North State Journal — Vol. 2., Issue 26

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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 26

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017

inside 2017 NBA Draft has major NC flavor Sports

YURI GRIPAS | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A news assistant runs out after the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26 granted parts of the Trump administration’s emergency request to put his travel ban into effect immediately while the legal battle continues.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

U.S Senate postpones planned health care vote until after July 4 recess Washington, D.C. U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has decided to put off a planned vote on a health care bill to repeal Obamacare until after the Senate’s July 4 recess, CNN reported on Tuesday. McConnell and other Republican leaders have been pressing to round up enough support for the health care legislation, but still appeared to be several votes short.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Former ECU defensive back shot and killed Raleigh Anthony Domonique Lennon, a former East Carolina football player, was shot and killed Friday night behind the Bahama Breeze restaurant in Raleigh. Lennon, 24, was found dead on arrival when officers responded to a call made at approximately 9:45 p.m. Known as “Domo” by his former Pirates teammates, the Suffolk, Va., native started for the Pirates football team in 12 games, playing in 26 total, from 2012 through 2015. Police are still investigating the shooting.

U.S. minor league baseball players lose appeal over wages San Francisco A federal appeals court says professional minor league baseball is exempt from U.S. antitrust laws, and rejected an appeal by players who complained that their wages were kept artificially low

by Major League Baseball.

By a 3-0 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said minor league baseball falls “squarely” within the “business-of-baseball” antitrust exemption that the U.S. Supreme Court granted the sport in 1922.

INSIDE

Meet your new Miss North Carolina the good life

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20177 52016 $2.00

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EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Speaker of the House Tim Moore debates the budget compromise on the floor of the North Carolina House at the Legislative Building in Raleigh on June 21.

Cooper calls budget ‘small-minded,’ Senate votes to override veto

By Mollie Young North State Journal RALEIGH — On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the state budget plan passed by the General Assembly last week, doubling down on his belief that it shortchanges education, teacher pay and only generates tax cuts for the rich. Republicans quickly responded, with the Senate voting to override the governor’s veto later in the day.

“This budget is short-sighted and small-minded,” Cooper told reporters gathered at the Executive Mansion on Monday morning. “It lacks the vision that our state demands at this critical time of growth and change.”

Joined by a group of teachers and administrators, Cooper criticized Republicans for claiming their priorities align with his — saying the plan they sent to his desk last Thursday “doesn’t even come close” to what he laid out

for teacher pay.

“Tell me how the $810 million that I purposed for teacher pay matches $470 million that they proposed for teacher pay? It doesn’t,” said the governor.

However, Republicans say their budget nearly achieves Cooper’s proposal for a 10 percent average teacher raise, and sets the state on track to meet national averages by 2020.

Over the next two years, the plan averages a 9.6 percent raise for teachers — with midcareer educators receiving the bulk of the paycheck bump, but Cooper was not impressed.

“What they do is create a budget gimmick, mirage — leaving out veteran teachers and starting teachers, and say there is almost 10 percent, but it’s only 10 percent for a certain population of teachers,” said Cooper, addressing a question about ReSee BUDGET, page A2

U.S. Supreme Court hands down key decisions New Justice Neil Gorsuch lives up to conservative expectations

By Donna King North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what was considered an overall victorious day for conservatives the U.S. Supreme Court handed down several decisions that sided with religious liberties, temporary reinstatement of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, and allowing some nonviolent convicted felons to challenge a federal ban on them owning fire arms.

Monday was the last of this Supreme Court session, but the day also had a tense undercurrent as rumors circulated that Justice Anthony Kennedy, 81, could announce his retirement soon. Kennedy aides have reported that he is consid-

ering the move, which would give Trump an historic opportunity to nominate a second Supreme Court Justice in the first six months of his tenure.

Trump’s first pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, confirmed in April, is already staking out ground on the court’s right, adding his voice to the biggest controversies.

In a flurry of activity at the court on Monday, Gorsuch showed his inclination to agree with fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas.

At a minimum, he is so far living up to Trump’s claim that he would be a conservative in the mold of the man he replaced, Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last year.

The court has a 5-4 conservative majority, dismaying liberal court watchers. Conservatives, meanwhile, are delighted. Their hope that Gorsuch, 49, would be a solid See DECISIONS, page A3

Judicial redistricting bill clears committee in party line vote

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — An N.C. House judiciary committee debated and gave a favorable report to legislation Monday that would implement newly drawn district maps for superior and district courts, as well as prosecutorial districts, across the state.

As primary sponsor of House Bill 717, Rep. Justin Burr (R-Stanly) argued that the new maps were necessary and long overdue in order to fix imbalances in districts that are overlapping and unbalanced in terms of population. A current district in Mecklenburg County, for example, contains nearly 50 percent of the county’s population while only electing two of

H.B. 717 redraws maps for superior and district judge districts in effort to have “unified court system”

See REDISTRICTING, page A3

CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

N.C. Rep. Justin Burr (R-Stanly) talks with another legislator on the House floor during the legislative session on April 19. Burr is a primary sponsor of House Bill 717 that would implement newly drawn districts for superior and district courts.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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06.28.17 #82

Missing Charlotte girl’s alleged captor held in Georgia

By Rich McKay Reuters

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

Michael Ren Wysolovski charged with disappearance of Hailey Burns

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia man was ordered on Monday to remain in jail on charges related to the disappearance of a Charlotte teenager found alive over the weekend after she had been missing for more than a year.

Hailey Burns, now 17, disappeared from her Ballantyne home about 13 months ago. After authorities received a tip late Saturday regarding her possible whereabouts, they found her being held at a house in Duluth, Ga., about 25 miles north of Atlanta, FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said on Monday.

“Agents from the local office and

Gwinnett County police went out to the location and took the suspect in custody without trouble,” Lynch said in a phone interview.

The suspect, Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, appeared in court in Lawrenceville on Monday on local charges of false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy, interference with custody and cruelty to children.

Magistrate Judge Jane McKinney appointed Wysolovski a lawyer and ordered him to stay in jail without bail. The lawyer was not in court and did not immediately comment by phone.

Authorities have not released further details about the case.

Neighbors told local media they rarely saw the teenager at the well-kept home,

and neither she nor the man there ever spoke to them.

Burns’ parents told WSOC-TV in Charlotte that their daughter met Wysolovski online, and he apparently drove to N.C. to meet her. "(He) got her in the car, brought her straight to his house and she pretty much had to stay there the whole time,” Hailey’s mother, Shaunna Burns, told the TV station.

Shaunna Burns said the tip that led to the girl’s rescue came from a woman in Romania, whom their daughter also met online and told she was missing. Within hours, the woman reached out to the parents.

The teen’s parents, who in the past told local media they woke up on May 23, 2016, to find their front door unlocked and Hailey gone, posted jubilant messages on Facebook after she was found safe.

“We never gave up,” her father, Anthony Burns, wrote. “She is happy and grateful to be home. We can now breathe again.”

Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) discusses the budget negotiations during a press conference at the General Assembly on May 10.

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

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MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

BUDGET from page A1 publicans’ incremental paycheck increases since taking control of the General Assembly in 2011.

