North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 46

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 46

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

inside College basketball season tips off in NC, Sports

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

NC State guard Allerik Freeman (12) gets fouled by Charleston Southern forward Javis Howard (23) in the second half of the college basketball game at PNC Arena in Raleigh, on Nov. 12. The North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 78 - 56.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Cooper honors former U.S. Attorney General Lynch Raleigh The state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, went to six people that the N.C. Department Cultural Resources recognizes as landmark contributors to the state and the nation. In a Nov. 9 ceremony, Gov. Roy Cooper gave the awards to former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch for public service, Margaret Bauer for literature, Phil Freelon for fine arts, R.K.M. Jayanty for science, Jane Smith Patterson for public service, and James H. Woodward for public service.

U.S. court lets Trump travel ban go partially into effect Washington, D.C. A U.S. appeals court in California on Monday let President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban go partially into effect, ruling the government can bar entry of people with no connections to the U.S. who are from six “countries of concern,” as identified by the State Department. The threejudge panel of the San Franciscobased 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially granted the ban, applying to people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad who do not have family in the U.S.

Puerto Rico requests $94.4 billion from Congress for rebuilding New York Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has requested $94.4 billion from Congress to rebuild the island’s infrastructure, housing, schools and hospitals devastated by Hurricane Maria. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Rossello said recovery from the storm exceeded the resources of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund and associated programs.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Double amputee keeps moving in Month of Marathons Veteran Rob Jones committed in mid-October to run 31 marathons over 31 days in 31 cities; on Veterans Day he ran his 31st marathon

By Katlyn Nicole Batts North State Journal CHARLOTTE — A former Marine who lost his legs in combat, Rob Jones, ran his 29th out of 31 marathons in as many days in Charlotte last week as a part of his Month of Marathons journey.

“Plenty of Americans want to help veterans and that’s one thing I want to prove doing this,” said Jones.

According to Pam Jones, Rob’s wife, Charlotte was the largest crowd they have had on their journey thus far. From veterans and the Queens University track and field team to military sup-

porters, all the way to a 7-weekold baby girl, all were at the race to support or run beside Jones.

He wrapped up his successful journey on Saturday, running his 31st marathon on the National Mall on Veterans Day. “We are just really inspired by this story and coming up on Veterans Day we felt it was very important to support Rob and veterans,” 14-year-old Charlotte runner Jake Honeycutt said.

Honeycutt, who had never ran a marathon, planned to run the first loop and with his father.

A lot of preparation went into this journey, and Jones’ wife and mother has helped him every step of the way.

“I drive the RV and coordinate with the media now, but before we started I did meal-prep and planned the month ahead… all Rob has to focus on is running, See MARATHONER, page A3

Towns across the state put bond issues on the ballot last week, here is how they voted.

$2.00

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — On Monday, the Stanford professor appointed to review N.C.’s legislative district maps submitted a draft plan back to the court. Nathaniel Persily was tapped Nov. 1 as a special master by a federal three-judge panel and asked to deliver his review of the state’s maps by Dec. 1. The three judges in the case are Catherine Eagles and Thomas Schroeder of the U.S. Middle District of North Carolina, and James Wynn of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Persily’s appointment is part of the North Carolina v. Covington lawsuit over accusations of gerrymandering in the state’s legislative map-making. He’s asked for lawmakers and plaintiffs in the suit to provide feedback and more data by Friday, Nov. 17, limiting their responses to 25,000 words. They will have a chance to reply to the other’s feedback by Nov. 21, not to exceed 10,000-word briefs.

“These draft plans are provided at this early date to give the parties time to lodge objections and to make

KATLYN NICOLE BATTS | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

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Veteran Rob Jones ran 31 marathons in 31 days. Jones, who is a double amputee, ran in Charlotte last week for his 29th marathon.

“The problem with any opioid, it is so hard to know what dose will affect you.”

— Dr. Jeffrey Gadsden, the director of the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine fellowship

See MAPS, page A2

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF SEN. TILLIS

In a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Thom Tillis (R- N.C.) introduced legislation Monday that would create a merit-based system for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to earn legal status.

NATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

Cooper leaves charter schools off the list

By Donna King North State Journal

Jones & Blount

20177 52016

Lawmakers have until Friday to respond

N.C. leaders try to chart the future and tackle tough issues like hunger, test scores and school choice

INSIDE

5

Court-ordered map drawer proposes district changes

RALEIGH — With a semester nearly under their belts, N.C.’s education leadership is taking time to recognize National Education Week. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a declaration Monday and dispatched some of his leadership

team to public schools for a visit.

“We know we need to do more to support public education in North Carolina,” said Cooper.

“That starts with highlighting the work being done in our schools and learning about the challenges our students and teachers face.

I’m so grateful to our parents, teachers and school support personnel for all they do to educate young people.”

Among the visits this week, the state’s Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland went to Neal Magnet See SCHOOLS, page A3

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

A2 WEDNESDAY

The Cape Fear River waterfront in Wilmington is shown.

11.15.17 #102

“Elevate the conversation” Visit North State Journal online! nsjonline.com jonesandblount.com nsjsports.com carolinabrewreview.com chickenbonealley.com

We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins Publisher Donna King Editor Cory Lavalette Managing/Sports Editor Frank Hill SeniorOpinion Editor

Published each Wednesday

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EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Chemours cited for unreported October chemical spill In October, DEQ elected not to suspend Chemours permit; now another spill is raising more questions

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality cited Chemours Monday with violating it’s water discharge permit after an October spill of more chemicals into the Cape Fear River. Cooper administration officials have given the company ten days to provide DEQ with details of when and how much dimer acid fluoride spilled into the Cape Fear on October 6. At this point, DEQ has not said what the penalty would be, but said it could be a fine.

At the end of October, DEQ decided not to suspend Chemours wastewater discharge permit even after it was discovered that the company had been releasing GenX, a compound chemical made as a byproduct of making non-stick coatings, into the Cape Fear. Now with a second spill, all eyes are on the state environmental agency.

DEQ found out about the second spill after receiving data last week from the federal Environmental Protection Agency that revealed another spike in the presence of GenX during the first week of October. The water was tested at the discharge site of Chemours Fayetteville Works plant.

According to DEQ, the company responded to inquiries on the spike four weeks after it happened, saying a spill had occurred Oct. 6 from a manufacturing line at the Chemours facility. The company told state officials that dimer acid fluoride, a precursor to GenX, had spilled during planned maintenance at the facility. Previously, Chemours told the state that it was capturing the plant’s wastewater to filter out GenX. “It is both unlawful and unacceptable for a company to fail to report a chemical spill to the

state and public as soon as possible,” said Michael Regan, Secretary for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. “We will take all appropriate enforcement action to hold Chemours accountable for failing to comply with its permit.”

The controversy over GenX started in June when the state began investigating reports of its presence in the Cape Fear River, the drinking water source for more than 200,000 homes and businesses in eastern N.C. Chemours said it had been releasing GenX into the river for more than 30 years.

Whether or not GenX is toxic is still being studied by the Centers for Disease Control and researchers at UNC Wilmington. However, as a precaution the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has set 140 parts per trillion as the goal for maximum safe concentrations of GenX in drinking water.

According to water data provided by Chemours and released by DEQ, concentrations of GenX at Chemours’ wastewater discharge outfall increased to 250 parts per trillion on Oct. 6 and peaked at 3,700 parts per trillion on Oct. 9. By Oct. 16 the concentration had dropped to 380 parts per trillion. In the week prior to the spill, water samples showed concentrations of GenX between 35 and 69 parts per trillion.

While scientists determine the toxicity of GenX and the Cape Fear Public Utility works to find a way to filter it out, the state has tested well water for homes around the Chemours plant. Fifty wells showed high levels of GenX and the state required that Chemours provide those homes with bottled water.

Lawsuits against DuPont and its spinoff Chemours have already started. A Raleigh-based law firm filed class-action litigation against DuPont and Chemours in October asking for a jury trial, a billion dollars in damages and long-term health monitoring for all residents potentially affected. The Brunswick County government has

also filed a lawsuit against Chemours.

“For nearly 40 years, defendants have been secretly releasing their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic perfluorinated chemicals into the Cape Fear River at unsafe levels and contaminating the drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians — just as they did in the Ohio River — all the while misleading state and federal regulators and the public,” the lawsuit says.

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has filed an “Urgent Public Records Request” with DEQ for all its information from Chemours, including records previously deemed “confidential.” The request renewed a previous one from the utility which says it is not getting all the information from DEQ that is needed to effectively study and mitigate GenX presence in the Cape Fear.

“The identities of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated substances that pollute a river that is a public water supply source are not confidential business information and should not be withheld,” CFPUA’s records request read.

If CFPUA gets the information they need, it could also be used in their own lawsuit against Chemours, filed in October. The records could possibly corner DEQ in the battle over who knew what about GenX and when. So far, the state agency and the NC DHHS hsatold the public that they believe the water is safe to drink.

Chemours’ lawyer has already used those assurances in response to the lawsuits, saying that it is “important to note that the state of N.C. has said they believe the water to be safe.”

By law, Chemours is required to notify DEQ within 24 hours of any unusual discharge that could be considered of concern to public health. DEQ is also required to give them a chance to respond to a notice of violation.

That response would be due to the state agency by Thanksgiving.

MAPS from page A1 suggestions, as to unpairing incumbents or otherwise, that might be accommodated in the final plan to be delivered to the court by Dec. 1,” he wrote.

Persily is a professor at Stanford University’s James B. McClatchy School of Law. He earned his doctorate and master’s degree at Berkley and a law degree at Stanford.

He also served under the Obama Administration as the senior research director of the Presidential Commission for Election Administration (PCEA), set up by the administration after the 2012 elections to make recommendations on elections policy changes. He was similarly involved in redistricting efforts in New York, Maryland and Georgia.

In his response, Persily said he was trying to keep precincts together and avoid district lines that replicate the ones rejected by federal courts in 2011. He redrew several districts, including changes to Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson, Wayne and Guilford counties. In the state’s most populated counties, Mecklenburg and Wake, the court had directed Persily to revert back to the 2011 district lines, claiming that they were changed illegally before the 10-year census-driven schedule. However, Persily said that due to population changes in those counties, reverting to the 2011 district lines could only provide an outer frame within which he would have to create districts by population.

“For the most part, the configurations of the districts are determined by moving District 33 to the county border and then shifting the remaining interior districts clockwise until they achieve population equality,” he wrote. “By reinstating the 2011 districts, several precincts are now split that were not under the 2017 plan. However, the Special Master’s Draft Plan does not add any more split precincts and in, fact, recombines some precincts that were split with the 2011 or 2017 plan.”

In Cumberland county’s District 19, Persily takes the line north of Spring Lake, in an effort to keep precincts whole and eliminate a “jutting arm” into Fayetteville. In Guilford county, the newly drawn district is contained almost completely within the city of Greensboro and does not split precincts. As a result, districts 24 and 27 become primarily Greensboro suburbs.

So far, lawmakers have not offered a new public comment on the draft, but after the judge appointed the special master, Republicans called the order “unusual and vague.”

“Similar to this same federal court’s order for a special election in North Carolina that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed, this unusual and vague order provides absolutely no legal or factual basis for objecting to the new maps, while also potentially delegating the legislature’s constitutional authority to draw districts to a lone professor in California with no accountability to North Carolinians,” Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) and Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) said in a joint statement on Oct. 26.

“Race was not used at all as a factor in the drawing of these districts.

Further, these maps split fewer counties, towns and precincts than any map in recent North Carolina history. We are exploring all our legal options.”

Want to learn more about North Carolina Agriculture?

The First Furrow www.FirstFurrow.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

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Statesville group renovates 300th home for veterans

By Donna King North State Journal STATESVILLE — Dale Beatty and John Gallina of Statesville were both wounded by landmines on Nov. 15, 2004, while serving in Iraq, and both received the Purple Heart medal. When they returned home, their community welcomed them with warm support and grateful appreciation for their service. They were touched by the outpouring of support they saw for veterans of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but noticed that older veterans often didn’t get the same focus.

They did some research and found that combat-related disabilities wreak havoc on veterans’ lives long after they leave the hospital.

From lifestyle and mobility changes to credit problems due to hospital bills, often veterans and their caretakers fight a lifelong battle to stay in their homes. Gallina and Beatty wanted to fill some gaps in the housing system for veterans, so they founded Purple Heart Homes in 2008 to rally support and volunteers to renovated veterans’ homes and make life a little easier for them.

“Older veterans live in homes built in the 1950s and 1960s that oftentimes are not suited for service connected disabilities combined with normal aging issues in later life,” said Beatty, who lost both legs below the knee in a landmine explosion.

Beatty and Gallina turned to mayors and credit unions across the country for help. The National League of Cities and The Home Depot Foundation pitched in to get funding into the right hands.

“We are so grateful to Purple Heart Homes and all of the wonderful volunteers who have come to our aid to help make our home safe and accessible.”

— Michael Shoop, Vietnam veteran by several veterans’ organizations that built five complete houses for disabled veterans in Denver, N.C. This year, seven cities participated including Fayetteville and the Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union and Winston-Salem with the Allegacy Federal Credit Union.

Each city helps identify veterans who need home modifications and organizes volunteers to work on projects like ramps, grab bars, fresh paint or to help with yard cleanup.

In addition to the home renovations for disabled veterans, the group runs a Veterans Homes Ownership Program which helps younger veterans buy their first home. Last month, Purple Heart Homes sponsored the first annual Veterans Aging Summit at UNC Chapel Hill, focused on how to help veterans age with dignity and get them and their caregivers the resources they need. The summit brought together public policy experts, veterans groups and community leaders to hammer out what kind of housing solutions and community resources disabled veterans need.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PURPLE HEART HOMES

A volunteer paints a fence for a Purple Heart home, which renovates veterans’ homes.

This week the group announced the 300th renovation completed

by Purple Heart Homes.

“It’s top of mind that to our veteran families, ‘home’ means everything,” said Gallina. “It’s a place to heal, it’s a special sanctuary that provides stability and needed neighborly support.”

The milestone home renovation was for brothers Michael and Franklin Shoop, both service connected disabled veterans who

served in the Navy in Vietnam.

Community volunteers built a new bathroom, with new flooring and an accessible vanity and shower for the brothers.

“There were tremendous difficulties with our bathroom, including floors that were rotting and a bathtub that was almost impossible to use,” said Franklin Snoops.

“Now, we can age in place in this house, where we have lived for such a long time. We thank every-

one involved from the bottom of our hearts.”

Purple Heart Homes’ Veterans Aging In Place (VAIP) Program is aimed at keeping veterans from having to move into an assisted living facility any sooner than needed. From Purple Heart Day in August to Veterans Day in November each year, the group raises money and help from communities across the country. In 2013, they were part of a project

MARATHONER from page A1

EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL | FILE

A detail look at Round Up weed and grass killer on the shelf at a hardware store in Raleigh.

Large farm study finds no cancer link to Monsanto weed killer A wide-ranging study looked at tens of thousands of agricultural workers in N.C. and in Iowa and found no significant link between glyphosate and cancer

By Kate Kelland Reuters LONDON — N.C. agriculture workers and farming families were part of a large long-term study on the use of the big-selling weed killer glyphosate. Scientists now say they’ve found no firm link between exposure to the pesticide and cancer.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), the study found there was no association between glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s popular herbicide Roundup, “and any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and its subtypes.”

It said there was “some evidence of increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among the highest exposed group,” but added this association was “not statistically significant.”

The findings are likely to impact legal proceedings against Monsanto, in which more than 180 plaintiffs are claiming exposure to Roundup gave them cancer — allegations that Monsanto denies.

The findings may also influence

a crucial decision due by the end of the year on whether glyphosate should be relicensed for sale across the European Union.

