North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 49

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 49

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

inside Previews of 8 high school football title games, Sports

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Loretta Mainquist, a State Capitol employee from Louisburg, NC, works on the holiday decorations inside the State Capitol in Raleigh in anticipation of Wednesday’s State Tree Lighting Ceremony & Holiday Open House, on Dec. 5. Mainquist normally works the front reception of the building but relishes her role in decorating the building for the holiday. She called today her “fluffing” day. “I just enjoy beauty so much,” said Mainquist. “I was so busy here one year that my tree at home only had half the ornaments on it.”

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Congress to vote on continuing resolution Washington, D.C. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are debating the length of a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating after the Dec. 8 deadline. Democrats have threatened to stop the CR without a deal on DACA recipients, who are noncitizens brought to the U.S. illegally as children. They are protected from deportation until March, when an executive order issued

by Trump in January would sunset the DACA program. The CR is expected for a vote this week.

Conyers stepping down from U.S. House Washington, D.C. Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives, stepped down on Tuesday after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the first member of Congress to leave his seat during a wave of highprofile harassment allegations.

Conyers, who represented the Detroit area for over half a century and was considered a leading figure in civil rights and Democratic politics, endorsed his son to take his place.

NC Teaching Fellows Program accepting online applications Chapel Hill Students interested in pursuing a teaching career in the fields of science, technology, math or special education can now apply online for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. North Carolina Teaching Fellows will receive up to $8,250 per year in forgivable loans if they commit to teach in a STEM or a special education area. For more information visit ncteachingfellows.com.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Concealed carry bill picks up steam Rep. Richard Hudson’s bill would allow state-to-state reciprocity for concealed carry permits

By Donna King North State Journal

carry or ease background checks.

It also requires gun owners to comply with the laws of the states and towns where they are, regardless of the location where the permit was issued.

“Your fundamental right to keep and bear arms should not end at the state line,” the National Rifle Association argues in support of the bill. “This bill would ensure that law-abiding citizens do not lose the ability to protect themselves when they travel from state to state. And it would ensure that anti-gun jurisdictions do not harass travelers for exercising their constitutional rights.”

The measure has 210 Republican co-sponsors and three Democrats. It passed the House Judiciary Committee last week and faces the full House vote as early as Wednesday. It was originally sparked by several cases, among them was that of Brian Fletcher of Butner who was working in New Jersey making utility repairs after Hurricane Sandy in 2015.

Fletcher had an N.C. concealed carry permit, but was arrested on felony gun possession charges because his permit wasn’t recognized there. Fletcher volunteered his gun to a local officer but was

RALEIGH — A key concealed-carry bill could be on the U.S. House floor this week with Second Amendment supporters and law enforcement officers hoping for a big win.

The bill is introduced and sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and called the Concealed Carry and Reciprocity Act. It would make concealed carry permits valid across state lines.

Currently, each state has its own set of rules and permits, some stronger than others.

“Every state recognizes an N.C. driver’s license, so if I drive from my home to D.C., when I get to the Virginia state line I don’t have to stop and take a new driver’s test and get a Virginia license to proceed,” explained Hudson in an interview with North State Journal. “In that same way each state ought to recognize concealed carry rights of the other states.”

The reciprocity bill doesn’t set a national standard for concealed See CARRY, page A2

County tier system dicates funding Economic rankings change for six counties, but some say it’s time for something new

moving to a Tier 3 would be good news. However, the system is not just an economic pulse check for the state government — the tier designations also play a role in determining eligibility for tax credits

By Donna King and grant programs administered North State Journal through the N.C. Department of RALEIGH — Last week, the Commerce, including building reN.C. Department of Commerce use, water and sewer infrastrucreleased its annual rankings of the ture, and the downtown revitalizastate’s 100 counties based on eco- tion Main Street program.

Tier designations also play a role nomic status. The report, required under state law, puts each of the in the state’s Job Development Instate’s counties in a three-tiered vestment Grant (JDIG) program scale based on unemployment rate, which channels money to attract industry to a county. median household Under the programs, income, population companies get more growth and property benefit or a higher tax values. A Tier 1 county “The way you credit for jobs created is the poorest, a Tier 3 raise all ships in a Tier 1 or 2 county county is faring among is with good than they do in a Tier 3. the best in the state.

“Updating the tiers In this year’s re- tax policy and doesn’t change the unport, six counties will good economic derlying problems we change designations in found in the report,” 2018; some for the bet- policy, it should ter, some worse. Ac- benefit everyone. said Sarah Neinow, principle program cording to the Departevaluator at the N.C. ment of Commerce Right now, the General Assembly. report, Lenoir and tier system is Critics of the tier Perquimans counties handicapping system say there are a in eastern N.C. will number of kinks in the shift from a Tier 2 to counties that system, which was dea Tier 1 ranking. For- are doing well veloped in the 1990s. syth County, around and benefiting It doesn’t account for Winston-Salem, will counties with just a change from a Tier 3 those who are handful of prosperto a Tier 2 ranking. underperforming ous towns and it puts Beaufort at the coast economically.” prosperous towns at and Caldwell county, a competitive disadnorthwest of Charlotte vantage. For example, near Hickory, will — Rep. Jason Saine Moore County is home move from Tier 1 to (R-Lincoln) to Pinehurst, an affluTier 2 status. Granville ent golfing community County along the eastern Virginia line will shift from with a posh history, fast growth and wealthier retirees. However, Tier 2 to Tier 3.

Making it a bit more complicat- 15 percent of the county lives beed, small counties — those with low the poverty line and it remains fewer than 12,000 residents — are a Tier 3 county moving into 2018.

Camden County, near the eastautomatically, under state law, categorized as Tier 1. Those with ern border with Virginia and the 50,000 people with 19 percent un- northern Outer Banks, ranks as der the poverty line are also auto- the 20th wealthiest county in the matically a Tier 1. There are also state, but its population of 9,000 considerations in the formula to people automatically make it a show a sliding scale of economic Tier 1.

“It’s made the assumption that if performance. The law calls for 40 counties to be designated as Tier you are a small county then you are 1, 40 counties to be designated as an economically disadvantaged Tier 2, and 20 counties to be desig- county, and that is not always the nated Tier 3.

One would think that a county See TIERS, page A2 2018 County Tier Designations

INSIDE General Assembly leaders call out “special master” maps Jones & Blount

2018 Tier Designations

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2

3

GRAPHIC BY LAUREN ROSE | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

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20177 52016 $2.00

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EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL | FILE

Info from Labor & Economic Analysis study by North Carolina Department of Commerce

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A2 WEDNESDAY

12.06.17 #105

A pill a day means normal lifespan for HIV patients ECU is the largest provider of HIV care in the eastern part of the state and the prognosis isn’t what it once was

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal

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GREENVILLE — In 1983, scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS. A relatively unknown disease in the early 1980s, people were grappling with understanding how its contracted and treated.

Now, more than three decades later, AIDS is no longer a feared topic of conversation, treatments have advanced and those diagnosed are able to lead a lengthier and healthier lifestyle than before.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States with fewer than 200,000 new cases diagnosed per year. While there is still much to do, great progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. “HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease that is very well manageable if patients stay in care and take their medications every day and come to their appointments,” said Dr. Nada Fadul, director of the Ryan White Program at East Carolina University.

ECU’s Ryan White Program is the largest provider of HIV care in eastern North Carolina.

Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who made national headlines in the 1980s for being denied readmission to school following his AIDS diagnosis, is credited with changing the public’s perception of people with the virus.

The Ryan White Program is a federal effort that provides a com-

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Dr. Diane Campbell, Ryan White Administrator, Treatment Adherence Director, Lasean Hutchinson, Social Worker, Community Health Worker Clinical Coordinator, Peter Williams, Consumer and Community Health Worker, Lawanda Todd, Linkage Retention and Community Health Worker Program Coordinator, and Dr. Nada Fadul, Ryan White Director, Infectious Disease Provider.

prehensive system for diagnosed patients that includes primary medical care and essential support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or underinsured. In addition, a portion of the program’s funds provide technical assistance, clinical training and the development of innovative models of care.

“We serve about 1,500 HIV-infected patients in the region, and we provide a one-stop shop where patients can come in, get their medical care and see their doctor, but also we provide a multitude of services for these patients,” said Fadul.

Eighty-five percent of the program’s patients are able to achieve control of their HIV or viral suppression, which has been shown to improve health outcomes and reduce the transmission of HIV to uninfected patients. This rate exceeds the state and national averages.

“The life expectancy for an HIV patient is very similar to somebody

CARRY from page A1 arrested and released only after spending a night in jail and posting $25,000 bail.

“These are examples of good people trying to do the right thing and follow the law, but unwittingly became criminals when they crossed an invisible state line,” said Hudson.

Letters from the states’ attorneys general have come in favor and against the bill, divided along party lines. A letter in support of reciprocity had 24 attorneys general signatures.

“Ten states refuse to recognize any outof-state concealed carry permits, and many more refuse to recognize out-of-state concealed carry permits unless certain conditions are met,” the letter read. “Congress should enact concealed-carry reciprocity legislation, to help implement and enforce the constitutional right to self-defense for millions of law-abiding Americans across the country.”

However, 17 attorneys general, including N.C.’s Attorney General Josh Stein, signed a letter to lawmakers opposing the bill.

“Under the legislation, our residents would lose the protections that their legislators and law enforcement agencies have deemed appropriate, in favor of rules made by states legislating for very different local conditions,” the letter read.

When the House considers the measure, it is likely to be combined with popular legislation to tighten reporting requirements and penalties to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The fix has widespread support in the wake of this year’s shootings in Las Vegas and Souther-

who does not have HIV,” she said.

“The treatment has progressed so far that patients are able to take one pill once a day, and be able to manage their disease long-term without a lot of complications from the HIV itself.”

Making sure patients have access to that life-supporting care, regardless of their health insurance situations or the challenges of serving rural areas, is the mission of the Ryan White Program.

The Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE), examined the prevalence of HIV/ AIDS throughout the 50 states in conjunction with researching reports by each state Department of Health and Human Services to determine the most prevalent counties where HIV/AIDS exists.

CARE determined the top five North Carolina counties with an HIV/AIDS presence were Mecklenburg, Edgecombe, Cumberland, Durham and Guilford.

The North Carolina Public Health Department reported at the

land Springs, Texas.

“It's also helpful the Judiciary Committee is adding language requiring federal agencies to report to Congress to verify that they are complying with the law and reporting to the NICS system,” said Hudson. “The problem that we had with the Texas shooter is that the Air Force didn’t report his domestic abuse conviction to the NICS system so he was able to buy a gun when he shouldn’t have.”

The House is expected to pass it, but critics say that combining the bills might sink them both in the Senate.

“They’re hijacking a modest, bipartisan proposal that would help improve the background check system. It’s outrageous,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “‘Concealed carry reciprocity’ is a poison pill, and Congress should listen to the American people and reject it.”

Opposition to the reciprocity measure is well-funded and getting a lot of attention.

On Wednesday, the day the bill is currently scheduled for debate on the House floor, the Newtown Foundation will hold a preplanned vigil in Washington, D.C., with coordinated ones across the country to raise awareness about gun violence.

Hudson is hopeful that the bill will be considered on its merits, rather than be caught up in the emotion surrounding violence and tragedy. An October New York Times survey found that 73 percent of voters support concealed carry reciprocity.

“An overwhelming majority of Americans support concealed carry reciprocity. Momentum, common sense and the facts are on our side,” said Hudson.

end of 2016 there were 36,700 people living in North Carolina with HIV/AIDS. “Eastern North Carolina is a very rural part of our state and most of the counties we provide services for are rural,” said Dr. Diane Campbell, Ryan White Program administrator and treatment adherence director. “When we look at our patient population, probably one-third of 500 of our clients don’t have any type of health coverage.

“To have a preventable disease that you can actually provide treatments for and have clients not have access to care is really a barrier for the treatment process.”

The Ryan White Program at ECU is the largest HIV clinic east of Interstate 95 in North Carolina with a service area of 28 eastern counties. The majority of the program’s clients are minority, underserved and live at or below the federal poverty limit. The N.C. Public Health Department reports that HIV rates are highest among African-Americans and those living in impoverished neighborhoods.

Ninety percent of women with HIV in the state report they were exposed through heterosexual contact, while 80 percent of men report they were exposed through male-to-male contact.

