North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 36

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 36

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

inside Four keys to the Carolina Panthers’ season, B1

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Greenville’s North State Little League catcher Jacob Calder (01), center, reacts as he steps on the red carpet at the Legislative Building in Raleigh as the team gets ready to pose for photographs after being honored in the Senate chambers.

the Wednesday

NORTH

NEWS BRIEFING

STATE

NC eyes powerful Hurricane Irma as it churns in the Atlantic

JOURNaL

N.C.’s Director Emergency Management, Mike Sprayberry, warned Tuesday that N.C. could see affects from Hurricane Irma next week. The National Weather Service shows Irma near the Caribbean headed toward Florida.

“I will tell you that I’m very concerned because as you see, that’s a category 5 storm with 180 mph winds in the Atlantic.

Right now, it’s tracking the way it is, but there are still several days before we actually know what impacts it’s going to have on N.C.,” he said.

N.C. Emergency Management is communicating with officials in Virginia and South Carolina in case a coordinated evacuation is needed. FEMA officials are scheduled to visit N.C. later this week. Sprayberry encouraged residents to download the department’s ReadyNC mobile app for the most up-to-date information.

ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Jones County Public Schools to open a new K-12 school

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal KINSTON — Down in Eastern North Carolina, rural counties struggle with economic disparities ranging from poverty to single-family homes to lack of financial resources for infrastructure needs. Children in the educational system are managing challenges in their home life before they ever get to the classrooms.

School budgets are stretched thin and teacher resources are limited in rural counties.

For Jones County Public Schools, they know their county demographics, they’ve witnessed the needs of their students and now they’re helping them overcome obstacles with high success.

“Our motto with Jones County Schools is every ‘student matters and every moment counts.’

We really strive that motto statement because we are a small rural district,” said Superintendent Dr. Michael Bracy. “We’re small but strong.

All of our students will achieve with their maximum potential.”

Jones County has a population of approximately 10,000 with 1,200 children in the public schools. Jones County Schools is a six-school system with four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

North Korea warned on Tuesday that it is ready to send “more gift packages” to the U.S. after Pyongyang’s latest nuclear weapons test. Han Tae Song, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations, confirmed that North Korea had successfully conducted its sixth and largest nuclear bomb test on Sunday.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Monday accused the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of “begging for war” with a series of nuclear bomb and missile tests. She urged the 15-member Security Council to impose the “strongest possible” sanctions to deter him and shut down his trading partners.

See JONES COUNTY, page A3

INSIDE Rep. Chris Millis (R-Pender) is among the members of the General Assembly who announced over the past two weeks that they will retire or not run for re-election.

Jones & Blount

20177 52016 $2.00

A new survey shows that 76 percent of North Carolina contractors are having a hard time finding carpenters, concrete workers and truck drivers

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — A nationwide shortage of construction workers is hitting N.C. and with the flooding damage to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the situation for construction companies may get worse. According to a survey just released from the Associated General Contractors of American, more than three-quarters of construction

companies surveyed in N.C. say that they are having trouble finding skilled construction labor. The same percentage of companies say they plan to grow in the next 12 months, creating an even tighter market demand for skilled labor.

The deficit may slow rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which caused extensive flood damage to homes and See CONSTRUCTION, page A2

County will consolidate Trenton Elementary, Jones Middle and Jones Senior High into one school

North Korea threatens further action against U.S.

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Construction workers in short supply in NC, especially after Harvey

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“The layout of the new school, the technology additions, will all advance the students in Jones County. We are creating a better learning environment for these students.”

— Senate Majority Harry Brown (R-Jones)

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A construction worker helps build an apartment complex on Park Avenue in Raleigh.

GenX funds approved, committees announced The General Assembly approved funding for clean up of Cape Fear water supplies last week while also announcing select committees that will investigate GenX pollution and flawed response of local and state authorities

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced Thursday the formation of a House Select Committee to investigate the GenX pollution of the Cape Fear River. The committee is made up of members of the Environmental Review Commission (ERC) as well as several coastal representatives whose districts have been affected by the water contamination.

“We need to make sure we have safe, reliable water out there for folks to drink,” said Moore during a Thursday press conference. “When it comes to the environment and pollution, it’s just nothing to play around with.”

The committee, chaired by Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover), will focus on finding solutions for GenX as well as examining why communications about the risks to the public were delayed for See GENX, page A2

“Today’s announcement

by NCDEQ that it has ordered the company to stop the release of all fluorinated compounds into the Cape Fear River is a positive step.”

— Cape Fear Public Utility Authority

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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09.06.17 #92

Strong support for Confederate statue in N.C. county Graham home to century-old Civil War monument

By Colleen Jenkins Reuters

“Elevate the conversation”

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GRAHAM, N.C.— Ever since demonstrators in Durham toppled a bronze Confederate statue from its tower, Bradley Dixon has worried about the fate of a similar monument 30 miles west.

The statue honoring 1,100 Confederate soldiers from Alamance County is one of dozens in the country facing renewed calls for removal after violence at an Aug. 12 rally in Charlottesville, Va., to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Dixon, a 30-year-old descendant of some of those Civil War soldiers, considers the threat a personal affront.

“It is a direct blow at my family, at my blood,” Dixon said from the front porch of his 1930s farmhouse, where chickens wander in the yard and he crafts blacksmithing anvils from old train tracks. “I’m not going to watch that monument fall.”

Across the South and beyond, elected officials are stripping signs of the Confederacy from streets, schools and other public spaces, siding with those offended by memorials to the pro-slavery cause.

But in Alamance County, a former textile hub that President Donald Trump won with 55 percent of the vote last November, county commissioners vow the granite and marble Confederate statue erected there more than 100 years ago will stand.

Echoing the Republican president’s sentiments about such monuments, the all-white board said the statue commemorated an important part of local history.

Dixon, a white fire department captain whose family was among the county’s earliest settlers, grew up hearing about that history at his family’s Sunday lunch table.

To him, the monument pays tribute to ancestors who served to protect the powers reserved for states by the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment. His relatives were not slave owners, he said, and he insists they did not fight to preserve an institution he calls sickening.

Historians cannot speak to every individual soldier’s motivations. But Dixon’s pride in his heritage sheds light on why he and likeminded supporters are strident in their defense of symbols others say represent a shameful past.

“My family was called to action and they went,” he said. “These men deserve recognition for their sacrifice.”

The statue is located outside the historic courthouse in the county seat of Graham, watching over quaint storefronts on Main Street from atop a column engraved with Confederate flags.

It was paid for by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an

PHOTOS BY COLLEEN JENKINS | REUTERS

The Alamance County Confederate Monument, erected in 1914, is pictured outside the historic courthouse in Graham, N.C. County commissioners said this week they have no intention of seeking the monument’s removal, despite such action taken in other cities and counties after the violence in Charlottesville.

“My family was called to action and they went.

These men deserve recognition for their sacrifice.”

— Bradley Dixon, Graham County resident organization formed during a postwar period.

Col. Jacob A. Long, a Confederate veteran who founded the county’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan in 1868, spoke at the statue’s May 1914 dedication. He invoked white privilege in his remarks, saying it was important to remember the achievements “of our own race and

CONSTRUCTION from page A1 businesses and is set to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Nine years after the housing bust in 2006 drove an estimated 30 percent of construction workers into new fields like technology or manufacturing, many never returned. Coupled with the retirement of the Baby Boomers and the increasing emphasis on four-year colleges and white-collar jobs among young people, the dearth of killed and unskilled labor remains at all levels of experience, according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

The survey also reported that 63 percent of general contractors rate the pipeline in N.C. for skilled labor as “poor.” Only 28 percent rate the pipeline as “fair” and none rated it as “excellent.” Maryah Smith-Overman, director of the construction trades program at Durham Technical Community College, is trying to do something about that. She is seeing enrollment grow at a fast pace with waiting lists for most of the classes.

“We are seeing a big increase, a lot of folks knocking at the door,” said Smith-Overman.

“We are also definitely seeing a demand from the community; folks interested in career changes or who are unemployed or underemployed and are interested in working in the field.”

Smith-Overman says she is hearing from N.C. industry partners that the need is greatest here for skilled carpenters, HVAC specialists and plumbers. She is adding classes all the time and working with students to get the skills they need and three-year apprenticeships so that their wages grow along with their experience.

‘Everyone is looking for good employees to fill positions, especially as folks are retiring from the field or just to keep up with the building that’s going on in the area, and we would like to keep local folks in those positions,” she said.

Nationwide, income for skilled laborers has jumped nearly 30 percent in three years. Drywall tapers, for instance, earned an average hourly wage of $21.26 in 2016, a 29 percent jump from three years before, while carpenters earned an average of $25.09 per hour, a

blood.”

“The Alamance County statue appears to be fairly archetypal,” said Charles Irons, a history professor at Elon University. “To pretend that this monument erected by private, white-only dollars actually represented the sentiments of all citizens of the county itself is evidently not true.”

But many local residents in the county, which is 75 percent white, favor keeping such statues. That is in line with national polling on the issue.

Several supporters interviewed said they did not view the monument as a symbol of slavery or racial oppression. But some of those same people said that if it came down, tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. should go, too.

“I don’t see why they can memorialize theirs if we can’t memo-

GENX from page A1

A lot of people are retiring from the trades who have a wealth of knowledge from over the years and there are not enough folks coming in to fill those seats.”

— Maryah Smith-Overman, director of construction trades at Durham Technical Community College.

57 percent increase over the same time.

In Texas, those rates may climb even higher during Harvey recovery. Contractors in Houston are growing worried that they will have trouble finding enough staff to deal with the more than 130,000 structures flooded in Harris County, home to the United States’ fourth-largest city. Texas, which is in the middle of a building boom, reported that 69 percent of contractors were having trouble filling positions even before the storm hit.

“We expect that we are going to be inundated with phone calls once the water level goes down and we’re going to have to hire more people, but I don’t know where they will come from,” said Lynnie Griffin, who works at Houston-based WestStar Drywall, which focuses on the residential market.

Adding to the difficulty, The Pew Research Center estimated last year that 28 percent of Texas’ construction workforce is in the country illegally while other studies have put the number as high as 50 percent. Stan Marek, chief executive of Marek Construction in Texas, said his company doesn’t hire undocumented immigrants and has long had difficulty finding enough trained U.S. workers.

“It’s a crisis,” Marek said. “We are looking at several thousand homes that have flood damage. There is no way the existing legal workforce can make a dent in it.”

It isn’t yet possible to estimate how many construction jobs will be added in Texas as it rebuilds, but in the 12 months after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Louisiana added 14,800 jobs in the sector, U.S. government data shows.

so long. Members indicated the committee may make recommendations to the broader ERC to put before the legislature.

“People need to know that the legislature is going to be proactive to address this problem,” said Davis of the committee’s formation.

The N.C. Senate formed a similar committee to investigate the matter.

The announcement came on the heels of the passage of House Bill 56, which included funding for the cleanup, monitoring and study of GenX pollution. The legislation generated significant debate along party lines Thursday with Democrats arguing it is not enough funding for a comprehensive statewide solution, and Republicans imploring the body that it is a necessary first step to address the problems in the Cape Fear region.

“It is time for us to broaden our inquiry to address all of these unknown pollutants,” said Rep. Deb Butler (D-Brunswick). “By focusing on this chemical alone, we are overlooking the big picture. ... While the Cape Fear region is the focus today, my fear is it’s only a matter of time before this crisis rears its ugly head in your district.”

The legislation offers nearly $200,000 to the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority for cleanup and monitoring. Additionally, it will offer $250,000 in funds for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) to conduct a comprehensive study on GenX and other presently unknown pollutants.

Many Democrats pointed to financial constraints at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as contributing to the problem, stemming from the legislature’s refusal to grant more than $2 million in extra funding for DEQ as requested by Gov. Roy Cooper (D) for monitoring and permitting.

However, Republican House members pointed out that while H.B. 56 was merely the first step in addressing GenX pollution, immediate funding should not be an

rialize ours,” said Joseph Harris, a white sign company owner. He noted a local businessman hired him to make a sticker featuring the statue and the message: “I ain’t never coming down.”

Other residents, both black and white, said they were more concerned about avoiding heated clashes.

The August rally in Charlottesville, which was organized by white nationalists, turned deadly when a woman was killed after a man drove into a crowd of counterprotesters.

“Tearing it down causes division, and I think as a community we should just try to keep things peaceful,” said Brittany Parrish, 24, a black line cook at a coffeehouse. “It’s not doing anybody harm.”

Dixon said none of the statue supporters he knows had anything to do with the events in Virginia or with hate groups such as the KKK, which he denounces.

“All the hatred, it’s not necessary,” he said. “There’s not enough love anymore.”

Although he has stood guard to protect the Alamance County statue from protesters in Charlottesville’s aftermath, Dixon prefers a quiet life with longtime girlfriend Emily Mason on their 11-acre property dubbed Mason-Dixon Farm.

Mason’s ancestors also fought for the Confederacy, but she did not grow up steeped in that history and said she could see both sides of the debate. Dixon’s passion for his family’s legacy, however, has convinced her the statue should stay.

issue since funds are currently available to the governor for such emergencies.

“Right now the governor has sitting in what’s called the [Contingency and Emergency Fund] $1.8 million that he can use right now for any of these programs,” reiterated Moore at the press conference. “It doesn’t need to be transferred there, it’s literally just sitting there.”

Further, Republican members stressed that the initial funds were necessary for immediate cleanup efforts.

“GenX in the water in the Cape Fear region is something that needs to be fixed now,” said Rep. Holly Grange (R-New Hanover) of funding the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority for immediate cleanup.

“They have a plan. They have a plan to get the GenX out of the water. That is what my constituents want. They are afraid.

They are afraid for their families; they’re afraid for themselves; they’re afraid for their pets. ... The money that is in this conference report is a good start.”

During floor debate Republicans emphasized that the comprehensive approach Democrats were lobbying for would simply take too long to address the immediate cleanup needs faced by the Cape Fear River region, and that even the most robust monitoring programs will not fix the current problem of GenX pollution.

“This is a starting point, it’s not an end point, it’s a starting point for addressing the situation,” said Rep. Scott Stone (R-Mecklenburg), and environmental engineer. “[Democrats] seem to not want to take that first step in dealing with it. We need to start this process now; we cannot wait.”

Democrats also objected to other provisions of the bill that would lift coastal plastic bag bans that apply to select coastal districts, as well as changes to local landfill laws.

Ultimately though, with H.B. 56 awaiting the governor’s signature and the formation of select committees to investigate GenX, the legislature has begun the GenX response in earnest.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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PHOTO OF THE CHARLOTTE CITY SKYLINE BY GUY BRYANT

Challengers gear up for Charlotte mayoral primary next week Democrats and Republicans are vying for incumbent mayor Jennifer Roberts’ job

By Mollie Young North State Journal CHARLOTTE — After an eventful couple of years, the Queen City is ramping up for the next mayoral election with the lingering question of whether Jennifer Roberts will survive another term. Both Democrats and Republicans are vying for her seat this fall. Roberts was first elected to lead the state’s largest city in 2015 after serving four terms on the Mecklenburg County board of Commissioners. Her re-election campaign has received the endorsements of the Sierra Club and the AFL-CIO. She made national news when she advocated for the city of Charlotte to eliminate male/female designations for all bathrooms open to the public within the city, sparking the state’s controversial House Bill 3 law.

Joel Ford (D), age 48, is one of the challengers giving Roberts a run for her money this September.

A popular state senator and former chair of the Mecklenburg Democratic Party, Ford may have the political savvy to take over the post and the potential to run it in a way that both Democrats and Republicans can live with.

“Over the last four or five years, I have observed a lack of leadership, focus and direction on local issues affecting our community,” Ford told the North State Journal, “coupled with a lack of relationship with the

JONES COUNTY from pageA1 Jones County Schools are helping students achieve maximum potential by ensuring administration and teachers are customizing learning, knowing each student by name, tracking their progress from kindergarten to 12th grade, evaluating school and district data, and ultimately progressing students toward success.

“We must pride ourselves in meeting our students needs with high-quality teaching and standards,” said Bracy. “Professional development of our teachers is important. We want them to continuously improve their craft so they are providing more rigorous instruction and lessons for students. Students shouldn’t be just performing tasks and doing work, we should be encouraging critical thinking and questioning.”

Jones County Schools joins ECU’s College of Education, the Panasonic Foundation (a nonprofit foundation geared toward bridging gaps in race, poverty and education across the nation) and the Duplin, Sampson and Pender school districts in a consortium focused on training and improving education for those facing economic disparities.

“We are fortunate to be a part of this group,” said Bracy. “When

General Assembly.”

Ford, who has represented west Charlotte for seven years in the state legislature, believes that Roberts — a fellow Democrat — has alienated state leadership with her pursuit of broad-spectrum issues.