EU countries had been due to vote on the issue on Thursday, but again failed to agree to a proposal for a five-year extension.

The EU decision has been delayed for more than a year after the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed glyphosate in 2015 and concluded it was “probably carcinogenic” to humans. Other bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority, have concluded glyphosate is safe to use.

The research is part of a large and important project known as the Agricultural Health Study (AHS), which has been tracking the health of tens of thousands of agricultural workers, farmers and their families in Iowa and North Carolina.

Since the early 1990s, it has gathered and analyzed detailed information on the health of participants and their families, and their use of pesticides, including glyphosate.

David Spiegelhalter, a professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at Britain’s Cambridge University who has no link to the research, said Thursday’s findings were from a “large and careful study” and showed “no significant relationship between glyphosate use and any cancer.”

He added that the possible asso-

ciation with AML “is no more than one would expect by chance” and was not a concern.

Reuters reported in June how an influential scientist was aware of new AHS data while he was chairing a panel of experts reviewing evidence on glyphosate for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in early 2015.

But since it had not at that time been published, he did not tell the expert panel about it and IARC’s review did not take it into account.

The publication of the study last week comes more than four years since drafts based on the AHS data on glyphosate and other pesticides were circulating in February and March 2013.

In a summary of the results, the researchers, led by Laura Beane Freeman, principal investigator of the AHS at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said that among 54,251 (pesticide) applicators studied, 44,932, or 82.9 percent, used glyphosate.

“Glyphosate was not statistically significantly associated with cancer at any site,” the summary said.

Scott Partridge, Monsanto’s vice president of strategy, said the study results clearly showed the weed killer was safe.

“This is the largest study of agricultural workers in history, over the longest period of time,” he told Reuters. “It is the gold standard ... and it definitively demonstrates in a real-world environment that glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer.”

eating, sleeping and taking to the cameras,” said Pam Jones.

Coordinating with the media is extremely important. Every time Jones is seen on television there is a massive boost in donations, and raising money for wounded veterans is one of his goals on this journey and in life.

“Currently he has raised about $120,000,” said Pam Jones. “He has set a goal to raise $1 million in his lifetime, and in 2013 he raised $125,000 when he rode his bike across the country.”

Carol Miller, Jones’ mother, joins him on his journey as his personal massage therapist, and sometimes she finds it hard to let him go run even though he is in pain or the weather is bad.

“It has been a real privilege… it is important not to be negative for him,” said Miller. “I try and let him do his thing even if I am sitting back here nervous.”

Jones has been an athlete since he was discharged from the Marines. He has been on a rowing team that placed fourth in the 2013 World Championship, has biked across the United States, and has completed a triathlon.

Jones inspires many and is trying to be an example to others. Everyday 22 veterans commit suicide, but Jones puts a positive spin on his circumstance so he does not let himself get down.

“He says, ‘Thank God it happened to me and not to someone who could not cope with it,’” said Pam Jones.

Jones — who runs a mile in about nine minutes — knows he

“He says, ‘Thank God it happened to me and not to someone who could not cope with it.’”

Pam Jones, Rob Jones’ wife can be a beacon of light to other veterans and does not take the opportunity lightly, but every day this forces him to get up and be excited, happy and joyful about life so he can inspire others.

“Instead of seeing tragedy or hardship as something that is blocking your path or getting in your way, [I see] it as an opportunity to grow stronger, something that you can use to make yourself better,” he said.

Jones is just one of those people who strive to do better every day, his wife said. He also is very funny and has done some standup comedy.

His journey has received national attention and he has received letters of support from the VA and state representatives. Some mayors have even come out to his events, although no state or city representatives attended in Charlotte.

Rob and Pam Jones are currently building a house in Lowden County, Va., and plan to take a few months off, but he hopes to try out for the Invictus games in the future.

Donations can be made at robjonesjourney.com.

KATLYN NICOLE BATTS | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Rob Jones poses for a photo before running his 29th marathon in Charlotte.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Nation & WORLD

In grieving Texas town, faith sustains those left behind Sutherland Springs, Texas The modest Texas church where a gunman massacred more than two dozen worshipers last week reopened as a memorial on Sunday, giving the public its first glimpse of the site where one of the most shocking mass shootings in U.S. history took place.

Hundreds of people waited in line to pay their respects after construction crews worked around the clock for 72 hours to make the church “presentable to those families,” Mark Collins, an associate pastor, said.

All the pews, carpets and church equipment had been removed, and the floors were still sticky from fresh coats of paint. The windows were painted over in swirling watercolors. White, wooden folding chairs were placed in no regular pattern throughout the church, with each marking the precise spot where a victim’s body was found. A single rose, decorated with white ribbon, graced every seat, with the victim’s name written in gold cursive script on its back along with a cross painted in red.

Legionnaires’ sickens 12 in California, including 9 at Disneyland Anaheim, Calif.

Disneyland has shut down and decontaminated two cooling towers following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that sickened 12 people, nine of them guests or employees at the theme park in Anaheim, county health officials said on Saturday. One of the three cases of the respiratory illness not linked to Disneyland was fatal in an individual who had additional health issues, said Jessica Good of the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Opioid abuse crisis takes heavy toll on U.S. veterans Washington, D.C. Opioid drug abuse has killed more Americans than the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars combined, and U.S. veterans and advocates are focusing on how to help victims of the crisis. Veterans are twice as likely as nonveterans to die from accidental overdoses of the highly addictive painkillers, a rate that reflects high levels of chronic pain among vets, particularly those who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to federal data.

U.N. evacuates first group of refugees from Libya to Niger New York A group of 25 refugees have been evacuated from Libya to Niger to have resettlement claims processed, in the first operation of its kind from the North African country, the United Nations said on Sunday. The move is part of efforts to provide protection for refugees and other vulnerable migrants who travel to Libya, often intending to attempt the dangerous sea crossing to Italy.

Trump says North Korea’s Kim insulted him by calling him ‘old’ Danang, Vietnam President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had insulted him by calling him “old” and said he would never call Kim “short and fat.”

Trump made the comment after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam.

AARON P. BERNSTEIN | REUTERS

President Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realizes other leaders, including Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional “ASEAN handshake” as he participates in the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 13.

Trump heads home with ‘America First’ ringing in Asia’s ears President returned to Washington on Tuesday after the longest presidential visit to Asia in a quarter of a century

By John Chalmers and Steve Holland Reuters MANILA — As Air Force One took off from Manila on Tuesday at the end of the longest trip to Asia by an American president in more than quarter of a century, at least two of the region’s leaders had good reason to feel satisfied.

At a summit in the Philippines, Donald Trump forged a “great relationship” with President Rodrigo Duterte, who only a year ago had cursed “son of a bitch” Barack Obama for decrying his administration’s bloody war on drug pushers and addicts.

Trump flashed a thumbs-up as he shook hands with Cambodia’s authoritarian prime minister, Hun Sen, who praised the U.S. president as a kindred spirit for telling countries to put their own interests first.

“You are a great man to me,” Hun Sen said, addressing Trump at a meeting with other Southeast Asian leaders, and then referenced Trump’s “America First” policy.

“I would like to inform you that if you follow your new policy in respect of the independence and sovereignty of other countries, the

United States will have a lot of friends and you will be much respected and loved.”

For other leaders across Asia, however, Trump’s go-it-alone instincts must have represented a puzzling departure from his predecessors, who were — to varying degrees — standard bearers of multilateralism, democracy and human rights.

During a tour that took him to Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam and the Philippines capital, Trump called for joint efforts to tighten the screws on North Korea and its development of nuclear weapons in defiance of U.N. sanctions.

But at an Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam, he declared that redressing the uneven balance of trade between Asia and the United States was at the center of his “America First” policy, which he says will protect U.S. workers.

“We’ve explained that the United States is open for trade but we want reciprocal, we want fair trade for the United States,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Trump’s vision has upended a consensus favoring multinational trade pacts whose regional champion is now China. On the sidelines of the Vietnam meeting, 11 countries kept alive a Trans Pacific trade deal that Trump walked away from last year in the name of protecting American jobs.

One cabinet member from a major ASEAN country told Reuters there was little enthusiasm in the region for Trump’s bilateral

“We’ve explained that the United States is open for trade but we want reciprocal, we want fair trade for the United States.”

— President Donald Trump approach to deals.

“As Singapore Prime Minister Lee [Hsein Loong] pointed out, the reason bilateral trade deals are so attractive for the USA, is precisely why no one will want to enter into one with the USA: because the USA could bully anyone on a bilateral basis,” said the cabinet member who did not want to be named. “Why would anyone sign up for that?”

The art of the deals Trump skipped part of a summit of East and Southeast Asian leaders Tuesday because of scheduling delays, but delivered his remarks during the lunch instead.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the session in his place.

Trump told reporters before leaving that he had sealed deals of “at least $300 billion, possibly triple that figure.”

U.S. businesses signed around $250 billion dollars-worth of deals during Trump’s Beijing visit, but many of those were nonbinding. Missing was any agreement on market access or reduction in

Trump to tap ex-pharma executive Azar as U.S. health secretary Azar would replace former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price who resigned in September amid criticism over private charter jets

By Caroline Humer Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Monday said he will nominate former pharmaceutical executive and industry lobbyist Alex Azar to serve as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, saying Azar would push to lower the price of medicines.

If confirmed, Azar also would take the lead in implementing Trump’s campaign promise to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 health care overhaul passed under former Democratic President Barack Obama.

Trump, who was in the Philippines on a diplomatic trip, announced his intention to nominate Azar on Twitter by saying he would “be a star for better health care and lower drug prices.”

Azar’s nomination comes after Trump’s initial health secretary, for-

mer U.S. Rep. Tom Price, resigned in September amid criticism over his use of expensive taxpayer-funded private charter jets for government travel instead of cheaper commercial flights.

Democrats were cautious in their response to Trump’s announcement, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) calling for the health agency to turn over a new leaf with Azar.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has been working on bipartisan health care legislation, tweeted, “Given Alex Azar’s professional background, there are concerns on whether he can fairly execute any significant effort to lower drug prices for patients & families.”

Republicans were supportive with Senate health committee head Lamar Alexander of Tennessee describing Azar as a qualified, experienced nominee.

Trump has said he plans to bring down “out-of-control” drug prices.

technology-sharing agreements that American businesses have long complained about.

“The multibillion-dollar deals he struck in Beijing may not help the U.S. trade deficit,” said a former Japanese diplomat in Tokyo, who declined to be named. “But optically ... he can tell people that because he went to China with business leaders, he was able to come back with a gift.”

Although there were few weighty deliverables from Trump’s tour, for Asian nations looking nervously at China’s increasing assertiveness, it may be welcomed as a sign that his administration is still committed to the region.

“What regional countries wanted was for him to simply show up — to underscore that America remained at least notionally committed to Asia,” said Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies in Malaysia.

A senior official in South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration said Seoul had been worried he “would come to South Korea and engage in unexpected behavior and language, but it turned out Trump was quite considerate.”

“South Korea was able to rest assured regarding its partnership with the United States,” the official added.

He also got good reviews at the start of his Asia tour in Japan, which has been currying favor with Trump since right after his election when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jetted off to Trump Tower with an expensive golf club as a present.

“The most important deliverable is that we can send an almost identical message to the world that we share an identical strategy,” a Japanese government official said.

Azar worked at Eli Lilly for a decade, including five years as president of its USA affiliate Lilly USA unit, and left the company in January, according to his LinkedIn page.

He also served several years on the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a drug industry lobbying group, and earlier was general counsel and deputy secretary for Health and Human Services under former Republican President George W. Bush.

In February, Azar founded a consulting agency that specialized in biopharmaceutical and health care companies, according to his LinkedIn page.

Patient advocacy organization Public Citizen said Azar has made it clear he is opposed to measures “to restrain prescription companies’ profiteering and limit improper marketing” and that he favors weaker safety approval standards.

As head of HHS, Azar would have oversight responsibility for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the drug industry including approving new treatments.

Azar’s nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate, which is controlled

by Trump’s fellow Republicans.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

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U.S. Senate Republicans tie tax plan to repeal of Obamacare mandate

By Amanda Becker and Susan Cornwell Reuters

TASNIM NEWS AGENCY | REUTERS

A man gestures inside a damaged building following an earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran, Nov. 13.

Strong earthquake hits Iraq and Iran, killing more than 500 The quake’s epicenter was near the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, officials say death toll will rise

By Parisa Hafezi and Raya Jalab Reuters BAGHDAD — Thousands of homeless Iranians huddled against the cold, in the days after at least 530 people were killed in Iran’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade, state TV said.

Iranian officials called off rescue operations, saying there was little chance of finding more survivors from the earthquake that shook parts of western Iran on Sunday.

Iran’s English-language Press TV said 7,000 were injured when the magnitude 7.3 earthquake jolted the country on Sunday. Local officials expected the death toll to climb as search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran.

The quake was felt in several provinces of Iran but the hardest hit province was Kermanshah.

More than 300 of the victims were in Sarpol-e Zahab county in that province, about 10 miles from the Iraq border.

Iranian state television said the quake had caused heavy damage in some villages where houses were made of earthen bricks. The quake also triggered landslides that hindered rescue efforts, officials told state television.

At least 14 provinces in Iran had been affected, Iranian media reported. Iranian media reported that a woman and her baby were pulled out alive from the rubble on Monday in Sarpol-e Zahab, the worst hit area with a population of 85,000.

Relief workers said while much aid had been pledged, there was an immediate need for blankets, children’s clothes, medicine and large cans to store drinking water.

TV aired footage of some people weeping next to corpses shrouded in blankets.

Tempers frayed in the quake-hit

AKO RASHEED | REUTERS

Collapsed building is seen in the town of Darbandikhan, near the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, Iraq, on Nov. 13.

area as the search went on for survivors amidst the twisted rubble of collapsed buildings. State TV aired footage of damaged buildings, vehicles under rubble and wounded people wrapped in blankets.

“We need a shelter,” a middle-aged man in Sarpol-e Zahab told state TV. “Where is the aid?

Where is the help?” His family could not spend another night outside in cold weather, he said.

Iraq’s health and local officials said the worst-hit area was Darbandikham district, near the border with Iran, where at least 10 houses had collapsed and the district’s only hospital was severely damaged.

“The situation there is very critical,” Kurdish Health Minister Rekawt Hama Rasheed told Reuters.

The quake was felt as far south as Baghdad, where many residents rushed from their houses and tall buildings when tremors shook the Iraqi capital.

“I was sitting with my kids having dinner and suddenly the building was just dancing in the air,” said Majida Ameer, who ran out of her building with her three children.

“I thought at first that it was a huge bomb. But then I heard everyone around me screaming: ‘Earth-

Your Partner in Precision Agriculture

quake!’”

An Iranian local official told state TV that some villages were destroyed.

“I lost nine members of my family ... they were killed while they slept,” a weeping middle-aged woman told state TV. Iran sits astride major fault lines and is prone to frequent tremors.

A magnitude 6.6 quake on Dec. 26, 2003, devastated the historic city of Bam, 600 miles southeast of Tehran, killing about 31,000 people.

Electricity and water was cut off in several Iranian and Iraqi cities, and fears of aftershocks sent thousands of people in both countries out onto the streets and parks in cold weather.

Across the area, rescue workers and special teams using detection dogs and heat sensors searched wreckage. Blocked roads made it hard for rescue workers to reach some remote villages.

Iranian authorities acknowledged the relief effort was still slow and patchy. More than 70,000 people needed emergency shelter, the head of Iranian Red Crescent said.

Hojjat Gharibian, one of hundreds of homeless Iranian survivors, was huddled against the cold with his family in Qasr-e Shirin.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and fellow Senate Republicans said on Tuesday their tax-cut plan likely will be amended to include a repeal of an Obamacare rule that requires Americans to have health insurance coverage or pay a penalty.