“If I could have written the budget for the last five years, we’d already be at the national average,” he added.

According to the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division, the budget would raise the average teacher salary to between $51,849 and $54,939, depending on the number of teachers in the field, by the 2018 school year — a few thousand below the national average of $58,064. The national figure, calculated by the National Education Association, represents average gross salary before taxes and does not take into account cost of living in each state.

“And while public education falls by the wayside, it’s the wealthy and the corporations that get more and more, through a tax plan that is so irresponsible that it blows a $600 million hole in our budget down the line,” said Cooper, reiterating a statement he made last week that he believes “a person

earning $1 million or more a year will get a tax break that is 85 times larger than what a working family gets” under the tax plan.

In an email, Lew Ebert, president and CEO of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, called the “competitive” tax changes “one of the many necessary ingredients to being one of the best states to do business, which in turn allows us to invest in education and infrastructure.”

But state Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), who helped craft the massive tax package included in the budget, said the governor is being disingenuous about his number-crunching while also spewing rhetoric that could turn off future investors.

“It is literally pie in the sky,” he said referring to Cooper’s “85 time larger” statement, “and maybe that is what he hopes it is so that he can criticize it, but that’s just not the case. It’s the wrong economic message that we wish to send. We want to encourage more investment in our state.

“He has a job to do as governor, and that is to recruit business

here — that is one of the primary responsibilities of the North Carolina governor,” Saine added. “To somehow ruin our brand, is disingenuous and unfortunate.”

Cooper has not offered a clear explanation for 85 times calculations, however, he is likely referring to the physical dollar amount that families will see in tax relief once the changes go into effect.

The budget, which gained the support of nine Democrat lawmakers, cuts the personal income tax from 5.499 percent to 5.25 percent in 2019, while also increasing the standard deduction for a married couples filing jointly to $20,000.

“If you look at the tax package by percentage, it is probably one of the more fair tax packages you will see anywhere,” continued Saine, standing just outside the House floor during what might be the legislature’s last week in session this year.

“From an economic development and tax standpoint, it heavily favors middle-class and low-income families, so to come out with such as preposterous number is

just fantasy.”

Donald Bryson, head of the North Carolina arm of the conservative PAC Americans for Prosperity, was also quick send out a dig against Cooper’s Democratic Party.

“Remember, just six years ago the North Carolina economy was the eighth worst in the country because of the tax-and-spend policies Gov. Cooper now wants to revisit,” Bryson said in a statement encouraging lawmakers to override the governor’s veto. “We cannot let him turn back the clock on the progress we’ve made.”

In a press conference last Thursday, Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) had said they would not hesitate to “quickly override” a veto from Cooper. Republicans hold a super majority in both chambers.

The Senate followed through with its promise, voting 34-14 to override Cooper. Per legislative rules, the House is required to wait at least one legislative day before voting on the Senate-led budget.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Troxler, Wood spar after state audit criticizes milk inspections Auditor points out repeat violations, Ag commissioner says report lacks scientific evidence

By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and state Auditor Beth Wood went head to head late last week over an audit from her office that accused the former’s agency of slacking off on some milk producer inspections in the Grade A program.

N.C. produces about a billion gallons of milk each year.

“I want to make it clear that we have a safe milk supply that is being inspected and regulated properly in North Carolina, and to draw any other conclusion is false,” Troxler said Thursday in a press conference at the Department of Agriculture building following release of the audit.

Wood said the audit was triggered by a tip phoned into the agencies hotline that suggested inspectors were “too cozy” with milk producers. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which conducted 5,040 inspections during the period covered by the audit. It reported 457 instances where the inspector wrote comments about the same deficiency during two or more successive inspections but did not mark the deficiency as a violation.

“I want to be careful that everybody understand that the state auditor’s office is not out there saying that the milk you are drinking is bad,” said Wood in a phone interview. On Friday, she held a press conference to address Troxler’s accusations.

“What we are saying is that the inspection process is too lenient and could provide issues moving forward. Does pasteurization take care of all thing that are being let go? Who knows?” she added.

The accusations have certainly ruffled some feathers at the Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible for inspecting and advocating for N.C.’s $177 million dairy industry. Troxler criticized the audit saying it suggests that every issue on a farm warrants a permit suspension.

“If there is an imminent health concern, we’re there, we will take action — no questions asked,” said Troxler.

The Centers for Disease Control reported no foodborne illnesses linked to pasteurized milk in N.C. from 1998 to 2015, which includes the period during the scope of the audit.

The report’s primary complaint was that the paperwork from inspectors reported the same violations on successive inspections or did not comment enough on the nature of violations. The audit said there was only one incidence of a plant’s permit being suspended during this period. The department says it was when samples from a milk producer showed that high levels of coliform bacteria warranting the permit be immediately suspended. Still, the audit said that too often the inspectors are not following their processes when a violation is reported.

“Their own form puts you: one, on notice that you have a violation; and two, says if you’ve got violations and then on the next inspections it’s not cleared up … it could cause you to lose your permit.

That’s their own form and they are not abiding by it,” Wood said.

REDISTRICTING from page A1 the counties seven judges.

“I’ve worked on this legislation with other members here at the General Assembly to develop this bill to try and take certain factors into account such as resources within the districts, geography, population and caseloads,” said Burr in committee Monday. “Today, in many cases the Superior Court districts, prosecutorial districts and those district court districts are not aligning, they’re overlapping. And I believe that that’s something to fix moving forward.”

Under the proposal, the first judicial elections with the new maps would be in 2018. Though the legislation would cause some counties to gain seats, while others lose them, the bill stipulates that no sitting judges will be eliminated during their elected terms.

“The piecemeal approach that’s been used in the last 50 years is why our current range in Superior Court districts varies from a 50,000-population district to

PHOTOS BY EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler responds to a recent audit from the North Carolina State Auditor during a press conference at the Agriculture Building in downtown Raleigh on June 22. Troxler had harsh words to say about the the state auditor’s report that focused on the agriculture department’s process of inspections and reporting.

DECISIONS from page A1 vote on the right, would appear to be well founded. In the cases where the court has been divided, he has reliably stuck with the conservative wing while showing something of an independent streak similar to Thomas.

“Gorsuch is rapidly becoming my favorite justice,” said Ilya Shapiro, a lawyer with the libertarian Cato Institute.

In the biggest dispute before the justices, the court handed a partial win to Trump by partly reviving his travel ban that he has said is needed for security reasons. Gorsuch, with two of the court’s other conservatives, said they would have voted to allow the entire ban to go into effect.

When the court also declined to hear what would have been a major gun rights case on whether the constitutional right to keep firearms for self-defense extends outside the home, only two of the nine justices dissented. One was Thomas. The other was Gorsuch.

Thomas, Gorsuch and fellow conservative Samuel Alito were also the only dissenters as the court threw out an Arkansas court ruling that allowed the state to refuse to list both same-sex spouses on birth certificates.

“It could be that he is more similar to Thomas than Scalia. If he continues this pattern it might be significant,” said Ilya Somin, a libertarian law professor at George Mason University.