Ford said he never heard concerns about transgender rights from constituents or law enforcement before Roberts led the city council to pass the bathroom provision as part of a nondiscrimination ordinance in February 2016.

He had around $90,000 on hand at the end of July, telling North State Journal in early August that he was “continuing to fundraise to administer resources to get the message out about [his] vision for a Charlotte based on collaboration and partnership.”

Ford opposes tolls on I-77 and hopes to leverage his relationships within state government to bring economic opportunity to areas of the city that have not benefited from the corporate boom.

He attended the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and is currently the vice president of community engagement at Cardinal Innovations Healthcare.

But Ford’s biggest roadblock ahead of next week’s primary is Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles (D), who has siphoned from Ford’s base of moderate Democrats and critics of Roberts. She raised roughly the same amount as Ford by the end of July.

Lyles did not return a request for an interview with the North State Journal, but the city council’s second-in-command has a vote re-

we sit down for training across the United States, we are sitting down with large urban and suburban districts and finding their needs are similar to ours.

“Increasing graduate rates, dropout prevention, collaborative work are the issues of focus. We are planning and providing learning opportunities for students that focuses on equity and access for all students — that is ultimate mission of our work.”

Jones Senior High School ranked No. 5 in the state in terms of highest graduation rate, and hopes with new rankings being released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction in the coming week, their ranking will continue to rise. The only high school in the county, the senior class of 2017 graduated 76 students.

Jones Senior is currently the highest ranked traditional comprehensive high school — those ahead of them are charter schools and early college high schools.

“It all starts with relationships.

If you can build a relationship with a student, they will move mountains for you,” said Bracy.

“Our students are overcoming the obstacles of being in a rural and poverty-stricken district and doing great things.

“We are so rural that we do not have the industry to pull in the tax

Kimberly Barnett (R)

Gary Dunn

Connie Johnson (D)

Joel Ford

(R)

Vi Lyles

(D)

Lucille Puckett (D)

(D)

Kenny Smith (R)

cord that has publicized her stance on many city-specific issues since 2013.

She voted for the continuation of the I-77 toll lane project in January of last year and was an “aye” on the ordinance to allow trans people to use the bathroom of their choice.

Lyles, 64, holds a master’s of public administration from UNC Chapel Hill.

Connie Partee Johnson (D) also supports the contraction of the toll lanes project of I-77, stating that individuals who would like to use express lanes should be able to do so for a fee.

Johnson said she preferred not to build up fundraising dollars, but rather run her campaign on word of mouth and online marketing.

Johnson holds double Masters in Education Guidance and Counseling from University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Theology from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.

Lucille Puckett (D) also does not appear to have significantly fundraised for the position and could not be reached for an interview.

Puckett, 49, she holds a master’s in business administration and has been a HUD certified Housing Commissioner.

“Each of our candidates have a vision of what they want Charlotte to be,” said Jane Whitley, chair of the Mecklenburg County Demo-

cratic Party. “Clearly they feel they have different visions for Charlotte, it’s up to the voters to decide but from what I can see we all want a Democrat mayor.”

Kenny Smith (R), 44, has cemented himself as the likely conservative challenger with a stocked campaign war chest. Smith had close to $314,000 on hand at the end of July, and without another well-funded primary opponent, he is saving most of that for ads this fall.

As a city council member for District 6, Smith butted heads with Roberts and other Democrats during a turbulent 2016, casting votes against the bathroom ordinance and taking to the streets with Facebook live feeds during the uptown riots in October.

“Growing up in Charlotte in the late ’80s, we had unprecedented growth,” Smith said, fondly recalling the days of landing the Hornets and big banking companies.

“We dreamed big, but we’ve lost that. And the last 18 months have been chaos.”

Smith, who believes Roberts has veered too far left, is firm that the mayor’s office should be primarily focused on safety, jobs and infrastructure.

Smith attended UNC Chapel Hill and currently works as a commercial real estate broker at New South Properties of the Carolinas.

Gary Mitchell Dunn (R) said he has attended close to 20 years of college but failed to say where and when. And while Dunn has run for office several times on the Republican line, he has never been elected.

While he concedes that Roberts has done the best with what she could, he thinks “politicians sometimes get ahead of themselves” trying to create new and unnecessary laws.

“There are 840,000 people that live in Charlotte, and this small bathroom issue only affects about 6,000 people statewide,” said Dunn, drinking a cup of coffee after his daily morning hike at Crowders Mountain. “[Roberts] took one small case and decided to try and change everyone’s perception of it.”

Dunn, 63, has six children and “several” ex-wives. He draws a self-portrait every day.

Kimberly Page Barnette (R), 52, has been a Charlotte magistrate for 19 years and is also throwing her hat into the race in her first attempt at elected office.

Barnette opposes the I-77 toll lane project and the bid for a Major League Soccer stadium in downtown Charlotte.

Both the Democratic and Republican primary takes place on Sept. 12 in Charlotte. If a candidate fails to win 40 percent of the popular vote, a runoff is triggered and will take place on Oct. 10.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRENTON ELEMENTARY

a new K-12 school for the 2019-20 academic year. After reviewing the needs of the systems and its students, a consolidation of Trenton Elementary, Jones Middle and Jones Senior High was deemed necessary.

“This is very exciting for us,” said Bracy. “We are a rural district with low wealth where all of our students eat breakfast and lunch for free. This will provide additional opportunities for our students to continue to succeed.”

To be built on available land on the campus of the existing high school, Jones Senior, the new consolidated school will host advanced learning facilities, classrooms that open into collaboration spaces, and updated technology.

Designed by SfL+a Architects of Raleigh, the school will be “green” in that it will be cost and energy efficient.

Due to the financial commitments from the North Carolina General Assembly and the Golden LEAF Foundation, the $15 million project can come to fruition.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown (R-Jones) and Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret) were pioneers in the legislature to ensure funds would be allocated in the state budget for the project.

“I grew up in Jones County and went to both the high school and

middle school — schools that were built in 1951,” said Brown. “The elementary school was built in the 1950s as well. These schools are in what I would call poor shape and need replacing. A lot of the rural counties such as Jones County do not have a revenue source to do that. I’ve had an interest for a while now to find funds to help these rural counties with infrastructure needs.”

In the state’s budget. $30 million will go toward infrastructure needs in Tier 1 counties such as Jones. The N.C. Department of Commerce annually ranks the state’s 100 counties on economic well-being. The first 40 counties deemed most distressed in the state are ranked Tier 1.

“Jones County is 10,200 people roughly. Onslow County is approaching 200,000 people,” said Brown. “I get an opportunity to see a difference between a growing, fairly wealthy county compared to a poor rural county. The kids in Jones County don’t have the same opportunities as a kid in Onslow or Wake counties, just because of the revenue difference.”

Bracy added, “Our results are there. We have no low-performing schools in the district. We have good people across all schools and know our students are prepared to succeed.”

Trenton Elementary will be consolidated with two other schools to form a new K-12 in Jones County.

base to help us with infrastructure, building and capital needs for the schools,” he continued. “We are not able to generate enough money as a Tier 1 county to provide upgrades to our schools as far as capital needs. We’ve got the learning in place, we are producing results, and these kids deserve these opportunities no matter if we are a Tier 1, 2 or 3.”

Jones County has plans to open

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North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Nation & WORLD

Obama set to become the most expensive former U.S. president Washington, D.C. In 2018, President Barack Obama will cost taxpayers $1,153,000, according to the Congressional Research Service. Former presidents receive a pension of $205,700 per year but can request more money for staff salaries, travel and Secret Service protection. So far, Obama’s requests are more than $100,000 higher than former President George W. Bush and almost $200,000 more than former President Bill Clinton and the highest of the five living ex-presidents.

Obama’s Washington, D.C., office is also the most expensive, costing taxpayers $536,000 in 2018. Clinton’s New York City office will cost $518,000, while Bush 43’s Dallas office will cost $497,000.

Russia says U.S. actions toward its consulates are ‘state hooliganism’ Washington, D.C. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Washington’s actions toward Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States could be described as “state hooliganism.” “I am inclined to call what is happening state hooliganism,” he told reporters at a BRICS summit in China.

Cleveland police to skip Browns NFL ceremony in protest Cleveland The Cleveland police officers union will not hold the U.S. flag at the first Browns game of the new National Football League season after some of the team’s players recently knelt in protest during the national anthem, the union president said. Steve Loomis, the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association president, said he was offended by the Browns players’ symbolic act and so his members would not take part in the Sept. 10 season-opening ceremony.

Major pipelines reopen as lawmakers weigh costs of Hurricane Harvey Storm damage is estimated to be $150 billion to $180 billion, costlier than Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy

By Donna King North State Journal HOUSTON – Gas prices surged over the holiday weekend after flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas shut down almost a quarter of the nation’s refining capacity and fears of shortages raced through communities.

In N.C. prices reached $2.480 late last week, dropping to $$$ on Tuesday.

Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Thursday, signing an executive order to temporarily suspend rules on fuel shipping within the state and allowing for the state’s law against price gouging to go into effect.

“This executive order will help essential supplies get to flood victims as soon as possible, while also keeping fuel flowing here in North Carolina,” Cooper said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government tapped its strategic oil reserves for the first time in five years last week. However, the Gulf Coast is moving closer to recovery. On Monday, the biggest fuel system in the country restarted a key segment shut down by devastating rains. Colonial Pipeline reopened a Texas section of its network from Houston to Hebert, Texas, and started moving gasoline on Tuesday. The pipeline’s reopening will restore links between refineries along the Gulf Coast, the country’s oil-refining hub, to markets in the Northeast.

Another fuel system, Explorer Pipeline, said a link running from Texas to Oklahoma restarted on Sunday, while a second pipeline from Oklahoma into the Midwest resumed Monday.

“The disruptions from Hurricane Harvey in the Gulf Coast are gradually clearing,” analysts at Vienna-based JBC Energy said in a note. “In the broader scheme of things, it appears that so far, the energy industry was spared major damages to assets and infrastructure.

“However, some Houston area refineries will likely remain offline for some time longer.”

Hurricane Harvey came ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. It killed an estimated 50 people, displaced more than 1 million and damaged

KEVIN LAMARQUE | REUTERS

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief center in Houston.

“It feels right to be here.

It feels right to be playing.”

— Houston Astros catcher Brian McCann before a home game at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Saturday some 200,000 homes in a path of destruction stretching for more than 300 miles.

Over the Labor Day weekend, President Donald Trump took up the mantle of “comforter-in-chief” in a visit to Houston where he played with children and served up food to evacuees. In a widely watched test of his presidential mien, Trump comforted victims and thanked volunteers and first responders after being criticized earlier in the week for not showing sufficient empathy to Texas residents during catastrophic flooding. The day was a rare glimpse into Trump’s interactions with everyday Americans outside his campaign-style rallies.

“It has been a wonderful thing,” Trump said of his meetings with the children as he served food to evacuees amid shouts of “Thank

you, sir.”

Trump, who declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer, also went to a church in nearby Pearland, where he and his wife, first lady Melania, helped load half a dozen cars with boxes of supplies for victims.

Trump returned to Washington after the visit, asking Congress for an initial $7.85 billion for recovery efforts, a small fraction of what will eventually be needed. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott estimated damage at $150 billion to $180 billion, calling it costlier than Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy, which hit New Orleans in 2005 and New York in 2012, respectively.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin challenged Congress on Sunday to raise the government’s debt limit in order to free up relief spending.

“Without raising the debt limit, I am not comfortable that we will get money to Texas this month to rebuild,” Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday.

Congress must also raise the federal debt ceiling by the end of September or early October to stave off an unprecedented U.S. government debt default, which would shake global markets.

Lawmakers returning to Washington after a month-long

break are expected to swiftly agree to Trump’s request for the disaster aid. That sobering cost and the urgent needs of Harvey’s victims have helped to calm a fiscal storm that had threatened to engulf Congress and Trump ahead of Oct. 1.

“There’s reason to hope that in the wake of the tragedy in Texas ... there will be a renewed sense of community and common purpose that can help get things done,” said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who once worked as spokesman for former House Speaker John Boehner.

The four top Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House are set to hold a rare bipartisan meeting with Trump on Wednesday to chart a path forward for the multiple fiscal issues.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who will attend the meetings, spent much of August feuding with Trump, who attacked the Kentuckian repeatedly on Twitter.

“Basically every Republican senator is looking to put whatever nonsense happened on Twitter in August in the rear view mirror and focus on all the important work that needs to get done in September,” said Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff and campaign manager for McConnell.

Trump phases out DACA program, calls on Congress to act Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) plans to file legislation that provides DACA recipients with a path to legal status

By Donna King North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped a five-year-old program that allows 800,000 people illegally in the U.S. to stay without threat of deportation. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), enacted by executive order from former President Barack Obama, allowed those brought illegally into the U.S. as children to remain. Trump’s new plan phases out DACA, delaying implementation until March and giving Congress six months to come up with an alternative.

The action was announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who called DACA an unconstitutional overreach by Obama. There will be an “orderly, lawful wind down,” Sessions said in a press conference Tuesday.

Trump later issued a written statement saying, “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

The administration said nobody covered by the program, which provided work permits in addition to deportation protection, would be affected before March 5. Most of the people covered by DACA are in their 20s.

By deferring the actual end of the program, Trump effectively kicked responsibility for the fate of those covered by DACA to his fellow Republicans who control Congress. But neither Trump nor Sessions offered details of the type of legislation they would want to see, and Trump’s spokeswoman offered only a broad outline.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced Tuesday that he will file legislation soon that could provide a path to citizenship DACA recipients.

“In the next week, I’ll be introducing legislation that will provide a fair and rigorous path for undocumented children to earn legal status by requiring them to be employed, pursue higher education, or serve in our Armed Forces,” said Tillis in a statement. “I know this kind of common-sense legislative fix can and should unite members of Congress, and I’ll be working closely with my colleagues on the path forward. It’s up to my Democratic colleagues to decide whether they want a permanent solution or to make this a political wedge issue. I hope they’ll choose bipartisanship.”

People march and chant slogans against President Donald Trump’s proposed end of the DACA program that protects immigrant children from deportation at a protest in New York City.

JOE PENNEY | REUTERS

The Trump administration’s announcement came on the deadline set by a group of states, led

by Texas, who said they would file legal challenges in federal court if Trump did not act to end DACA. Now, the Democratic attorney general of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, said a coalition of states planned to file suit in the coming days to defend DACA. The American Civil Liberties Union is also among advocacy groups considering legal action.

“In North Carolina, tens of thousands of our friends and neighbors have used DACA to contribute to the economy, get an education, and invest in the only home they know,” said Irena Como, staff attorney for the ACLU of North Carolina. “Today the federal government has turned its back on these young

people who came out of the shadows and worked hard to build their lives here.”

The DACA recipients are a fraction of the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of whom are Hispanic. Supporters of the program argue that people covered by it were raised and educated here and integrated into society, with scant ties to their countries of origin. Opponents of the program say that it is against federal law and gives incentive for further illegal immigration.

“To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here,” said Sessions. “It’s just that simple.

That would be an open-border policy and the American people have rightly rejected that.”

DACA recipients whose work permits expire will be in the country and eligible for deportation, but will be a low priority for immigration enforcement, administration officials said.

“The Obama-era program went far beyond the executive branch’s legitimate authority,” said Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (RKy.). “President Obama unilaterally conferred lawful presence and work authorization, and then President Obama used that lawful-presence dispensation to unilaterally confer U.S. citizenship.”

According to Department of Homeland Security officials, nearly 202,000 DACA recipients’ work permits have expired or will expire between August and December, and more than 275,000 will expire in 2018.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

A5

White House blocks Obama-era rule expanding pay data from companies

NEWS IN IMAGES

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) among the members of Congress praising the move

By Daniel Wiessner Reuters

ROMEO RANOCO | REUTERS

JOE PENNEY | REUTERS

Clockwise from bottom left: AMR ALFIKY | REUTERS

The foot of a young girl dressed as the Living Goddess Kumari is painted red as part of the rituals during the Kumari Puja festival in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A participant wears a costume while she takes part in the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.

A government soldier stands on guard in front of damaged buildings and houses as troops continue their assault on its 105th day of clearing operations against pro-IS militants who have seized control of large parts of Marawi City, Philippines.

NAVESH CHITRAKAR | REUTERS

Concert-goers watch performances at the Brazilian Day 2017 festival in New York City.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration has blocked a rule requiring employers to report detailed pay data broken down by gender and race, echoing business groups by saying it would not have the intended effect of addressing wage gaps.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adopted the requirements last year under President Barack Obama, saying the information was necessary to identify and address discriminatory wage gaps. But the White House Office of Management and Budget in a memo on Tuesday said the rule was burdensome to companies and could pose privacy and confidentiality issues.

The rule would have required businesses to begin reporting the information in March 2018.

Currently, employers must report about 130 different categories of wage data to the EEOC each year. Under the new rule, they would have been required to report more than 3,300 categories.

