VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6
Inside
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018
Durham Bulls return to the diamond, B1
LEAH MILLIS | REUTERS
Skye Kennedy, center, 5, Seamus Menefee, left, 7, and Jack Kennedy, 8, participate in the egg roll during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Trump says he will use military to protect U.S. border Washington President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would use U.S. military forces to protect the nation's southern border with Mexico until there is a border wall and "proper security" in place. "We are going to be doing things militarily," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding he had discussed the idea with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "Until we can have a wall and proper security we’re going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step," he said. "We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing, and by the way, never showing up for court."
Spotify's recordsetting direct listing makes it a $30B company London/New York Spotify Technology SA shares surged following the largestever direct listing on Tuesday, giving the world's leading streaming music service a market value of nearly $30 billion.Shares opened at $165.90, up nearly 26 percent from a reference price of $132 a share set by the on the New York Stock Exchange late on Monday. Spotify's unusual route to publicly trading its shares via a direct listing rather than a more usual initial public offering will likely be watched by other companies tempted to list without selling new shares, and by bankers that could lose out on millions of dollars in future underwriting fees.
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NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Schools seek parity in workforce training courses North Carolina community colleges depend on funding from the state legislature for the majority of their revenue. For several programs crucial to employers — in fields such as health care, construction, manufacturing and public safety — training programs are funded at a lower rate than traditional curriculum programs, simply because they award a certificate or credential, instead of a diploma. In a three-part series, North State Journal will look at the impact of this funding imbalance, and what is currently being done to solve it. Part 1, April 4: What the funding imbalance means to community colleges in the state, and the results of a one-year pilot program that is increasing the funding for selected workforce training programs. Part 2, April 11: How employers around the state, who are desperately seeking qualified candidates for many specialized jobs, would benefit from a change in the funding model. Part 3, April 18: Will the state legislature provide parity in funding for noncredit and curriculum courses? By Shawn Krest North State Journal WHEN THE North Carolina Community College System set its budget priorities for 2017 to 2019, one of the three primary goals it identified was to “ensure a highly skilled workforce pipeline.” Quite simply, in many specialized fields around the state, there aren’t enough qualified workers to fill all the open positions. “Employers are begging us for more certified and credentialed employees,” said David Johnson, president of Johnston Community College. Part of the reason for this shortfall is that several jobs crucial to the needs of employers around the state — in fields such as construction, health care, manufacturing and public safety — require a certificate or industrial certification, instead of a college diploma,
and the state funds noncredit programs at a lower rate than traditional curriculum programs. Background North Carolinians pay less for community college than almost anywhere else in the nation. According to figures from CollegeBoard, only California and New Mexico had lower tuition and fees for community college students than North Carolina. The high level of state funding helps make that possible — North Carolina community colleges get 57 percent of their revenue from the state, according to a 2016 report to the Program Evaluation Oversight Committee. “The thing that the community college system was built upon is providing access for North Carolinians to higher educational opSee FUNDING, page A2
White House welcomes 30K visitors for Easter tradition First lady Melania Trump takes the reins of the annual event
portunity,” said Maryland mother Angela Williams, there with her children Elizabeth, 7, and James, 4, dressed in matching spring coats. “I just want good pictures, good memories and no By Donna King meltdowns. We’ve been in line for North State Journal about an hour, but the music and WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the excitement has made it fun.” More than 30,000 eggs, disMonday, the 140th White House Easter Egg Roll drew near- tributed for rolling and eating, ly 30,000 visitors to the historic were donated by the American Egg Board, which also sponsors South Lawn of the White House. President Donald Trump and the event each year. Coloring acfirst lady Melania Trump were on tivities, cookie and egg decorathand, along with the Trump chil- ing, and costumed characters entertained the families. dren and grandchilIn keeping with a tradren to take party in the dition started in 1977, Easter Monday Amerithe organization precan tradition. The covsented Melania Trump eted free tickets were Easter Monday with a commemorative distributed by lottery celebrations rhinestone-encrustonline and assigned in ed glass egg that opens two-hour blocks start- on the U.S. to reveal tiny ceramic ing at 7:30 a.m. un- Capitol’s figurines of the presitil after 4:30 p.m. The dent and first lady. This annual event is one of grounds grew year’s commemorative very few that opens the so popular was called “Wings White House grounds that President egg of Prayer” and designed to the public. For those by Texas artist Deborah who could not attend in Ulysses S. Grassel, who said she person, the entire event Grant signed was inspired by Melawas livestreamed by a bill that nia Trump’s elegance. the White House. “Easter would not be The crowds turned banned the Easter without eggs,” out in droves despite said Agriculture Secnear-freezing weath- rolling of eggs retary Sonny Perdue. er in the morning and on Capitol “Our nation’s egg farmclimbing no highgrounds. ers — and their increder than 55 degrees by ible eggs — are a fixthe afternoon. The President ture on the South Lawn cold didn’t stop bright Rutherford B. of the White House for smiles and cheerful this time-honored and greetings to each visi- Hayes moved unique American holitor from volunteers and the event to day tradition.” employees of the NaOne of the most tional Park Service, the the White popular activities at organization that helps House in 1878. the South Lawn party run the event. Visitors was the reading nook, waited in lines snakwhere Melania Trump, ing through the ellipse director of National Inin front of the White House, as each went through met- telligence Dan Coats, Transporal detectors and passed Secret tation Secretary Elaine Chao and Service officers with bomb-sniff- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos read spring stories to the children ing canines. As visitors stood in line with and their parents. The White House Easter Egg most children dressed in Easter clothes and heavy coats, they also Roll is a premiere event organized walked past large wooden eggs, by the office of the first lady each one for each state, decorated with year, and this year was Melania symbols of their state. N.C.’s egg Trump’s first as a full-time resident was decorated by students at Un- of the White House. Last year, she derwood Elementary in Raleigh. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime op- See EASTER, page A2