In a move that would raise the stakes in a tax debate that is crucial to Republicans' 2018 political prospects and potentially make the path toward passage more difficult, McConnell told reporters, "We're optimistic that inserting the individual mandate repeal would be helpful."

President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Monday the mandate repeal should be added to the plan.

The Senate Finance Committee, which had been debating the tax bill, abruptly adjourned sooner than expected on Tuesday afternoon as Republicans weighed including the mandate repeal.

No final decision was made at the Senate Republicans' weekly policy luncheon in the Capitol, Senator Susan Collins afterward told reporters. She played a key role in July's collapse of a yearslong push by her fellow Republicans to gut Obamacare.

"I personally think that it complicates tax reform to put the repeal of the individual mandate in there," Collins said.

Asked if she would back the tax bill if a mandate repeal were added, she said, "I'm going to wait and see."

Senator John McCain, who also bucked his party and contributed to the failed Obamacare repeal earlier this year, was non-committal.

"I want to see the whole bill before I decide," McCain said. "I don't know if it makes it easier or harder."

The Senate and the House of Representatives are developing competing tax reform packages that financial markets have been monitoring closely. Stocks have rallied for months, partly on hopes of business tax cuts.

Neither version at the moment includes repealing the mandate.

Adding it would test Republican unity and likely cement Democratic opposition, raising the political risks for the tax revamp, which Republicans are eager to complete before the 2018 midterm elections.

Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate. If Democrats remain united in opposition, Republicans could afford to lose no more than two senators from within their own ranks and still secure passage of tax legislation.

Senate Republicans have already included in their tax reform package that would put a new levy on endowments held by large private universities and colleges.

The American Council on Education, opposed it saying that "creating a new and unprecedented tax on endowments" would redirect large amounts of money to the federal government and "away from providing scholarships to our students and supporting research and education."

"It also would effectively be a tax on donors' contributions and shift money from the dedicated purpose for the donation," they wrote in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee's Republican chairman, Orrin Hatch, and top-ranking Democrat, Ron Wyden. The plan would tax investment earnings of the largest schools' endowments at 1.4 percent. All private college endowments total $350 billion, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

The House tax bill has the endowment levy, but additionally wipes out the deduction that graduates can take on their federal taxes for student-loan interest.

Insiders have said that the interest deduction for student loans will likely survive after the two chambers combine their tax plans for President Donald Trump to sign into a single law.

Supporters of the endowment tax say it would put the most lucrative investment funds on equal footing with other tax-exempt charities.

Congressional Republicans are aiming to pass tax legislation by the end of the year.

KEVIN LAMARQUE | REUTERS

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R) and ranking member Ron Wyden (L) greet one another as they arrive for a markup on the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Nov. 13.

Helping farmers grow with technology www.vantagesouthatlantic.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

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North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

Thankful for turkeys

Voters approve bonds, beer sales across NC

North Carolina companies that produce and process turkey are an integral part of the state’s economy. Turkey producers along with the companies that provide supplies and materials to the industry provide well-paying jobs in the state and pay significant amounts in taxes to state and federal governments.

By Donna King North State Journal

9,135

people are employed by the turkey industry in North Carolina

TINT WEST

OF CORN:

C: 0 Buncombe County sues opioid distributors, manufacturers M: 12

COUNTY NAMES:

Haywood County Schools chief to Benton Sans Bold, retire

12pt.

Y: 59.4 K: 6

Buncombe County Buncombe County announced it is filing a lawsuit against opioid distributors and manufacturers. In a press conference Tuesday, county official gave details on its public nuisance lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors “that made the opioid epidemic possible,” according to a news release. The announcement comes after county commissioners last month unanimously voted to hire Baron & Budd, a national law firm well-known for pursuing legal action against distributors.

The firm is already representing 80 other local governments in suits against opioid producers.

Haywood County Dr. Anne Garrett has announced her retirement as superintendent of the Haywood County Schools effective March 1, 2018. Garrett served as the county superintendent of schools for 13 years, driving the district up more than two dozen spots in statewide academic performance. Over her career, Garrett worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, countywide supervisor and associate superintendent before being selected as superintendent in 2004 by the Haywood County Schools Board of Education. Garrett has also been inducted into the Western Carolina University Peak Performer Hall of Fame.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

7.81

billion dollars was brought to N.C. by the turkey industry in 2016

BLACK RULE: Western region: Piedmont Green PIEDMONT EAST USDA mails ballots for county Solid Piedmont NState Red Conjoinedblack, twins born.5 pt weight Beaufort motel agriculture committee members region:Well-known to Asheboro couple destroyed byNavy fire Eastern region: NState Wake County Randolph County Candice and Grayson McNeill, of Asheboro, welcomed daughters Sophie and Emily on Oct. 26. at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

They each have their own heart, lungs, and spine, but share a body. The couple found out about their twins during an ultrasound. The McNeill family already included three girls aged 11, 8, and a toddler who turns 2 on Nov. 27. Doctors anticipate needing to perform several surgeries on the twins, who are experiencing some heart and gastrointestinal concerns.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture began mailing ballots to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country for the 2017 Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections last week. County committee members provide local input on decisions services provided by USDA, including disaster and emergency programs. Nearly 7,700 FSA county committee members serve FSA offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve threeyear terms of office. One-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 4.

ASHEBORO COURIER-TRIBUNE

USDA

Carteret County Over the weekend, Beaufort firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at Core Creek Marina & Motel on Core Creek Road. Just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, the Harker’s Island Fire Department, Harlowe Fire Department, Otway Fire Department, Morehead City Fire Department, Indian Beach Fire Department, Pine Knoll Shores Fire Department and Beaufort Emergency Medical Services personnel all turned out to try to save the landmark business.

While five to six people were inside when the fire happened, no one was hurt.

Rutherford County A section of Chimney Rock State Park reopened on Friday, more than two weeks after it was been closed to visitors when a retaining wall in one of the park’s parking decks collapsed on Oct. 23.

Higher elevations within the park will remain closed, but access to Hickory Nut Falls, the Animal Discovery Den and several trails are now opened. The park’s entrance fees have been reduced during the partial closure.

WLOS

Murder trial to seek death penalty

NC State’s College of Sciences has new dean

Henderson County The first-degree murder trial for Phillip Michael Stroupe II is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2018, at the Henderson County Courthouse, according to District Attorney Greg Newman. Stroupe was arrested in McDowell County in late July, accused of killing Thomas Bryson, of Mills River on July 26. He is also charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and first-degree kidnapping. Newman has filed with the court that he intends to seek the death penalty upon a conviction of Stroupe.

Wake County Dr. Christine McGahan is the new dean of the College of Sciences at NC State, serving as the lead administrator for an organization with 3,700 students, 610 faculty, staff and postdoctoral researchers, and $47 million in annual research expenditures. McGahan has spent her entire professional career at NC State. She joined the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983 and was head of its Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences for 14 years immediately prior to her deanship.

TRANSYLVANIA TIMES

Winston-Salem concert venue to suspend operations Forsyth County The Garage, a staple of Winston-Salem’s music scene, plans to suspend operations Jan. 1. The last show will be a New Year’s Eve concert featuring the band The Genuine. The venue, located in an old welding shop at 110 W. Seventh St., opened in September 1999 and brought in national and regional acts.

WGHP

The voice of the North Carolina poultry industry since 1968.

WGHP

** All counties have a

300 heroin bricks seized, five 1.5 pt. white stroke arrested Nash County Five people were arrested on charges of being “heroin suppliers” Sunday after 300 bricks of heroin were seized during a bust in Nash County, officials say.

Authorities were tipped off that a man would be bringing a “large amount” of heroin from New Jersey to the area, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Authorities spotted a vehicle on Interstate 95, exiting onto U.S. 64 west. It was stopped around 1:15 a.m. for a moving violation in Nashville by the Tar River Regional Drug Task Force and Nash County deputies.

WFMY NEWS 2

WITN NEWS

CITIZEN-TIMES

Chimney Rock State Park reopens after retaining wall collapse

A7

Tech company eyeing Leland for new facility, jobs Brunswick County Folks in Leland are hoping that ITI Technologies will set up shop in their eastern N.C. town. The technology company creates a process and product used for soil remediation, as well as an additive for livestock feed. The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Nov. 20 to discuss using $8,750 in county funds to help draw the company to the area. ITI says they plan to create 35 new full-time jobs and invest millions in property and equipment.

WILMINGTON STAR NEWS

Buxton beach project delayed Dare County The $25 million Buxton beach nourishment project will be delayed due to weather. Originally slated for mid-December, the project will be pushed to the middle of February, according to a project update presented to the Dare County Commissioners at their Nov. 6 meeting. The engineering firm that is running the project told commissioners that four named storms that came in rapid succession hit N.C.’s coast with high waves and strong winds that kept dredging equipment at bay from the end of August until early October.

OUTER BANKS SENTINEL

RALEIGH — Last week voters overwhelmingly approved millions of dollars’ worth of bonds in communities across the state. While Charlotte elected a new mayor in Democrat Vi Lyles, voters also approved $922 million in bonds for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools "to address pressing capital needs." The money is slated for 10 new schools, replacement buildings for seven existing ones and renovations and additions for 12 more. Voters in Mecklenburg County and neighboring Iredell County also approved a parks and recreation bond and a greenway bond for their communities.

Apex voters in Wake County gave a 76 percent approval for a parks and recreation bond. The bond amount is up to $48 million for the town’s development of parks and recreation amenities. Among the projects planned is expansion of the Beaver Creek Greenway, the Middle Creek Greenway, expansion of the town’s senior center and new athletic facilities at Apex’s Pleasant Park. The town says a property tax increase will be necessary to repay the bond debt.

In the Cabarrus County town of Harrisburg, near Charlotte, voters approved $25 million in a transportation bond and a parks and recreation bond. The transportation money will go toward safety improvements, replacement of traffic signals, expansion of sidewalks and road paving.

The bond referendum for parks would be $21 million for acquiring land, developing parks and building a new community center.

In addition to bonds, voters across the state were offered local referendums on their ballots in the 2017 election. In Holden Beach, a referendum passed by 68 percent that would lengthen and stagger terms for the town’s Board of Commissioners seats. Currently, the commissioners run for five seats at-large. Now, the new plan is for them to alternate seats, three and two, up for re-election every four years.

Meanwhile in the west, 75 percent of Asheville voters said “no” to a measure that would have amended their city’s charter, creating six new single-member City Council districts, rather than the current at-large system where all six members of City Council are elected city-wide.

Towns across the state also weighed whether to permit on- and off-premises sales of malt beverages, wine and mixed alcoholic drinks. Hope Mills voters elected to allow on-premises sales of beer and wine, as did voters in Dublin in Bladen County, Garland in Sampson County, Earl in Cleveland County, Spindale in Rutherford County, and Bryson City in Swain County. In Duplin County’s Beulaville, voters cast their support for sales of unfortified wine. Maiden voters in Catawba County voted to allow sales of mixed alcoholic beverages by 61 percent. Burke County voters elected to allow beer, wine and mixed drink sales along with local operation of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission stores.

In the communities of Grifton in Pitt and Lenoir counties and Rhodhiss in Burke and Caldwell counties, voters turned down the option of allowing beer, wine and alcoholic beverage sales.

Martin confirmed as U.S. attorney for Middle District of NC

By NSJ Staff WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Matthew Martin as U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. Martin was nominated by President Donald Trump at the recommendation of Sens.

Thom Tillis and Richard Burr.

“Matthew Martin is a highly qualified nominee with extensive legal experience that will be beneficial to the Middle District of North Carolina,” said Tillis.

“I applaud the Senate for confirming Matthew and look forward to him serving the people of the Middle District of North Carolina.”

Martin earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law and is currently an associate

general counsel for Duke Energy. Previously he worked for the Washington law firm Covington & Burling before joining Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan in Raleigh.

“Mr. Martin will make an excellent U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, and I’m glad to see him confirmed unanimously by the Senate,” said Burr. “I know he will serve the people of North Carolina well for years to come.”

Also on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid to replace Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on the 10th Circuit Court. Eid was confirmed by a vote of 56-41. Eid once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and was on Trump’s short list of possible Supreme Court nominees.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

BUSINESS

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCASFILM STARWARS.COM

An escape pod heads toward the planet of Tatooine in “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which debuted in 1977.

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 Carolinians 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 (CDBG-ED) , Industrial Development Fund / Utility Fund, Appalachian Regional Commission, NC Main Street Center, and Rural Planning.

Approved Logos

This week, we highlight how Disaster Recovery Grants work for communities across North Carolina.

The Disaster Recovery Act of 2016 provided funds to the Golden LEAF Foundation and the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division to provide grants to local governments for repair, replacement, or construction of new infrastructure (including water, sewer, sidewalks and storm drainage) and other, similar projects that provide assistance for recovery from Hurricane Matthew, the western wildfires, or Tropical Storms Julia and Hermine.

Funds are available through a joint application process administered by the Golden LEAF Foundation and the N.C. Commerce Rural Economic Development Division.

Disney will venture to a new corner of the Galaxy far, far away Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm prepare the run beyond the Gauntlet

By Clayton Abernathy For the North State Journal RALEIGH — Rian Johnson has completed “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and fellow director J.J. Abrams is at the helm to complete the third and newest trilogy in the Star Wars universe. After completing the second film in Disney's new Star Wars trilogy, the House of Mouse is trusting Johnson with his own trilogy in a new corner of the galaxy that might be inhabited by fewer Skywalkers.

Disney's Lucasfilm announced last week that Johnson will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, the first of which he is also set to write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.

The new trilogy is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga and Lucasfilm says Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.

“We all loved working with Rian on ‘The Last Jedi’,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft ‘The Last Jedi’ from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

The announcement of this new trilogy pushes the release calendar out even further for Disney — which owns Lucasfilm and current blockbuster factory Marvel Studios — at a time when the box office seems shaky for other studios.

“We had the time of our lives

collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on ‘The Last Jedi’,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

While no release dates were shared for the new trilogy, the calendar is relatively full for Disney beyond this decade.

Following “The Last Jedi”, audiences will be back in the Star Wars galaxy on May 25, 2018, with the second film in the “Star Wars Story” series. Ron Howard is in the director's chair for the Han Solo origin story that will be in a similar mold to “Rogue One.” Then, the final episode of the third trilogy — AKA “Star Wars 9” — opens on December 20, 2019. A third standalone film is in the offing for 2020 with Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi leading the fanboy odds for the next origin story.

With that timeline in place, December 2020, could be a target for this new Johnson-led trilogy. But due to Disney's control of so much of the box office gold, the calendar is already packed into 2021. In addition to Lucasfilm's slate, Disney will release several films in the coming years along with the continued expansion of the Marvel cinematic universe. Those additional titles will mean that Disney must be strategic on its release dates.

In 2018, Disney already has “The Incredibles 2”, “Christopher Robin”, a live-action “Mulan”, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, “Wreck-it-Ralph 2”, and “Mary Poppins Returns.”

In that same period, Marvel will release “Black Panther”, the much-anticipated “Avengers: Infinity War”, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” The following year

n.c.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Sponsored by

Kick off a magical holiday season in Forest City

IMAGE COURTESY OF S. BUCKLEY

Rian Johnson at the 2008 AFI Fest Special Screening of ‘The Brothers Bloom.’ Johnson will direct an allnew Star Wars trilogy.

sees Disney release “Dumbo”, a live-action “Aladdin”, “Toy Story 4”, a live-action “Lion King” and the potentially mega-blockbuster “Frozen 2.” Marvel is also steady in 2019 with “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers 4.” Beyond 2019, Disney and Marvel already have eight movies on the calendar, including and untitled Indiana Jones sequel.

The fall box office in 2017 is depending on “Thor”, “Justice League”, and “The Last Jedi” to buoy a stale movie season.