It was the Trump administration’s latest bid to undo Obama-era policies designed to help workers or unions.

The administration has also moved to scrap rules extending mandatory overtime pay to millions of workers and expanding reporting requirements for companies when they respond to union campaigns.

EEOC Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic in a statement last Tuesday said the move by the White House would not affect the commission’s efforts to enforce anti-discrimination laws against individual employers and that the agency was reviewing its options.

Lipnic, a Republican, voted against the reporting requirements last year. She was appointed to the five-member commission by Obama and made acting chair by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and adviser, said in a statement that the EEOC requirements would not have helped address discrepancies in pay for men and women. She said the administration supports “robust policies aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Republicans in Congress praised the decision to block the rule. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, said the EEOC should focus on resolving complaints of discrimination filed by individual workers.

Some workers’ rights groups condemned the move.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights said the Trump administration had “surrendered to corporate special interests” and undermined efforts to close pay gaps between men and women and white workers and minorities.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

A6

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Murphy to Manteo

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001 Sept. 11 is the National Day of Service and Remembrance, established by Congress in 2009 to honor the memory of more than 3,000 Americans who were killed in terror attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. As those who lived through that day 16 years ago will remember, it was a time of tragedy, but also triumph as the nation rallied to stand with their neighbors in defense of the nation. American flags seemed to fly higher, neighbors became friends and volunteerism took on new importance.

Stem

Durham

Help Construct a Home Transform the Community Garden

Beautify Transition Housing

Caring for Big Cats

Cary

Pittsboro

Help Keep the Preserve Safe

Huntersville

Keep Jordan Lake Clean for All

Habitat for Humanity Charlotte

Homework Hounds

Moncure

Charlotte

Cary

Honor First Responders Apex

Breakfast or Lunch Ministry Charlotte

September 11 ceremonies across the state

WLOS

Heal Our Heroes Concert

Asheville 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

Veterans Center, High Point

3 p.m.

Pack Square Park, Asheville

9/11 Memorial Service 9/11 Evening Commemoration 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh

Teen found alive after being lost for 11 days Haywood Mounty Austin Bohanan, 18, waved down some boaters to get home last week after he had been lost in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 11 days.

Bohanan, of Tennessee, said he had been hunting for ginseng with his stepfather when they got separated on the mountain that spans the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Officials say more than 100 people were involved in the rescue search. Bohanan was not injured but was transported to the hospital as a precaution.

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN NEWS

PIEDMONT

Wake County Wake Forest mayor Vivian Jones will chair the new North Carolina Mayor Association Board. The new organization of 11 mayors from across the state met last week to approve bylaws. They will meet again Sept. 20 to develop specific policy aims. The board, set up by the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM), is intended to provide a platform for the state’s mayors to work together to address the major goals and challenges of cities and towns.

Sunset Remembrance Ceremony 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Wrightsville Beach Park

Patriot Day

8:15 a.m.

Lejeune Memorial Gardens, Jacksonville

EAST

Man charged in killing of UNC Charlotte professor

New NC mayors’ board picks leadership

10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Pearson Park, Kinston

Mecklenburg County Donny Lewis Franklin, 45, appeared in court Tuesday, charged with first degree murder in the death of Jeanine Skinner, an associate professor in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Psychological Sciences. Police have not released a motive, but say it may have been a case of domestic violence.

Skinner, 35, was a teacher and an athlete. She developed a pilot program that helps low-income seniors get more exercise and was in the process of applying for a federal grant to take the program nationwide.

WTVD

Pitt County This weekend at the Ayden Collard Festival, Mort Hurst, 68, is planning to eat five pounds of collards — with ketchup — in five minutes. Hurst is hoping to revive his streak of competitive eating wins, cut short in 1991 when he suffered a stroke after eating 38 softboiled eggs in 29 seconds. Hurst is also MoonPie eating champion and once ate 21 whole watermelons in 10 minutes. On Sept. 9 in Ayden, he hopes to get back in the game with collards.

NEWS AND OBSERVER

Haywood County Canton’s normally celebratory annual Labor Day parade was somber this year, after an accident Friday left one of the participants dead and two hospitalized. Jason Messer was killed when a motorist struck the horse-drawn wagon he was leading to the parade. Boney Summey and his grandson Chase Summey were also on the wagon and seriously injured. One horse was also killed in the accident.

Witnesses say a truck crashed into the wagon train caravan traveling along a two-lane highway about 35 miles west of Asheville. No charges have been filed in the accident which is under investigation.

THE MOUNTAINEER

Western NC counties watch Irma’s path Buncombe County The National Weather Service reported on Tuesday that given the current trajectory of Category 5 Hurricane Irma it “looks increasingly possible” that it could impact the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia. The storm is currently near the Caribbean and is expected to shift north toward mainland U.S. early next week.

Forecasters say that while it is still too early to make definitive projections, anyone in hurricane-prone areas should put a hurricane plan in place.

WBTV

Mecklenburg County On Tuesday morning, a crash between two Charlotte-Mecklenburg County School buses sent 11 students to the hospital, none with serious injuries.

The accident happened on West Sugar Creek Road when a bus headed toward James Martin Middle School with 29 students on board collided with a bus with six students headed to University Park Creative Arts Elementary school.

WCNC

By NSJ Staff

Camden County Camden County High School has removed student-created tile artwork that depicted President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis side by side outside its library. The art piece was one of several created years ago as a joint project between high school students from Camden County and Pittsburgh to adorn the hallways to represent subjects and history. Principal Billie Berry has not received any complaints about the artwork, but felt the need to be proactive in the wake of recent Confederate monument controversies.

DAILY ADVANCE

30 cases of possible Norovirus at UNC

School bus crash sends 11 students to the hospital

Orange County The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday confirmed three cases of norovirus in students, and said that Campus Health was treating more than two dozen students who are showing symptoms of the stomach virus. The outbreak led UNC administration to suspend sorority recruitment week, known as rush, to prevent close contact and further spread of the virus. Symptoms include stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.

WRAL

County officials weigh grant for more jobs at Smithfield slaughterhouse Bladen County Bladen County commissioners considered an incentive grant up to $4.16 million for Smithfield Foods’ expansion projects yesterday. Last month, Smithfield Foods announced plans to invest $100 million to expand its Tar Heel processing facility and construct a new distribution center, adding 250 jobs. For Smithfield Foods to remain eligible for the grant, they must create 270 new permanent, full-time positions with a minimum wage of $14 per hour, and maintain no less than 4,500 full-time positions at the Tar Heel site.

WECT

lose one of our brightest and hardest-working members without Chris Millis,” said Moore. “I can’t say enough about Chris’ dedication to North Carolina taxpayers, his commitment to effective reform and the countless initiatives he undertook to benefit his constituents and citizens statewide.”

It marks yet another Republican lawmaker to announce their departure from the General Assembly after redistricting legislation was approved that seemed to reduce re-election prospects for many conservative members.

Sen. Bill Cook (R-Beaufort) and Sen. Chad Barefoot (R-Wake) both announced in recent weeks that they would not be running for reelection after mapmakers drew them out of their district or new district makeups provided for an untenable re-election campaign in 2018.

Millis’ desk mate, Rep. Jeff Collins (R-Nash), also announced he would not seek re-election to the N.C. House.

“Redistricting had absolutely nothing to do with my decision. “ asserted Millis. “The decision was solely based on spending more time back at home with my wife and kids and not having to juggle and having multiple plates spinning at the same time.”

When asked if his days of public service were over for good, Millis, who is one of the youngest members of the legislature, left the door wide open.

“This is just a bookmark in regard to public office, but I’m still going to be in the fight, in the fray,” said Millis. “I’m not ruling out stepping back in if necessary.”

Senate interim committee assignments released High school removes Confederate-Lincoln Art

Eastern NC’s “Bottomless Pit” is ready for the collard contest

THE DAILY REFLECTOR

Canton’s annual Labor Day parade struck by tragedy

RALEIGH — Rep. Chris Millis (R-Pender) announced last week that he will be resigning from office Sept. 15 to spend more time with his family. First elected in 2012, Millis served as chairman of the House Committee on Regulatory Reform and has been a leading voice on energy, education and economic development issues.

Millis is a conservative stalwart in the N.C. General Assembly, leading efforts to reform state regulations, protect free speech on college campuses, and strengthen gun rights. One of his most recent stands was pushing for the investigation of N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, for possible impeachment based on certifying illegal aliens with DACA designations as notaries public. His efforts resulted in an investigative committee being approved, with possible legislative action coming in before or during the 2018 short session.

“I’ve really enjoyed service and it’s just the proper time to refocus prospects back on the family,” said Millis in an interview. “Everything is great on the home front and I just want to keep it that way. It’s going on five years and with all the demands of the legislature and professional life it was the right time to refocus back on the home front.”

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) released a statement saying the N.C. House will lose one of its finest members.

“The state House of Representatives will

Durham

Chapel Hill

Game Night

By Jeff Moore North State Journal

Make a Difference in Durham 9/11 Service

Durham

8 a.m. ceremony 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. climb Duke Energy Building, Charlotte

McDowell County Authorities with the McDowell County Sherriff’s Authorities have arrested two grandparents after their 2-year-old grandson tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamines. James Penland, 50, and Rebecca Tesner, 45, both of Marion, are charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The two are the legal guardians of the boy.

jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

Trail Building

10,000 Kits for Kids

Memorial Stair Climb

Grandparents charged when 2-year-old tests positive for drugs

Jones & Blount Rep. Chris Millis to resign Sept. 15

As one of the tremendous legacies of that day, thousands of people spend each Sept. 11 volunteering. Here you can find a few ideas of how to help out and where to pay your respects as N.C. remembers the worst terror attack on U.S. soil. For more volunteer opportunities, visit www.serve.gov, www.allforgood.org, and activategood.org

WEST

A7

Elizabeth City State sees first enrollment increase in 7 years Pasquotank County Elizabeth City State University, one of North Carolina’s historically black universities, has broken a run of annual enrollment declines since 2010.

Enrollment grew to 1,411 this semester, up from 1,357 last fall, with 349 new freshmen — the most in five years. This year, the General Assembly added $5 million over two years to the school’s $32 million annual budget to aid with recruiting efforts.

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

RALEIGH — Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) announced Senate oversight committee assignments for the interim. Most committees will meet once per month, or less, until the General Assembly returns for the 2018 short session.

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources: B. Jackson (Chair), Bryant, Cook, Sanderson, Wade, Wells

Joint Legislative Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight Committee: Brown (Chair), Edwards, Gunn, B. Jackson, Lowe, McKissick, Meredith, Rabon, Smith-Ingram, Tucker, Wade

Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform: Lee (Chair), Ballard, Barefoot, Brown, Curtis, Foushee, Harrington, Sanderson, Tillman

Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee: Barefoot (Chair), Barringer, Curtis, Horner, Krawiec, Lee, Rabin, Robinson, SmithIngram, Tillman, Waddell

Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee: Hise (Chair), Bishop, Blue, Bryant, Lee, Newton, Rabon, Wade, Woodard

Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee: Rabin (Chair), Alexander, Britt, Sanderson, Tarte, Van Duyn

Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy: Newton (Chair), Bishop, Tarte, Tillman, Waddell

Environmental Review Commission: Wade (Chair), Cook (Ex-Officio), Sanderson (ExOfficio), Bishop, Bryant, B. Jackson, SmithIngram, Wells

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government: Alexander (Chair), Barringer, D. Davis, Horner, Tarte, Woodard

Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations: Berger (Chair), Brown (Ex-Officio), Pate (Ex-Officio), Barefoot, Blue, Clark, Cook, Daniel, D. Davis, J. Davis, Ford, Gunn, Harrington, Hise, B. Jackson, Krawiec, McKissick, Meredith, Rabon, Randleman, Sanderson, Tucker, Tillman, Wade

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services: Pate (Chair), Bishop, Curtis, J. Davis, Foushee, Hise, Krawiec, Robinson, Tarte, Tucker, Woodard

Joint Select Study Committee on Judicial Funding: Berger (Chair), Daniel, B. Jackson, McKissick, Randleman

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety: Randleman (Chair), Barringer, Britt, Brown, Bryant, Daniel, J. Davis, J. Jackson, Lee, Sanderson, Van Duyn

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and N.C. Health Choice: Hise (Chair), Bishop, Foushee, Krawiec, Pate, Robinson, Tucker

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

BUSINESS N.C. HEROES

Students aid Harvey victims in Texas The fishing team at Western Carolina University returned from Harvey-struck Texas on Tuesday. The student team, called the Bass Cats, stopped first in Lake Charles, Louisiana with four boats, first aid supplies, toiletries, batteries, and small Bibles to hand out. They then went to Jefferson County, Texas where they helped rescue more than two dozen people from flooded homes, many of them elderly and immobile.

They worked alongside the volunteer Cajun Navy, local EMS, and sheriff and fire departments. The students said it was an “incredible” experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

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FAST FACTS Sponsored by

Focused on improving the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians, a collaborative team of regional partners and allies represents the economic interests of businesses and towns from across the state.

Approved Logos

This week, NSJ highlights North Carolina’s Southeast Regional Economic Development Partnership.

North Carolina’s Southeast is a regional public-private partnership that markets the southeast region, nationally and globally to encourage new economic growth. Business and government leadership work together in this partnership to promote the region and its assets through The Southeastern Partnership, a 501c6 organization.

The southeast region is a highly unique and competitive economic region because of its diversity of assets, including: • International port (Wilmington, N.C.) • Four of the largest military installations in the world • One of the most productive agricultural bases in the nation as ranked by Farm Futures Magazine • Six universities. Fifteen community colleges.

• Three interstate highways.

The Partnership’s primary target industries reflect the diversity of opportunity in the region: advanced textiles, agri-industry and food processing, aerospace and aviation, biotechnology, defense and military, distribution and logistics, energy, and metalworking.

Smartphone pledge gains national attention from schools and parents Wait Until 8th builds momentum as a resource for families wanting to restrict screen time for younger children

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal KINSTON — For many parents today, they remember growing up in a decade where cell phones, let alone smartphones, didn’t exist.

When phones started to emerge, there were bag phones, car phones, and Zach Morris’ phone.

Movies were VHS tapes, kids used imaginations and played outdoors, and little amounts of time were spent in front of a screen. Today, kids as young as toddlers can maneuver iPads, and smartphones are everywhere you look.

Parents have begun asking themselves, “At what age should my child get a smartphone?

One mother from Austin, Texas has the answer and has since created what’s become a national movement.

“I was noticing a change in how children were growing up in our community. Instead of playing football outside and running around with friends or reading books, we noticed kids were spending crazy amounts of time in front of their smartphones, Instagraming, Snapchatting, You Tubing and texting. It seems to be happening at a younger and younger age,” said Brooke Shannon.

Shannon, a mother of three daughters – Grace, 10, Mercy, 8, and Bella, 4, -- looked for a solution and developed Wait Until 8th, a movement to have families signs a pledge saying they will wait until their child is in eighth grade to buy a smartphone.

“Kids as young as first, second and third grade were coming to school and sport games with iPhones. We wanted it to be different for our children. Why does a second grader need an iPhone? Why are kids online more than hanging out in person with friends?” said Shannon.

According to the research firm, Influence Central, children are getting their first smartphone around

“Kids as young as first, second and third grade were coming to school and sport games with iPhones. We wanted it to be different for our children. Why does a second grader need an iPhone? Why are kids online more than hanging out in person with friends?”

— Brooke Shannon, Wait Until 8th founder age 10, which is down from age 12 in 2012.

For some families, children were as young as 7 when they first received a smartphone, while other children as young as toddlers were learning how to use iPads.

“Many of my friends said they wanted to wait as long as they could but knew it would be an uphill battle. Out of this dialogue came the idea to rally together as a community by starting a pledge,” said Shannon.

Parents were caving in to demand and buying smartphones so their child wouldn’t be left out.

The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the 8th grade or 14-years-old. It’s become a support network for those parents who want to wait on giving their child a phone.

“Every family has various circumstances and dynamics that will shape this decision. We hope by creating this pledge, parents that would like to wait will feel more empowered to do so,” said Shannon.

Even Microsoft founder Bill Gates has reported to the media in recent months he wouldn’t allow phones for his children until they were 14 years of age or older.

“Research shows kids are spending three to seven hours a day on these smartphones. There is only so much time in a day. They go to school, come home and are on their phones. What is being lost? Interacting with people face-to-face, reading, and playing. These devices are becoming addictive,” said Shannon.

“A child at a young age with a developing brain is not able to decide for themselves how to limit their

screen time,” she continued. “Kids are having their academics interrupted, they are opening themselves to content they shouldn’t see, and even risking cyber bullying.”

Smartphones have been around for ten years and counting. Technology is continuing to advance and while parents are upgrading to the newest version of the iPhone, they are giving the older version to their kids.

