Business Court
Judge James Ammons issued a 12page order on April 14 that included a $677.8 million dollar figure in the long-running Leandro education funding case. Ammons was tasked with “recalculating the amount of funds to be transferred in light of the state’s 2022 budget.”
The breakdown of the $677.8 million to cover years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan includes recalculated amounts of $509,701,707 for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, $133.9 million for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and $34.2 million for the University of North Carolina System. Ammons’ final total is a match to the amount cited by the Office of State Budget and Management last December and is a similar number to that submitted by the N.C. Department of Justice lawyers. Lawmakers had recently put forth a figure of around $376 million.
“The arguments of the Legislative-Intervenors would require the Court to make a conclusion of law about an issue not presently before the Court on this limited remand.”
Judge James Ammons
Attorneys for legislative leaders had submitted over $48 million in credits for spending in five areas to bring down the overall total, however, Ammons disagreed.
“With respect to LegislativeIntervenors’ legal argument concerning recurring funding in Year 2, this Court will not disturb Judge Robinson’s “diligent and precise” calculations for Year 2,” Ammons wrote. “The arguments of the Legislative-Intervenors would require the Court to make a conclusion of law about an issue not presently before the Court on this limited remand, as set forth above.”
Last November, the former 4-3 Democrat-controlled Supreme Court, in essence, reaffirmed the 2021 $1.75 billion transfer order issued by former Leandro Judge David Lee. The then-Democratic-controlled court had ordered three state offices to transfer the funds from the state’s treasury despite the state constitution giving power of appropriations solely to the legislature. The Supreme Court’s ruling landed just four days before the 2022 election, and the ruling was characterized as being about “power” by dissenting justices.
The state controller, one of the three entities ordered to make the transfer, objected to Lee’s ruling, obtaining a writ blocking the transfer and later protesting in oral arguments before the Supreme Court that the office did not have the necessary legal authority to make the transfer.
Lee, who passed away in October 2022 after a battle with cancer, was replaced by business court Judge Michael Robinson in the spring of 2022. Robinson examined the spending and returned a dollar amount of $785 million.
required to administer.”
The audit made several recommendations based on its findings, such as DOI independently verifying information reported to DOI by a volunteer fire department, DOI making sure it has the staff to verify the information, and making sure the grants are given out “in accordance with DOI policy.”
DOI’s response agreed with the first point of the audit but disagreed with the second.
The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants,” Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike
See GRANTS, page 2
In January 2023, the Supreme Court installed two new justices, flipping control to a 5-2 Republican majority. The new court blocked the funding transfer order in March after the state controller renewed their objections. The court also directed Ammons to only come up with a dollar figure, signaling the Supreme Court will likely examine whether or not the three entities originally ordered to transfer the funds have the power to do so.
A HOKE COUNTY man was charged with first-degree murder this past weekend just hours after he was taken to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies received a call at roughly 2:20 pm on Friday afternoon regarding shots being fired in the Hillcrest Drive area. Upon arriving, deputies found that two homes in the area had been fired into but ultimately concluded that no one had been hurt during the incident.
While investigating a potential suspect for the shooting earlier in the day, deputies located a man who matched the description of the suspect. Jalen Jackson, the suspect in question, attempted to evade authorities on foot but was eventually caught and arrested without further incident.
While at the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson was questioned by detectives about the shooting earlier in the day but refused to speak about the incident. He was eventually released.
Three hours after the original call, deputies responded to a call about an unresponsive woman in the Nicholson Creek Game Lands area. EMS announced the woman,
At this time, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with additional information about this incident please contact Captain Blakley at (910) 875-5111.
who was later identified as Ashanti Allen, was dead as soon as they arrived on the scene. Her family was notified shortly afterward.
Deputies later arrested Jackson in connection to Allen’s death, though he refused to answer questions about her death.
Jackson has been charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, shooting into an occupied dwelling, and damage to private property. According to the sheriff’s office, Jackson was not given bond due to the nature of his charges.
At this time, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with additional information about this incident please contact Captain Blakley at (910) 875-5111.
staff does to enhance volunteer fire departments through the Office of State Fire Marshal.”
Causey said in an emailed statement to North State Journal. “Our department is always looking for ways to optimize and enhance our processes in the awarding of grants. We believe that we were administering the grants in accordance with the applicable statutes and rules, although we understand that the State Auditor disagrees.
“In future grant programs, we will require that county finance managers review and verify financial data before a grant application is submitted to the Department,” wrote Causey. “While we continue to examine each of the issues outlined in the audit, including our own self-reporting mechanism structure, our office is fully resolved to support the professional work our
The Volunteer Fire Department Fund was established in 1987 to provide grants to pay for equipment and capital improvements. Under state statute, DOI is responsible for the issuance of the grants in four areas that include fire grants, base allocation grants, supplemental grants and emergency reserve grants.
Fire grants cover equipment purchases and capital improvements to ensure fire protection services. DOI awarded $18.5 million of fire grant funds to 968 volunteer fire departments for an average of $19,082 per volunteer fire department during the period covered by the audit. As of Nov. 30, 2022, “$13.0 million (70%) was disbursed
IT’S JUST ONE POLL, conducted by SSRS Research for CNN, but it provides interesting evidence about where voters are on issues, and it isn’t glaringly inconsistent with other survey research.
So “which political party’s views are closer to” yours on each issue?
Answer: mostly the Republican Party. On the economy (41%-29%), immigration (40%-30%), crime and policing (40%-28%), government spending (35%-26%) and parents’ rights (36%-33%).
narrowly elected Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, that high crime in black neighborhoods results from anger at low corporate tax rates.
Biden’s statement this week that he’s “planning” to run for reelection shows a certain nervousness about the possibility that he, like his immediate predecessor, may have difficulty winning re-nomination.
OcasioCortez’s brand of “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters.
Admittedly, the Republicans’ margin is closer on America’s role in world affairs (35%-32%) and freedom of speech (37%-35%), and Democrats have the advantage on social and cultural issues (36%-33%) and abortion (40%-30%).
But the overall picture is fairly clear. Although respondents usually have more negative feelings about the Republican than the Democratic party, on this particular set of issues — not out of line with other polls on voter priorities — Republicans have a statistically significant advantage over Democrats on four issues and Democrats on only one.
That’s reasonably consistent with President Joe Biden’s job approval, which is currently 44% and has been running at about that level, and occasionally well below, most of the time since the disorderly withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. But it’s at least somewhat dissonant with polls matching Biden against former President Donald Trump, in which the latter leads 44% to 42% — a statistical tie.
One revealing thing about these numbers is that they show majorities of American voters rejecting both the 45th and 46th presidents, and are presumably in the market for a 47th. But even more revealing is that Republicans’ apparent advantage on salient issues has not produced an electorate determined to reject an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent.
That’s true even though Biden himself, after tacking left on virtually every issue during Ron Klain’s months as White House chief of staff, has now, during Jeff Zients’ weeks in that post, taken a couple of stands that suggest an awareness of vulnerability on some key issues.
He’s announced changes in immigration policy apparently designed to prevent some illegal border crossers to apply for asylum status. One suspects that the administration welcomes the vocal opposition from the left, which may help Biden and other Democrats convince voters that he has abandoned what can plausibly be attacked as an open borders policy.
And, despite cries of anguish from the defund-the-police left, Biden declined to veto Congress’ bipartisan overturning of the District of Columbia legislation reducing the penalties for violent crimes. This shows a lack of confidence in the liberal talking point that violent crime is less prevalent than it was 30 years ago and in the argument, advanced by the
As the Washington Post’s Republican columnist Henry Olsen points out, a YouGov poll gives Biden 81% job approval among Democrats but reports that only 48% of them want him to run again.
That has prompted the Spectator’s conservative writer Ben Domenech to make the perhaps puckish suggestion that Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY) challenge the incumbent. Some 47 years younger than Biden, she will reach the constitutionally required age of 35 in October 2024.
Domenech compares an AOC candidacy to Pat Buchanan’s challenge of the first President George Bush in 1992 and suggests that just as Buchanan presaged Republicans’ post-Bush movement toward isolationism and protectionism, so Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of what I call “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters strong enough to have provided the decisive votes earlier this month in the City of Big Shoulders.
As for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump faces announced or possible opposition from serious figures in early-primary states — South Carolina’s Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu — who could potentially be ticket-balancing VPs. The Manhattan district attorney’s flimsy indictment last week boosted Trump’s numbers, at least temporarily, but as I noted last week, primary preferences are usually readily changeable.
Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights, analyzing his firm’s polling, classifies 25% of Republican voters as Always Trump, 15% as Never Trump and 60% as up-for-grabs. That suggests there is plenty of room for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been competitive with Trump in twocandidate pairings, to overtake Trump if and when early-state candidates and former Vice President Mike Pence fall by the wayside.
Bottom line: Republicans have some advantage on issues, but there’s probably a bigger advantage for the party whose voters eschew residual loyalties and dump their overage and unpopular 2020 presidential nominees.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.
Every schoolkid knows — or used to know — that the United States has three branches of government. At least that’s what the textbooks say.
But really, we have four branches of government.
roughly reversed. He also got rid of stringent cost-benefit analysis for new rules. This was to ensure that the regulation wasn’t going to have a price tag far exceeding any societal benefit.
We are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year.
That’s because Congress — the legislative branch — has for decades delegated lawmaking authority to the unconstitutional fourth branch of the U.S. government: independent regulatory agencies. By some estimates, there are more than 300 of these agencies sticking their nose into every aspect of American life and business, from what kind of car you can buy to the temperature setting on your thermostat to what you can build on your own private property.
Who are these regulatory czars accountable to? Who elected them?
To his credit, former President Donald Trump tried to rein in the regulatory blob. He promised to rescind two regulations for every new regulation enacted while he was president. He actually repealed about five rules for every new one.
But President Joe Biden LOVES to regulate.
On his first day in office, Biden rescinded the Trump policy, and the ratios have been
Now we are getting a regulatory explosion with private sector costs as high as $2 trillion a year, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The federal government doesn’t abide by the Ten Commandments. Now there are more than 10,000. Biden’s latest whopper is an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would effectively ban the production of gas-powered cars within 10 years.
Almost all recent presidents left office with more rules and red tape than when they entered. Ronald Reagan and Trump were two exceptions. Richard Nixon created the EPA, even though states were doing a fine job cleaning air and water. It was the George W. Bush administration that passed an energy bill requiring household appliances like home refrigerators and dishwashers to be “energyefficient,” which in practice meant they didn’t work very well.
