VOLUME 4 ISSUE 14
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2019
Inside ECU, UNC host NCAA baseball regionals, B1
EVAN VUCCI | AP PHOTO
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a State Banquet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, second from right, and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace, Monday, May 27, 2019, in Tokyo.
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NEWS BRIEFING
Poultry processor Sanderson Farms raising wages The third-largest poultry processing company in the U.S. says it’s increasing hourly wages to better recruit and retain workers. Mississippibased Sanderson Farms Inc. announced Tuesday that its new pay scale starts June 2. A company news release says once the plan is fully set, hourly line operators who have worked for the company at least 90 days will earn at least $15 an hour. Sanderson Farms has about 15,000 workers in Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas. About 13,000 earn hourly wages.
$953M in 2018 local visitor spending at Smokies National Park A National Park Service report says that visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park spent $953 million in communities near the park last year. A park news release says the spending came from the 11.4 million visitors to the park in 2018. The spending supported more than 13,700 jobs in the local area.
14 rescued from rip currents on southeastern NC coast The National Weather Service says at least 14 people were rescued from rip currents on the southeastern North Carolina coast on Memorial Day. News sources report 10 of the 14 rescues were at Carolina Beach and the other four were at Wrightsville Beach. There had already been two deaths on the N.C. coast during the long weekend, and rip currents were believed to be a factor in each drowning.
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Democratic poll finds support for charter schools NSJ Staff RALEIGH — The results of a national poll released by Democrats for Education Reform shows strong public support for public charter schools among key sectors of Democratic party voters – especially with minority voters. The poll, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group, was taken in 2018 but released in May 2019. According to the conservative John Locke Foundation, 20% of N.C. children attend a school that is not a traditional public school. Democratic Senators Dan Blue (D-Wake), Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) and Mujtaba Mohammed (D-Meck.) sponsored Senate Bill 247 in March to establish a moratorium on additional charter school expansion. The poll results showed that Black and Hispanic Democrats hold highly favorable opinions of public charter schools as opposed to White Democrats. The divide on support of charters was more than double, with 58% of Blacks and 52% of Hispanic voters approving of public charters versus only 26% of White Democrats. When asked how high a priority it having access to “a variety of public school options no mat-
ter where they live or how much money they have,” 89% of Black voters and 71% of Democratic primary voters said it was a high priority. A key voting block for Democrats is the millennial voter according to DFER and the poll reveals that those voters have an even higher support for public charter schools across all ethnic groups. Black millennial voters were at the top with 67% but Hispanic millennial voters were not far behind at 62%. A majority of White millennials, 58%, also support public charters. According to Democrats for Education Reform’s summary of the poll findings, “Progressive charter advocates have some work to do with White Democratic primary voters who expressed the lowest favorability for public charter schools.” The group also said that “views of White Democratic voters seem to be a significant political impediment to parents of color gaining access to high-quality public charter schools that best serve their children.” The poll also showed that school choice, including public charters, magnets, career academies and Montessori were supported by “every key Democratic constituency.”
Trump returns from Japan to DC snarls By Darlene Superville The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four days of fun and flattery in Tokyo are over for President Donald Trump. The sumo wrestling, golf and red carpet strolls gave way to the same Washington stew of political, policy and legal snarls that Trump never completely left behind during his four days in Ja-
pan, judging by his Twitter feed. Trump returned home Tuesday still in a running feud with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while members of Congress, for their part, have largely cleared out of the steamy city for an extended Memorial Day recess. The past four days in Japan’s capital, by contrast, seemed tailor-made for Trump as Japanese See TRUMP, page A2
NC Senate releases 2019-20 budget $24 billion bill provides teacher and state employee raises By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — At a 10 a.m. press conference on Tuesday, Senate leaders presented an overview of their 2019-20 budget. The budget matches the overall spending goal of around $24 billion that the two chambers of the General Assembly agreed to in March. Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget proposal allocated $25.2 billion and has sharp differences that may have to be negotiated if legislators wish to avoid a veto from Cooper’s recently empowered veto pen. “North Carolina has been enjoying a boom decade under Republican budget and tax policies,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) at the opening of the press conference. “More people work in this state than ever before, and they get to keep more of their money because of the tax policies. “Since 2014, when Republican tax policies took full effect here in North Carolina, employment, income per capita and GDP have all grown faster than the SouthSee NC SENATE, page A2