“We are another resource for parents in how to navigate this situation,” said Shannon.

Though it began in March, the Wait Until 8th pledge has gained momentum. More than 2,700 families have signed the pledge in 49 states and from 500 schools. Seventy-five families have signed from North Carolina and North Dakota remains the only state not represented.

Here’s how the pledge works: A pledge becomes “active” once 10 or more families from a grade at a school sign. Once 10 families sign, they receive a group email letting them know who else from their school signed.

“Parents are feeling pressure from their kids to not be the one left out in class with no smartphone,” said Shannon.

The pledge is for smartphones only. If a family wants their child to have a basic phone that calls and texts, they can still sign the pledge.

“My hope is that families will really look at the issue, do their research and encourage kids to be kids and place healthy boundaries for using technology responsibly,” said Shannon.

To find out more information, go to www.waitutil8th.org.

Listen Live Weekdays 9am - 11am

CHADADAMSSHOW.COM

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Sponsored by

Ayden is first stop for greens, ’cue and much more Ever seen somebody down five pounds of collards in 30 minutes? Well, now’s your chance! This weekend, for the 43rd year, folks will flock to the eastern North Carolina public power town of Ayden for the Collard Festival. And, while the collard-eating contest is certainly a highlight, the festival is about much more than collards.

Tomorrow through Sunday, festival goers will be treated to a parade, a pageant, an art show, music—even rides. They can also get a taste of some of the world’s best barbecue—at least that’s true according to Pete Jones, owner of Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden. The Skylight Inn is the first stop on the North Carolina Barbecue Society’s Historic Barbecue Trail.

Still, even the best barbecue can only get you so far. When asked what makes Ayden special, Mayor Stephen W. Tripp says, “It’s the people. In fact, it’s the heart of the people that makes Ayden special.”

Plan your visit today: www.aydencollardfestival.com.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

A9

THE BRIEF Lego to cut 1,400 staff as decade-long sales boom ends

PHOTOS BY HARRISON McCLARY | REUTERS

Blanca Hernandez sews stars on a Confederate Battle Flag in the Alabama Flag & Banner shop in Huntsville, Alabama.

U.S. Confederate battle flag sales boom after Charlottesville monument clash

By Chris Kenning Reuters HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Demand for Confederate flags at Chris Ackerman’s Civil War memorabilia shop in Pennsylvania has surged since violence at a white nationalist rally in Virginia this month reignited the United States’ debate over race and the legacy of slavery.

The trend has been similar for other sellers of the Confederate battle flag, retailers report. But now that most major U.S. flag makers no longer produce it, given the controversy over the banner, much of the new demand is filled by imports from China and other countries.

“We need to get more flags,” Ackerman recalled saying following the first order after the Aug. 12 rally in Charlottesville, Va. His Gettysburg Regimental Quartermaster store, near a historic Civil War battlefield, and website sells $400 handmade flags to re-enactors and $40 ones shipped from China.

Ackerman said demand had jumped fourfold to as many as 40 sales a week, an increase he likened to the surge in gun sales that occur whenever new gun control measures are weighed or feared.

Large retailers — including Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Sears — stopped selling the flag in 2015 after an image emerged of one being clutched by Dylann Roof, who killed nine members of a Bible study group at a historic, predominantly black church in Charleston, S.C. Since then, a national debate

Migdalia Carcano and Cynthia Hernandez sew Confederate Battle Flags in the Alabama Flag & Banner shop in Huntsville, Alabama.

They can take down monuments, they can ban this and that, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re celebrating our heritage.”

— Dewey Barber, owner of Dixie Outfitters in Odum, Ga. has intensified over symbols of the Confederacy. Civil rights activists say they promote racism, while advocates contend they recognize Civil War valor and are a vital reminder of their Southern

heritage.

The flashpoint for the Aug. 12 violence in Charlottesville was the protest organized by white nationalists against plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A 32-yearold local woman was killed when a man crashed a car into a crowd.

But at Alabama Flag and Banner, one of the few remaining U.S. makers of Confederate battle flags, sales topped 150 in a single day last week, equivalent to about a quarter of average annual sales.

“I have been quite surprised,” said Belinda Melson-Kennedy, who owns the Huntsville-area company.

Flag orders also quadrupled at Dixie Outfitters in Odum, Ga., whose website says tongue

in cheek that it has been “preserving Southern heritage since 1861” — the year the Civil War began. Owner Dewey Barber said he sells as many as 15,000 Confederate flags a year, which he obtains from distributors who often source them from overseas.

The flags can still be found at independent shops selling higher-end versions, websites with cheap imported flags, flea markets and from smaller makers such as the Southern Pride Flag, whose website says it is located in “occupied Georgia.”

The flag carried into battle by Confederate forces has long been a fixture in popular culture, including prominently on the roof of an orange Dodge Charger muscle car in the popular 1980s TV show “Dukes of Hazzard.”

It has often been adopted as a sign of independence or defiance, often without historical context, said Karen Cox, professor of history at the UNC Charlotte. But it also serves as rallying symbol for the far right and was carried by marchers in Charlottesville who included Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis.

Alabama Flag and Banner’s Melson-Kennedy, whose distant relatives fought for the Confederacy, said she disliked seeing the flag used by white supremacists.

But she said it remained an important reminder of Southern history and culture.

“It’s not going away,” Barber said. “They can take down monuments, they can ban this and that, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re celebrating our heritage.”

Copenhagen, Denmark Lego said it would lay off 8 percent of its staff and revamp its business after reporting its first fall in sales in more than a decade on Tuesday. The Danish toymaker announced a 5-percent decline in mid-year revenue a month after abruptly removing its chief executive, suggesting it is facing its biggest test since flirting with bankruptcy in the early 2000s. Lego said it could not promise a return to growth in the next two years, a jolting acknowledgement for a group widely admired for embracing the digital era and tying up lucrative franchises from Harry Potter to Minecraft. “We have now pressed the reset-button for the entire group,” executive chairman Jorgen Vig Knudstorp said, acknowledging the business had grown too complicated. He would seek a return to a leaner and more efficient organization to respond to “losing momentum ... which we think could ultimately lead to stagnation or even decline.” Lego said revenues had disappointed in its core markets of the United States and Europe, after a decade of doubledigit growth and launches spanning Lego sets, video games, movie franchises, robotics and smartphone applications.

Wall St lower as North Korea tensions weigh New York U.S. stocks were lower in late trading on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding more than 150 points as tensions around North Korea continued to weigh. North Korea on Sunday conducted its sixth nuclear test, which it said was of an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, marking a dramatic escalation of the regime’s stand-off with the United States and its allies.”It looks as though escalation has gone to the next level, but there are lot of things in the coming weeks that may be causing people to get a little bit more cautious,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas.Wall Street may face a rough ride in September, typically the worst month for stocks, if there is a showdown in Washington over the U.S. budget and the federal debt ceiling. Nine of the 11 major S&P sectors were lower. Financial stocks were the worst hit, falling 1.46 percent, after an influential Federal Reserve policymaker struck a dovish tone on interest rates. Fed Governor Lael Brainard said U.S. inflation is falling “well short” of target so the central bank should be cautious about raising interest rates any further until it is confident that prices are headed higher.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Ray Nothstine, opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | RAY NOTHSTINE

Speaker ban back at UNC-Chapel Hill?

As the flagship university in the state, UNCChapel Hill should not shy away from an opportunity to accommodate even troubling speech.

LIKE OTHER HIGH PROFILE UNIVERSITIES, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill refused a request by Richard Spencer to speak on campus. The school’s chancellor, Carol L. Folt, cited “serious concerns about campus safety” in her decision to bar the controversial alt right figure from offering remarks. Spencer, who lacks plenty of admirers on the right and left, played a prominent role in the Charlottesville protest of the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. The August protest ended violently, including the death of a young woman.

Spencer successfully sued Auburn University from cancelling a scheduled speech in April. The university ended up hosting him on campus against their own wishes by order of a federal judge. Despite one scrum, and a credit to the student body, Auburn avoided becoming the next California Berkeley by melting down to hysterical violence over disagreeable and potentially racially inflammatory rhetoric.

While well intentioned in preventing violence, Chancellor Folt may be missing an important opportunity for championing free speech and the First Amendment at Carolina. Especially considering the wider political and campus culture is increasingly censoring speech it finds troubling.

Furthermore, it was safety and law and order concerns that were used by many states, particularly led by the legislatures, to ban Marxist and other anti-democratic speakers in the past. This was sometimes extended to civil rights activists and their proponents on some campuses, particularly in the American South. A portion of the 1966 student body resolution at UNC-Chapel Hill in protest of the infamous North Carolina Speaker Ban Law reads: “The University must serve as an open forum for different views and opinions, no matter how unpopular or divergent.” The resolution continued by adding that “We believe it is educationally desirable for us to hear and scrutinize persons representing any and all ideologies and philosophies of government.” This broader view should once again be the prevailing view on college campuses.

Paul Green (1894-1981), a North Carolinian playwright, penned an impressive argument against the Speaker Ban Law

in the News and Observer in 1965. His masterful defense of free speech at colleges is perhaps even more relevant today.

Green used some of his piece to provide an impressive list of words by some of America’s greatest legal thinkers and leaders, but his own words were equally profound. “The true seeker must be free to find it and to use it freely and to thus push back the frontiers of prejudice and fear that always wait their chance to engulf us,” wrote Green. “The free and active mind is the one certain and sure defense against an ever-threatening barbarism.” He added that “anyone knows that the way to weaken a child is to shelter him too much.”

As the flagship university in the state, UNC-Chapel Hill should not shy away from an opportunity to accommodate even troubling speech. Additionally, universities should not immediately fold when it comes to allowing objectionable speech, especially when leftist “anti-fascist” groups threaten violent protests for the intention of shutting down speakers.

“Free speech, properly understood, is not violence. It is a cure for violence,” wrote Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff in a July piece in the Atlantic titled “Why It’s a Bad Idea to Tell Students Words are Violence.”

Fortunately, the Speaker Ban Law was overturned by the federal courts in 1968, and the law was repealed in North Carolina in 1995. A monument commemorating the pushback against censorship is located on the campus. The answer to objectionable and offensive speech is not censorship but can only be more speech. In his opinion piece, Green quoted former Harvard President Charles W. Eliot, who in his inaugural address at the school wrote, “the winnowing breeze of freedom must blow through all its chambers.” Instead of following the herd towards narrowing First Amendment freedoms, all North Carolina public universities should strive to echo that sentiment.

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

One small step for social security The time for tired status quo talk about Social Security has expired.

DID YOU PAY $100 to watch the Mayweather-McGregor fight? Such a small amount could be the key to saving Social Security for future generations.

A major obstacle to transitioning to any new Social Security system with even a smidgen of private investment for each person has been how to pay for it all without blowing the budget deficits through the roof.

One hundred dollars could be the beginning. Suppose you are 24 years old and invested the $100 you blew on the fight in a basic stock mutual fund.

What would it be worth in 2067 if it appreciated at the historical average rate of return of 9.05 percent of the stock market for the past 150 years?

The answer is a little over $7600.

Inflation will account for a half or two thirds of that amount but investing $100 for yourself for 50 years instead of giving it to two showboating boxers today means more money in your pocket, not theirs.

What if we had a provision in our current Social Security system that allowed for such a direct investment of $100 for every child born in America each year on the date of birth? $100 compounded at 9.05% for 75 years will become $66,684 before adjustments for inflation.

It is just math.

One way to pay for it would be to not pay current benefits to the very wealthiest of Social Security beneficiaries. 47,500 millionaires received full Social Security benefits in 2010 at a total cost of $1.4 billion.

Set aside for the moment the question of whether a person should get everything out of Social Security they put in during their working career or whether it is a bonafide retirement plan to begin with.

It should be mighty tough for any political party or group to defend the “constitutional right!” of billionaires such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to keep receiving $2700 each month in SS benefits when they should not be on any federal transfer payment program in the first place.

Many very wealthy people stop paying into Social Security through payroll taxes when they start making most of their income from capital gains, dividends and interest from investments which are exempt from SS payroll taxes. Many are not paying into the system today as every wage-earner is obligated, but they will receive virtually full benefits based on payroll taxes paid earlier in life.

If $1.4 billion in SS benefits was not paid to the wealthy retirees this year, 14 million children can have $100 deposited into their personal retirement accounts

at birth. Roughly four million children are born in America each year. Three and a half years of annual births in America can be funded from one single year of suspension of benefits paid to the very wealthiest of citizens.

The budget deficits will not be increased. The national debt will not be increased. The money that would have gone to pay the benefits of very wealthy seniors who do not need federal help will have been spent to help transition a future generation from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan much like the rest of corporate America has gone in the last 25 years.

Each child will have $66,684 in their own personal account at age 75 from that one single payment of $100 into a private account when they were born.

Imagine what the total would be if each person could invest substantial parts of all of their lifetime SS payroll tax payments in it as well.

The time for tired status quo talk about Social Security has expired. Budget reality and math has guaranteed as much.

Allowing small portions of Social Security payroll tax payments to be invested in personal defined contribution plans is the public policy equivalent of “one small step for man; one giant leap for American taxpayers.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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GUEST OPINION | KEEGAN CAUDILL

Time to unite as Americans There are few people in southern culture who are held in as high regard as General Lee.

FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE, I have been very proud to be a Southerner. There are few things that stir emotion in me like thoughts of Spanish moss hanging in oak trees, big black water rivers, the friendly wave of a stranger passing me in the other lane, church picnics, and cold watermelon. In my head and in its own way, the Confederate flag represented these things. It represented my home.

As time went by, I was regularly confronted by stereotypes of anyone who was from the South as stupid, ignorant and or hateful. If you are honest with yourself, you can look back in your memory and see that most of the time, when a person is trying to mimic someone they think is simple or dumb, they use a Southern accent. This has always irritated or just saddened me. What added to this growth of resentment was the disrespect of Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag. Seeing images of this type of behavior burned like a hot coal in my heart and made my grip on that flag even tighter because to me, these things represented my home and the people who made me who I am.

At the same time, though, there were others who were carrying that same flag to symbolize intolerance and hate. Even to the extent of carrying it next to a Nazi flag and rendering a Hitler salute. This makes me furious and makes me want to cry at the same time. Why? Because I think of the tens of thousands of Southern men who died on the beaches of Normandy and in the frozen woods of the Ardennes forests to see that this symbol of evil would never fly again. This type of sickening behavior created a sense in me of being unsure how I felt.

During the last few weeks, as the events in Virginia unfolded, these conflicting emotions began to stir again in my heart. While it saddened me to see people topple over monuments of the Confederacy, it also angered me to see hateful people wielding that flag while wearing white masks and swastikas, adding to the stereotype I have lived with most of my life. I try to avoid the news media for the most part because I believe it stirs up anger whenever it can. I do occasionally

read it. As I was scrolling through various articles, I stumbled across one with a title something along the lines of “What Did Robert E. Lee Think About Confederate Statues and the Confederate Flag?”

There are few people in southern culture who are held in as high regard as General Lee. I am no exception to those who admire him, so of course I was curious as to what the General said regarding this topic. What I read, and then fact checked, was eye opening. At the end of the Civil War, General Lee was obviously disappointed to have lost, but the primary emotion he carried afterward was sadness and a desire for reconciliation. In fact, after the war he remarked, “Do not bring up your sons to detest the United States… recollect that we form one country now. Abandon all these local animosities, and make your sons Americans.”

As I read more, I discovered he was opposed to Confederate monuments and statues being erected. He is quoted as responding to a request to give his blessing to a statue being erected by saying, “I could not add anything material to the information existing on the subject. I think it wiser, moreover, not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the example of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered.”

The Confederate flag we most commonly see aloft is a battle flag. A symbol of rebellion and defiance. It is a symbol of resistance to the United States of America. I am not saying this because I have any ill will towards it because I have no doubt if was born a couple of hundred years ago, I would have fought for my home under its colors. But it is over, and we are a united country. This does not mean that it is okay to desecrate the graves of the Confederate dead or mock those who still fly the Confederate flag, but kindly, and from a place of understanding, remind them that General Lee asked them to put it away and live as Americans.”

Keegan Caudill is a father of three from north central Florida. He currently resides with his family in North Carolina.

JONAH GOLDBERG

No, they aren’t terrorists, but stop appeasing antifa HE OBAMA DEPARTMENT of Homeland Security concluded that T left-wing “antifa” forces were engaged in

“domestic terrorist violence,” according to documents obtained by Politico.

Who am I to argue with the fine men and women of former President Obama’s DHS? In fact, as someone who has been fighting with antifa defenders for a good while, I feel a bit like the defense lawyer in “Miracle on 34th Street” when the U.S. Post Office confirms that his client is actually Santa Claus: Hey, don’t take my word for it; “terrorist violence” is the term chosen by professionals working for a Democratic White House.