The program provides holistic HIV care that includes primary HIV medical care, mental health and substance abuse, case management and patient navigation services, transportation and medication assistance, and nutrition services on site. It also includes a referral network for medical, dental and vision. In addition, the Ryan White Program receives grant funding the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

TIERS from page A1 case,” said Nienow.

In Tier 3 Lincoln County, Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) says the system is antiquated, created to cover up bad policy.

“Our performance locks us out of the same economic packages that our neighboring counties have because they are Tier 2, and companies know this,” said Saine. “When they are looking around for a home, the executives will move to my county because they love what we are doing, what the school board is doing, what the county commissioners are doing; but they’ll put their facilities in a neighboring county, and it’s not really fair to us because the tier system rewards the wrong things.”

The Joint Legislative Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight Committee is reportedly planning to examine this issue in the coming months.

“Commerce is just doing what they are directed to do,” said Nienow. “This short session is where legislators can have a thoughtful discussion about what is the usefulness of the tier system and is there a better way to determine the distribution of resources so they are most effective.”

According to a report released in 2015 by the General Assembly’s Program Evaluation division to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee, Tier 2 counties benefitted most from programs using the system to determine resource distribution. In 2015, state programs using the tier system distributed $71.4 million, and $51.6 million of that went to Tier 2 counties.

Tier 1 counties received the second most at $16.9 million, and Tier 1 counties received $2.7 million through the state programs.

The N.C. Department of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment on this report.

Want to learn more about North Carolina Agriculture?

The First Furrow www.FirstFurrow.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A3

BUSINESS Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leaves the Senate floor during debate over the Republican tax reform plan in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1.

JAMES LAWLER DUGGAN | REUTERS

n.c.

FAST FACTS Sponsored by

The N.C. Commerce Department’s Rural Economic Development Division, created in 2013, was established to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of North Carolinian's with particular emphasis on rural communities. The Division, directed by an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, has a number of grant programs and planning services to assist rural counties and rural census tracts: Disaster Recovery Grants, Rural Grants Program, Community Development Block Grant for Economic Development (CDBGED), Industrial Development Fund / Utility Fund, Appalachian Regional Commission, NC Main Street Center, and Rural Planning.

NC delegation breaks for historic tax overhaul near party lines House and Senate leaders will now appoint conference committee members to hammer out differences in plans as potential tax, revenue and employment effects are analyzed

Approved Logos

This week, we highlight how the N.C. Main Street Center works for communities across North Carolina.

The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program and works to stimulate economic development within the context of historic preservation, using a comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization.

As a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program, The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center helps to lead a powerful, grassroots network consisting of over 40 Coordinating Programs and over 1,200 neighborhoods and communities across the country committed to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.

By Emily Roberson North State Journal WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate narrowly approved a tax overhaul on Saturday, moving Republicans and President Donald Trump a big step closer to their goal of slashing taxes for businesses and the rich while offering everyday Americans a mixed bag of changes.

In what would be the largest change to U.S. tax laws since the 1980s, Republicans want to add $1.4 trillion over 10 years to the $20 trillion national debt to finance changes that they say would further boost an already growing economy.

Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House for New York hours after the pre-dawn vote, praised the Senate for passing "tremendous tax reform" and said "people are going to be very, very happy."

Once the Senate and House of Representatives reconcile their respective versions of the legislation, he said, the resulting bill could cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent "to 20 (percent). It could be 22 (percent) when it comes out. It could also be 20 (percent)." U.S. stock markets have rallied for months on hopes that Washington would provide significant tax cuts for corporations.

Celebrating their Senate victory, Republican leaders predicted the tax cuts would encourage U.S. companies to invest more and boost economic growth.

Following Saturday’s vote, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) said, “I’m incredibly pleased to see the Senate’s passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this morning. This bill is an historic opportunity to reform a broken tax code that hasn’t worked for the people of this country in years. We have a responsibility to get our economy moving and put more money back in the pockets of the hard-working Americans who earned it in the first place.”

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) echoed Burr’s support for the bill. “Today, the Senate voted to take us one step closer to historic tax reform that will lead to bigger paychecks for hardworking Americans, and will make our nation more competitive at the global level. In the coming days, differences between the House and Senate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be resolved and improvements will be made, and I’m confident the end result will deliver on our promise to provide much-needed tax relief for the American people.”

The votes for each of the House and Senate versions of the tax bill came along party lines for North Carolina’s congressional delegation, with the exception of Rep. Walter Jones, a Farmville Republican. After the House vote on November 16, Jones released a statement addressing his opposition to the bill. “I’m all for tax reform, but it must grow the economy, not the debt,” by borrowing from "potential foreign adversaries like China, and then put on the backs of American taxpayers,” Jones said.

Advocates of the proposed reforms point to the smaller-scale effects on families, job seekers and small businesses that they say will boost the national economy by simplifying the tax code, lowering rates and creating jobs.

n.c.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Sponsored by

“This bill is an historic opportunity to reform a broken tax code that hasn’t worked for the people of this country in years. We have a responsibility to get our economy moving and put more money back in the pockets of the hard-working Americans who earned it in the first place.”

— Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C) The Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy research organization in Washington, D.C., conducted a state-bystate analysis of the Senate’s bill which highlights potential employment and income numbers that could change if enacted. In North Carolina, the Foundation estimates the creation of nearly 28,000 jobs and an average after-tax income increase of $2,366 per middle income family.

The analysis also detailed the Senate’s proposed elimination of state and local tax deductions. While this would affect the 29 percent of North Carolina residents who itemize these deductions, it will be a larger burden for residents of higher tax states like New York and New Jersey.

The House and Senate versions of the tax bill will now be debated in a conference committee behind closed doors.

Each chamber is expected to set conferees by the end of this week.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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NC Public Power Lights Up for the Holidays More than 70 public power communities illuminate the homes and workplaces of over 1.2 million people in North Carolina. During the holidays, those communities shine even brighter. Here are just a few events in store for this Saturday, Dec. 9.

Downtown Boone Christmas Parade Enjoy lots of treats and surprises— maybe see a Claus or two. After the parade, enjoy refreshments at the Jones House Community Center.

New Bern: The Holly & The Ivy Holiday Homes Tour Marvel at festively decorated historic homes as you stroll through downtown New Bern.

Farmville Christmas Parade Ring in the holiday season as parade participants bring to life the theme, “A Patriotic Christmas.”

Southport Christmas Flotilla Head to the Southport Waterfront for a parade of boats all dressed up for the holidays. Southport Elementary School art students will judge the entries on creativity and variety of decorations.

Winterville Christmas Parade Experience “a slice of the good life,” holiday style, in downtown Winterville.

Selma: American Music Jubilee Christmas Show Every weekend through Dec. 19, visit Selma’s Rudy Theatre for a music and comedy show guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit.

For more holiday-themed events in NC Public Power communities, follow @ElectriCitiesNC on Twitter and @ElectriCities on Facebook.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A4

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

It’s a sweet life

Redistricting Committee chairs call out Persily maps

Sweet potatoes are a versatile and nutritious food for people of all ages. With naturally occurring sugars, nature’s candy will satisfy and nourish even the pickiest eaters. Despite their candy-like flavor, sweet potatoes possess a bevy of nutrients that give you a healthy boost any time of the year.

North Carolina is the No. 1 sweet potato producing state in the United States. N.C. farmers harvest nearly 60 percent of the sweet potatoes grown in the United States.

The sweet potato is the North Carolina state vegetable and several varieties of sweet potatoes are grown, ranging from white and mild to deep red and super sweet. Unsure of how to prepare a sweet potato? They can be baked, roasted, boiled and prepared in a variety of ways; served as a main entrée, side dish or even as a beverage.

When selecting sweet potatoes it is important the sweet potato is firm to the touch,and shows no signs of decay. Store your sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well ventilated container.

Avoid storing raw sweet potatoes in the refrigerator which will produce a hard center and unpleasant taste.

Available 52 weeks of the year, this nutritious vegetable is low in calories and high in taste.

WEST

By Donna King North State Journal

indicates in which counties sweet potatoes are grown in North Carolina

PIEDMONT

Duke University rescinds award to Charlie Rose

Public school choirs to participate in Christmas celebration Wake County Despite opposition from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the Wake County School System will permit nine public school choirs to participate in a Christmas celebration at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Raleigh. Last year, the county school system banned schools from performing at a Nativity event at a church in Apex after the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to the county arguing that the school performances violate constitutional separation of church and state.

FOX NEWS

Historic highway marker missing from I-85 The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources says a highway marker is missing from along I-85 and they are seeking public help in finding it. The historic marker on I-85 and U.S. 29/70 west of Thomasville is about John Mills, the head of Oxford Orphanage and Thomasville Baptist Orphanage and president Oxford Female College. Anyone with information regarding the disappearance or whereabouts of this marker is asked to call 919-807-7291 or email ansley.wegner@ncdcr.gov.

A5

Durham County Duke University stripped journalist Charlie Rose of the Futrell Award over the weekend after several women came forward and accused Rose of sexual misconducted. Rose received the award in 2000 for “exemplifying journalistic integrity and accomplishment.” The DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy said that there was an overwhelming consensus among students and faculty to call the award back in light of the accusations.

Whooping cough outbreak hits five schools

Did you know?

A medium sweet potato baked in its skin has 103 calories and has four grams of dietary fiber. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese and antioxidants

EAST

Fugitive arrested in Connelly Springs

Henderson County A whooping cough outbreak has spread through five schools, including three elementary schools, in Henderson County in western N.C. Eight students were affected by the illness, but public health officials estimate that 500 students may have come in contact with the highly contagious respiratory illness.

Burke County U.S. Marshals arrested Clarence Edward Henderson on Thursday in Burke County. Henderson has been a fugitive on the run for eight years.

He disappeared in 2009 after failing to appear in a Montana court on a possession of firearms by a felon charge. U.S. Marshalls worked together to find he was living in Connelly Springs under the name Chris Danjou.

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

WLOS

WUNC

82 teacher vacancies in Winston-Salem Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is still trying to fill 82 vacancies for certified teachers.

Approximately 32 of the open jobs are in the elementary schools and the rest are primarily for teaching exceptional children in math and science positions.

Right now, the school system has substitutes in the positions and other teachers giving up their planning periods to fill the gaps. The system is also looking for about 20 school bus drivers.

WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL

Man charged for leaving baby in car alone

2000s recession shows in Christmas tree prices

McDowell County A North Carolina man has been charged with child abuse after he allegedly left a 3-month-old alone in a vehicle for about an hour. On Saturday, authorities responded to a 911 call reporting a suspicious vehicle with a baby inside and no one else around. They found the 3-month-old girl belonging to Alejandro Gabriel Escobar, 26, of Marion. Ecobar came out of the woods where investigators say he had been for approximately an hour while the child was in the vehicle.

A nationwide shortage of Christmas trees is being attributed to the economic recession of the late 2000s.

Western North Carolina tree farms are reporting an increased demand and prices that are up 10 percent this year.

The Christmas Tree Association says that during the recession Christmas tree farmers planted fewer trees, resulting in fewer tall ones this year.

N.C. is the second largest exporter of trees in the nation, behind Oregon.

WLOS

Body of missing North Carolina girl found, charges filed Onslow/Pender County Court documents allege that the 3-year-old Onslow County girl who was missing for six days and whose body was found in a creek on Saturday night, was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. Earl Kimery, 32, was arrested in connection with Mariah Woods’ disappearance, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said.

Her body was found in neighboring Pender County, shortly thereafter.

Kimery is being held on one million dollars bail. Family and neighbors gathered Tuesday for a vigil near Mariah’s home.

REUTERS

CITIZEN-TIMES

School placed on lockdown after report of weapon on campus Onslow County Jacksonville High School was put on lockdown Tuesday morning around 9 a.m. due to a report of a weapon on campus. Jacksonville police sealed off entrances, and parents were notified by text and phone calls. The lockdown was lifted about an hour later, once authorities determined there was no longer a threat. Some parents came to pick up their students early after the lockdown was lifted.

WNCT

Cedar Point ready for weekend festival Carteret County The Crystal Coast Christmas Festival is set for its four-day run Thursday thru Sunday. Organized by the Gateway Western Carteret Alliance, the festival provides family fun with ice skating, music, food trucks and vendors, bouncy houses, pony rides, farm animals, dog parade, Santa Claus, and more. Events begin at 5 p.m. Thursday with ice skating.