What can be done to trim the tentacles of the regulatory octopus? How about cutting those budgets and their enormous
bureaucratic staffs? Over the last 30 years, the budgets of the regulatory agencies have more than tripled after adjusting for inflation from $25 billion to $75 billion. If Biden has his way, next year the regulatory octopus will exceed $100 billion to arm super-regulators like Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission. Khan has tremendous authority over whether businesses should be able to merge. She’s never run even a lemonade stand in her whole life.
Congress still has power over the purse. Cutting the regulatory budgets in half would still ensure safety, financial soundness and a clean environment while saving half a trillion dollars over 10 years. The Republicans should start by ensuring that the snoops at the IRS don’t get 87,000 more IRS agents to harass citizens and pry into every private transaction we make.
Yes, we want sound regulation. But it shouldn’t cost our families and businesses $2 trillion a year.
Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. His latest book is “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”
NBA
Former NBA star Kemp charged in shooting
Seattle
Prosecutors in Washington state have charged sixtime NBA all-star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone. Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day. However, a statement by Tacoma police did not indicate Kemp was shot at. Kemp played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
AUTO RACING
Kirkwood wins Long Beach for 1st career IndyCar victory
Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Kirkwood won the first race of his IndyCar career by holding off Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. The 24-year-old Kirkwood started on the pole for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and closed out the win at the most prestigious street course race in the United States. Grosjean finished second and was followed by Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou as Honda drivers swept the topfive.
HOCKEY
Knight’s hat trick lift U.S. women over Canada at Worlds
Brampton, Ontario
Hilary Knight scored three times, including the goahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline
Harvey added a goal and assist for the U.S. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and MariePhilip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada.
Merseyside, Englald
The Grand National horse race was delayed by around 15 minutes after animal rights activists scaled fences around the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and got onto the track. Merseyside
Police said a total of 118 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offenses in a bid to disrupt the prestigious race. Some of the activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. Some apparently attempted to handcuff themselves to the obstacles.
Chase Elliott finished 10th in his return after missing six races due to a broken leg suffered snowboarding on March 3
The Associated Press
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson never thought he would tame the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track at Martinsville Speedway.
And then came Sunday.
Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott.
It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and 15th in the last three seasons for the 2021 Cup
champion. Larson has struggled mightily at Martinsville in the past. In his previous 17 races here, he had only three top-five finishes and never finished better than third. “I never, ever would have thought I would have won here,” Larson said. “This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Because of his lack of past success at the track, Larson joked that he doesn’t have room picked out for where to keep the 6-foottall grandfather clock awarded to the winner. Larson said the clock immediately becomes one of his most prized possessions because it serves as a reminder of how hard he has worked to win at a track where he never felt comfortable.
“This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Kyle Larson“I’ve left here just mad. I’ve hated this place, and I’ve wished it would flood,” Larson said with a laugh. “I wished a lot of bad things on this place.”
Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
Logano was thrilled with his re-
Cy
The Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan — Shunned by major league clubs, Trevor Bauer is trying to find his way in Japan where fans are drawn by his near celebrity status and seem unconcerned by domestic violence allegations against him.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner pitched his first competitive game in almost two years on Sunday and said he’s almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball after being shunned by major league teams.
Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan — best known as the home of the United States Seventh Fleet — he allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.
The minor league park usually draws a few hundred spectators. The team said live streaming views reached 77,000 — 15 times
the usual 5,000.
“I thought the day went really well,” Bauer said. “The stuff was good, the command was good. The health was good. I feel like I’m ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count.”
Bauer said he was not sure when he’d be ready to start for the big club. He seems likely to get
another minor league start before moving up.
Despite not pitching in a competitive game since 2021, he said it all felt familiar.
“I’ve stayed ready,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all. The game came to me well. It didn’t speed up on me. I commanded the ball. There really
sult, knowing he didn’t have the car to hold off Larson late in the race on a restart.
“We got lapped twice and at one point I would have been happy to finish on the lead lap,” Logano said with a laugh.
His luck changed when he stayed out on the track when he caught a timely yellow caution flag, helping him suddenly land in the top five and in contention to win.
“There are days when you are mad about second place, but today is not one of those,” Logano said.
Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the last five years, finished 10th in his first race since breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident that forced him to miss six weeks. He ran in the mid-20s for most of the race before closing strong. Because he’s so far behind in the points race, Elliott likely needs a victory to get into the playoffs. He qualified 24th for Sunday’s race.
The Cup heads to Talladega next weekend for the first of two races at the 2.66-mile course. Ross Chastain won the spring race there last season and Elliott captured the fall race.
wasn’t any adjustment. Just competitive baseball instead of throwing to hitters in a cage.”
Bauer is in Japan on a oneyear deal that could let him prove himself and return to the majors where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in 2021.
Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
Bauer joined his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave. The Dodgers cut him in January but owe him $22.5 million this season.
Fans in Japan don’t seem bothered by Bauer’s past. Hundreds lined up outside the stadium after he pitched, hoping for a glimpse or maybe an autograph.
Dozens wore his BayStars jersey with his No. 96 — chosen because that’s his goal for his average fastball velocity — 96 mph.
“I felt like I was pretty close to 100% today,” Bauer said.” Obviously, I have to have a couple more outings to get up the pitch count. But I feel 100%.”
It’s the Englishman’s first victory since he won the U.S. Open last year
The Associated Press
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Matt Fitzpatrick’s earliest memories of Harbour Town were as a spectator wondering if Tiger Woods would play the RBC Heritage. He was always disappointed, since Woods only played once at Hilton Head, in 1999, when Fitzpatrick was 4 years old.
“I remember saying to my dad, “Is Tiger (Woods) going to be here?” he recalled.
Now, Fitzpatrick’s got a sweeter memory at the Pete Dye layout he played as a child on vacations.
Fitzpatrick defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third playoff hole on Sunday, stuffing his approach in close on the par-4 18th to secure his first victory since the U.S. Open last June.
“I think I can retire now,” joked the 28-year-old Englishman, who
Matt Fitpatrickuses a Harbour Town-style lighthouse headcover. “This is one I really wanted.”
Fitzpatrick hit 9-iron to within 1 foot on the closing lighthouse hole to set up the winning birdie.
Fitzpatrick had to sweat out a couple of prime chances by Spieth on the first two extra holes. Spieth raised his putter in triumph before watching his 12-foot birdie putt catch the right edge and spin out the first time the pair played the 18th. Then Spieth’s 9-foot birdie attempt ran out of steam on the right edge at the 17th hole.
“I felt every putt he hit was going to go in,” Fitzpatrick said.
Spieth still doesn’t understand how that first playoff putt didn’t drop.
“I think if I hit the same putt 10 times, it goes in eight,” Spieth said. “It should go left at the
very end there on the grain. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
There was no doubt about the final hole as Fitzpatrick, from 187 yards out, hit the front of the green and watched the ball settle next to the hole. Spieth’s attempt from 26 feet away rolled past and Fitzpatrick tapped in for the victory.
Fitzpatrick felt the shot was true from the moment he struck it. He wasn’t sure how close it came, but he got an idea when his spotted his family cheering wildly.
“I knew it was good because my mom and my girlfriend were jumping up and down,” he said.
Fitzpatrick won $3.6 million from the elevated purse of $20 million in the sixth designated event of the year on the PGA Tour, topping a field that included seven of the world’s top 10 players.
Patrick Cantlay, grouped with Fitzpatrick and Spieth, was third after a 68 left him at 16-under. Xander Schauffele was another stroke behind after a 66. Sahith Theegala shot 65 and Hayden Buckley a 67 to tie for fifth at 14-under.
Connor Bedard, the top prospect in this summer’s NHL Draft, carries the Championship Cup after Canada defeated Czechia in overtime to win the IIHF World Junior Championships in January in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Connor Bedard is the crown jewel of this year’s draft class
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — At one point, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson downplayed the importance of the NHL Draft lottery on his team’s offseason plans. Moments later, Davidson allowed himself a wide grin as he pondered the possibilities.
“The top of the draft’s good,” he said with a smile. “Yeah, it’s a special top of the draft. There’s no doubt about it.”
It’s so good that a single pingpong ball could have a ripple ef-
fect beyond the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets — or another lucky NHL team looking to turn a dismal season into a blue-chip player.
High-scoring forward Connor Bedard is the top prize as the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, but University of Michigan star Adam Fantilli would be quite a return for whichever team gets the No. 2 pick. Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson also are expected to go in the top five.
Land one of those top spots in the May 8 lottery, and a rebuilding team could decide to accelerate its timeline through free agency. The franchise that takes a chance on Michkov, who has a more uncertain future because of his contract
with his Russian team, could position itself for another top pick in 2024.
The tantalizing talent of Bedard and Fantilli was an undercurrent throughout a season when the bottom of the standings was almost as interesting as what was going on at the top.
Anaheim (23-47-12) secured the league’s worst record by dropping its last 13 games. The reward is a 25.5% chance of its first No. 1 pick in the draft, and the Ducks are assured of a top-three selection when the lottery is held.
Wherever Anaheim lands in the draft, GM Pat Verbeek is preaching patience when it comes to the team’s prospects — including anyone that arrives via the lottery.
“I’m not going to rush players. Not going to put them in bad situations in order to get them to the NHL before they’re ready,” he said Friday.
Columbus (25-48-9) lost 5-2 to Buffalo on Friday night, clinching the second-best odds for No. 1 at 13.5%. The Blue Jackets were followed by Chicago (26-49-7), which closed its season with a 5-4 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Thursday night.
San Jose (22-44-16) dropped its last six games of the season. It has a 9.5% chance when it comes to winning the lottery, followed by Montreal (31-45-6) at 8.5% and Arizona (28-40-14) at 7.5%
Before falling on hard times, Chicago had a run of three Stan-
ley Cup titles in six seasons that was fueled in part by a pair of top picks. The Blackhawks took Jonathan Toews at No. 3 in 2006 and then drafted Patrick Kane with the top overall selection in 2007.
But Kane was traded to the New York Rangers in February, and Davidson announced Thursday that the team would not re-sign Toews this summer. The upcoming lottery could send a marquee attraction to an Original Six franchise in need of some star power.
“As we sit right now, we’ve got a full board. We’re not taking anyone off,” Davidson said. “We’re looking for the best players. We can’t pass up on talent. That’s the main endeavor is we need to find high-end talent.”
“I think I can retire now. This is one I really wanted.”
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is back at work in the U.S. Capitol on Monday, almost six weeks after a fall at a Washington-area hotel and extended treatment for a concussion.