Here are some of the historic decisions from Monday: Gun control

North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood speaks to the media in the auditor’s office in downtown Raleigh on June 23 as she responds to comments from Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

“The report offered no scientific evidence to suggest our milk supply is unsafe, although the auditor has attempted to paint this picture through her personal opinion.”

— N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler

Auditors also acknowledged that inspectors are permitted to use their discretion in determining which violations were serious enough threats to public safety to warrant taking action against milk producers in the form of fines, suspended licenses or shutdowns.

“It is important to remember that the purpose of regulating an industry is to gain compliance,” said Troxler. “It is our policy and belief that education brings about compliance quicker and more efficiently than regulatory action such as civil penalties, lawsuits and criminal proceedings.”

Troxler says his department spent more than 2,600 man-hours complying with the audit, claiming Wood sensationalized what was supposed to be an independent study.

“The report offered no scientific evidence to suggest our milk supply is unsafe, although the auditor has attempted to paint this picture through her personal opinion,” began Troxler. "[Wood’s] editorial comment [Wednesday] about the safety of

probably close to a half a million-population district,” said Burr. “This plan will bring those districts closer to the average population.”

During debate, Democrat committee members compared the maps to legislative district maps that were recently thrown out by court opinions asserting gerrymandering techniques that violated the Voting Rights Act. House Minority Leader Rep. Darren Jackson (D-Wake) said at least one new district “appears to be very, very similar in shape to Sen. [Gladys] Robinson’s Senate district that was just struck down as racial gerrymandering.” Jackson and other Democrats on the committee also suggested partisan advantage was a motivating factor in how the maps were drawn.

“It seems that the counties like Buncombe and Pitt that vote Democratic as a county, you chose to divide them up, but Johnston County which votes Republican with two Superior Court judgeships, you didn’t divide them up,”

Grade A milk is a slap in the face of the whole dairy industry in North Carolina, and I do believe that she owes them an apology.”

N.C. ranks 28th in milk production in the nation and 24th in number of licensed dairy operations. According to Troxler, the department inspects Grade A dairy producers at more than twice the frequency required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, collecting monthly samples of milk and milk products from producers across the state.

Troxler took issue with several points in the report, among them is the auditor’s assessment of the inspection rules around hand milking cows. The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which is a “best practices” standard that N.C. and many other states have adopted, prohibits hand milking. As result, no Grade A program milk producers hand milk their cows. They all use machines to milk their cows and have for decades. He indicated that the inclusion of hand milking demonstrates a disconnect between the auditors and those who know the dairy industry well.

Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner for consumer protection at the department, also pointed out Thursday that only one of the auditors had prior experience in the agriculture industry.

“A one-day visit to a farm don’t explain the complexities of pasteurized milk and all the processes that go into ensuring the safety of the milk supply,” Reardon said.

According to the department, the Grade A Milk Program in North Carolina is check-rated on an annual basis by the FDA, and has averaged enforcement ratings of 97.5 to 99.8 percent for the past six years.

“I believe these districts will be fine with the law.

Unless we have a judge trying to legislate from the bench, they should be upheld.”

— H.B. 717 primary sponsor Rep. Justin Burr (R-Stanly) complained Jackson.

Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D-Pitt) attacked the plan as racial and partisan gerrymandering, eliciting an impassioned response from Burr who has been advocating for judicial district reforms for years.

“We are correcting gerrymandered districts,” exclaimed Burr in response to the accusations.

“You cannot look at this map and tell me this is fair for the people of Mecklenburg County; it is not.

The high court on Monday dealt a blow to gun control advocates by opening the door for some convicted felons to challenge a federal ban on them owning firearms.

The justices let stand a lower court’s ruling that uniformly denying some nonviolent felons the right to own guns violated the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to “keep and bear arms.”

Permission for felons to own a gun would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

In another decision, the court on Monday sidestepped one of the most hotly contested gun rights disputes in years, declining to rule in a California case on whether a person’s constitutional right to keep firearms for self-defense extends outside the home.

Religious rights The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that churches and other religious entities cannot be flatly denied public money even in states where constitutions explicitly ban such funding.

The justices, in a 7-2 ruling, sided with Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Mo., which sued after being denied access to a state grant program that helps nonprofit groups buy rubber playground surfaces made from recycled tires.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court’s majority, said the case is express discrimination based on religion. “The exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution” and “cannot stand,” he wrote.

The ruling could help religious organizations nationwide win public dollars at least for certain purposes, such as health and safety. It also could buttress the case for using publicly funded vouchers to send children to religious schools rather than public schools.

In another religious liberties case, the high court on Monday agreed to decide a major case on

... We’re fixing mistakes, errors, bad judgment that was made in the past, and I think this is a good bill.

“It’s going to give the people of Mecklneburg County, the people of Guilford, Forsyth and others, the ability to have more of a voice in the process of who they’re electing to the bench in North Carolina.”

Under the new maps, high-population counties such as Wake, Guilford, New Hanover, Forsyth and others, have multiple districts while the majority of counties across the state will have one countywide district. Bill drafters aimed to stay within a 5 percent deviation range when considering population of districts.

Some committee members pressed for more time to gather input from stakeholders, while others lauded the bill as the first step in creating a truly unified court system. Still, others such as Rep. Grier Martin (D-Wake) and Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) persisted with assigning racial and partisan motivations to the

A3 whether business owners can refuse to service gay couples if they oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds. The case involves Christian baker Jack Phillips in Colorado who declined to make a wedding cake for two men. Phillips contends a law requiring him to provide services violated his rights to freedom of speech and free exercise of religion under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

Travel ban The justices also handed a victory to Trump on Monday by reviving parts of a travel ban saying it was needed for national security. The justices narrowed the scope of lower court rulings that had completely blocked key parts of a March 6 executive order that Trump had said was needed to prevent terrorism in the United States, allowing his temporary ban to go into effect for people with no strong ties such as family or business to the U.S. Trump’s March 6 order called for a blanket 90-day ban on people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on all refugees while the government implemented stronger vetting procedures. The court allowed a limited version of the refugee ban, which had also been blocked by courts, to go into effect.

Securities Nearly 30 banks that underwrote billions in debt offerings by Lehman Brothers before Lehman collapsed in 2008 will not have to defend a securities fraud lawsuit by a big California pension fund, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The justices ruled 5-4 that the California Public Employees’ Retirement System waited too long to sue the banks, upholding a federal appeals court decision throwing out the lawsuit.

The U.S. Supreme Court also agreed on Monday to consider whether corporate insiders who blow the whistle on their employers are shielded from retaliation if they only report alleged misconduct internally rather than to the government’s Securities and Exchange Commission.

The justices will hear Digital Realty Trust’s appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of Paul Somers, an executive fired by the San Francisco-based company after he complained internally about alleged misconduct by his supervisor but never reported the matter to the SEC. On Tuesday, the court continued to release a list of cases they will take up in their next session in October. Among them is whether or not those injured in a 1997 bombing attack in Jerusalem can seek to enforce a $71 million judgment against Iran over its alleged role by seizing ancient Persian artifacts held by two Chicago museums. At issue is how to determine what assets are immune from seizure under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a federal law that restricts when foreign entities can be sued in U.S. courts.