CARTERET COUNTY NEWS TIMES

County commissioners are tired of waiting Halifax County The Halifax County Board of Commissioners made it clear to leaders of Klausner Mill No. 2 it isn’t pleased the mill is not yet operational. Klausner Mill No. 2 Secretary Thomas Mende told the board Monday the company has been having some issues with its mill in Florida, a mill that is very similar to the Enfield location. Among those problems is the lack of lumber that can be fed into the mill in the facility’s log yard. When operational, the Enfield mill is expected to employ 120-150 people per shift. The commissioners refused Klausner’s request to compromise or eliminate a 10 percent penalty on the firm’s property taxes for 2016.

ROANOKE RAPIDS DAILY HERALD

CLAY CENTER DISPATCH

It’s a sweet life.

RALEIGH — N.C. House Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) and Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), chairmen of the redistricting committees, responded Friday to the proposed maps from “special master” Nathaniel Persily of Stanford University, calling the updates “thinly veiled political operation” designed to give Democrats an electoral advantage.

Persily was appointed by the federal threejudge panel hearing the Covington v. North Carolina case, in which plaintiffs claim that the state’s new legislative maps were still in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Persily redrew the state’s legislative district maps to incorporate what Republicans say are most of the Democrat plaintiffs’ requested changes. His maps make boundary changes to the ones passed by lawmakers in 2017, which they say already corrected gerrymandering concerns.

Without issuing a formal ruling on the maps, judges said in October that it was “likely” that the legislature’s new maps still wouldn’t pass constitutional muster. They tapped Persily to review them or give them another version. He elected to redraw them, and Republican lawmakers say the result was a partisan map giving Democrats an edge.

“By making many changes Democrats demanded, Mr. Persily has confirmed our worst suspicions: this entire ‘judicial process’ is little more than a thinly veiled political operation where unelected judges, legislating

from the bench, strip North Carolinians of their constitutional right to self-governance by appointing a left-wing California professor to draw districts handing Democrats control of legislative seats they couldn’t win at the ballot box,” said Lewis and Hise.

Lawmakers had remained largely quiet on Persily’s involvement, except to say that they believed it was a partisan move and that the federal judges could not hand over N.C.’s right to draw its own maps to a California-based professor. Persily served as a special master for redistricting plans in New York, Connecticut, Georgia and Maryland, and served on a special elections reform committee appointed by former President Barack Obama following the 2014 elections.

N.C. Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue (D-Wake) disagreed, saying he hopes a “legitimate” legislative body will be elected in 2018.

“The maps submitted to the three-judge panel are the biggest step forward for North Carolinians in the past six years.” he said. “We are less concerned with political wins at this juncture. What the people need is reassurance that they have the opportunity to fairly choose their legislators. Mr. Persily was successful in delivering a win to voters that Republicans have been unwilling to provide over the past several years.”

Legislative Republicans argue districts drawn and approved by the General Assembly should remain in place, and Nathaniel Persily’s involvement is unwarranted when there’s been no order or explanation from the court that anything is wrong with their maps.

Climate activists delay energy projects in NC and across the nation

By Timothy Gardner Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — National environmental groups waging legal battles against energy projects are delaying approval of U.S. natural gas pipelines, a top federal energy regulator said on Thursday.

The groups have lawyers who “understand how to use all of the levers of federal and state law to frustrate pipeline development,” Neil Chatterjee, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), told a meeting of natural gas industry officials.

Some recent approvals of natural gas pipelines, such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline from West Virginia to eastern North Carolina, have taken two years or more. Chatterjee said he hoped a timeline of two-plus years would not become the new industry norm.

While industry officials have often complained about climate activists, Chatterjee’s comments, which he said reflected his opinion, are rare for a regulator.

He did not identify any specific green groups, but the Sierra Club and 350.org both have well-funded campaigns to reject energy projects, including those in N.C. The groups are fighting development of fossil fuels including oil, coal and fracked natural gas, because they say the production slows the transition to cleaner sources, like wind and solar power, and the conservation and storage of energy.

With the support of the Sierra Club, Gov. Roy Cooper’s Department of

LEARN MORE ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATOES AT WWW.NCSWEETPOTATOES.COM

Environmental Quality rejected Duke Energy’s map for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in October saying it didn’t meet the state requirements for erosion control. The Cooper administration gave developers 60 days to submit additional information.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to boost output of the fuels to increase jobs in the industry and sell energy exports to allies.

In August, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court rejected FERC’s approval of the Southeast Market Pipelines Project to bring gas to power plants in Florida after the Sierra Club sued the agency over the climate impact of burning the gas.

The lawyers with green groups exert pressure on the FERC review processes with lawsuits and other legal wrangling on federal endangered species, clean water and environmental review laws, said Chatterjee, a Republican. He will head FERC until next month’s expected swearing in of Kevin McIntyre, an energy industry lawyer.

FERC’s staff members are “forced to devote significant resources to responding to arguments and ensuring a robust record that can withstand subsequent court challenges,” Chatterjee said.

As energy companies seek to transport gas to cities and to a growing number of liquefied natural gas operations for export, the approval of pipelines will top the agenda next year for FERC.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor | Troy Kickler, deputy opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Paying for the tax bill

The only people who can’t vote to cut spending anywhere in the federal budget are those who love government spending to begin with.

HERE’S A NOVEL IDEA for every member of Congress who said they voted against the tax reform bill, in part or in whole, because it would “explode the national debt” by $1 trillion over 10 years: Pass a bill to reduce federal spending by $1 trillion over 10 years.

This includes every Democrat in the Senate and House plus Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and 13 House Republicans.

Just because a tax bill is scored as “losing” revenue over 10 years by Congressional Budget Office doesn’t mean Congress can’t take steps to “pay for” that loss of revenue by cutting spending elsewhere.

The only people who can’t vote to cut spending anywhere in the federal budget are those who love government spending to begin with. Some, except perhaps Corker and the 13 House Republicans, have never voted to cut one dime from the federal budget unless is it in defense or another line item they don’t like.

Federal spending is expected to be $4.1 trillion in FY 2018. There are 4.1 trillion ways to cut federal spending annually. The number of ways to get to $1 trillion in deficit-neutrality is endless.

Here are four substantive ways Congress can get to $1 trillion in deficit-neutrality: • Raise the eligibility age for Medicare in graduated steps until it gets to 67. Saves $148 billion over 10 years.

• Raise the eligibility age for Social Security in two-month increments to age 70. Saves $120 billion over 10 years.

• “Bend” the benefits formula for Social Security down to the point where everyone gets the minimum poverty protection benefits and then phase-down the formula to where no benefits are paid above a certain amount.

Saves more than $36 billion over 10 years.

• Reduce employer tax exclusion for medical insurance premiums by roughly 15 percent.

Reduces deficit by approximately $700 billion over the next decade.

There’s $1 trillion in offsets needed to make this tax bill completely deficit-neutral.

We will wait with bated breath to see if those who voted nay because of their stated concern about the deficit will adopt such measures to make this tax bill not add any more to the roughly $31 trillion in national debt we are expected to have in 2027 without this tax package or any other changes.

My guess is they probably won’t.

If anyone is dead-serious about reducing the amount of debt we are loading up on our children and grandchildren, they will support the three entitlement proposals above.

Flattening the cost curve in Medicare and Social Security to under 3 percent annual growth would almost balance the budget by 2024 without any other spending cuts or tax

increases anywhere else in the budget.

CBO estimates that a combination of these entitlement reforms could result in a lowering of future federal budget costs by anywhere from 2 to 4 percent of annual GDP. Four percent of a projected American GDP of $40 trillion in 2040 would mean annual savings of $1.6 trillion in our federal budget.

The reality staring us in the face is that we are operating a government based on policies and presumptions about health and longevity from 1935 and 1965. It is time to update our programs to reflect the realities of longer life expectations and technological advances in the 21st century, not the 20th century.

If we don’t, our children and grandchildren are going to be saddled with a dreadful amount of debt that many current elected politicians say they are concerned about but never do anything to prevent.

Perhaps they doth protest too much about federal debt. If they really want to cure our long-term debt problem, they can pass these spending reform proposals. This week.

EDITORIAL | TROY KICKLER

Titans of industry innovated to their lofty heights

Carnegie advised: “Put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket!”

WHEN THE HEADLINES are not filled with allegations of various types of collusion with the Russians or who has been accused of (or is apologizing for) sexual harassment or abuse of power, the tax plan has caught people’s attention.

While the debate about corporate tax rates was swirling in the halls of Congress, I coincidentally was watching a docudrama, “The Men Who Built America.” Among them were the American Triumvirate of John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and John Pierpont Morgan.

At 13, Carnegie started working and learning various railroad jobs. In doing so he realized that railroad bridges were the next big thing, so he started Keystone Bridge Company. With the Lucy blast furnace, his company doubled the average pig iron production (642 tons per week). In creating vertical management that controlled, writes Larry Schweikart, “every aspect of product development, from raw materials to manufacturing to sales,” the former penniless immigrant became America’s leading steelmaker. Counter to commonly held practices, Carnegie advised: “Put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket!”

John D. Rockefeller controlled 80 percent of the kerosene market by the 1880s. He eventually controlled 90 percent of the refined oil business, and muckraker Ida Tarbell, for one, believed his Standard Oil to be the “meanest monopoly known to history.” Rockefeller indeed wanted to absorb

competition, yet he admitted that competitors, in some form, would always emerge. To Rockefeller, Standard Oil was “refining oil for the poor man,” so he might be able to buy it “cheap and good.” Meanwhile, his wealth grew exponentially to unheard amounts by modern-day standards. Eventually, an aging Rockefeller and Carnegie seemed to be in a philanthropic competition.

The son of an investment banker, J.P. Morgan was not a “rags-to-riches” story.

He did change business practices, however.

After the Panic of 1873, Morgan rescued many subsidized and corrupt railroads. He introduced them, as Schweikart writes, to “modern accounting methods and line-andstaff managerial structures” — a “visible hand” that restored profitability. Morgan was so successful that after the economic Panic of 1893 he had negotiated a bailout and provided 3.5 million ounces of gold (at $17.80 an ounce) for the U.S. Treasury to avoid national bankruptcy.

Charles Pillsbury, Henry Heinz, Joseph Campbell, Isaac Singer, William Proctor and James Gamble were successes in other industries.

Another titan was James B. Duke of North Carolina, the innovative founder of American Tobacco Company. To Duke, one had to spend money to make money to do something worthwhile. The key was to “learn how to spend it.” Initially he was criticized for his new-fangled method of making cigarettes by machine. Competitors predicted

his bankruptcy within a year. By that time, however, he was buying up his critics.

One of the keys to Duke’s success was also his ability to locate and nurture talent.

In particular, he was interested in hiring ambitious prospects, with an ability to learn.

He gave his hires responsibilities and let them make mistakes. But making the same mistake was unacceptable.

Duke also implemented a version of employee professional development. He would often ask employees questions about the business. An incorrect answer was not a problem. But one knew that Duke would ask the question again at a later date. The ones who had not learned the answer by the second time were “marked men.”

Like Carnegie, Duke had knowledge of his industry from the ground up. He had worked the most menial jobs in the industry to being the industry’s head.

Duke also preferred to hire potential workers and leaders from rural areas. In a more eloquent statement that predated Hank Williams’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” Duke once said: “The country boy can come to town and soon learn all the town boy knows, but the town boy can never get all that the country boy has.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

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GUEST OPINION | ANNA BEAVON GRAVELY

Thanks, but no thanks to Amazon ‘Incentives’ But away from the spotlight you will find the losers of corporate welfare: the small businesses struggling to stay afloat.

STATES ARE IN a fierce bidding war to be the site of Amazon’s second North America headquarters, each trying to outdo the other in offering up millions in taxpayer-funded “incentives.” Our own Gov. Roy Cooper has joined this race to the bottom. If Amazon chooses North Carolina, the company will be in line to receive millions in economic development cash compliments of the state’s taxpayers.

It would hardly be the first time Cooper has used public funds to pick winners and losers in business.

Since taking office, the governor has doled out more than $125 million in taxpayer dollars to hand-picked corporations like Credit Suisse.

These generous taxpayer subsidies rarely make economic sense. The $40.2 million awarded to Credit Suisse will produce only 1,200 new jobs — a price tag of $33,500 per job. Likewise, the $11.8 million given to insurance company AXA is slated to create only 550 jobs, or $21,455 per job.

