North State Journal — Vol. 3., Issue 23

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 23

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

Inside Forecasting the ’18 college football season, Sports

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT NC

The Biltmore Estate showcases hand-sculped glass in the Chiluly art exhibit for the summer.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

N.C. lawmakers plan a Saturday session Raleigh The North Carolina General Assembly has a weekend vote Saturday to possibly override vetoes on two bills rejected Friday by Gov. Roy Cooper. One measure sets the titles of six constitutional amendments that will appear in November ballots, and the other requires that judicial candidates be a member of their listed party for at least 90 days before filing for office. Lawmakers are on a tight deadline. The State Board of Elections has to have final ballot language by Aug. 8.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

BCBS uses tax cuts to drop rates Raleigh Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina requested an overall average rate decrease of 4.1 percent for 2019 Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans offered to individuals. In its announcement, Blue Cross NC said it used the tax savings from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to lower the rates by an additional 0.5 percent. The company’s rates have increased every year by double-digits since the ACA was passed in 2015.

Police chief arrested Southport The entire police force of Southport is suspended after the arrests of two officers accused of driving trucks during hours they claimed to be doing police work. A joint investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI alleges that Southport Police Chief Gary Smith and Lt. Mike Simmons were reporting for overnight shifts at a local trucking company during hours listed on their department activity reports.

INSIDE Emergency management officials had a hand in Matthew recovery delays Jones & Blount

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Sending summer off in NC style With just a few weeks left of summer, here are some ideas to make the most of it By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — With schools and state universities down to the last three weeks before classes resume, families are drumming up last-ditch lists to make the most of any waning summer free time. In the western part of the state, the adventurous are headed to waterfalls, hiking trails, tubing and rafting where the mountain weather is a bit less humid. Others are traveling to Biltmore Estate in Asheville to catch the summer sun glinting through hand-sculpted glass in the Chihuly art exhibit. “Dale Chihuly did these blown glass — big, big pieces of glass art — and the pieces all fit together in a very intricate pattern and it’s very colorful, just really beautiful work,” said Will Tuttell, executive director of Visit NC. “When you put that in the backdrop of the Biltmore, it makes it even more exceptional.” On the coast, revelers are gearing up for the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard’s death. “There’s a lot of people now who think Blackbeard See SUMMER, page A2

The N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh set all-time attendance records this summer as 102,544 visitors turned out for the You Are Here light exhibit.

CHINA DAILY | REUTERS | FILE

Steel pipes to be exported are seen at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, on May 31.

The fed walks a tightrope amid tariffs and economic growth Interest rates are expected to stay stable Wednesday, but trade drama is a strong undercurrent By Donna King North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged this week, but solid economic growth combined with rising inflation lead analysts to say there could be another two hikes later this year. The rate decision comes at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and follows

news from the Commerce Department Friday that the U.S. economy grew at 4.1 percent in the second quarter, its fastest pace in nearly four years, as consumers boosted spending and farmers rushed shipments of soybeans to China to beat retaliatory trade tariffs. Economic growth, and the 4.0 percent unemployment rate, has been aided by the Trump administration’s package of tax cuts and government spending, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has said overall the economy is in a “really good place.” See TARIFFS, page A2

McCready crafts a moderate image for conservative voters The NC-9 race is tight as Republican Pastor Mark Harris faces Democrat Dan McCready By David Larson for the North State Journal RALEIGH — The race for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District appears tight as polling shows the Democrat competitive in this traditionally conservative-leaning district. The Cook Political Report has the district as an R7, meaning Republicans have an average seven-point advantage in recent elections. In a recent Civitas poll though, seven is also the number by which Democrat Dan McCready leads Repub-

lican Mark Harris. The current congressman for the 9th District is Robert Pittenger of Charlotte, but he lost in the primary to Harris, a pastor and previous candidate for both U.S. House and Senate seats. “I believe our effort was successful because voters embraced our message of lower taxes, smaller government, less spending, fiscal responsibility, a strong military, and a Congress that is responsive to the people and their needs,” Harris said to North State Journal on his primary win. Republican leaders believe this expensive and contentious primary explains why Harris trails in both cash and polling. After the smoke clears, they hope the parSee DISTRICT, page A2


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