The court will also hear hear New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s bid to revive a state statute legalizing sports betting that was struck down by lower courts as a violation of federal law.

New Jersey had asked the Supreme Court to hear its appeal of an August 2016 ruling by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that its law violated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. New Jersey argues that the federal law infringes upon state sovereignty as laid out in the U.S. Constitution.

bill sponsor.

When asked by Meyer if race was considered in drawing the maps, Burr said flatly, “No.” Asked

by Martin if partisan advantage was the motivation or merely a “pure accident,” Burr had a more verbose response.

“When you go from the maps that were drawn by Democrats, which were done to give them a partisan advantage over Republicans, and you go from way over here and you move it back to the center, that’s what makes you feel like it’s giving Republicans a partisan advantage,” said Burr, continuing, “when it’s really just putting us on a level playing field and giving us both the opportunity to compete for these seats rather than just have the gerrymandered districts that were drawn by the previous party and redrawn every time a Republican judge would win an election in their community.”

H.B. 717 cleared the committee Monday and re-referred to the House Committee on Elections Tuesday afternoon.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount jonesandblount.com @JonesandBlount

Fireworks for the 4th

On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, a tidal wave decision that would later lead to the Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States. This week, we celebrate Independence Day by firing up the grill, heading to the beach, or simply enjoying a spectacular, local fireworks show.

Wherever you’ll be for the Fourth, these firework shows prove to be some of the best in the state.

STOP Act addresses the root of the opioid epidemic Banner Elk’s Mile High Fourth of July For the second year, the two mountain resort towns of Banner Elk and Beech Mountain are combining forces for a truly special Fourth. Events take place over five days including Beech Mountain’s 47th Annual Roasting of the Hog. Banner Elk will offer a daytime parade on the Fourth then visitors can head to the top of Beech Mountain, 5,506 feet to be exact, and enjoy fireworks a mile high in the sky.

—Emory Rakestraw, for the North State Journal

Burke County Valdese 2017 Independence Day Celebration & Fireworks Display June 30

Carteret County 4th of July Fireworks Off the Pier, July 4, Emerald Isle Cleveland County Revolutionary 4th Kings Mountain

Buncombe County Ingles Independence Day Celebration July 4, Asheville

Cumberland County 4th of July Celebration July 4, Fort Bragg

Mecklenburg County 4th of July Celebration July 4, U.S. National Whitewater Center

Currituck County 25th Annual Independence Day Celebration, July 4, Corolla

Celebrate America Fireworks Show July 4, Carowinds

Cabarrus County Harrisburg Fourth of July Festival July 3-4 Charlotte Motor Speedway 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular

Fun Fourth Festival July 4, Greensboro

Forsyth County Dash Baseball Game and Fireworks July 4, Winston-Salem Independence Day Celebration, July 4, Lewisville

west Life in prison for ISIS collaborator Buncombe County Justin Sullivan, of Morganton, has been sentenced to life in prison for plotting a terrorist attack as part of ISIS. Court documents say Sullivan, 21, communicated with ISIS through social media. He was charged in 2015 and plead guilty last November. He also admitted to providing material support to ISIS through the purchase of weapons in a plot to kill hundreds of innocent people. Sentencing began Tuesday morning at the Federal Courthouse in Asheville. Sullivan stated he was “not a bad person” and the defense argued mental health issues and early signs of schizophrenia.

Federal prosecution noted Sullivan knew what he was doing due to physical evidence of a rifle with a silencer, a black mask and a lock-pick kit found under a tarp in the basement of his home. Sullivan is also charged with killing his 74-year-old neighbor, John Clark. He will stand trial at a later date and could face the death penalty in that case.

Asheville Citizen-Times

Greensboro’s Fun Fourth Festival For 43 years, Triad residents have been heading to Greensboro for the Fun Fourth Festival. The events kick off Monday night with a block party. Tuesday morning offers the iconic Fun Fourth Street Festival including five areas with live music, vendors and interactive games for children. Once the sun sets, guests can enjoy the Patriot Fireworks Concert at First National Bank Stadium.

Guilford County Sky Scream Fireworks Show and Block Party July 4, Emerald Pointe

Red, White and Bluegrass July 1-4, Morganton

Caldwell County Fireworks Extravaganza at Tweetsie July 4, Blowing Rock

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Independence Day Celebration, July 4, Davidson Moore County Fourth Fest, July 4, Village of Pinehurst

New Hanover County Pre-Independence Day Fireworks, July 3, Carolina Beach

Swain County Freedom Fest July 4, Bryson City

City of Wilmington Fourth of July Celebration July 4, Wilmington

Surry County Fourth of July Parade, Pie Eating Contest, Fireworks July 4, Mount Airy

Onslow County 2017 Base Fest July 4, Camp Lejeune

Avery County The 62nd annual Highland Games return to Grandfather Mountain on July 6-9. The Scottish festival includes bagpipes, athletics, Celtic cuisine and live music. The festival provides a taste of traditional Scottish culture, including border collie shepherding demonstrations, the running of “The Bear,” and the torchlight ceremony featuring more than 100 clans. On Saturday, the nation’s top Scottish athletes will compete in heavyweight competitions like “Turning the Caber” and “Tossing the Sheaf.”

By Brian Shurney North State Journal

Fort Bragg 4th of July Festival This year’s Fort Bragg 4th of July will feature country music star Chase Rice, parachute free-fall demonstration, the iconic flag ceremony, fireworks as well as food and beverage vendors. Arriving early is suggested as traffic can become heavy and congested.

July 4th Freedom Festival July 4, Jacksonville

Vance County Independence Day Weekend Celebration on the Lake July 1, Henderson

Rockingham County Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration July 4, Eden

EAST

City council approves co-housing plan

Body of drowned swimmer recovered Forsyth County Authorities recovered the body of a 19-year-old man who drowned while swimming at Belews Lake on Sunday.

Tyrell Da’ Quan Smith, of Walkertown, was identified as the victim and his body was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for an autopsy.

Crews received the report of a possible drowning at 1:30 p.m. and Smith’s body was recovered around 4:20 p.m.

Investigators believe the incident to be an accidental drowning.

Durham County The Durham City Council has approved a plan to construct the first LGBT-dominant co-housing community in the United States. The council voted 7-0 for the construction of Village Hearth Cohousing in North Durham. There will be a public celebratory reception July 18 at the Judea Reform Congregation in which the plan for architectural design will be unveiled to the community.

Cumberland County Fort Bragg’s Fire and Emergency Services has received the distinction as the Army’s Fire Department of the Year for 2016. Fort Bragg fire services, made up of 163 firefighter, cover 44 training areas, three airfields, 6,381 government buildings, 15 neighborhoods, eight schools and 15 child-care centers. Since 2003 this is the eighth time they’ve received the distinction.

Fayetteville Observer

Village Hearth Cohousing

Grandfather Mountain Stewardship

Trump supporters stage sit-in at Starbucks

SAS and Kimley-Horn rank in “Top 100”

Man dies after falling from waterfall McDowell County A 22-year-old died Saturday after falling 70 feet over Upper Catawba Falls. Adam Music was hiking in the Pisgah National Forest with his girlfriend and best friend.

