North State Journal - Vol. 1, Issue 8

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 8

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM

NSJ EXCLUSIVE POLL If the general election for State Agriculture Commissioner were held today, would you vote for Steve Troxler, Walter Smith, or are you undecided?

Walter Smith 9.32%

Steve Troxler 38.65%

If the general election for State Treasurer were held today, would you vote for Dan Blue, Dale Folwell, or are you undecided?

Dale Folwell 14.78%

undecided 52.03%

Dan Blue III 21.42%

N.C. Supreme Court upholds teacher tenure Raleigh The N.C. Supreme Court Friday issued a decision upholding tenure for teachers who’d earned it before the 2013 education reforms were passed.

The decision does not reinstitute tenure for teachers who had not earned it by that year.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five teachers who argued that tenure is a key employment protection and recruitment tool.

Lawmakers who passed the reforms say phasing the benefit out starting in 2018 was intended to give school systems more flexibility in dismissing low-performing teachers.

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

H.B. 2 UPDATE

Executive order adds layer to debate

Experts predict busy hurricane season Raleigh Scientists at NC State University say they expect 2016 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, to potentially yield 15 to 18 storms. The average since 1950 has been 11 storms.

The estimates come from study of 100-year historical data, varying weather patterns and seasurface temperatures.

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Washington D.C. President Barack Obama announced in December the commutation of sentences for 95 individuals incarcerated for drug-related charges, and four of those individuals that reside in North Carolina were freed Saturday. The people include Glenn Harris of Elizabeth City, Terry McNeair of Lexington, Michael McRae of Wadesboro, and Alphonso Morrison of Lincolnton.

INSIDE

Are the Warriors better than the ‘96 Bulls? Find out: B1

RALEIGH — In response to building criticism of House Bill 2, Gov. Pat McCrory announced via a video statement April 12 he had signed executive order 93.

The order maintains sex-specific mandates for restrooms and locker room facilities in government buildings and schools, reiterating that private businesses are allowed to adopt their own policies regarding such facilities.

Substantively, McCrory said the order expands “our state equal employment opportunity policy to clarify that sexual orientation and gender identity are included.”

Previously, sexual orientation and gender identity were not protected classes for employees of state government. It effectively means state employees cannot be demoted or fired for being gay or because of their gender identity.

Finally, McCrory said he “will immediately seek legislation in the upcoming short session to reinstate the right to sue for discrimination in North Carolina state courts.”

The last point does not yet

change the law, it merely makes a commitment to working with the General Assembly to modify the law when they reconvene April 25.

“Gov. McCrory’s actions today are a poor effort to save face after his sweeping attacks on the LGBT community, and they fall far short of correcting the damage done when he signed into law the harmful House Bill 2, which stigmatizes and mandates discrimination against gay and transgender people,” the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina responded. “With this executive order, LGBT individuals still lack legal protections from discrimination, and transgender people are still explicitly targeted by being forced to use the wrong restroom.”

North Carolina Rep. Ken Goodman (D-District 66) is unsure of the future of the law.

“I don’t think the law is going to be repealed,” Goodman said in an interview with NPR. “I think there may be some narrowing of the focus of the law. But again, anyone who wants to provide gender-neutral restrooms See H.B. 2, page A8

Hurricanes youth movement in full swing: B6 Sports A photo essay of Farm Animal Days: C4 the good life

20177 52016 $2.00

undecided 53.90%

Latest poll shows Blue, Newton and Troxler with leads in Council of State races

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — While many voters are still undecided, several North Carolina Council of State races are taking shape, the latest exclusive North State Journal poll revealed.

The race for attorney general and agricultural commissioner are more one-sided.

In a matchup of North Carolina state senators, the race to replace current Attorney General Roy Cooper — who is running for governor against incumbent Pat McCrory — shows Buck Newton (R-11th) leading Josh Stein (D-16th) by 22 points. Newton, of Wilson, holds an edge in all party demographics: he has a 44-point lead among Republican voters, 22-point advantage among Independents, and a six-point edge with Democrats.

Brad Crone, president of Raleigh-based consulting firm Campaign Connections, was not surprised by Newton’s significant lead.

“Newton was able to tie into GOP grassroots,” Crone said. “His campaign team for the primary did a good job of building organization and that has benefited Mr. Newton as he goes forward. The investment Newton’s campaign made in organization and field team is reaping him benefits going into the general election.”

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler holds an even bigger lead in his bid for re-election. Troxler, a Republican from Browns Summit, has a 29-point lead over returning challenger Walter Smith, a Democrat who is the former mayor of Boonville. According to the poll, Troxler had at least a 20-point edge across party demographics and a 29-point lead overall. Troxler defeated Smith by more than six points in 2012.

Democrat Dan Blue III, the son of N.C. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue Jr., is pitted against former state Rep. Dale Folwell. They are looking to replace current Treasurer, Democrat Janet Cowell, who opted against running for re-election. Blue holds more than a six-point lead over Folwell, bolstered by a 22-point advantage with Democratic voters compared to just the 10-point advantage held

by Folwell with respondents who identified as Republican.

“The state treasurer’s race is going to be another competitive race,” Crone said. “Both candidates have bases but neither got much of a bump coming out of the primaries, so they will both have to raise considerable funds to communicate with voters during the general election.”

Blue also holds a slim edge among Independents (within the margin of error), but nearly 64 percent of all people polled were still undecided.

CHARLOTTE H.B. 2

NBA committed to keeping All-Star Game in NC for now

By Donna King North State Journal NEW YORK — The NBA’s 2017 All-Star Game will go on in Charlotte as planned in February at Time Warner Cable Arena, despite calls to move it because of H.B. 2. The National Basketball Association’s Board of Governors held a press conference Friday saying that the league’s leadership decided to stick with plans for the game in Charlotte, citing a long history of partnership with North Carolina and a number of NBA stars, including Steph Curry and Michael Jordan, who call it home.

In the press conference League Commissioner Adam Silver said that he’d received a letter from a group of senators from Wisconsin, Illinois and Washington urging the league to pull the game out of Charlotte. Last week, the Atlanta City Council requested that the game move to Atlanta because of the law.

“The current state of the law is problematic for the league,” said Silver, a 1984 Duke graduate, “but groups outside the state are trying to dictate what is the societal norm inside the state of North Carolina.”

The game is expected to pump $100 million into the Charlotte economy, the most since the Democratic National Convention was held there in 2012.

“We are a part of the Charlotte community. I have a sense that by engaging in this process and working towards what is an appropriate resolution to this issue, which is a change in the law.”

The city won the bid to host the game in 2014 after agreeing to spend $27.5 million in improvements to the arena.

“Groups outside the state are trying to dictate what is the societal norm inside the state of North Carolina.”

— Adam Silver, NBA League Commissioner

For more see NBA All-Star on B7

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

5

Buck Newton 34.10%

Annalise Todd, 9, of Raleigh, holds a sign during a rally in support of House Bill 2 on the State Capital grounds.

By Jeff Moore North State Journal

4 N.C. residents commuted by Obama freed Saturday

Josh Stein 12.00%

undecided 63.80%

NORTH

the Sunday NEWS BRIEFING

If the general election for Attorney General were held today, would you vote for Buck Newton, Josh Stein, or are you undecided?

8

Eric Ellenburg of Raleigh, center, leads a chant during a protest against House Bill 2 near the State Capitol grounds.

SBI director nominated McCrory announces budget priorities On Murphy to Manteo, page A5

on

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

A2

NS J datebook

THE BACKSTORY Executive order raises questions among litigators

April 17 & 22

Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness Guided Hike Series 2016 offers hikes that vary in length and difficulty with a variety of venues.

Robbinsville, N.C.

5pm April 17 & 24

Sunday Bluegrass Series, featuring various musicians, including Wires and Wood, Bob Sinclair and the Big Deals, and more.

Hickory, N.C.

Gate 4 p.m., Show 5 p.m. April 17

Pisgah Brewing’s 11th Anniversary Party, featuring music, beer and food trucks.

Black Mountain N.C.

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — Gov. Pat McCrory issued an executive order Monday saying he wanted to clarify and improve House Bill 2 by adding “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to state employees’ employment protections.

However, that wasn’t the section of the bill raising the most eyebrows around Jones Street.

The section that is getting the most attention is a call to “restore a State cause of action for wrongful discharge based on unlawful employment discrimination.” While such a request has no substantive legal effect on H.B. 2, it has raised questions within the legal community on how H.B. 2’s language really affects the public policy based lawsuits.

The debate stems from a 1987 court case in which a Duke University nurse was fired for testifying in a malpractice suit against a doctor colleague. The case, Sides v. Duke University, set a precedent based on common law principles — meaning not derived from legislation. The N.C. Court of Appeals in that case ruled that it is il-

legal to terminate an employee for a reason that violates stated public policy.

Claims for employment discrimination have been brought in the state’s courts in recent years using this Sides rationale and relying on the public policy that was altered last week by H.B. 2, and called to be reinstated in the governor’s executive order. A state-level claim is nearly always accompanied by a federal claim in order to beat the 180-day deadline for filing a federal claim. This has led some to question whether the language in H.B.2 has any practical effect.

“Most of the good employment lawyers I know file at the state level. It’s faster, it’s cheaper, its simpler and it has a longer statute of limitations,” said Stewart Fisher, an employment lawyer of 34 years with Glenn, Mills, Fisher and Mahonney in Durham.

Because discrimination cases, even those filed at the state level, almost always include federal law claims, it is difficult to determine the success of the public policy claims. “The definition of success has a sliding scale,” said William Barrett, an employment attorney with Barrett Law Offices, who says often the state-level cas-

es are settled. “It doesn’t always mean a verdict, and you may not get as much as you could’ve gotten in front of a jury, but it helps your client get back on their feet.”

This isn’t the first time this issue has been raised. A 2001 Campbell Law Review by J. Michael McGuinness discussed discrimination cases after the Sides case and called claims for employment discrimination a “mixed bag” and cited no N.C. Supreme Court cases that supported an existing private right of action for employment discrimination, according to the governor’s executive order. House Bill 2 seems to currently establish a clear statutory bar to such suits.

While the state’s legal community examines the potential shifts that H.B. 2 and the executive order might mean, the governor’s order has received positive feedback from supporters and opponents of H.B. 2, including Charlotte’s Mayor Jennifer Roberts. However, a group of Democratic legislators have already drafted a bill that would repeal H.B. 2 entirely. They expect to file it when the General Assembly re-convenes on April 25.

April 17 & 23-24

Carowinds’ Taste of the Carolinas - sample culinary art from 7 Carolina regions, including recommended pairings with local craft beer and wine.

Charlotte

April 17

Day 2 of the Wrightsville Beach SUP Surfing ProAm, a stand-up paddle boarding event.

Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Day 2 of the NC Zoo Earth Day Celebration. Celebrate the planet and learn what you can do to help make it better for people and animals.

Asheboro, N.C.

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Left, North Carolina Representatives Dan Bishop, left, and Paul Stam, right, who sponsored the bill overturned the Charlotte bathroom ordinance, talk on the floor during a special session of the North Carolina legislature on March 23 in Raleigh.

Top right, Christopher Richard, of Carthage, prays during a rally in support of House Bill 2 on the State Capitol grounds as hundreds of people gathered to listen to speakers and offer their support for H.B. 2 on April 11. Bottom right, From left, Sue Barnett, Preston Mackey Carlo and Denita Purser chant “shame, shame, shame” in response to heckling from a House Bill 2 supporter on April 11.

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

WE STAND CORRECTED To report an error or a suspected error email corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

In our April 10 issue, our poll data in the graphic on H.B. 2 support was incorrect. See the correct graphic below: The city of Charlotte recently passed an ordinance that would allow people to use the public bathroom or locker room of their choice regardless of whether they are male or female. Would you The city of Charlotte recently passed an ordinance that would allow support a similar ordinance in people to use the public bathroom or locker room of their choice yourofcommunity? regardless whether they are male or female. Would you support a similar ordinance in your community? undecided 16.05%

27

IT STARTED WITH A HANDBOOK In 2012, the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco mass-distributed “Peeing in Peace — A Resource Guide for Transgender Activists and their Allies,” which provides instructions on how to launch a grassroots campaign on a large scale for gender-neutral bathrooms, including fundraising, peaceful protests, sample advocacy letters, teaming ideas and other tips.

“Without a doubt, this would be a big states’ change in public bathroom culture legislatures in the U.S. It is a change whose time RALEIGH - In an exclusive poll conducted by the North State Journal, Democratic presidential has come, though.

By eliminating candidate Hillary Clinton is leading two of the potential Republican candidates in Northor governors Carolina. the Governor Pat idea McCrory alsoone leadsbathroom his challenger, Attorney general Roy Cooper, by have pending whole that nearly ten points. Lt. Governor challenger, Democrat Linda Coleman, showed to be leading legislation to is for men and oneincumbent is for women, Dan Forest. establish or we would be able to get rid of the The poll also asked about the Charlotte ordinance that HB 2, the Public Facilities Privacy and clarify rules stereotypical expectations that Security Act, overturned. HB 2 has sparked nationwide controversy in recent weeks as it sets on single-sex cause so much trouble.” a statewide anti-discrimination policy for public institutions that does not include gender identity among other factors. restroom use — Peeing in Peace In a contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who would you vote for? in multi-stalled FIRST BATHROOM BILLS facilities.

FIRST LAWS

Hillary Clinton 43.39%

In the 1920s, the federal Dept. of Labor and DHHS first set safety guidelines in the general election for building codes, Ifmandating Lieutenant Governor were held gender-specifictoday, men’s would you vote for Dan Forest, Linda Coleman or are you and women’s restrooms, undecided? enacted through state and Linda Coleman local building 22.76% codes across the country that still stand.

Donald Trump 40.67%

From 2012-2014 San Francisco, Washington, D.C., West undecided 15.94% Hollywood andbetween Philadelphia In a contest Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz, who would you vote for? all passed city requirements Hillary Clinton 43.97% that single-stall restrooms be Ted Cruz 42.46% gender-neutral. undecided 13.57%

6

states’ legislatures or governors have rejected bills that restrict bathrooms use to single-sex

If the election for N.C. governor were held today, would you vote for Pat McCrory, Roy Cooper or are you undecided?

TIMELINE September 2014

May 2015

Pat McCrory 43.33%

November 2015

Roy Cooper 34.58% support 20.46%

oppose 63.49%

Chapel Hill, N.C. passed a nondiscrimination Dan Forest undecided 15.94% 61.30% ordinance stating “no employee or applicant for employment shall suffer discrimination because of age, sex, race, color, religion, non-job-related disability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or marital status.”

North State Journal ISSN: 2471-1365 Neal Robbins Publisher Donna King Managing Editor Drew Elliot Opinion Editor Will Brinson Sports Editor Jennifer Wood Features Editor Kevin Martin Photo Editor Published each Sunday by North State Media, LLC 819 W. Hargett Street, Raleigh, N.C. 27603 Inquiries: 866-458-7184 Annual Subscription Price: $250.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to North State Journal, 819 W. Hargett St., Raleigh, N.C. 27603.

65

undecided 22.09% Houston city council passed an ordinance percent of Houston voters requiring public buildings to allow reject the city ordinance.

If the general election for Lieutenant Governor were held today, would you vote for Dan individuals to use single and Forest, multi-stall Linda Coleman or are you undecided? restrooms of their gender preference.

Jennifer Roberts is elected mayor of Dan Forest 15.94% Of all the cities that have passed gender Charlotte. She campaigned in part on Linda Coleman 22.76% bathroom ordinances, this one is most promises to bring new legal protections similar to the one passed in Charlotte. undecided 61.30% for LGBT individuals, including the Opponents of the measure sue Houston. for you transgender people If the general election for U.S. Senate were heldability today would vote for Richard Burr, to use The Texas Supreme Court orders that the Deborah Ross or are you undecided? the multi-stalled bathroom of the measure be put to a voter referendum. gender with which they identify.

Richard Burr 39.57%

February 22, 2016

7-4

Two months after taking office, Roberts brought the “Charlotte bathroom ordinance” to the Charlotte city council, which approved it 7-4. The measure did not create a new law. Rather, it removed the exception for bathrooms, locker rooms and other inherently private places in the city’s “non-discrimination in public accommodations” law, effectively making all public bathrooms and locker rooms open to either sex.

March 23, 2016

86-26

AprilDeborah 12, 2016 Ross 24.05%

April 13, 2016

undecided 36.38%

McCrory issued an executive Charlotte Mayor Jennifer The city of Charlotte recently passed an ordinance that would allow people to use the public orderroom thatof "expands the Roberts praised the governor’s bathroom or locker their choice regardless of whether they are male or female.