With this moral victory secured, let me now break with some of my friends on the right and say that I think it’s a bad, or at least premature, idea to go all the way and label antifa an actual terrorist organization.

Before I explain why, we should spend a moment considering how we got here in the first place.

Many defenders of the antifa cause insist these loosely organized activists are simply anti-fascist, and that fighting fascism is some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card for lawlessness, violence and intimidation. That’s nonsense. The state has a monopoly on all violence save for self-defense. In a nation of laws, people cannot exempt themselves from the rules because they don’t like someone’s ideas.

Even if fighting fascists were a get-out-ofjail-free card, giving a bunch of adrenalized anarchists unilateral authority to designate fascists strikes me as an incandescently stupid idea. Antifa’s understanding of what qualifies as fascist includes conservative campus speakers, defenders of free speech and even plain old Republicans.

Elevating antifa to the category of terrorist organization would fuel the worst trends in our politics.

two terms of the Barack Obama administration. Some have become tragically worse, such as the black homicide victimization rate. For example, on average in Chicago, one person is shot every two hours, 15 minutes, and a person is murdered every 12 1/2 hours.

So more political power hasn’t worked. Massive poverty spending hasn’t worked. Electing a black president hasn’t worked.

What should black leaders and their white liberal allies now turn their attention to in order to improve the socio-economic condition for blacks? It appears to be nearly unanimous that attention should be turned to the removal of Confederate statues.

It’s not only Confederate statue removal but Confederate names of schools and streets. Even the Council on American-Islamic Relations agrees. It just passed a resolution calling for the removal of all Confederate memorials, flags, street names and symbols from public spaces and property.

By the way, does the statue of Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman qualify for removal? He once explained his reluctance to enlist former slaves, writing, “I am honest in my belief that it is not fair to our men to count negroes as equals ... (but) is not a negro as good as a white man to stop a bullet?” It’s difficult to determine where this purging of the nation’s history should end.

And yet, college administrators, local politicians and police departments, particularly in places like Berkeley, have given antifa protesters a kind of benefit of the doubt. And so have some in the media who think there’s something romantically heroic about direct action and, in the Trump era, resistance.

This isn’t to say that there have been no arrests. But university officials and local politicians have been intimidated on numerous occasions. In Portland, a parade was canceled because an email threatened violence if Republicans were allowed to march in it. In Berkeley, Mayor Jesse Arreguin urged UC Berkeley to cancel “Free Speech Week” for fear of violence, giving antifa a heckler’s veto. So much for the home of the free speech movement. Predictably, such responses have only emboldened the goon squads.

Still, the local authorities that are contributing to the problem are also the best solution for it. In fact, Arreguin has the right idea when he says antifa should be labeled a gang. Like many gangs, antifa is less of a sophisticated criminal enterprise and more of an excuse for hooligans to make trouble.

Maybe local police departments aren’t up to the task of combating them, but we won’t know until they stop appeasing them.

Meanwhile, officially designating antifa a terrorist organization would most likely be opening a Pandora’s box (for reasons my National Review colleague Andrew McCarthy recently laid out in detail). There is a huge difference between countering foreign terrorists, who have no constitutional rights, and domestic ones. The federal government is constitutionally empowered to fight foreign threats. The states are supposed to fight crime, even domestic-terrorist violence.

The groundswell behind the label “terrorist” for antifa is a call to blur that distinction. Although treating American radicals and vigilantes the way we treat foreign members of the Islamic State or al-Qaida might play well in certain corners of the populist right these days, serious conservatives should be very skeptical about granting the federal government new police powers, which could be used to other ends in future administrations.

Elevating antifa to the category of terrorist organization would fuel the worst trends in our politics. It would entice President Trump to indulge his strongman shtick, and it would give antifa the stature it clearly craves. It would also likely accelerate vigilante violence among the white nationalists. Launching a federal crusade against domestic enemies would only fuel the fallacy that anyone antifa attacks is a fascist. We should fight crime, whatever guise it takes, on the local level — as the founders intended.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review.

STATE OF ROBERT E. LEE IN DALLAS, TX BY REX CURRY | REUTERS

COLUMNIST | WALTER E. WILLIAMS

Liberals in a Tizzy The visions of black civil rights leaders and their white liberal allies didn’t quite pan out.

MANY BLACKS and their white liberal allies demand the removal of statues of Confederate generals and the Confederate battle flag, and they are working up steam to destroy the images of Gens.

Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and President Jefferson Davis from Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Allow me to speculate as to the whys of this statue removal craze, which we might call statucide.

To understand it, we need a review of the promises black and white liberals have been making for decades. In 1940, the black poverty rate was 87 percent. By 1960, it had fallen to 47 percent.

During that interval, blacks were politically impotent. There were no anti-poverty programs or affirmative action programs.

Nonetheless, this poverty reduction exceeded that in any other 20-year interval. But the black leadership argued that more was necessary. They said that broad advancement could not be made unless blacks gained political power.

Fifty years ago, there were fewer than 1,000 black elected officials nationwide. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, by 2011 there were roughly 10,500 black elected officials, not to mention a black president. But what were the fruits of greater political power? The greatest black poverty, poorest education, highest crime rates and greatest family instability are in cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland,

Philadelphia and Buffalo. The most common characteristic of these predominantly black cities is that for decades, all of them have been run by Democratic and presumably liberal politicians.

Plus, in most cases, blacks have been mayors, chiefs of police, school superintendents and principals and have dominated city councils.

During the 1960s, black and white liberals called for more money to be spent on anti-poverty programs. Since the Lyndon Johnson administration’s War on Poverty programs, U.S. taxpayers have forked over $22 trillion for anti-poverty programs. Adjusted for inflation, that’s three times the cost of all U.S. military wars since the American Revolution.

Despite that spending, the socioeconomic condition for many blacks has worsened. In 1940, 86 percent of black children were born inside marriage, and the black illegitimacy rate was about 15 percent. Today, only 35 percent of black children are born inside marriage, and the illegitimacy rate hovers around 75 percent.

The visions of black civil rights leaders and their white liberal allies didn’t quite pan out. Greater political power and massive antipoverty spending produced little.

The failure of political power and the failure of massive welfare spending to produce nirvana led to the expectation that if only there were a black president, everything would become better for blacks. I cannot think of a single black socio-economic statistic that improved during the

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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We teach North Carolina.

ECU has become the leading source of education professionals for the state, meeting a pressing need for more teachers, principals and other educators and preparing them for today’s classroom.

Even before their first day on the job, graduates of East Carolina University’s College of Education have clocked 800 hours of experience in a public school setting. They’ve learned from nationally recognized faculty with expertise in advanced instructional techniques, special education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and principal preparation. And they’re scoring above the national average on nationwide assessments of teacher quality and preparation.

In fact, the quality and rigor of the ECU College of Education experience places its graduates in the top 10 percent in the National Council on Teacher Quality report.

Over a century ago, this institution was created to address a dire shortage of teachers in eastern North Carolina. Today, its nationally renowned College of Education is serving the entire state with some of the best prepared educators in the nation.

ECU educators address a statewide need.

No. 1

8.8MILLION

95

More educators in North Carolina have their degrees from ECU than any other university.

ECU education alumni have served almost 9 million children in North Carolina’s schools.

95 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have ECU education alumni working in their schools.

TOP 10% IN U.S. ECU ranked in the top 10% on the 2016 National Council on Teacher Quality report.

Finding solutions to complex problems. Preparing the next generation for success. Leading through service and connection to community. These are hallmarks of a great university.

These are hallmarks of ECU.

www.ecu.edu C.S. 18-176

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Demon Deacons wide receiver Greg Dortch (89) celebrates a touchdown with his team during Wake Forest’s 51-7 win Thursday over Presbyterian at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem.

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT

SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NC State’s Hines makes Horning Award honor roll NC State junior Nyheim Hines was one of three players named to the Paul Horning Award honor roll for his performance in the opening game loss to South Carolina. The running back and return specialist had 192 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in the game.

Hines led the team in rushing with 81 yards, scoring on a two-yard run to tie the game at 14. He added 32 receiving yards, 40 on punt returns and 39 on kickoff returns. The Horning Award is given to the most versatile player in college football. Arizona State’s Kalen Ballage and South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel also made the Week One honor roll.

Receiver Greg Dortch among the underclassman who helped Deacons to opening win

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal

FSU loses starting QB Francois for the season Adding injury to insult, Florida State lost starting quarterback Deondre Francois for the season after he suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Seminoles’ 24-7 loss Saturday to top-ranked Alabama. True freshman James Blackman replaced Francois, a sophomore who threw for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, after he was injured and looks to be FSU’s new starter.

Cam Newton’s brother leads Howard past UNLV The Howard Bisons were 45-point underdogs to UNLV, but that didn’t stop them from pulling off a huge upset that included some familiar names and faces. Quarterback Caylin Newton, brother of Carolina Panthers signal-caller Cam, led the way with 140 passing yards and 190 rushing, totaling three touchdowns in the 43-40 stunner. Roaming the sidelines for the Bison? Former Virginia Cavaliers coach Mike London.

TENNIS

Keys upsets No. 4 Svitolina at U.S. Open Fifteenth-seeded Madison Keys knocked off fourthseeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-4 late Monday night at the U.S. Open. Keys rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third set and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for the first time. U.S. players make up half of the tournament’s final eight, with Keys joined by Americans Sloane Stephens, CoCo Vandeweghe and Venus Williams.

Wake Forest will need youngsters to shine again in ACC opener

JIM DEDMON | USA TODAY SPORTS

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, coming off of shoulder surgery, was limited all preseason but should be ready to go in Week 1 in San Francisco.

Key questions facing the Carolina Panthers as 2017 season kicks off Will 2015 NFC champs bounce back from post-Super Bowl hangover?

By Shawn Krest North State Journal In 2004, the Carolina Panthers followed up a Super Bowl run with a losing record, finishing four games worse than the year before. After the one-year hangover from the big game, the Panthers bounced back in 2005. They improved their win-loss record by four games, matching the Super Bowl season, and made it to the NFC Championship Game.

The Panthers are hoping history repeats itself this year. After making it back to the Super Bowl with a dominant 15-1 record in 2015, the team plummeted to 6-10 and last place in the NFC South last season.

Carolina opens the season this Sunday at San Francisco. Will the team again be able to show that their post-Super Bowl flop was a fluke? Or will injuries and front office upheaval be too much to overcome?

Here are the questions facing

the Panthers as the 2017 season opens. The answers will determine if the dropoff last season was an aberration or the start of a trend.

How is Cam Newton’s shoulder?

The Panthers’ star quarterback had the worst statistical season of his career. It ended with both insult and injury as Newton was first benched for a bizarre dress code violation, then suffered a partially torn rotator cuff.

“Let's be honest. I'm not going to lie about that. The young man went through a tough time,” coach Ron Rivera said during the offseason.

Newton had surgery to repair the tear in March and missed all of the team’s offseason activities.

He played in just one preseason game, throwing two passes, but he and Rivera have both proclaimed him 100 percent back.

“I think he’s ready,” Rivera said.

“I do. You wish he had a few more snaps and played a little earlier, so we had more to gauge off of, but what we saw, we really liked. We’re See PANTHERS, page B4

WINSTON-SALEM — Wake Forest’s 51-7 rout of Presbyterian on Thursday was little more than a glorified scrimmage.

And that’s exactly what coach Dave Clawson was hoping it would be.

Although the win will count on the Deacons’ record and represents a head start in getting them back to a bowl for the second straight season, the mismatch against an underwhelming FCS opponent was most beneficial for reasons beyond the result. Among them were the coordination it helped build among a coaching staff featuring four new members and the game experience it provided for a number of young players.

“When you play a game like that, that you should win, you just want to come out clean and not beat yourself,” Clawson said.

“I thought we did that in the first half and the good thing was that we got to play a lot of kids in the second half.”

The most impressive of those youngsters didn’t have to wait until the score got lopsided and Clawson began emptying his bench to make an impression.

Redshirt freshman Greg Dortch created a buzz on the season’s opening possession when he returned a Presbyterian punt 23 yards with a burst of speed down the near sideline. His second punt return was even more electric, a 29-yarder in which he pinballed off several would-be tacklers, changed directions and burst to daylight.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Virginia native also showed off his

receiving skills by taking a short slant across the middle from John Wolford into the end zone from seven yards out, then losing his defender with a double move to get wide open for a 42-yard bomb from backup Kendall Hinton.

“We’ve not had a lot of explosive plays here that you throw the ball short and it becomes a long play,” Clawson said. “Greg can get behind people, he can double move people, even some of the six- and seven-yard plays he had on screens, those could have been one- or two-yard plays. He makes people miss and gets us positive yards. It was a really good debut for him.”

It would have been even better if not been for a holding penalty on the second half kickoff that nullified his 96-yard touchdown return.

“It’s all right,” he said confidently. “I’ll get another one.”

While Dortch’s breakout performance may have served to introduce him for the first time to both fans and the rest of the teams on the Deacons’ schedule, it was hardly a surprise to his coaches and teammates.

Or himself.

Asked if he was at all surprised by the way he played and the contribution he made, Dortch answered simply, “No. “I’ve been working my tail off for this past year-and-a-half for this opportunity,” he said. “I’m thankful to the coaching staff for putting me in the position I was in.”

Dortch was hardly the only newcomer who took advantage of his chance to shine in the lopsided opening night victory.

Another speedy redshirt freshman, Arkeem Byrd, showed flashes of an explosiveness in the running game Wake hasn’t had in recent momory by leading the team with 75 rushing yards on just See WAKE FOREST, page B4

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton (2) runs the ball in the second quarter of the Demon Deacons’ 51-7 win over Presbyterian at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem on Aug. 31.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

B2 SATURDAY

09.06.17 TRENDING

Sam Martin: The Detroit Lions punter, who played at Appalachian State, was retweeted more than 600,000 times after offering to donate six pounds of dog food (up to $10,000) for each retweet to assist in Houston’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

Ryan Finley: NC State’s redshirt junior quarterback had a record-breaking performance in the Wolfpack’s 35-28 loss to South Carolina. Finley’s 45 completions (on 64 attempts for 415 yards) topped the previous mark of 38 held by Philip Rivers (2003) and Russell Wilson (2010).

Not bad company.

Jacoby Brissett: With concerns about the health of star quarterback Andrew Luck, the Colts added an insurance policy under center by trading for Brissett, a former NC State quarterback who spent last season with Super Bowl-champion New England.

Denny Hamlin: Joe Gibbs racing looked playoff-ready with a 1-2 finish at Darlington in the Southern 500.

Hamlin took the checkered flag and was followed by teammate Kyle Busch. The Cup drivers are in Richmond this week for the final race before the Chase begins.

Shane Doan: The Arizona Coyotes captain — who had been with the franchise since 1995 when the team was still the Winnipeg Jets — announced his retirement last Wednesday after 21 NHL seasons. The Coyotes informed Doan they wouldn’t be re-signing him this offseason and, after being courted by other teams, he decided to hang up his skates.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“I’m very, very disappointed, as disappointed as I’ve been since I’ve been here.”

ECU football coach Scottie Montgomery after the Pirates were dominated by defending FCS champion James Madison, 34-14, in Week 1.

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

JIM DEDMON | USA TODAY SPORTS

“That’s the NFL. Yeah, not weird.”

Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano after the team decided to keep both him and rookie Harrison Butker, pictured, on the 53-man roster after the final cuts of training camp. Interim GM Marty Hurney will likely explore trading one rather than use two roster spots.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

2-5 The combined record of North Carolina’s seven FBS teams, with only Wake Forest (51-7 over Presbyterian) and Duke (60-7 over NC Central) winning their opening games. Appalachian State, UNC Charlotte, East Carolina, NC State and UNC were all knocked off in Week 1.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe is excited about his freshman. “We knew our freshman class was good,” he said, “and they’ve actually been better than I thought they’d be.”

How good? In Duke’s opening game against NC Central, Cutcliffe played nine scholarship true freshman, out of a signing day class of 22. That’s 41 percent of the incoming class, and it doesn’t include kicker Jack Driggers, who is a true freshman walk-on.

How does that compare to the other local ACC schools?

Duke: Nine true freshmen out of 22 in class (40.9 percent). Four-star defensive end Drew Jordan, three-stars safety Michael Carter II, running back Deon Jackson, offensive lineman Rak Chambers, defensive linemen Victor Dimukeje, Derrick Tangelo and Axel Nyembwe, tight end Noah Gray and safety Marquis Waters.

Wake Forest: Six true freshmen out

of 20 in class (30 percent). Three-stars linebacker D.J. Taylor, receiver Sage Surratt, corner Coby Davis, defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor, linebacker Jake Simpson and two-star guard Sean Maginn.