It’s easy enough to spot the winners of this rigged game. Large corporations enjoy millions in handouts. Cooper can boast about all the jobs created while taking part in swanky ribboncutting ceremonies.

But away from the spotlight you will find the losers of corporate welfare: the small businesses struggling to stay afloat, the young entrepreneurs who can’t compete with established interests, and the taxpayers who are forced to pick up the tab.

A 2016 survey found that millennials launched about twice as many new companies as their parents did, and at younger ages. They have even bigger dreams for the future: A recent survey of small business owners in North Carolina and three other states found that 82 percent of millennials expect to grow their business in the next six to 12 months.

Fair competition is paramount to our young entrepreneurs. Growing a small business isn’t easy at any age, but it is even harder to succeed when your bigger competitors have secured special tax privileges from the government.

WALTER WILLIAMS

Corporate welfare enthusiasts like Cooper will always try to justify it as “creating jobs.” But as we’ve seen here in North Carolina, lowering and simplifying taxes for everybody does far more to create jobs than special handouts for the few.

Just look at the extraordinary progress our state has made in recent years. Since 2011, the General Assembly has lowered personal and corporate income tax rates, eliminated the estate tax and simplified other business taxes. This year, lawmakers overrode Cooper’s veto to enact even more tax cuts for North Carolinians, which will result in $476.4 million in savings for businesses over the next five years.

The results are plain to see: U.S. News & World Report named North Carolina one of the top 10 states for economic growth in 2017,while Forbes ranked us the second-best state for business last year.

That’s the kind of success that makes companies flock to our state. It may even attract Amazon, which is looking to locate somewhere with a “stable and business-friendly environment” and the “potential to attract and retain strong technical talent.” Temporary tax breaks won’t produce that kind of business climate, but equitable pro-growth policies will.

Millennials have edged out the Boomers to become the largest generation in North Carolina, and their entrepreneurial drive will reshape our state in ways we can’t yet imagine. Our six-year track record of reducing taxes — one the greatest barriers to opportunity — is helping even more young people pursue their dreams.

However, the ambitions of the next generation are thwarted when Cooper rewards the wellconnected at the expense of their competitors and taxpayers. It’s time to end these unfair handouts, because as experience has shown us, corporate welfare is a losing game.

Anna Beavon Gravely is the North Carolina state director of Generation Opportunity.

Amazon’s campus in Seattle, Washington, in both the downtown and South Lake Union neighborhoods.

Germany has done in Bavaria what Spain and Italy, in its Veneto region, have done; it has upheld the integrity of state borders.

been sharing information with me about what amounts to a “secret society” that exists within a closed circle of management. It protects the misdeeds of those in power from ever being reported. This includes inmates. Employees at lower levels are told by management that, “Not a word will be spoken about what goes on within these walls or it will be trouble for you; even your job!”

There is little or no trust by correction officers in management. Correction officers and other prison staff are beyond frustrated by the continuing downward spiral within the system, including the lack of adequate security and support for them to do their jobs properly as well as a lack of training for newly recruited officers. They are being forced to put up with rampant gang activity. In addition, on almost any confrontation between a correction officer and an inmate, management sides with inmates.

Officers are disrespected and demoralized, while putting their lives on the line every day. And for what? Seasoned personnel know much of what is wrong within the system.

They see it every day. The problem is no one in management listens, or seems to even care.

As for those who will talk; they realize it will likely mean their jobs. This should no longer be tolerated. The folks on the inside are fed up!

Unless things change for the better and soon, we will continue to see more correction officers heading for the exits and their exits to date have been unprecedented.

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, of which I am a recently added member, is scheduled to meet again in Raleigh on Jan. 4. In my view, they need to either do a complete investigation, including recommendations for overall reform, or establish a subcommittee to do the same.

They should seek subpoena power so that they can get to the bottom of this alleged secret society once and for all.

Bob Steinburg represents North Carolina House District 1 in the N.C. General Assembly.

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

GUEST OPINION | BOB STEINBURG

Alleged secret society endangers our prisons

There is little or no trust by correction officers in management.

OFFICIALS IN Catalonia, Spain’s richest and most highly industrialized region, whose capital is Barcelona, recently held a referendum in which there was a 92 percent vote in favor of independence from Spain. The Spanish authorities opposed the referendum and claimed that independence is illegal. Catalans are not the only Europeans seeking independence.

Some Bavarian people are demanding independence from Germany, while others demand greater autonomy. Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled: “In the Federal Republic of Germany ... states are not ‘masters of the constitution.’ ... Therefore, there is no room under the constitution for individual states to attempt to secede. This violates the constitutional order.”

Germany has done in Bavaria what Spain and Italy, in its Veneto region, have done; it has upheld the integrity of state borders. There is an excellent article written by Joseph E. Fallon, a research associate at the UK Defence Forum, titled “The Catalan Referendum, regional pressures, the EU, and the ‘Ghosts’ of Eastern Europe.” Fallon writes that by doing what it’s doing in Bavaria, “Berlin is violating international law on national selfdetermination. It denies to Bavaria what it granted to the 19 states that seceded from Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. In fact, Germany rushed to be first to recognize the independence of Slovenia and Croatia.”

It did that, according to Beverly Crawford, an expert on Europe at the University of California, Berkeley, “in open disregard of (a European Community) agreement to recognize the two states under EC conditionality requirements.”

The secessionist movements in Spain, Germany and Italy have encountered resistance and threats from the central governments, and in Catalonia’s case, secessionist leaders have been jailed. The central governments of Spain, Germany and Italy have resisted independence despite the fact they are signatories to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which holds that “all peoples have the right of selfdetermination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

Fallon notes the hypocrisy of Spain, Germany and Italy, as well as the entire European Union. Back in 1991, the EC — the precursor to the EU — “issued its conditions for recognizing the unilateral declarations of independence by states seceding from Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.” Fallon argues that these same guidelines should be applied to the states of Catalonia, Bavaria and Veneto. Isn’t it double talk for members of the EU to condemn independence movements today, given that they welcomed and supported independence movements for states that were members of the communist bloc?

Catalonia, Bavaria and Veneto are relatively prosperous jurisdictions in their countries. They feel that what they get from the central governments is not worth the taxes they pay. Each wants the central government off its back. They think they could be far more prosperous on their own.

That should sound familiar. Some of the motivation for secessionist movements in Europe is similar to the motivation found in the Confederacy’s independence movement of the early 1860s.

Throughout most of our nation’s history, the only sources of federal revenue were excise taxes and tariffs. In the 1830s, the North used its power in Congress to push through massive tariffs to fund the government. During the 1850s, tariffs amounted to 90 percent of federal revenue.

The Southern states were primarily producers of agricultural products, which they exported to Europe. In return, they imported manufactured goods. These tariffs fell much harder upon the exportdependent South than they did upon the more insular North. In 1859, Southern ports paid 75 percent of federal tariff revenue. However, the majority of the tariff revenue generated was spent on projects that benefited the North.

Tariffs being a contributing cause of the Civil War is hardly ever mentioned.

Using the abolition of slavery as an excuse for a war that took the lives of 620,000 Americans confers greater moral standing for the Union.

JORDAN STEAD | AMAZON

MANY OF US who live in rural North Carolina understand the importance of our state prisons to our economy. Most are located here.

They employ a significant number of people responsible for keeping us safe by maintaining security within these facilities. In fact, hardly a day goes by when we don’t see a correction officer at the grocery store, or waiting in line at the drugstore to have a prescription filled. Some are friends and neighbors we know, while others can only be identified by the patch on the sleeves of their gray or blue shirts. Other than a friendly hello or nod, we hardly gave them another thought, until April 26, 2017. That was the day that 29-year-old correction officer Sgt. Megan Callahan was brutally murdered by an inmate at the Bertie Correctional Institute.

Megan was a more than competent correction officer who loved her job. Her cold-blooded murder stunned everyone. When her family came to Raleigh, where Megan was honored by the state House and Senate, I said on the House floor that I truly hoped and prayed that her death would lead to reforms that would help reduce the chance of something like this ever happening again. Most assumed that would indeed be the case. As we learned six short months later, it wasn’t.

On Oct. 12 at the Pasquotank Correctional Institute, a prison breakout attempt resulted in the ultimate deaths of four more correction employees by inmates. The victims: Veronica Darden, Justin Smith, Wendy Shannon and Geoffrey Howe. I suggested a legislative commission be established that would review prison management and conditions from top to bottom, including the operations of Correction Enterprises. The next day the Department of Corrections stated they were going to have an independent investigation conducted at both Bertie and Pasquotank. In my view, too little, too late. Any investigation needs to be systemwide. The problems are systemic.

For the last six months I have been speaking with corrections personnel from many of the 55 correction facilities across the state. They have

Independence hypocrisy

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North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Nation & WORLD

Supreme Court lets Trump’s latest travel ban go into full effect Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his latest travel ban on people from “countries of concern,” as identified by the U.S. State Department, to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The nine-member court, with two of the liberal justices dissenting, granted his administration’s request to lift two injunctions imposed by lower courts that had partially blocked the ban, which is the third version of the policy that Trump passed in the interest of national security and fighting terrorism.

Kushner: Trump still weighing whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

South Korea, U.S. launch air drills amid North Korean warnings of nuclear war

Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Sunday, a move that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. “He’s still looking at a lot of different facts, and then when he makes his decision, he’ll be the one to want to tell you, not me,” Kushner said at an annual conference on U.S. policy in the Middle East organized by the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.

Seoul, South Korea The United States and South Korea went ahead with largescale joint aerial drills on Monday, a move North Korea had said would push the Korean peninsula to “the brink of nuclear war,” ignoring calls from Russia and China to call them off. The drills come a week after North Korea said it had tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States as part of a weapons program that it has conducted in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation.

Last-minute wrangling as May heads for Brussels Brexit lunch

Russia to start registering some foreign media as ‘foreign agents’ this week

London British negotiators were locked in last-minute talks with their European Union and Irish counterparts, trying to put together a Brexit deal that Prime Minister Theresa May might agree over lunch in Brussels.

London has broadly agreed to many of the EU’s divorce terms, including paying out something like 50 billion euros. But the issues of the rights of expatriate citizens and the UK-EU border on the island of Ireland remain fraught, diplomats said.

St. Petersburg Russia’s justice ministry will start registering some foreign media as “foreign agents” this week, the RIA news agency cited a source in the Russian upper house of parliament. Nine U.S. media outlets, including the Voice of America and Radio Liberty, are likely to enter the list of “foreign agents” to be approved by Russia’s parliament, the source at the legislature’s Federation Council chamber told RIA.

Trump outlines land reduction in Utah monuments, tribes prepare to sue Trump will ask Congress consider the areas being removed for designation as a national conservation or national recreation sites, and create a comanagement structure for tribes

A man walks over a natural bridge at Butler Wash in Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah, on Oct. 27.

By Lawrence Hurley Reuters WASHINGTON/SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump announced a reduction in the acreage of two of Utah’s sprawling wilderness national monuments on Monday saying he wanted the people of Utah to control the land. Native American tribes and environmental groups call it an attack on crucial land protections.

Trump’s announcement, which amounts to the largest rollback of national monument land designation in U.S. history, follows a months-long review by the Interior Department that he ordered in April to identify which of 27 monuments designated by past presidents should be rescinded or resized to provide states and local governments more control of the land.

“Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They’re wrong,” Trump said while announcing the decision in the state capitol, alongside Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert and the Utah congressional delegation.

Unlike national parks that can only be created by an act of Congress, national monuments can be designated unilaterally by presidents under the century-old Antiquities Act, a law meant to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects, but according to the Interior Department study and Trump, had been used as a “massive land grab” under some administrations.

Trump said former presidents abused the Antiquities Act by putting unnecessarily big chunks of territory off limits to drilling, mining, grazing, road traffic and other activities — a headwind to his plan

ANDREW CULLEN | REUTERS | FILE

to ramp up U.S. energy production.

Trump signed two proclamations after his speech. One would reduce the 1.3 million acre Bears Ears National Monument, created in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama, to 228,784 acres split into two separate areas.

The other would cut to the state’s 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument created by President Bill Clinton in 1996 nearly in half, splitting it into three areas.

While a handful of monuments have been resized in the past, none has been cut back to such an extent.