Would you support a similarpolicy ordinance in your community?

The General Assembly passed state's employment executive order: “Pleased to see H.B. 2, 86-26 in the House, for state employees to63.49% cover movement from @GovOfficeNC. oppose while all Senate Democrats sexual orientation and gender Historic to include LGBT support 20.46% walked out, refusing to vote. identity" and "seeks legislation protections for state employees.

Later that evening Gov. Pat to reinstate theundecided right to 16.05% sue in Look forward to more dialogue.”

McCrory signed H.B. 2, calling state court for discrimination." phone poll conducted on Monday April 4, 2016 of 1,000 Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4% its requirement that people use the restroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate "common sense legislation," but also said he was concerned about other provisions in the bill.

INFOGRAPHIC BY LIZ MOOMEY

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

A3

BUSINESS & ECONOMY the DASHBOARD

$40,656

N.C.’s average per capita income, ranking No. 5 in the 12 southeastern states behind Virginia, Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee

BOB SELIGSON, N.C. MEDICAL SOCIETY CEO

Teaching doctors to lead in Medicaid reform

people live in eastern North Carolina

52,586 sq. mi.

North Carolina’s geographical size

Delegates: How NC chooses its presidential candidates

P

HYSICIANS are a major presence at the ‘listening sessions’ taking place throughout the state this month, offering their feedback on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) draft Medicaid reform plan.

Physicians have a key role in ensuring the success of these reforms for their patients, our most vulnerable citizens.

With the passage last fall of the Medicaid reform legislation, the state’s Medicaid program will be administered by three statewide managed care organizations and 10 to 12 provider-led entities operating in distinct regions. The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has been engaged on this issue for more than three years, and it will likely be at least three more before the new program is up and running.

In this new scenario, how can physicians ensure they retain the clinical decisionmaking function that is best for patients? Physicians need to take a leadership role in the reform of our health care system. Unfortunately, effective leadership is not something routinely taught in medical school.

For more than two decades, the NCMS has been cultivating physician leaders through our leadership development programs. Our Leadership College boasts more than 250 alumni throughout the state. Now, in addition to the Leadership College, we offer a Health Care Leadership and Management track, providing a framework for physicians based on economics and finance as well as leadership development. Our Clinical Quality University, or CQU, brings together multi-disciplinary teams to understand and implement quality improvement programs, a central focus of both state and national health care reforms.

All of these programs provide a pipeline of physicians with the necessary skills to navigate their role as physician leaders to help bring the highest caliber health care to the citizens of North Carolina.

1.4 million

REPUBLICANS

the

BRIEF

DEMOCRATS

N.C. Convention: May 6-8 in Greensboro

N.C. Convention: June 11 in Raleigh

How are the 72 delegates elected?

How are the 121 delegates elected?

automatic*

3

selected at the N.C. GOP State Convention

selected at each of the April Congressional District Conventions

39

30

superdelegates pledged party 14 leaders and elected officials selected at the state convention

selected from the state’s congressional districts

70

14

selected at the state convention

23

* will include the N.C. GOP Chairman, Republican National Committeeman and

What is the bound delegate breakdown? unbound*

14

What is the bound delegate breakdown?

Marco Rubio

6

Ben Carson

1

Hillary Clinton

60

John Kasich

9

Donald Trump

29 Ted Cruz

Bernie Sanders

47 * 8 of the 14 unbound delegates prefer Clinton; 1 prefers Sanders

27 How are delegate pledges decided?

N.C. GOP attempts to assign delegates to their preferred candidates, which are declared at their district conventions, but all delegates pledge to support other candidates, if necessary, to meet the requirements for proportional delegate allocation. All N.C delegates are bound for the first round of votes at the Republican National Convention, including those for Rubio and Carson.

Should additional rounds be necessary all 72 votes will be unbound.

What happens if a delegate doesn’t vote for their pledged candidate on the first ballot?

The delegate forfeits his or her right to hold any office within the N.C. GOP for 10 years; the latter may assess liquidated damages against the delegate in the amount of $10,000.

What is the delegate demographic?

The Democratic Party has affirmative action goals to attempt to include historically underrepresented groups; this year’s goals include trying to reflect various groups’ percentages in the Democratic Electorate by selecting delegates in the following numbers in each group:

57

African Americans

9

Hispanic Americans

2

Native Americans

2

Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders

10

LGBT Americans

4

people with disabilities

31

youth (under age 36)

9

seniors (over age 65)

N.C. shows fastest economic growth in the nation by GDP Washington, D.C. North Carolina showed a 2.8 percent growth in real Gross Domestic Product from the second to third quarter this year, outpacing all states in the Southeast. The fastest growing states in other regions of the country all had smaller economies than North Carolina, making the Tar Heel State the fastest growing large economy in the nation in the third quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Millions reserved for rural industrial site improvements Rocky Mount, N.C. The Golden LEAF Foundation and the Rural Infrastructure Authority announced they will work together to fund infrastructure improvements for large industrial sites in rural, economically distressed areas across the state. The two will reserve up to $35 million over the next three years for the Major Site Development Initiative to boost the competitiveness of the sites for major projects with potential for job creation and private capital investment.

Duke plans to turn pig, chicken poop into energy Charlotte Charlotte-based utility Duke Energy announced it has inked a deal to build a plant to collect methane from pig and chicken waste. They say the plant will refine enough waste to generate electricity for 10,000 homes each year.

Carbon Cycle Energy got the 15-year contract to work with Duke to build the plant as part of their effort expand renewable energy.

STORY BY JOSH HYATT | INFOGRAPHIC BY LIZ MOOMEY

Google, ASU’s Gravity Games returns to encourage STEM “Students are able to combine their talents, skills, and abilities to be successful.”

— Enoch Moeller, Google data center manager

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal LENOIR, N.C. — Merging science, technology and creativity is a focal point of Google as they look to expand their footprint on education in North Carolina.

“Google wants to increase our impact in education by creating hands-on activities that get kids excited about science and moves them outside the classroom,” said Enoch Moeller, Google data center manager in Lenoir.

Moeller created and oversees the N.C. Gravity Games, a Google and Appalachian State University-sponsored activity to engage children and adults in science, technology and engineering.

Eighty teams from across the state will compete in gravity powered cars in a street race in downtown Lenoir. Teams are challenged with designing, building and racing cars for an epic competition on Saturday, April 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 2,500 attendees turned out for the event last year to witness how STEM education is evolving in North Carolina.

“Students are able to combine their talents, skills, and abilities to be successful. Whether their strengths are physics, math or engineering, or they are just learning, they are leveraging their strengths with teammates to understand

NC GRAVITY GAMES

science has real world applications,” said Moeller.

In its sixth year, the Gravity Games are aimed at giving kids around North Carolina a chance to learn engineering principles in an engaged learning atmosphere of hands-on activities and outdoor fun. Exhibiting partners include: the Catawba Science Center; Morehead Planetarium and Science Center; UNC Neuroscience Center and the Engineering Place; and Women in Engineering at NC State.

“We encourage people from all over the state to join us, to get excited about science, to learn something new, and to hopefully participate in the future,” said Moeller.

In addition to this year’s games, Google Science Street is offering attendees the ability to experience a NASCAR race simulator, to see the sun’s spots through a specially designed telescope, and much more. Free of charge and open to all ages, the Gravity Games are a signature event of the N.C. Science Fest.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

A4

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

Murphy

N.C. Music Festivals

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival

Longer days and warmer nights means one thing MerleFest 2016 — it is time for music festival season. From the Wilkesboro April 28-May 1 mountains to the beach, music lovers can Performers include: John Prine, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jason Isbell, John listen beach music, electronic dance music, Oates, and Dave Rawlings Machine country and more. Azalea Festival kicked off the music festival season last weekend with performances by North Carolina’s Avett Brothers and Snoop Dogg. The map features nine spring festivals across the state.

to

Manteo Triangle Beach Music Festival

Pittsboro May 5-8

Moogfest 2016

Greenville April 30

Durham May 19-22

Performers include: Punch Brothers, Danay Suarez, Donna the Buffalo, and Fatoumata Diawara

Performers include: Hip Pocket, Band of Oz, Jim Quick & Coastline, and Spare Change

Performers include: ODESZA, Grimes, Miike Snow, Gary Numan, GZA, Laurie Anderson, and Explosions in the Sky

Beaufort Music Festival Beaufort May 20-21

White Squirrel Festival Brevard May 27-29

Performers include: Town Mountain, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, and Sarah Siskind & Sunliner

Performers include: Beaufort Blues Project, The Paper Stars, Kudubai, and Rebekah Todd & The Odyssey

Carolina Rebellion 2016 Concord May 6-8

Performers include: The Scorpions, ZZ Top, Lynyard Skynyard, 3 Doors Down, Five Finger Death Punch, and Disturbed

Midtown Beach Music Series Raleigh Every Thursday starting April 21

WEST Peak Mountain purchased for preservation Boone, N.C. Nearly 250 acres of undeveloped land in Avery and Watuga counties have been purchased from a Florida-based investment company for $805,000. The Blue Ridge Conservancy purchased the land to protect the Peak Mountain ridgeline from development. Peak Mountain can be seen from Seven Devils and Grandfather Mountain in the western part of the state.

THE WATUGA DEMOCRAT

Louis C.K. performs shows to support LGBT community Asheville, N.C. Well-known comedian Louis C.K. sent out a notification to his mailing list around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, letting them know he was doing a set of surprise benefit shows that evening at the Orange Peel in Asheville. In less than an hour, the shows were sold out. The benefits from the shows were donated to Equality NC, the state’s LGBT rights organization. C.K. mentioned during the show that he would be making an announcement to his mailing list shortly for an upcoming third show in Asheville.

ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES

Carolina Beach Music Festival Carolina Beach June 4

Performers include: The Embers feat.

Craig Woolard, Liquid Pleasure, Catalinas, and Band of Oz

PIEDMONT

Performers include: North Tower Band, Band of Oz, and Jim Quick & Coastline

N.C. flu deaths hit 37

Victims coming forward in attacks at rehab center Waynesville, N.C. According to the Waynesville Police Department there are at least six victims accusing a nurse’s assistant of sexual assault when they were patients at the Brian Center, a Medicaid/Medicare rehabilitation center. Louis Gomez, 58, was charged in the attacks, and the director of the center and nursing director were both dismissed. North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services inspected the facility following release of the story by the local Mountaineer newspaper and will deliver recommendations to ensure patient safety. The facility has retained its license at this point, but likely faces steep fines.

THE MOUNTAINEER

INFOGRAPHIC BY LAUREN ROSE

Raleigh The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported that the number of flu-related deaths in the state climbed to 37 this week, including the first child death. There were five deaths just in the week ending April 9. There were more victims between 50 and 64 years old than other age groups. DHHS says while infections are decreasing, they expect to see flu activity continue over the next several weeks.

N.C. DHHS

Evidence released of former mayor taking bribes Charlotte Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, currently serving 44 months in federal prison, was featured in hours of surveillance footage released to the media by the FBI Wednesday after eight outlets requested the videos. They show Cannon receiving more than $48,000 in cash, airline tickets, and other luxuries from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers. In 2014, Cannon struck a plea deal in which he plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be released in January 2017.

CHARLOTTE, WFMY NEWS

EAST Wilmington librarian wins ‘Jeopardy!’

Officer cleared in shooting of Raleigh man Raleigh A Wake county district attorney says that officer D.C. Twiddy was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Akiel Denkins in February. Denkins was wanted on an outstanding drug arrest warrant when Twiddy spotted him in downtown Raleigh on Feb. 29. After a foot chase and struggle, Twiddy told investigators Denkins took a handgun from his waistband and then reached for the officer’s weapon. Investigators found shell casings and a stolen weapon at the scene with Denkins’ prints. Denkins’ DNA was also found on the barrel of Twiddy’s gun. Medical examiner reports said the physical evidence is consistent with Twiddy’s account of the incident and Denkins’ autopsy showed cocaine in his system.

Lawyers for the N.C. NAACP say they are continuing to investigate the incident on behalf of Denkins’ family.

TIME WARNER CABLE NEWS

Wilmington, N.C. Margaret Miles, a youth services librarian with the New Hanover Public Library, represented her community and state well in winning the championship on the long-running television game show “Jeopardy!” last week. Questions ranged from understanding the translation of the name “linguine” (“little tongues”) to knowing the fastest land mammal in North America is the pronghorn. Miles answered them with ease. Her vast knowledge helped her earn more than $40,000 and the opportunity to return to continue her reign as “Jeopardy!” champion.

THE WILMINGTON STAR-NEWS

Two seafood staples owned by the same family merge Atlantic Beach, N.C. The Atlantic Beach Seafood Market and the Atlantic Isles Mercantile, two businesses locally owned by the

same family, have merged to serve the residents and tourists on this beach community. Now known as the Atlantic Beach Seafood and Fresh Market, the business offers fresh seafood, ready-made meals, side dishes, and homemade key lime pies.

Atlantic Beach Seafood first opened 17 years ago.

THE CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES

Town remembers tornado on 5-year anniversary Havelock, N.C. The Falcon Ridge community, a subdivision just west of Havelock, remembers the EF2 tornado blew through their neighborhood on the evening of April 16, 2011.

With estimated winds of 135 mph, the tornado destroyed 18 homes, damaged 13 others, and caused minor damage to 58 more.

There were no fatalities, but seven injuries were reported. The Falcon Bridge tornado was part of a rare tornado outbreak of 31 twisters in the state. In the five years since, the neighborhood has rebuilt, repaired and returned to normal.

THE HAVELOCK NEWS

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Jones& Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

SBI director nominee announced by McCrory

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — In an announcement at the executive mansion early Wednesday, Gov. Pat McCrory announced Robert Schurmeier, the former deputy chief over Investigations for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police force, is his nominee to be the new director of the State Bureau of Investigation. The N.C. General Assembly must confirm the nomination.

Schurmeier retired from public service in 2004 and cofounded a private security company, Investigative Security Services, where he served as president supporting private businesses and government agencies in security efforts. He is also a past president of the North Carolina Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates and the North Carolina Police Executives Association.

“I take leave of ISS after our best year ever,” said Schurmeier in his speech

Wednesday. “We are opening our third office in Charleston and it’s hard to walk away, but I would confess that the gravitational pull to return to public service won the day,” A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in political science, he has one daughter, Emma, with his wife, Trisha.

“The No. 1 priority of the SBI is protecting our citizens and families,” said McCrory. “Bob is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, one of the most professional and dedicated public servants I’ve ever met.”

In the speech, McCrory described his experience with Schurmeirer on police ride-alongs in the 1990s, which showed the former Charlotte mayor the challenges of the city. Schurmeier spoke of his commitment to law enforcement and his support for police officers.

“I’m certain I speak for many as I say I honor the people who wear the badge and quietly serve each day,” said Schurmeier.

McCrory outlines budget priorities

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — Gov. Pat McCrory was joined by Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Rick Brajer, North Carolina General Assembly members, and first responders Monday to announce further budget priorities focused on health and human services for the 2016 legislative session.

“After four straight years of Medicaid shortfalls, totaling $2 billion, North Carolina’s Medicaid program is on target to finish three consecutive years with cash on hand due to responsible management and budgeting,” McCrory said.

“This year North Carolina improved its public health rankings more than any other state in the United States of America,” McCrory added.

With the increased budget availability, McCrory outlined five priority areas his budget proposal will focus on relating to health and human services.

The first focus is the implementation of the recommendations of the Governor’s Taskforce on Mental Health and Substance Use, appropriating $30 million to help in those efforts.

This includes: • $9 million for medication-assisted treatment, specifically for access to Naloxone, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose situations • $3 million of funding for emergency housing for adults transitioning out of hospitals, correctional facilities and institutions • $5 million for the expansion of Specialty Drug Courts • $13 million for case management systems for adults during periods transition and children with developmental disabilities and those in foster care McCrory announced his budget “also uses one-time money to fund expanding adult/youth mental health first aid and funding child facility-based crisis centers that work closely with the juvenile system, foster care programs, and schools.”

The second major focus McCrory an-

nounced is dedicating $3 million for the expansion of Medicaid services for older adults and those living with Alzheimer’s disease. This includes $1 million for family caregivers.

“My major priority is help those who can’t help themselves and encourage those who can,” said McCrory, adding, “Believe me, you can’t help yourself when you have Alzheimer’s.”

Referring to Medicaid expansion in general, McCrory said, “I have personally met with the President of the United States in the Oval Office to talk about possibly getting a waiver for Medicaid expansion … requiring worker-training requirements. The president disagreed with that waiver.”

