VOLUME 4 ISSUE 9
Inside
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019
Baseball returns to Fayetteville, B1
AP PHOTO
Blood stains are seen on the wall and on a Jesus Christ statue at the St. Sebastian’s Church after blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2019. More than two hundred people were killed and hundreds more injured in eight blasts that rocked churches and hotels in and just outside Sri Lanka’s capital on Easter Sunday.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Federal grand jury investigating ballot fraud A federal grand jury meeting in North Carolina is weighing whether to recommend criminal charges stemming from the 2018 9th Congressional District election. The grand jury met in Raleigh to review election irregularities in the 9th Congressional District. The state elections board said the agency turned over extensive documents subpoenaed last month. Documents also were turned over by former Republican candidate Mark Harris. Harris had a narrow lead after November’s election before details emerged that his political operative in rural Bladen County collected ballots from voters.
Highway Patrol unveils new helicopters The State Highway Patrol unveiled the two new Bell 407 helicopters Tuesday at the patrol’s Aviation Unit hanger in Raleigh. The new helicopters are a part of the patrol but the majority of the missions conducted are for agencies other than the State Highway Patrol. The two new aircraft will be put into service immediately.
New group to support OBX parks A nonprofit group has been formed to support the three national parks along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Outer Banks Forever said in a news release that it will work with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The group will focus on several areas, including expanding ways to get children into national parks and preserving local history.
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JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Gov. Cooper vetoes bill protecting abortionsurviving infants ‘Born Alive’ act would require survivors receive equal medical care By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Following the bipartisan passage of the “Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” in both chambers of the N.C. legislature, Gov. Roy Cooper announced his veto of the bill. The bill requires that if an infant is born alive, despite any attempt to abort during pregnancy, there would be penalties for health care workers who denied the child access to health care or who took direct action to harm the child. In his veto statement, Cooper said, “Laws already protect newborn babies and this bill is an unnecessary interference between doctors and their patients. This needless legislation would criminalize doctors and other healthcare providers for a practice that simply does not exist.” The nonpartisan attorneys for the Legislative Analysis Division, whose job it is to provide legal opinions to legislators of both parties, believe that current law does not in fact mandate care be provided in these circumstances, saying in the bill summary, “There are currently no laws requiring an affirmative duty of care to preserve the life of infants who survive attempted abortions.” Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth) and Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret), the respective Senate and House sponsors of the companion bills, responded to the veto in a joint statement: “Caring for a living, breathing, newborn infant is too restrictive for Governor Cooper’s radical abortion agenda. We thought Democrats would agree that children born alive should be separate from the abortion debate, but it’s clear that they want the ‘right to choose’ to even extend past birth. This is a sad day for North Carolina.” See NCGA, page A2
A large majority of the public, 79 percent, are opposed to thirdtrimester abortions, as shown by a February You.gov poll.
Islamic extremists accused of Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka By Jon Gambrell and Bharatha Mallawarachi North State Journal COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The purported leader of an Islamic extremist group accused of attacking Christian worshipers in Sri Lanka that killed over 320 people began posting videos online three years ago calling for non-Muslims to be “eliminated,” faith leaders said Tuesday. Much remains unclear about how a little-known group called National Thowfeek Jamaath allegedly carried out nine large, nearly-simultaneous suicide bombings striking
churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. The explosions — mostly in or around Colombo, the capital — collapsed ceilings and blew out windows, killing worshippers and hotel guests in one scene after another of smoke, soot, blood, broken glass, screams and wailing alarms. Victims were carried out of blood-spattered pews. The U.S. said “several” Americans were among the dead, while Britain, China, Japan and Portugal said they, too, lost citizens. Warnings about growing radicalSee EXTREMISTS, page A8
Congressman’s death triggers election, glut of candidates By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr.’s long-held congressional seat in North Carolina was expected to be up for grabs soon, but it happened more quickly than most people anticipated. Months after the Republican announced his 2018 campaign would be his last, Jones’ health faded. He died in February at age 76. Jones’ death drew people from both sides of the aisle to praise his commitment to his constituents, his faith and his willingness to buck party leadership regardless of political consequences, such as when he opposed the Iraq War. It also drew more than two dozen candidates from four parties into an accelerated, off-year special election to replace him in the GOP-leaning 3rd Congressional District. “No one will fill his shoes. He was an honorable, honest, good Christian man,” said Gary Weaver, the Republican Party chairman in Pitt County, about 80 miles east of Raleigh. “He didn’t get persuaded by money. He didn’t get persuaded by influence. He voted his conscience.” Twenty-six candidates filed last month to run in a 3rd District race that’s unfolding a year earlier than had been expected. All but one are listed on ballots for primaries scheduled April 30. With 17 Republican and six DemocratSee ELECTION, page A2