Republican Congressman Rob Bishop of Utah, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, is expected to introduce legislation after Trump’s announcement to carry out the cuts, a House aide said. It is unclear if the measure would have a chance of passing the Republican-controlled body.

Trump will also ask Congress to look at the areas that are being removed from the current monuments to consider designating some as a national conservation or national recreation areas, and create a co-management structure for tribes, an administration official said.

Tribal leaders representing the five tribes that pushed for the creation of the monument, and who now manage it, said they will take the Trump administration to court. They include the Navajo, Hopi,

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Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain and Ute Indians who consider Bears Ears sacred. “We will be fighting back immediately. All five tribes will be standing together united to defend Bears Ears,” said Natalie Landreth, an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, which believes the cut would violate the Antiquities Act. Jonathan Nez, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said the president was ignoring the treaty rights of sovereign Native American nations.

“It’s a sad day in Indian country,” said Nez, who added that the Interior Department did not listen to the tribal leaders who fought to create the monument.

Obama created Bears Ears — an area bigger than Delaware and named for its iconic twin buttes — days before leaving office after lobbying by the tribes.

Conservation groups and outdoor clothing company Patagonia have also said they plan to file a legal challenge, arguing the administration ignored public support for the monuments.

Others, however, welcomed Trump’s announcement as a chance to boost the economy in one of America’s most remote areas.

“Reducing the size of monument would help free up a lot of land that has been under oppression,” said Mike Noel, a state representative from Kane County, more than half of which is occupied by Grand Staircase.

U.N. political affairs chief to visit North Korea this week

By Michelle Nichols Reuters NEW YORK — United Nations political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman will visit North Korea from Tuesday to Friday to meet with officials to discuss “issues of mutual interest and concern,” the United Nations said on Monday amid escalating tensions in the region.

Feltman, a former senior U.S. State Department official, will meet with North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

“The visit is in response to a long-standing invitation from the authorities in Pyongyang for a policy dialog with the U.N.,” Dujarric told reporters.

“He will also meet with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as visit U.N. project sites,” Dujarric told reporters, adding that Feltman was also visiting China.

The United Nations said it believed Feltman would be the first senior U.N. official to travel to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe visited in February 2010 and former U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos visited in October 2011.

The United States and South Korea went ahead with large-scale joint aerial drills on Monday, a move North Korea had said would push the Korean peninsula to “the brink of nuclear war.” Russia and China wanted the drills called off.

The exercises were conducted a week after Pyongyang said it had tested its most advanced long-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its missile and nuclear programs.

At a U.N. Security Council meeting last week to discuss the missile test, U.N. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned that while Washington does not seek war with Pyongyang, “if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.”

Dujarric said the invitation for Feltman to visit was issued by North Korea on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York in September, but confirmed only late last week.

When asked if Feltman was paving the way for a visit by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Dujarric said: “We hope to have more afterwards.”

Helping farmers grow with technology www.vantagesouthatlantic.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

Duke cheerleader Sydnei Murphy performs during a Dec. 2 basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Murphy is also a track star for the Blue Devils.

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT

SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Four NC FBS schools accept bowl bids Four N.C. schools know where they’re bowling this postseason.

Appalachian State plays first, facing Toledo in the Dollar General Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 23. The day after Christmas, Duke will play Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Then on Dec. 29, NC State will be in El Paso, Texas, for the Hyundai Sun Bowl against Arizona State, while Wake Forest plays Texas A&M at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.

NC State senior defensive end Bradley Chubb on Monday won the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to college football’s best defensive player. He is the first player in Wolfpack history to win the honor — former linebacker Levar Fisher was a finalist for the award in 2000. Chubb finished the season with 26½ tackles for loss and 10 sacks, both tops in the ACC, and is considered a sure-fire firstround pick in April’s NFL Draft.

COLLEGE SOCCER

UNC men advance to College Cup North Carolina advanced to the College Cup on Alan Winn’s header in the 79th minute to beat Fordham 2-1 in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament game Saturday in Cary. The Tar Heels now head to Philadelphia where they will face Indiana on Friday.

The winner of that game will face either Stanford or Akron from the other semifinal match on Sunday in the championship game.

cheerleading squad, performing at Blue Devils football and basketball games.

“I did it in high school,” Murphy explained. “When I got recruited for track, I asked the coach if

By Shawn Krest I could do both. He said he’d be North State Journal open to the opportunity.”

She spent her freshman year DURHAM — During Duke’s early season win over Southern focusing on track, partly because University, one of the cheerlead- she didn’t know when cheerleading tryouts were. At the end of the ers decided to take it easy.

“In one of the routines, I was year, however, she got her chance supposed to do a standing tuck,” to moonlight.

“A friend who’s on the said junior cheerleadcheer team said, ‘Hey, if er Sydnei Murphy. For you still want to do it, those unfamiliar with tryouts are tonight at 6.’ tumbling, that’s a full It was like 5:45, so I ran backflip from a stand- “It’s a over there.” ing position.

Coach Alayne Rusnak It wasn’t happen- release. said, “Try out and we’ll ing on that night. “I It’s a time see.” said, ‘You know what? away from Despite the lack of I’m going to do a back prep time — Murphy handspring instead,’” track, so I said she had just enough Murphy recalled. can clear time to run down to “That’s where your the track locker room hands touch, as op- my head posed to not.” and refocus and change into workout clothes — the tryout Murphy had a good went well. reason for deciding to when I’m “She showcased take the safe route — actually skilled gymnastics and she’d just finished a there.” was a quick study picktwo-hour workout for ing up the choreograDuke’s track team bephy,” Rusnak said. “Sydfore heading over to — Sydnei nei had a strong presence Cameron and changing Murphy, and was not intimidated into a skirt. by the environment or The Apex native Duke track the stress of tryouts.” has earned All-ACC athlete and When Murphy was honors in long jump, cheerleader done, Rusnak told her, 4x400 relay and set the “Let’s make this work.”

Duke school record in It hasn’t been easy. For the 60-meter and 4x200 relay. She competes in 17 different events game against Southern, Murphy during the indoor season and 21 had to reschedule her individual workout with a coach to earlier outdoor events.

As a high school senior, she was in the day. The following day, for named the top female track ath- Duke’s 3:30 p.m. football game lete in North Carolina, sharing against Georgia Tech, she had a the honor with the men’s win- two-hour full-team workout until ner — NC State-bound Nyheim 1, meaning she’d have to arrive at Hines. And like Hines, she decid- Wallace Wade a little later than ed that one collegiate sport just the rest of the cheerleaders.

“Both coaches have been super wasn’t going to be enough.

For the last two years, Murphy has been a member of Duke’s See DUKE, page B4

Two-sport athlete thinks tumbling helps clear her mind for track

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Chubb named college’s best defensive player

Duke track star Sydnei Murphy pulls double duty as cheerleader

The Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs won the state 1AA title last season — and are looking to do the same in 2A on Saturday.

High schools vie for state football titles Sixteen teams will play across eight classes

By Brett Friedlander and Shawn Krest North State Journal The North Carolina high school football season comes to an end Saturday with championship games across eight classes, all played in ACC football venues at Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest. Here’s a preview of the eight games, featuring players who could be making an impact on future Saturdays in the college ranks.

4A: Scotland Scots vs. Harding University Rams BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, 4 p.m.

The Scots (12-1) lost Georgia commit Zamir White, the nation’s top-ranked high school running back, to a torn ACL in their second round playoff win against Seventy-First, but haven’t missed a beat. Behind 300 yards rushing and six touchdowns from quarterback Warren Bell, Scotland scored 47 points in last week’s East Region final and it needed every one of them to beat previously unbeaten Hoggard in overtime.

See FINALS PREVIEW, page B4

The eight high school title games will be played Saturday at Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest, with two games at each site.

INSIDE

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III should still be in high school. Instead, he’s the star player for the top team in college basketball. The Blue Devils are 10-0 and the unanimous No. 1 team in the Associated Press Poll, and Bagley is already coach Mike Krzyzewski’s go-to player. The 18-year-old forward is averaging 22 points and 11.2 rebounds and has double-doubles in eight of Duke’s 10 games. It’s an unprecedented start for a player who could become the best freshman in NCAA history. B3

Unbeaten Duke still No. 1, UNC up to 11th For the fifth straight week, Duke sits atop the AP poll, earning all 65 first-place votes for the second consecutive week. The Blue Devils won both games last week, beating Indiana as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and topping South Dakota at home.

The 8-1 Tar Heels climbed two spots to No. 11 thanks to wins over Michigan, Davidson and Tulane.

BRIAN SPURLOCK | USA TODAY SPORTS

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

B2 WEDNESDAY

12.6.17

TRENDING

Ryan Shazier: The Steelers linebacker, who was carted off the field during Pittsburgh’s 23-20 victory over the Bengals on Monday, was due to remain in the hospital overnight. The condition of his injured back continued to improve and he will not require surgery, according to a statement from the team. The NFL Network reported shortly after the game that the team was told Shazier had a spinal cord contusion, similar to what former Steelers QB Tommy Maddox sustained in 2002. Maddox lost feeling initially but fully recovered and only missed one game.

Markell Johnson: The NC State guard had 12 assists in Saturday’s win over South Carolina State, pacing NC State to a 103-71 win that saw it register a PNC Arena-record 31 assists on 41 field goals. Johnson, a sophomore, is averaging 7.0 assists per game for the Wolfpack through nine games, tied for 13th in Division I and the most among ACC players.

Timber Tate: The UNCW sophomore guard was named the CAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after totaling 36 points in two wins over Virginia Commonwealth and NC Central last week.

Tate, a native of Thomasville, made 10 of her 14 3-point attempts in the two games for the 5-3 Seahawks.

Scott Frost: Undefeated Central Florida was handed its first loss of the college football season — but it came off the field.

Coach Scott Frost, in his second year with the Knights, guided UCF to a 12-0 regular season but couldn’t resist the pull of his alma mater, accepting the head job at Nebraska.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

PGA

Tiger Woods proved he could be competitive again, carding a final-round fourunder 68 to tie for ninth in the 18-player Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

He finished 10 shots behind winner Rickie Fowler, whose course record 11-under par 61 on Sunday left him at 18-under 270. Woods, 41, was playing his first tournament in nearly 10 months following spinal fusion surgery. “I’ve had some tough times through the years with my back and then finally to come out on the good side and (be) able to get back out there and play. It’s pretty cool,” Woods said.

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

“This is what I wanted all along.”

NC State coach Dave Doeren on his new contract at NC State. Doeren was courted by several schools, most notably Tennessee, before signing the new deal that will pay him $3 million a season.

KYLE TERADA | USA TODAY SPORTS

JAMES GUILLORY | USA TODAY SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

“Ginner and Hani showed off their nice haircuts. I don’t really have that nice of a haircut, so I was self-conscious there.”

Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner on teammates Brock McGinn and Noah Hanifin fighting in Saturday’s physical win over Florida.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

24-24 Combined regular season record for the state’s four ACC teams. NC State (8‑5) and Wake Forest (7-5) finished above .500, while Duke was an even 6-6 and North Carolina finished 3-9. The state’s other three FBS teams were a combined 12-24 — Appalachian State finished 8-4, while East Carolina was 3-9, and Charlotte ended its season at 1-11.

NFL

KELLEY L. COX | USA TODAY SPORTS

KEVIN JAIRAJ | USA TODAY SPORTS

The New York Giants fired secondyear head coach Ben McAdoo in a housecleaning on Monday morning, less than a week after the benching of quarterback Eli Manning created a backlash from fans. The Giants also fired general manager Jerry Reese, who becomes the first GM known to be let go in-season by the team.

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Stanford running back Bryce Love and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield were named finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Monday.

Mayfield, this year’s favorite, and Jackson were also finalists last year, when Jackson was named college football’s best player.

NBA

JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS

Hornets guard Kemba Walker looked no worse for wear Monday after missing two games with a shoulder injury, finishing with 29 points and seven assists in Charlotte’s 104-94 home win Monday over Orlando. Walker made all 14 of his free-throw attempts, matching a career high (14 of 15 on Jan. 18, 2016). Former Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins holds the all-time mark for most free throws made in a game without a miss with 23 (Dec. 8, 1992).

Always Dry. Always Comfortable.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

B3

Maye no longer under the radar Former walk-on has become a go-to player for the Tar Heels

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III has been even better than expected for the undefeated Blue Devils, who were the unanimous No. 1 team in the country for the second straight week.

