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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 16
www.NSJONLINE.com |
SATURDAY, April 22, 2017
Inside NSJ lauded for photo excellence, C4
Aaron P. Bernstein | reuters
President Donald Trump speaks before signing a directive ordering an investigation into the impact of foreign steel on the American economy in the Oval Office on April 20.
the weekend
News BRIEFing Bill O’Reilly out at Fox after harassment allegations New York Twenty-First Century Fox has parted ways with star cable news host Bill O’Reilly following allegations of sexual harassment, the company said on Wednesday. “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” the conservative network’s parent said in a statement. Reports say O’Reilly could receive as much as a year’s salary — estimated at $25 million — in the breakup. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” will move in to O’Reilly’s 8 p.m. time slot on Fox News, the network said.
Commissioners vote on Durham-Orange light rail next week Durham Local officials will decide next week whether to continue to seek federal funding for half of the cost of the proposed $3.3 billion light rail that will span from NC Central University to UNC Hospital. If the 17-mile project is approved for an FTA New Starts grant, local residents can still expect to pick up a $1.9 billion share of the costs, while the public-private partnership has pledged to raise $100 million for the new transit line. The Durham County commissioners will vote on Tuesday, April 24; the Orange County commissioners will vote Thursday, April 27.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
General Assembly looks to solve classroom size rules caused by budget House Bill 13 would reinstitute class size flexibility that helped fund specials teachers By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — While hundreds rallied Wednesday at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh in support of House Bill 13, members of the General Assembly continued to work on the issue regarding flexibility of K-3 class size in public schools. Last year’s state budget dictated that starting with the 2017-18 school year, kindergarten through third grade class sizes will be lowered to 19 to 21 students from the current 24, eliminating the class-size flexibility that was used by many schools to fund teachers of “specials” like physical education, art, foreign language and music.
“What’s happened is this was a very good intended thought with the way that this was structured, but it created a ripple where it affected things that you didn’t necessarily realize on the surface it would affect,” Rep. Jeff Elmore (R-Wilkes) said. For Elmore, the ripple effect follows him back home, where he is an elementary school art teacher when he’s not in Raleigh with the legislature. “As a teacher serving down here, I get to see actually what’s happening in the school building,” he said.” And you see effects of this, and how the decision at the state level affects it, but then the decision at the local level affects it, too. And how that’s playing off one another.” He said in the mid-1990s the state collapsed those “specials” teachers’ funding into classroom teacher allotment. See h.b. 13, page A2
INSIDE Sports
Campus free speech on the docket at NCGA. Jones & Blount
20177 52016 $2.00
christine T. Nguyen | North State Journal
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President targets China, other countries that export to United States By Mike Stone and Steve Holland Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump moved on Thursday against China and other exporters of cheap steel into the U.S. market, launching a federal investigation to determine whether foreign-made steel threatens U.S. steelmakers and national security. Winning praise from U.S. companies that are constantly fighting with foreign competitors,Trump invoked a rarely used trade law that raises the possibility of new tariffs. The action triggered a rally in U.S. steel stocks. At a White House ceremony where he was surrounded by U.S. steel executives, Trump signed a memorandum ordering the U.S. Commerce Department to probe the impact of steel imports on the U.S. defense industrial base. “Steel is critical to both our economy and our military,” said Trump. “This is not an area where we can afford to become dependent on foreign countries.” The global steel market is in surplus. China is the largest national producer and makes far more steel than it consumes. To find buyers for its excess output, China sells steel cheap overseas, often undercutting domestic producers. “Everything they export is dumping,” said Derek Scissors, Asia economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross cast the decision to initiate the probe as a response to Chinese exports of steel into the United States reaching the point where they now account for 26 percent of the U.S. market. Chinese exports have risen “despite repeated Chinese claims that they were going to reduce their steel
Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes) listens to discussion during a House Education-Universities committee meeting on April 19.
“Steel is critical to both our economy and our military. This is not an area where we can afford to become dependent on foreign countries.” President Donald Trump
See steel, page A3
Davidson College Republicans spark debate on climate change Many right-leaning students more open to accepting what has traditionally been a liberal cause By Mollie Young North State Journal
N.C. players abound in NFL Draft. B4
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Trump launches trade probe targeting Chinese steel
DAVIDSON — Davidson College has fewer than 2,000 students — small enough that the presidents of the College Republican and College Democrats clubs count each other as friends. They disagree on some political issues, but an unusual one unites them: they both believe climate change is a serious problem. “Climate change is really real and really alarming to me personally,” said Grace Woodward, the College Republicans’ president. University students — and Republicans in particular — “need to do a better job of talking about cli-
mate change,” she said. Woodward is well aware that her views differ from those of many older Republican leaders. ”[But] we shouldn’t just be blindly loyal to a party,” she said. “In 20 years maybe we’ll hold those positions and we can make changes to the party.” In national party politics, beliefs about climate change often match party membership: Democrats believe it is a largely man-made problem and needs aggressive action, while a share of Republicans — including President Donald Trump — have questioned the very validity of the science. But a younger generation of Republicans — many on college campuses today — increasingly say they believe climate change is a problem that Americans have a reSee Davidson, page A8