McCrory pledged to continue pushing the Obama administration for waivers that would encourage people to help themselves while depending on government services.

The third budget priority McCrory outlined is $2.6 million to expand Medicaid services for children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities and their families.

The fourth health focus of McCrory’s forthcoming budget proposal is strengthening North Carolina’s child protection system with an additional $8.6 million of funding.

The final proposal is to increasing Pre-K slots by $2 million.

“This is crucial. It’s long-term solutions,” McCrory said. “It’s very, very inefficient if we have this continually revolving door [of those depending on government services].”

McCrory also announced that his budget proposal will allocate $750,000 toward response preparations for the Zika virus. A team from North Carolina, led by Director of Public Health Dr. Randall Williams, worked with the Centers for Disease Control in developing a plan for dealing with the mysterious disease.

McCrory highlighted that labs in North Carolina are among the few in the country that can test for the Zika virus.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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

VISUAL VOICES

OUR EDITORIALS RAY NOTHSTINE

The danger of politicizing bathrooms and everything else Politics is primarily infatuated with empowerment, not living out objective truths.

Why does almost everything have to be politicized? Turn on the news and a political angle can be found for almost anything.

Individuals immediately take to social media after tragedies to pounce or cast blame on the political party or ideology they abhor. Even sports, especially concerning current social issues, are heavily politicized now. Awards are often doled out not on the basis of athletic prowess but to fit a political narrative or cause.

What happened, and who would have thought 20 years ago that the seminal civil rights issue would be bathrooms? The General Assembly and governor’s attempt to affirm what had once always been considered a social norm concerning restrooms is now a national obsession.

Politics can be good. Its purpose, especially in the view of the American founders, is to secure ordered liberty and promote the common good. But when civil society breaks down, more segments of culture become politicized. America is more divided now than since the Civil War, and culturally, more divided than ever.

What should we make of the clarion calls to boycott an entire state or region over political disagreements? Organizations and individuals certainly have a right to their conscience, but regardless of ideology, perhaps we should reflect or pause before making something solely about a political agenda.

More than 10 years ago, The Southern Baptist Church voted to end an eight-year boycott of Disney. The boycott, which was initially enacted from a belief that the organization promoted anti-family programming, had no impact on Disney.

There is nothing wrong with boycotts, and they were used successfully during the American civil rights movement, but we need to be careful not to trivialize every headline and continue down a path of believing that politics can solve our nation’s deficiencies. Do we really need to always purchase products or pick our friends from those things that align with our ideological prejudices?

Politics is primarily infatuated with empowerment, not living out objective truths. Politics has its limits. John Fletcher Moulton, an English baron and judge, said, “The greatness of a nation, its true civilization, is measured by the extent of its obedience to the unenforceable.”

Lord Moulton was saying that the more laws and legislation we need in a society, the less free we become. This is true in terms of taxation as well as governmental mandates on North Carolina restrooms.

The politicization of everything requires the state to intercede to try to fix what are primarily deeper issues within our culture. It fuels divide and friction within our communities.

Most importantly, it dangerously signals a belief that no higher authority exists other than the state and its political force.

The problem of the politicization of everything is that it takes what should be at the personal and relational level and makes it into a public spectacle. Public spectacles can be entertaining to watch, but they only feed the kind of reactionary discourse most sane people wish to avoid.

Our founding principle of limiting government is eroded when laws must be passed for every purpose under the sun. Of course, that is only a problem if one’s aim is the freedom provided by setting limits on government. Unfortunately, that may not be the aim of many in American politics.

BE IN TOUCH Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@NSJonline.com or 819 Hargett St. Raleigh, N.C. 27603. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@NSJonline.com.

DREW ELLIOT

Clinton, Cooper, Brannon: voters eye legal woes Candidates pursuing public office will need to answer legitimate ethical questions from voters.

HILLARY CLINTON will win the Democratic nomination for president, Brit Hume said last week in Chapel Hill. Hume, the Fox News reporter and veteran Capitol Hill journalist, added one caveat during his guest lecture at UNC’s journalism school: “Unless she’s indicted.”

However unlikely he thinks an indictment is before the end of the Democrats’ convention in July, Hume said that is the one case in which superdelegates — those Orwellian creatures who are more equal than other Democrats — might shift to Bernie Sanders. The Democrats may well decide that even socialist Sanders is better than nominating a commander-in-chief-to-be who treated our nation’s security matters with severe carelessness. (And that seems to be the explanation most charitable to Clinton.)

Clinton is not the only current candidate with legal woes. Right next to the top of the ticket sits Roy Cooper, running for governor after serving for 15 years as attorney general. Cooper is paid to lead the Department of Justice, but he has let politics dictate when he does his job lately. Job nonperformance, however, is not his biggest legal vulnerability.

Back in 2000, Cooper ran a misleading campaign commercial about his opponent for attorney general, Republican Dan Boyce. The ad tried to tie Boyce to a civil lawsuit, but Boyce

wasn’t involved in the suit (his father was).

Cooper still fought the suit for 14 years, finally settling in 2014 by paying $75,000 and offering an apology.

Campaigns are a blood sport, and Cooper’s ad wasn’t the first to disfigure the truth. It is Cooper’s method of using legal maneuvers to try to stretch the opposition to the breaking point that is troubling. Still, it was outside his official duties, and it was a long time ago. Neither of those mitigating factors, however, is present in the case of Alyiah Morgan, a little girl hit and killed by a log truck in Sampson County in 2013.

Alyiah’s family, believing that the school bus driver erred in letting her cross the road, sued the school system. The case has been prolonged at every turn by lawyers in Cooper’s office defending the school system — to the point that in November, the N.C. Court of Appeals took the extreme step of officially sanctioning the attorneys involved for filing frivolous appeals.

Before the case has even gone to trial, the sanctions likely will cost taxpayers more than $20,000 for the time the lawyers wasted fighting the appeals. And that figure does not include the much higher bill for the defense lawyers’ state salaries and other expenses.

As the campaign heats up, Cooper will face questions about ethical behavior raised by these

cases. Is it office policy to employ a strategy of endless delay at taxpayers’ expense when involved in a case? Shouldn’t the Department of Justice simply strive for justice?

Clinton and Cooper are the highest profile, but there are other candidates in legal trouble. Just last week a state Court of Appeals panel upheld a jury verdict against Republican Greg Brannon, a frequent candidate who is running for Congress.

Brannon, a Cary physician, was sued by investors in a technology company who say he made false and misleading statements when urging them to invest. Since the decision was 2-1, with one judge saying Brannon deserved a new trial, the state Supreme Court may take up the case.

The chance for another day in court may be good for Brannon the person, but it’s bad for Brannon the politician. Some politicians, such as Republican state Rep. Fletcher Hartsell, decide to bow out of politics when faced with legal or ethical troubles. Those who choose to continue, such as Clinton, Cooper, and Brannon, will need to answer legitimate ethical questions from voters.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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GUEST OPINION | DEBORAH DIENER

General Assembly needs to tilt laws in favor of children North Carolina laws shield predators and allow them to continue to abuse more children.

N

ORTH CAROLINA’S commitment to the welfare of children is commendable, but more needs to be done to protect the safety and welfare of our kids.

There is an exposure, right here in North Carolina, that places our children in harm’s way. “ This exposure dramatically increases the risk of contracting 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death,” says Dr. N.B. Harris.

“It can decrease lifespan by 20 years, damages the endocrine system, immune system, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed. These children have triple the lifetime risk of heart disease and lung cancer,” according to Dr. N.B. Harris.

Statistics show 20 percent of our children will be exposed to this hazard before they are 18 years old (1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys). This costs North Carolina and our nation billions of dollars per year.

This exposure is not a chemical or biological agent — it is childhood trauma.

Six children in a Raleigh community were sexually abused by the very same predator.

No one ever suspected he was a molester. He was great at deception and manipulation, as are most abusers. He deceived people in his congregation, colleagues at work, and his own family.

I am a registered nurse and I had no idea there are so many dramatic lifetime health consequences caused by sexual abuse. In an effort to help these children, I read hundreds of medical journal articles and discovered that in his/her lifetime, a predator can sexually abuse an average of 175 children.

Experts have determined that typically one predator abuses between 50 to 75 children before he is ever caught, and only about 3 percent are ever apprehended.

Furthermore, there are North Carolina laws which shield predators and allow them to continue to abuse more children.

Here are three that are overdue for change: • First, North Carolina law states that we must report only those predators who abuse a

child and happen to be either a legal parent, legal guardian or a legal caretaker (in a custodial sense). A coach, grandfather, teacher, etc., would not legally have to be reported, leaving these perpetrators to roam free and placing more of our children in danger.

• Second, North Carolina has a statute limiting the amount of time that victims of child abuse have to file a lawsuit against organizations who fail to report and protect them. But experts have found that it takes a woman until age 41 and a man age 38 until they disclose their abuse. Because of the statute of limitations, victims are silenced, organizations continue to shield predators, and of course more children are abused.

• Finally, North Carolina is one of only four states that stil l uses the doctrine of contributory negligence. Contributory negligence demands that if a defense attorney can convince a jury that someone other than the defendant is even 1 percent responsible, then the case is dismissed and the public is never

made aware that there is a negligent organization failing to protect kids.

And of course, more children are at risk.

Many adults who were victimized as children have contacted me and have shared their stories through the publicservice Facebook page I created to educate parents (Facebook.com/ ChildrenMatterCLNC). Their experiences are heartbreaking. We have let them down!

We must do more to protect North Carolina’s kids from predators in our midst. Any law that shields a predator and allows him (or her) free access to our children must be changed.

The changes we expect from our legislators must be forthcoming. We must insist that they stand by North Carolina’s stated commitment to children!

A 35-year resident of North Carolina, Deborah Diener is founder and executive director of Children Matter, Inc. She is a registered nurse, a certified legal nurse consultant, and a former major in the Army Nurse

Who benefits from occupational licensing?

North Carolina “licenses” more than twice as many occupations as Virginia or South Carolina.

braids are beautiful, and you decide you want to do it for a living. Can you?

Not in North Carolina.

We have more restrictive occupational licensing than most other states. In this case, you can blame “Big Hair”: the guild of hair care providers in North Carolina profit from keeping outsiders away. North Carolina “licenses” more than twice as many occupations as Virginia or South Carolina.

Occupational licensing means a board of experts, people in the industry who want to protect the industry, have to agree to let you in to compete with them.

But isn’t occupational licensing a good thing? After all, we don’t want just anyone declaring that they are a heart doctor, or a retinal surgeon, right? Two problems: First, licensing has little to do with ensuring quality. Most licenses just drive up prices and deaden innovation. Second, those qualifying tests we do want for doctors are privately verified by professional board certifications, not the state.

Suppose there were no licensing. Anyone could hang a shingle, or a web site, and sell services. How could we protect consumers? The usual concerns

Congress still wasting taxpayers’ money S THE TAX deadline approaches it’s once again time to consider how the A federal government wastes our money.

COLUMNIST | MICHAEL MUNGER

UPPOSE you learned to braid hair when you were S young. You can do it fast, the

CAL THOMAS

are safety (danger) and efficacy (fraud). Occupational licensing makes the most sense in settings where both (a) the side effects are potentially catastrophic, and (b) the consumer has trouble judging the results. Surgery is hard to judge; it takes an expert to detect competence. Hot dog stands just need to be inspected for health concerns, because we can tell for ourselves if it tastes good.

But we license many industries that consumers could judge for themselves, including barbers, bill collectors, door repair, hairbraiding, make-up artists, and house painters. Some examples seem too ludicrous to be true.

Hair-braiding, which both women and men have practiced for centuries, is one profession available even to the very poor.

The intricate braids in different styles, some dating to Africa before the slave trade brought them to the U.S., are easily recognizable, and quality is in the eye of the consumer. Yet women who wish to practice African or other styles of hair-braiding must pay substantial fees, fill out forms, and (most remarkably) spend at least 1,500 hours in “school.” That’s hundreds of dollars and approximately two years of part-time schooling all to learn a “skill” that many women perfected as girls.

One study by the Institute

for Justice found that the average “licensing” regime on occupations frequently chosen by the poor cost $209 in fees, nine months in the classroom paying for education and training, and one exam whose questions bear little resemblance to real-world working conditions or problems.

In a time where consumers are struggling to make ends meet, and poor people with useful skills are being blocked from jobs they could do well, it’s time to reconsider our policy.

The Locke Foundation’s Jon Sanders recently proposed a “policy pyramid” approach: start with letting consumers choose. Address health and pollution concerns by requiring inspections and insurance.

Registration with the attorney general and the Better Business Bureau, and the threat of litigation, can address fraud concerns. Only at the narrowest, top part of the business pyramid, where the costs of being wrong are greatest and the ability to judge quality are the least, is licensing actually a benefit to consumers. And benefits to consumers, not protection for entrenched industries, should be the reason we have regulations in the first place.

Michael Munger is a professor and director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program at Duke University.

Remember the spending caps that were supposed to keep Congress from overspending? Gone with the wind.

How about the promise Republicans made about no more earmarks on spending bills?

It disappeared almost as fast as a gold coin in a magician’s hands. Of course, they are not calling these new and improved earmarks earmarks. They call them something else, so they can claim they are keeping their promise.

Is it any wonder this political season is characterized by voter anger?

Just in time for Tax Day comes the annual Pig Book 2016. For more than two decades Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonprofit that advocates for the “elimination of waste and inefficiency in government through lobbying and grassroots activities,” has published this useful guide, which illustrates just some of the ways our elected representatives waste the money we send them.

A few examples will set the tone, but you should read it all. It should embarrass every member of Congress who voted for this unnecessary and wasteful stuff, but, unfortunately, they are beyond embarrassment.

Here are a few of the categories.

Defense: “$255,000,000 for two additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft for the Navy. The acquisition misadventures of the JSF program have been well-documented. In development for nearly 15 years and four years behind schedule, the program is approximately $170 billion over budget and has encountered an abundance of persistent issues. An April 2015 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report noted that the lifetime operation and maintenance costs of the most expensive weapon system in history will total approximately $1 trillion.”

Agriculture: “$3,000,000 for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), which also received a $3 million earmark in the Agriculture Appropriations bill in FYs 2014 and 2015. However, in FY 2016, the DRA received an additional earmark costing $10,064,000 in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, for a combined total

As the tax deadline approaches it’s once again time to consider how the federal government wastes our money.

of $13,064,000, an increase of 335.5 percent over the past earmarks.”

“According to the Republican Study Committee’s FY 2016 budget, funding for the DRA should be terminated because such regional commissions are duplicative of other federal programs and support mostly local projects.

Support for cutting DRA funds is bipartisan, as President Obama’s FY 2017 version of Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings recommended reducing the agency’s budget by $3 million annually.”

We’ll wait to see if that happens, but based on past experience Congress doesn’t like to let go of money, even borrowed money.

Commerce, Justice Science: “Since FY 2002, members of Congress have directed 19 earmarks costing taxpayers $186 million for research facility construction at NIST in Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, South Carolina, Virginia, and Puerto Rico. These include two earmarks costing $60 million by Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), and four earmarks totaling $19.5 million by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).”

“Sen. Cochran requested 709 earmarks costing taxpayers $1.9 billion between FYs 2008-2010, the three years in which members were required to identify their earmark requests. He requested both the highest number and dollar amount of earmarks in each of these years, making him the ‘King of Pork’ for that period of time.”

Visit CAGW.org to read the rest. There you will find many more examples of your hardearned tax dollars not working.

Presidential candidates are again debating how high, or how low, the federal income tax should be. They have it backward. Voters should tell politicians how much of our money we will allow them to spend and on what. It’s our money, not theirs, and politicians ought to live within our means. But that would require asking less of government and more of ourselves.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist. His latest book is “What Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America.”

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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NATION& WORLD A note in a bottle

NEWS IN IMAGES

By Jill Osborn For the North State Journal

KYODO | REUTERS

Local residents wrap themselves in blankets as they sit on the road in front of the town office building after an earthquake in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, on Friday.

WINSTON-SALEM — While teaching about the jet stream, Summit School science teacher Susan Schambach had an idea: she would send a message in a wine bottle off the coast of North Carolina. The hope was to have the glass bottle float through the waves of the jet stream and possibly land somewhere on the coast of Europe.

Schambach works with kids who have dyslexia and other disabilities.

“They need to see it, say it, write it, and do something,” she said. A message in a bottle seemed the perfect solution.

The bottles became a tradition for the second-graders in Schambach’s class. Ken Upton, owner of Gamekeeper Sportfishing, would take his boat 40 miles off the coast of Wilmington, N.C., and set the bottles out to sea.