NC State: Four true freshmen out of 28 (14.3 percent). Three-stars receiver Emeka Emezie, guard Joshua FeddJackson, corner Chris Ingram, linebacker Raven Saunders North Carolina: Three true freshmen out of 20 (15 percent). Four-star corner Tre Shaw, three-stars running back Michael Carter, linebacker Malik Robinson.

One of the supposed advantages of enrolling in school early in January of what would be a player’s senior year of high school is that it gets them adjusted to college faster. But only three of the 16 early enrollees at the four local ACC schools (Duke’s Waters, Carolina’s Carter and Shaw) played on opening day.

Nineteen of the 74 summer enrollees played (25 percent, compared to 18 percent of early enrollees).

GOLF

Justin Thomas capitalized on backnine stumbles by Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman to post his fifth victory of the year Monday at the Dell Technologies Championship in Norton, Mass. Thomas, the thirdround co-leader, erased a two-shot deficit over the final nine holes by shooting a 5-under-par 66 to beat runner-up Spieth by three strokes for his PGA Tour-leading fifth win of the season. The PGA champion finished at 17-under 267 at TPC Boston.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Slowing reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson a tall task for Tar Heels Louisville quarterback will face three N.C. teams in ACC play, starting Saturday with North Carolina

B3

NC State homecoming arrives early for Marshall’s Doc Holliday Former Wolfpack assistant returns to Carter-Finley as head coach

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s mistake-prone defense made California’s Ross Bowers, a quarterback making his first college start, look like a Heisman Trophy candidate in its season-opening loss to the Golden Bears on Saturday.

That doesn’t bode well for the Tar Heels’ prospects now that their next assignment is slowing the guy that actually has college football’s most prestigious award in his personal trophy case.

Coach Larry Fedora summed up the challenge of defending Louisville’s Lamar Jackson succinctly at his regular weekly press conference Monday.

“He’s a guy where you can do everything perfectly and he can (still) make you look bad,” Fedora said. “He can do some things and has some gifts other people don’t have.”

Jackson’s dynamic combination of running and passing “You can do ability helped him everything set an ACC record perfectly and with 51 combined he can (still) touchdowns on his way to winning the make you Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2016. look bad.”

His bid to become the first two-time winner — UNC coach since Ohio State’s ArLarry Fedora chie Griffin in 197475 got off to a flying start last week when he accounted for 485 of his team’s 524 yards in a close win at Purdue.

Fedora’s Tar Heels will be the first of three state ACC teams to get a crack at stopping Jackson when he and his Cardinals come to Kenan Stadium for a noon kickoff Saturday. Louisville will also visit the Old North State on Oct. 5 for a Thursday night matchup against NC State and again on Nov. 11 when they play at Wake Forest.

Fedora isn’t the type to solicit advice about anything, let alone how to coach his team. But if he was to seek out suggestions on how to contain Louisville’s talented playmaker, he might consider placing a call to his Deacons’ counterpart Dave Clawson.

Though it might not appear so because of the 44-12 final score, no one on Louisville’s schedule defended Jackson better than Clawson’s team for the first

RALEIGH — NC State’s homecoming game isn’t until Nov. 4, when the Wolfpack hosts Clemson.

For at least one person in Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, State’s home opener will be homecoming weekend.

Marshall head coach Doc Holliday called NC State home for five years at the turn of the millennium. In 2000, Holliday left his job at West Virginia to join new Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato’s staff. He served as associate head coach for Amato and was in charge of the wide receivers.

During his five years with the Wolfpack, Holliday coached three of the best receivers in school history in Koren Robinson, Jerricho Cotchery and Bryan Peterson. The three rank close to the top in every receiving category in State’s record book, combining for 449 catches, 6,927 yards and 49 touchdowns. Robinson was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and he and Cotchery combined for 20 seasons in the NFL. Despite the successful run of the unit he coached at NC State, as Holliday prepared to face the Wolfpack this week, he focused on a different area of those teams.

“That defensive front is as good as it was when I was at NC State,” he said. “With Mario Williams, (John) McCargo, all those tremendous players.

They have the same kind of guys — NFL guys. We had three first-rounders in that defensive front, with McCargo, Manny Lawson and Mario Williams, which is what their guys this year look like.”

Holliday will need to find a way to match up with the 2017 Pack’s front line of Bradley Marshall at NC State Chubb, Justin Jones, B.J. when Saturday, 6 p.m.

Hill and Kentavius Street. where Carter-Finley Stadium That challenge watch ACC Network Extra is keeping him from feeling too much nostalgia as game time approaches.

“Once the whistle blows, it’s all between the lines, you know,” he said.

On the other side of the field, NC State head coach Dave Doeren has an appreciation for what Holliday is going through. He’s been in the position of returning to a place where he’s coached before, looking for a way to upset his former employer.

“It depends on how long you’ve been gone,” he said. “He hasn’t coached here in awhile, so it’s not like he coached any players on our team. Back in one of my first games at Northern Illinois, we played Wisconsin, and I’d recruited about half the guys that were on that team. That was really hard, just seeing them, watching them. It’s emotional.

“It’s different when you coach against a team that you were at, but you don’t know anyone on the team and you didn’t coach with any of their coaches,” he continued. “I know he’s going to have friends in Raleigh — maybe even in the administration, maybe in the Wolfpack Club. But it’s not as personal to our roster and our staff as if he’d just been here.”

While Holliday may not know any of the current Wolfpack players personally, they remind him of the caliber of athletes that wore red and white a decade and a half ago.

“I remember we had a quarterback there that was pretty good for about four years, named Philip Rivers,” Holliday said. “He had a couple of receivers. We had some really good players. Dave’s done a tremendous job of getting the same type of players in there. He coaches them hard. They’re extremely well-coached. He’s done a tremendous job with that team.”

While game week is no time for Holliday to reflect on days gone by in Raleigh, he did have fond memories of the Wolfpack faithful.

“If y’all haven’t been there, what they’ve done with their facilities, it’s just a beautiful place,” he said. “They’ve got a tremendous fanbase. One thing about them — it doesn’t matter who goes and plays in that stadium, the place is filled up to the max. It’ll be a great atmosphere. I’m sure our kids will enjoy playing in it.”

As for Holliday, he’ll enjoy it more if he can figure out a way to stop that defensive line in the next few days.

AMIE RHODES | USA TODAY SPORTS

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson stiff-arms NC State Wolfpack safety Josh Jones (11) last season at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

Louisville at North Carolina when Saturday, noon where Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill watch ESPN

three quarters last November. Wake had Jackson visibly rattled after sacking him seven times and forcing three fumbles while taking a 12-10 lead into the final 15 minutes.

Louisville eventually rallied and broke the game open by scoring 34 points in the final period.

“We had a great scheme ... just contain the guy,” Deacons defensive end Wendell Dunn said this summer at the ACC’s Football Kickoff media event in Charlotte. “We didn’t just go out there running around with our heads cut off. He’s fast, we knew what he’s capable of. If you can contain him and hit him as much as you can, you’ve got him.”

That’s easier said than done.

Just ask NC State, whose highly regarded defensive front was torched for 355 yards passing and 76 yards rushing

by Jackson the last time it faced him on the way to a 54-13 pounding at the hands of the Cardinals.

Although Jackson was sacked 47 times in 2016, more than any other quarterback in the ACC, Fedora noted that the worst thing a defense can do is sell itself out by pursuing the dual-threat quarterback too aggressively.

“The scheme that they run with him takes advantage of all of his skill set and you’re going to have to be really sound in your rush lanes,” Fedora said. “You’re going to have to be under control because if you give him a lane and people are covered, he’s going to beat you. You’ve got to really squeeze the lanes and try to keep him in there. You can’t get too far up the field. You’ve got to be very controlled in those rush lanes.

“When you have a quarterback that’s not mobile, you can turn it loose a little more. But when you’ve got a guy that can break your back with his legs, you’ve got to be much more controlled. You’ve got to constrict the lanes.”

UNC safety Donnie Miles, who picked up his first career interception against Cal on Saturday, said he’s looking forward to the challenge of matching up against the nation’s top player.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Miles said.

“In the offseason, I go through and I watch film on everybody we play, especially if we haven’t played them before.

When that time comes, we’re going to come out here in the Tar Pit, compete and show what our defense is about.”

If all else fails, Miles and his Tar Heel teammates might consider the advice of the Wolfpack’s Doeren, who was asked last season if he could think of anything that might slow the reigning Heisman Trophy winner down.

“Maybe some rotten chicken at the meal Friday night,” Doeren said with an awkward chuckle. “Maybe some salmonella.”

East Carolina at West Virginia

Duke vs. Northwestern

Mountaineer Field Saturday, noon | FS2

Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday, noon | ESPNU

Preview: Both teams lost their season openers last week, but that’s where the comparison ends. The 22nd-ranked Mountaineers dropped a close decision to No. 21 Virginia Tech at a neutral site. The Pirates were hammered 34-14 by James Madison.

Players to watch: Duke transfer Thomas Sirk, who came off the bench to throw for 202 yards last Saturday, will make his first ECU start at quarterback. Will Grier, who left Florida two seasons ago after being suspended for a banned substance, threw for 371 yards against Virginia Tech, the most ever by a WVU quarterback in his first game.

Fast fact: Grier is from Davidson, N.C., and his father, Chad, was a backup quarterback to All-American Jeff Blake at ECU in 1990.

What to expect: The Pirates are a 24-point underdog against the Mountaineers in WVU’s home opener, which might be a conservative estimate after ECU allowed 614 yards to an FCS opponent.

Preview: Northwestern has beaten Duke the last two seasons. Both teams won their openers comfortably.

Players to watch: Northwestern pushed Duke around on the line of scrimmage the last two years. Duke sophomore DE Tre Hornbuckle had 3.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble last week.

Northwestern junior Blake Hance started his 23rd straight game last weekend, moving to left guard after playing at tackle his first two years.

Fast fact: This will be their fifth meeting since 2007.

That’s more than Duke has played ACC foes Pitt and Florida State (four times); NC State, Clemson and Boston College (three); and Syracuse and Louisville (once) over that time. Northwestern has played Duke more since 2007 than Big Ten teams Ohio State (four), Maryland (none) and Rutgers (none) combined.

What to expect: The line battle on both sides of the ball has determined the winner in this series. Duke looks strong on the offensive line. The Blue Devils’ ability to hold its own on defense will be the key.

— Brett Friedlander

— Shawn Krest

Charlotte at Kansas State

App State vs. Savannah State

Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Saturday, noon | FSN

Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday, 3:30 p.m. | ESPN3

Preview: Kansas State pounded Central Arkansas in its opener, 55-19. Charlotte dropped a 24-7 decision at Eastern Michigan. This is the first time the two teams have met.

Players to watch: Charlotte quarterback Hasaan Klugh passed and rushed for 100 yards in last weekend’s opener. Kansas State DB D.J. Reed is an all-around weapon. In the opener, he had a 96-yard kickoff return, 62-yard punt return touchdown and an interception.

Fast fact: This is just the third time K-State has met a team from North Carolina. The Wildcats split a homeand-home series with Wake Forest back in 1975 and 1976. This will be the first time Charlotte plays a game in Kansas and just its fifth game in the Central time zone.

What to expect: It could be a long day for the 49ers.

Kansas State had touchdown passes of 70 and 69 yards last week and had two receivers gain 100 yards in a record-setting passing day. Charlotte gave up 267 yards in the air and a 41-yard bomb to Eastern Michigan.

Preview: The Mountaineers (0-1) play their second straight opponent from Georgia in their home opener, this one much less daunting than UGA last week. This is the season opener for Savannah State, a MEAC team that went 3-7 last year.

Players to watch: Quarterback Taylor Lamb led App State in both passing and rushing in last week’s 31-10 loss to Georgia. Junior linebacker Stefen Banks is one of 18 returning starters for Savannah State. He registered 7.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles last season.

Fast fact: Mountaineers coach Scott Satterfield was a redshirt freshman on the 1991 App State team that beat the Tigers 41-6 in Boone in the only previous meeting between the schools.

What to expect: App State should have little trouble bouncing back from its opening loss against an overmatched FCS opponent that has won just 22 of 162 games since 2000.

— Shawn Krest

— Brett Friedlander

COURTESY MARSHALL SPORTS INFORMATION

Doc Holliday has been head coach at Marshall since 2010. His Thundering Herd will visit NC State — where Holliday was an assistant from 2000-04 — this weekend.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

B4 meshing really well as an offense.”

Carolina Panthers 2017 schedule

Christian McCaffrey: Star or role player?

Sun, Sept. 10 at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.

The Panthers chose Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In the preseason, McCaffrey showed that the game-breaking speed that helped him rewrite the record books at Stanford is also more than enough to confound NFL defenders. The question is whether he can hold up to the pounding of an NFL season.

At 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, McCaffrey is 30 pounds lighter than Jonathan Stewart, who has battled injuries throughout his career.

Using McCaffrey as a traditional back will probably result in him becoming a fixture on the injury report. However, if the Panthers’ offensive staff can find creative ways to use his talents while keeping him safe, much the same way they did Newton when he first arrived in the league, it could give Carolina two of the biggest offensive talents in the NFL. “We’re excited about the running backs,” Rivera said. “I think we’ve got a really good tandem there.”

Sun, Sept. 17 Buffalo, 1 p.m.

PANTHERS from page B1

What about the rest of the offensive overhaul?

Carolina’s offensive line struggled last season, as the mobile Newton got sacked on 6 percent of all pass plays. That ranked in the bottom 10 of the NFL. The Panthers brought in Matt Kalil, younger brother of Carolina’s longtime center Ryan, signing the Pro Bowl tackle from the Vikings.

Kalil should shore up the left tackle position, allowing former starter Amini Silatolu to provide experienced depth. The team also used a high draft pick on Taylor Moton, a promising lineman who could eventually take over the right tackle spot.

The Panthers also revamped the wide receiver position. Gone are veterans Ted Ginn and Philly Brown, and Carolina’s opening-week depth chart lists two

Sun, Sept. 24 New Orleans, 1 p.m.

Sun, Oct. 1 at New England, 1 p.m.

Sun, Oct. 8 at Detroit, 1 p.m.

Thu, Oct. 12 Philadelphia, 8:25 p.m.

Sun, Oct. 22 at Chicago, 1 p.m.

Sun, Oct. 29 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

JASEN VINLOVE | USA TODAY SPORTS

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera is hoping for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 6-10 campaign in 2016.

tight ends instead of a third receiver.

Devin Funchess will need to have a breakout season opposite Kelvin Benjamin. Behind them are free-agent pickup Russell Shepard and rookie Curtis Samuel. A second-round draft pick, Samuel battled injury through much of preseason. Once he saw the field, he showed flashes of the elite speed that excited coaches.

Can the secondary defend the pass?

The Panthers couldn’t come to a contract agreement with cornerback Josh Norman last year, and the All Pro went from fran-

chise player to free agent departure shortly before the 2016 draft.

The Panthers appeared to feel his absence all year, as rookies James Bradberry and Daryl Worley had trials by fire. The Panthers have added veteran support to the secondary, signing former Panther Captain Munnerlyn to back up the second-year starters, as well as two-time Pro Bowl safety Mike Adams.

“We’ve got some young guys that need to step up,” Rivera said of his secondary, “especially at the corner position. But it was a good position for us. Training camp was very competitive. I really like what we got out of those guys.”

Sun, Nov. 5 Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Mon, Nov. 13 Miami, 8:30 p.m.

Sun, Nov. 26 at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.

Sun, Dec. 3 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.

Sun, Dec. 10 Minnesota, 1 p.m.

Sun, Dec. 17 Green Bay, 1 p.m.

Sun, Dec. 24 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Sun, Dec. 31 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

NFL Week 1 schedule

Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.

Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m.

Thursday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m.

Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m.

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m.

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, 8:30 p.m.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.

Monday

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins 1 p.m.

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos, 10:20 p.m.

Several new faces as Hurricanes return to Raleigh Carolina’s bolstered lineup brings playoff aspirations on the eve of training camp

off the post and in as his final NHL moment — he didn’t contribute much to the team winning in 201617.

Williams, on the other hand, has done nothing but win since leaving Carolina in 2009. He earned his second and third Stanley Cups with the Kings, then went to Washington where the Capitals won back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies.

But Williams — like countless others before him — couldn’t bring playoff success to D.C. He will have just turned 36 when Carolina kicks off its season at home on Oct. 7, and Francis & Co. are hopeful his winning ways translate in Raleigh.

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — There’s a buzz surrounding the 2017-18 Carolina Hurricanes after the team spent the offseason addressing several roster issues and making improvements to a team that has missed the postseason eight consecutive seasons, the longest active drought in the NHL. The addition of Justin Williams — a three-time Cup winner who won his first title in Carolina and is returning to Raleigh having earned the moniker “Mr. Game 7” — and goaltender Scott Darling were GM Ron Francis’ two biggest offseason moves, and with training camp officially kicking off Tuesday with Media Day, here’s a recap of the Hurricanes’ incoming and outgoing players and how they could help the team improve under fourth-year coach Bill Peters.

