NSJ Vol. 4, Issue 10

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 10

Sports

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019

Duke’s Jones goes 6th overall to Giants

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL | AP PHOTO

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden greets audience members during a rally, Tuesday, April 30, 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

New chimp at NC Zoo gets name Asheboro A baby chimpanzee born at the N.C. Zoo now has a name chosen by public vote. Zoo officials have announced that the chimp born on Monday, March 18 is named Obi. Voters had four choices, including Ayo, Kojo and Masaka. The name Obi is of Nigerian origin and means “one who charms others” and “heart.” With the new baby, the zoo’s troop now consists of 16 chimpanzees — 10 females and six males, including Obi.

Voters choosing nominees to succeed late NC Rep. Jones Greenville More than two dozen candidates seeking to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr. (R-NC03) first must win their parties’ nominations. Voters went to the polls Tuesday in the 3rd Congressional District primaries. Seventeen Republicans, six Democrats and two Libertarians are on the ballots. Democratic and GOP party runoffs are possible in July if leading candidates fail to get over 30 percent of the vote. Nearly 4 percent of qualified voters cast early ballots in person or by mail. Results will be available Wednesday on nsjonline.com.

Firefighters contain blaze in Linville Gorge Morganton Officials with the U.S. Forest Service say a wildfire in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area has been 100 percent contained. The Brushy Ridge fire was reported on April 28 in a remote area near the Linville River on the northeast side of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in the Pisgah National Forest in Burke County. Officials suspect an abandoned campfire ignited the fire.

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NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

NC House releases proposed state budget $24B budget comes in under $25B projected revenue By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina House announced Tuesday that they had completed work on the 2019-20 biennial budget. Co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), said the bill is a 3 percent increase over the 2018-19 budget, an increase of $689 million. The total is around $24 billion, a number agreed to in March with the Senate as the target for both chambers. The increased spending in the budget “is easily paid for by growth and the sound fiscal and tax policies we’ve worked on for a few years. This just shows that conservative policy works,” Saine told North State Journal. The budget bill, H.B. 966, transfers an additional $105 million to the savings reserve, often called the “rainy-day fund,” bringing the total in reserves to $1.36 billion. This fund is cited as key to responding to unforeseen crises, like natural disasters. H.B. 966 also funds a continuing transition of the state’s Medicaid program, which provides health care for many low-income residents, from a fee-forservice model to a managed care model. With a feefor-service model, the state and providers often end up in long battles over pricing and billing, but many states have found success moving to a system where companies manage the care of the patients for a flat fee. Funding for the “Raise the Age” law passed in 2017 is made available in this budget. North Carolina was the only state to automatically prosecute 16and 17-year-olds as adults. Now funding would allow them to be housed with juveniles rather than adults and to be charged in juvenile courts. The new State Capital and Infrastructure Fund, known as SCIF, will receive 4 percent, or $953 million, from the state’s general fund tax revenue, and $249 million from other sources. This fund will be a pay-as-you-go account to fund additional infraSee BUDGET, page A2

“North Carolina has passed 18 states in national teacher pay rankings since 2014. Today, we have the secondhighest teacher pay in the Southeast.” House Speaker Tim Moore

Biden jumps into 2020 race, takes lead among Dems By Steve Peoples The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Declaring the “soul of this nation” at stake, former Vice President Joe Biden pushed into the crowded 2020 presidential contest last week and quickly sparked a fierce debate over the direction of the modern-day Democratic Party. Biden will get a chance to take on Trump only if he survives a Democratic field that now spans at least 20 contenders. And his party’s more liberal wing was far from welcoming in the hours immediately after he declared his candidacy. Justice Democrats, a group created from the remnants of Ber-

nie Sanders’ failed 2016 campaign, came out against Biden on Thursday and spent much of the day assailing him on social media. As an older white man with often centrist views, Biden must now prove he’s not out of step with Democrats trying to push the party to the left. He would be the oldest person ever elected president — Trump was 70 in 2016 — even as his party embraces a new generation of diversity. He has yet to outline his positions on issues defining the 2020 Democratic primary, most notably “Medicare for All,” the universal health care plan auSee BIDEN, page A2

General Assembly in high gear heading into crossover By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The mad flurry of bill filings at the General Assembly has ceased and the May 9th crossover deadline is on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean there will be any slowing down on Jones Street. “We’re attempting to do crossover and roll a budget out in the same week-and-a-half period,” said House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell. “It’s going to be very busy for the next few weeks around here in order for us to stay on target and hopefully get a state budget before the end of June to the governor.” “I think at crossover you’ll see a lot of bills that deal with local and non-controversial issues on the calendar, and then you’ll see a handful of bills debated,” Bell said. Bell said that any controversial bills such as court reform, organized labor bills or the various alcoholic beverage bills that have been filed would be discussed and hashed out in caucus prior to crossover. Crossover is the date which a bill must be passed in one of the See NCGA, page A8


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