North State Journal Vol. 4, Issue 18

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 18

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019

Sports Duke, UNC players taken early, often at NBA Draft

ROBERT CLARK | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

There she is!

Miss Jacksonville, Alexandra Badgett was crowned Miss North Carolina 2019 Saturday Night in Raleigh. Here she is pictured surrounded by fellow contestants celebrating her win. You can read more about the pageant on A2 and online at nsjonline.com.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

State officials are appealing a federal judge’s decision that struck down North Carolina’s ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy except in a medical emergency. A lawyer for North Carolina’s Department of Justice filed the notice of appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, hours before the appeal window was to have expired. The department filed the notice after conferring with Republicans leading the General Assembly, which approved the challenged law.

ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

New GOP chair talks RNC, Senate primary By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

Repeal of tuition surcharge heads to governor The General Assembly has decided that UNC system students shouldn’t be subject to penalties that could cost them thousands of extra dollars to get their degrees. The House voted overwhelmingly on Monday night for a measure that eliminates the 50 percent tuition surcharge on students who exceed set credithour limits before completing their fouror five-year program to obtain a bachelor’s degree. The bill already passed the Senate and now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. A surcharge of some kind has been in place since the 1990s and was designed to encourage students to finish their degrees on time. But senators pushing the bill say the surcharge disproportionately affects older students and transfer students and could harm veterans seeking degrees.

20177 52016 $2.00

JOURNaL

Gov. Cooper insists on Medicaid expansion

STATE

NC officials appeal decision striking down abortion ban

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NORTH

Legislative leaders release compromise budget

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RALEIGH — New N.C. GOP Chairman Michael Whatley sat down with North State Journal last week to discuss his vision for a “reset” of the state party. In part 2 of that interview with Whatley, he noted the importance of the upcoming 2020 Republican National Convention and applauded the special host committee that is handling most of the arrangements. “I think Charlotte did a fantastic job hosting the Democratic Convention and they’re really, really strong,” said Whatley. “They got chosen for this for a reason, and I think the city’s going to be able to put together a very good event. I think the state’s going to look really good coming out of this.” Charlotte was the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which was held at Time Warner Cable Arena (now called Spectrum Center). Republicans’ choice of Charlotte for their convention further confirms the Old North State as the epicenter of national battleground states. “Absolutely, we’re the eye of the hurricane,” said Whatley. “We’re a top-four state for President Trump’s reelect. Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida are going to be absolutely critical. “We’re going to have the most expensive Senate race in the country, and we’ve got a fantastic opportunity to pick up a Republican governorship,” Whatley added. “I think when you look at all of this on a national scale,

yeah, we are the eye of the hurricane.” On the topic of Republican governorships, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest has made no secret of the fact that he’s going to be running. Whatley said that if Forest manages to not have a primary opponent then “obviously, we support him on day one.” Heading into 2020, the U.S. Senate primary race between Sen. Thom Tillis and Tucker Garland will draw a lot of attention — and money. “Obviously, Thom has advantages as an incumbent,” said Whatley. “And Tucker has advantages running as an outsider. So far at this point, we’ll wait and see who comes out of that and make sure that we have the party in a position to help whoever comes up the primary.” Whatley said he sees tremendous opportunities for the NCGOP and Republicans in the state going into 2020, and highlighting economic freedom and education messages is part of it. “There’s a reason why we’ve gone from 1% to 2% economic growth under President Obama to 3% or 4% under President Trump, and we need to remind all of North Carolina that that’s the case,” said Whatley. Whatley pointed to the changes the state has seen under Republican leadership, citing tax cuts, regulatory relief and business recruitment. “We are looking at North Carolina record job increases,” Whatley said. “We’re looking at record wage increases, we’ve got See WHATLEY, page A2

By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH —Republican budget writers at the North Carolina General Assembly on Monday held a press conference introducing their $24 billion compromise budget after debating differences between Senate and House priorities. A compromise with Gov. Roy

Cooper on his priorities, however, is not represented in the deal, and legislative leaders say that’s because he has refused to work with them on creating concrete positions on which to negotiate. “The House and the Senate have reached an agreement on a budget,” Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) said at the press conference. “The specifics could change; in fact, I hope they do change based on specific compromise proposals, if we receive them, from the goverSee BUDGET, page A2

Vidant funding resolution in the works By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A dispute involving the legislature’s $35 million in funding cuts to Vidant healthcare may be close to a resolution as the budget for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21 is being finalized. The office of Rep. Greg Murphy (R-Pitt) confirmed a report that a budget agreement is being hammered out which would restore Vidant’s funding and Medicaid reimbursements so long as the UNC Board of Governors’ retains the ability to appoint 45% of the members of the hospital’s board of trustees. The proposed agreement includes a new provision for $15 million for construction of a new medical school. These funds for the new school facility would start in 2020-21 and funds thereafter would be conditional based on “existence of and compliance with an affiliation agreement” between UNC or East Carolina University and the “primary affiliated teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine.” The Vidant funding cuts will take effect on July 1 unless legislators, UNC and Vidant can reach an agreement. Earlier this month, a letter sent by House Speaker Tim Moore (R-King’s Mountain) and Majority Leader Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne) to Rep. Kandie Smith (D-Pitt) said in part that “we are close to securing an agreement to restore funding for Vidant’s teaching hospital at ECU, and provide additional funds requested by the Brody School of Medicine.” “First and foremost, I am incredibly pleased to hear that the concerns of those who live in Eastern North Carolina have been made a priority as the budget conference committee negotiates the final budget,” Rep. Smith said in response to the letter. See VIDANT, page A2


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