The three had hiked to the upper portion of Catawba Falls when, after sitting down to take a break, Music stood up, lost his footing and fell over the waterfall. Rescue crews retrieved Music around 7:30 p.m.

He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Music leaves behind his 8-month-old son, Daxton.

Fox8

Wake County SAS and Kimley-Horn were recently named in the Top 10 of Fortune’s “Best 100 Workplaces for Millennials.”

Kimley-Horn, a Raleigh-based provider of professional services, was ranked No. 8 on the list. SAS, which is located in Cary, is a world leader in analytics and software services and ranked No. 2 on the list. The No. 1 spot went to Florida-based Ultimate Software.

Mecklenburg County More than 40 supporters of President Donald Trump staged a sit-in Sunday at the Starbucks in the Charlotte neighborhood of Dilworth where a woman previously claimed she was bullied for wearing a Trump shirt.

Kayla Hart reported employees shouted “build a wall,” shoved her drink at her, and laughed. Starbucks previously apologized for the incident.Publication: IO #: The sit-in group went to the Starbucks, bought coffee and told management Issue: they deserved respect.

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By Jeff Moore North State Journal

Dare County A mile-long island the width of three football fields has recently formed off the tip of Cape Point, a world famous surf-fishing site close to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The new sandbar has already attracted anglers, seashell collectors, photographers and the curious. The name “Shelly Island” has been spreading on social media.

Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, said people should not attempt to walk or swim to the island due to powerful rip currents, wildlife and abandoned fishing hooks. Large stingrays and sharks up to 5 feet long have already been spotted in the area. Cape Point is an area known for constant change with land shrinking and expanding due to storms and currents. Shelly Island could either disappear by next year or expand and reach further into the ocean.

Brunswick County Over the weekend, a visiting Charlotte family was startled when they saw a 4-foot alligator emerge from the surf at Ocean Isle Beach. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said beach gator sightings are very common, with eight to 10 reports per year. The animals travel from canals along the beach in search of food or to avoid primary predators like larger gators. called Ship Info: Triangle Business Journal Triangle BusinessOak JournalIsland Police were None None and moved the gator to a safer location.

Officials say this is their fourth call this None JUN 28, 2017 year about alligators on the beach.

RALEIGH — The state Senate unanimously passed a bill last Wednesday to fight the opioid crisis by targeting the practices of prescribers and pharmacies.

The Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention, or STOP, Act sets forth new guidelines for prescribing and dispensing addictive drugs.

Under the new bill, doctors would only be able to prescribe a five-day supply of opioids for normal patients and a seven-day supply for patients who just underwent surgery. Upon a second visit, a doctor could prescribe any appropriate amount. The limit would not apply to patients with cancer or chronic pain.

Sens. Jim Davis (R-Macon) and Tom McInnis (R-Richmond) sponsored the bill, noting its importance to opioid addiction resistance.

“Opioids claimed the lives of close to 1,400 North Carolinians in 2015 alone,” the senators said in a press release. “This bill begins the critically important process to tackle this epidemic and help save lives.”

The act would also reduce over-prescription by encouraging use of a prescription reporting

database where doctors can see when the patient has had prescriptions filled.

The database has always existed, but it would be more complete and helpful with the passage of the STOP Act, which would require pharmacies to enter in relevant information within 24 hours or face a fine. The act would also require doctors to check the database before issuing prescriptions, preventing “doctor shopping,” the process of getting multiple prescriptions for the same pain by visiting multiple doctors.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-Pitt), a physician and sponsor of the bill, noted that while extra paperwork and database entry can be irritating, the overall effect of the bill would be worth it.

“Our goal is to save lives,” he said in a press conference. “We all must make sacrifices.”

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen held a twoday summit starting Tuesday to address the opioid crisis at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center in Raleigh. National, state and local leaders including Gov. Roy Cooper are scheduled to attend the summit to build consensus on how to fight the opioid crisis.

Griffin runs for NC Court of Appeals

Large island forms off Outer Banks

Fort Bragg Fire and Emergency named best in Army

Fox8 Foundation

Fireworks over the Outer Banks If you find yourself at the Outer Banks during the Fourth, multiple firework shows will be offered. You can view them from Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head Fishing Pier in Nags Head, fireworks over the sound in Manteo and Avon Fishing Pier in Hatteras Island. There’s also the Annual Town of Duck Parade beginning at 9 a.m. on the Fourth.

Southport North Carolina 4th of July Festival For 200 years, the maritime town of Southport has transformed into one of the most patriotic places on the East Coast. As the largest Fourth of July festival in the state, Southport, a town with a year-round population of just 3,267, hosts 50,000 people for the Fourth. This year’s events feature the classic shag dancing contest, Patriotic Parade, big band performances, waterfront music and one of the best firework shows in North Carolina.

Union County 4th of July Festival July 2, Waxhaw

PIEDMONT

Highland Games return to Grandfather Mountain

Chapel Hill July 4th Celebration and Fireworks Chapel Hill received a mention from Travel + Leisure as one of America’s Top Ten Best Towns for a July Fourth Celebration.

Their fireworks show at Kenan Memorial Stadium does not disappoint. The July 4th Celebration and Fireworks features a watermelon eating contest, food vendors and live music by RadioJacks. Gates open at 7 p.m.

The Virginian Pilot

RALEIGH — Judge Jefferson Griffin announced this week that he is running for a seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals. The seat is currently held by Judge Ann Marie Calabria who announced this weekend that she would not run again.

“All North Carolinians owe a debt of gratitude to Judge Calabria for her service to our state,” Griffin said in his announcement.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to seek her seat on the Court of Appeals

and will work tirelessly to ensure our Constitution is upheld and the rule of law is applied in an equal and just manner.”

A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. Central School of Law, Griffin was appointed in 2015 to be a Wake County District Court Judge by then-Gov. Pat McCrory, and was elected to a four-year term in 2016.

Originally from Red Oak, Griffin also serves in the N.C. Army National Guard and practiced law in Kinston with a focus on civil and criminal defense litigation before joining the Wake County District Attorney’s Office.

Martin gives State of the Judiciary

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin delivered his State of the Judiciary address Saturday in Asheville to the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), highlighting recommendations made by the N.C. Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice’s final report that seek to improve the state judicial system in a modern world.

“Our society is experiencing rapid change, and our state’s court system and judicial officials are working hard to maintain high standards of access, fairness and impartiality,” Martin said. “The judicial branch has made progress in its pursuit of justice for all, and now it’s positioned to pursue more reforms to help the court system meet 21st century demands and expectations.”

The recommendations — some of which can be made by the judicial branch, others requiring legislative action — included “raise the age” efforts that would not require 16- and 17-year-olds to be tried automatically

as adults for nonviolent offenses, which was part of the compromise budget sent to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature last week.

Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed the budget Tuesday, but the Republican-led General Assembly has the votes to override his veto and said they plan to do so.

Martin also called for a statewide referendum on how judges are chosen, calling for merit-based selection.

“Let’s step away from ordinary politics and let the people decide whether our judges should be chosen through a merit selection process rather than partisan elections,” Martin said.

