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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11
Inside
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
NC Sports Hall inducts 2019 class, B1
KAITLIN MCKEOWN | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT VIA AP
The USS Abraham Lincoln deploys from Naval Station Norfolk, in the vicinity of Norfolk, Va., Monday, April 1, 2019.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Warren calls for Trump impeachment Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren says the House should begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. The Democratic presidential candidate went to the Senate floor on Tuesday to reiterate her call for impeachment hours after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared “case closed” on the Russia probe and potential obstruction by Trump.
Funeral scheduled for slain police officer A funeral service and procession has been scheduled for a Mooresville police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop over the weekend. Services will be held Friday morning at Calvary Church in Charlotte for Officer Jordan Sheldon. A procession of public safety vehicles will accompany the officer’s body to the church. Police said Sheldon had pulled over 28-yearold Michael Aldana during a traffic stop. Aldana left the scene and later killed himself in a nearby apartment.
UK concedes it must hold EU election amid Brexit delay The British government on Tuesday acknowledged that the country will take part in the European Parliament elections this month because there’s no chance that a Brexit deal can be approved in time to avoid them. The vote in Britain on May 23 is being held almost three years after U.K. voters chose to leave the EU. But lawmakers have repeatedly rejected May’s divorce deal with the bloc, and Britain’s departure date has been postponed from March 29 until Oct. 31 while politicians scramble for a solution.
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JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Wind turbine moratorium sees pushback from clean energy group By A.P. Dillon North State Journal A LETTER to legislators penned by “13 North Carolina leading conservatives” is pushing back on Senate Bill 377, which calls for a moratorium on wind turbines near military installations in the state. The letter, written by individuals affiliated with an organization called Conservatives for Clean Energy, is signed by Lee Curie Jr., a former North Carolina GOP executive director. Founded in 2014, Conservatives for Clean Energy’s mission is to “educate conservative policy makers” in clean energy areas including solar, wind, energy efficiency, smart grid, and energy storage. The signatories on the letter include former Republican legislators Sen. Jeff Tarte (Mecklenburg) and Reps. Chris Malone (Wake), Ed McMahan (Mecklenburg) and Linda Hunt Williams (Wake). Stanly County Commissioner Zach Almond is the only signer who currently holds elected office. In the opening sentence, the letter says that Senate Bill 377 is an “assault on private property rights” and goes on to say that “Never before in America has a state legislature passed a measure so intrusive.” The letter makes several claims, such as the bill would make North Carolina the first state to pass a permanent “blanket” ban on wind farms and that the bill “seeks to ban wind energy projects” in more than two dozen counties in the eastern half of the state. “Conservatives for Clean Energy inaccurately claims that S377 is a ‘blanket, permanent ban of wind farms’ which ‘cripples rural economic development,’” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown (R-Onslow), a proponent of the bill, in an email to the North State Journal. “This bill would only prevent the building of commercial wind turbines in areas in which they have been identified as a threat to encroachment on military training.” Brown said the purpose of S.B. 377 is to “protect the state’s second largest economic driver which produces $66 billion dollars of economic impact a year and employs 10-12% of all employees in our state.” Brown also called the property rights argument against the bill “a weak one.” See WIND, page A8
“We have ridge laws in North Carolina which don’t allow the building of wind turbines on mountains. You can’t currently build a wind turbine in Raleigh because zoning regulations won’t allow it.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown (R-Onslow)
U.S. dispatches aircraft carrier over Iran threats By Robert Burns The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. is dispatching an aircraft carrier and other military resources to the Middle East following “clear indications” that Iran and its proxy forces were preparing to attack U.S. forces in the region, a defense official told The Associated Press. At the White House, national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday night that the U.S. is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the U.S. Central Command region, an area that includes the Middle East. In
a statement, he said the move was in response to “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings,” but did not provide more details. U.S. forces at sea and on land were thought to be the potential targets, and the Pentagon approved the deployments in response to those indications, according to the defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. The Abraham Lincoln and its strike group of ships and combat aircraft have been operating in See CARRIER, page A2
House advances bills before deadline By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — One North Carolina legislative chamber wrapped up its work on Tuesday before a deadline the General Assembly imposed on itself this week so that the universe of bills filed during this two-year session can be narrowed. The House approved nearly 30 bills, including measures designed to discourage hand-held cellphone use while driving and to address apartment and house renters who say they have emotional support pets. Another approved bill gives billboard companies the option to move signs when they’re removed due to the construction of new roads. The Senate planned to take up more bills before Thursday’s actual “crossover” deadline. Any measure unrelated to taxes or spending that doesn’t pass one chamber by then is considered dead until 2021. There are ways around the deadline, however. Cellphone challenge A watered-down bill originally designed to prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones survived a House floor vote despite complaints it either lacked teeth to combat distracted driving or was an example of improper government intervention into people’s lives. Although the measure advanced by a 92-23 vote, the bill’s future remained in doubt after several representatives said the bill fell short or wouldn’t make See HOUSE, page A2