The longtime Kentucky senator, 81, has been recovering at home since he was released from a rehabilitation facility March 25. He fell after attending an event earlier that month, injuring his head and fracturing a rib.
McConnell arrived at the Capitol early Monday and is expected to work a full schedule in the Senate this week.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday,” McConnell tweeted last week. “We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
McConnell returns to the Senate ahead of a busy stretch in which Congress will have to find a way to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and negotiate additional aid for the Ukraine war, among other policy matters. And he comes back as several other senators have been out for medical reasons, raising questions about how much
the Senate will be able to achieve in the coming months with a 5149 split between the parties. Already, the GOP leader’s absence, along with those of Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and John Fetterman, among others, have added to the Senate’s lethargic pace in the first few months of the year. Unlike the last two years, in which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was able to push
through key elements of President Joe Biden’s agenda with the help of a Democratic-led House, the Senate has been significantly slowed with Republicans now in charge in the House. And absences have made even simple votes like nominations more difficult. One immediate question for McConnell upon his return is whether to help Democrats temporarily replace Feinstein on the
Senate Judiciary Committee as she continues to recover in California from a case of the shingles.
Democrats have become increasingly frustrated as the Democrat’s more than six-week absence on the panel has stalled confirmation of some of Biden’s nominees, and Feinstein has asked for a short-term substitute on the committee.
Democrats can’t do that, though, without help from Republicans, since approval of the process would take 60 votes on the Senate floor. Two GOP members of the Judiciary panel, Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, have already said they don’t believe that Republicans should help Democrats replace Feinstein.
It is unclear when Feinstein, 89, will return to Washington. Her office has so far declined to say.
Also returning to the Senate on Monday is Fetterman, who was hospitalized for clinical depression in February. He was treated for six weeks at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and his doctors say his depression is now “in remission.”
Fetterman’s announcement that he was checking himself into the hospital earlier this year came after he suffered a stroke last year and has struggled with auditory processing disorder, which can render someone unable to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. The Pennsylvania Democrat, 53, now uses devices in conversations, meetings and congressio -
“We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell
nal hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time.
In a statement when he was released from Walter Reed late last month, Fetterman said the care he received there “changed my life.”
“I’m excited to be the father and husband I want to be, and the senator Pennsylvania deserves,” said Fetterman, who won praise for his decision to seek treatment.
McConnell visited his Capitol office on Friday ahead of his Monday return. In video captured by NBC News, h walked into the building without assistance as aides kept close by.
This was the second major injury for McConnell in recent years. Four years ago he tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery. The Senate had just started a summer recess, and he worked from home for some weeks as he recovered.
McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs.
The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — Step into a U.S. military recreation hall at a base almost anywhere in the world and you’re bound to see it: young troops immersed in the world of online games, using government-funded gaming machines or their own consoles.
The enthusiasm military personnel have for gaming — and the risk that carries — is in the spotlight after Jack Teixeira, a 21-yearold Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was charged with illegally taking and posting highly classified material in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.
State secrets can be illegally shared in countless different ways, from whispered conversations and dead drops to myriad social media platforms. But online gaming forums have long been a particular worry of the military because of their lure for young service members. And U.S. officials are limited in how closely they can monitor those forums to make sure nothing on them threatens national security.
“The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade,” said Dan Meyer, a partner at the Tully Rinckey law firm, which specializes in military and security clearance issues.
Foreign intelligence agents could use an avatar in a gaming room to connect with “18 to 23-year-old sailors gaming from the rec center at Norfolk Naval Base, win their confidence over for months, and then, through that process, start to con-
nect with them on other social media platforms,” Meyer said, noting that U.S. spy agencies have also created avatars to conduct surveillance in the online games World of Warcraft and Second Life.
The military doesn’t have the authority to conduct surveillance of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil — that’s the role of domestic law enforcement agencies like the FBI. Even when monitoring members of the armed forces, there are privacy issues, something the Defense Department ran into head-on as it tried to establish social media policies to counter extremism in the ranks.
The military does, however, have a presence in the online game com-
munity. Both the Army and the Navy have service members whose full-time job is to compete in video game tournaments as part of military esports teams. The teams are seen as an effective way to reach and potentially recruit youth who have grown up with online gaming since early childhood. But none of the services said they had any sort of similar team playing online to monitor for potential threats or leaks.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough said its intelligence activities are primarily focused internationally. In collecting any information on Americans, the Defense Department does so “in accordance with law and policy and in a manner that
protects privacy and civil liberties,” she said in a statement to The Associated Press. She said the procedures must be approved by the attorney general.
Instead, the military has focused on training service members never to reveal classified information in the first place. In wake of the online leaks, the department is reviewing its processes to protect classified information, reducing the number of people who have access, and reminding the force that “the responsibility to safeguard classified information is a lifetime requirement for each individual granted a security clearance,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in
“The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade.”
Dan Meyer, a partner at the Tully Rinckey law firm
a memo issued Thursday following Teixeira’s arrest.
But that may not be enough.
“These various gaming channels are just another form of social networks,” said Peter W. Singer, whose novel “Burn In” centered on attacks on the U.S. that are plotted in a private chamber of an online war game — and where all the plotters use avatars of historical figures to disguise themselves.
Singer, who has advised the Pentagon on future warfare, expects that future espionage and plotting will likely find haven in some of these private online worlds.
“There’s a shift from it being viewed as niche, and for kids to adults using it for everything from marketing and entertainment to criminality,” Singer said. “Is this the future? Most definitely.”
But besides the legal limitations on monitoring these games, the vast number of sites and private chats would be virtually impossible for the Pentagon to manage, Singer said.
“Your answer to this can’t be ‘How do I find it on video game channels?’” Singer said. “Your answer has to be, ‘How do I keep it from getting out in the first place?’”
April 10, 1965 ~ April 10, 2023
Ms. Loren Joy Zomerdyke, of Raeford NC, passed away on April 10, 2023, at the age of 58.
Loren was born in New Jersey on April 10, 1965, to the late Daniel and Joy Zomerdyke.
She was an avid animal lover.
She is survived by many friends who will miss her very much.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Ephesus Baptist Church.
July 23, 1929 ~ April 6, 2023
Betty J. Nixon died in her home in Raeford, NC on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at the age of 93.
She was born in Georgia on July 23, 1929, to the late Clyde and Agnes Rich.
She was preceded in death by her husband, H.B Nixon, Jr.; daughter, Susan Manning; sister, Kathryn Harvey; and brother, Clyde Rich, Jr.
Betty is survived by two daughters, Gail Hayes, and Barbie Williams; sister, Mildred Clements; grandchildren, Bryan Manning, Heath Hayes, Garrett Hayes, Daniel Williams, and Shauna Williams; nine great grandchildren; and fourteen nieces and nephews.
To know her was to love her. She was a pillar to our family, a friend to many. She was a very kind and loving woman who would offer help to anyone who needed her and would go out of her way to ensure you felt loved. She was truly an angel on Earth.
Please send flowers to Crumpler Funeral Home. 131 Harris Avenue Raeford, NC 28376 or in lieu of flowers, please make donations to Liberty Homecare & Hospice Services. 336 S Main St, Raeford, NC 28376.
February 20, 1979 ~ April 16, 2023
Mr. Ramon Pagan III age, 44 transitioned from earth to glory on April 16, 2023. He leaves to cherish his loving memories his children: D'Enrique Bachlor, Rio Pagan, Ramon Pagan; parents: Ramon Pagan Jr., Doris Pagan; siblings: Sonya D. Carpenter, Jamel M. Pagan; aunts: Arabella Liles, Vernella Anderson, Carmen Diaz, Ruby Pagan; uncles: Louis Pagan, David Pagan; five grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. Ramon will be greatly missed.
July 4, 1937 ~ April 9, 2023
Ms. Ruegene Davis Harmon age, 85 went home to rest with her heavenly father on April 9, 2023. She was the daughter of the late Phillip and Sallie Davis.
She leaves to cherish her loving memories her children: Sheree Harmon Ramirez (Alex Ramirez), Justine Harmon, Vikki Harmon; sisters: Betty, Ila, Brenda, Naomi, Deborah; brothers: John, Tommy; eight grandchildren, one great grandchild along with a host of other family and friends. Ruegene will be greatly missed.
WHEN REP. KEVIN McCarthy emerged from a messy 15-ballot election and ascended to House speaker, he was emboldened rather than chastened by the fight, declaring that his father taught him early on in life: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
So far, McCarthy has logged surprise successes in the new Congress: The Republican House has passed dozens of bills, many of them bipartisan, including politically potent efforts targeting crime and the COVID-19 pandemic that left President Joe Biden almost no choice but to sign the bills into law.
McCarthy has opened the Capitol more fully to visitors, relishing the onlookers who stop to snap selfies during his impromptu hallway news conferences. He hosted his first foreign leader, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, with a diplomatic flourish, leading a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers standing up to China.
On Monday, McCarthy delivered a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, another sign of his rising influence.
In many ways, it was inevitable that whoever followed the last House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would operate differently because of the oversize role she played as one of the most
powerful congressional leaders in modern times.
But McCarthy is remaking the speaker’s office in his image, including reclaiming a private room just steps from the House floor for meetings. The silver-haired father shuns many of the formal trappings of Congress — he may never return to the televised briefing room at the Capitol for formal news conferences — as he begins
to tap into the enormous powers at his disposal. He often suggests he’s being underestimated. House Republicans stunned Washington with some unexpected early victories when they took control in January for the first time in four years. Republicans all but forced Biden into signing early bills into law, including one to roll back the District of Columbia’s crim-
inal code. Democrats were furious when the White House abandoned efforts to veto the measure and played into the GOP’s toughon-crime rhetoric.
On other measures, McCarthy found Democrats willing to cross party lines — to create a select committee focused on U.S. competition with China, to require the administration to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 and to require an abrupt end to the national pandemic emergency. Hard-right critics who withheld their support of McCarthy during the 15 ballots it took to become speaker until he agreed to their demands seem relatively satisfied at the outcome.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., the past chairman of the Freedom Caucus, in an interview. “I can’t complain.”
To establishment conservative observers, the House under McCarthy is a welcome contrast to the past two years of Democratic party rule in Washington.
“Now there’s actually a check and balance,” said Eric Cantor, a former GOP leader. “He is delivering that every day and very effective, obviously, at holding his troops together.”
As McCarthy balances his own Reagan-styled optimism against the Trump-aligned populists in his conference, he has kept close to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally. She has been leading efforts to ease detention conditions for defendants facing some of the most severe charges stemming from the Cap -
itol riot.