Years passed. There was no word.

In January 2014, two years after the first batch of bottles were set adrift, Schambach received an email from a woman in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. She and her father found the bottle on the beach and broke it open. The bottle had a note from one of Schambach’s students, Carter McMillan.

The second discovery came on March 7, 2016, when a bottle was found by 9-year-old Mélina Cou-

vreur in France near a World War II bunker on the beach of Bercksur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais. Inside the bottle, Mélina found a note from now 9-year-old Paul McManus.

Mélina and her mother emailed Schambach, writing, “I was very happy to find this bottle! I hope you will answer to me.”

Mélina’s teacher Patrick Leroux also emailed Schambach. Leroux writes for the the regional daily paper La Voix du Nord (The Voice of the North) in northern France, and he published a story on Schambach and the bottle’s trip across the Atlantic. It led to the two teachers’ classes becoming pen pals.

“I was so shocked,” Leroux said of the unlikley bond. “I was so happy but embarrassed at the same time.”

“I didn’t expect the cultural connection — them being so excited and our students responding so well and writing to them,” Schambach added.

Schambach’s students have launched 34 biodegradable bottles over the last three years, and she will take 10 more from this year’s second grade.

The simple idea has unified a group of children living in different parts of the world. As French explorer Jacques Cousteau once said, “The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.”

US NAVY | HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

U.S. Navy pictures shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying over the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken Tuesday and released Wednesday. Two Russian warplanes with no visible weaponry flew near the destroyer in what one U.S. official described as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.

H.B. 2 from page A1 can do it. There’s no law that says you can’t.

My wife is an educator, and she gave me the best answer on this that I’ve heard. She said if you ask any 5-year-old kindergarten student, ‘Should you mistreat someone because of who they love?’ they would all say no. But at the same time, if you ask the same 5-yearolds, ‘Should boys be in girls’ bathrooms?’ they would also say no. So I think that’s the issue here for a lot of North Carolinians.”

Origin in an ordinance

In a 7-4 vote in February, the Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance approving new legal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Implications were that city facilities and private businesses could not discriminate against use of bathrooms and changing facilities based on a person’s gender identity, raising concerns of scenarios such as men being allowed to use women’s bathrooms.

On March 23, saying the Charlotte City Council had overstepped its bounds, leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly convened a special session to nullify the ordinance.

The resulting legislation, the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, more commonly known as H.B. 2, mandated government facilities follow single-sex multi-occupancy facility policies. It further clarified statewide anti-discrimination protections extended only to the biological sex of an individual, not gender identity. The act maintained the right of private businesses to accommodate patrons as they see fit.

McCrory signed the bill that night.

Legal recourse

A firestorm erupted following McCrory’s signing. Critics of H.B. 2 claimed the bill eliminated the ability for transgender individuals to sue for discrimination in state court, and that it mandated discrimination against the LGBT community in government buildings.

“H.B. 2 is an undisguised attack on LGBT people and the efforts of one city to protect gay and transgender North Carolinians against discrimination,” Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC, said.

Sgro was recently appointed to the North

JILL OSBORN | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Mélina Couvreur with the bottle at Berc- sur-Mer.

Carolina House of Representatives to finish the unexpired term of Rep. Ralph Johnson (D-District 58), who died suddenly in March.

On March 28, Equality NC joined the ACLU, ACLU of North Carolina, and Lambda Legal in filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the governor, attorney general, and the University of North Carolina, challenging H.B. 2 on behalf of two transgender students.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, McCrory’s Democratic challenger in this fall’s gubernatorial race, announced he would not defend the state against the suit.

Corporate fallout

McCrory was presented with a letter March 28 signed by the leaders of approximately 90 companies, including the heads of Apple, Facebook and Twitter, demanding a full repeal of the controversial law. Most of the signatories’ companies are not headquartered in North Carolina.

On April 5, PayPal publicly announced it was canceling plans for a Charlotte operations center that would have employed 400 people, citing H.B. 2., in the first tangible corporate response to the law. “[H.B. 2] perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture,” PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said.

PayPal has since been chastised, most notably by U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, for the announcement.

“PayPal does business in 25 countries where homosexual behavior is illegal, including five countries where the penalty is death, yet they object to the North Carolina legislature overturning a misguided ordinance about letting men in to the women’s bathroom?” Pittenger said in a statement.

“Perhaps PayPal would like to try and clarify this seemingly very hypocritical position.”

The negative attention was not only limited to real corporate developments. After the PayPal announcement, a fake news release by a faux ABC website claimed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced at a press conference he was giving North Carolina 30 days to repeal H.B. 2 or risk losing the 2017 All-Star game. The story went viral before being debunked.

On April 12, German banking giant Deutsche Bank announced it was freezing

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Protestors of House Bill 2 walk past the State Capitol grounds where a rally in support of HB2 was held in Raleigh.

plans to add 250 jobs to its Cary, N.C., technology hub due to H.B. 2.

“We take our commitment to building inclusive work environments seriously,” Deutsche CEO John Cryan said. “We’re proud of our operations and employees in Cary and regret that as a result of this legislation we are unwilling to include North Carolina in our U.S. expansion plans for now.

In October 2015, Cryan announced plans for the bank to reduce its workforce by 9,000 full-time jobs and 6,000 external contractor positions by 2020, following the reporting of the bank’s biggest quarterly loss in its history. It is unclear if the recently announced freeze relates to the previously announced workforce reductions.

“I think the handwriting is on the wall, we’ve lost 1,000 jobs — the sooner we get rid of it the sooner we will be better off for business in this state … PayPal, Deutsche bank, we can’t afford to wait to get rid of this,” said Rep. Susi Hamilton (D-District 18).

H.B. 2 support

The Christian Action League held a rally Monday in support of H.B. 2 on the lawn of the State Capitol, drawing a crowd of at least 700. A counterprotest organized by Triangle Families Against HB2 was also held.

Rally-goers heard from North Carolina sheriffs, pastors, and religious freedom

activists as they were met with opposing chants from the counterprotesters.

“The bill that passed and the one the governor signed, H.B. 2, overturned an egregious Charlotte ordinance and restored basic expectations of privacy people have when using the restroom,” Christian Action League executive director Dr. Mark Creech said. “The bill also provides that private businesses can make their own decisions regarding accommodations and services, and not be forced by a city ordinance to do certain things that could be detrimental to their business. It’s unfortunate this common-sense measure has been so grossly misrepresented and maligned.”

H.B. 2 supporter Mike McDaniel, of Lexington, N.C., said special accommodation such as the Charlotte bathroom ordinance “opens the door for a lot of different problems.”

“I’m here to support common-sense legislation,” he said.

Regarding the public opposition of businesses to H.B. 2, McDaniel said, “That’s free enterprise, and that’s their right to do that, but it’s also our right not to support those businesses.”

Focus will again turn again to the legislature when it convenes April 25 for its 2016 session.

the Sunday SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

1. Newly relocated Los Angeles Rams traded for the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft 2. Golden State Warriors made NBA history with 73 regular season wins, breaking 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record.

3. Super Bowl rematch: Carolina Panthers set to open the 2016 season against the Denver Broncos.

4. UNCW beat High Point 5-1 in an interstate battle for its fifth-straight road win on the diamond 5. George Karl fired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings after two seasons.

@MagicJohnson: .@kobebryant scoring 60 points in his last game is the greatest final performance that I’ve ever seen in sports! @scott_fowler: From Feb.1 to end of NBA season, these were the 3 best win-loss records: Golden State (29-5); San Antonio (28-7), @Hornets (25-9).

KYLE TERADA | REUTERS

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry runs onto the court before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Oracle Arena on Wednesday.

SPORTS PANTHERS

By Brian Geisinger North State Journal PPRECIATING evolution in real time is difficult because the shift isn’t obvious until it’s passed, usually long after.

A Realizing what the 2016 Golden State Warriors are doing

@IanKenyonNFL: Steph Curry made 400 three pointers this season.

Larry Bird made 649 in his career. @ESPNStatsInfo: .@Broncos-@Panthers open up the NFL season.

Will be the 1st time since 1970 that Week 1 sees a Super Bowl rematch from the previous year. @bruce_arthur: This is amazing. Coming apart like cardboard shoes. Golf can break anybody, given the chance.

NBA

Kobe Bryant’s high-volume farewell Kobe Bryant had 50 field goal attempts and 60 points in his final NBA game as the Lakers defeated the Jazz 101-96 on Wednesday night. It was the most field goal attempts recorded in NBA history but also the most points scored in a game this season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MARK J. REBILAS | REUTERS

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks off the field after Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 7.

Panthers get Super rematch to open 2016

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

Tubby Smith hired

by Memphis

he Panthers will have their work cut out for them if they T want to defend their NFC title

After leading Texas Tech to the NCAA Tournament, Tubby Smith has been hired as the next head coach at Memphis. Smith, a High Point graduate, was previously at Kentucky and Minnesota, and takes over a job left vacant when Josh Pastner was hired by Georgia Tech.

Not Cam-era shy

NCSU

NC State assistant Bobby Lutz assumes new role NC State announced that basketball assistant coach Bobby Lutz has been moved from the bench to an administration role, now working for the program as Special Assistant to the Deputy Athletic Director for External Operations.

Why the 2016 Warriors would beat the ’96 Bulls

and return to the Super Bowl.

The NFL released its 2016 schedule Thursday night and Carolina plays five 2015 playoff teams, including four division winners, and nine teams with a .500 or better record last season.

Here’s a look at what you need to know about the 2016 Panthers’ schedule.

The Panthers will set a franchise record with five primetime games this season. Carolina has two Thursday games, two Monday Night games and a Sunday Night contest.

“It’s exciting for our players to compete on a national stage,” coach Ron Rivera said. “We have earned the right to be in the spotlight and we have to take advantage of it.”

Three of the primetime showdowns are on the road. Carolina opens the season in Denver against the Broncos — the

Thursday opener (Sept. 8 this year) traditionally features the Super Bowl winner but this is the first rematch in NFL history. The Panthers then have two primetime games on the road in a three-week stretch in December. First Carolina plays a Sunday night game at Seattle on Dec. 4, the seventh time the two teams have played in the last five years. Two weeks later, the Panthers play a Monday night game at Washington.

Carolina’s two home primetime games are against divisional opponents. The Panthers host Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football, Oct. 10 and New Orleans in a Thursday night game Nov. 17.

while it happens is what makes this squad so special.

Watch them play the sport, in particular point guard Stephen Curry, and you witness more than just five tall humans passing around an orange sphere. This isn’t just basketball. It’s high-level performance art, the comparison of basketball and jazz come to life on the real stage, a paradigm shift happening on your television screen every night.

On 73 of the available 82 evenings over the past six months, Golden State This isn’t just has been victorious.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls — who basketball. went 72-10 — ­ are the gold standard It’s high-level for NBA teams. Or were anyway. That squad featured two Hall of Fame players performance art. near the end of their primes (Michael Jordan, the greatest player in basketball history, and Scottie Pippen), was led by Hall of Fame Coach Phil Jackson and topped the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

The storyline existed all season — are the 2016 Warriors better than the 1996 Bulls? — but now that 73-win Golden State has run the gauntlet and eclipsed Chicago’s record total, it’s time we get to the bottom of this debate: Warriors or Bulls? And why?

Competition level The theory the Warriors were able accomplish this feat because the league now features competition inferior to the mid-1990s is bogus. The NBA is in the midst of perhaps its greatest talent boom ever. In the contemporary NBA, there’s more information and more data available to teams that allows them to scout and prepare better than years past. Golden State also defeated the San Antonio Spurs — a 67-win juggernaut with a historically good point differential — three times this season.

See WARRIORS, page B7

INSIDE

Being good means scheduling pain In addition to the primetime games, Carolina has three 4:05 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. starts, meaning just half of the Panthers’ schedule consists of traditional 1 p.m. kickoffs.

Carolina also has three short weeks, all against divisional oppoSee PANTHERS, page B6

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Carolina Hurricanes failed to make the playoffs again in 2015-16. But the lack of postseason play is not what players,coaches and management are focusing on after the season ended. Instead, the youth movement for the Raleigh-based NHL team is all anyone can talk about, with Carolina steadily building a talented core of youngsters. Read more on B6.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B2

NS J beyond the box score 04.17.16

NBA Playoffs: The first round of the NBA Playoffs started Saturday, the first of a 10-day, 32-game stretch of postseason basketball.

Will Smith: The ongoing investigation into the death of New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith revealed a gun in the car of the deceased player.

Dabo Swinney: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney finalized a new contract with the school, bumping his pay from $3.3 million annually to $4.55 million in 2016. That figure ranks in the top 10 nationally for coaching salaries, according to the USA Today database.

EA Sports: Compensation checks started showing up at the doorstep of athletes whose likeness was used in the popular NCAA Football video game series. Many of those former college players took to Twitter to share their bounty.

Johnny Manziel​: The former Browns QB and friends allegedly called more than $32,000 in damage to a $4.5 million rental property in LA according to the ​ New York Post.

Thon Maker: The NBA ruled the highlytouted 19-yearold Australian, currently playing for Orangeville Prep in Canada, is eligible for the 2016 NBA Draft.

POTENT QUOTABLES

THE REAL MVP

Stephen Curry closed out what will likely be a second-consecutive MVP campaign on Wednesday night with a flurry, scoring 46 points and breaking his own record of 298 3-pointers in a season. The new record? A ridiculous 402 threes.

KEVIN JAIRAJ | USA TODAY SPORTS

“If I were going to quit I sure as the dickens wouldn’t have seen four (recruits) in an 18-hour period last Thursday and Friday.”

UNC basketball coach Roy Williams, when questioned about retirement NFL DRAFT

KYLE TERADA | USA TODAY SPORTS

CASH KOBE

BAD NEWS BRAVES

6

Number of picks in the first 76 selections the Tennessee Titans will hold in the 2016 NFL Draft after trading the No. 1 pick to the Los Angeles Rams for a boatload of draft picks in return. It doesn’t even include their future two first-round picks either.

GARY A. VASQUEZ | USA TODAY SPORTS

Kobe Bryant poured in 60 points in the final game of his career as the Lakers topped the Jazz on Wednesday night. Staples Center thanks him too, as the arena sold $1.2 million worth of Kobe merchandise.

TOMMY GILLIGAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

The Braves rebooted their roster before 2016 and it’s showing early. They started the season 0-9, the first time a team limped out to such a record since the 2003 Detroit Tigers.

UNC BASEBALL

15

Runs scored by the UNC Tar Heels baseball team (No. 13 in the country) as they routed No. 2-ranked South Carolina at a baseball battle of the Carolinas. Behind 10 hits and 10 walks at the plate, UNC moved to 24-9 on the season in front of 10,205 fans.

WELL THIS IS AWKWARD Danny Willett is helped into the green jacket

by Jordan Spieth after Willett won the 2016 The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

ROB SCHUMACHER | USA TODAY SPORTS

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B3

CAROLINA BASKETBALL

Williams confident in Tar Heels core

By Brooke Pryor North State Journal HAPEL HILL, N.C. — How confident is Roy Williams C in the core of next year’s team?

Tough to say. Not because Williams doesn’t have confidence in his non-senior players, but because he hadn’t considered the question until it was asked at last week’s end-of-season press conference.

“The reason I’m hesitating is because this is the first time I’ve thought about it,” Williams said Tuesday. “Because that’s not my thought process. I’m trying to advise people, you should do this or shouldn’t do that.”

A week removed from falling in one of the more memorable national title games in history, Williams is consumed with managing the past, present and future of his program. He’s trying to juggle the disappointment and heartbreak of the loss with the management and advising of his younger players on their futures, all while recruiting the next wave of Tar Heels.

The 65-year-old coach, who said last week he “hopes to coach five to nine more years,” is a veteran, but this part of the offseason process can still be overwhelming, not leaving much time to take a breath or look very far into the future.

With the new modification of NBA draft rules, underclassmen have until April 24 to submit their name for eligibility and until May 25 to return to school if they don’t hire an agent. The new structure allows players to receive feedback from NBA scouts at the combine May 11-15, individual team workouts and pre-draft camps before deciding to permanently forgo collegiate eligibility.

Because the process should allow for players to get a more realistic idea of their draft stock, Williams is a fan of the change.

“I think this should be better, especially if the NBA does what they say they’re going to do,” he said. “If they’ll really be straightforward and honest with the kids, ‘you’ll be top-30, you’ll be top-60,’ or whatever.

“In the past, I’ve had some players and, I’ll say ‘this is not a good decision. You’re last of the second round or won’t be drafted.’ But agents got to the parents and said, ‘oh we can move him up to the first round.’ … If the NBA

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams laughs as North Carolina forward Theo Pinson (1) makes a surprise appearance at a press conference before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston on April 3.

