North State Journal Vol. 4, Issue 1

Page 1

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1

Sports

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

ACC basketball hits home stretch, B1

EVAN VUCCI | AP PHOTO

President Donald Trump waves while boarding Air Force One for a trip to Vietnam to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

GOP candidate in disputed US House race not running again Raleigh The Republican candidate whose apparent victory in a North Carolina congressional race was thrown out because of suspicions of ballot fraud announced Tuesday he will not run in the newly-ordered doover election, saying he needs surgery late next month. Harris led Democrat Dan McCready by just 905 votes after November’s election, but the outcome was never certified. State election officials grew concerned about reports that an operative working for Harris was illegally tampering with absentee ballots.

AP

Bennett College sues to keep accreditation after lost appeal One of the two remaining historically black private women’s colleges in the country is suing to keep its doors open after losing its appeal to have its accreditation restored. Bennett College filed a federal lawsuit Friday, the same day the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges announced it would uphold its decision to revoke the school’s accreditation. Bennett president Phyllis Worthy Dawkins tells news outlets a federal judge in Atlanta granted a temporary restraining order, preserving Bennett’s accreditation while the court case continues. Bennett has also applied for accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

INSIDE Longtime NC legislator Frank Ballance dies Jones & Blount

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NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

House, Senate school construction plans differ on details By A.P. Dillon For the North State Journal RALEIGH — The funding needed for school construction and capital needs is one step closer to reality as Senate Bill 5 heads to the House. However, the thinking in Raleigh on issues like school construction funding can be different than what is considered in other parts of the state. Dr. Terry Stoops, Vice President of Research and Education Studies for the John Locke Foundation, stresses efficiency and oversight concerns. “While much of the discussion has centered on how to fund the school construction, elected officials need to hold districts accountable for the use and misuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Stoops. “The current, wish-fulfillment model of building and renovating public schools will not address short- and long-term school facility needs. If the state plans on making a sizable investment in school buildings, then lawmakers must ensure that districts must use those funds efficiently,” Stoops said. Dr. Stoops said that Senate Bill 5’s plan avoids a billion dollars in debt service, but that neither the Senate plan or the bond plan has enough accountability measures. In addition, neither plan includes ways for districts to work with non-profits or the private sector to address class size capacity or maintenance issues. “The ideal plan would include both input and outcome components,” Dr. Stoops said.

Stoops noted that most school districts are seeing student enrollment decline, and identifying ways for districts to “streamline operations through school mergers and closures” needs to happen before funds are dispersed. “Charter school enrollment is booming,” said Stoops. “Whether lawmakers opt for the pay-asyou-go model or the bond, it is time for them to consider including charters, which currently do not receive capital funding from counties or the state, in the conversation.” A.L. “Buddy” Collins is a former member of the State Board of Education and a former member of the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board. Collins’s opinion on oversight lines up with Dr. Stoops. Collins says whichever way the state ends up going, a spending plan and oversight of the spending is critical to success. “’What is it we are trying to accomplish?’ is the first thing policymakers need to be asking,” said Collins. “And then the question becomes ‘how do you accomplish that?’” “Unlike some conservatives, I see the role of a bond.” said Collins, as he recalled how he came to know Dr. Terry Stoops of the John Locke Foundation. Stoops had criticized the use of a bond and said people should vote against them because the school systems ended up wasting or mismanaging the money. Collins said he “called his hand on it, See SCHOOLS, page A2

Trump, Kim facing big issues after big welcome in Hanoi By Foster Klug and Jonathan Lemire The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam — After long journeys to Vietnam, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in place for their second summit to address perhaps the world’s biggest security challenge: Kim’s pursuit of a nuclear program that stands on the verge of realistically threatening targets around the planet. Although many experts are skeptical Kim will give up the nuclear weapons he likely sees as his best guarantee of continued rule, there was a palpable, carnival-like excitement among many in Hanoi as the final preparations were made for the meeting. There were

also huge traffic jams in the already congested streets. The two leaders are to meet over two days, first at dinner on Wednesday followed by meetings on Thursday. Trump arrived late Tuesday in Air Force One after a flight that included refueling stops in England and Qatar. He shook hands with dignitaries on a red carpet that was flanked by members of the Vietnamese armed forces dressed in crisp white uniforms. The route to his hotel was decorated with American, North Korean and Vietnamese flags, and adults and children peered out upper floor windows holding up cellphones to capture Trump’s arrival. See TRUMP, page A2

Cooper gives 2019 State of the State to joint session Speech focuses on disaster relief, education and environmental protection By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Members of the North Carolina legislature gathered in the state House chambers Monday night with other state officials and dignitaries to witness Gov. Roy Cooper give his biennual State of the State address. With many more members of his own party present after some gains in last year’s elections, Cooper said, “The people of North Carolina are determined for us to work together. They have spoken. They want a more balanced approach to government.” Cooper frequently returned to this theme of determination. In his closing moments, he brought these elements together, saying, “Just like the people I met along the way, I’m determined. I’m determined to make our state better. I believe you are too. Starting tonight, let’s figure out how to best serve those who sent us here. There’s nothing a deterSee COOPER, page A2


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