In: Darling Out: Eddie Lack Cam Ward remains as part of Carolina’s goalie tandem, but the addition of Darling should mean Ward, the longtime starter, will be relegated to backup duty for the first time since his rookie campaign. Goaltending has been one of the Hurricanes’ weaknesses in recent seasons, and the addition of Darling — a backup with the Blackhawks who has put up starter-like numbers in 80 career NHL games — should be an improvement over Lack.

That said, Lack joined Carolina under similar circumstances, having helped Vancouver in much the same way Darling aided Chicago

WAKE FOREST from page B1 seven carries.

The majority of those yards came on a 51-yard sprint on which he appeared to be shot out of a catapult as he hit the hole on a trap play.

“He took off like a dart,” Clawson said. “That was really impressive.”

Though Wake’s second-leading rusher in the game wasn’t as flashy as Byrd, Isaiah Robinson’s 12-carry, 49-yard effort was perhaps even more encouraging since the redshirt sophomore who won the starting job in 2015 is coming off a leg injury

In: Marcus Kruger Out: Jay McClement There’s a theme here: Francis has pilfered the Blackhawks roster for several players, the most recent being Kruger. The 27-year-old center hasn't scored much in his career (33 goals, 105 points in 398 regular season games), but he’s a defensive whiz who should ease pressure on Jordan Staal and stabilize Carolina’s bottom six forwards.

While Kruger won’t score much, it should still be more than McClement managed in three seasons in Raleigh. Furthermore, McClement’s underlying numbers were not good, whereas Kruger can be a dominant defensive pivot.

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Carolina Hurricanes forward Justin Williams speaks in an interview during the Carolina Hurricanes Media Day on Sept. 5 at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

as a backup. Lack came to Carolina with 76 NHL starts and the expectations to unseat Ward but left this offseason as the latest goalie to struggle with the Hurricanes.

In: Williams Out: Bryan Bickell Bickell was brought to Raleigh

that sidelined him all last year.

On the offensive line, sophomore center Nathan Gilliam drew praise from Clawson, as did redshirt freshman tackle Je’Vionte’ Nash. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Justin Strnad intercepted a pass in the first half, then made a key stop behind the line on a fourth-and-one play to keep Presbyterian from scoring late in the third quarter.

But it wasn’t just the youngsters who got a chance to get onto the field and showcase their skills. Returning to action after extended absences, quarterback Hinton and

from Chicago as the cap anchor that landed the Hurricanes Teuvo Teravainen. Bickell scored just one goal for Carolina before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, playing in a total of just 11 games.

While his final outing was memorable — he scored in the shootout in Philadelphia, ringing the puck

Wake Forest at Boston College when Saturday, 1 p.m. where Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Ma. watch ACC Network

defensive tackle Zeek Rodney were among those that also got a chance to work out some kinks and regain confidence before the first real test of the new season — on the road Saturday against ACC Atlantic Di-

Duke lands five-star basketball commitment Pennsylvania’s Cameron Reddish picks Blue Devils over UConn, Villanova, Kentucky, UCLA

By Shawn Krest North State Journal DURHAM — Duke received a commitment from five-star small forward Cameron Reddish on Friday night.

The 6-foot-8, 195-pounder out of Westtown School in Norristown, Pa., made his announcement in a video and story on the Players’ Tribune website. Reddish chose the Blue Devils over a final five that also included UConn, Villanova, Kentucky and UCLA. He just narrowed his recruitment to those five schools a month ago.

“People say I’m laid back,” Reddish said in the video. “They say I’m quiet, but they don’t see what’s most important. They don’t see the work.

To me, basketball is about what you do when no one’s watching. The way I see it, I’m not a prospect. I’m a work in progress. There’s always more to learn. And that’s why I’m going somewhere that I can be challenged as a leader, challenged as a student, challenged to grow up, on and off the court. That’s why I’ll be attending Duke University.”

Reddish averaged 22.6 points and close to eight rebounds in the Nike EYBL summer league this year. He’s rated as the fourth-best prospect in the senior class and the third-best small forward by the 247Sports Composite Index.

The commitment gives Duke two top-10 prospects in the Class of 2018. Tre Jones, the top point guard and sixth-overall senior, committed to Duke earlier this summer.

Murphy never materialized into the player expected of a first-round draft pick — the blame for that is up for debate, with both the team rushing him early on and the player seemingly never grasping the NHL game. Tennyson was as advertised, but he is better suited as a depth AHLer than an everyday guy on the third pair.

In: Josh Jooris Out: Viktor Stalberg Speed kills, and both of these players have it in spades. Stalberg has long been unappreciated in the NHL — he’s a reliable penalty killer and fourth-liner who can score a handful of goals despite his mediocre hands. Jooris is more than four years younger but has about a third the experience of Stalberg along with just 20 career NHL goals.

The positive news is while Stalberg was a nightly fixture in Carolina’s lineup last year, Jooris will be battling several players just to get on the ice — an illustration of the improved depth on the NHL roster and in the system.

In: Trevor van Riemsdyk Out: Ryan Murphy, Matt Tennyson In van Riemsdyk, Carolina adds another young defenseman with upside. At worst he will be an improvement over Murphy or Tennyson on the third pairing this season, and if he improves he could help convince Francis to deal one of his young blueliners for the one glaring hole on the roster, a topline center.

In: Mike Bales Out: David Marcoux, Pete Friesen Bales, who was Pittsburgh’s goaltending coach the last two seasons when they won the Stanley Cup, replaces Marcoux in the same role in Carolina. Marcoux once coached a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie, Miikka Kiprusoff, but none of that magic rubbed off on the Hurricanes’ goalies under his watch. The Penguins did let Bales go, but he is credited with Marc-Andre Fleury’s rebirth and Carolina is hoping he can do the same for Ward and guide Darling.

As for Friesen, he had been with the franchise for 21 years before the team decided not to renew his contract. Friesen’s two titles were split among his assistants: Doug Bennett, with the team since 2010, was promoted to head athletic trainer; and Bill Burniston becomes head strength and conditioning coach.

vision rival Boston College.

Rodney, who returned to school in June after taking a year off to address “personal issues,” had a sack and a tackle-for-loss in his first game in over a season.

Hinton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury the third week of last season, was even more productive by completing seven of his eight passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Known primarily for his running ability, the redshirt sophomore showed off a strong, accurate arm Thursday — highlighted by a perfectly placed 29-yard strike

to Alex Bachman in the corner of the end zone just before halftime.

“It’s a good thing for this team when both of us are playing well,” starter Wolford said.

Especially since the level of competition is about to be raised, which is why as happy as Clawson was about the way his team started the season Thursday, he’s not about to get carried away over it.

“We’ve got 11 more games here that will be tough games,” he said.

“It’s not only how you do in one game, but how do you sustain it for a 12-, hopefully 13-, 14-game season.”

Wear to celebrate the capital city, Page 7

WEDNESDAY

09.06.17

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL

play list

Sept. 8-10 Wilmington Boat Show Wilmington

the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

This unique show will feature more than 80 different boat brands including all in-water displays at the Port City Marina and a demo dock for serious boat buyers to take a spin.

Pier 33 will have several boat displays along with music and food while the Wilmington Convention Center will host more boat displays, marine industry exhibits as well as fishing and sailing seminars.

Kids can enjoy a plethora of activities including, face painting, a bouncy house and kids fishing seminars.

National Folk Festival Greensboro

unplugged | Well Played

This three-day outdoor event features more than 300 musicians, dancers and craftsman on seven stages. Includes workshops, demonstrations, children’s activities, Southern food, dancing, parades and storytelling.

Sept. 9 11th Annual North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest and Festival Oxford Enjoy North Carolina’s finest hot sauces and barbecue sauces, along with local craft breweries and wineries in downtown Oxford. Enter the main event of the day, the N.C. Pepper Eating Contest, for your chance to grab the hottest title in the state. The festival will have live music on the main stage, local artisans, kids activities and a flashback in time with the Antique Car Show.

N.C. hot sauces and barbecue sauces will be dueling it out for the title of North Carolina’s best.

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Noah Sasdelli-Milligan, 7, center, high-fives his grandmother Deana Sasdelli, far left, after winning a round of Catan Junior with his mom, Kim Sasdelli, far right, and grandfather Terry Sasdelli, second from left, at Well Played board game cafe in Asheville. Well Played gives patrons the chance to enjoy food and drinks while getting together to play one of their hundreds of board games, complete with game experts to teach you the new ones.

A new strategy in the mountains In a world gone digital, Asheville’s first board game cafe is bringing people face-to-face

“I got really excited about the community building part of it. It was a space that folks could just come be who they are and put their technologies away.”

By Mollie Young North State Journal ASHEVILLE — Glossing over more than a hundred cubbies, Cortland Mercer pulls a box from an alphabetized row. It reads “King of Tokyo.”

“So what are we playing?” I ask.

“It’s kind of like a Yahtzee-based mechanic game, but the premise is you are different monsters vying for supremacy in Tokyo,” he explains. “If you like dice-rolling, you get to try to match and make pairs to do damage to other players.” He drops a set of eight green and black dice on a thick maple tabletop in the back room of his new business on the edge of downtown Asheville.

It’s not the first set of dice Mercer has played.

About a year and a half ago, the Charlotte native picked up a newspaper and read an article about a new phenomenon sweeping through Europe and southeast Asia: board game cafes. He sent the link to his former professor at UNC Asheville, Kevan Fra-

— Kevan Frazier, founder of Well Played

Founders Cortland Mercer, left, and Kevan Frazier, right, speak in an interview inside Well Played.

zier, with a simple message: “This would be my dream job.”

Frazier admits that he had never heard of the concept before, but the deeper he dove into researching the cafes and restaurants that touted group gaming, the more he liked what he found.

“This was totally the right vibe for Asheville — everything about this feels good,” Frazier recalled thinking.

Mercer and his team flew up to Toronto where innovators like

Snakes and Lattés — a play on the classic Indian game of luck — have mainstreamed public gaming in North America. Canada’s largest city now boasts more than 20 game board cafes, where both locals and tourists gather.

And whether it is to play a vintage favorite like Scrabble or a new sensation like Ticket to Ride, patrons are getting back to basics.

“I got really excited about the community building part of it,”

Frazier said. “It was a space that folks could just come be who they are and put their technologies away.”

After a year of planning, design and collecting, Mercer, Frazier and Steve Green opened the doors to Well Played in May 2017.

Locate the giant iron (in front of the Flatiron Building) at Battery Park Avenue and follow the cobblestone down Wall Street and you’ll find their brainchild and Asheville’s very first board game cafe.

“We took it as a really good omen that there was a giant Monopoly piece at the top of the street,” joked Mercer.

Well Played is only the third See WELL PLAYED, page B7

Pig in the Park Goldsboro Pig in the Park is a familyfriendly event celebrating Wayne County’s famous barbecue tradition. Twenty-five teams will compete in a cook-off for the title of Wayne County’s Best Barbecue. Arts and crafts vendors, pony rides for the kids, live music, and a whole lot more will be featured during the festival in Goldsboro.

Duplin Winery's Grape Stomp Rose Hill For more than 40 years, the friends and family at Duplin Winery have stomped grapes.

Once to make wine and now just for fun. Festival-goers get a chance to stomp grapes with their bare feet and the best ones will have an opportunity to participate in a stomp off for a Duplin prize. The festival also features live music and wine tastings.

Beericana Craft Beer and Music Festival Holly Springs This year's festival will host more than 70 breweries, nearly 20 food trucks and live music from N.C.-based bands. A portion of the proceeds from Beericana goes to support the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild and other local nonprofits.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

NeCessities! history marked Sept. 5, 1917 Pamlico pacesetter in school transportation Pamlico County Schools inaugurated the first motorized school bus service in North Carolina on Sept. 5, 1917.

Although Pamlico is among the most rural counties in the state, it sought to make transportation for students faster and easier. Before the widespread use of automobiles, horse-drawn wagons were used to transport students to school, and the state didn’t provide that student transportation could come at public expense until 1911. Pamlico County’s first bus was purchased from the Corbitt Company of Henderson and cost $1,379.

The bus could seat 30 passengers and was used to transport students in and around Oriental. The introduction of a motorized bus to deliver students from outlying areas to the schoolhouse was considered a logistical triumph and made it possible for school districts to move from scattered networks of one-room schoolhouses to modern, centralized schools with more professional staff.

To publicize his innovation, Pamlico’s superintendent drove the bus to Raleigh and gave then-Gov. Thomas Bickett and other politicians a ride around the city. The success of Pamlico’s first school bus was quickly followed by similar purchases in other rural counties in the eastern part of the state.

Sept. 6, 1856 Brightleaf tobacco process introduced in N.C.

Sept. 7, 1860 Charles McIver and female education as public investment

Sept. 7, 1846 Two major inlets on the Outer Banks date to 1846

Sept. 8, 1663 Colington Island is first land grant in Carolina

Abisha Slade of Caswell County spoke at an agricultural meeting about “the new process of curing yellow tobacco" on September 6, 1856. The talk reflected an agricultural breakthrough that had been discovered by one of Slade’s slaves by mistake in 1839. The slave, named Stephen, worked as a blacksmith and oversaw the curing process of the tobacco crop on Slade’s farm. One day, Stephen fell asleep in the tobacco curing barn, succumbing to the warmth of the curing shed’s fire.

Waking up he found the fire almost completely out. He retrieved charred logs from his blacksmithing equipment and threw them on the fire, creating sudden, immense heat. The heat cured the tobacco quickly, leaving it with a vivid yellow color. Stephen’s accidental discovery became what is known in the industry as flue-cured tobacco and to consumers as brightleaf tobacco.

It was an instant hit with smokers. By 1857, Slade was harvesting 20,000 pounds annually and making some of the highest profits ever. The sandy, relatively infertile soil of many North Carolina farms was ideal for growing tobacco for such a curing process. The development of brightleaf tobacco was what ultimately led North Carolina to a dominant position in the tobacco industry.

Charles McIver, educator and founding president of UNC-Greensboro, was born in what’s now Lee County on Sept. 7, 1860. McIver studied at UNC and worked at schools across North Carolina after graduating, developing a strong interest in teacher education.

As a leader at what’s now the North Carolina Education Association in the late 1880s, he advocated for the improvement of women’s education.

After making a number of changes to the way public higher education in the state was organized, the legislature in 1891 approved the establishment of the State Normal and Industrial School for Girls, now UNC-Greensboro. The school was intended to “prepare young women to earn a livelihood in teaching or in business,” and when it opened in October 1892, McIver was selected as its president. McIver stayed in the top job at the Greensboro school until his death in 1906, helping the fledgling institution prosper despite a number of obstacles, including a typhoid fever epidemic in 1899 and the destruction of the main dormitory by fire in 1904. During his time in Greensboro, McIver remained active in state and regional education circles, serving as president of the Southern Education Association and a University of North Carolina trustee.

A violent hurricane hit the Outer Banks and opened Hatteras and Oregon Inlets on Sept. 7, 1846. Families that lived on Hatteras Island later said they had no idea it was possible for an inlet to form near their homes, but the following morning “they saw the sea and sound connected together and the live oaks washing up by the roots and tumbling into the ocean.” Oregon Inlet is what’s called a dynamic inlet, one that is prone to natural changes. It has remained open, but between 1846 and 1989, it migrated about two miles south of the original breach. A bridge across Oregon Inlet was completed in 1963. The movement of the inlet and the present need to replace the bridge continues to cause controversy among citizens, politicians, business leaders and conservationists. Today, transportation across Hatteras Inlet is sustained by a state-operated ferry.

The first transfer of land under the Lords Proprietors in Carolina took place on Sept. 8, 1663. The grant was made to Sir John Colleton, himself one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. The piece of land transferred was what was then called Carlyle or Colleton Island, and is now called Colington Island in Dare County.

Colleton, a planter who also dabbled in business, finance and politics, already had large New World holdings in Barbados.

Although he had returned to England in 1660, he had hopes of expanding his West Indies operations into the American colonies. Colleton’s agent, Capt. John Whittie, established a plantation on the property during the winter of 1664 and 1665. At first the island was used primarily for raising cattle and horses, but eventually crops including tobacco, corn and grapes were planted. Whittie also eventually realized a profitable secondary source of income by selling oil extracted from whales that washed up on the shore. Peter Carteret, nephew of one of the proprietors and later governor of the colony, joined Colleton as a partner in the Colonial venture. He arrived in the spring of 1665 to take charge of the plantation.

Hurricanes, drought and floods plagued the settlement, which failed by the 1670s.