Bagley becomes ‘The Man’ for Duke Instead of playing his senior year of high school, he’s the top player on the No. 1 team

By Shawn Krest North State Journal DURHAM — The most amazing thing about Marvin Bagley III’s season so far — and there are plenty of them — is that he should still be in high school.

Bagley reclassified and graduated after his third year at Sierra Canyon High. In other words, this should be his senior year.

The games Bagley has circled on the schedule this year shouldn’t be the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with Michigan State in Chicago or the battle with Texas big man and fellow NBA Lottery prospect Mohamed Bamba. He should be circling the games at Bishop Gorman High and Long Beach Poly.

In 10 games, Bagley hasn’t shown he’s ready for the college level — he’s shown he’s ridiculously overqualified for it. His eight double-doubles are second-most in the nation and the fifth most ever recorded by a Duke freshman. His 26 dunks are eighthmost ever by a Duke freshman.

That’s with up to 30 games remaining in the season.

Of the nine weekly awards the ACC has given out, Bagley has won five of them — two Player of the Week and three Rookie. Only six Blue Devils have won as many weekly honors in an entire season.

There seem to be just two ways to contain Bagley: You can hope he gets poked in the eye early — that happened against Michigan State, the only game in which

“I knew he was going to be good, but coaching him every day, he is a treasure.”

— Mike Krzyzewski, Duke coach Bagley failed to reach double figures in points — or you can lose by 29. Furman tried that strategy, falling behind early and allowing Duke’s reserves to get extended playing time. It’s one of just two games — Michigan State is the other — in which Bagley didn’t get at least 10 rebounds.

“When I see it coming off the rim, I’m trying to go and get it,” Bagley said of his rebounding.

“Just have heart, try to get every rebound, play the game the right way.”

All in all, not a bad start to a college career.

“I think what we’ve learned is we have two of the exceptional players in America in Marvin and Grayson (Allen),” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Allen, Duke’s lone senior captain, disagrees with his coach. In his mind, Bagley stands alone.

“One thing we obviously know now is we have a solid guy in Marvin, who is going to produce for us every game,” Allen said. “He’s a guy we can count on. He’s going to be a double-double guy. He should average a double-double.

That’s who he should be for us. We know that we have a strength with him down low. Playing through Marvin is an important thing.

We’ve started to shift our offense

toward him, because he scores so easily, and he’s really hard to stop around the rim.”

At the end of regulation against Texas, with one shot to win the game, it was Bagley who got the shot.

“I just wanted Marvin to have the ball,” Krzyzewski said. “We wanted to just go right to Marvin.

I think that was a good choice.”

Krzyzewski isn’t known for hyperbole, but the Hall of Fame coach has gone into his thesaurus to find ways to praise the dominant freshman.

“He’s a special player,” the coach said after one game.

“There were some magical plays there,” he said after another. “Just the connecting of talent and instinct, really was beautiful for us.”

“I believe ultimately in this kid,” Krzyzewski said after the Texas win. “I knew he was going to be good, but coaching him every day, he is a treasure. He wants to be really good, and he comes to work every day. All of his teammates love him, because he’s as hard of a worker as we have. I coached the U.S. team for a long time, and he’s of that ilk. He has it, and he just has to keep developing it. We’ll see where it goes. I believe in him and so do his teammates.”

Bagley’s hard work is already showing. He wasn’t a threat from deep in the first few games, but he’s knocked down three-pointers in three of the last four. After making 18 of his first 36 free throws, Bagley has shot nearly 75 percent on his last 31.

“I’m working on everything,” he said. “I want to be an all-around player. I can’t focus on just one thing. I go into practice every day, just trying to get better at everything, inside out. I can’t put my finger on one thing, because I want to be an all-around player.”

Just think: He could be doing all of this against Windward High and the Brentwood School.

College coaching carousel spins through North Carolina Offseason coaching news impacts Duke, NC State, ECU and Charlotte

By Shawn Krest North State Journal THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL coaching carousel is spinning closer to our state than usual this season. At least four area programs have been impacted by the dominoes falling around the country.

High-paid Volunteer gig Tennessee fired coach Butch Jones following a season in which the Volunteers went winless in the SEC. After negotiations with Greg Schiano fell through, one of Tennessee’s next targets was Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, who served as an assistant coach in Knoxville for 19 seasons, including two stints as offensive coordinator.

Cutcliffe reportedly told the Vols that he wasn’t interested and planned to finish his coaching career at Duke.

It’s the second time Cutcliffe has spurned Tennessee. He discussed the job with the Vols in 2010 and reportedly was close to accepting before withdrawing his name.

After Cutcliffe, Tennessee turned to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, getting turned down by each.

That led to a dramatic 48 hours for NC State and Dave Doeren.

The Wolfpack head coach emerged as Tennessee’s top remaining target. The two sides were reported to be close to a deal last week, at which point NC State made a counter-offer to attempt to keep the head coach in Ralaeigh.

With long-term offers rumored to be in excess of $3 million a year from each school, Doeren weighed his options and made his decision early Thursday afternoon.

Tennessee fans, who staged a social media revolt to derail the hiring of Schiano a few days earlier, reacted negatively toward the courtship of Doeren as well, urging him on Twitter to turn down the offer and threatening to cancel season ticket orders.

“There’s no doubt I’m the right guy for this place.”

— Brad Lambert, Charlotte coach following a 1-11 season Doeren announced that he was returning to State. “We’re going to run this,” he texted his players.

Doeren’s deal with State reportedly is for five years and more than $15 million, including a large increase for his assistant coaches.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Doeren said during a Sun Bowl conference call. Ironically, the Pack will be playing Arizona State, another team that just replaced its coach.

“But I’m where I want to be.”

“It was a rough 48 hours,” Doeren admitted.

Staff shakeup in Charlotte After finishing 1-10 this year, the fifth straight losing season, there was speculation that Charlotte would part ways with head

CHAPEL HILL — Sometimes it’s hard to believe what our eyes see. Maybe that’s why people still seem so amazed every time Luke Maye puts up another double-double or records another 20plus point scoring performance.

The junior forward just doesn’t look the part of a dominant star.

“He’s not a bad athlete,” Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy said. “But he’s not a great athlete as far as some of the guys you may play.”

That hasn’t stopped Maye from averaging 21.8 points and 9.8 rebounds through his first nine games this season. Those figures rank second in the ACC behind only Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III, a five-star recruit projected to be the top overall pick in next year’s NBA draft.

Monday, the former walk-on was named the ACC’s men’s basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season.

It’s a success that should no longer come as a surprise, even though — as teammate Joel Berry pointed out — it still does to some.

“Each and every week, each and every game we get the same question over and over,” the Tar Heels captain said Sunday when asked yet again if he was surprised by the 22 points and 10 rebounds Maye put up in a win against Tulane.

“I know what Luke can do.

He’s been doing it over the summer. It’s just that when you get your opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it. I’m just tired of people making it seem like it’s a surprise. He’s a good player. He’s at Carolina for a reason. It’s kind of disrespectful to him to say it’s a surprise.”

Maye, the son of former UNC quarterback Mark Maye, became a national celebrity and a UNC cult hero by hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater against Kentucky in last year’s NCAA South Region final in Memphis.

It was a shot that earned him the regional’s Most Outstanding Player award and catapulted the

Tar Heels to a national championship.

But while that dramatic basket continues to be his signature moment, one that is replayed multiple times on the video board at every UNC home game, he has proven this season that he’s more than just a one-shot pony.

His all-around game is best illustrated by the fact that he’s set or tied a career high in a different statistical category in each of his last three games — field goals (11) against Michigan, rebounds (17) against Davidson and blocked shots (four) against Tulane.

“He’s done a marvelous job for us,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “I really thought he would be a good rebounder and I knew he could shoot the ball.

Being able to put the ball on the floor and score around the basket is better than I really thought he was going to be.”

While Williams said he was convinced that Maye was a player who would eventually be able to make a meaningful contribution to the team, he’s not taking any credit for the 6-foot-8 Huntersville native’s rapid rise from role player to go-to guy.

“It’s not coaching,” he said. “It’s sweat. Luke Maye has been willing to put in the sweat at the level that very few players have done and it’s really helped.”

It’s helped UNC as much as it’s helped Maye.

Playing an even more expanded role than originally expected because of a preseason injury to graduate transfer wing Cameron Johnson, Maye has helped carry the Tar Heels to an 8-1 start.

That team success is as much a surprise to some as Maye’s contribution to it because of the personnel UNC lost from last year’s championship squad.

It’s a hot start for which both are just now starting to be recognized. Not that Maye is all that impressed with his stats or the attention they might eventually attract.

“I think it’s important to have a positive mindset and keep in perspective that every day is a blessing,” Maye said. “We are going to play every game like it’s our last and just do whatever we can to help our team win. … It doesn’t matter what I do. I just play and want to win.”

BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

Tar Heels forward Luke Maye has carried over his heroics from last season into the 2017-18 campaign, leading North Carolina to an 8-1 start.

coach Brad Lambert.

“Everybody wants more wins,” Lambert said following a season-ending loss to Florida Atlantic. “But there’s no doubt I’m the right guy for this place.”

The school agreed. Two days later, athletic director Judy Rose announced that the school was keeping Lambert as head coach.

“Coach Lambert is fully invested in making necessary changes to strengthen our program and has been looking at every facet.”

Lambert will replace both coordinators. Defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt was fired, and Greg Adkins, who took over as offensive coordinator at midseason, was moved back to offensive line coach.

Lambert also cut ties with quarterbacks coach Jeff Mullen, who lost coordinator duties to Adkins, and receivers coach Damien Gary.

While fans complained about the decision to keep Lambert, calling for Rose’s firing as well with signs around campus and a banner flown over the stadium at one game, the school pointed out that part of the reason for Lambert’s struggles was a quick transition to the FBS level.

Standing pat at ECU In the week after East Carolina lost 70-13 to close out a 3-9 season, the school called a press con-

ference.

That was to announce the resignation of basketball coach Jeff Lebo, however.

No news is apparently good news for football coach Scottie Montgomery, who has struggled since taking over prior to last season.

“I haven’t made a whole lot of guarantees since I got here,” Montgomery said, “but we’ll be a better football team, and we’re going to go play in the postseason next year.”

He went on to say that, like Lambert, he might make some changes in his staff, although nothing has been announced as of yet.

On the horizon Wake Forest has already been impacted by the latest turn of the carousel. The Deacs’ opponent in the upcoming Belk Bowl will be Texas A&M, who just introduced their new coach — former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher.

The seemingly lateral move for the Seminoles’ coach sent an entirely new set of dominoes falling, even before Tennessee has found closure in its search. And early this week, NC State offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz was reported to be interviewing for the South Alabama coaching job.

Clearly, the offseason coaching drama is just getting warmed up.

B4

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017 FINALS PREVIEW from page B1 Harding (13-1) also does most of its damage on the ground behind the running of sophomore Quavaris Crouch. Rated as one of the top players nationally in the class of 2019, Crouch has rushed for 1,802 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Harding’s defense is led by cornerback Malik Dunlap, who is headed for NC State.

The championship game appearance is Harding’s first since 1987.

While Scotland has one state title, in 2011, coach Richard Bailey is still looking for his first in his fifth championship game appearance with the Scots and Fayetteville Jack Britt.

4AA: Wake Forest Cougars vs. Mallard Creek Mavericks BB&T Field Winston-Salem, noon

CHUCK COOK | USA TODAY SPORTS

After losing to New Orleans on Sunday, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers have an uphill climb to catch the Saints in the NFC South.

Panthers stretch run will determine division, playoff hopes Costly loss to New Orleans leaves Carolina playing catch-up in NFC South

By Shawn Krest North State Journal The Carolina Panthers’ playoff picture got gloomier last Sunday.

Carolina lost at New Orleans, 31-21, in a battle for first place in the NFC South Division. The loss gave the Saints a one-game lead with four to play, as well as the tiebreaker edge, after sweeping the Panthers in both games this year.

If the season ended now, Carolina would make the playoffs as the sixth and final seed in the NFC. At the moment, that means a trip to Los Angeles to play the 9-3 Rams.

The Panthers don’t control their own destiny, and, because of the tiebreaker situation, actually need to make up two games on the Saints in order to win the division.

It’s a tall task, but not impossible. The players certainly aren’t conceding the division.

“One thing we do here is we don’t give up,” said defensive lineman Kawann Short.