With all of the big movies in the queue, it may be "a long time" before we see what Rian Johnson has found "far far away" from the places and people we already know in the Star Wars universe.

Johnson’s upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” arrives in U.S. theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.

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CHADADAMSSHOW.COM

Listen to the north state journal staff every monday at 10:05am

You may think you know what to expect at a small-town holiday tree lighting. When it comes to the Forest City Tree Lighting, you’ll need to adjust your expectations.

In Forest City, a North Carolina public power community, it’s not so much a tree lighting as it is a downtown lighting. On Thanksgiving night, as many as 4,000 people trek to downtown Forest City to experience the switch being flipped on over a million lights, illuminating a bustling scene that includes Santa’s house, horse-drawn carriage rides, and ice skating.

“It’s a magical place,” says Mayor Steve Holland, a lifelong Forest City resident. So magical, in fact, that it inspired a developer from Florida who was visiting one Christmas to open two restaurants downtown.

The magic is thanks in large part to the Town of Forest City Public Works Department. Crews have been putting up lights downtown since Oct. 1, working extended shifts and in the wee hours of the morning so they can test their work without giving away any surprises.

Make plans to get in on the magic.

Visit www.townofforestcity.com.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

A9

THE BRIEF Triangle tech start up rings the bell on Wall St. Raleigh Bandwidth Inc., began trading on Nasdaq last week under the symbol “BAND” in an initial public offering that closed yesterday. Bandwidth is a telecommunications company that offers a full suite of voice, messaging and 9-1-1 APIs. Companies like Google, Skype, and Ring Central use Bandwidth's APIs to easily embed voice, messaging and 9-1-1 access into software and applications. Bandwidth is the first and only CPaaS provider offering a selection of communications APIs built around their own nationwide IP voice network— one of the largest in the nation.

The 4,000,000 share common stock public offering price was $20.00 per share on Friday. The move raised $80 million toward expansion of their sales, marketing and research and development, as well as potential strategic acquisitions.

Ready.

Set. Grow.

GE seeks to halt decade of decline by focusing resources Fairfield, Conn.

General Electric Co will radically shrink to focus on aviation, power and healthcare, betting on sectors it thinks it can make profits in, as the most famous U.S. conglomerate tries to revive its share price after a decade and a half of stagnation.

The 125-year-old company cut its dividend and profit outlook in half as it goes through the transition, in a widely expected plan unveiled on Monday by new Chief Executive John Flannery in New York. Its shares fell 3.6 percent in early trading to $19.72 as investors worried how the slimmed-down company would generate cash to justify its stock valuation. "By the numbers, we see a core operating performance that is below plan, and, currently, a consensus expectations curve that we think remains too high," said JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa.

GE stock is the worst performing Dow component this year, down 35 percent through Friday's close.

Ready.

Set. Grow.

JOSHUA ROBERTS | REUTERS

Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-Texas) speaks to reporters after unveiling legislation to overhaul the tax code on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 2..

to the drawing board and fully restore the SALT deduction," he said in a statement.

Some analyzes show that some Americans would see a tax increase under both plans. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin acknowledged that on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, although he said most middle-class families would be better off.

"For most people - and, again, it may not be 100 percent, but by far the majority - both the House and Senate version provide middle-income tax relief," he said.

White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said both plans adhere to Trump's two main objectives in overhauling the tax code: a tax cut for middle-income Americans and a deep reduction in the corporate tax rate to make U.S. businesses competitive.

"That's how we're going to grow the economy. That's how we're going to pay for the tax bill," Cohn said on Fox's "Sunday Morning Futures."

A report by Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation estimated earlier this month that the House bill could raise taxes on as many as 38 million people who earn between $20,000 and $40,000 per year, beginning in 2023.

Republican Representative Peter King has fiercely opposed the elimination of the SALT deduction, saying many in his home state of New York earning $300,000 a year were hardworking, two-income families facing a very high cost of living.

"They're not hedge fund people," King said on "Sunday Morning Futures." "These are hardworking people and they're going to get screwed by this bill."

U.S. House will reject total elimination of state and local tax deductions Ready. Set. Ready.

House tax committee blocks Senate proposal that would increase middle class taxes by eliminating federal deductions for state and local taxes, as chairman guarantees some form of SALT deductions in final tax bill

By Doina Chiacu Reuters WASHINGTON — The head of the House of Representatives' tax-writing committee said on Sunday he would not accept elimination of a federal deduction for state and local taxes, opposing a proposal from Senate Republicans that would hike taxes for some middle class Americans.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said he guaranteed the deduction would not be entirely scrapped in a final tax bill that emerges from dueling plans already unveiled by Republicans in the House and the Senate.

Asked on "Fox News Sunday" if House Republicans would reject a bid by Senate Republicans to do away with the deduction entirely, Brady said: "That's what I'm saying."

The deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT, has been one of the most hotly contested issues as Republicans seek

Grow. Ready.

Set.

Set. Grow.

to achieve a significant overhaul of the U.S. tax code and hand President Donald Trump his first major legislative victory.

It is a chief concern for a group of House Republicans who face re-election battles next year in high-tax, typically Democratic-leaning states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Other sticking points include a proposal by the Senate to delay implementation of a cut in the corporate tax rate and a House plan to eliminate the estate tax on inheritances. Republicans control both the House and the Senate.

Lawmakers will debate their respective plans this week before heading home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Republicans hope to resolve their differences in time to reach their goal of enacting the legislation by the end of the year.

The Senate tax blueprint introduced on Thursday would repeal the SALT deduction entirely. The House bill would repeal it only for state and local income and sales taxes, but preserve it for property tax up to $10,000 a year.

Brady said there were many similarities in the rival tax proposals. "I know that everyone's stressing the differences - there are some - but there's far more common ground," he said.

Both the House and Senate plans would add $1.5 trillion over 10 years to the budget deficit and

“I know that everyone’s stressing the differences — there are some — but there’s far more common ground.

Ready.

Set. Grow.

– House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady national debt, an increase that has worried some fiscally conservative Republicans.

Both plans also call for deep tax cuts for high-earners and businesses and would reshape how the United States taxes multinational corporations. They are both widely seen as a boon for business.

Ready.

Set. Grow.

Ready. Set.

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Ready. Set.

Corporate giveaway or recipe for growth?

Congressional Democrats have criticized the Republican plans as lopsided, favoring wealthy Americans and corporate interests.

"Both the House and the Senate bills would raise taxes on millions of middle-class families, particularly in the suburbs, while providing a huge giveaway to corporations and the wealthy," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

"Republicans should go back

Grow.

Grow.

Charlotte Hornets team up with LendingTree for new uniform patch Charlotte For the first time in the NBA’s 68-year history, teams will be permitted to display patches with a corporate partner’s name and logo as part of a three-year trial period for sponsors. Charlotte-based LendingTree, in a deal estimated at $5-7 million for the Hornets, will have their brand prominently affixed to the left front shoulder of all uniforms this season. As a nod to Hornets owner Michael Jordan, the Hornets will also be the only NBA team to have a “Jordan Brand” logo on the right-hand side of their jerseys. The Hornets and LendingTree will work together on a number of joint community initiatives, including a youth scholarship program and a shoedonation program. LendingTree also becomes the title sponsor of the Hornets’ youth basketball program.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

A10

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

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

‘Oh, no! Tax reform will add more debt!’

We have to do something about curtailing entitlement spending to start to see any diminution of our national debt.

GET YOUR RECORDING devices out.

The same people who did not say one word about federal debt doubling from $10 trillion to $20 trillion under President Barack Obama are now suddenly fiscal hawks screaming about how bad the GOP tax plans are because they “will explode the federal debt!”

The competing Republican tax plans have a lot of shifting shapes and moving parts but we do know that, in general, both will be scored as lowering future tax revenue intake below projected budget baselines over the next 10 years anywhere between $1 trillion to $2 trillion based on preliminary estimates.

Let’s call it $1.5 trillion.

Which means future debt accumulation will be about $1.5 trillion more than the amount already projected to be added based on past actions, or inactions, of Congress and presidents dating back to at least 2000.

What is the current amount of additional national debt projected by CBO to be incurred based on past decisions, or indecisions, by Congress and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama before the election of Donald Trump in 2016? $11 trillion. $11 trillion in additional debt was already expected to be added on top of our existing federal debt of $20 trillion whether Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or The Tooth Fairy was elected president in 2016.

The inaction of Congress and the last two presidents to reduce spending or cut deals to avoid such enormous debt accumulation has been a far greater problem than what the addition of another $1 .5 trillion in debt would be over the next 10 years.

We already have $20 trillion in federal debt today. One day, it won’t really matter if the United States has $50 trillion of national debt simply because the gravitational forces of international finance, accounting and economics will take over and start to make decisions for us in terms of inflation, currency value and interest rates instead of Congress and

our president making legislative decisions in our democratic republic as we have done over the past 228 years.

That will be a truly scary moment for every U.S. citizen living at the time.

What can be done to arrest the growth of national debt solely because of these tax reform bills now before Congress?

Remember the health care reform bill that Sen. John McCain deep-sixed with his nay vote a few months ago?

Embedded in that enormous reform bill was between $1 trillion and $2 trillion in federal spending savings over the next 10 years due to the reduction of the subsidies and other federal outlays to prop up ACA exchanges and insurance companies in that massive bill passed in 2010.

Let’s call it $1.5 trillion in savings. $1.5 trillion in federal ACA savings could be used to offset the loss of $1.5 trillion in tax revenues over 10 years to produce a deficit-neutral status quo budget going forward. With respect to adding on more debt, at least.

If you are a longtime budget deficit hawk or a Johnnycome-lately budget deficit ruffed grouse, you should welcome the chance to pair the tax reform bill with reform of ACA to make sure we don’t add more debt than the $11 trillion we are already on schedule to add on top of $20 trillion our children and grandchildren now owe.

We have to do something about curtailing entitlement spending to start to see any diminution of our national debt.

Boomers and their parents have been great at loading up debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Maybe we will have the common sense to stop it beginning with this tax bill.

EDITORIAL | TROY KICKLER

Our differences show our similarities Since the first decade of my life, I have learned to appreciate that North Carolina is a broader place with distinctive qualities.

SOMETIMES THE DIFFERENCES among North Carolinians prove that we have a distinctive and similar state identity.

North Carolinians, for instance, are divided passionately regarding whether eastern or western barbecue and sometimes whether clogging or shag dancing are more representative of North Carolina culture. Many times, humor, or kind-hearted teasing, is a way to express truth in a more diluted form.

As a young boy in the Piedmont, my definition of North Carolina included what is called western North Carolina barbecue and clogging.

Even before I was old enough to be given my first rifle, I was aware of the difference between eastern and western N.C. barbecue. Eastern BBQ, strangely enough, was almost considered a foreign dish. More than one elder statesman from the Piedmont informed me that the sauce was indeed different — it could be “downright bitter!” Adding ketchup to slaw, furthermore, was just what one did.

It complemented the sliced or chopped pork shoulder. With my provincial yet well-informed definition of barbecue and sides, I kept chomping away, whenever there was an opportunity to do so.

Growing up in the Piedmont, I also saw cloggers at many festivals. Basic clogging proficiency was the apex of my brief career, but I knew advanced cloggers with a competitive streak.

During picnics and such gatherings, it was not uncommon to see folks break out briefly into improvised clogging.

Sure, people talked about beach music and shag dancing, but as a young boy, that pair still seemed for the traveling hobbyist on the occasional weekend. I was wrong, but to me, the music didn’t seem too much different than what I heard after picking up an old Jan and Dean LP and trying not to incur anyone’s wrath when I hastily placed the needle on the spinning 33.3. (For the record, this story speaks more about the impressive changing modalities of recording technology than it does concerning my age.)

Since the first decade of my life, I have learned to appreciate that North Carolina is a broader place with distinctive qualities. I like eastern and Piedmont North Carolina barbecue sauces; in fact, it’s great to prepare and serve both for friends.

For the outsider looking in, North Carolina’s barbecue and sauces are more similar than different. For one, the meat is pork (not beef or mutton), and the eastern and western sauces have only slight differentiations when compared to Memphis and Kansas City tomato, South Carolina mustard, or the Alabama mayo-based white sauce. (For more on this fascinating history, please see John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed’s informative yet entertaining “Holy

Smoke.”)

Maybe “a great compromise” in North Carolina history was when shagging was made the official popular dance and clogging was declared the official folk dance in 2005. Maybe another noteworthy compromise was when the Lexington Barbecue Festival was named the official food festival of the Piedmont Triad Region instead of the state’s barbecue or food festival.

I am still partial to western N.C. barbecue because that was my introduction to the cuisine. My muscle memory can also prompt a few clogging steps rather than basic shag dancing steps. All those, however, help comprise a distinct N.C. barbecue and dance culture that I enjoy experiencing more and more.

The famous Southern writer, Zora Neale Hurston once said: “Maybe all of us who do not have the good fortune to meet or meet again, in this world, will meet at a barbecue.” Whether eastern N.C. or western N.C. barbecue, let me know when and where; I’ll be there.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

A11

GUEST OPINION | JOE STEWART

Political involvement key for business owners Business leaders must share with their elected representatives the implications of governmental policies on their bottom line of their company and not sit back and hope for the best.

FOR THE PAST four years it has been my distinct privilege to lead the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation (NCFEF), a nonpartisan, nonprofit political research organization based in Raleigh.

I left NCFEF recently to become the head of government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents of NC (IIANC).

It has been a delightful tour of duty at NCFEF. Not making endorsements, having no legislative agenda, and not working in support of or opposition to particular candidates gives the organization a unique and genuinely objective vantage point. NCFEF’s mission is to provide business leaders with information on candidates, campaigns, voter attitudes and how demographic changes in the state are shifting the political landscape.

During the 2016 election, NCFEF put on more than 150 such briefings all across the state, and I personally spoke with hundreds of business leaders from companies large and small in every corner of North Carolina.

A common theme last year was frustration and disappointment, regardless of partisan or ideological orientation, of an election that seemed devoid of substantive consideration of those things business leaders said were the most important to economic vitality and a positive business climate in our state.

These political candidates talk about how they support growing jobs and bolstering the economy, I’d hear repeatedly, but they don’t seem to know what it takes to make that happen.

I’d respond by saying, ”Are you meeting with candidates to discuss what matters to the bottom line of your business? Are you spending time with folks running for office to tell them about how public policy issues like taxes, regulations and employer mandates make it hard for you to grow your company and expand your workforce?”

More often than not the reply was “no.”

“I hate politics,” or “the politicians won’t listen,” or “who has the time for that?” were typical

reasons given for this lack of engagement.

The reality is North Carolina today is a far more complex state than even just 10 years ago — dramatic population growth has made us both larger, more diverse racially and ethnically, and increasingly dominated by urban areas.

More than just a part of the American South, or even just a state in America, North Carolina is indeed now a place in the world — and we face a world of competition economically as a result.

While past generations of North Carolinacentric business leaders were active participants in the discussion and debate of public policies that matter with regard to our state’s business climate, folks running a business here must now often monitor developments in the People’s Assembly in Jakarta as much if not more than what’s happening on Jones Street in Raleigh.

Nevertheless, the active involvement of business leaders matters in the making of public policy.

Important issues like sound tax policy, regulatory frameworks, and workforce-related mandates are made better when those impacted by them provide insights into the implications of one proposal versus another.

I get it. After 35 years in politics I know that it’s often all sharp elbows and intemperate invectives.

But if our state is to overcome the implications of whitlings who sneer at and scorners who defame us we need those folks who spend their day, every day, working to make their commercial enterprise a success more involved and engaged in the political process.

Lighting a candle in lieu of cursing the darkness still abides — business leaders must share with their elected representatives the implications of governmental policies on their bottom line of their company and not sit back and hope for the best.