In another gesture toward his right flank, McCarthy released thousands of hours of the riot video footage about the riot to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has fanned false conspiracy theories of the attack. McCarthy was among those members of Congress who voted on Jan. 6, 2021, against certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump.
Even the House investigations into Biden and his family that were supposed to be a capstone of the new Republican majority have spun into a free-for-all with several committees examining all aspects of the federal government.
“Tough job,” said GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told The Associated Press about the speaker. “But he’s doing great.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who was among the holdouts during the weeklong speaker’s election, said it all may make McCarthy “the best speaker” in his lifetime.
“We are proud of him,” said Clyde, whose crime bill was the first Biden signed into law.
“I mean, he’s proven he can fight. He’s proven that he’ll stick it out. Well, that should terrify the White House and terrify the Senate. The House is in control.”
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 28 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in a sprawling fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
The three Guzman sons charged — Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar — are known as the Chapitos, or little Chapos, and have earned a reputation as the more violent and aggressive faction of the cartel.
Of the three, only Guzmán López is in custody, in Mexico.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the three indictments aimed at hitting the cartel’s global network, standing alongside Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors.
The defendants span a broad swath of a complex manufacturing and supply network. They include Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.
Others are suspected of running drug labs in Mexico or accused of providing security, weapons and illicit financing for the drug trafficking operation.
The wide-ranging case comes as the U.S. remains in the grip of a devastating overdose crisis largely by fentanyl poisonings. Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, a record-setting number.
Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by more than 400% since 2019, officials said, and this fiscal year’s seizures have already surpassed the total for all of 2022.
Most of the fentanyl trafficked in the United States comes from the Sinaloa cartel, the Drug Enforcement Administration says.
“Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic,” Garland said. “We will never forget those who bear responsibility for this tragedy. And we will never stop working to hold them accountable for their crimes in the
United States.” The Sinaloa cartel’s notorious drug lord, known as El Chapo, was convicted in 2019 of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation. At Guzman’s trial, prosecutors said evidence gathered since the late 1980s showed he and his murderous cartel made billions of dollars by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. A defiant Guzman accused the federal judge in his case of making a mockery of the U.S. justice system and claimed he was denied a fair trial.
In outlining the charges Friday, Garland described the violence
of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials. That has included people fed to tigers owned by Guzman’s sons, sometimes while the victims were still alive, Garland said.
Eight of those charged have been arrested and remain in the custody of law enforcement officials in Colombia, Greece, Guatemala and the U.S., Milgram said. The U.S. government is offering rewards for several others charged in the case, including up to $10 million for Guzman’s other two sons.
Friday’s indictments were filed in New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.
Along with the five defendants from China and Guatemala accused of supplying the cartel with precursor chemicals, two Chinese firms were also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Friday.
U.S. government officials are pressing Chinese officials to do more to stem the shipment of those chemicals. With Washington-Beijing relations strained, the Biden administration says it has looked to allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to make clear to China that the issue is a global problem, according to senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters following the announcement of the indictment.
Ovidio Guzmán López, one of Guzmán’s sons, was arrested in January in the Sinaloa capital of Culiacan. Ovidio Guzmán, nick-
named the Mouse, had not been one of El Chapo’s better-known sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years earlier. This time Mexico successfully got Guzmán out of Culiacan. In 2019, authorities had him, but they released him after his gunmen began shooting up the city.
Some 30 people among authorities and suspected gunmen died in the operation, which unleashed hours of shootouts shutting down the city’s airport. The U.S. government is currently awaiting the younger Guzmán’s extradition.
Ovidio Guzmán López and another brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, allegedly helped move the Sinaloa cartel hard into methamphetamines, producing prodigious quantities in large labs. They were previously indicted in 2018 in Washington on drug trafficking charges.
The other two sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar, are believed to have been running cartel operations together with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. They were previously also charged in the U.S. in Chicago and San Diego. Zambada had been rumored to be be in poor health and isolated in the mountains leading the sons to try to assert a stronger role to keep the cartel together.
The DEA said it investigated the case in 10 countries: Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and the United States. “Death and destruction are central to their whole operation,” Milgram said of the cartel.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
In this time exposure photo, Orthodox worshippers trail candle lights around a church during the midnight “Pascha” service in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 16, 2023. Eastern Orthodox churches observe the ancient Julian calendar, and this year celebrated Orthodox Easter on April 16.
Commissioner Causey to make pitch for Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Forsyth County
North Carolina Insurance
Commissioner Mike Causey will visit three minor league baseball stadiums across North Carolina, including the Winston-Salem Dash, this month to promote and bring greater public attention to the dangers of driving while distracted.
April is observed as Distracted Driving Awareness
Month and Commissioner Causey is joining the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, other insurance commissioners and safety advocates across the nation to urge motorists to focus and keep distractions at bay when they get behind the wheel.
Earlier this month, Commissioner Causey offered a few tips to help drivers avoid the pitfalls of distracted driving:
Ask your teammates in the car with you to help you stay focused and avoid distracted driving.
Select a passenger as your “designated texter” to send and receive texts for you.
Set your navigation system and radio station preferences before you start driving. This will help you maintain your focus.
Don’t scroll through apps or social media while driving. If you feel tempted to do so, you can set precautions such as turning your phone off, or putting it in the glove box, the back seat or trunk.
Ask a ‘relief pitcher’ in the car to tend to the needs of children if the need arises.
The commissioner’s road trip begans Friday, April 14 in Fayetteville, and continues at Greensboro on April 22 and Winston-Salem on April 29.
CITY OF WINSTON_SALEM
North State Journal
JAKE CASHION has been named vice president of government affairs at the NC Chamber where he will lead lobbying, advocacy, and political efforts for North Carolina’s top business advocate.
Cashion returns to the NC Chamber team after leaving to lead a team expansion at Brooke Cashion and Associates - Allen Tate, a business he runs with his wife, Brooke. Prior to that he worked as a director of government affairs at the NC Chamber from 2011 through 2017, leading
unemployment insurance reform efforts, the “NC Can’t Afford to Wait” campaign to achieve transportation funding reform, tort reform, and other significant business issues for the state’s business community.
The addition of this key talent allows NC Chamber General Counsel Ray Starling to focus his expertise on his role as president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute, the North Carolina business community’s organized voice for legal policy development and analysis. The CLI develops legal strategies to protect job creators from threats originating within the court system.
“It is great to welcome Jake back to the NC Chamber team. Jake has a stellar reputation as a coali-
tion builder and tireless advocate for policies that make our state a great place to live and work, “said Gary J. Salamido, president and CEO of the NC Chamber. “Ray can now solely focus his expertise on the issues affecting the North Carolina business climate being brought through the courts. This shift broadens the expertise of our already formidable team and will only strengthen our ability to best represent North Carolina’s job creators everywhere policy is shaped.”
The NC Chamber works to research, develop, advocate, and communicate for solutions and policies that produce a nationally competitive business climate in North Carolina. For more information, visit ncchamber.com.
North State Journal
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE of Cities has recognized Winston-Salem for its innovative programs involving cultural diversity and its efforts to promote inclusion and involvement among its citizens. The city placed second among cities with populations between 200,001-500,000 people.
The National League works to strengthen local leadership, influence public policy and support innovative solutions among its member cities, towns, and villages.
Wanda Allen-Abraha, director of the Human Relations/Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department, said that the city had cited its Building Integrated Communities program and related activities in its application. The program creates a one-stop shop for immigrants and refugees to access such services as housing,
“We’re proud of the work our city is doing to become more di- verse, welcoming, and inclusive.”
Wanda Allen-Abraha
transportation, healthcare, and more.
“We’re proud of the work our city is doing to become more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive,” she said, “and the timing of this award, in a month in which we celebrate diversity awareness, couldn’t have been better.”
April is Cultural Diversity Month, and the city has been sponsoring activities that celebrate diversity each week of April.
During the week of April 2, Diversity Awareness Month was launched, when Mayor Allen
Joines issued a proclamation celebrating diversity. The second week of the month celebrated diversity in art. Through a partnership with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Public Art Commission, an exhibit of artwork with diversity themes went on display in the lobbies of City Hall and the Bryce A. Stuart Municipal building the week of April 9.
This week, the theme is diversity in music .A variety of cultural musical performances will take place between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on select days in the City Hall lobby. Performances are presented in partnership with the Hispanic League.
Next week will celebrate diversity in cuisine. Food trucks representing a variety of food from different cultures, including Jamaican, Puerto Rican and Mexican, will park in the north lot of City Hall on April 26, 27, and 28, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
NC Chamber welcomes back lobbyist♦ Elaine Denny Clarke, 93, of Stokes County, died April 13, 2023.
♦ Leonard S. Clein, 88, OF WinstonSalem, died April 15, 2023.
♦ Charles Alva Crutchfield, 82, of Winston-Salem, died April 13, 2023.
♦ Brady Louis Davis, 86, of Forsyth County, died April 13, 2023.
♦ Debra Ann Arthur Durham, 63, of Winston-Salem, died April 12, 2023.
♦ David Douglas Ellender, 69, of Forsyth County, died April 14, 2023.
♦ Deanna Tipton Harrington, 43, of Oak Ridge, died April 13, 2023.
♦ Nancy Lewis Harris, 73, of WinstonSalem, died April 16, 2023.
♦ Carol Stockton Hill, 87, died April 16, 2023.
♦ Larry Wayne Miller, 73, died April 17, 2023.
♦ John Henry Murray, 82, of Belews Creek, died April 13, 2023.
♦ Davis Reeves Poplin, 96, of Forest City, died April 15, 2023.
♦ Arlene Hull Phelps Seymore, 95, of Clemmons, died April 12, 2023.
♦ Francis Keenon Roser Smither, 95, of Winston-Salem, died April 17, 2023.
♦ Elmo Franklin Vernon, 97, of WinstonSalem, died April 12, 2023.
IT’S JUST ONE POLL, conducted by SSRS Research for CNN, but it provides interesting evidence about where voters are on issues, and it isn’t glaringly inconsistent with other survey research.
So “which political party’s views are closer to” yours on each issue? Answer: mostly the Republican Party. On the economy (41%-29%), immigration (40%-30%), crime and policing (40%-28%), government spending (35%-26%) and parents’ rights (36%-33%).
Admittedly, the Republicans’ margin is closer on America’s role in world affairs (35%-32%) and freedom of speech (37%-35%), and Democrats have the advantage on social and cultural issues (36%33%) and abortion (40%-30%).
But the overall picture is fairly clear. Although respondents usually have more negative feelings about the Republican than the Democratic party, on this particular set of issues — not out of line with other polls on voter priorities — Republicans have a statistically significant advantage over Democrats on four issues and Democrats on only one.