“We’re still in the hunt, man,” agreed receiver Russell Shepard.

“We still have the opportunity to make a huge run. It’s a long season. (The schedule) plays to our advantage.”

The Panthers have three home games in the last four, while the Saints go on the road twice to play divisional foes.

“Playing on grass, at home, I think that’s going to help us,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said.

“It’s going to help the guys that are banged up.”

This week will be a critical one for Carolina. The Saints have a short turnaround — they play at Atlanta on Thursday night after Sunday’s emotional game against the Panthers. The Falcons are a

DUKE from page B1 flexible,” Murphy said, although Rusnak calls the schedule changes to accommodate her track commitments “only minor adjustments.”

Unfortunately, the juggling act can only go on for so long. Track meets start midway through the ACC portion of basketball season.

At that point, Murphy will have to leave the cheer team to focus on competition. “Track is my main priority here, so I have to be smart about cheerleading,” she said.

Of course, there’s also the argument that, by dividing her time between the two sports instead of focusing full-time, she’s hurting her track performance.

“My coaches definitely think so,” she said with a laugh, “but I don’t think I do. I think the tumbling and jumping factor of it just always makes me feel more athletically inclined. I just feel more ‘on’ when I can throw a back tuck at the drop of a hat.”

“It’s also a break,” she added.

“Because you can get pretty sucked into your sport in college, doing nothing but. It’s a release. It’s a time away from track, so I can clear my head and refocus when I’m actually there.”

And, if cheering doesn’t give her enough time away, she’s also a double-major who was named Ac-

Wake Forest is the defending 4AA state champion. Coached by Reggie Lucas, the Cougars are making their fifth appearance in the title game, all since 2010.

A pair of Tar Heels’ commitments lead the Cougars. Three-star running back Devon Lawrence is the No. 19 recruit in the state, according to the 247Sports Composite Index.

He’s rushed for 1,350 yards and 29 touchdowns this year. Three-star safety Javon Terry is No. 49 in the state. He has four interceptions and 17 pass defenses.

Mallard Creek, led by coach Mike Palmieri, is making its fourth appearance in the state title game and has never lost one. The Mavs feature plenty of college prospects, including three-star defensive tackle Jordan Davis, the No. 23 player in the state.

3A: Havelock Rams vs. Charlotte Catholic Cougars Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, 3 p.m.

DERICK E. HINGLE | USA TODAY SPORTS

Panthers wide receiver Russell Shepard thinks Carolina’s schedule — with three of its final four games at home — gives the team a shot at both the playoffs and the division title.

“We’re still in the hunt, man. … It’s a long season.”

— Russell Shepard, Panthers receiver game behind the Panthers, at 7-5 and looking to defend their NFC Conference title.

Should the Saints fall, the Panthers would have their work cut out to them, with a home game against 10-2 Minnesota.

Should Carolina knock off the top seed in the NFC, that, coupled with a Saints loss, would give the Panthers three weeks to make up one game — a very manageable task.

If both the Saints and Panthers lose, however, things get very complicated. Suddenly, the Falcons and Panthers would be tied for the final wild-card spot, making the New Year’s Eve game between the two in Atlanta a potential playoff elimination

ademic All-ACC, and she sings and acts in her free time. In addition to having her own IMDB page for TV and movie extra work she’s done, she won a role in the school musical, although she ended up having to pass on it because she couldn’t fit it into her schedule of games and meets — something that still frustrates her, long after the fact.

She also needed to sell her track coaches on the risk of injury presented by cheering.

“It’s a risk we’re all willing to take,” she said. “We don’t stunt (where cheerleaders are thrown into the air), which I think is why my coach is OK with me doing this.

I’m not putting my health in someone else’s hands. Tumbling’s pretty much all up to me.”

In fact, when the track coaches come to watch her cheer, there’s only one thing that bothers them.

“Their biggest complaint is when we do the kicks, my toes are pointed,” Murphy said. “They’re supposed to be flexed in track. It’s like, ‘You’re not worried about me flipping through the air. You’re worried about me pointing my toes!’ Besides, flexed toes are ugly.”

Time management is a challenge for any student-athlete, and the stress can get to Murphy.

“Absolutely!” she said emphatically. Luxuries — like sleep or actually sitting down to eat a meal — have to be sacrificed for the sake

game.

The Saints play Atlanta twice, giving the Falcons plenty of opportunities to move up in the division. New Orleans’ other two games are at 4-8 Tampa Bay and home against the 5-7 Jets.

Clearly, with two of their top rivals facing off in half the remaining games, the Panthers need to keep posting W’s. In addition to the Falcons and Vikings, the Panthers host the 4-8 Bucs and 6-6 Packers, who may have Aaron Rodgers back by then.

“I think what’s important and significant about the next four games is that we’ve got to take them one at a time,” Rivera said.

“Play to the best of our ability and give ourselves opportunities to win. It doesn’t matter what happens anywhere else, other than what we do in the games we play.”

Despite the costly loss in New Orleans. The stretch run begins now.

“We just have to catch fire in a good way,” said Cam Newton.

“And I believe that we will.”

Perennial powerhouse Havelock (14-1) rolls into its fifth state championship game since 2011 with a high-powered offense averaging 50.5 points in its four playoff wins under first-year Caleb King. Quarterback Nick Sabdo has thrown for 4,033 yards and 46 touchdowns with only six interceptions behind an offensive line anchored by UNC commit Avery Jones. Defensively, the Rams have five players with 100 or more tackles, including highly rated linebacker Tyiyon Johnson.

Defense is the Cougars’ strong suit, having held nine of their 15 opponents to seven or fewer points on the way to an undefeated season.

Offensively, quarterback Christopher Walton has passed for 1,508 yards and 23 touchdowns while Milan Howard has run for 1,848 yards and 26 scores.

3AA: New Hanover Wildcats vs. A.C. Reynolds Rockets Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, 7 p.m.

Coached by Earl Smith, 14-1 New Hanover is in its first modern-day championship game. The Wildcats won a pair of state titles prior to that however, in 1927 and 1928. New Hanover is led by senior all-purpose back Wiz Vaughn, an uncommitted two-star recruit who has had interest from App State. Vaughn has rushed for 14 touchdowns and caught 12.

Coached by Shane Laws, A.C. Reynolds is making its fifth appearance in the title game and first since 2011. The Rockets have won three state titles. Quarterback Alex Flinn won the NFA national skills competition over the summer and has

passed for 3,743 yards.

2A: Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs vs. Reidsville Rams Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, 7 p.m.

This is a rare battle of two defending state champions, with the Bulldogs (13-1) having won the last three 1AA titles before moving up in classification this year and the Rams (15-0) having won the 2A crown in 2016. Reidsville has won a state record 16 championships and is currently on a 31-game winning streak. Its primary offensive weapon is senior quarterback Titus Jones, who has completed 67 percent of his passes for better than 2,400 yards and 36 touchdowns.

The Bulldogs, led by new coach Kevin Motsinger, feature a potent Wing-T attack built around the running back duo of Javonte Williams and Desmond Newkirk, who between them have rushed for 3,300 yards this season.

2AA: East Duplin Panthers vs. Hibriten Panthers Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, 3 p.m.

This is the first state title game for both teams. Coached by Battle Holley, East Duplin is 15-0 and East Central 2A Conference champions for the third straight year. East Duplin has a powerful running game with four players gaining at least 800 yards this season.

Hibriten is coached by Clay Lewis and won the Northwestern Foothills 2A Conference. At 15-0, the Panthers haven’t lost a regular-season game in two years. Hilbriten has a stifling defense, allowing just 4.4 points per game with four shutouts and no team managing more than seven points against them since Oct. 20.

1A: North Duplin Rebels vs. Cherokee Braves Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, noon The top-seeded Rebels (14-0) have earned their first title game appearance since 2007 behind the passing and running of option quarterback William Archer, who rushed for a pair of touchdowns in his team’s 12-6 East Region final win against Plymouth. Archer has combined with running backs Kenny Sheppard and Colby Bass to gain more than 3,100 yards on the ground this season.

In contrast to their opponent, the Braves (13-1) do much of their offensive damage through the air, with quarterback Tye Mintz averaging 256 yards passing while also leading the team in rushing. Cherokee is making its first state final appearance since 1978 and is seeking its first 1A championship.

1AA: Tarboro Vikings vs. Mount Airy Granite Bears Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, 4 p.m.

Led by head coach Jeff Craddock, Tarboro is in its seventh state championship game. Tarboro has won four titles, including three straight from 2009 to 2011, when current L.A. Ram Todd Gurley was leading the Vikings. Tarboro is led by quarterback/cornerback Tae Randolph, who has thrown just two interceptions on the year and caught one on defense.

Coached by Kelly Holder, Mount Airy has won a total of seven state titles, five prior to 1950. Ian Holder has passed and run for 1,000 yards, while sophomore Johnathan Smith has run for 1,477 yards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SYDNEI MURPHY

Sydnei Murphy is an All-ACC performer for Duke track, competing in 17 indoor events and 21 outdoor events for the Blue Devils.

of time management. “I just grab something and eat on the go,” she said.

Murphy estimates that the last time she was able to just sit around

with absolutely nothing to do was December break last year, and that was only because Duke didn’t go to a bowl game. This December, she’ll likely have to fit a trip to Detroit for

the Quick Lane Bowl into her busy schedule.

In her eyes, though, it’s all worth it, “Just takes a lot of coffee and a lot of Jesus,” she said.

WEDNESDAY

12.06.17

NORTH

STATE

Tackle your holiday wish list with NSJ’s gift guide, Page 6

JOURNaL

the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

play list

Dec. 7 Smithfield Christmas Tree Lighting Third & Market Street, Smithfield The town of Smithfield will gather at Third & Market Street to kick-off the holiday season by lighting the town’s Christmas Tree. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. in front of the library where a visitor from the North Pole will be waiting.

Dec. 7-Dec. 10 Annual Appalachian Christmas Celebration Stuart Auditorium, Lake Junaluska The Annual Appalachian Christmas Celebration is a weekend full of holiday festivities. See “Handel’s Messiah” Friday evening, followed by the traditional Craft Fair and Christmas performance by The Cockman Family on Saturday.

Dec. 8

PHOTO COURETSY OF TERESA LOFLIN

The High Point Museum, open year-around, offers exhibits, demonstrations, artifacts and collections for viewing of High Point’s history. Established in 1966 by citizens of High Point, the museum shares the history of the city and strengthens the sense of community.

High Point of the holidays “These demonstrations provide hands-on experiences for children and adults to learn about this time of year when people were preparing the fall harvest and running fires all day to keep warm.”

— Teresa Loflin, community relations director

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal HIGH POINT — Reliving a time of the past while celebrating the holiday season has visitors flocking to the High Point Museum.

Established in 1966 by citizens of High Point, the museum shares the history of the city and strengthens the sense of community.

“When the citizens started the museum, one of their goals was to save the John Haley House which was built in 1786. John Haley was a prominent citizen, local blacksmith and sheriff,” said Teresa Loflin, community relations director.

The museum, open year-round, offers exhibits, demonstrations, artifacts and collections for viewing of High Point’s history.

In the main gallery space, visitors are encouraged to explore the images and stories that document the individuals who lived, worshipped and worked in High Point. Four featured exhibits include: • New Deal in High Point — This exhibit showcases the lasting impact of the various New Deal projects on the physical landscape of High Point that are still visible today. Highlighting several New Deal building projects and their legacy in High Point, the projects include the CCC Camp, High Point City Lake Park, Washington Terrace Park, Allen Jay Rock Gym, and Clara Cox and Daniel Brooks Housing Developments.

• Lowering of the Tracks — A photographic exhibit in the lecture gallery allows visitors to take an in-depth look at one of High Point’s most significant New Deal projects.

• Meredith’s Miniatures — Set on a scale of 1:12, this exhibit features vignettes of rooms and places that showcase extreme detail and intricate craftsmanship.

• High Point Furniture Heritage — High Point is the furniture capital of the state, and this exhibit examines the history of the relationship between the furniture industry and the people of High Point. Offering a unique perspective on the history of furniture manufacturing, this exhibit includes interactive elements, video, photographs, memorabilia, machinery and furniture.

Adjacent to the High Point Museum, the Historical Park features three historic buildings include the John Haley House (circa 1786), the Hoggatt House

Christmas with Elvis Farmington Community & Event Center, Mocksville Join Elvis (aka Danny Crouse) at 6:30 p.m. for an evening of great music, great food, and all around great fun. Event tickets are $15 and include a delicious roast beef dinner.