2018 is an election year. Make plans now to get involved, to ask candidates where they stand on issues that matter to your business. If you don’t, don’t be surprised at the profitability challenges you may face in 2019.

President Donald Trump listens as Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas on October 19, 2016.

MARK RALSTON | REUTERS | POOL

COLUMN | WALTER E. WILLIAMS

Stalking horses

There’s little protest against the horrible and dangerous conditions under which many poor and law-abiding black people must live.

WHEN HUNTING was the major source of food, hunters often used stalking horses as a means of sneaking up on their prey. They would synchronize their steps on the side of the horse away from their prey until they were close enough for a good shot. A stalking horse had a double benefit if the prey was an armed person. If the stalkers were discovered, it would be the horse that took the first shot.

That’s what blacks are to liberals and progressives in their efforts to transform America — stalking horses. Let’s look at it.

I’ll just list a few pieces of the leftist agenda that would be unachievable without black political support. Black people are the major victims of the grossly rotten education in our bigcity schools. The average black 12th-grader can read, write and compute no better than a white seventh- or eighth-grader. Many black parents want better and safer schools for their children.

According to a 2015 survey of black parents, 72 percent “favor public charter schools, and 70 percent favor a system that would create vouchers parents could use to cover tuition for those who want to enroll their children in a private or parochial school.”

Black politicians and civil rights organizations fight tooth and nail against charter schools and education vouchers. Why? The National Education Association sees charters and vouchers as a threat to its education monopoly.

It is able to use black politicians and civil rights organizations as stalking horses in its fight to

protect its education monopoly.

The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 was the nation’s first federally mandated minimum wage law. Its explicit intent was to discriminate against black construction workers. During the legislative debate on the Davis-Bacon Act, quite a few congressmen, along with union leaders, expressed their racist intentions. Rep. Miles Allgood (D-Ala.) said: “Reference has been made to a contractor from Alabama who went to New York with bootleg labor. This is a fact. That contractor has cheap colored labor that he transports, and he puts them in cabins, and it is labor of that sort that is in competition with white labor throughout the country.”

American Federation of Labor President William Green said, “Colored labor is being sought to demoralize wage rates.”

The Davis-Bacon Act is still law today. Supporters do not use the 1931 racist language to support it. Plus, nearly every black member of Congress supports the Davis-Bacon Act. But that does not change its racially discriminatory effects. In recent decades, the Davis-Bacon Act has been challenged, and it has prevailed. That would not be the case without unions’ political and financial support to black members of Congress to secure their votes.

Crime is a major problem in many black neighborhoods. In 2016, there were close to 8,000 blacks murdered, mostly by other blacks. In that year, 233 blacks were killed by police.

Which deaths receive the most attention from politicians, civil rights groups and white liberals and bring out marches, demonstrations and political pontification? It’s the blacks killed by police. There’s little protest against the horrible and dangerous conditions under which many poor and lawabiding black people must live.

Political hustlers blame their condition on poverty and racism — ignoring the fact that poverty and racism were much greater yesteryear, when there was not nearly the same amount of chaos.

Also ignored is the fact that the dangerous living conditions worsened under a black president’s administration.

There are several recommendations that I might make. The first and most important is that black Americans stop being useful tools for the leftist hate-America agenda. As for black politicians and civil rights leaders, if they’re going to sell their people down the river, they should demand a higher price. For example, if black congressmen vote in support of the Davis-Bacon Act, they ought to demand that construction unions give 30 percent of the jobs to black workers. Finally, many black problems are exacerbated by white liberal guilt. White liberals ought to stop feeling guilty so they can be more respectful in their relationships with black Americans.

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

MICHAEL BARONE

2016 is looking like the new normal F YOU WANTED to predict the results of last Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections in IVirginia and New Jersey, you would have

been wise to ignore the flurry of polls and campaign events. You would have paid no heed to the conventional wisdom that Republican Ed Gillespie had a solid chance to beat Ralph Northam in Virginia.

In fact, Northam’s 9-point victory margin in Virginia was not much different from Phil Murphy’s 13-point margin over Republican Kim Guadagno in New Jersey.

And both almost precisely mirrored the 2016 presidential results. Hillary Clinton carried New Jersey by a 55-41 percent margin last year; Murphy won it by a 56-43 percent margin this week. Clinton carried Virginia by a 50-44 percent margin; Northam won it 54-45 percent. The two Democrats, lacking Clinton’s reputation for dishonesty, gained a few points she lost to third-party candidates; the two Republicans got almost exactly the same percentages as Donald Trump did in 2016.

That makes the 2016 numbers look like the new normal. The past quartercentury, except for 2006-08, has been an era of polarized partisan parity, with one election result resembling another and more straight party ticket voting than any time since the 1950s. That’s produced divided government, as Democrats have won four of seven presidential elections since 1992 while Republicans have won a House majority in 10 of 12 congressional elections since 1994.

The parties are evenly matched but differently distributed. Democratic voters are clustered in central cities, sympathetic suburbs and university towns. Republican voters are spread more evenly elsewhere.

Trump changed that in 2016, but just a bit.

Rough extrapolations from exit polls suggest he lost 2 million to 3 million college-educated whites who had previously voted Republican but gained some 3 million to 4 million noncollege-educated whites who had previously voted Democratic or didn’t vote. His college graduate losses cost him zero electoral votes; the non-college gains netted him 100 new electoral votes and the White House. The art of the deal.

New Jersey and Virginia have relatively few non-college-educated whites — 33 percent and 37 percent, respectively, according to FiveThirtyEight. They have many college graduates outraged by Trump. That’s especially the case in northern Virginia.

The Washington suburbs cast 35 percent of Virginia’s votes.

Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and backer of earlier comprehensive immigration reforms, ran for the Senate and won 43 percent of the vote in northern Virginia in 2014, losing statewide by just 1 percent.

Trump got only 33 percent there in 2016, and this year, Gillespie could manage only 35 percent. Losing one-third of a state by 30 points instead of 11 is the difference between a squeaker and a near-landslide loss. Carrying the nonmetropolitan 30 percent of the state by a margin slightly better than Trump’s doesn’t compensate.

The danger for Republicans — and the opportunity for Democrats — is that Republicans next year will run, as Gillespie did, at Trumpish levels with high-education constituencies but fall, as he didn’t, to pre2016 levels in low-education areas. And despite Gillespie’s improvement on 2014 in nonmetropolitan Virginia, Democrats made big gains in state House races by running well-organized and well-financed campaigns, mostly in high-education suburbs.

Republicans went into Election Day with a 66-34 majority in the chamber; as this is written, Democrats might just gain the 17 seats needed to overturn that.

This has led David Wasserman, The Cook Political Report’s ace U.S. House race analyst, to say Democrats are “slight favorites” to overturn the Republicans’ 240-194 majority in the House. My impression is that antiTrump enthusiasm has been inspiring many serious Democrats to run in high-education districts but not many are running in loweducation districts.

Democrats could suffer from internecine primary strife and plurality nominations of fringe candidates, but clearly, Republicans are worried. Many Republican incumbents are retiring, some because of six-year term limits on chairmanships, others for fear of serving in the minority, where your job is to show up and lose.

Similar fears may be prompting House Republicans to rally around their leadership’s tax legislation, to avoid the type of fiasco we saw when the House floundered and the Senate failed to repeal Obamacare. But any serious legislation is tricky, and the president’s party needs informed guidance from the White House. So far, that’s most lacking.

Off in South Korea, Trump ungallantly tweeted, “Ed Gillespie ... did not embrace me or what I stand for.” Is splitting a party with majorities at risk part of the art of the deal?

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

A12 NEWS IN IMAGES

ILYA NAYMUSHIN | REUTERS

Antonina Yermokhina, 86, does physical exercises during her daily training session on the embankment of the Yenisei River in the Siberian town of Divnogorsk, Russia, on Nov. 13.

ILYA NAYMUSHIN | REUTERS

A farmer spreads red chili to dry at a village in Huaibei, Anhui province, China, on Nov. 10.

ERIK DE CASTRO | REUTERS

Filipino student dancers are sprayed with cold water before performing during the arrival of leaders attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related meetings in Clark, Pampanga, northern Philippines, on Nov. 12.

SCHOOLS from page A1 Middle School in Durham, the governor’s budget director Charlie Perusse went to Havelock High School, and Highway Patrol Commander Col. Glenn McNeill visited Reedy Creek Middle School in Cary. Cooper visited Washington Elementary School in Raleigh.

All the schools that welcomed a member of Cooper’s team were traditional public schools, and no public charters.

Also notably absent from the governor’s list was the Superintendent of Public Schools, Mark Johnson. Johnson defeated threeterm incumbent June Atkinson, a Democrat, for the position last year. Since taking office Johnson has visited traditional public schools and public charter schools.

This isn’t the first time that Cooper’s critics have pointed out a snub at public charters, despite having said during the campaign that “carefully selected charters can bring innovations.” He appointed 25 members to his Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee in August. The members of the committee all teach or work in N.C.’s public schools. The only

member not from a public school is the president of the teacher’s union, the N.C. Association of Educators, Mark Jewell.

There are no representatives on the governor’s advisory committee who come from public charter schools.

“That was disappointing,” said Tony Helton, a former member of the state’s Charter School Advisory Board. “Charter schools represent 10 percent of our students, maybe a bit more. I’d think it would be important to have on that board someone who had taught in a charter school.”

The legislature lifted the cap on charter schools last year. Since then, the number has nearly doubled to 173 public charters serving approximately 90,000 N.C. families. Part of the challenge in that growth has been to determine an oversight process and try to change some perceptions on the role of charter schools. Currently, public charters get a smaller percentage of the per pupil allotment of funds that public schools get. They also are allowed more flexibility to use new teaching techniques, different schedules and other ways of customizing the

PETER NICHOLLS | REUTERS

A soldier salutes as he parades past Britain’s Prince Edward during the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph service in London, Britain, on Nov. 12.

“For some reason charter schools are looked at as though they are not public.

They are public schools like any other public school, they just operate a bit differently.”

— Tony Helton, former member of the N.C. Charter School Advisory Board schools for their students.

“There are so many public school teachers and public charter school teachers who are working really hard with our kids,” said Helton. “All this sniping and fighting isn’t doing anyone any good.

Charter schools are here to stay; they aren’t going to take over the public school system, they are just a viable option that parents want.”

The charter/traditional public school debate isn’t the only challenge facing Johnson in his first year. The Scholastic North Car-

olina Teacher & Principal School Report found that 83 percent of North Carolina teachers report having students in their classrooms who are coming to school hungry. The national average was 75 percent.

Johnson and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) spent part of this week focused on the growing challenge of hunger and its relationship to academic success. In a series of four meetings across the state, Johnson and the N.C. School Nutrition Services met with nonprofits and community leaders to promote the system’s Summer Nutrition Programs for children. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by DPI, the program provides funding for meals and snacks to kids during their summer vacation.

According to DPI, during 2016, nearly 1 million children in N.C. were eligible to receive free summer melas but fewer than 16 percent of those children received them through the program. DPI is trying to expand awareness of the program so more organizations will bring it to their communities

this summer. There were almost 3,000 meal sites in 2017, but DPI says more are needed to fill the need.

“For families who count on school breakfast and lunch, the summer months can be stressful and a time of hunger,” said Dr. Lynn Harvey, School Nutrition Services section chief at DPI. “During the summer, children and teens also can experience learning loss and a lack of physical activity.

Connecting them to food and fun through the Summer Nutrition Programs will help fill these gaps.”

DPI also announced this week that four grants totaling $30 million from the new Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund will be awarded to Camden, Clay, Gates and Jones counties. The grant awards go for school building improvements.

“Through these grants, we will begin to address the critical school infrastructure needs in less populated parts of our state through projects that will begin construction within 12 months,” said Johnson. “Students in outdated — and in some cases, unsafe — buildings will benefit soon from these new facilities.”

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ROB KINNAN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Duke Blue Devils fans celebrate a win against the Utah Valley Wolverines at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.The 99-69 win was Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 1000th at the school.

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT

SPORTS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Opening weekend gives hints of what’s to come from N.C.’s ACC teams

Capel Jr. dies from ALS Jeff Capel Jr., the former head coach of Fayetteville State and father of the Duke assistant coach of the same name, died after a nearly two-year battle with ALS. Capel with diagnosed with ALS, the degenerative disease commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in spring of 2016. He was 64.

By Brett Friedlander and Shawn Krest North State Journal COLLEGE basketball is officially back, and no place is that more important than on Tobacco Road, where on-court wars are waged and titles are won. North Carolina again has title contenders in perennial ACC powerhouses Duke and North Carolina, while Danny Manning continues to rebuild Wake Forest and newcomer Kevin Keatts starts a new era at NC State.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake all advance The four North Carolina ACC schools that reached the NCAA Division I women’s soccer tournament advanced to the second round, and along the way knocked out the other two in-state schools that made the field. No. 1 UNC shut out High Point, 3-0, to advance to host Friday’s 5 p.m. game against Colorado. Duke, also a No. 1 seed, dispatched UNC-Greensboro 1-0 and will play Oklahoma State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Durham. NC State also moved on with a 4-1 win over Arkansas and plays fourth-seeded Princeton on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill. Wake Forest advanced over Georgetown with a win in penalty kicks. After a scoreless regulation and two overtimes, the Deacons got penalty kicks goals from Lindsay Preston and Nonie Frishette to move on. Wake Forest plays third-seeded Penn State on Friday at 4 p.m. in Morganton, W.Va.

MEN’S SOCCER

Five N.C. schools earn NCAA bids Wake Forest, UNC and Duke all received first-round byes, and NC State and UNC Wilmington each earned bids to the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament. On Nov. 19, No. 1 Wake Forest will face the winner of William & Mary and Columbia, while No. 6 Duke plays whichever team advances from the first-round matchup between Florida International and Omaha. UNC Wilmington hosts Presbyterian in a first-round game Thursday, with the winner advancing to play No. 3 North Carolina on Sunday. NC State will travel to Norfolk, Va., to play Old Dominion on Thursday. The winner will play No. 15 Dartmouth in the second round Sunday.

Tobacco Road lays groundwork for season

UNC SCARBOROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY | COURTESY OF CAMPBELL

Campbell coach Mike Minter is looking forward to adding scholarship players next season when the Camels move to the Big South Conference

Campbell football ready for next year’s jump to Big South jump to FCS scholarship status as a member of the Big South Conference, all Minter could do was take a deep breath and dream.

“Man, that’s been all year,” said Minter, whose team still managed to finish the season at 6-5 for only

By Brett Friedlander the second winning record in the North State Journal program’s 10-year history — even BUIES CREEK — At some without the reinforcements. “It’s point during Saturday’s 45-10 loss going to be a big jump, but that’s to Drake, Campbell football coach why you do it.”

Campbell wasn’t ready to take Mike Minter turned his attention away from his black-clad team on such a leap of faith the first time the field to glance longingly over at it fielded a football team, when it was still a junior college. the 21 players in orange The school discontinued jerseys standing along the sport in 1950 when the sideline. most of its in-state rivals It was as if he was an began moving up to foureager child eyeing gifts “We year status. under a tree the week definitely The Camels returned before Christmas. to the gridiron in The former Carolina know 2008 as part of the Panthers safety knew what we’re nonscholarship Pioneer there was something getting Football League. good awaiting him. He Though the upgrade to just has to bide his time into.” the more prestigious Big before unwrapping South wasn’t necessarily the presents and begin — Mike Minter, part of the plan when playing with them.

Those 22 in orange Campbell coach the program was first resurrected under the are the first class of watch of former athletic scholarship players Minter was able to recruit during director Stan Williamson, it didn’t his five-year tenure with the take his successor Bob Roller long Camels. Their participation would to realize it was the logical next have given their team a much step.

For one thing, the financial better chance at victory than the injury-riddled unit pieced together savings that come with not offering scholarships was offset by the on the field.

