VOLUME 2 ISSUE 6
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www.NSJONLINE.com |
SATURDAY, March 18, 2017
Eamon Queeney | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Fire crews work to extinguish a massive fire in an under-construction apartment building at Harrington and Jones in downtown Raleigh on March 16. Still under investigation, the five-alarm fire consumed the building and firefighters were working hard to keep the flames from spreading to adjacent buildings downtown. Power was out to nearby apartment complexes, stop lights were out all around the Legislative Building, and police had many streets in the area shutdown.
the weekend
News BRIEFing Cause of massive Raleigh fire unknown Raleigh A five-alarm fire — the most severe in nearly 100 years — lit up downtown Raleigh Thursday night. The cause is still being investigated but fire officials said an apartment building that was under construction at 314 West Jones St. caught fire around 10 p.m. Thursday night just a couple of blocks from the N.C. General Assembly. Firefighters extinguished the flames by 1:10 a.m. Friday. The fire damaged nearby buildings due to radiant heat, and five people were treated for smoke inhalation and released, along with one treated for a minor injury. “I feel fortunate that we didn’t have the wind we had a couple days ago,” Raleigh Fire Chief John McGrath said at a Friday morning press conference. The Red Cross is in the process of setting of shelter for those impacted by the fire and can be called at 919-231-1602. Anyone with questions regarding the fire can call 919-996-2999. For more updates on the downtown Raleigh fire, visit nsjonline.com.
Goldsboro Air Force officer killed in training accident Clovis, Texas Cpt. Kenneth Dalga, 29, of Goldsboro, was one of three U.S. Air Force service members killed when their plane crashed near the Clovis airport during a training exercise on Tuesday, the Air Force said in a statement. All three men who died were assigned to the 318th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, about 200 miles east of Albuquerque, N.M. Dalga was a combat systems operator and is survived by his wife, son and mother.
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JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Trump vows to appeal latest travel ban ruling to Supreme Court
Winter’s Last Gasp
Farmers take stock of cold weather damage Freezing temperatures this week may make early local strawberries a little harder to find By Donna King North State Journal KNIGHTDALE — Strawberry farmers are gauging the damage of this week’s unseasonable freeze on their crops. During the low temperatures and 15- to 20-mph winds early in the week farmers drenched their spring buds with extra sprinklers in an effort to protect them with a layer of ice. Some were able to weather the cold, but many say they have likely lost their early spring crop of berries, but the plants bloom through the summer, if good weather prevails.
Donald Trump has pledged to appeal against a federal judge’s order placing an immediate halt on his revised travel ban.
HONOLULU/NEW YORK — In granting the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by the state of Hawaii, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson found on Wednesday that “a reasonable, objective observer ... would conclude that the executive order was issued with a purpose to disfavor a particular religion.” Early on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in a similar case in Maryland brought by refugee resettlement agencies represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Law Center. Chuang ruled that the agencies were likely to succeed in proving that the travel ban portion of the executive order was intended to be a ban on Muslims and, as a result, violates the U.S. Constitution’s religious freedom protection. See Trump, page A3
Christine T. Nguyen | North State Journal
David Pope checks on his strawberry crop at his farm in Knightdale on March 17. Pope used sprinklers to create a layer of ice over the strawberries to help protect them from below-freezing temperatures.
NC Senate GOP proposes $1B in tax cuts, say 99 percent of taxpayers will pay lower or no taxes
INSIDE
By Jeff Moore North State Journal
Outdoor photography festival “Eyes On Main Street” comes to Wilson the good life, C1 Christine T. Nguyen | North State Journal
20177 52016 $2.00
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See Cold, page A3
By Reuters News Services
The plan cuts rates for personal income, corporate income and reforms certain deductions
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David Pope, owner of Pope Strawberry Farm in Knightdale, hopes he was one of the lucky ones. He estimated he was able to save 80 percent of his plants, but it wasn’t easy. “You get ice on them and ice forms as a blanket,” said Pope, who spent all night Tuesday outside keeping his sprinklers from freezing over so he could save his plants. “That plant is actually producing a little bit of heat and it’ll hold them at 32 degrees. I have been growing strawberries for 35 years and never had that problem. ... You can deal with the cold, but when you’ve got cold and wind it’s tough.” The loss was worse for some farmers who may not have been able to keep the sprinklers going all night to form that critical one
Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) speaks during a press conference about a new tax plan with Sens. Tommy Tucker and Andrew Brock at the General Assembly on March 16.
RALEIGH — Chairmen of the N.C. Senate Finance Committee unveiled their newest tax plan Thursday, continuing and expanding upon tax reforms enacted by Republican lawmakers since 2013. As part of the budgeting process, the senate majority is proposing to reduce personal and corporate income taxes, further raise standard deductions, and transform child tax credits into progressive child tax deductions, among other changes.
“Republican-led tax reforms have helped boost our economy from the bottom of national rankings to one that is outperforming the nation — and this bill continues the policies that have yielded consecutive budget surpluses and $1 billion in projected revenue growth over the next two years,” said Republican Sens. Jerry Tillman, Tommy Tucker and Andrew Brock. If the plan were to be enacted as is, the total tax reductions since Republicans took over the General Assembly in 2011 would amount to approximately $4 billion. Under the proposal, personal income tax rates will drop from 5.499 percent to 5.35 percent. “From our models, these rate reductions See Tax plan, page A2