That’s reasonably consistent with President Joe Biden’s job approval, which is currently 44% and has been running at about that level, and occasionally well below, most of the time since the disorderly withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. But it’s at least somewhat dissonant with polls matching Biden against former President Donald Trump, in which the latter leads 44% to 42% — a statistical tie.
One revealing thing about these numbers is that they show majorities of American voters rejecting both the 45th and 46th presidents, and are presumably in the market for a 47th. But even more revealing is that Republicans’ apparent advantage on salient issues has not produced an electorate determined to reject an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent.
That’s true even though Biden himself, after tacking left on virtually every issue during Ron Klain’s months as White House chief of staff, has now, during Jeff Zients’ weeks in that post, taken a couple of stands that suggest an awareness of vulnerability on some key issues.
He’s announced changes in immigration policy apparently designed to prevent some illegal border crossers to apply for asylum status. One suspects that the administration welcomes the vocal opposition from the left, which may help Biden and other Democrats convince voters that he has abandoned what can plausibly be attacked as an open borders policy.
And, despite cries of anguish from the defundthe-police left, Biden declined to veto Congress’ bipartisan overturning of the District of Columbia legislation reducing the penalties for violent crimes. This shows a lack of confidence in the liberal
♦ AIKEN, AUNDRA TISHAY was arrested on a charge of COMM LAW ROBBERY at 100 HANES MALL BV on 4/16/2023
♦ BALDWIN, HERMENA ELIZABETH was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED IV at 1522 N LIBERTY ST on 4/14/2023
♦ BLACK, MICHAEL PAUL was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 500 W FOURTH ST on 4/16/2023
♦ Bottoms, Katlin Nichole (F/29) Arrest on chrg of Communicate Threats, M (M), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/14/2023 11:41.
Breeden, Antron Lamont (M/40) ♦ Arrest on chrg of 1) Affray (M), 2) Larceny/misdemeanor (M), 3) Vandreal Property (M), and 4) 2nd Degree Trespass (M), at 4496 Wallburg Landing Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/15/2023
12:27.
♦ Carver, Sean Gary (M/25) Arrest on chrg of 1) Vand-personal Prop (M) and 2) Vand-personal Prop (M), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/12/2023 15:49.
♦ COLONGONZALEZ, LUIS ANGEL was arrested on a charge of B&E-VEHICLE at 2708 OLD LEXINGTON RD on 4/14/2023
♦ DALEY, TABBITHA GERNECIA was arrested on a charge of POSS COCAINE FEL at 1005 N JACKSON AV on 4/14/2023
♦ Davis, John Michael (M/43) Arrest on chrg of 1) Concealing Mdse (M), 2) Larceny/misdemeanor (M), 3) Vandpersonal Prop (M), and 4) Hit & Run (M), at 3059 Main St/church St, Walkertown, NC, on 4/14/2023 17:13.
♦ Dickerson, Raekwon Niketa (M/27) Arrest on chrg of Probation Violation (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/13/2023 17:57.
Eldridge, Tywon Donta (M/32) Arrest ♦ on chrg of 1) Assault On Female (M) and 2) Larceny/misdemeanor (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/13/2023 17:45.
♦ GADBERRY, PATRICK IRA was arrested on a charge of DISCH FA/OCC DWELL at 612 W FOURTEENTH ST on 4/14/2023
♦ GAITHER, TEVIN ALEXANDER was arrested on a charge of WEAP-POSS BY FELON at 2930 GALAXY CT on 4/14/2023
♦ Hill, Anthony Eric (M/62) Arrest on chrg of Safe Burglary (F), at 4780 Walkertown Plaza Bv, Walkertown, NC, on 4/13/2023 16:45.
♦ HILL, TYLER ZACKARY was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 3533 HIGH POINT RD on 4/16/2023 Hill, William Robert (M/36) Arrest
at 2921 New Walkertown Rd, Winstonsalem, NC, on 4/17/2023 12:24.
♦ Holland, Markas Lamone (M/52) Arrest on chrg of 1) Rec/poss Stole Mv (F) and 2) Ndl - Suspended / Revoked (M), at 4496 Wallburg Landing Dr, Winstonsalem, NC, on 4/15/2023 12:26.
♦ Hoppe, Cody Scott (M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Larceny-felony (F), 2) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 3) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), and 4) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at 4500 Oakley Ct, Walkertown, NC, on 4/12/2023 22:48.
♦ Horner, Alan Robert (M/35) Arrest on chrg of Rec/poss Stole Mv (F), at 4600 New Walkertown Rd/old Hollow Rd, Walkertown, NC, on 4/16/2023 10:00.
♦ JOHN, DOE was arrested on a charge of POSS STOLEN GOODS at 1834 WAKE FOREST RD on 4/14/2023
♦ JOHNSON, TANISHA MONAE was arrested on a charge of LARCENYFELONY at 5414 WINONA ST on 4/14/2023
♦ Kiger, Andrew Derek (M/26) Arrest on chrg of 1) Impaired Driving Dwi (M) and 2) Improper Lane Change (M), at Us 421 South/lewisville-clemmons Rd, Winston Salem, NC, on 4/15/2023 00:49.
♦ LAVARGUS, KEVIN was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 1915 HAMPTON INN CT on 4/14/2023
♦ Massas, Manuel (M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Robbery (F), 2) Robbery (F),
talking point that violent crime is less prevalent than it was 30 years ago and in the argument, advanced by the narrowly elected Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, that high crime in black neighborhoods results from anger at low corporate tax rates.
Biden’s statement this week that he’s “planning” to run for reelection shows a certain nervousness about the possibility that he, like his immediate predecessor, may have difficulty winning renomination.
As the Washington Post’s Republican columnist Henry Olsen points out, a YouGov poll gives Biden 81% job approval among Democrats but reports that only 48% of them want him to run again. That has prompted the Spectator’s conservative writer Ben Domenech to make the perhaps puckish suggestion that Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY) challenge the incumbent. Some 47 years younger than Biden, she will reach the constitutionally required age of 35 in October 2024.
Domenech compares an AOC candidacy to Pat Buchanan’s challenge of the first President George Bush in 1992 and suggests that just as Buchanan presaged Republicans’ post-Bush movement toward isolationism and protectionism, so Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of what I call “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters strong enough to have provided the decisive votes earlier this month in the City of Big Shoulders.
As for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump faces announced or possible opposition from serious figures in early-primary states — South Carolina’s Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu — who could potentially be ticket-balancing VPs. The Manhattan district attorney’s flimsy indictment last week boosted Trump’s numbers, at least temporarily, but as I noted last week, primary preferences are usually readily changeable.
Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights, analyzing his firm’s polling, classifies 25% of Republican voters as Always Trump, 15% as Never Trump and 60% as up-for-grabs. That suggests there is plenty of room for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been competitive with Trump in two-candidate pairings, to overtake Trump if and when early-state candidates and former Vice President Mike Pence fall by the wayside.
Bottom line: Republicans have some advantage on issues, but there’s probably a bigger advantage for the party whose voters eschew residual loyalties and dump their overage and unpopular 2020 presidential nominees.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics.
and 3) Weap-poss By Felon (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/14/2023 13:09.
♦ Miller, James Napoleon (M/57) Arrest on chrg of 1) Fail To Register - Sex Offender Registration (F), 2) Sex Offender Violation (F), 3) Sex Offender Violation (F), and 4) Sex Offender Residency Violations (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/16/2023 00:15.
♦ MOLINA, DANIEL was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED II at 2019 MILFORD ST on 4/16/2023
♦ Noyola, Angel Colon (F/20) Arrest on chrg of 1) Ccw (M) and 2) NdlSuspended / Revoked (M), at 598 Peters Creek Pw/w Academy St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/12/2023 16:21.
♦ Pennell, Mcklane Andrew (M/38) Arrest on chrg of 1) Cyberstalking (M) and 2) Vand-personal Prop (M), at 4645 N Cherry St, Winston-salem, NC, on 4/14/2023 10:30.
♦ PEREZ, CAROLINA RACHELL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULTSIMPLE at 3923 AVERA AV on 4/15/2023
♦ PINACHO, ADRIAN was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 5000 UNIVERSITY PW on 4/15/2023
♦ Pinnix, Deanna Anderson (F/52) Arrest on chrg of 1) Larceny/misdemeanor (M) and 2) Poss Stolen Goods (F), at 4780
Walkertown Plaza Bv, Walkertown, NC, on 4/13/2023 16:45.
♦ Propst, Alton Wayne (M/39) Arrest on chrg of Drugs-poss Sched I, F (F), at Wb 40/s Stratford Rd_wb 40 Ra, Winstonsalem, NC, on 4/13/2023 15:01.
♦ REAVES, ALPASCAL II was arrested on a charge of DISCH
“Join the conversation”
brand of “barista socialism” represents a rising force among young Democratic voters.
NBA
Former NBA star Kemp charged in shooting
Seattle
Prosecutors in Washington state have charged sixtime NBA all-star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone. Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day. However, a statement by Tacoma police did not indicate Kemp was shot at. Kemp played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
AUTO RACING
Kirkwood wins Long Beach for 1st career
IndyCar victory
Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Kirkwood won the first race of his IndyCar career by holding off Andretti
Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. The 24-year-old Kirkwood started on the pole for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and closed out the win at the most prestigious street course race in the United States. Grosjean finished second and was followed by Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou as Honda drivers swept the topfive.
HOCKEY
Knight’s hat trick lift U.S. women over Canada at Worlds
Brampton, Ontario
Hilary Knight scored three times, including the goahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline
Harvey added a goal and assist for the U.S. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and MariePhilip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada.
Merseyside, Englald
The Grand National horse race was delayed by around 15 minutes after animal rights activists scaled fences around the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and got onto the track. Merseyside
Police said a total of 118 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offenses in a bid to disrupt the prestigious race. Some of the activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. Some apparently attempted to handcuff themselves to the obstacles.
Chase Elliott finished 10th in his return after missing six races due to a broken leg suffered snowboarding on March 3
The Associated Press
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson never thought he would tame the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track at Martinsville Speedway.
And then came Sunday.
Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott.
It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and 15th in the last three seasons for the 2021 Cup
champion.
Larson has struggled mightily at Martinsville in the past. In his previous 17 races here, he had only three top-five finishes and never finished better than third. “I never, ever would have thought I would have won here,” Larson said. “This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Because of his lack of past success at the track, Larson joked that he doesn’t have room picked out for where to keep the 6-foottall grandfather clock awarded to the winner. Larson said the clock immediately becomes one of his most prized possessions because it serves as a reminder of how hard he has worked to win at a track where he never felt comfortable.