But because they won’t be travel costs associated with playing eligible to play in a game until next season when Campbell makes the See CAMPBELL, page B3

Camels’ move to scholarship status puts recruiting on an even playing field

The defending champion Tar Heels entered their season opener against Northern Iowa on Friday without starters Joel Berry and Cameron Johnson, arguably their two best players. But their absence was barely noticeable in an impressive 86-69 victory.

While junior forward Luke Maye was a revelation with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance that earned him ACC Player of the Week honors, and the point guard combination of freshman Jalek Felton and sophomore Seventh Woods rose to the occasion in place of the injured Berry, the most satisfying aspect of the game was the play of freshman big men Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley.

Thrust into prominent roles by the graduation of Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, along with the unexpected NBA departure of underclassman Tony Bradley, the young replacements didn’t let the occasion of their first college game become too big for them.

Brooks, a 6-9 Alabama native, drew the starting assignment and established himself immediately by scoring six of UNC’s first eight points. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes while going 5 of 6 from the floor. The 6-11 Manley, mean-

while, made three of his four field goal attempts while contributing nine points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

Along with third rookie post player Brandon Huffman, the emergence and continued development of the young bigs will allow coach Roy Williams to stick with his preferred inside-out philosophy instead of having to resort to a less-desirable small lineup.

Duke Duke had a bumper crop of NBA-ready freshman last season, and they do again this year.

That’s where the similarities end, however. While 2016-17 was the year of the protective boot, with Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden all sidelined at the start of the year, this year’s freshman class has been wearing their tail-kicking boots.

Marvin Bagley set Duke records for most points (25) and rebounds (10) in a debut, then went for 24 and 10 the next day. Just a high school junior last year, he’s the rare prospect that could end up being better than the hype, by a long shot.

Point guard Trevon Duval opened the season with 20 assists and one turnover in two games. Big man Wendell Carter, shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. and the team’s lone senior, Grayson Allen, round out what could be the best starting five in the nation. The team is athletic, versatile and nasty.

As last year showed in spades, a team — and a freshman class — is only as good as it is healthy, and there are still questions about depth. While Duke has plenty of talent on the roster, the bench players are unproven and raw. Foul trouble or an injury to a starter could change the complexion of the team dramatically.

Still, very early in the season, this Duke team is showing the look of a championship contender and could end up giving Coach K a very special season.

See CBKB, page B4

JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kenny Williams (24) grabs a rebound in the second half against Northern Iowa Panthers guard Tywhon Pickford at Dean E. Smith Center.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

B2 WEDNESDAY

11.15.17

TRENDING

Braxton Beverly: The NC State basketball transfer will play this season after the NCAA on Tuesday reversed its decision that made him ineligible for the 2017-18 season. Beverly, who was eligible for Tuesday’s home game, had been denied eligibility because he took classes at Ohio State after enrolling early prior to coach Thad Matta’s dismissal.

He was granted a release from his letter of intent and signed with NC State, but initially ruled ineligible.

John Wolford: The Demon Deacons’ senior quarterback accounted for a schoolrecord six touchdowns — three on the ground and three more through the air — to lead Wake Forest to a 64-43 win at Syracuse. Wolford was named ACC Offensive Back of the Week for his efforts after finishing with 363 passing yards and 136 rushing yards in the win, which made the Deacons bowl eligible.

Akela Maize, Erin Mathias: Centers Maize, from NC State, and Mathias, from Duke, were among 20 women’s basketball players named to the watchlist for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award, which recognizes the top center in women’s Division I basketball each season. Maize, from Greensboro, averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as a junior with the Wolfpack. Mathias, a native of Pittsburgh, averaged 3.9 points and 3.4 rebounds last season for the Blue Devils.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

NHL

Teuvo Teravainen recorded a natural hat trick for his first career three-goal game in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 5-1 win Monday over the Dallas Stars at PNC Arena.

The teams entered the third period tied 1-1, but Teravainen gave Carolina the lead with a power play goal and scored twice more in the final frame. Teravainen and linemates Jordan Staal (four assists) and Sebastian Aho (a goal, assisted by Teravainen, and two assists) totaled 11 points on the night.

BOB DONNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

“My music selection is pretty aggressive with the softness.”

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on why he was playing Adele in the locker room following Monday night’s win.

JAMES GUILLORY | USA TODAY SPORTS

ROB KINNAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

“When Marvin (Bagley) got here, some of the guys may have thought ‘He’s going to take my place.’ Then they see him play and realize ‘That’s not my place.’”

Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski after the freshman led Duke with 24 points on Saturday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

20 Career touchdown receptions for Wake Forest senior Cam Serigne, tying him with Virginia Tech senior Bucky Hodges and Heath Miller (Virginia, 2002-04) for the most by a tight end in ACC history. Serigne had three scoring grabs in Saturday’s 64-42 win over Syracuse and also ranks first in Demon Deacons history among tight ends with 158 receptions and 1,912 yards.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NFL

TOMMY GILLIGAN | USA TODAY SPORTS

MATT CASHORE | USA TODAY SPORTS

The Washington Redskins’ up-anddown season continued Sunday when Vikings backup quarterback Case Keenum threw four touchdown passes in Minnesota’s 38-30 win at FedExField. It was the 7-2 Vikings’ fifth-straight win, while Washington fell to 4-5, two games out of a playoff spot.

Miami served notice to the ACC and the rest of college football by dismantling Notre Dame 41-8 on Saturday. The undefeated Hurricanes climbed to No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, behind only 10-0 Alabama, and were expected to jump into the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.

NBA

Former Duke star Kyrie Irving will be wearing a mask to protect his face from any inadvertent elbows for a while. Irving, who was traded to the Celtics this offseason, suffered a facial fracture when he took an elbow to the face from teammate Aron Baynes 1:50 into Friday’s win over the Hornets. Boston, in search of its 13th straight win, was in Brooklyn on Tuesday, and Irving was expected to play with a mask for the third time in his NBA career.

BOB DECHIAR | USA TODAY SPORTS

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North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

B3

After 9-1 regular season, Wingate ready for playoffs Bulldogs will host West Florida after winning South Atlantic title

By Shawn Krest North State Journal Last year, the Wingate Bulldogs lost to Newberry on the last day of the regular season, costing the team a South Atlantic title and a chance to go to the Division II playoffs.

This season, the Bulldogs decided not to wait until the final week to take care of business.

“I don’t think you could write a better script,” said Joe Reich, in his 17th year as Wingate head coach, “particularly that ninth win.”

The Bulldogs beat Limestone on Homecoming and Senior Day to clinch the conference title and tie the program record for wins in a season. “To win at home to win the conference outright, with the fireworks, the trophy, the whole thing — it was special,” Reich said.

It also earned Wingate a trip to the playoffs for just the second time ever. The Bulldogs play West Florida University at home on Saturday. The Argonauts tied for second place in the Gulf South Conference and travel to Wingate as the No. 6 seed to face the No. 3 Bulldogs.

“We’re doing a cram session on West Florida,” Reich said. “Their coach, Pete Shinnick, was the head coach at UNC-Pembroke (going 50-24 from 2007 to 2013), so we’re familiar with him to a certain extent.”

The Bulldogs will likely be without their starting quarterback, James Whitaker, who went down with a concussion in late October and hasn’t played since.

CAMPBELL from page B1

While Whitaker hasn’t been officially ruled out for Saturday, Reich wasn’t optimistic that he’d be able to play.

“We’ll leave him as a game-time decision at this point,” Reich said, “but I’m saying probably not. We’ll keep the door open a little bit.”

Dylan Williams, a redshirt junior from Whiteville, has filled in for Whitaker and has a higher completion percentage (70.7 to 57.2), more passing yards per game (172.8 to 165.1) and a better passer rating (175.3 to 137.6).

“Dylan has just been phenomenal,” Reich said. “He’s played really well. Last week (a loss to Tusculum that spoiled a perfect 10-0 regular season) wasn’t his best game. He was sick before the game, but he’s such a scrappy, get-it-done kind of guy. He found a way to get us in position, after being down 25, to get in the end zone and tie it up at the end. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this week.”

Williams is throwing to a very deep group of receivers. Six Bulldogs have at least 16 catches and 226 yards, with no one having more than 23 and 385.

“Over the last few years, we’ve kind of relied on one or two guys, and that handicaps you,” Reich said. “Last year, it was, ‘Throw the ball to Jordan Berry whenever you can, as well as Joe Wallace.’ Now, those guys are gone, and there’s not that one key guy.

There’s a lot of guys that do things well. Let’s not worry. Let’s just line them up and play. There’s no one spot to key on, we can throw the ball to any of them.”

B.J. Muckelvene, who leads the team with 385 receiving yards, is also a dangerous return man. He has 352 punt return yards and three touchdowns on the year, to

PHOTO COURTESY OF WINGATE SPORTS INFORMATION

Dylan Williams has stepped in as starting quarterback in the last month for the Bulldogs.

go with 272 yards on kickoff returns.

Like the receiving corps, the Bulldog defense doesn’t have that one standout player opponents can key on. That doesn’t mean there are no star-quality plays.

Wingate’s D has 14 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries on the year. Eight players have interceptions. Eleven have forced or recovered a fumble. Nine have sacks.

Wingate’s opening round opponent could be a mirror image, as Reich has had trouble finding any areas on West Florida to attack.

“They’re a really good team,” he said. “At this point in the year, every team you’re going to play is good. They don’t seem to have any glaring weaknesses. They’re just a solid football team all around.”

Perhaps the biggest advantage will come from Wingate’s higher seed, and NCAA regulations.

The two schools are 596.1 miles apart by highway. For Division II championships, teams that have to travel more than 600 miles can fly to their destination.

“They’re under five miles away from being able to fly,” Reich said.

“They have to drive, instead. It’s going to be a brutal trip up there.

I’m glad we don’t have to do that.

“We only played four home games this year,” he added.

“When the conference redid their schedule, we lost a home game in the transition. So it’s nice to have the fifth home game back after all, as a little reward for our season. And who knows, maybe we’ll have more after that.”

If so, the Bulldogs will be in line for even bigger rewards.

Tar Heels’ Elliott making most of his chance With the top two quarterbacks hurt, redshirt sophomore led UNC to its first ACC win of the season

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal CHAPEL HILL — Nathan Elliott didn’t exactly win North Carolina’s starting quarterback job. It fell to him by default after the two players ahead of him on the depth chart, Chazz Surratt and Brandon Harris, were sidelined with concussions.

The thing about opportunity, though, is that it doesn’t matter how it comes about. It’s what you do with it that counts.

And Elliott is making the most of his.

A week after nearly pulling off an upset of No. 2 Miami in a relief role, the sophomore responded to his first career start by leading the Tar Heels to a 34-31 win at Pittsburgh on Thursday. It was a performance that earned him another opportunity to show what he can do Saturday at home against Western Carolina.

“Right now, he’s got to be the guy this week,” UNC coach Larry Fedora said at his regular weekly press conference Monday. “I haven’t started thinking about longterm stuff, but he’s got to do a great

CHARLES LECLAIRE | USA TODAY SPORTS

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Nathan Elliott (11) scrambles with the ball past Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Dennis Briggs (20) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field.

job in practice this week and be the guy that takes us into this game.”

Elliott, a redshirt sophomore who saw limited action last year as a backup to first-round NFL draft pick Mitch Trubisky, entered preseason camp as one of four quarterbacks vying for the starting job.

But it didn’t take long for him to become an odd man out of the competition as graduate transfer Harris and prized freshman Surratt emerged as the Tar Heels’ top two options.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Texas

native bided his time, staying prepared as UNC suffered through a six-game losing streak that ended all hopes of a winning season and bowl bid. His patience was finally rewarded when Surratt went out early against Miami.

Elliott completed 16 of 39 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown in that game. He was also intercepted three times as the Tar Heels fell short in a 24-19 loss.

He was much better Thursday.

Not only did he go 20 of 31 for 235 and two scores, he didn’t turn

the ball over in helping his team earn its first victory in nearly two months and first against a Power 5 opponent in just over a year.

“I was a little more prepared this week,” Elliott said in the aftermath of the Pitt game. “I had more reps throughout the week, had a really good feel for the game plan. I felt good and I kept my eyes up.

“Sometimes in the Miami game I dropped my eyes and that’s just inexperience. I really focused on that this week and it helped a lot.”

The confidence Elliott and his offense gained in the victory only figures to grow this week against what figures to be an overmatched FCS opponent. Western Carolina (7-4) was once ranked as high as 19th in the national FCS poll, but comes into Saturday’s game at Kenan Stadium having lost two of its last three.

UNC is still dangerously thin on both sides of the ball with 19 players out for the season because of injuries. But Fedora knows that despite the massive attrition, at least his quarterback position is in capable hands with Elliott under center.

“He’s been such a great teammate, biding his time, working his butt off, never saying a word, waiting for his opportunity,” Fedora said. “And when his opportunity has come up, he’s made something out of it.”

in a conference that has teams spread across the map from San Diego, Calif., and Des Moines, Iowa, to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and DeLand, Fla. And Campbell was already a member of the Big South in all sports other than football.

More important, interest in the program had begun to outgrow the low-key Pioneer League. With the Camels averaging better than a sellout at the 5,500-seat Barker-Lane Stadium in each of the past two seasons, Roller and other school officials came to the conclusion that the time had come to steer their program in a new direction.

“The Pioneer Football League was perfect for Campbell when we came back,” Roller said. “It was the right move. It was a way to get your feet on the ground.

But once we studied it we realized that we could make this happen and that it wasn’t nearly as expensive as we first thought.

“It will be great, not only for the program but also for the parents (of the players) and fans.

Now it’s three-, four-, five-hour car or bus trips for all of them.

Plus it’s opened up so much for our nonconference schedule, too.”

Among the 18 upcoming nonconference games the Camels announced earlier this week are four “guarantee” games against FBS opponents that will help offset the added costs associated with the move to the Big South.

It’s a challenge Minter is excited about tackling, even though he realizes that that the transition won’t be an easy one — especially at the start.

“We’ve got to be 100 times better,” the fifth-year coach said.

“We’ve played some of these teams before and we know what that looks like and the type of talent, size, speed and effort you need to be able to play with them. We definitely know what we’re getting into.”

In preparation for the move, Minter and his staff began setting their sights on a higher caliber of recruits.

It’s an effort that helped land those 21 redshirts, a group that will join holdovers such as dualthreat freshman quarterback Daniel Smith, leading receiver Aaron Blockman and top tackler Jack Ryan, to form the foundation of the Camels’ first scholarship squad.

“Anytime you can help somebody pay for their school, the conversation is different,” Minter said. “Because of that, now I can get into any living room and I can compete with anybody. That first freshman class … it’s pretty good.”

Lester Axson, a cornerback from Winter Garden, Fla., who originally committed to Furman, said he wouldn’t have given Campbell a second look if not for its decision to start offering scholarships.

“Coach Morris came to my school and he explained to me about Campbell going to the Big South,” Axson said of Camels recruiting coordinator Adam Morris. “That’s what sold me.”

Like Minter, Axson and the rest of his inactive classmates had a hard time watching from the sideline this season, knowing that they were able to contribute.

But they were, at least, able to start bonding together from the time they’ve spent together around campus and on the practice field as part of the Camels’ scout team.

“We’ve built real chemistry,” Axson said. “We’re all hungry and ready for next year. Trust me, we’re all excited about what we’ve got coming.”

TEAM PREVIEWS

Duke vs. Georgia Tech

East Carolina vs. Cincinnati

NC State at Wake Forest

Charlotte at Southern Miss

Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

RSN

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Saturday, noon CBS Sports Network

Grove Stadium Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

ESPNU

M.M. Roberts Stadium Saturday 3 p.m.