Caryn Coppedge McNeill was sworn in as president of the NCBA at Saturday’s event.

McNeill, a partner with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, is the 123rd president of the NCBA and said she wants to increase pro bono work for those needing representation.

“The NCBA is a community where attorneys come together to make a difference for our profession and the public,” McNeill said. “This year, we will redouble our efforts to be ‘a power for great good’ in our state.”

T: 23”

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North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Drew Elliot, opinion editor | Ray Nothstine, deputy opinion editor

Visual Voices

EDITORIAL | Drew Elliot

The facts vs. Cooper’s ‘irresponsible’ budget rhetoric What makes Cooper’s focus on fiscal responsibility more puzzling is the fact that there are plenty of other targets to shoot at in the budget, especially if you are a liberal politician.

A major report on states’ fiscal health and outlook hit the wires June 15, and it could not come at a worse time for Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper, who this week vetoed the state budget compromise, is trying to portray the budget as fiscally shaky.

In a hastily called press conference the morning that details of the compromise were released, Cooper said: “I think it may be the most fiscally irresponsible budget I’ve ever seen.”

Even if he was just trying to score political points with hyperbole, it was a strange comment. The one thing voters trust conservatives on is spending restraint.

Portraying the GOP in North Carolina as profligates of historic proportions is going to require an immense effort, including obscuring the recent past.

Enter the report from the National Association of State Budget Officers. From the report: “In fiscal 2017, 22 states reported closing budget gaps totaling $7.9 billion.

Meanwhile, 12 states reported budget gaps still to be closed this fiscal year.” So, 34 states had to cut spending mid-stride to avoid a deficit. North Carolina spent $422 million over its enacted 2016-2017 budget — and still has a $550 million surplus.

Wait, could Cooper be talking about the fact that across the country, governors are calling for an average spending increase of just 1 percent this year, while the General Assembly’s plan would raise spending 4.9 percent over last year’s spending plan? That would be a queer argument for him to make, considering his own

budget proposal raised spending by more than 7 percent. The truth is that it is fiscally prudent for North Carolina to raise spending more than the rest of the nation, due to the relative economic health of the state and the fact that more and more people continue to choose to move here — a situation much of the rest of the country would love to have.

“The small spending increases,” a Wall Street Journal article reported, “reflect a persistent problem: weak revenue collection that has dogged states in the last couple of years….”

Consider North Carolina undogged — it is one of just 13 states to see general fund revenue collections come in above projections (another four states were on target). Sales tax revenue jumped 7.7 percent from fiscal 2016 to 2017, the third-highest increase in the nation. And even while reducing personal income tax rates, revenue keeps climbing. Personal income tax collections increased 7.5 percent from 2015 to 2016, then climbed another 1.4 percent higher in 2017, when the rate cut from 5.75 percent to 5.499 percent took effect.

What makes Cooper’s focus on fiscal responsibility more puzzling is the fact that there are plenty of other targets to shoot at in the legislature’s budget, especially if you are a liberal politician. First, if you don’t favor tax cuts from a small-government perspective or as a growth strategy, the tax cuts in the second year of the biennium are an obvious point of contention. Also, Cooper is on record supporting expanding Medicaid eligibility to include able-bodied adults without dependents, something not funded in this budget. And then

there are the earmarks, which Jones Street watchers of all political stripes have rightly condemned. (Cooper has less room to talk than most, since the budgets he helped pass when he was in the legislature included plenty of pork.

But it’s still a good talking point.)

Since his first press conference, Cooper has shifted his strategy. He has cited some specifics, but mostly liberal platitudes about the budget being “short sighted and small minded” and that it “prioritizes tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.” He also said the plan would “blow a $600 million hole in our budget” in a few years, a reference to the tax cuts in 20182019.

Legislative leaders have pointed out, quite forcefully, that their budget accomplishes many of the priorities included in Cooper’s budget plan: raises for teachers and other state employees, a revival of the Teaching Fellows program, and Hurricane Matthew relief, among others.

Still, it was probably unrealistic to expect Cooper to sign the budget, even if some Democrats in the General Assembly could cross the aisle and support it. But it was unwise for the governor to loose an opening salvo that referred to fiscal responsibility so specifically.

If your strategy is resistance, you should point out your opponents’ weaknesses, not their strengths.

EDITORIAL | Ray Nothstine

Why electing, not appointing, judges is a good idea In an era where the idea of selfgovernment is increasingly under attack, North Carolinians would be wise to reject calls to bypass the direct election of state judges by the people.

North Carolina’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin is pushing the proposal of selecting rather than electing state court judges. During Martin’s address to the N.C. Bar Association’s annual convention on Saturday in Asheville, he called for an appeal to voters to change the state constitution to allow for what he believes will be a “merit selection” process. In theory and for many casual observers, Martin’s suggestion sounds like a no-brainer. Who is against an “independent” and supposedly a more “qualified” judiciary?

But for advocates of limited government, judicial restraint, and the will of the people, this proposal could spell big trouble.

Of course, the American Bar Association has long supported “merit” selection, believing it promotes a purer form of judicial independence that removes the overt politicization of state courts. But is it possible that some “independent” commissions and boards might have ulterior motives, or be politicized themselves? Could an appointive process be an attempt at an end-around on the increasingly popular calls for judicial restraint? Could it stymie the appointment of judges with a stricter reading and interpretation of constitutional texts?

In a 2009 article in the Missouri Law Review, Vanderbilt University law professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick makes a compelling case that merit selection moves the politics “into closer alignment with the ideological preferences of the bar” instead of the people, who overall

are more conservative than an increasingly left-wing legal guild. In his article, Fitzpatrick points out that Missouri’s nominating commission has nominated judges that have donated vastly more money to Democrats than Republicans, despite the state’s more equally split party voting patterns. Yet, the Missouri Plan for nominating judicial candidates is often touted by many as a nonpartisan model.

One of the reasons some Republicans purportedly acquiesced on their vote for President Trump in the general election was the fear of an unrestrained U.S. Supreme Court molded by Hillary Clinton. And why not? More and more moral and legislative decisions are being decided by what is often an unelected judiciary issuing decrees without firm constitutional guidance. This is a national problem, and is particularly problematic in North Carolina, where legislation reflexively and increasingly ends up in court for the simple fact one side does not currently control the legislative process.

In an era where the idea of self-government is increasingly under attack, North Carolinians would be wise to reject calls to bypass the direct election of state judges by the people.

Additionally, the General Assembly made the right call in March to overturn Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto to make those elections partisan.

Unfortunately, our judiciary across the nation has been politicized, but it’s not because of elections or even judicial elections with party labels, but stems from cultural and political

fragmentation that only exacerbates today’s judicial activism. This is no less true, and in fact there may be evidence that it’s a greater problem in states with judicial appointment systems in place. In those states, judges are less likely to be representative of the people.

A major argument put forward by proponents of the appointment of state judges is that the voters are just not educated enough to select highly qualified judges. However, now more than ever, the nation needs more, not less civic awareness that includes education regarding judicial interpretation and the proper role of the courts.