Sept. 9, 1961 North Carolina’s only Miss America

Sept. 9, 2009 The man who destroyed the recording industry

Maria Beale Fletcher of Asheville became the first — and, so far, only — Miss North Carolina to be crowned Miss America on Sept. 9, 1961. Born June 23, 1942, she was the oldest child of Charles Beale and Margaret Gatley Fletcher, a nationally touring dance duo. When she reached school age, her parents decided to settle in Asheville, where they founded and operated the Fletcher School of Dance and the Land of the Sky Civic Ballet. Fletcher won her first trophy at age 7 for singing and dancing at Asheville’s Mountain Youth Jamboree. In 1960, she graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School and headed to New York City to fulfill her dream of being a Radio City Music Hall Rockette.

That same year, the 19-year-old became Miss Asheville. Six months later, she claimed the Miss North Carolina title.

At the national pageant in Atlantic City, N.J., Fletcher won the preliminary swimsuit competition and, for talent, tap danced to a recording of herself singing “Somebody Loves Me.” With her Miss America scholarship winnings, she earned a degree at Vanderbilt University and became a successful businesswoman, wife and mother.

Today, the 71-year-old still performs, writes and is an environmental and animal rights activist.

Bennie Lydell Glover of Shelby was indicted in Alexandria, Va., for felony conspiracy to commit copyright infringement on Sept. 9, 2009. Two years earlier Glover left work to encounter Cleveland County deputies alongside his truck. As they arrested him, the FBI was simultaneously raiding his house.

The popular assumption is that Napster, created in 1999, was chiefly responsible for the plummet in sales of recorded music. But recent accounts make clear that Glover was there first and created the most damage. Glover, employed at Polygram’s CD pressing plant in Kings Mountain, began slipping disks out of the factory as early as 1994. He regularly took movies and video games but found a market for rap CDs, especially artists like Jay-Z, Eminem and, in time, Kanye West.

He would drop off bags of disks for resale at Shelby barbershops but, via Internet file-sharing, found listeners across the country. Polygram fought back, installing increased security measures, but Glover long evaded the law, sneaking CDs out behind oversize belt buckles past wandwielding guards. Glover, who testified against his co-conspirator, pled guilty and served three months in prison. Meanwhile sales of recorded music shrank with total revenue cut in half in the period between 2000 and 2010.

Britain's Prince William and wife, Kate, expecting third child The baby will be fifth in line to the British throne

By Kate Holton Reuters LONDON — Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, are expecting their third child, their office said on Monday after the duchess was forced to cancel an engagement due to severe morning sickness.

Britain's monarchy has ridden a wave of public support in recent years due to the popularity of William, Kate, and William's brother, Harry, and the PHOTO CREDIT | REUTERS news was soon making headBritain’s Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine, walks with the flower boys lines around the world. and girls after the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews at Queen Elizabeth, who is 91, St Mark’s Church in Englefield, west of London, on May 20. said she was delighted. The baby will be fifth in line to the British throne, after grandfather Kate and William married day of primary school later this Prince Charles, father William and elder siblings George, 4, in a lavish ceremony in 2011 week.

"This is fantastic news," Britwatched by about 2 billion peoand Charlotte, 2.

The popular Harry will be- ple around the world. Two years ish Prime Minister Theresa May come sixth in line to the throne. later, the international cam- said. "Many congratulations to "Their Royal Highness- era crews and photographers the Duke and Duchess of Cames The Duke and Duchess of camped outside a London hospi- bridge."

William and Harry have Cambridge are very pleased to tal to record the birth of George, announce that The Duchess of and returned two years later for been in the headlines in recent Cambridge is expecting their his sister, Charlotte. George and weeks as they led the efforts to third child," Kensington Palace Charlotte have since appeared remember their mother Prinsaid. "The Queen and members on the front covers of magazines cess Diana who died in a car of both families are delighted around the world and traveled crash in Paris 20 years ago last on official royal tours of Poland Thursday. with the news."

In a sign of how the young The couple did not say when and Germany with their parents. George will attend his first royals have helped to modernize the baby was due.

SOURCE: NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES

PHOTO COURTESY OF MISS NORTH CAROLINA SCHOLARSHIP ORGANIZATION

the House of Windsor, the princes have spoken about the trauma of her death and its lasting emotional impact. Harry was in Manchester visiting a center supporting people affected by a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in May when he gave his reaction. "Fantastic, great. Very, very happy for them," he said.

Kate last appeared with the princes on Wednesday when they visited a public garden at Kensington Palace dedicated to Diana but the palace said she would not attend an engagement at a children's center on Monday due to ill health.

"As with her previous two pregnancies, the duchess is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum," the palace said. "The duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace." Hyperemesis gravidarum can cause severe nausea and vomiting and requires supplementary hydration and nutrients. The condition forced Kate to be admitted to hospital in the early months of her first pregnancy with George.

The couple have returned to live in Kensington Palace after an earlier spell in Norfolk, eastern England, enabling them to dedicate more time to their royal duties on behalf of William's grandmother, the queen. William has also given up his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.

One of three herself, Kate had prompted speculation earlier this year that she wanted a third child when she was presented with a cuddly toy designed for newborns during a trip, telling William: "We will just have to have more babies.”

September is Wine and Grape Month Grapes were one of the very first crops planted by Europeans in North Carolina and the New World. By the dawn of the 20th century, North Carolina was the leading wine-producing region in the nation. While prohibition moved N.C.’s illicit moonshine trade to almost mythical status, winemaking was less lucrative and almost disappeared from the Old North State.

After N.C. removed legal banishment of winemaking, the state's winemaking infrastructure and culture had to be rebuilt. In the past two decades, wineries and vineyards have expanded rapidly from Murphy to Manteo.

Today, N.C. boasts a unique variety of grapes and wine and ranks as a top-five destination for wine travelers and enthusiasts in the U.S. Visitors can enjoy more than 100 wineries and 400 vineyards from the mountains to the coast.

North Carolina ranks 10th in wine and grape production in the U.S., and the industry generates an annual economic impact of $1.28 billion and supports nearly 7,600 jobs in the state.

September is wine month in N.C. Wineries, vineyards and government agencies are providing new opportunities for wine aficionados and novices alike to enjoy the fruit of the vine in the Land of the Longleaf Pine. North Carolina is home to five federally recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) which have unique climates, soils and elevations that produce distinctive wines. Only five states are home to more AVAs than N.C. You can start wine and grape month in a big way: Duplin Winery, in Rose Hill, is the largest and oldest winery in the state and the world’s largest muscadine wine producer.

Biltmore Estate Winery, in Asheville, is the most visited winery in the U.S., receiving more than 1 million visitors each year.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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the maker | We Be Raleigh

We Be Raleigh captures capital’s essence

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal KINSTON — The big city of Raleigh is pretty special. There’s the hustle and bustle of the people, bright lights lining the skyline, culture and diversity on every corner, and plenty of things to make the city unique.

We all have some connection to North Carolina’s capital city. And for one Raleigh native, she is helping to remind the whole state that We Be Raleigh.

“I tell people all the time, in Raleigh you can walk into a bar and see a guy who’s wearing sweatpants talking to a guy in a suit and everyone is having a good time,” said Amanda Blackburn. “There’s always a good time, there’s always good people.”

Blackburn, 26, developed We Be Raleigh, a company that puts North Carolina-based designs on T-shirts, prints, drinkware, and any other fun things she and her team create.

Blackburn earned her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from UNC Charlotte. She returned to her hometown of Raleigh where she spends her day designing as part of the marketing team at Highwood Properties. She spends her evenings creating memorable designs celebrating Raleigh.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WE BE RALEIGH

Amanda Blackburn, the founder of We Be Raleigh, poses in one of the company’s shirts.

Blackburn said the web of creation for We Be Raleigh began weaving its way to fruition while sitting around at Foundation bar in downtown Raleigh in late 2014.

“Some friends and I started it around the holidays,” said Blackburn. “One of our friends was moving and talking about how he wanted a Raleigh T-shirt so he could represent this place he’s been enjoying for the past five or six years. I started doodling one of the designs on a napkin at the bar, and from there it started spiraling

“I started doodling one of the designs on a napkin at the bar, and from there it started spiraling into more and more designs.”

— Amanda Blackburn into more and more designs.

“We figured why not go for it

and see how it goes.”

In March 2015, the company launched several T-shirt designs, including the design from Blackburn’s napkin which turned into a T-shirt that says, “If I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free.”

“I’ve lived in North Carolina my whole life, but you can sit there and research this whole place and find things you didn’t know,” she said. “I read our state’s Wikipedia page and our state tag line of ‘First in Flight.’ Then we turned that tag line into a flight of beer and ideas just kept coming.”

“First in Flight” is now a slogan on a T-shirt and drink bottle with a flight of beer properly represented underneath the motto. We Be Raleigh offers happy supporters apparel, decorations and drinkware. Merchandise includes sayings such as “It’s Better on Top” with a location reference noting it’s better to be North Carolina than South Carolina.

Another popular design includes “Cherie Berry Lifts Me Up,” in celebration of North Carolina’s commissioner of Labor. The design featuring Berry’s picture pays homage to the elevator queen who, as most North Carolinian’s know, has her picture on the elevator’s certificate of operation.

“I was sent an article about how Cherie Berry was so recognizable because her picture was in elevators,” said Blackburn. “We thought we had to come up with something for this because this is too well-known among everyone

ENTERTAINMENT ‘Thriller’ was made because Michael Jackson wanted to be a monster “(Thriller) was nobody’s good idea, it was no brilliant business plan.”

— John Landis

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A detail view of the 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow.

Luxury goods a mixed bag for resellers Classic car prices skid but diamonds and wine shine

By Marc Jones Reuters LONDON — The super-rich have seen their jewelry, fine wine and musical instrument collections jump in value again but the Old Master paintings and garages full of classic cars have been a bit of a drag, according to new figures.

Now in its 12th year, blue-blooded UK bank Coutts' “passion” index of the finest things in life returned to positive territory in 2016 after a dip in 2015.

It came thanks to 16.4 percent and 11.6 percent rises in instrument and jewelry prices, a near 10 percent jump in wines, a 6.7 percent rise in watch prices and a 5.3 percent gain for coins where gains since 2005 hit 225 percent.

There were some strains for the ultrawealthy however.

The index's overall 1.2 percent rise was well below its yearly average of 5.3 percent. For the first time in a decade, it was also overtaken

by MSCI's all world stocks index in terms of total, cost-adjusted gains since 2005.

A combination of Brexit, tax changes and frothy price worries saw London's "billionaire properties" — those valued at more than $13 million — drop 7.5 percent.

And even though New York prices

jumped 20 percent, globally the category only managed a 1.8 percent overall rise.

Coutts Managing Director Mohammad Syed said it could be a similar story this year.

"Billionaire property looks like it is holding its value in 2017, but there are a range of headwinds which make the environment challenging such as the potential impact on Sterling due to Brexit uncertainty and the recent increases in Stamp Duty."

Classic cars such as Ferraris, Aston Martins, Jaguars and Porsches, whose prices have risen more than 332 percent and more than any other category since 2005, also went into reverse.

They dropped 10.4 percent though values for extremely sought-after models remains strong.

A rare 1961 SWB California Spider Ferrari 250 GT found in a barn fetched a 250 GT record of $18.15 million last year, and last month a new record was set for a British car when a 1950s Aston Martin DBR1 sold for $22.55 million.

Fine art prices fell between 4.3 and 7.9 percent depending on the style last year.

Since the financial crisis Old Master and 19th century art have been the worst performers on the Coutts index by some margin, with prices down by more than 40 percent on a cost-adjusted return basis.

By Agnieszka Flak Reuters VENICE, Italy — The music video "Thriller" was not the product of a brilliant idea but was made because pop star Michael Jackson wanted to be a monster, director John Landis said at the Venice film festival on Monday.

Landis was in Venice to present the 3-D version of the video, which was made 35 years after the original. It was screened as a special event in the out-of-competition section. "(“Thriller”) was nobody’s good idea, it was no brilliant business plan," John Landis told journalists.

"It was a vanity video because Michael wanted to be a monster. And everything that came, evolved from that, was spectacularly successful and I was totally surprised."

Landis said Jackson first approached him about making the video because he liked his work on "An American Werewolf in London" and the two, along with makeup artist Rick Baker, met to look at photographs from old monster movies.

"Turns out he hasn’t seen many horror films, they were too scary. I found him great," Landis said, laughing. "He wanted zombies, but the big thing for Mike was turning into a monster."

Asked about his first meeting with Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but died in 2009 at the age of 50, Landis said he was "joyful" and "childlike" and quickly became a close family friend.

"Michael was very determined that everything had to be the best, the greatest," he said. "He had a spectacular work ethic, but he was an old pro — the guy has been performing since he was 8 years old."

While making "Thriller" Jackson was happy to "show up and do whatever I wanted," Landis said. It was different when they met again to produce "Black or White" in 1991.

"On 'Black or White' I was working for Michael. It was different. We were still fine, but ... he was much more guarded," Landis said. "I know it’s not easy being a celeb, but to be the most famous person in the world, to have that kind of celebrity is bizarre.

"And here’s someone who was already working from a young age ... he never had a childhood. That's one of the reasons he was so interested in pursuing one as a grownup."

Landis, an American film director, screenwriter, actor and producer, jumped at the idea of converting "Thriller" into 3-D because "I really wanted you to experience it the way Michael wanted you to experience it."

"We went through the whole movie frame by frame, and it was not intended to be in 3-D, so we are not throwing anything at you or anything like that, but it does enhance certain parts of it tremendously ... the dance is much improved," he added.

"My only disappointment is that Michael is not here to see it and hear it because I think he would love that," he said.

in North Carolina to not take advantage of it. The ‘lifts me up’ coordinates with the fact elevators lift you up.”

(The article in reference, “Cherie Berry put her picture in every North Carolina elevator. Here’s how that affected her re-election,” was published by the Washington Post on April 14, 2016.)

“So many people make comments on this design,” said Blackburn. “It’s one of those things that if you are from here or you’ve lived here, you know who she is.”

Even Berry herself appreciated the T-shirts and shared the design image with her followers and fans on social media.

We Be Raleigh does most of its sales online at WeBeRaleigh.com , but often can be found at festival booths.

“I’m constantly doodling in some sense,” said Blackburn. “If I’m doodling, I’m actually paying more attention than not. I start my design process from there.”

More designs are in the works, and Blackburn continues to expand the business.

“When I run into people wearing the shirt, I never say I made the shirt, but I will ask them about it,” she said. “People in turn tell me it’s this company who makes really neat things about North Carolina, which is really nice to hear.

“We Be Raleigh is a company that is really proud of where it’s from. Hopefully a little witty and makes you laugh when walking by.”

WELL PLAYED from page B5 board game cafe in North Carolina. Carolina Tabletop in Pineville has an impressive library for visitors just south of Charlotte, while Geeksboro in Greensboro is more of a “nerd hangout” hosting a wider range of activities including sci-fi cinema, trivia and stand-up comedy nights.

There is a more mainstream vibe at Well Played, where a giant-sized Connect Four on their front patio is often occupied on warm summer evenings. Walk inside and you’ll be met with clean lines and a friendly team member who can walk you through instructions and game rules.

Some of the games are free, but for $5 customers can select from a wall of more than 500 games of strategy or cooperation. The boxes are color-coded by difficulty, and blue dots signal that the game can be played with only two people.

On Monday nights, Well Played hosts a meetup where singles and couples are teamed up with strangers to play four-plus player games. Tuesdays draw in Dungeon & Dragons lovers, with the staff running three-week-long campaigns. And rotating tournaments and guest instructors like Mike Cline, an N.C.-based international chess master, keep programing fresh and inviting for newcomers.

“You look at the wall, and some people can be overwhelmed,” Frazier said. “And then some folks know exactly what they want — they pass Go, and keep heading.”

Even the owners admit they haven’t played all the games on the wall, but their resident Game Masters have and can walk anyone through a new or old set of rules.

“Our head Game Master, Tanner, literally knows the rules to all 500 games in our collection, and that’s not an exaggeration,” revealed Frazier.

“A savant might be the word … and part relationship consoler,” chimed in Mercer, with the owners revealing that Tanner has stepped in more than a few times to help families reconcile disputes over rules and penalties.

But whether it is healthy competition or playing toward a common goal like preventing the spread of a deadly disease before mankind is wiped out in “Pandemic,” board games bring family and friends face-to-face.

In a world where socializing has gone digital, Well Played is helping to facilitate more meaningful interactions — one takeover of Tokyo at a time.

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A detail look at the library of games at Well Played board game cafe.

North State Journal for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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North Carolina Arts, History & Nature

Fall in One Place Autumn is a perfect time to celebrate everything North Carolina has to offer, from the gorgeous weather to local foods to traditional music. From the annual tradition of the North Carolina State Fair to Wide Open Bluegrass to local county fairs and festivals, North Carolina has it all, all in one place.

Explore our complete list of Fall Festivals and Fairs across the state.

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NC DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

dncr.nc.gov/allinoneplace