730 AM

Preview: Needing to win their final two games for bowl eligibility, the Blue Devils (4-6, 1-5) face the task of defending a triple-option attack on consecutive weeks after losing at Army last Saturday. Georgia Tech is 5-4 overall, 4-3 in the ACC.

Preview: The Pirates (2-8) are coming off an overtime loss to Tulane and face a 3-7 Cincinnati against whom they have lost six straight.

Preview: State looks to win its sixth ACC game for just the fifth time in school history. Wake is on an offensive hot streak not seen before in Winston-Salem.

Players to watch: Sophomore RB Hussein Howe rushed for a careerhigh 108 yards and a TD while catching five passes against Tulane. Bearcats LB Jaylyin Minor had 16 tackles and surpassed the 100-tackle mark for the season in last week’s loss to Temple.

Players to watch: Wake’s Cam Serigne has already set ACC records for catches and receiving yards by a tight end. State receiver Kelvin Harmon is averaging 113 yards per game the last six outings.

Players to watch: The Yellow Jackets again lead the ACC in rushing offense, led by QB TaQuon Marshall’s 934 yards and 16 TDs. Duke LB Ben Humphreys is a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.

Fast fact: It will be the 85th game in the series, which began in 1933 and has been played annually without interruption.

Fast fact: ECU has not won a November home game since beating Tulane on Nov. 22, 2014, a streak of five consecutive losses.

Fast fact: The Pack won its last trip to Grove Stadium, 35-17 in 2015, snapping a six-game losing streak at Winston-Salem.

On the flip side, NC State has won 15 of its last 16 home games against the Deacs, and the home team has won 17 of 20.

What to expect: Duke will be hard-pressed to break its six-game losing streak, although they should have plenty of practice trying to stop Tech’s run-oriented offense.

What to expect: Both teams come into the game at 1-5 in the AAC. This is the Pirates’ last best chance to win a game this season.

What to expect: State’s defensive line will have to find a way to put the brakes on a scary Wake Forest offense because it’s hard to outscore the Deacs.

— Brett Friedlander

— Brett Friedlander

— Shawn Krest

Preview: Southern Miss became bowl eligible last week with a win at Rice.

Charlotte still seeks its second win.

Players to watch: Eagles redshirt freshman LB Racheem Boothe won C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after getting 14 tackles against Rice. Niners RB Benny LeMay’s 642 yards are the fifth-most in a season in school history.

Fast fact: M.M. Roberts Stadium was built for free in 1932. A local businessman donated the materials, and umemployed workers didn’t charge for their labor. When concrete stands were added in 1938, players helped haul the concrete, which is how it got its nickname: The Rock.

What to expect: With losses to ODU and MTSU the last two weeks, Charlotte has completed the soft portion of its schedule.

— Shawn Krest

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

B4

CKFB from page B1 Wake Forest

JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton plays around on the sidelines during Monday night’s dominating win over Miami.

Panthers playing the right music during winning streak Led by Cam Newton, Panthers are working — and laughing — their way toward the postseason

By Shawn Krest North State Journal CHARLOTTE — After a big win, it’s not unusual for loud music to bounce off the walls of an NFL team’s locker room. It is a bit odd for it to be a pop ballad.

In the aftermath of the offensive explosion that buried the Miami Dolphins 45-21 on Monday Night Football, however, the Carolina Panthers cranked up some Adele.

As the media filed into the Panthers locker room, the British pop diva’s lost-love song, “Someone Like You,” played at a painfully high volume.

In one corner, the person responsible for the music choice danced in a silver bathrobe as teammates begged him to stop.

“That’s another thing they want to get on me about,” said quarterback and Adele fan Cam Newton.

“But we aren’t going to have that.

My music selection is pretty aggressive with the softness.”

It’s just the latest in a long string of playful oxymorons from Newton, whose post-victory press conferences often devolve into Yogi Berra meets Mike Tyson, with a bit of late-night lounge comedian thrown in — it was no coincidence that he ended his Monday Night postgame presser by thanking the media and saying,

“I’ll be back here on Mondays and Wednesdays.” All he left out was the advice to “try the veal.”

Needless to say, the Carolina Panthers are having fun, from on the field displays of emotion to postgame antics, the team is a tightly-knit group, grinning their way toward the top of the NFC South.

“They should,” said coach Ron Rivera. “It’s an opportunity to have some fun, but it only comes when you’re winning.”

The team has been holding up that end of the bargain in recent weeks, making big plays on offense to go along with a defense that has been the best in the NFL all season long.

No one has played bigger, or had a larger smile while doing it, than Newton, who seems to draw energy from a positive atmosphere around him, whether from the crowd or teammates.

“He does,” said Rivera. “There’s something about when the lights turn on. It’s just who he is. He does play well — there’s just something about the stage. When he gets rolling, a lot of things happen off of that energy.”

There was his 69-yard run against Miami that set up a touchdown and ended with Newton doing his traditional post-firstdown dance from his back, as he acted too exhausted from the run to stand. After the game, he joked about his “check engine light” blinking on late in the run.

His teammates knew just how to respond to the big play, in a way Newton could appreciate.

“The guys came up to me and

Danny Manning’s worst fears were realized in Friday’s season-opening 85-83 loss to Georgia Southern, amplifying both the Deacons’ backcourt strength and the gaping hole left in the middle by the early departure of John Collins to the NBA. While Wake’s three starting guards, juniors Keyshawn Woods and Bryant Crawford and highly touted freshman Chaundee Brown, combined for 65 points on 20 of 36 shooting (10 of 18 from 3-point range), the rest of the team contributed just 18 points while going just 7 of 24 from the floor.

Collins’ primary replacement, 7-foot junior Doral Moore, was purported to be the Deacons’ most improved player during the offseason. But he made just one field goal against Georgia Southern while committing five turnovers and four fouls in just 14 unproductive minutes.

Freshman Olivier Sarr was unavailable because of illness, so perhaps he might be a better alternative moving forward. But regardless of who plays in the low post, Manning has his work cut out for him in getting his team to play with a greater defensive commitment than it showed in the opener.

On the plus side, Brown appears to be everything he was cracked up to be as Wake’s first five-star recruit since Al-Farouq Aminu in 2008. The 6-5 Florida native scored 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting in a college debut that greatly diminished the role of senior Mitchell Wilbekin.

NC State

JEREMY BREVARD | USA TODAY SPORTS

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium.

said, ‘D.A. (34-year-old backup quarterback Derek Anderson) could have scored on that one,’” Newton said.

That’s not to say that Newton and the Panthers are clowning their way through the season. In fact, the team places as high a value on hard work as it does on enjoying the moment.

“Guys are just flying around, making plays,” Newton said.

“Even though the scoreboard was what it was, late in the game, guys still had that laser focus.”

That included the quarterback.

With the game well out of reach in the fourth quarter, Newton found Devin Funchess with a 32yard dart for the receiver’s second touchdown of the game.

“That play at the end, everybody marveled at the throw,” Newton said, “but more important, it was just me and him being in sync on the same play. That’s a great characteristic — good DNA as champions.”

On Funchess’ first touchdown, a 28-yard pass right after halftime that saw Funchess take a screen and find a path to the end zone,

Newton was the one who made the magic happen.

“One thing that really showed was some of his decision-making,” Rivera said. “A couple of big plays we had out there were decisions he made — audibles and checks he made at the line of scrimmage. His knowledge of what we’re trying to do is tremendous. His feel for the game is so good. An example was that screen to Funchess. He made the audible and the check. Next thing you know, touchdown.”

Followed, of course, by the dancing that conceals just how hard the team works.

And sometimes, he dances to Adele. Like most things with Newton, however, once you get past the laugh line, there’s a great deal of thought behind it.

“For us, going through the rigors of having all that testosterone built up, it’s OK to throw in a little ‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyonce or ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele,” he said. “All I’m trying to do is just tone it down, just a little second, so we can clear our minds and put a little heavenly voice in our hearts.”

In a very short time, Kevin Keatts has returned energy to Wolfpack basketball. The team tears up and down the court and digs in on defense, while Keatts runs sprints in the coach’s box, urging them to go even faster.

It’s a welcome change from some of the seemingly disinterested squads that marked the latter years of Mark Gottfried’s coaching tenure. NC State should be fun to watch. It remains to be seen just how good the Wolfpack can be. There are some talented players, and Keatts’ system seems to fit them well.

With Abdul-Malik Abu out for the first two games with an injury — he’s expected back this week — the Pack has been led by graduate transfers Allerik Freeman and Sam Hunt. Freeman averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds in the first weekend of the season, while Hunt provides an outside-shooting threat the team will need as Abu, Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven work in the paint.

Point guard Markell Johnson, woefully underused last season, should have a breakout year. He dished out 18 assists and scored 26 points in the first two games, despite Keatts saying he didn’t think Johnson was at his best in the second contest.

Versatile junior Torin Dorn gives the Pack a double-double threat from the forward/guard position. A relatively young team in a new system, State will be great in bursts this year, painfully frustrating at other times, but it’s definitely a team on the rise.

Keselowski grabs final spot in Sunday’s title race Brad Keselowski earned the fourth and final spot in Sunday’s championship race at Homestead with a 16thplace finish at Phoenix.

No. 2 car joins Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick in championship race

By Amanda Vincent The Sports Xchange AVONDALE, Ariz. — Brad Keselowski nailed down the final spot in next weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race with a 16th-place finish at the Cam-Am 500 in Phoenix.

That sets up Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m., NBC), where Keselowski will challenge Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for the title. With points reset to even, whichever driver has the best finish will be crowned 2017 Cup champion.

By taking the lead with a pass of Chase Elliott with nine laps remaining, winner Matt Kenseth knocked Elliott out of title contention.

Elliott held off Truex to take the runner-up spot, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the Championship Four.

“It’s just such a bummer,” Elliott said. “I was telling my guys we’ll get it right someday, or I’ll get it right someday. We’ve had so many good opportunities and at some

JOE CAMPOREALE | USA TODAY SPORTS

“I am just looking forward to going to Homestead.

This feels a little bit like Christmas.”

— Brad Keselowski

point we’ve just got to close.”

Keselowski struggled through most of the race, winding up 16th at the finish, but headed into Phoenix with enough of a point cushion to join already-clinched drivers Harvick, Truex and Kyle Busch in the Championship Four.

“We overcame a lot of obstacles and jumped a lot of hurdles today,” Keselowski said. “I am glad I don’t

have to relive this day, that is for sure. I am just looking forward to going to Homestead. This feels a little bit like Christmas.

“Sometimes you need a little luck on your side. Today we had that. It wasn’t by any means where we wanted to run. We wanted to run up front and have a shot for the win. That wasn’t in the cards. We tried to run the smartest race we

could and survive and it ended up paying off in the end.”

Kenseth first led when he got off pit road ahead of Denny Hamlin during a lap 228 caution. Hamlin hesitated pulling out of his pit stop, not getting a signal when pit service was completed.

After dominating the race to that point, Hamlin retired in the final 50 laps after contact with Elliott gave him a tire rub that led to a blown tire, sending his car hard into the wall.

As a result, Hamlin, like Elliott, was eliminated from the playoffs.

Kenseth continued to lead until Elliott was able to pass him with 28 laps remaining.

Championship contender Jimmie Johnson’s chances of an eighth Cup Series title ended with a rightfront tire problem that sent him into the wall with one lap remaining in the second stage.

Needing a win to advance to the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 19, Johnson took his car to the garage.

“I really didn’t have any warning,” Johnson said. “I knew I was hard on the brakes, but the run before, we didn’t have any issues reported back, so I felt like I was kind of doing the same thing.

The fourth driver eliminated from the playoffs was Ryan Blaney.

WEDNESDAY

11.15.17

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL

Living the sweet life, Page 7

savor& style IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

play list

Nov. 16-18 American Music Jubilee Christmas Show Selma A nostalgic trip to enjoy gospel favorites and the contemporary beat of hits like "Christmas in Dixie."

Nov. 17 Hickory Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Hickory Santa and Mrs. Claus will light the Hickory Christmas tree after a community parade.

Nov. 17-19 10th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Seagrove The weekend kicks off with a catered reception, live music, and auction, followed by two days of potters market, demonstrations, children’s hand-on activities, and historical and educational presentations.

Nov. 17 ‘Twas the Night Before Bed Race and Parade

PHOTOS BY LAURA ASHLEY LAMM | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Chef Clark Barlowe of Heirloom Restaurant in Charlotte is an avid forager. He regularly searches out various types of mushrooms like these chicken of the woods, found in oak trees, to serve as part of the restaurant’s cuisine.

Heirloom Restaurant’s Barlowe finds wild treasures Charlotte chef forages mushrooms to deliver a unique dining experience

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal CHARLOTTE — In the yard, it’s inevitable there will be socalled weeds and plants that grow on their own. There are those mushrooms deemed unattractive and a nuisance popping up at random. The berries falling from a tree you didn’t know carried berries.

You’ll drive down the state highway and see tall weeds with golden tips and wonder how they came about.

You’ll move on and forget these oddities. And that’s when the forager moves in. The forager known as Clark Barlowe.

“I love the connection to being able to go out and find something that nobody planted that was just growing,” Barlowe said. “Then I take it and bring it back into the restaurant and serve something you would never really taste in any other way.”

Barlowe, 30, is a forager, chef and co-owner of Heirloom Restaurant in Charlotte. It’s a place designed to showcase natural ingredients and North Carolina farm-to-fork cuisine.

Foraging in essentially the acquisition of food by hunting, fishing or the gathering of plant matter. Foragers have knowledge of the land, a commitment to the forests, and an ability to determine and collect edible foraged ingredients.

“Foraging is a very primal thing,” he said. “You have to have a passion for learning because you are constantly learning even about things you thought you knew everything about. I thought I knew everything about chicken of the woods mushrooms. I’ve

seen them. I’ve picked them. I’ve picked different varieties of them.

I know what they grow on, where they grow and what season, and what temperature they grow in.

“Then this year, I saw one growing out of a rock. How does it even grow out of a rock? It should be a wood decomposing mushroom and it should need to break down the sugars in wood to actuate fruit. So, how is it grow- Clark Barlowe examines a mushroom he found while foraging in the ing out of a rock?” front yard of a neighbor’s home in Charlotte.

Barlowe knows his craft. He is a walking encyclopedia that carefully recalls the details of the land, plants and forageable goods that I can forage and that I care around him. He’s trained, edu- to forage.”

The approved species list in “I am as deep into foragcated and licensed. And, in case you’re wondering, the restaurant North Carolina includes 20 foring mushrooms as I can follows the rules and regulations ageable mushrooms, though of the State Health Department there are other forgaeable mush- get right now.” to ensure every item foraged, rooms that haven’t made the list.

Barlowe works with every- — Clark Barlowe, Heirloom cook and served on your plate is thing from chicken and hen of safe and edible.

“Foraging is where char- the wood mushrooms and rein- Restaurant cuterie was 10 years ago when deer moss to strawberry tops and charcuterie was sort of the wild, oak leaves.

Heirloom opened in February ing in a tree somewhere off the Wild West when everyone was precuring their own ham,” said 2014 and has earned a positive road. He whips his car around Barlowe. “Then someone made reputation through Barlowe’s cu- and stops to collect a sample. After all, the bumper sticker on his a mistake, someone got sick and linary creations.

His resume is extensive. He’s Chevy truck does read, “I brake now it’s very restrictive in how we precure hams. I don’t want to a graduate of Johnson & Wales for mushrooms.”

He is notorious for walking up see that happen to mushrooms. University and has fine-tuned I’d rather we be very restrictive his skills with stints at Mama to someone’s front door, knockup front and then we can always Ricotta’s in Charlotte, El Bulli ing, introducing himself and rein Spain, the French Laundry in questing to cut the mushrooms work back from that.

“The reason people have a fear California, and the Hamilton in from their yard.