Williams is consumed with managing the past, present and future of his program.

says and if they’ll be truthful, I think it’ll be great. I don’t see any problems with it whatsoever. I’ve never been against it. I just want guys to go that will be first-round picks, where they’ve got guaranteed money.”

Williams spent last week meeting with his draft-eligible underclassmen to discuss their possibilities and expects a formal announcement from the school on their status this week. With no penalty assessed to players for declaring for the draft without an agent, Williams expects a couple of Tar Heels to test the proverbial waters.

Last week, ESPN reported shooting guard Justin Jackson (12.2 ppg) was likely to declare but not hire an agent. It would also not be surprising if Joel Berry II (12.8 ppg), Isaiah Hicks (8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Kennedy Meeks (9.2 ppg, 5.9 ppg) went

through the process, too.

“There will be some of those players,” Williams said, “where I’m not asking them to give me a definitive answer now, I want a definitive answer [this] week, but I think that some of our guys will try to go to the combine, will declare and not hire an agent, and see how they play in the combine, and I have no problem with that.

“If I were the father of some of our players, I’d get them to do the same thing. We’re not going to have a release today that says ‘Joe Blow’s going,’ and then tomorrow, [another player], and then the next day Henry’s going and anything like that. When we get through with all the interviews, we’ll make one announcement.”

So forgive Williams if he isn’t quite sure how next year’s team will turn out. With more than a month before NBA decisions are final and Williams in the midst of

a mini-marathon of recruiting — he said he’d seen four prospects in an 18-hour period last week — there’s not much time or value in looking at next year’s team.

When everything settles at the end of May, perhaps then, Williams will be able to think about next year’s squad and answer the question more thoroughly. But for now, he’s hesitantly optimistic.

“If you’re saying if everybody comes back, I’d feel good because I think that we have some guys who took a step forward this year,” Williams said. “We have three freshmen that are not going to be Brice [Johnson], Marcus [Paige] and Joel [James], but over time, they’ve got a chance to be very good players. But they’re not going to come into their first game freshman year and see all those guys get 39 and 23. But I would feel good about it.”

DUKE FOOTBALL

Duke struggles through construction period

By Shawn Krest North State Journal URHAM, N.C. — Duke football has taken a long and D winding path to get to where it is today. Mostly because the area in front of the Yoh Football Center is under construction.

The pavement shared by Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Yoh Building and the entrance to Wallace Wade Stadium is filled with heavy equipment, workers and debris. Large barricades keep out anyone without a hard hat and a contractor’s agreement.

Visitors to the Blue Devils’ football offices instead walk all the way around Cameron Indoor, past the practice courts, past the basketball museum, past the courtyard where Krzyzewskiville residents camp in the winter.

“The thing you don’t realize,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said, “is just how loud a construction site is, until you’re trying to do work in your office, and they’re right outside your window.”

The fact that it’s inspired the relentlessly positive Cutcliffe to complain about it shows just how much the renovations to Cameron and Wallace Wade upended things for the program.

Cutcliffe tried to stay positive as Duke went through its spring practices, culminating in a spring game that, for the second year in a row, was closed to the public due to the construction project.

“The good thing is we’ve

learned a lot about our team,” he said. “Natural adversity and challenges are good in that they make us better. It doesn’t mean that every day’s a pleasant day. It doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“You’ve got a different path to go to practice. The next uniqueness is that we don’t have a practice field. It’s under construction.

We’ve been indoors a lot. We’ve been on the game field some.”

Then there are the normal challenges that teams face, even when they can easily walk to practice without dodging earth movers. Duke is breaking in four new assistant coaches, and the Blue Devils lost starting quarterback Thomas Sirk to an injury threatening his 2016 season.

“It’s been the greatest amount of change that we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Cutcliffe said.

“It was a lot of change for our players when we came in, but we came in as a staff. We were very familiar with each other. We just hadn’t had much change here.”

Almost immediately after the Pinstripe Bowl win over Indiana, the changes began. Offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery left to become head coach at East Carolina. Offensive line coach John Latina, a 35-year veteran with Cutcliffe at Ole Miss and Duke, retired.

Cutcliffe has promoted from within to replace both. He elevated Zac Roper from special teams coordinator and tight ends coach to offensive coordinator and made former quality control as-

“Natural adversity and challenges are good in that they make us better. It doesn’t mean that every day’s a pleasant day.”

David Cutcliffe

sistant Marcus Johnson the new o-line coach.

In addition to moving people around to fill voids in Roper and Johnson’s old spots, Cutcliffe had to replace some of the non-coach staff members that followed Montgomery to ECU. “So you’re transitioning in more places than we’ve had, and then Thomas’ unfortunate injury occurred. Suddenly, you’re going from a returning fifth-year starting quarterback to someone else,” Cutcliffe said.

“With all of that said, I’m not trying to paint a negative picture,” he added. “It’s change. As I view change, you have a chance to grow from it. … I like that we’ve just continued to move forward.”

Duke is moving forward with perhaps its most talented roster ever. Cutcliffe was able to redshirt a majority of the 2015 recruiting class, noting that 41 percent of this year’s roster will be freshmen expected to play key roles.

The offensive and defensive lines are two areas where young players may get to play earlier than expected.

“It’s going to be a challenge on both lines,” he said. “You just think, over the last two-year span, what we’ve lost there. It’s hard because the experience level is not going to be the same.

There’s some talent, yes, but it’s not too far-fetched — we don’t know this yet — we may have a freshman or two coming in that

gets into the mix.”

At receiver, Cutcliffe pointed to another redshirt freshman, Keyston Fuller, as a candidate to separate himself from the pack.

Another redshirt freshman, linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, stepped up in the spring game with four scholarship linebackers available during spring practice, joining Ben Humphreys as the potential leaders of the unit.

The Devils aren’t all young, though.

Duke has experienced depth at running back and tight end.

On defense, Cutcliffe said the secondary is the deepest it’s been since he’s been at Duke, even with the loss of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jeremy Cash.

Redshirt freshman Brandon Feamster appears to have the inside track to replace Cash.

At quarterback, junior Parker Boehme got starter reps in spring ball. He’s the only healthy Blue Devil quarterback who has thrown a college pass.

“We’d give anything to have Thomas out there, but when you don’t, you’re getting people reps.

We have two redshirt freshmen (Daniel Jones and Quentin Harris) who are getting a lot of reps,” Cutcliffe said. “There’s still the possibility that Sirk will be able to contribute, as he’s currently a month and a half ahead of schedule in his recovery.”

Like everything else around Wallace Wade Stadium these days, that spot will remain under construction for a little bit longer.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B4

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B5

11.7 PPG 12.3

20.9 PPG 14.1

1.4 APG 1.9

5.2 APG 5.8

6.4 RPG 6.0

4.4 RPG 3.8

NBA PLAYOFFS

HORNETS - HEAT PLAYOFF PREVIEW POWER FORWARDS MARVIN WILLIAMS VS. LUOL DENG

After splitting the regular season series 2-2, the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. We break down the Hornets chances, position-by-position, to win their first playoff series since 2002.

EDGE: CHARLOTTE

POINT GUARDS KEMBA WALKER VS. GORAN DRAGIC EDGE: CHARLOTTE

Compiled by Brian Geisinger

This is a fun matchup of two former one-and-done Tobacco Road rivals. Williams and Deng never played against each other in college, but it’s UNC and Duke squaring off at the four-spot. Both players, drafted as small forwards, have found success this season as smallball fours. Deng’s been Miami’s nominal four since Chris Bosh was sidelined with blood clots in his left calf (get well soon, big fella).

Deng’s All-Star days are in the rearview mirror, but he can still play both forward spots and hit corner threes. It’s been well-documented in this space, but Williams has been Charlotte’s most reliable player all season long. According to league player tracking, the Hornets score six fewer points per 100 possessions with Marv on the bench. His size, speed and shooting (152 threes this season, 40 percent from deep) allow Charlotte to play big or small, depending on what the matchup presents. He can corral ball handlers off pick-and-rolls — something that will be critical in containing Dragic and Wade — and protect the rim too.

Game

Team

Date

Location

Time

TV

1

Hornets

Sun. April 17

Away

5:30 P.M. ET

ESPN

2

Hornets

Wed. April 20

Away

7:00 P.M. ET

FOX

3

Hornets

Sat. April 23

Home

5:30 P.M. ET

FOX

4

Hornets

Mon. April 25

Home

TBD

CBS

5

Hornets

Wed. April 27

Away

TBD

FOX

6

Hornets

Fri. April 29

Home

TBD

FOX

7

Hornets

Sun. May 1

Away

TBD

FOX

Dragic has not lived up to his contract in his first full season with the Heat, although he played better down the stretch. His clever handle allows him to get to the rim, but he’s had a power outage shooting from deep, and hasn’t exactly mixed perfectly with Dwyane Wade because both need the ball. This matchup, if the Hornets want any chance against Miami, is all about Kemba. He’s the catalyst for Charlotte’s offense, and Dragic isn’t exactly a stopper. Charlotte will need Walker, who celebrated a career year (nearly 21 points per game, 37 percent on threes, both career highs), to make Dragic and any other defenders thrown his way work to stop him. Both of these guys are borderline All-Star talents who like to operate out of the pick-and-roll. Especially Kemba, who is third in the NBA in points scored (700) as the ball handler in a pick-and-roll. Walker’s been the man all season, and this is his shot to show the entire world. If he hits from deep, the Hornets will be in business.

14.9 PPG 12.2

9.6 PPG 19.0

8.7 PPG 14.2

11.7 PPG 6.4

5.8 APG 3.9

1.7 APG 4.6

1.0 APG 0.4

3.0 APG 1.5

6.1 RPG 3.6

2.6 RPG 4.1

6.2 RPG 11.8

3.2 RPG 5.2

SMALL FORWARDS NICOLAS BATUM VS. JOE JOHNSON

SHOOTING GUARDS COURTNEY LEE VS. DWYANE WADE

EDGE: CHARLOTTE

EDGE: MIAMI

Batum has been everything and more for the Hornets since coming to Charlotte via a trade with Portland last summer. The team’s unofficial French ambassador has transitioned seamlessly between go-to scorer and facilitator all season. Batum finished second on the team in scoring (14.9 points), but he’s also gifted at initiating the offense — Batum led Charlotte in assists (5.8) and assist rate — which allows Kemba Walker to become a dangerous second option. Batum’s a versatile two-way player, and one of the few Hornets with an abundance of playoff experience thanks to his time with the Blazers (34 games, 27 starts). Joe Johnson’s been one of the more pleasant surprises the second half of the season. After being waived by the joyless Brooklyn Nets in late February, Johnson’s become a crucial component for Miami heading into the playoffs. Iso Joe’s unafraid of high-leverage scenarios, and the Heat have scored a smoking 112.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. His three-point shooting was much needed in South Beach, too. He helps create space for an offense that occasionally gets congested. No one saw this coming two months ago, but Johnson could be the difference in a playoff series.

At times, it’s looked as though injuries, the lack of a three-point shot and a refusal to get back on defense only when he wants all finally caught up with D-Wade. Wade has a negative plus-minus (-0.90 per ESPN) and his counting metrics regressed. But here he is, in 2016, 13 seasons into his career and still averaging nearly 20 points per game.

Miami’s better defensively with Wade on the bench, but his scoring punch is massive for them. Lee’s been a revelation for Charlotte since being acquired at the trade deadline. The Hornets have gone 20-8 with him in the lineup. His shooting (39 percent on threes) has been the perfect complement around the Kemba/Batum pick-and-rolls. The five-man group of Walker-Lee-Batum-Williams-Zeller has outscored opponents by 10 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com, in 406 minutes of action. Lee’s a capable defender, but barring some kind of natural disaster, Wade’s going to get buckets. Perhaps Clifford and company will look for Lee to make Wade’s lack of defensive concern an inefficiency to exploit.

CENTERS CODY ZELLER VS. HASSAN WHITESIDE EDGE: MIAMI Hornets fans, beware: Whiteside presents a serious problem. His adjusted plus-minus is surprisingly underwhelming (0.80), especially for a team with a positive point differential, but since the All-Star break, the Gastonia, N.C. native has averaged 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.4 blocks while shooting 59 percent from the court. Whiteside led the league in blocks and opponents shot less than 47 percent on field goals defended at the rim, per NBA.com, against the 7-footer. He’s a hothead, though, and always a liability to redline and do something stupid. On the flip side, Zeller’s had a breakout season in Charlotte. His quickness has helped him become a quality rim runner (1.21 points per possession in pick-and-roll situations, according to NBA.com). He’s not on Whiteside’s level when it comes down to holding down the paint on defense, but he’s solid. Hassan also presents Cody with a challenge he doesn’t normally face: a guy that’s both bigger and more athletic than him. With a big pay day looming in free agency for Whiteside, don’t be surprised if he goes ham sandwiches in the playoffs.

KEY RESERVE JEREMY LIN VS. JUSTISE WINSLOW EDGE: MIAMI In his debut season in Charlotte, Lin’s emerged as one of the best values in the NBA. He’s constantly putting pressure on the defense when he’s in the game by attacking the rim relentlessly, and though he’s no sniper from the perimeter, he’s good enough (33.6 percent on threes). The Harvard man has defended well under Steve Clifford’s conservative scheme, including some time spent checking bigger shooting guards, which allows Charlotte to play both him and Kemba at the same time. When the dual point guards share the court with Batum, the Hornets can really put pressure on opposing defenses: Charlotte scored better than 109 points per 100 possessions with those three on the floor together. In June 2015, Charlotte had the chance to select Winslow, fresh off his national championship run with Duke, with the No. 9 overall selection in the draft. The Hornets passed and instead chose Frank Kaminsky out of Wisconsin. Miami drafted Winslow with the very next pick and couldn’t be happier. Winslow’s offensive game isn’t quite ready for the big time yet, but on defense he’s already elite. Justise is fearless and willing to check whomever coach Erik Spoelstra sicks him on — don’t be surprised to see Winslow spend time guarding Kemba. Miami holds teams to only 99 points per 100 possessions with Winslow on the court, according to NBA.com.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B6 HURRICANES

Improving youth puts Canes on the rise

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal ALEIGH — The consensus opinion among Carolina HurR ricanes players and management

following the 2015-16 season was easy: this is a team headed in the right direction.

Players filed into the Hurricanes locker room to pack up their gear for the offseason and meet with the media one final time Tuesday, and everyone echoed the same refrain. For the first time in a long time, Carolina is positioned to be a playoff contender again.

Carolina Hurricanes center Victor Rask (49) scores on New Jersey Devils goalie Scott Wedgewood (31) in the second period of the NHL game at PNC Arena in Raleigh Sunday, March 27, 2016. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 3 - 2.

Looking Back The Hurricanes’ 2015-16 season ended the same as the previous six campaigns, with Carolina (35-31-16) on the outside looking in while 16 other teams advanced to the postseason.

“I think our goal each and every year is to make the playoffs, and when you don’t make it, it’s obviously disappointing,” general manager Ron Francis said. “I do feel there is more of a positive vibe about the direction we’re heading in. I think there are some exciting things, especially with the youth in our lineup and the direction we’re going in that regard.”

It’s hard to disagree with Francis’ assessment. Of the players who finished the season on Carolina’s roster, eight of the the team’s top 10 scorers are 25 years old or younger, and the other two (Jordan Staal, 27, and Riley Nash, 26) are still firmly in the prime of their careers.

Jeff Skinner (team-highs with 28 goals and 51 points) and Justin Faulk (team-best 12 power play goals and 37 points in 64 games) are now two of the “veteran” leaders on the roster, and both will be just 24 years old at the start of next season.

“I think that that’s something you grow into naturally,” Skinner said of taking on more of a leadership role. “It unfolds organically ... you keeping building yourself as a player, as a person, and then as you keep doing that, you take on more of that kind of responsibility. For me, I’m comfortable with that.”

The leadership void is there because of the departure of longtime captain Eric Staal — traded to the Rangers this past season — and possible exit of goaltender Cam Ward, the final two links to Carolina’s Stanley Cup title in 2006. Ward is still on the roster but the 32-year-old’s future with the team is up in the air after a second-straight mediocre season.

With the final strands from 2006 nearly all broken, the emergence of several young players vaulted Carolina into the playoff race and serve as the backbone of the optimism permeating through the organization.

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“It doesn’t happen. It’s unbelievable.”

Coach Bill Peters on three first-year defenders making such an impact.