“This place has been so tough on me and just does not suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.”
Kyle Larson“I’ve left here just mad. I’ve hated this place, and I’ve wished it would flood,” Larson said with a laugh. “I wished a lot of bad things on this place.”
Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
Logano was thrilled with his re-
2020 Cy Young
pitched competitively since 2021 after being accused of domestic violence
The Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan — Shunned by major league clubs, Trevor Bauer is trying to find his way in Japan where fans are drawn by his near celebrity status and seem unconcerned by domestic violence allegations against him.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner pitched his first competitive game in almost two years on Sunday and said he’s almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball after being shunned by major league teams.
Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan — best known as the home of the United States Seventh Fleet — he allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.
The minor league park usually draws a few hundred spectators. The team said live streaming views reached 77,000 — 15 times
the usual 5,000.
“I thought the day went really well,” Bauer said. “The stuff was good, the command was good. The health was good. I feel like I’m ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count.”
Bauer said he was not sure when he’d be ready to start for the big club. He seems likely to get
another minor league start before moving up.
Despite not pitching in a competitive game since 2021, he said it all felt familiar.
“I’ve stayed ready,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all. The game came to me well. It didn’t speed up on me. I commanded the ball. There really
sult, knowing he didn’t have the car to hold off Larson late in the race on a restart.
“We got lapped twice and at one point I would have been happy to finish on the lead lap,” Logano said with a laugh.
His luck changed when he stayed out on the track when he caught a timely yellow caution flag, helping him suddenly land in the top five and in contention to win.
“There are days when you are mad about second place, but today is not one of those,” Logano said.
Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the last five years, finished 10th in his first race since breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident that forced him to miss six weeks. He ran in the mid-20s for most of the race before closing strong. Because he’s so far behind in the points race, Elliott likely needs a victory to get into the playoffs. He qualified 24th for Sunday’s race.
The Cup heads to Talladega next weekend for the first of two races at the 2.66-mile course. Ross Chastain won the spring race there last season and Elliott captured the fall race.
wasn’t any adjustment. Just competitive baseball instead of throwing to hitters in a cage.”
Bauer is in Japan on a oneyear deal that could let him prove himself and return to the majors where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in 2021.
Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
Bauer joined his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave. The Dodgers cut him in January but owe him $22.5 million this season.
Fans in Japan don’t seem bothered by Bauer’s past. Hundreds lined up outside the stadium after he pitched, hoping for a glimpse or maybe an autograph.
Dozens wore his BayStars jersey with his No. 96 — chosen because that’s his goal for his average fastball velocity — 96 mph.
“I felt like I was pretty close to 100% today,” Bauer said.” Obviously, I have to have a couple more outings to get up the pitch count. But I feel 100%.”
WHEN REP. KEVIN McCarthy emerged from a messy 15-ballot election and ascended to House speaker, he was emboldened rather than chastened by the fight, declaring that his father taught him early on in life: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
So far, McCarthy has logged surprise successes in the new Congress: The Republican House has passed dozens of bills, many of them bipartisan, including politically potent efforts targeting crime and the COVID-19 pandemic that left President Joe Biden almost no choice but to sign the bills into law.
McCarthy has opened the Capitol more fully to visitors, relishing the onlookers who stop to snap selfies during his impromptu hallway news conferences. He hosted his first foreign leader, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, with a diplomatic flourish, leading a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers standing up to China.
On Monday, McCarthy delivered a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, another sign of his rising influence.
In many ways, it was inevitable that whoever followed the last House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would operate differently because of the oversize role she played as one of the most
powerful congressional leaders in modern times.
But McCarthy is remaking the speaker’s office in his image, including reclaiming a private room just steps from the House floor for meetings. The silver-haired father shuns many of the formal trappings of Congress — he may never return to the televised briefing room at the Capitol for formal news conferences — as he begins
to tap into the enormous powers at his disposal. He often suggests he’s being underestimated. House Republicans stunned Washington with some unexpected early victories when they took control in January for the first time in four years. Republicans all but forced Biden into signing early bills into law, including one to roll back the District of Columbia’s crim-
inal code. Democrats were furious when the White House abandoned efforts to veto the measure and played into the GOP’s toughon-crime rhetoric.
On other measures, McCarthy found Democrats willing to cross party lines — to create a select committee focused on U.S. competition with China, to require the administration to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 and to require an abrupt end to the national pandemic emergency.
Hard-right critics who withheld their support of McCarthy during the 15 ballots it took to become speaker until he agreed to their demands seem relatively satisfied at the outcome.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., the past chairman of the Freedom Caucus, in an interview. “I can’t complain.”
To establishment conservative observers, the House under McCarthy is a welcome contrast to the past two years of Democratic party rule in Washington.
“Now there’s actually a check and balance,” said Eric Cantor, a former GOP leader. “He is delivering that every day and very effective, obviously, at holding his troops together.”
As McCarthy balances his own Reagan-styled optimism against the Trump-aligned populists in his conference, he has kept close to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally. She has been leading efforts to ease detention conditions for defendants facing some of the most severe charges stemming from the Cap -
itol riot.
In another gesture toward his right flank, McCarthy released thousands of hours of the riot video footage about the riot to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has fanned false conspiracy theories of the attack. McCarthy was among those members of Congress who voted on Jan. 6, 2021, against certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump.
Even the House investigations into Biden and his family that were supposed to be a capstone of the new Republican majority have spun into a free-for-all with several committees examining all aspects of the federal government.
“Tough job,” said GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told The Associated Press about the speaker. “But he’s doing great.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who was among the holdouts during the weeklong speaker’s election, said it all may make McCarthy “the best speaker” in his lifetime.
“We are proud of him,” said Clyde, whose crime bill was the first Biden signed into law.
“I mean, he’s proven he can fight. He’s proven that he’ll stick it out. Well, that should terrify the White House and terrify the Senate. The House is in control.”
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 28 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in a sprawling fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
The three Guzman sons charged — Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar — are known as the Chapitos, or little Chapos, and have earned a reputation as the more violent and aggressive faction of the cartel.
Of the three, only Guzmán López is in custody, in Mexico.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the three indictments aimed at hitting the cartel’s global network, standing alongside Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors.
The defendants span a broad swath of a complex manufacturing and supply network. They include Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.
Others are suspected of running drug labs in Mexico or accused of providing security, weapons and illicit financing for the drug trafficking operation.
The wide-ranging case comes as the U.S. remains in the grip of a devastating overdose crisis largely by fentanyl poisonings. Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, a record-setting number.
Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by more than 400% since 2019, officials said, and this fiscal year’s seizures have already surpassed the total for all of 2022.
Most of the fentanyl trafficked in the United States comes from the Sinaloa cartel, the Drug Enforcement Administration says.
“Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic,” Garland said. “We will never forget those who bear responsibility for this tragedy. And we will never stop working to hold them accountable for their crimes in the
United States.”
The Sinaloa cartel’s notorious drug lord, known as El Chapo, was convicted in 2019 of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation. At Guzman’s trial, prosecutors said evidence gathered since the late 1980s showed he and his murderous cartel made billions of dollars by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. A defiant Guzman accused the federal judge in his case of making a mockery of the U.S. justice system and claimed he was denied a fair trial.
In outlining the charges Friday, Garland described the violence
of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials. That has included people fed to tigers owned by Guzman’s sons, sometimes while the victims were still alive, Garland said.
Eight of those charged have been arrested and remain in the custody of law enforcement officials in Colombia, Greece, Guatemala and the U.S., Milgram said. The U.S. government is offering rewards for several others charged in the case, including up to $10 million for Guzman’s other two sons.
Friday’s indictments were filed in New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.
Along with the five defendants from China and Guatemala accused of supplying the cartel with precursor chemicals, two Chinese firms were also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Friday.
U.S. government officials are pressing Chinese officials to do more to stem the shipment of those chemicals. With Washington-Beijing relations strained, the Biden administration says it has looked to allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to make clear to China that the issue is a global problem, according to senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters following the announcement of the indictment.
Ovidio Guzmán López, one of Guzmán’s sons, was arrested in January in the Sinaloa capital of Culiacan. Ovidio Guzmán, nick-
named the Mouse, had not been one of El Chapo’s better-known sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years earlier. This time Mexico successfully got Guzmán out of Culiacan. In 2019, authorities had him, but they released him after his gunmen began shooting up the city.
Some 30 people among authorities and suspected gunmen died in the operation, which unleashed hours of shootouts shutting down the city’s airport. The U.S. government is currently awaiting the younger Guzmán’s extradition.
Ovidio Guzmán López and another brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, allegedly helped move the Sinaloa cartel hard into methamphetamines, producing prodigious quantities in large labs. They were previously indicted in 2018 in Washington on drug trafficking charges.
The other two sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar, are believed to have been running cartel operations together with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. They were previously also charged in the U.S. in Chicago and San Diego. Zambada had been rumored to be be in poor health and isolated in the mountains leading the sons to try to assert a stronger role to keep the cartel together.
The DEA said it investigated the case in 10 countries: Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and the United States. “Death and destruction are central to their whole operation,” Milgram said of the cartel.
“He’s performed better than I thought he would.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Friends of the Library to hold raffle fundraiser this Saturday
The Friends of the Moore County Library System are holding a raffle this month with several wonderful prizes. Tickets are on sale at each branch, and the cost is $1 per ticket or $5 for six tickets. All of the funds collected will go to support library programs for children and adults.
Potential raffle prizes, many of which were donated by local Moore County merchants and Friends of the Library members, include original artwork, local pottery, dining gift certificates, lap quilt, lap throw, wreath, Christmas gift basket, kitchen gift basket, decorative items, and more. A prize catalog of all available winnings can be found at the Moore County Library front desk. The raffle drawing will take place on Saturday, April 29, at 1 pm at the Moore County Library. Refreshments will be served at the raffle drawing, so stop by. You do not have to be present at the raffle drawing to win.
Pinebluff man accused of murdering his uncle
Deputies from the Moore County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged a Pinebluff man for the murder of his uncle this past Sunday. According to information from the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a call at the 100 block of Jeans Loop Road at roughly 4 pm on Sunday, where they found the victim, Gregory Savalas Allbrooks, 43, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was quickly rushed to First Health Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, where he later died from his sustained injuries. Following an investigation, deputies arrested and charged 23-yearold Tyheem Alzia Allbrooks with his uncle’s murder. In addition, Allbrooks is facing charges of possession of a stolen firearm. At this time, Allbrooks is currently being held at the Moore County Detention Center without bond. If you or anyone else you know has information regarding this incident, please contact the Moore County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (910) 947-4444.