An Artregeous Holiday Event Old Murphey School, Durham Visit the Burwell School Historic Site Holiday event beginning at 6:00 p.m. for an “artregeous” evening of wearable art, paintings, metalwork, jewelry, pottery, photography and much more. Admission is $35 and supports the Burwell School’s Elizabeth Keckly Bicentennial Events of 2018.

Holiday Magic: A Dickens Christmas Burlington Enjoy a holiday tradition in downtown Burlington with the entire family. Art and food truck vendors will be there and kids can delight in snow machines and train rides. The event begins at 6:00 p.m., and admission is free excluding rides and attractions.

Dec. 8-Dec. 9

Demonstrations, such as that of the blacksmith, provide hands-on experiences for children and adults to learn about a time period vastly different than their own. A blacksmith was a notable profession in High Point’s history.

(circa 1801) and a working blacksmith shop (circa 1841), in addition to an historically authentic herb garden.

Of course, the museum and park are decorated for the holidays. In case you missed the 45th annual open house this past weekend, there are still plenty of opportunities to visit the museum and participate in unique activities destined to take you back to the days before technology and electronic devices ruled the kitchen.

A trademark of the High Point Museum is its authentic trades demonstrations. Slated for Saturday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., a costumed blacksmith will be crafting iron pieces throughout the day. The following Saturday, Dec. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., cooks will prepare a fall harvest meal over an open hearth in the Hog-

gatt House.

“These demonstrations provide hands-on experiences for children and adults to learn about this time of year when people were preparing the fall harvest and running fires all day to keep warm,” said Loflin. “The openhearth demonstrations show the cooking of vegetables, potatoes, ham and collards very differently than they are today. This is a nice way for us to help visitors interpret what life was like in this home.”

Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free and visitors are welcome to drop-in on the demonstrations. No scheduled appointment is necessary.

For more information on the High Point Museum call 336-885-1859 or visit highpointmuseum.org.

Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries Front Street, Dillsboro Come see the spectacular showcase of 2,500 luminaries that light up the shops and studios of Dillsboro beginning at 5:00 p.m. each night. Enjoy horse and buggy rides, live music, holiday treats, and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

There will also be a Live Nativity at Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church.

36th Annual Christmas Candlelight Tour in Historic Edenton South Broad Street, Edenton Discover more than 300 years of history in a tour of Edenton’s historic buildings and National Historic Landmarks each beautifully decorated for the holiday season. Owners will share the story and history of these notable buildings and landmarks. Visit the event website for details on admission and group pricing.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

B6

eeee eee gift guide eee eeee for him

for her

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High Cotton bowtie

Treat her to a box of caramels and ganache bonbons from Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate. Their facility is 100 percent nut-free if you have allergies to worry about. Videri ships nationwide for the holidays or you can visit their downtown Raleigh store. Deadline for Holiday 2017 orders is Wednesday, Dec. 21 at viderichocolatefactory.com.

Southern haberdashery High Cotton offers neckties, bowties and cummerbunds that are perfect for any well-dressed man. Their holiday collection, including the Holly Stripe Bow Tie, is the perfect Christmas accent piece. Available at retailers from Asheville to Duck and at highcotton.com.

e

Videri Chocolate

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Carolina Shuckers oyster knife

This Hillsborough company’s Christmas pieces are a lovely addition to any holiday table, and their traditional place settings offer a year-round upgrade to your table.

Order online at vietri.com.

Featuring handmade oyster knives made from salvaged railroad spikes or horseshoes, these knives and pigtails are the ideal weapons for an oyster roast or pig pickin’. Available in specialty stores from the Atlantic to the Pacific and online at carolinashuckers.com.

e

Bald Head Blues Sherpa Vest

e

When the winter weather has you wishing for the beach life, island lifestyle brand Bald Head Blues can at least let you dream of the beach. Their Sherpa Vest captures the island attitude and keeps you warm.

Available at fine clothiers across the state and online at baldheadblues.com.

e

R.H. Jensen duck call

for them e Red Bird Candy A Carolina Christmas classic, Piedmont Candy Company opened in Lexington in 1890, and their signature Red Bird peppermint candy puffs are a staple for the Christmas season. Every second 30 Red Bird Mints are consumed, and the peppermint puffs are the company’s best seller. These confections are available from Murphy to Manteo in retail shops big and small and online at piedmontcandy.com.

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Reborn Clothing Co. Laptop Sleeve Receive a shirt that you can’t return or regift? This Raleigh startup located on NC State’s Centennial Campus can turn an unwanted button-down into a fashionable and functional laptop sleeve. Reborn Clothing Co. creates new products from old or unwanted clothing.

Shop online at rebornclothing.com.

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Ralph Jensen began his woodworking career in 1970 in High Point building custom furniture. The wood for every call has its own back story. From sunken riverwood to 16th-century furniture, Jensen adds history and uniqueness to each call. Shop for duck, goose and turkey calls at rhjensengamecalls.com.

Vietri Old St. Nick

Silver Bonsai jewelry Hand-crafted silver jewelry from these Outer Banks artisans will put a smile on the face of any recipient. The gallery is located in downtown Manteo and features custom gold, silver and platinum jewelry as well as ceramics, woodwork and glasswork. Online shopping at silverbonsai.com.

Childress Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Lexington-based winemaker Childress Vineyards offers a robust red that will pair well with the hearty meals of winter and the Christmas season. Available at wine stores and grocers across N.C. and online at childressvineyards.com.

e

Country Ham Johnston County Hams in Smithfield offers handcrafted country hams inspired by the techniques used by America’s early colonists. They have been featured in Esquire, Southern Living, The New York Times and Wine Spectator, and Men’s Journal proclaimed their ham among their “100 Best Things To Eat In America.” Order online at countrycuredhams.com.

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Mother Earth Snow Flurry This Juniper-Rye IPA is described by the brewmaster as “a sip of winter.” Pick up a pack of this seasonal from Kinston brewer Mother Earth to take to your next holiday gathering. Available at bottle shops and grocers throughout the state.

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N.C. Honey The European honey bee was designated our state’s official insect in 1973. North Carolina is home to more beekeepers than any other state, so pick up a sweet gift from your local hive. You can find honey producers from across the Old North State at realnchoney.com.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

B7

ENTERTAINMENT ‘Stranger Things’ Renewed for Season 3 at Netflix

By Joe Otterson Variety

CARRIE FISHER | COURTESY OF LUCASFILM

Leia leads resistance in Carrie Fisher’s final ‘Star Wars’ film

By Rollo Ross and Lisa Richwiney Reuters LOS ANGELES — Carrie Fisher’s final performance as the beloved Leia in “Star Wars” puts the character on the front lines in a dark new chapter that reaches theaters this month, leaving a galactic hole to fill after the sudden death of the actress a year ago.

Fisher had filmed all of her scenes for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” the eighth installment of the blockbuster space saga, before she died of a heart attack in December 2016.

“She’s irreplaceable,” Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, told Reuters. “‘Star Wars’ is about great triumphs and great tragedies, and I can’t think of a bigger tragedy than missing our Leia.”

Writer and director Rian Johnson said he did not change Leia’s story in “Last Jedi” after her death. The film debuts in theaters Dec. 14.

It will be up to the makers of 2019 film “Episode IX” to decide the ultimate fate of the character first seen as a spunky princess in the original 1977 “Star Wars” film, Johnson added.

In “The Last Jedi,” “we didn’t tailor it to be a farewell to her,” Johnson said. “But, that having been said, I think there’s some moments that I think will really mean a lot to fans. You will see more from Leia that you haven’t seen before.”

Fisher’s final film appearance is expect-

ed to boost already feverish interest in the franchise, now owned by Walt Disney Co. Boxoffice.com projects “Last Jedi” will haul in $185 million to $215 million at U.S. and Canadian ticket windows its first weekend, which would rank as one of the biggest film debuts in history.

The cast and director provided few details about the film’s plot. John Boyega, who portrays former Stormtrooper Finn, said the movie finds Leia, now a general, leading the Resistance against the evil First Order during a tense time in the raging battle to protect the galaxy far, far away.

“There is a lot of pressure on the Resistance, and General Leia is on the front lines having to make big decisions,” Boyega said.

“It’s a performance that requires a heartfelt approach, and she definitely had that.”

Oscar Isaac, who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, said the time in Leia’s life mirrored Fisher’s in some ways.

Leia understands “she’s not going to be around forever, and there is a passing of the torch that needs to happen,” Isaac said. “She wants to give over as much of her wisdom as she can before this moment happens.”

Fisher, however, would not want fans to get too sentimental, Hamill said.

“I do know her well enough to say that she would want us to be laughing and even mocking her,” Hamill said.

“She was irreverent, she was cynical, and she was bitterly funny and caustic and all these things. But she was always fun to be around,” he added.

LOS ANGELES — “Stranger Things” has been renewed for a third season at Netflix, the streaming service announced Friday. The series, created by Durham natives Matt and Ross Duffer, takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind., where a secret government lab accidentally opens a door to another dimension referred to as the Upside Down.

The Duffer brothers say the series, which stars Winona Ryder, was inspired by movies and books from their childhood in the 1980s.

The show has paralleled movie hits like “Stand

By Me,” “Star Wars” and “Alien.” The series features a host of young actors alongside seasoned actors like Rider.

The first season of the show proved to be a major sleeper hit, generating positive reviews and garnering 18 Emmy nominations, of which it won five. Both seasons currently hold a 94 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety’s Maureen Ryan wrote in her review of Season 2: “As fine as the show’s justly lauded young cast is, the adult actors — especially Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery — anchor every psychological nuance with subtle skill and ease.”

L.A. film critics crown ‘Call Me by Your Name’ best picture of 2017

By Kristopher Tapley Variety LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named “Call Me by Your Name” the best film of 2017. Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name”) and Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”) won top acting honors. Willem Dafoe (“The Florida Project”) and Laurie Metcalf (“Lady Bird”) claimed the supporting prizes.

The day’s voting, which lasted nearly five-and-a-half hours, provided the biggest bump for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” however. Clearly a favorite throughout, the film won three prizes and came in as runner-up in two more. After being largely ignored by a number of precursors so far this season, that ought to help Fox Searchlight breathe a little better. (It’s also great publicity for the film as it heads out into limited release this weekend.)

New York Film Critics Circle victor “Lady Bird” was mostly relegated to the sidelines, save for Metcalf’s prize, though A24’s other major contenders this year — “The Disaster Artist” and “The Florida Project” — had a presence throughout.

New York Met opera suspends conductor on sexual misconduct allegations New York’s Metropolitan Opera on Sunday suspended its relationship with former longtime music director, the acclaimed conductor James Levine, as it investigates several allegations of sexual misconduct. The opera said in a statement that it decided to act following “multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Levine that took place from the 1960s to the 1980s, including the earlier part of his conducting career at the Met.”

Without Trump, Kennedy Center celebrates Lionel Richie and Gloria Estefan With the notable absence of President Donald Trump, the Kennedy Center on Sunday celebrated singers Lionel Richie and Gloria Estefan, rapper LL Cool J, television producer Norman Lear and dancer Carmen de Lavallade with honors for the arts. The Kennedy Center Honors are considered the highest recognition in the country for artists across many fields, and the importance of the annual event is usually underscored by a White House reception with the president and first lady.

Music producer Russell Simmons steps down after sex assault claim Music producer Russell Simmons said on Thursday he was stepping down from his fashion and production businesses after a screenwriter said in a column in the Hollywood Reporter that Simmons sexually assaulted her in 1991. Jenny Lumet, the screenwriter daughter of the late movie director Sidney Lumet, in a Thursday Hollywood Reporter column accused Simmons of forcing himself on her in his New York apartment in 1991.

Actor Jim Nabors, TV’s ‘Gomer Pyle’ of 1960s, dies at 87 Actor Jim Nabors, whose portrayal of the grinning country bumpkin Gomer Pyle on the 1960s television hit “The Andy Griffith Show” belied a classic baritone singing voice, died on Thursday at the age of 87, his website said. Nabors, who later became a star with his own television show “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” died at his home in Hawaii, the website said, citing his office manager.

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— YOU’RE WELCOME Covington vodka is available in 750 mL and 1.75 L. covingtonvodka.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

B8

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