Center Victor Rask built on a solid rookie campaign by scoring 21 goals in his sophomore year, becoming a stabilizing force in Carolina’s top six while playing mostly with Skinner. Joakim Nordstrom and Andrej Nestrasil joined Jordan Staal on a dominant line that was tasked with stopping the opposition’s best while also becoming an offensive threat.

The “youth” Francis mentioned, however, is mostly in reference to the influx of rookies that made such an impact on the Hurricanes this past season.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin — who had 22 points in 79 games — was the one rookie to make the team out of camp. Injuries presented opportunities for others, and both Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin seized those chances and gave the Hurricanes three defensemen all in their first professional season.

“It doesn’t happen. It’s unbelievable,” coach Bill Peters said of the defenders’ impact.

Francis couldn’t have envisioned the impact two 21-yearolds and a teenager who were playing collegiate hockey last season could make on the team either.

“I don’t think either of us can sit here and say [we knew] they were honestly capable of doing that,” Francis said. “I give a lot of credit to Bill and the staff. They didn’t hide these guys or bench them when they made a mistake.”

Throw in Phil Di Giuseppe, a 22-year-old second-year pro who had 17 points in 41 games while playing mostly with Skinner and Rask, and the Hurricanes

got more than they could have ever expected out of their rookie class.

Moving forward Many point to goaltending as the reason Carolina wasn’t able to make a surprise trip to the playoffs this year, and Francis will need to decide if re-signing Ward and keeping this year’s tandem is the right move.

“I know he takes some criticism at times about his numbers,” Francis said. “We’ll look at what our options are if we go down the free agency route. We’ll continue to make phone calls to see what’s out there in possible trades. And then we have to make the decision that’s best for our organization moving forward.”

For his part, Ward wants to be back.

“I consider Raleigh my home,” Ward said. “I’m very fortunate to have been here as long as I have been. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I see the direction that the organization is going ... I’d like to be a part of that.

I think I could still help with being a part of that, too. Until I’m told otherwise, I’ll do everything I can to prepare as if I am coming back until that door is closed.”

A handful of Hurricanes also have injuries to overcome. Elias Lindholm — who admitted he didn’t put up the numbers he expected himself to this season — was scheduled to have minor foot surgery last week, and Francis said Nordstrom would undergo a procedure on his wrist. Nestrasil is still recovering from a broken vertebra that ended his season in late February. Defenseman James Wisniewski, who played

exactly 47 seconds in his first year with the team before suffering a season-ending knee injury, is also rehabbing for a 2016-17 return.

But Francis, for the first time in his tenure, will have a real opportunity to put a stamp on the team. With three players traded at the deadline and five more with expiring contracts, the Hurricanes will have more than $25 million in salary cap space coming off the books this offseason.

While free agency is certainly an option, don’t be surprised if Francis looks to benefit from a deal with a cap-strapped team, much like he did with Chicago last September. In that trade, the Hurricanes got both Nordstrom and Kris Versteeg for only a fifthround pick and two mid-level prospects.

In goal, pending NHL expansion could play a factor in Carolina’s options. Teams will likely only be able to protect one goaltender when an expansion draft is set, so franchises with two good goaltenders could look to deal one this offseason rather than lose them for nothing to an expansion team down the road.

Frederik Andersen of the Ducks or Ben Bishop of the Lightning are a pair of notable names who could become available.

Francis will have plenty of options this offseason to position his team for a playoff run in 2016-17 and success beyond. But he and Peters will still have the ability to lean on the youth — the future — of the franchise.

“I think we’re really close,” Rask said. “We have a lot of young guys here, so I think we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Angels Among Us 5K! l a u n n A rd

23

Supporting brain tumor research at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke

Saturday, April 23, 2016 Run Through the Beautiful Duke Campus angelsamongus.org

Angels

Among Us

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B7

1995-96 MICHAEL JORDAN

2015-16 STEPHEN CURRY

CHICAGO BULLS

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

PPG: 30.4 APG: 4.3 MPG: 37.7 FG%: 49.5 3P%: 42.7 PER: 29.4 Win Shares: 20.4

PPG: 30.1 APG: 6.7 MPG: 34.2 FG%: 50.4 3P%: 45.4 PER: 31.5 Win Shares: 17.9

1995-96 BULLS

2015-16 WARRIORS

115.2 (1)

Offensive Rating (league rank) points per 100 possessions

114.5 (1)

101.8 (1)

Defensive Rating points allowed per 100 possessions

103.8 (5)

13.4

Point Differential per 100 possessions

10.7

47.8 (7)

FG%

48.7 (1)

40.3 (3)

3PM

41.6 (1)

90.1 (20)

Pace possessions per game

99.3 (2)

WARRIORS from page B1 The 1996 Bulls won their 72 games in an expansion year, the first season of play for the Toronto Raptors and the Grizzlies, then based in Vancouver.

One could argue the talent in the league was more dispersed during that campaign because of the expansion draft and other factors coming with the addition of two new teams. The game has also become far more global in its reach, increasing the competition level over the last two decades. There were more than 100 international players on NBA rosters opening night this season. Compare that with 200001, when only 45 international players suited up for NBA teams.

The crux of the matter It’s fun to dream about Golden State and Chicago facing off on some imaginary basketball court. But if we’re going to hash out this hypothetical, we need to note what set of rules the two teams are playing by.

In the early 2000s, the NBA made two significant rules changes which have had a profound impact on the style of basketball you see now: in 2001 the NBA removed its ban on zone defenses, and in 2004 the league reworked its hand-check-

ing rule. Without going into excessive detail, these alterations were implemented to open up the game offensively, and they’ve done just that.

Starting with the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns of 2005 (one of the greatest offenses in NBA history, led by twotime MVP Steve Nash), the new rules ushered in an era heavy on passing and shooting. Slash-andkick is the name of the game, and three-point shooting has never been more important.

The Warriors are the greatest three-point shooting team in league history: their 1,077 made 3-pointers are a single-season NBA team record. Golden State’s Klay Thompson, the perfect spacing agent, finished second in the NBA in 3-pointers (276) behind only Curry’s 402 bombs from deep.

The days of isolation and post-ups — stuff the ’96 Bulls excelled at — being the genesis of an offense are gone. Although it would be fascinating to see this Bulls roster matriculate into today’s NBA, they’re better suited for this style of play than you may think. After all, Jordan and Pippen both posted career highs in shooting percentage from beyond the arc in 1996.

But let’s not forget for three seasons in the 1990s (1994-97),

the NBA moved in the 3-point line. If given the time to adjust to the increased importance of long-range shooting, the Bulls would be able to adapt. However, in a short series, I’m not so sure they’d be able to keep up with the Warriors.

Golden State unlocks their most prolific scoring lineups when they slide power forward Draymond Green to center. The 96 Bulls approached this kind of positionless nirvana when they moved their own rebounding magnet, Dennis Rodman, from forward to center, and added Toni Kukoc’s shooting to the mix.

They could downsize and match Golden State, but with a deeper bench, the Warriors would be well-positioned to counter if need be.

Steph Curry, a cheat code Curry’s mastered this modern day iteration of basketball. He shoots the ball faster, from further away and more accurately than anyone in the history of the game. Cover him too tightly, and he’ll go right by you. Give him a crack of daylight to shoot, however, and it’s death for your defense. Oh, by the way, as soon as he crosses half-court, he’s in his shooting range.

The Bulls have never seen anything like Curry before, be-

cause, well, he’s without precedent.

Chicago would have a variety of long, savvy perimeter defenders to throw at Curry: MJ, Pippen and Ron Harper. But it might not matter, especially once Chicago’s restricted in their ability to push, hand-check and maneuver Curry, who’s essentially impervious to any defender sent his way.

Golden State’s offense is an amoeba, constantly moving and countering every defense. They spread the court with shooting, while Curry and Green run pickand-roll action. Double-team Curry off the pick and he’ll dump it to Green, who all of a sudden has a 4-on-3 break to the hoop with dangerous shooters, like Thompson and Harrison Barnes, dotting the perimeter.

Grand Champion I’m not sure who would win (newsflash: no one does!), but I believe what Golden State accomplished is slightly superior to the Bulls. We’re operating on a razor’s edge here, and it feels sacrilegious to bet against Jordan, but if we’re matching these two teams up with today’s rules (a crucial distinction), I’m picking Steph Curry and Golden State to come out victorious.

H.B. 2

NBA not moving 2017 All-Star Game for now

By Brian Geisinger North State Journal

N

BA commissioner Adam Silver met with the media following the conclusion of the NBA’s board of governors meetings in New York and addressed the status of the 2017 All-Star Game, still scheduled to be played in Charlotte, but under heavy scrutiny following the passage of House Bill 2, a controversial piece of North Carolina legislation.

Silver previously spoke out about the matter, saying the NBA was concerned by the bill and would keep an eye on the issue ahead of next year’s All-Star

festivities, currently scheduled for Feb. 17, 2017.

On Friday, Silver described the bill as “problematic,” but stated that, as of right now, the league has no plans to move the game and its events from Time Warner Cable Arena.

“Sports can be used as a constructive force to bring people together,” Silver said. “Ultimately our interest is in conducting a successful All-Star Game in North Carolina and having a team that can play there in a nondiscriminatory environment.

“We can be most constructive by working with elected officials to effect change.”

Silver noted the Hornets, who are the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA Playoffs, are preparing to host a playoff game in Charlotte.

“This notion that we set a deadline and then somehow we’re in the position to dictate to the community of North Carolina, ‘Change this or else,’ and then we were to say, ‘Fine, we’ll move on …’” Silver said. “We have a team that plays in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I’m not even sure what statement that would be making about that team. I think what’s next would be to say, ‘Should your team be playing in Charlotte, North Carolina?’ We have a playoff game

Sports can be used as a constructive force to bring people together.”

Adam Silver, NBA commissioner

there next week.”

The NBA Commissioner also agreed with Gov. Pat McCrory there was an “enormous misunderstanding” about the law.

“As an outsider to North Carolina right now, the one place where I know I agree with the governor is that there’s enormous misunderstanding about this law,” Silver said. “I think when things settle down and legislators are together with the governor and are able to think through the implications of this law, the impact that it potentially can have on minority groups in their state, I think they will see clear to a change in the law.

I’m hopeful they will.”

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

B8 REDSKINS

PANTHERS from page B1

Skins schedule features RG3 revenge game

nents. The Thursday game against New Orleans comes four days after the Panthers host the Chiefs.

A Saturday game against Atlanta comes after playing Monday night at Washington, a five-day turnaround, and Carolina travels to New Orleans after a Monday night game against Tampa Bay. The Panthers are on the West Coast (at Oakland) for Thanksgiving weekend, and have games on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. For holiday-planning purposes, the only home game of the three is Dec. 24 against Atlanta.

By Sean Labar North State Journal

K

irk Cousins better strap on his big boy pants, because. the Washington Redskins have a difficult schedule ahead of them.

The NFL schedule makers are clearly intrigued with Washington, building on last year’s unexpected NFC East crown, because the Skins are slated to play in three primetime slots, starting with a home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

Washington will also be in the national spotlight on Thanksgiving Day at Dallas and on Oct. 30 against the Bengals in London.

Looking at the opener, the Steelers and Redskins are similar on paper. They both snuck into the playoffs last year with impressive passing offenses.

Neither squad has developed a defensive identity, so this could easily be a shootout. Pittsburgh has owned Washington as of late, winning all five meetings since 1997.

Week 2 makes things interesting in a hurry. Dallas, with former Redskins running back

Knowing Griffin, there will be a major social media campaign in the week leading up to the game.

Alfred Morris taking handoffs from Tony Romo, will be in FedEx Field for a rare early season rivalry game. Unfortunately for Redskins fans, the Cowboys’ signal caller will probably be healthy and effective, as he always seems to be early in the year.

The Skins play the Giants on the road in Week 3 then host the Browns in a game that will surely garner a ton of hype, with the return of Robert Griffin III to Washington. Knowing Griffin, there will be a major social media campaign in the week leading up to the game and probably a ridiculous entrance from the visitor’s tunnel.

The next three weeks are highlighted by a road contest at Baltimore, a home matchup against Philadelphia and a trip to Detroit. If the Skins lose early to either Pittsburgh, Dallas, or both, this is the stretch of the schedule where they can make up some ground.

But then things get ugly. The Bengals are already an AFC favorite, and it doesn’t help that they will be playing in London.

Maybe the overseas trip will slow Andy Dalton and company, but

it’s doubtful. Redskins coach Jay Gruden has a measure of revenge here and, more importantly, insight into his old team.

After the London trip comes the bye week, standard for overseas travel in the NFL. Washington then hosts Minnesota and Green Bay, travels to Dallas (for the aforementioned Thanksgiving game), Arizona and Philly, before returning home to host Carolina on Dec. 19. The Cardinals, Packers and Panthers are all likely favorites to beat Washington, so it increases the importance of winning the other three games during this six-game stretch after the London trip.

Washington closes the season with a Dec. 24 game at Chicago and the home finale against the New York Giants on Jan. 1 at FedEx Field.

If Cousins continues to develop and the Skins find some help on defense, they will be competitive most of the year. But with this schedule, 9-7 looks like a reasonable ceiling, the price to pay for winning the division last year. It’s the NFC East, though, so nine wins could be enough to clinch a division title for the second-straight year.

More balanced divisional slate Last year, the Panthers didn’t play Atlanta until Week 14, then played the Falcons twice in three weeks. The second game resulted in Carolina’s first loss of the season.

This year, Carolina has a more natural layout to its divisional games. The Panthers play all three NFC South opponents in consecutive weeks in October.

There are then five weeks before the first rematch, against the Saints on Nov. 17. The final two divisional games close out the regular season schedule.

Immediately after the first trip through the NFC South, Carolina has its bye. The bye week comes close to the midpoint of the season — in Week 7, the weekend of Oct. 23.

Going back to Cali

Looking back on Washington’s 2012 draft class

By Sean Labar North State Journal

Name

Position

Round

Overall Pick

Career AV*

Years w/ WAS

T

Robert Griffin III

QB

1st

2

32

4

Josh LeRibeus

OG

3rd

71

8

4

Kirk Cousins

QB

4th

102

16

4

Keenan Robinson

WR

4th

119

13

4

Adam Gettis

OG

5th

141

1

2

Alfred Morris

RB

6th

173

28

4

Tom Compton

OL

6th

193

7

4

Richard Crawford

DB

7th

213

1

2

Jordan Bernstine

DB

7th

217

0

1

he Redskins have a long, not-so-proud history of terrible draft mistakes, but nothing exemplifies it quite like the 2012 class. It was a prime example of the Skins’ inability to draft players vital for sustaining long-term team success while also managing to mortgage the future for short-term returns.

The group put together four years ago was not all bad. There was one positive in the form of quarterback Kirk Cousins. The former Michigan State gunslinger was taken by then-Redskins’ general manager Bruce Allen and then-coach Mike Shanahan in the fourth round of the 2012 Draft. At the time, doubling down on the quarterback position was insane. Now it looks logical and is the only saving grace for a once-vaunted draft class, as Cousins ended up being the (potential) long-term quarterback solution for Washington.

Beyond Cousins, the only other player from the 2012 class on Washington’s roster is reserve center Josh LeRibeus. Two different coaching staffs have thrown the lineman into the fire as a starter, and he’s always underperformed. LeRibeus just landed a contract extension, but there’s no telling if he will pan out. He’s a grinder, sure, but lacks the size and athletic prowess to thrive as a dominant offensive linemen.

That’s it from 2012. A back-

*AV = APPROXIMATE VALUE, A PRO-FOOTBALL-REFERENCE.COM STATISTIC FOR PRODUCTION

up QB that patiently climbed his way into the starting role and may or may not be the future — but is currently counting almost $20 million against the salary cap on a one-year deal — and a reserve offensive linemen that has yet to prove himself. It would not be described as a haul, even if Washington figured out the quarterback situation.

There were seven other players selected in the 2012 class, and none of them remain in Washington for various reasons.

The most notable name is Robert Griffin III. His rookie season, though historically transcendent, ended in a playoff injury and his Redskins career rapidly declined amidst a brush fire of drama and rumors. It was one of the more surprising fallouts in NFL history considering by the start of 2013 the consensus opinion was Washington

did the smart thing coughing up three first-round picks to land the Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor. Just two years later it was one of the worst draft-day trades in NFL history, leaving the Redskins without a firstround selection in both 2013 and 2014, and draining the team’s talent and depth.

Griffin signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, the only team interested in him and a place where quarterbacks typically do not thrive. There is drama left in RG3’s career yet, but it won’t directly involve playing for the Redskins.

Keenan Robinson (fourth round) showed flashes at times but could never stay healthy.