Rep. Richard Hudson (NC09) was joined by Moore County Commissioners Kurt Cook and Jim Von Canon, Moore County Register of Deeds Bill Britton, Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields, Moore County Public Safety 911 Communications Chief Bryan M. Lyczkowski and APCO Chief Counsel Jeff Cohen. Together, they toured the Moore County Department of Public Safety and met with emergency telecommunicators.
Following the tour, Rep. Hudson was presented with the Leadership in Legislative Service Award from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International.
“I am proud to lead bipartisan efforts in Congress to provide our nation’s state and local governments with the tools to update our emergency response networks and improve services to communities,” said Rep Hudson. AP PHOTO
RALEIGH — Business Court Judge James Ammons issued a 12page order on April 14 that included a $677.8 million dollar figure in the long-running Leandro education funding case. Ammons was tasked with “recalculating the amount of funds to be transferred in light of the state’s 2022 budget.”
The breakdown of the $677.8 million to cover years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan includes recalculated amounts of $509,701,707 for the N.C. Department of Pub -
lic Instruction, $133.9 million for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and $34.2 million for the University of North Carolina System. Ammons’ final total is a match to the amount cited by the Office of State Budget and Management last December and is a similar number to that submitted by the N.C. Department of Justice lawyers. Lawmakers had recently put forth a figure of around $376 million.
Attorneys for legislative leaders had submitted over $48 million in credits for spending in five areas to bring down the overall total, however, Ammons disagreed.
“With respect to LegislativeIntervenors’ legal argument concerning recurring funding in Year 2, this Court will not disturb Judge Robinson’s “diligent and precise” calculations for Year 2,” Ammons wrote. “The arguments of the Legislative-Intervenors would require the Court to make a conclusion of law about an issue not presently before the Court on this limited remand, as set forth above.”
Last November, the former 4-3 Democrat-controlled Supreme Court, in essence, reaffirmed the 2021 $1.75 billion transfer order issued by former Leandro Judge David Lee. The then-Democratic-controlled court had ordered
RALEIGH — A state audit of volunteer fire department grants issued by the N.C. Department of Insurance has cited problems with the way the grants were distributed.
The audit included $56.2 million in grants distributed by the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI) spanning Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 31, 2022.
According to the press release by the State Auditor’s office, “As of Nov. 30, 2022, $41.1 million (73%) was disbursed to volunteer fire departments.”
Two findings were included in the audit made claims that the grants were made with “limited verification” the departments were eligible to either receive funds or had “the greatest need” of the funds and also that DOI “did not disburse Fire Grants to volunteer fire departments in accordance with DOI policy.”
“DOI management stated it did not verify all self-reported information used to determine whether volunteer fire departments were eligible to receive grants and were most in need because it did not have adequate staff to verify recipient self-reported information nor did they reassign other DOI staff,” the audit
states. “Instead, DOI required the volunteer fire departments to attest that their information was correct as part of the application process.”
The audit also stated, “According to DOI management, some Fire Grants were disbursed without documentation that supported the volunteer fire department’s reported expenditures because of an increase in the number of grants DOI was required to administer.”
The audit made several recommendations based on its findings, such as DOI independently verifying information reported to DOI by a volunteer fire department, DOI making sure it has the staff to verify the information, and making sure the grants are given out “in accordance with DOI policy.”
DOI’s response agreed with the first point of the audit but disagreed with the second.
“ The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants,” Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey said in an emailed statement to North State Journal. “Our department is always looking for ways to optimize and enhance our processes in the awarding of grants. We believe that we were administering the grants in accordance with the applicable statutes
and rules, although we understand that the State Auditor disagrees.
“In future grant programs, we will require that county finance managers review and verify financial data before a grant application is submitted to the Department,” wrote Causey. “While we continue to examine each of the issues outlined in the audit, including our own self-reporting mechanism structure, our office is fully resolved to support the professional work our staff does to enhance volunteer fire departments through the Office of State Fire Marshal.”
The Volunteer Fire Department Fund was established in 1987 to provide grants to pay for equipment and capital improvements. Under state statute, DOI is responsible for the issuance of the grants in four areas that include fire grants, base allocation grants, supplemental grants and emergency reserve grants.
Fire grants cover equipment purchases and capital improvements to ensure fire protection services.
DOI awarded $18.5 million of fire grant funds to 968 volunteer fire departments for an average of $19,082 per volunteer fire department during the period covered by the audit. As of Nov. 30, 2022, “$13.0 million (70%) was disbursed
three state offices to transfer the funds from the state’s treasury despite the state constitution giving power of appropriations solely to the legislature. The Supreme Court’s ruling landed just four days before the 2022 election, and the ruling was characterized as being about “power” by dissenting justices.
The state controller, one of the three entities ordered to make the transfer, objected to Lee’s ruling, obtaining a writ blocking the transfer and later protesting in oral arguments before the Supreme Court that the office did not
See LEANDRO, page 2
GRANTS, from page 1 have the necessary legal authority to make the transfer. Lee, who passed away in October 2022 after a battle with cancer, was replaced by business court Judge Michael Robinson in the spring of 2022. Robinson examined the spending and returned a dollar amount of $785 million. In January 2023, the Supreme Court installed two new justices, flipping control to a 5-2 Republican majority. The new court blocked the funding transfer order in March after the state controller renewed their objections. The court also directed Ammons to only come up with a dollar figure, signaling the Supreme Court will likely examine whether or not the three entities originally ordered to transfer the funds have the power to do so.
to 779 volunteer fire departments for an average of $16,678 per volunteer fire department,” according to the audit report.
Base allocation grants cover mitigation of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a volunteer fire department’s ability to fundraise for additional money. DOI awarded $8.0 million of base allocation grant funds to 798 volunteer fire departments for an average of $10,000 per volunteer fire department during the months covered by the audit, which notes that 100% of those funds had been distributed as of Nov. 30,
2022. Supplemental grants are awarded to volunteer fire departments, rescue or emergency medical services (EMS) units for operations and functions uses. According to the audit, DOI awarded $29.8 million of supplemental grant funds to 851 recipients for an average of $35,000 per recipient and as of Nov. 30, 2022, $20.1 million (68%) had been disbursed. Emergency reserve grants are awarded to volunteer fire departments for buying equipment or other capital needs in the event of an emergency. The audit reported no grants of this nature were disbursed as of Oct. 31, 2022.
The Department of Insurance appreciates the work the Office of the State Auditor does and its report on the Office of State Fire Marshal grants.”
State Fire Marshal Mike Causey
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:
April 20
Moore County Farmers Market
9am – 1pm
Enjoy the Moore County Farmers Market at the Armory Sports Complex, which is located at 604 W. Morganton Road in Southern Pines! Buy local and fresh seasonal produce and products every Thursday morning from 9 am until 1pm!
Trivia Thursday at the Brewery
6pm
Come out for Trivia at the Southern Pines Brewery! Enjoy fun and prizes each Thursday. Southern Pines Brewing Company is located at 565 Air Tool Dr., Southern Pines, NC.
21
Sandhills Christian Women’s Connection
Luncheon
11am – 12:30pm
LEANDRO, from page 1
show
The Sandhills Christian Women’s Connection invites you to a special, uplifting morning with a brunch, music, and inspirational speakers! The cost to attend is $20. The event will take place at Cannon Park Community Center in Pinehurst.
Carthage Farmers Market
2pm – 6pm
Come out and support your local farmers at the brand-new farmers market in Carthage! The market features fresh produce, meats, eggs, and handmade goods! The market will be set up on S. Ray Street in the parking lot across from the post office.
NBA
Former NBA star Kemp charged in shooting
Seattle Prosecutors in Washington state have charged six-time NBA all-star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone. Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day. However, a statement by Tacoma police did not indicate Kemp was shot at. Kemp played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
Kirkwood wins Long Beach for 1st career IndyCar victory
Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Kirkwood won the first race of his IndyCar career by holding off Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. The 24-year-old Kirkwood started on the pole for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and closed out the win at the most prestigious street course race in the United States. Grosjean finished second and was followed by Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou as Honda drivers swept the top-five.
HOCKEY
Knight’s hat trick lift
U.S. women over Canada at Worlds Brampton, Ontario
Hilary Knight scored three times, including the go-ahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline Harvey added a goal and assist for the U.S. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and MariePhilip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada.
Chase Elliott finished 10th in his return after missing six races due to a broken leg suffered snowboarding on March 3
The Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson never thought he would tame the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track at Martinsville Speedway.
And then came Sunday.
Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott.
It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and 15th in the last three seasons for the 2021 Cup champion.
Larson has struggled mightily at Martinsville in the past.
In his previous 17 races here, he had only three top-five finishes and never finished better than third.
“I never, ever would have thought I would have won here,” Larson said. “This place has been so tough on me and just does not
suit my driving style at all. ... I just can’t believe it.” Because of his lack of past success at the track, Larson joked that he doesn’t have room picked out for where to keep the 6-foottall grandfather clock awarded to the winner.
Larson said the clock immediately becomes one of his most prized possessions because it serves as a reminder of how hard he has worked to win at a track where he never felt comfortable.
“I’ve left here just mad. I’ve hated this place, and I’ve wished it
would flood,” Larson said with a laugh. “I wished a lot of bad things on this place.”
Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
Logano was thrilled with his result, knowing he didn’t have the car to hold off Larson late in the race on a restart.
“We got lapped twice and at one point I would have been happy to finish on the lead lap,” Logano said with a laugh.
His luck changed when he stayed out on the track when he caught a timely yellow caution flag, helping him suddenly land in the top five and in contention to win.
“There are days when you are mad about second place, but today is not one of those,” Logano said.
Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the last five years, finished 10th in his first race since breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident that forced him to miss six weeks.
He ran in the mid-20s for most of the race before closing strong. Because he’s so far behind in the points race, Elliott likely needs a victory to get into the playoffs. He qualified 24th for Sunday’s race.
The Cup heads to Talladega next weekend for the first of two races at the 2.66-mile course. Ross Chastain won the spring race there last season and Elliott captured the fall race.
The 2020 Cy Young winner hadn’t pitched competitively since 2021 after being accused of domestic violence
The Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan — Shunned by major league clubs, Trevor Bauer is trying to find his way in Japan where fans are drawn by his near celebrity status and seem unconcerned by domestic violence allegations against him.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner pitched his first competitive game in almost two years on Sunday and said he’s almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball after being shunned by major league teams.
Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan — best known as
the home of the United States Seventh Fleet — he allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.
The minor league park usually draws a few hundred spectators. The team said live streaming views reached 77,000 — 15 times the usual 5,000.
“I thought the day went really well,” Bauer said. “The stuff was good, the command was good. The health was good. I feel like I’m ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count.” Bauer said he was not sure when he’d be ready to start for the big club. He seems likely to get another minor league start before moving up.
Despite not pitching in a competitive game since 2021, he said it all felt familiar.
“I’ve stayed ready,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all. The game came to me well. It didn’t speed up on me. I commanded the
ball. There really wasn’t any adjustment. Just competitive baseball instead of throwing to hitters in a cage.”
Bauer is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to the majors where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in
2021. Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
Bauer joined his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave. The Dodgers cut him in January but owe him $22.5 million this season.
Fans in Japan don’t seem bothered by Bauer’s past. Hundreds lined up outside the stadium after he pitched, hoping for a glimpse or maybe an autograph.
Dozens wore his BayStars jersey with his No. 96 — chosen because that’s his goal for his average fastball velocity — 96 mph.
“I felt like I was pretty close to 100% today,” Bauer said.” Obviously, I have to have a couple more outings to get up the pitch count. But I feel 100%.”
I didn’t feel like I’d been away at all.”
Trevor BauerAP PHOTO Kyle Larson celebrates with his family after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
June 26, 1943 - April 14, 2023
Joseph Martin Sonoskus, 79, of Carthage, passed away on April 14, 2023 at his home.
Born on June 26, 1943 in Wanamie, Pennsylvania to the late Joseph and Pauline Sonoskus. Joseph was the owner of a Landscaping Company for many years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one sister. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Karen Sonoskus; two children, Jill Rebecca Edmonds (Joe McCown) of Bolivia, NC and Brian Thomas Sonoskus (Kate) of Asheville, NC; grandchildren, Chelsea Edmonds, Liam Edmonds, Jack Sonoskus, and Jane Sonoskus; one brother, Bob Sonoskus; and one niece, Mary Anthony (Rick) of Myrtle Beach, SC.
July 3, 1920 - April 10, 2023
Warren Hunter Pardue passed away April 10, 2023.
He is survived by his son Jeff, daughter-in-law Sharon, two grandsons (Cliff and Andy), and three great grandchildren.
Born in Amelia Virginia on July 3, 1920, Warren grew up in Ronda, North Carolina, the eldest of three brothers. He married Ella Mae Moore Pardue (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina) who preceded him in death in 2003. Warren served in WWII as a radio operator flying in a Pb4Y2 aircraft while conducting submarine reconnaissance. He later earned his private pilot’s license and enjoyed flying. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and spent his entire career working for National Cash Register (now NCR Corporation.) After graduating Warren developed a passion for golf which led to his retirement in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He played golf until 99 years of age, recorded 13 holes in one and was a longterm member of the Tin Whistles in Pinehurst. He shared his later years with Adelaide (Addie) Johns, his partner for 16 years until her passing in 2022.
September 1, 1923 - April 12, 2023
Spence Jr., William B. (Mr. Bill), 99, of Taylor Town died Wednesday April 12, 2023 at the FirstHealth Palliative and Hospice Care Center. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Aletha Landers Spence on June 15, 2008 at the age of 81. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by a son, William B. Spence III on May 22, 2006 at the age of 58.
Mr. Spence is survived by his four remaining children. John H. Spence (wife Maria Lewis) of Greenville NC; Edith Spence Hoskins of Essex, VT; Amanda L. Spence of Bel Air, MD, and Aletha B. Spence of Manchester, MD. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Mr. Spence is a veteran of the United States Army after honorably serving during World War II. At the time of his separation from the Army on November 15, 1945 his rank was Staff Sergeant, and he had performed his duties in the South/ Central Pacific for 4 years, 9 months 28 days.
December 29, 1942 — April 14, 2023
Dorothy Monroe Davis, age 80, of Eagle Springs NC passed away on April 14, 2023 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.
Dorothy owned a beauty shop in Robbins NC for many years.
She is survived by her husband, Glenn Archie Davis of the home; daughters: Lisa Davis of Robbins and Ronda Davis of Eagle Springs. She was preceded in death by her daughter Sherrie Davis.
Services for Dorothy will be private and held at a later date. The family requests respect for their privacy during this difficult time.
September 16, 1960 - April 10, 2023
It is with much sadness, we announce the death of Marianne French Taylor, 62, of Pinehurst, North Carolina. She passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, April 10th surrounded by her family, after a brief but valiant fight with cancer.
Marianne was born September 16, 1960, in Washington, D.C. She was preceded in death by her parents, Norman Leo French and Doris Orndorff French, and her oldest brother, Joseph French.
She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of thirty (30) years, Glenn Griffin Taylor, her brother, Chris French (Lisa), sisters, Maggie Hudson, (the late Mike Hudson), Dala Stanley (Joe), brother in law and sister in law, Joe and Ginger Taylor. She is also survived by nephews and nieces, nephews: Cameron Hudson, (Carolyn), Joe French, Zach Stanley (Deshauna), Josh Stanley (Makayla) Joseph Taylor (Danielle), nieces: Kaleigh Hudson Wanser, (Robert), Sarah French, Virginia Wade (Ashley), and several great grand-nephews and nieces.
After moving to Chase City, Virginia, she graduated from Bluestone Senior High School. Marianne went on to attend Atlantic Christian College where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in business, graduating in 1982.
Marianne sustained a catastrophic injury when she suffered a terrible fall in August 22, 2000, which left her paralyzed for life from the waist down. With faithful support from her husband, Glenn, together they crossed off everything on her “I’ll never be able to do that again” list.
Smart, beautiful, funny and not afraid of anything, Marianne enjoyed life to the fullest! She especially enjoyed the love and affection of all her golden retrievers throughout her life starting with Ginger and Rusty, then Missy, Maggie and her beautiful English cream, Daisy. Marianne was so very amazing in every way, interacting with everyone she met and meeting the challenges in her life with strength of character and grace of heart, always caring and looking for the good in people while working tirelessly to help resolve their problems. We were blessed to call her wife, sister, aunt and friend.
April 10, 1983 - April 11, 2023
Stephanie Diane Lyle was born in Englewood, CO on April 10, 1983 to Jeffrey Dean Bernard and Beverly Diane Bernard. Stephanie has one brother Jeffrey Jr. who resides in Marble Falls, TX with his wife Ashley and daughter Brighton.
Growing up in Brighton Colorado, Stephanie and her brother played together for hours. They were best friends and adored each other.
Stephanie attended school in Brighton and graduated from Brighton High School in 2001 and went on to attend Northern Colorado University in Greely, CO. In 2005 Stephanie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduation Stephanie went to work at Northeast Elementary School in Brighton where she taught Kindergarten for six years.
On July 1, 2011 Stephanie married the love of her life James Lyle and in 2013 were blessed with their first child, Nathan. Two years later they welcomed a daughter Aleigha and then in 2017 their third bundle of joy Kaleb. After the birth of Nathan, Stephanie quit teaching to be a stay home mom, a passion that she had always dreamed of as a little girl.
Stephanie’s hobbies included reading, creating awesome birthday celebrations for her kids and making each holiday a special event at their house.
James was stationed at Ft Bragg and they embraced raising their kids in North Carolina enjoying the coastal beaches when they had the opportunity. Stephanie and James moved to Pinehurst, NC in 2020 and have attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church where their 3 children are enrolled in Faith formation classes.
Stephanie is survived by her husband James, three children Nathan, Aleigha and Kaleb, her parents Jeff & Bev Bernard of Keenesburg, Colorado and brother Jeffrey Bernard (Ashley), Grandpa Bernard; Grandma Taylor; In-laws Jack & Joan Lyle, of Morrisville, NC, Brother InLaw Jackie Lyle (Shanna) of Cedar Park, TX, Nephew John Lyle IV and Nieces Katelynn Lyle & Brighton Bernard.
January 3, 1983 - April 14, 2023
Robert Collins Carpenter, 40, passed away early Friday morning, April 14, 2023. Born January 3, 1983, in the Home of American Golf, he was the son of Clegg David and Elizabeth Kelley Carpenter of Southern Pines.
Robert had an All-Star childhood, finding success in sports at an early age. A 4-Year letterman, left-handed pitcher for the Pinecrest Patriots, he went on to attend Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC where he graduated with a degree in Accounting. Robert then began his career in Accounting with Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP. The best part of his ten years with Dixon in Raleigh was meeting the love of his life, Shannon. They were wed on May 23, 2015.
Robert’s early passion for baseball turned into a new passion for golf and his new family. He was very fond of Donald Ross designed courses and convinced family and friends to call him Donald on and off the course. He helped to promote “Turtleback Greens” into even more notoriety than before and created a logo and website to honor the signature greens designed by Mr. Ross.
The proudest moments of his life though, were the births of his son Payne and daughter Caroline. He was a great and loyal husband, a dedicated father, loving son and brother, and an entertaining Uncle Rob to relatives and Uncle Donald to children of friends.
Robert is survived by his spouse Shannon and children Payne and Caroline; parents David and Beth Carpenter of Southern Pines, NC; brother Will Carpenter (Tiffany) and nephews Hall, Kent, and Stokes of Seven Lakes, NC; mother-in-law Delores Williams (Steve) of Wilmington, NC; father-in-law Marvin Smith of Washington, NC; brother-in-law Shaun Smith (Cortney) and niece Addison of Washington, NC; sisterin-law Suzanne Vinson (Bud) and nephew Rhett and niece Sadie of Greenville, NC; Uncles and Aunts Anne Harwood (Bill) of Badin, NC; Catherine Earp (John) of Southern Pines; Ellen Russell (Shep) of Little Rock, AR; Sandy Johnson (Harry) of Charlotte, NC; Katie Kelley of Wake Forest, NC; Matt Carpenter (Ginny) of High Point, NC; Kyle Lambert (Danny) of Albemarle, NC; Cousins Anne Kelley Russell (Kurtis Price) of Charleston, SC; Beth Saviers (Marshall) of Fayetteville, AR; Shep Russell, MD (Amanda) of Hilton Head Island, SC; Harry Johnson IV (Kreth) of Raleigh, NC; Evelyn Kelley of Raleigh, NC; Courtney Niederer (Eric) of Albemarle, NC; Hollis Baker (Nick) of Denver, NC; Katie Carpenter (Matt) of Albemarle, NC; Daniel Lambert (Cassie) of Panama City, FL.
