North State Journal — Vol. 1., Issue 43

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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 43

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www.NSJONLINE.com |

SUNDAY, December 18, 2016

UNCW basketball eyes return to NCAAs, in Sports Climactic close to 2016 Legislators from left: Senate ProTem Phil Berger, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Speaker of the House Tim Moore and talk in the Senate chambers as the Senate gets ready to pass a relief package during a special session of the N.C. General Assembly at the Legislative Building in Raleigh Wednesday. See Jones & Blount on A5 for more on the special sessions.

photos by Eamon queeney | north state journal

NORTH

the Sunday

News BRIEFing McCrory expected to join Trump administration New York Sources close to the Trump transition team say that they expect outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory will likely be offered a position in the Trump administration. Speculation is focused on the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development or the Small Business Administration. This comes as McCrory called a special session to urge lawmakers to pass the $200 million Disaster Recovery Act to help eastern and western N.C. get back on its feet after 2016’s wildfires and floods.

Wake County choirs banned from participating Christmas nativity celebration Apex, N.C. The Wiscosin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation is claiming victory after the Wake County school system agreed to prevent its public school choirs from participating in a Christmas celebration of the nativity in Apex. FFRF argued that the schools’ appearances amounted to an endorsement of Christianity and were unconstitutional. Wake County officials said students may individually participate in the Christmas event.

Federal Reserve hikes interest rates Washington, D.C. For just the second time in a decade, the Federal Reserve raised interests rates on Wednesday. In a sign that the U.S. economy is growing stronger, the Fed raised its key short-term interest rate to a range of 0.5 to 0.75 percent, up a quarter of a point from a range of 0.25 to 0.5 percent. Voting members also raised the number of expected rate hikes for 2017, representing a more hawkish stance going forward. “We expect the economy to perform well,” said Fed Chair Janet Yellen.

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

electoral college

NC electors prepare to cast votes for Trump “People wanted change and they voted for change.” Martha Jenkins, N.C. Elector

By Jeff Moore North State Journal NEW YORK — The Electoral College is slated to meet Monday, December 19, and is expected to affirm the results of the November 8 presidential election, giving 306 electoral votes to Republican Donald Trump. There has been a Hail Mary effort by some Hillary Clinton supporters in recent weeks to get electors across the country to buck the election results and change their vote to one for Hillary Clinton. Led in part by Clinton’s chief of staff John Podesta and Christine Pelosi, daughter of the minority leader, the group says electors should be briefed by intelligence agencies on any Russian efforts to influence the presidential election. So far ten of the 538 electors have agreed to the briefing. the organization Change.org is using another tactic, posting online petitions and form letters for individuals to send to their state electors and organizing protests at every state’s elector site on Monday. “We the People will come together at every state capital across the United States to call on the Electors of the Electoral College to listen to the voice of the people and refuse to cast their See electoral, page A8

Emory Rakestraw | for the north state journal

$2.00

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ALEIGH — The N.C. General Assembly passed the $200 million Disaster Relief Recovery Act on Wednesday, closing out a special session called by Gov. Pat McCrory. Lawmakers came back to Raleigh to address the urgent needs of N.C.‘s eastern and western counties hit by fires and floods this year. McCrory appeared in person before both the Senate and House appropriations committees asking for “compassion and urgency” in passing the bill. “This bill will help individuals, schools and small businesses,” said Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne). “It was our time to act to bring certainty to those affected by these disasters.” The measure requires the governor to set up advisory boards to advise the agencies with disaster

funds and requires that any money not spent be considered savings and not rolled into the state’s General Fund. Other details in the bill include deeming eastern public schools that missed more than two days in October or western schools that missed more than two days in November due to disaster be allowed to not make up those days. The bill also allows the governor to waive certain Division of Motor Vehicle fees for citizens impacted by the hurricane. The money will be supplemented with $300 million in federal dollars that the state’s Washington, D.C. delegation has been working to get. While some lawmakers lamented that the efforts were not enough to achieve recovery for affected families, Sen. Harry Brown See G.A., page A3

Protestors pack the rotunda of the Legislative Building during the special session of the General Assembly.

By Emory Rakestraw For the North State Journal

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By Jeff Moore North State Journal

Forests in search of the perfect tree

Visiting with the women at the Dreidel exchange

20177 52016

NCGA passes disaster relief, flexes authority in fourth extra session

political PROFILE

the good life

5

general assembly

Dan Forest, his wife, Alice, and three of their four children along with the family dog, Jack, pose in front of their new Christmas tree.

WEST JEFFERSON — The day before Thanksgiving, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest arrived at Peak Farms in West Jefferson accompanied by his wife, Alice, three of their four children and the family dog, Jack. They were in search of the perfect Christmas tree. It seemed Peak Farms was the appropriate place to do so given their award-winning Fraser firs have graced the North Carolina Capitol Building, Executive Mansion and “The Blue Room” of the White House. Forest was taking the day to spend time with his family, and while not an annual

tradition, it was the perfect escape after the stress of elections and the then ongoing gubernatorial race. Plus, just days before the election, the Forests’ Raleigh home was destroyed by a giant tree, uprooted by the winds and rain of Hurricane Matthew. “We were all in the house at the time that the tree hit,” said Forest. “It missed my oldest daughter by a couple feet as it crushed the bathroom; the ceiling collapsed around my youngest daughter in her bed and also in our basement where my son and I were watching TV. “Half of our house was destroyed, everyone could have been killed, but by God’s See forest, page A3


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