A 2003 Federalist Society article offers wise words from political scientist Phillip Dubois: “(J)udges must often exercise their discretion and in so doing are influenced by their own political, economic, social, and moral viewpoints. And, in a democratic political system, voters are entitled to periodically select those who make law and public policy, including those who interpret their laws and give meaning to their constitution.”

In the end, given the monumental failures of government, it’s up to the people to salvage the Republic. Ultimately, only they can hold the increasingly powerful judicial overseers accountable.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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Guest Opinion | Tamara Barringer

A focus on clinical research and drug development at the General Assembly

We need to support legislation that fosters innovators and innovative companies who create jobs to support our families.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking at a forum of scientists and researchers from across the nation hosted

by QuintilesIMS, the world’s largest contract research organization (or “CRO”), which is headquartered right here in North Carolina. Quintiles merged with IMS Health last year to become QuintilesIMS. Quintiles began as a technology transfer from UNC Chapel Hill and was founded in the Research Triangle Park 35 years ago and now estimates over $4.3 billion in revenues and employs 35,000 people worldwide.

Speaker after speaker cited the many reasons drug manufacturers and researchers come to our state not only to build their factories, but to also process the data and develop the research for the next generation of cures.

Data from clinicaltrials.gov shows that biopharmaceutical companies and local research institutions have conducted over 7,000 trials of potential new medicines for a wide range of diseases. Over 1,035 clinical trials are currently accepting patients.

Clinical tests may provide a new alternative of care for chronic disease sufferers who are still searching for the medicines that are best suited for them.

These trials benefit patients, scientific progress, and our state’s economy.

A recent study by TEConomy Partners found that the life science industry supports more than 259,000 jobs across North Carolina. Most of these jobs are skilled labor, and the presence of manufacturing facilities like Biogen, GSK, or Pfizer have a ripple effect across all sectors of the economy.

Biopharmaceutical research companies support $77.6 billion in economic activity in our state, including the direct economic output of the sector itself, the output of the sector’s vendors and suppliers, and the output generated by the buying power of its workforce.

Last year, I joined my colleagues in the N.C. General Assembly to ensure that this crucial sector of our state’s economy is represented on Jones Street, as a founding member of the North Carolina Life Science Caucus.

With my fellow co-chairs, Sen. Angela Bryant from Rocky Mount, Rep. Ed Hanes from Winston-Salem, and Rep. Susan Martin from Greenville, we plan to lead, foster and support our education infrastructure, especially STEM education, to ensure our workforce is competitive. We will support our community colleges and research universities, and the publicprivate partnerships that drive innovation.

Our infrastructure is first

rate, with the largest highway system in the country, three international airports, and several industrial research parks.

We consistently rank as one of the most business-friendly states in the country, with a tax structure that attracts industry investment.

We need to support legislation that fosters innovators and innovative companies who create jobs to support our families.

The footprint of the life science industry is not limited to the Research Triangle Park.

Cities and regions across the state are investing in healthcare innovation, research, and manufacturing. Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, PPD in Wilmington, and Merck manufacturing in Wilson are examples of the statewide commitment to the life sciences.

The average cost of developing a new drug is $1.2 billion spent over 10 to 15 years, prompting biopharmaceutical companies to locate in states with businessfriendly and thoughtful laws and regulations.

During this legislative session, the N.C. Life Science Caucus will address specific policy priorities the legislature can act on now to encourage this all-important job creator.

Sen. Tamara Barringer, a Republican, represents southwestern Wake County in the General Assembly.

column | walter williams

clarence page

Don’t forget the ‘forgotten,’ Dems s offensive as it may sound to today’s sensitive ears, it was only 11 A years ago that a young and rising United

States senator wrote the following about immigration: “When I see Mexican flags waved at proimmigration demonstrations, I sometimes feel a flush of patriotic resentment. When I’m forced to use a translator to communicate with the guy fixing my car, I feel a certain frustration.”

That senator was Democrat Barack Obama from Illinois.

The quote comes from his 2006 autobiography, “The Audacity of Hope.”

After getting our attention with that blunt description of his feelings, Obama goes on to argue against following those feelings as some people do, to justify denial of “rights and opportunities” to immigrants to become Americans.

I had forgotten about that quote until I ran across it in an important essay posted by liberal analyst Peter Beinart in The Atlantic this past week, as Democrats tried in vain to win a couple of congressional seats in traditionally red districts in Georgia and South Carolina.

Titled “How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration,” Beinart’s piece describes a Democratic Party trying to recover from President Donald Trump’s upset victory, yet too hung up on the culture wars commonly known as “political correctness.”

Of course, one could just as easily say the same about the Trump era’s Grand Old Party, too gridlocked, so far, by its own internal rightvs.-far-right conflicts to pass major legislation, despite its control of both houses of Congress.

Still, Republican gridlock is thin consolation for the Democrats’ long losing streak in President Obama’s years. His two presidential victories distract us from Democratic losses of more than a thousand state legislative seats and governorships and two-thirds of the country’s legislative chambers.

It is through expressing sincerely held feelings, even at the risk of being called “racist,” that honest dialogue can begin and, one hopes, lead to useful compromise.

Revolution point to the remedy — a separation,” Pickering wrote to George Cabot in 1803, for “the people of the East cannot reconcile their habits, views, and interests with those of the South and West.” His Senate colleague James Hillhouse of Connecticut agreed, saying, “The Eastern states must and will dissolve the union and form a separate government.” This call for secession was shared by other prominent Americans, such as John Quincy Adams, Elbridge Gerry, Fisher Ames, Josiah Quincy III, and Joseph Story. The call failed to garner support at the 1814-15 Hartford Convention.

The U.S. Constitution would have never been ratified — and a union never created — if the people of those 13 “free sovereign and Independent States” did not believe that they had the right to secede. Even on the eve of the War of 1861, unionist politicians saw secession as a right that states had.

Rep. Jacob M. Kunkel of Maryland said, “Any attempt to preserve the union between the states of this Confederacy by force would be impractical and destructive of republican liberty.” The Northern Democratic and Republican parties favored allowing the South to secede in peace.

Northern newspapers editorialized in favor of the South’s right to secede. New-York Tribune (Feb. 5, 1860): “If tyranny and despotism justified the Revolution of 1776, then we do not see why it would not justify the secession of Five Millions of Southrons from the Federal Union in 1861.” The Detroit Free Press (Feb. 19, 1861): “An attempt to subjugate the seceded States, even if successful, could produce nothing but evil — evil unmitigated in character and appalling in extent.” The NewYork Times (March 21, 1861): “There is a growing sentiment throughout the North in favor of letting the Gulf States go.”

Confederate generals were fighting for independence from the Union just as George Washington and other generals fought for independence from Great Britain. Those who’d label Gen. Robert E. Lee as a traitor might also label George Washington as a traitor. I’m sure Great Britain’s King George III would have agreed.

In some ways, I think Beinart is too hard on the Democrats in accounting for such losses. I trace the collapse of compromise on immigration to 2008 when I saw Arizona Sen. John McCain, on his way to winning the GOP presidential nomination, booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convention for advocating comprehensive immigration reform. He later abandoned that cause, and efforts by both parties to revive it have failed.

Yet let’s give credit where it is due.