He’s gone. Tom Compton (sixth round) jumped back and forth as an offensive linemen and tight end. He’s gone. Adam Gettis (fifth round), Richard Crawford

Redskins 2016 Schedule

(seventh round), and Jordan Berstine (seventh round), rarely saw stints during their short time in Washington.

And then there is Alfred Morris, who was actually productive during his time in Washington and became a fan favorite. Morris rushed for more than 1,000 yards during his first three seasons as the Redskins’ starting tailback. An unproductive 2015 resulted in him leaving for archrival Dallas in free agency, with two annual shots at redemption against the Redskins.

New Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan has built his reputation on finding gems in the draft. His first effort yielded impact players that helped get the Redskins back to the playoffs. For now, Washington appears in good hands. But for Redskins’ fans, the 2012 draft is surely one to forget.

The Panthers will rack up the frequent flier miles this season.

The 2016 schedule features three trips to the West Coast in a fiveweek span.

The grueling road work starts on Nov. 6, when Carolina plays its first-ever game in Los Angeles, against the newly relocated Rams. After two home games, Carolina travels to Oakland on Nov. 27 and to Seattle the following week.

This is the first time Carolina has had three West Coast swings in a season, and the first time the Panthers have had more than one since 2008. In fact, from 2005 to 2012, the Panthers had a total of three regular-season trips to the West Coast.

Carolina also has its first trip to Denver since 2004. That was also the last time Carolina had two West Coast trips in a threeweek span.

Postseason rematches In addition to the Super Bowl rematch against Denver to open the year, Carolina plays NFC Championship Game foe Arizona at home on Oct. 30. The Panthers also play Seattle and San Francisco, meaning that Carolina’s opponents in its last eight playoff games are all on the team’s 2016 schedule.

Carolina also has a preseason game against New England, its foe in its first Super Bowl appearance in 2004.

The rundown Carolina’s opponents had a combined record of 131-125 (.512) last season. The home schedule features opponents with a 65-63 (.508) combined record.

Panthers 2016 Schedule

Week

Day

Date

Opponent

TIME

TV

Week

Day

Date

Opponent

Time

Tv

Week 1

Monday

Sept. 12

vs. Steelers

7:10 P.M. ET

ESPN

Week 1

Thursday

Sept. 8

@ Broncos

8:30 P.M. ET

NBC

Week 2

Sunday

Sept. 18

vs. Cowboys

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 2

Sunday

Sept. 18

vs. 49ers

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 3

Sunday

Sept. 25

@ Giants

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 3

Sunday

Sept. 25

vs. Vikings

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 4

Sunday

Oct. 2

vs. Browns

1 P.M. ET

CBS

Week 4

Sunday

Oct. 2

@ Falcons

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 5

Sunday

Oct. 9

@ Ravens

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 5

Monday

Oct. 10

vs. Buccaneers

8:30 P.M. ET

ESPN

Week 6

Sunday

Oct. 16

vs. Eagles

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 6

Sunday

Oct. 16

@ Saints

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 7

Sunday

Oct. 23

@ Lions

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 7

Week 8

Sunday

Oct. 30

@ Bengals (London)

9:30 A.M. ET FOX

Week 8

Sunday

Oct. 30

vs. Cardinals

4:25 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 9

Sunday

Nov. 6

@ L.A. Rams

4:05 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 9

Bye

Bye

Week 10

Sunday

Nov. 13

vs. Vikings

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 10

Sunday

Nov. 13

vs. Chiefs

1 P.M. ET

CBS

Week 11

Sunday

Nov. 20

vs. Packers

8:30 P.M. ET

NBC

Week 11

Thursday

Nov. 17

vs. Saints

8:25 P.M. ET

NBC

Week 12

Thursday

Nov. 24

@ Cowboys

4:30 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 12

Sunday

Nov. 27

@ Raiders

4:25 P.M. ET

CBS

Week 13

Sunday

Dec. 4

@ Cardinals

4:25 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 13

Sunday

Dec. 4

@ Seahawks

8:30 P.M. ET

NBC

Week 14

Sunday

Dec. 11

@ Eagles

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 14

Sunday

Dec. 11

vs. Chargers

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 15

Monday

Dec. 19

vs. Panthers

8:30 P.M. ET

ESPN

Week 15

Monday

Dec. 19

@ Redskins

8:30 P.M. ET

ESPN

Week 16

Saturday

Dec. 24

@ Bears

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 16

Saturday

Dec. 24

vs. Falcons

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 17

Sunday

Jan. 1

vs. Giants

1 P.M. ET

FOX

Week 17

Sunday

Jan. 1

@ Buccaneers

1 P.M. ET

FOX

the seed Each year when spring rolls around the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State University invites school children to celebrate Farm Animal Days, and this year we tagged along to capture the wonder of animal agriculture discovery.

NS J SUNDAY

4.17.16

Continued on page C4

the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

the maker

playlist April 17-24 23rd Annual Kovack Pottery Spring Event Seagrove A nine-day celebration of pottery featuring huge selections of hand-turned, hand-painted, limited edition pieces. At this event, every unique piece of pottery will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by both the potter and the artist. kovackpottery.com

April 19-24

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Maria Patino sews a sports bra at the Acme-McCrary production facility in Asheboro.

Designer exercises her fashion muscle to inspire young women MaryAnne Gucciardi brings stylish athletic clothing to the 8-to 16-year-old girl set and uses a North Carolina manufacturer to make some of her goods in the process.

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal

Y

OUNG FEMALE athletes strive to perform their best on and off the field — juggling academics, practices, and games, all the while facing the body changes that occur while coming of age. One soccer mom watching her daughter from the sidelines noticed female tweens were missing a crucial part of play — athletic wear that fit.

“I went on a search and couldn’t find anything for my daughter. Everything was too thin, too old, not age appropriate, and not athletic,” said MaryAnne Gucciardi.

It was 2009, and Gucciardi was busy trying to find her soccer-playing tween daughter, Charlotte, athletic wear. She found there were no good base layer options for her daughter.

Everything was made for little girls, grown-up women, or boys.

With a background in textiles and entrepreneurship, Gucciardi had an idea. She slowly and carefully began to design and create a sports camisole for her daughter’s soccer team.

Her first batch of 200 were sold out of the back of her car, on the field, and from mom-to-mom.

Gucciardi began the quest of establishing See DRAGONWING, page C6

Inside

The West Marine Carolina Cup Wrightsville Beach Six days of clinics and expos lead up to two days of stand up paddleboard competitions. The 2016 Carolina Cup is the official start of stand up paddleboard race season with four courses in and around Wrightsville Beach.

Races include a kid's course, a Harbor Island recreational fun race, the Money Island open race, and the ultimate challenge of the 13-mile Elite Graveyard Race. Now in its sixth year, this competition has grown to be one of the largest and most competitive stand up paddleboard races in the world with more than 700 athletes competing. wrightsvillebeachpaddleclub. com/carolina-cup

April 22-23 28th Annual Mebane Dogwood Festival Mebane The festival kicks off with a Golf Tournament and 5K Run on Friday. Entertainment and vendors will be downtown along with carnival rides for children in the evening.

Then on Saturday, enjoy the vendors, crafts, food, and live entertainment on multiple stages throughout the day. mbamebane.com/dogwoodfestival/ 21st Annual Piedmont Farm Tour Tour local farms located throughout Alamance, Chatham, Orange, and Person counties. Register at the site below and gather family and friends for a farming good time. Don't forget your cooler because some farms have products for sale. carolinafarmstewards.org

David Reagan mans a knitting machine at the Acme-McCrary production facility, which manufactures some of the Dragonwing girlgear sportswear.

COLOR AWAY

Celebrate the North Carolina State Parks centennial celebration with us in color away.

See page C8

30th Annual N.C. Pickle Festival Mount Olive Come for the live entertainment, an antique car show, carnival rides, petting zoo, games, food, vendors, vintage farm equipment display — and of course, lots of pickles to eat.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

C2

necessities thrive!

history marked

Recover from your race like a pro

April 19, 1877

By Alton Skinner For the North State Journal ORTH CAROLINA hosts a myriad of endurance events N from local fun runs to full Ironman triathlons. No matter your event, use these elite tools to speed up your recovery.

After Race Proper recovery begins immediately after you finish your race. During the first hour, switch into clean, dry clothes and a fresh pair of shoes (not sandals) to keep your feet from swelling and provide support.

Put your feet up, take some fluids and protein, and check on any injuries. Over the next 12 hours a cold shower or ice bath will do wonders. Enjoy a sensible celebration dinner (go easy on the alcohol), and get plenty of sleep.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy takes the common ice bath to a whole new level and reduces the entire body’s temperature to 40 degrees on the surface.

First used in Japan in 1978 to treat rheumatoid arthritis, it is now used by professional sports teams including the Carolina Panthers. By going inside a cryotherapy chamber for up to three minutes you will benefit from a reduction in inflammation and stimulated healing.

Dry Needling

Dry needling uses very thin needles to release trigger points in the muscle. The trigger point may be causing pain to the muscle or restricting range of motion. Inserting a needle into the muscle helps relieve the tension and returns the muscle back to its natural state. “You’re causing micro-trauma in that section of muscle,” says Jaime Holt, owner of Holt Physical Therapy.

This triggers increased circulation, an inflammatory response, and biochemical changes that help the muscle heal.

Alton Skinner is a health and fitness expert with over two decades of experience training athletes and author of The Golfer’s Stroke Saver Workout.

The first agricultural experiment station opened in a one-room chemistry lab at the University of North Carolina. It was the first such station in the South and the second in the nation.

April 20, 1791

George Washington visited Tryon Palace in New Bern during his Southern Tour. Washington’s tour of the Southern states allowed him to explore the nation he led. Washington’s visit was warmly received by the people of New Bern. During his two-day stay, the president dined at Tryon Palace and attended a “dancing assembly” with about 70 ladies. He also visited many of New Bern’s well-known citizens including John Wright Stanly, John Sitgreaves, and Richard Dobbs Spaight. Leaving New Bern on April 22, Washington headed south toward Wilmington.

April 22, 1953

The General Assembly established the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association program to advance the study of North Carolina history in public and private schools. The program is run by the North Carolina Museum of History, and it enrolls about 8,000 students in fourth through eighth grades each year.

Information courtesy of N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

turn the page Take a page turner, mix with good friends and lively discussion and you have a book club. This week we turned to Greensboro's Scuppernong Books for their recommendations. Peruse these selections, grab your group and dig in.

“Dimestore”

by Lee Smith released March 22, 2016

“The Swans of Fifth Avenue”

by Melanie Benjamin

released January 26, 2016

“Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keefe”

by Dawn Tripp

released February 9, 2016

“Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City”

by Matthew Desmond released March 1, 2016

“Lies and Other Acts of Love”

by Kristy Woodson Harvey released April 5, 2016

just a pinch

got Make a beer trap. An old farmer trick for ridding your garden of snails and slugs is to fill a shallow pan with stale beer and leave it out overnight. Of course, the snails are attracted to the beer and climb into the pan, where their sudsy fate awaits. Just make sure your pie plate trap filled with beer is deep enough and buried at ground level so the snails are unable to climb out and will drown, and you'll be rid of this garden pest in no time.

arrangements The rich musical history of North Carolina boasts the birthplace and creative atmosphere for countless producers and musical innovators of all genres. Bebop jazz saxophonists John Coltrane, pianist Thelonious Monk, Maceo Parker of the JB’s (James Brown’s band), George “Prime Minister of Funk” Clinton, alternative country pioneer, Ryan Adams, REM producers Mitch Easter and Chris Stamey, Nina Simone, Ben Folds, The Avett Brothers, to name a few. Today, our state carries on in this longstanding tradition of fostering some of the greatest players, writers, rappers, mixers and collaborators this country has to offer. This summer, keep your eyes and ears wide open for live performances, new and recently released records from these North Carolina musical artists.

“How to Dance” Mount Moriah

“One Stone and Too Many Birds” Some Army

Innately gritty, but polished and musically robust. Heart strings pulled and gloomy melodies well crafted and rightly blasted by front woman, Heather McEntyre. They’ve got an intrinsic darkness, but it’s lovable and Southern.

“Lateness of Dancers” Hiss Golden Messenger Songwriting duo, MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch, surround themselves with N.C.’s finest, including the likes of seasoned saxophonist Matt Douglas, Phil and Matt Cook, Ryan Gustafson, and many others delivering a sound and feel all its own.

“Montana” Ryan Gustafson / The Dead Tongues If one name resonates among the many spectacular musical groups in N.C., it is undoubtedly singer/songwriter Ryan Gustafson. He gift is evident in his solo work as well as with his band, Dead Tongues. Inward meditative tales sung passionately coupled with dreamy, blissful playing makes for a visceral listening experience.

“Sprinter” The Old Ceremony Wise beyond his years, musically and stylistically, Django Haskins and his cadre of like-minded players in The Old Ceremony have continually brightened the often tired corners of the state of music in North Carolina and beyond. Sprinter offers up what’s always been The Old Ceremony’s modus operandi: uniquely sculpted, well-written, instrumentally layered, smart, soulful, works of musical art.

Carrboro’s Some Army has a message. It’s one of world weariness and political unrest.

Struck by the current state of the country, the world, and their hearts is a story told soulfully through ethereal waves of whirling guitars, woozy atmospheric soundscapes, and poignant heartfelt lyrics.

“Resonance” Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba From Senegal, Diali Cissokho followed his heart to Pittsboro and got married about 7 years ago. From Africa he brought with him a totally unique brand of percussive virtuosity deeply embedded in his DNA from generations of musicians or “griot” (West African performers) before him. See Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba live to absorb the full experience.

“Tightrope” Chatham County Line Mainstays in the bluegrass scene, in N.C. and the world over, Chatham County Line set the bar as balladeers, instrumentalists, and bluegrass pros. Their haunting lyrics and timeless sound is and will always be a beacon to the world, brightly shining the light of N.C. bluegrass music.

By Dan Reeves For the North State Journal

Voices Contributors to this section this week include: Nicole Bruno Cox Samantha Gratton Jessie Judge Laura Ashley Lamm Anthony LeBude Alison Miller Dan Reeves Amy Richards Alton Skinner R. Cory Smith

Tell us Know a North Carolina story that needs to telling?

Drop us a line at features@nsjonline.com.

the plate “Even if you’re only using a few ingredients, you can really make something sing if you’re mindful about where they come from and how you put them together.

We get the tomatoes and sweet potatoes from farmers in Lincoln County, and the broccoli sprouts are from Sunny Creek Farm in Tryon. Our canola oil is certified organic and comes from Solio Family Farm in Rutherford County. We make the buns next door at our bakery and educational center, The Hub, using organic North Carolina grains. For us, it’s all about community, and our community is North Carolina. We want to have transparency, we want people to know where their food is coming from, and we want them to feel good about eating here.

— Cassie Parsons, Chef

Sweet Potato Burger

Harvest Moon Grille, Lincolnton Start to finish: 1 hour, 20 minutes Servings: 8 2 pounds sweet potatoes ¾ cup shredded carrots ¼ cup finely chopped onion homemade bread crumbs or panko canola oil 8 yeast rolls Toppings: Texas Pete aioli*, sweet red pepper relish, sliced hothouse tomatoes, and broccoli sprouts.

Roast sweet potatoes in the oven at 350 F for 1 hour. Peel skins off. Add shredded carrots and chopped onions to peeled potatoes and mix well. Form into 8 patties. Dredge lightly in breadcrumbs to coat. Deep-fry or pan-fry in canola oil until golden

brown on both sides, for about 2½ minutes on each side. *To make Texas Pete aioli: Whisk together 1 egg yolk, a pinch of salt, ½ clove crushed garlic, and ¼ teaspoon water.

Whisking constantly, slowly pour in just shy of 1 cup canola oil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons Texas Pete.

Lather both sides of a sliced yeast roll with Texas Pete aioli.

Top each burger with relish, a tomato slice, and broccoli sprouts.

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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bloom bradford pears | North Carolina Triploid pears in research plots.

PHOTOS BY THOMAS G. RANNEY, PH.D., JC RAULSTON DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

By Dr. Anthony LeBude For the North State Journal

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HE CALLERY pear was introduced to North America over a hundred years ago by two plant explorers, E.H. Wilson, from the Arnold Arboretum in Boston and Frank Meyer from the Department of Agriculture. Meyer searched throughout China trying to find pear species suitable as rootstocks for commercial edible pear production.