“People are really friendly. The of mushrooms is because it’s this Washington, D.C., to name a few. unknown. The mushrooms come He’s been featured on the Food mostly say yes and have learned up, they fruit, they decompose Network and earned a name for who I am,” said Barlowe.

Old trees and neighborhoods, and they go away,” he added. “It himself in the culinary world.

Foraging requires the diligent office parks and cemeteries have usually happens over the course of a couple of days. It’s this un- practice of time and patience, a become his grocery store. Some knack for curiosity and a keen foraging spots he keeps secret. known thing for many.

“I am as deep into foraging use of the senses. Barlowe will Before Barlowe, serving wild and mushrooms as I can get right drive down the streets of Char- foraged ingredients on a restaunow. I’ve learned about every lotte and, with Clark Kent-esque mushroom in North Carolina vision, notice a mushroom grow- See BARLOWE, page B7

Mocksville Mocksville's Hometown Holiday Celebration kicks off Friday night before the parade with bed races in downtown Mocksville. Each team consists of four competitors pushing a bed on wheels with a fearless passenger riding on top in a mad dash down Main Street.

Nov.17-18 "The Polar Express" Train Ride Spencer "All Aboard" The Polar Express at the NC Transportation Museum. Set to the music of the motion picture soundtrack.

Additional dates: Nov. 24-26, Dec. 1-3, Dec. 8-10.

Nov. 17-Dec. 31 Belmont’s Holiday Lights Belmont Discover the warm glow of Christmas lights and smalltown charm in Belmont.

From Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s annual “Holidays at the Garden” to McAdenville’s six-decade transformation into Christmas Town USA, escape into the wonders of winter with twinkle, wonder and awe. Main Street in McAdenville has been decorated as Christmas Town USA since 1956.

next week Got leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce?

We have the recipe for you!

B6

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

NeCessities! history marked Nov. 17, 1949

Cameron Village opens in Raleigh On Nov. 17, 1949, Cameron Village — one of the first shopping centers in the Southeast — opened in Raleigh. The shopping center was part of a larger, 158-acre planned development that also included single-family homes and several apartment buildings. Some of the first shops to open in Cameron Village were Colonial Stores, the Village Restaurant, Roses 5-10-25¢ and PHR Cradle Shops. More than 65 stores — including a dry cleaner, shoe repair shop, butcher, beauty shop, two barber shops and a movie theater — and 112 professional offices were open at the complex within two years. Cameron Village was enormously popular during the 1950s and 1960s, luring business away from downtown Raleigh, but it faced increasing competition from larger malls like Crabtree Valley in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the 1970s, “The Underground,” a below-ground area with popular restaurants and nightclubs was completed, though it was short-lived with most establishments there closing during the 1980s. The complex underwent major renovations in the 1990s and 2000s, and remains a popular Raleigh shopping destination to this day.

in a pickle November 14 was National Pickle Day

Nov. 18, 1781

British retreat from Wilmington On Nov. 18, 1781, British forces under Maj. James Craig evacuated Wilmington. Previously, the town was threatened by the Loyalist campaign that culminated in the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge in 1776, and was afterward briefly blockaded by a British fleet. Craig captured Wilmington, North Carolina’s major seaport, in January 1781. With less than 300 men available for duty, he could do nothing to expand British control of the area. He received little support from local Loyalists due to the small size of his command. In April, Craig was briefly joined by the main British force in North Carolina under Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis, who had withdrawn eastward to be resupplied after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Following Cornwallis’s departure for Virginia, Craig was left to hold Wilmington. In October, Gen. Griffith Rutherford of the North Carolina Militia launched a campaign to recapture the town for the Patriot side.

Defeating Loyalist forces in a series of small clashes, the militia gradually closed in. Outnumbered, Craig had no choice but to evacuate the town by sea. His departure marked the end of a British presence in the state, although some Loyalist activity continued.

Nov. 18, 1799

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

In North Carolina, there is much to celebrate when it comes to the most famous form of processed cucumber.

Pickling and fresh cucumbers are major crops in North Carolina with over 10,000 acres planted yearly, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

North Carolina cucumber acreage is concentrated in the central coastal plain. In 1994, North Carolina led the nation in harvested pickling cucumber

acreage (25,000 acres) and accounted for about 22 percent of U.S. production acreage. Now, Michigan leads the pack with over 35 percent of total production and North Carolina is third with about 7 percent of total pickling production. The Old North State also produces about 10 percent of the total domestic fresh cucumber crop.

When North Carolinians think of pickles, most think of the town of Mount Olive in Duplin and Wayne

counties where the Mount Olive Pickle Company is located. All of the pickle company's facilities are located in the town and it employs over 500 people. Mt. Olive is the largest independent pickle company in the U.S. and the top-selling pickle brand in the South – where its market share approaches 70 percent.

Recipes for pickles abound in North Carolina, we don't recommend that you use Aunt Bee's.

Greene County formed On Nov. 18, 1799, Glasgow County, in eastern North Carolina, was renamed Greene County. In 1791, Dobbs County was split.

Half became Lenoir County, named for Revolutionary War Gen. William Lenoir, and half became Glasgow County, for North Carolina’s first Secretary of State, James Glasgow. Among other duties, Glasgow oversaw the military grant program that awarded land to soldiers who served in the Continental Line during the American Revolution. Warrants for land were easily forged, which led to Glasgow’s downfall. In 1797, future President Andrew Jackson wrote a letter to the governor exposing the ongoing land frauds. Charges became official, and Glasgow was brought to trial. The jury handed down five indictments; Glasgow pled not guilty. After 10 days in court, Glasgow was found guilty of three charges: issuing a fraudulent warrant; issuing a duplicate warrant with two separate grants on it; and issuing a grant without proper evidence of the assignment.

The residents of Glasgow County did not want to be identified with a criminal and the county was renamed Greene, for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. While Glasgow’s name disappeared from the map, his misconduct left a lasting mark in North Carolina’s history. The court that tried Glasgow ultimately became the North Carolina Supreme Court.

happiest place

Nov.20, 1858

Cherokee warrior Junaluska died On Nov. 20, 1858, distinguished Cherokee warrior Junaluska died. Little is known of his early life. Although he was not chief, Junaluska spoke for the tribe in 1811 when he refused the Shawnee request for the Cherokee to join in fighting against the influx of settlers. As further indication of his loyalty to the United States, Junaluska recruited 100 warriors to join the war against the Creek Indians in 1813. It is an account from this conflict that credits Junaluska for saving Andrew Jackson‘s life at Horseshoe Bend, Ala. Junaluska returned to his farm in North Carolina and lived a quiet life until Jackson, then president, called for the removal of Cherokee to Oklahoma in 1838.

Junaluska survived the Trail of Tears, but later walked home to North Carolina. The North Carolina General Assembly granted Junaluska citizenship, 337 acres of land, and $100 in recognition of his military service in 1847. The land was at Cheoah, near what is now the town of Robbinsville, and was, ironically, part of his property prior to the Cherokee removal. Lake Junaluska in Haywood County is named for the warrior.

Nov. 21, 1789

N.C. Ratifies the U.S. Constitution in Fayetteville On Nov. 21, 1789, the General Assembly, meeting in Fayetteville, ratified the United States Constitution, making North Carolina the 12th state. The process was not easy, however, considering that in 1788, the General Assembly actually declined to ratify United States Constitution, suggesting many amendments and calling for a Bill of Rights.

On Nov. 16, 1789, a second convention met to take up the matter again. The Constitution, with the addition of the Bill of Rights, was ratified five days into the convention. In 1778, Fayetteville built a large brick building, called the State House by its builders, to house the General Assembly in the event the town was chosen as the new state capital. However, the Convention of 1788 in Hillsborough chose Raleigh over Fayetteville as the capital. Despite this, the General Assembly did meet in Fayetteville in several times before moving permanently to Raleigh in 1793. The State House where North Carolina became a state remained standing until 1831, when it was destroyed by a fire that devastated much of Fayetteville.

Information courtesy of N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

BENOIT TESSIER | REUTERS

Disney characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse attend the 25th anniversary of Disneyland Paris.

Mickey Mouse makes his debut “Steamboat Willie,” starring Mickey Mouse, was released on Nov. 18, 1928, in New York. It was codirected by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Although the third Mickey Mouse cartoon produced, it was the first to find a distributor, and thus is considered by The Disney Company as Mickey’s debut. Mickey’s appearance in “Steamboat Willie” established his look for many later cartoons and Walt Disney films.

He has appeared in more than 130 films, including “Brave Little Tailor” (1938) and “Fantasia” (1940).

Mickey Mouse has appeared primarily in short films, 10 of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Only one, “Lend a Paw,” won the award, in 1942. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

B7

“This has been a blessing and it keeps growing.”

Keijuane Hester, Favor Desserts

Nephew of the owner, Dyron Jones, of Durham, works the Favor Desserts food truck during the North Carolina State Fair, on Oct. 17.

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

From conviction to confections Keijuane Hester went from selling cocaine to owning a successful bakery

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal DURHAM — Transformations take place at different times, in unique places and in a multitude of ways. In the kitchen, a chef will pull together a cake batter of flour and sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and so forth, and slowly those separate ingredients merge together and transform into a moist and delicious cake.

The chef himself will likely have undergone a transformation of sorts that brought him to the kitchen in the first place. As is the case with Favor Desserts’ Keijuane Hester, the street hustler turned successful baker.

It was the summer of 1990 and Hester was about to enter the ninth grade in the Durham Public Schools. He needed money in his pockets for school clothes and food, and later in his high school career to support a baby with his high school sweetheart.

“In urban areas, this sort of thing presents itself. There is easy access,” said Hester, now 42.

Hester found easy access to selling cocaine.

“The more and more I hustled, the more addictive it became,” he said. “I never used drugs. I just sold drugs to put money in my pocket.”

Hester hustled through school selling drugs to earn a living until August 1995, when a tip led authorities to bust him and he was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison at Butner.

While in prison, Hester took online classes and a job working in the kitchen with fellow inmate Cornelius Blackwell, who had gained a reputation for creating delicious desserts on the compound.

Blackwell helped him learn to bake cookies, cakes, breads and pies from scratch.

“One day he told me, ‘Keijuane, I’m

A detail look at slices of cake for sale inside the Favor Desserts food truck seen at the North Carolina State Fair.

teaching you this trade and if one day, all else fails, you’ll have a trade to fall back on,” said Hester. “Immediately I told him, ‘I’m not baking nothing.’”

That nothing eventually turned into something; something pretty special.

“He made a carrot cake that was so good I told him I wanted to write the recipe down,” said Hester.

Hester spent four years in prison for selling cocaine and when he was released, he turned from selling coke to cake on the streets.

“I took a liking to baking and when I was released I had a recipe for carrot cake,” he said.

He developed his own pineapple cream cheese frosting and learn to scale the recipe down from serving 1,000 people to a handful.

“I brought my carrot cake to a potluck lunch at my job following my release and everyone loved it,” said Hes-

ESPN brings SportsCenter show to Snapchat

By Sheila Dang Reuters NEW YORK — Sports broadcaster ESPN launched its flagship SportsCenter program on messaging app Snapchat on Monday, reimagining the show that provides sports highlights and commentary into a short-form series.

The new show deepens the relationship between ESPN parent Walt Disney Co. and Snapchat parent Snap Inc. The sports network, which has made Snapchat content since 2015, is trying to reach a younger audience, while the social media app, whose messages disappear after viewing, is adding more content in an effort to grow its user base beyond its core youth demographic.

The partnership is a two-year

deal and Snap and ESPN will share revenues, Snap said, though it declined to give specifics.

SportsCenter will air twice a day on Snapchat during weekdays, and once a day on weekends. A roster of six hosts will give commentary and perspectives, including Katie Nolan and Elle Duncan, and ESPN Radio host Jason Fitz, Snap said.

Sean Mills, Snap’s head of content programming, said SportsCenter helps round out the app’s stable of daily shows, which already includes news shows from CNN and NBC News, as well as an entertainment show called “The Rundown” from E! Network.

Along with daily shows, Snap launched a joint venture studio with NBCUniversal last month to produce scripted shows to air on the app.

ter.

People began to ask Hester to bake cakes for their families, parties and holiday functions. More and more people kept asking, and eventually, Hester said, “I realized I needed to step out on this gift of baking.”

And so, he did.

He started baking around the clock from his townhouse, making cakes and cupcakes he took back to the streets.

“I was going around to every barber shop, beauty salon, nail salon, everywhere I could go where people were,” said Hester. “My mentality was if this is something I wanted to invest my time and money in, then I first wanted to see how the people in the streets would react to it. I got a lot of positive feedback, so I got my peddler’s license and my business license, and I kept grinding.”

Hester opened Favor Desserts, a bakery known for its Five Flavor

Pound, Red Velvet and Carrot cakes.

More than 30 flavors are offered including German Chocolate and Strawberry Buttercream all sold by the slice or by the whole cake.

“Our icing and cakes are made from scratch,” he said. “We put our heart and soul into each one.”

He kept setting small goals and expanding his business for eight-and-ahalf years until 2012 when he opened his first store-front bakery in Durham, followed by a second location in Greensboro in July 2017.

“This has been a blessing and it keeps growing,” said Hester.

Customers can also find his red concession trailer at NCCU and NC A&T athletic events where he sells out of his desserts every time. In addition, he sells at the North Carolina State Fair and caters.

“Working in the kitchen during my prison sentence was also a mode for survival,” he said. “I knew I didn’t want to go back to jail. I knew I needed to put as much energy into something positive as I did into the wrong thing. God gave me a second chance to use a skill he blessed me with.”

Transformation came for Hester in a prison kitchen as he learned skills for not only baking, but living an everyday life.

“I don’t regret going to prison,” he said. “If I would have not gone to prison, I wouldn’t have learned the skill of baking and be a business owner now. I wouldn’t be the man that I am today if I never went to prison.

“I look back, when I was going through it, I felt like it was the worst thing that ever happened in my life.

But, when I look back, it was the best thing to ever happen in my life,” he added. “Not only am I able to create income for myself, but I am able to hire employees, create job opportunities so others can make a living. It’s a blessing.”

BARLOWE from page B5 rant table in North Carolina didn’t exist really exist.

Inside Heirloom, Barlowe pays homage to his family — seven generations of Caldwell County residents. He sources everything from North Carolina farmers, producers and small businesses.

Even the salt, soap and liquor all hails from the Old North State.

“We want to showcase the bounty of this state to the best of our ability,” said Barlowe. “This is what lead us to wild ingredients.

We wanted to do something that was really unique all over the state.”

It’s also about educating the public that mushrooms and other wild ingredients shouldn’t be feared. In fact, mushrooms were one of the first life forms.

“Twenty-three primates including humans consume mushrooms,” added Barlowe. “We could live off the bounty found from the mountains to the sea in North Carolina.”

It’s a challenge he hopes to one day try — to hike from the

LAURA ASHLEY LAMM | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The great outdoors serves as a grocery store of sorts for foragers.

Chicken of the Woods mushrooms are growing on an oak tree.

North Carolina mountains to the sea and live off the what’s foraged along the way.

“A chef should be a craftsman more so than an artist,” said Barlowe. “When you repeat dishes, you are giving guests the same experience every time. It’s differ-

ent with wild ingredients as the flavors of the dishes will continuously change.”

And with that, Barlowe, a craftsman and chef, will forage into the depths of the natural world bringing forth a bounty for harvest.

North State Journal for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

B8

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North Carolina Arts, History & Nature

Fall in One Place Autumn is a perfect time to celebrate everything North Carolina has to offer, from the gorgeous weather to local foods to traditional music. From the annual tradition of the North Carolina State Fair to Wide Open Bluegrass to local county fairs and festivals, North Carolina has it all, all in one place.

Explore our complete list of Fall Festivals and Fairs across the state.

#allinoneplaceNC

NC DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

dncr.nc.gov/allinoneplace