He collected seeds from the Callery pear in latitudes similar to the southeastern U.S.; from stream-sides to rock outcroppings in every soil type imaginable. At first promising for its resistance to fire blight, a devastating plant disease, the Callery pear was terminated from the USDA edible pear-breeding program in the 1980s in favor of other resistant species that have larger fruit, says Dr. Richard Bell, USDA-ARS plant breeder. Since 1960, several ornamental pear cultivars have been released, including Bradford, Chanticleer, Aristocrat, and Cleveland Select. Each contained desirable traits like tolerance to wood boring insects, Japanese beetles, fire blight, drought, poor soils, and pollution.

Callery pear cultivars quickly became the most widely planted street trees and thrived with minimal care.

Unfortunately, the Callery pear escaped cultivation or became invasive in USDA plant hardiness zones five through nine east of the Mississippi River. According to Dr. Richard Olsen, the director of the USDA-ARS U.S. National Arboretum, the Bradford pear was never advertised as sterile when it was released originally. Callery pears are self-incompatible, requiring cross-pollination to set seed, so one cultivar, like the Bradford pear, planted alone cannot set seed or become invasive. However, combinations of cultivars planted adjacently contained different genetic tumblers that decoded this incompatibility lock, which allowed seeds to develop on all cultivars. Subsequent seedlings contain germ plasm collected from the broad native range of the Callery pear in China, and are particularly adapted to populating open fields, disturbed areas, and recently restored wetlands in the southeastern U.S. It turns out the very same qualities that led Meyer to collect the original seeds from plants growing in inhospitable locations, also helps the tree populate ecosystems and survive terrible growing conditions in the States.

So, how could one keep the desirable traits in the Callery pear, but make it noninvasive?

Make it seedless! Similar to how seedless bananas, watermelons, and some citrus are bred, the resulting seedless Callery pears would minimize invasiveness regardless of which cultivar was planted nearby. To this end, Dr. Tom Ranney, Whitney Philips, and their team at NC State have been working on this puzzle for more than 15 years when the responsibility of invasive plants started to become a challenge for the horticulture industry.

Using traditional breeding techniques, Ranney’s team created ornamental pears that have demonstrated very low fruit set, low seeds per fruit, and low seed germination when pollinated by many other pears.

Much like humans with two sets of 23 chromosomes, most trees have even sets of two, four, or six chromosomes, which may in turn contain any number of chromosomes within each set (for pear; two sets of 17 chromosomes). When producing seeds, the pairs of chromosomes separate, then match with the corresponding set from the other parent to recreate paired chromosome sets. In our example, at fertilization, one set of chromosomes from the female match with one set from the male pollen grain to form the orig-

Callery pears as street trees.

inal two sets of 17 that the pear needs in order to live. However, if a tree with two sets of chromosomes is crossed with a tree with four sets, the resulting seedling has three sets of chromosomes (half of two plus half of four).

This is ideal because the resulting plant with only three sets will grow naturally and have a combination of traits from both parents with one exception: high infertility. There is no easy way to divide three sets of chromosomes evenly – as you cannot split an odd-number evenly in half (half of three is one and a half).

So, while fertilization might occur physically, either the seeds would not mature in fruits or any seedlings that did germinate would be abnormal. Plants that have three sets of chromosomes are called triploids and commonly produce no seeds even when hand pollinated.

Besides the Callery pear, new triploids contain other pear species with superior branch architecture to prevent the familiar limb failure of Bradford pears. Many reports have called for banning the planting of Callery pears due to its invasiveness or poor branch architecture. However, not all pear trees are created equally, and some are created odd on purpose. With the introduction of triploid (seedless) Callery pears, reproduction is held in check and everyone, including insect pollinators like honeybees and bumblebees, gets to enjoy the explosion of delicate white spring flowers again.

Dr. Anthony LeBude, Nursery Crops Extension Specialist, NC State University.

Whitney Philips hand pollinating triploid selections to test for infertility.

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North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

the seed Farm Animal Days | Wake County Nestled in amid hustling, bustling Wake County lies Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, part of North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. For over 25 years the college faculty, staff members, field lab employees, and student volunteers have come together to put on Farm Animal Days. The event gives children a chance to see and touch farm animals, learn about agriculture, climb on tractors and sample free Howling Cow ice cream. The event is intended for school field trips and families and individuals are welcome to attend. Photographer Eamon Queeney visited to take in the tiny hands on animal agriculture learning.

Ginger, a 2-year-old Jersey cow, gets an ear rub from a passing child.

Ailey White, 2, of Raleigh, gets some help from her dad Chris as they milk a fake cow during the annual Farm Animal Days event at North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory in Raleigh. Ailey was accompanied by her dad Chris, mom Renee and older brother Jonah, 4. The family says they come every year.

Farm Animal Days gives children a chance to get up close and personal with farm animals and equipment while learning about agriculture.

The completely free event lasts from Wednesday through Friday, and thousands are expected to attend.

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Top, twins, Garrett Guy, 3, left, and Bryson, right, of Raleigh, handle a chick with help from their au pair Sharna Dobson during the annual Farm Animal Days event. Bottom, Jake Barnes, 3, of Raleigh, enjoys his free chocolate ice cream.

Left, Molly Kate Lamb, 6, of Cary, sits in a piece of farm a equipment and looks towards her sister Emma Frances Lamb, 9, right, during the annual Farm Animal Days event. Molly Kate and Emma Frances were just named North Carolina State Little Miss and Petite Miss in the state-level Miss United States Agriculture pageant on Saturday and will go on to compete at the national level. Right, Kaia Petty, 5, of Raleigh, tugs on a lasso as she learns to rope with other kids from the Safe Haven Learning Center.

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North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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frolic

Azalea Festival | Wilmington A long-standing tradition since 1948, the North Carolina Azalea Festival is a cherished five-day event in Wilmington. With such a wide variety of more than 50 events and activities, the festival had an estimated 300,000 people this year and more than 1,000 volunteers to help make it happen. Held April 6-10, the Azalea Festival began with the crowning of Queen Azalea, Anna Kooiman, Charlotte native, UNC Wilmington graduate, and FOX news reporter.

"Being home for the Azalea Festival truly feels like a full circle moment. Gov. McCrory placed the crown on my head, and it was surreal. He was the mayor when I was growing up in Charlotte," said Kooiman. As Queen Azalea, she not only presided over the festivities like the parade, juried art and craft shows, and the court of Carolina queens, but also participated in a live broadcast

of FOX & Friends on Saturday morning from the festival.

The Cape Fear Garden Club’s Azalea Garden Tour, one of the South’s longest-running garden tours, took on the theme of, “Stepping into Spring” and featured 12 different gardens. Big hats and seersucker suits were all the rage at the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party, which hosted 2,500 sponsors, dignitaries, and close friends of the festival.

But it was not all garden parties and Southern belles—the Azalea Festival had something for everyone. Headliners of the live music performed throughout the event included Snoop Dogg, The Avett Brothers, and Chase Rice. It’s no wonder the Southeast Tourism Society often selects the North Carolina Azalea Festival as one of its Top 20 Events.

WILL PAGE | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

MaryAnne Gucciardi, founder of Dragonwing girlgear, meets with the company's community outreach manager, Olivia Stancil, to discuss new products, product colors and events in Durham.

Dragonwing girlgear is an athletic wear brand for tween and teen girls.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Maria Patino sews a sports bra at the AcmeMcCrary production facility in Asheboro.

DRAGONWING from page C1 suitable, high-quality athletic clothing for girls ages 8 to 16, and Dragonwing girlgear was born.

“Our young female athletes work so hard and deserve the best gear to perform at a high level and feel confident while doing so,” said Gucciardi.

“A dragonfly works hard and is beautiful – it embraces how I felt about the girls – strong, powerful, fun, and fast,” she added.

With a mission to “empower girls in sports and life,” Dragonwing girlgear sets about to create activewear for young girls with a proper fit and support that will give them the confidence needed to play sports.

“Young girls have an issue with body shaming. I want them to look and feel good, to focus on their game and skills, and to know they are enough. They can do and be anything they dream of,” said Gucciardi.

Dragonwing girlgear undergarments are made especially for the changing bodies of girls.

Stylish designs and bright colors set them apart on the playing field, but the high-quality material make them durable and long-lasting.

Dragonwing girlgear bras, camis, and compression shorts are made in the USA and abroad with a high-quality, anti-microbial wicking material traditionally found only in adult performance brands. The fabric, UV 50, protects against sun exposure.

The racerback seamless bra and the keyhole bra, two of the biggest athletic wear sellers for

the company, are manufactured at Acme-McCrary in Asheboro. The fabrics are environmentally friendly as they were made from sustainable materials such as recycled polyester and plastic bottles.

“North Carolina has so much talent and so many resources available. It’s a great place to start a business,” said Gucciardi.

Gucciardi’s small North Carolina business is continuing to grow. From the consultants

and moms of teenagers working with her, her business has a strong home base with web sales through Amazon, Soccer.com, and The Grommet.

Whether young girls are kicking field goals on the soccer field, shooting hoops on the basketball court, or running track meets, Dragonwing girlgear lets them do so with not only stylish clothing that fits but also a strong sense of confidence.

the brew

Brewgaloo | Raleigh

By R. Cory Smith North State Journal

A

H, THE TASTE of hops on your tongue, the sound of live bands, and the delicious aroma from countless food trucks. It’s an experience only found at Brewgaloo, and it’s firing up again next weekend.

More than 50 food vendors will line Fayetteville Street in Downtown Raleigh with 85 breweries to quench your thirst. Whether it’s by the pint or the taste, Brewgaloo offers beer enthusiasts the chance to try beers from all over the state.

The event, held by Shop Local Raleigh, has become the centerpiece of N.C. Beer Month in the Triangle.

“When we had 4,500 people show up right out of the gate the first year we knew we had something huge,” Shop Local Raleigh Executive Director Jennifer Martin said. “One thing we’ve kept true the entire time is to only have brewers that are 100 percent N.C. owned. We also only allow Triangle-based food trucks

to support the local scene.

“We are very exclusive in who we let in, but it creates an environment that feels more like a community than any other event.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Brewgaloo in Raleigh and the largest thus far. Given the massive growth, there will be an additional Friday night event called the Block Party to give brewers and vendors another avenue to reach beer lovers.

The Block Party is an all-you-can sample event from 6-10 p.m. for $45 per person held in Raleigh’s City Plaza. While it won’t have as many beers as Saturday's a la carte festival, the Friday night event will have its own unique set of beers to try. Some of the beers available on Friday won’t be found on Saturday due to the high volume of alcohol content. Along with darker beers, Friday night will also cater to homebrewers looking to get started. Several brewers will be on hand to talk about green, sustainable brewing practices and be able to have one-on-one conversations with participants.

“Friday night will definitely have a more exclusive and specialized feel,” Martin said. “I say beer lovers should really just make a weekend out of it. On Friday you get to really experience the beer while Saturday is a huge party.

“Both are experiences that only come around once a year.”

The entire weekend of Brewgaloo gives a chance for breweries to shine as they roll out rare beers for public consumption. Big Boss will have Starduster, a single-hop pale ale with Polaris hops, on tap throughout the event. Wicked Weed will have a tap takeover on Friday to bring out Brettaberry, a tart farmhouse ale with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

“It’s a really unique opportunity for people to experience all of the great beers in this state,” Big Boss brewmaster David Rogers said. “It gives us, as brewers, a chance to connect, hang out, and try some of their new beers. This is one of the best states for beer and Brewgaloo gives us a chance to prove it.”

North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

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Read to me

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Dog Day

By Nicole Bruno Cox EDITOR’S NOTE

Stories have power. They amuse, enchant, teach, and transport us to another time and place outside of our own. Each week, we invite you to read with us, and with the people you love, to let your imagination run wild and free.

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ICK TOCK, tick tock...I lounged and rested by the window. Just another work day.

“I can’t wait for my human to come home!” I sighed. My whole world is my human, Sally. She gives me treats, belly rubs and most of all, her love.

The weather was brisk outside and wet.

I watched the raindrops patter off the windowpane. I let out a big yawn as I curled up in my ultra-comfy dog bed with my name “Bubba” embroidered on the side. If you looked up “most spoiled boxer” in the dictionary, you would find my handsome face gracing its page.

As I began to slumber, I heard screeching outside and a loud noise. I abruptly jumped up and ran to the door, pushing Sebastian, the rather obese cat, aside. “Move, outta my way! I am on security duty!”

Sebastian moved ever so slowly. I don’t understand cats; they are highly unpredictable.

I have scratches to prove it.

“What’s the big deal?” Sebastian waddled towards me. I knew it could only be one thing.

It came about this time every day, and it made my hair stand on end. The postman!

“You have real trust issues, you know!”

Sebastian said mid-lick of his paw. “It’s a postal worker, he delivers mail!”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and proceeded to bark at the window. Sally would have been so proud of me. Once again, I protected the house and the postal truck drove away.

Sebastian rolled on his back exposing his large fluffy belly. What do cats do all day? They lounge, sleep, and annoy the dog. I have tried to play with Sebastian or even cuddle with him, but everything is on his terms. Cats are the moodiest of creatures, if I do say so myself.

The door slowly began to open and with a pleasant surprise, Sally came home early. “Hey buddy!” she exclaimed.

I was beyond thrilled and I sprinted towards her, doing the infamous dog “zoomies” around the house and jumped towards her. Sally put down her work bag and gave me a hug as she bent down. Sebastian rubbed against her as I pushed him to the side. The rain has stopped and Sally grabbed my collar and hooked the leash to it. Walks are my favorite! I was ready to make my presence known around the neighborhood. As I began to walk towards the door, pulling my human to exit, Sally yelled

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL | JESSIE JUDGE

“Wait, buddy! I bought you something!”

A treat, perhaps? A toy, perhaps!?

Anything to chew on is my favorite. I still wonder why Sally wears my toys on her feet.

My sense of wonder ceased as Sally stuffed my husky body in a rather tight sweater. “It’s cold out, and you will need this,” she insisted.

Sebastian fell over with laughter. “You will definitely be the talk of the neighborhood now!” he screamed.

I snickered at him and then sat there looking up at Sally. I could barely move.

“Let’s go!” she said, coaxing me out the door.

I trotted out the front door. I didn’t want to hurt Sally’s feelings.

I immediately heard a whistle and looked forward. It was Sally’s boyfriend, Luke. I always get rather jealous as I am her lifetime companion, but I wagged my tail and walked towards him despite my distaste. Once again, Sally’s happiness is my happiness.

He pulled out the most magnificent object, a bright green tennis ball! He might not be that bad after all. My tail began to dance, and I couldn’t control my body movements; I began to jump up and down. The tennis ball had hypnotic powers!

Luke threw the ball, and I ran as hard as my chubby legs could carry me through the park. I scooped up the ball in my large

mouth, my tongue hanging from the side.

“Bring it back boy!” Sally and Luke cheered on.

I stood there for a second, breathing heavily. Why would they throw the ball for me if they wanted it?! Humans can be so confusing. I slowly walked back with the ball and dropped it at their feet. With a big throw, Luke flung the ball across the grass again.

If he thinks I am going to get it and bring it back, he is mistaken, I thought, gasping for air. So I sat there and looked at them both.

“That’s okay, buddy—we can rest for a second,” said Sally. She took a treat and tossed it into my mouth, like feeding a sea lion a fish. Just as I thought I was special, Sally offered Luke a chip. Why does he get chips, and I get this bland dog biscuit? So what did I do? What any other cute, entitled pup would do —I stood there in a puddle of my own drool, pawing at their legs.

There is no place I would rather be than with my human. She may have the whole world, but she is the whole world to me.

Nicole Cox is the author of the recently released children's book titled "Itchy Pig" which combines her passions for animal advocacy and education. She lives in Raleigh with her husband, Aldo, and their dog,

COMING UP in the good life Music in the air

We've got your MerleFest guide complete with original art from illustrator, Amy Richardson.

Quack, Quack

We chat with Chip Moore about the conservation work Triangle Delta Waterfowl is doing to secure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting.

Cheers

Read a review of three brews from Southern Pines Brewing Company to close out N.C. Beer Month.

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North State Journal for Sunday, April 17, 2016

pen & Paper pursuits I reckon . . .

Your guide to what’s what, where, why, and how to say it.

Tar Heel State The origin of our nickname is mysterious, but most historians agree that the name derives from North Carolina's history as a producer of naval stores — tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine — taken from the state's extensive pine forests.

COLOR AWAY!

This week we celebrate the yearlong 100th anniversary of our North Carolina State Parks by coloring the natural wonder and beauty you might encounter along the trail. Share your work on social media with the hashtag #coloraway.

JANRIC CLASSIC SUDOKU

SOLUTIONS TO PUZZLES FROM 4.10.16

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL | AMY RICHARDS