Republicans were singing the blues in similar fashion when Obama’s elections in 2008 and 2012 and other Democratic victories threatened the long-term future of the Republicans as a national party. Instead, grass-roots groups like the tea party movement scored victories at the state and local level that have led to the GOP’s current dominance.

Which brings me back to how Obama’s quote illustrates how he managed to win twice what Hillary Clinton twice lost, the presidency. His feelings of “patriotic resentment” sound like an honest description of a concern that many people share. It is through expressing such sincerely held feelings, even at the risk of being called “racist,” that honest dialogue can begin and, one hopes, lead to useful compromise.

In the best of all possible political worlds, candidates from both parties calm such irrational fears by educating voters with facts, not just alarm. Unfortunately we do not live in that best political world these days. Instead, we are treated to Trump’s craven slander of undocumented immigrants as an invading tide of “murderers” and “rapists.”

Yet, if you don’t allow candid discussion of real issues, phony hot-button issues will take center stage. Think of the difference it would have made if Hillary Clinton had expressed, as her husband used to say in his 1992 presidential bid, how “I feel your pain.”

Today’s post-Trump Democrats are divided.

One side says they must abandon “identity politics” that appeal to every left-out group but working-class and middle-class whites, who feel left behind by economic and cultural change.

The other side says, no, giving voice to traditionally left-out women and minorities is a core belief and essential to the turnout the party needs to win elections — especially when they don’t have a big draw like Obama on the ballot.

I think both sides of that debate are right.

Democrats have been most successful when they have given voice to bread-and-butter working-class concerns, regardless of race or tribe. They can do it again, if they really want to win.

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

Clarence Page is a syndicated columnist and a member of The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board.

J. Neal Goggins via Flickr

Confederate States president Jefferson Davis (left) is depicted with Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson (right) at Stone Mountain, Ga.

Were Confederate generals traitors?

The U.S. Constitution would have never been ratified — and a union never created — if the people did not believe that they had the right to secede.

My “Rewriting American History” column, about the dismantling of Confederate monuments, generated considerable mail. Some argued there should not be statues honoring traitors such as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis, who fought against the Union.

Victors of wars get to write the history, and the history they write often does not reflect the facts.

Let’s look at some of the facts and ask: Did the South have a right to secede from the Union? If it did, we can’t label Confederate generals as traitors.

Article 1 of the Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the war between the Colonies and Great Britain, held “New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free sovereign and Independent States.” Representatives of these states came together in Philadelphia in 1787 to write a constitution and form a union.

During the ratification debates, Virginia’s delegates said, “The powers granted under the Constitution being derived from the people of the United States may be resumed by them whensoever the same shall be perverted to their injury or oppression.” The ratification documents of New York and Rhode Island expressed similar sentiments.

At the Constitutional Convention, a proposal was made to allow the federal government to suppress a seceding state. James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” rejected it. The minutes from the debate paraphrased his opinion: “A union of the states containing such an ingredient (would) provide for its own destruction. The use of force against a state would look more like a declaration of war than an infliction of punishment and would probably be considered by the party attacked as a dissolution of all previous compacts by which it might be bound.”

America’s first secessionist movement started in New England after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Many were infuriated by what they saw as an unconstitutional act by President Thomas Jefferson.

The movement was led by Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts, George Washington’s secretary of war and secretary of state. He later became a congressman and senator. “The principles of our

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North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Nation & WORLD

WEEK IN IMAGES

LUCY NICHOLSON | REUTERS

Jamaica’s Akeem Kerr in action during the men’s pole vault final of the JAAA National Senior Championships on June 23.

YVES HERMAN | REUTERS

Sand carver Franco Daga from Italy works on a sculpture during the Sand Sculpture Festival “Disney Sand Magic” in Ostend, Belgium, on June 22.

THE BRIEF U.S. government narrows focus of counterextremism program Washington, D.C. Two professors at UNC were among those cut from a $10 million government grant.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced criteria changes to the program, narrowing its focus around efforts to combat Islamist extremism.

Now officials consider whether applicants would partner with law enforcement, had experience implementing counter-extremism prevention programs, and would be able to continue after the awards were spent. The UNC project was a series of videos by students analyzing jihadist propaganda.

The professors were originally getting nearly $900,000 for the project but DHS says the new list of recipients reflects the updated criteria.

California to list herbicide as cancer-causing; Monsanto vows fight

AKHTAR SOOMRO | REUTERS

The hands of a girl, adorned with henna patterns, as she arms around her father while traveling on bike during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 26.

CARLO ALLEGRI | REUTERS

Participants take part in the LGBT Pride March in New York City on June 25.

International passengers arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport after the U.S. Supreme Court granted parts of the Trump administration’s emergency request to put its travel ban into effect later in the week pending further judicial review, in Dulles, Va., on June 26.

Sacramento, Calif.

Glyphosate, an herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto’s popular Roundup weedkiller, will be added to California’s list of chemicals known to cause cancer effective July 7, the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment said Monday. The decision comes a week after it was revealed research showing no link between the chemical and blood cancers was not shared with regulators. Monsanto vowed to continue its legal fight against the designation.

Seattle employers cut hours after latest minimum wage rise Seattle A Seattle law that requires many businesses to pay a minimum wage of at least $13 an hour has left low-wage workers with less money in their pockets because some employers cut working hours, a study released on Monday said. Low-wage workers on average now clock 9 percent fewer hours and earn $125 less each month than before the Pacific Northwest city set one of the highest minimum wages in the nation, the University of Washington research paper said.

U.S. judge halts deportation of Iraqis nationwide

JAMES LAWLER DUGGAN | REUTERS

In victory for Trump, U.S. Supreme Court revives travel ban Court will revisit the legality of the ban in October

By Andrew Chung and Lawrence Hurley Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his temporary ban on refugees with no strong ties to the U.S. and travelers from six countries identified by the state department as “countries of concern” in the fight against terrorism.

The court also agreed to decide in October the legality of the order.

The case represents a major test of presidential powers. The justices, in their unsigned decision, granted parts of the Trump administration’s emergency request to put the order into effect immediately while the legal battle continues.

The March 6 order called for a 90-day ban on travelers from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and a 120-day ban on all refugees to enable the government to implement stronger vetting procedures. It was blocked by federal judges before going into effect on March 16 as planned.

Both bans are now due to partly go into effect in 72 hours, based on a memorandum issued by the Trump administration on June 14.

Even before the Supreme Court action the ban applied only to new visa applicants, not people who already have visas or are U.S. permanent residents, known as green card holders. The executive order also made waivers available for a foreign national seeking to enter the United States to resume work or study, visit a spouse, child or parent who is a U.S. citizen, or for “significant business or professional obligations.”

Refugees “in transit” and already approved would have been able to travel to the United States under the executive order.

The case is Trump’s first major challenge at the Supreme Court, where he restored a 5-4 conservative majority with the appointment of Neil Gorsuch, who joined the bench in April.

There are five Republican appointees on the court and four Democratic appointees.

Three of the court’s conservatives said they would have granted Trump’s request to reinstate the order in full, including Gorsuch. Justice Clarence Thomas warned that requiring officials to differentiate between foreigners who have connection to the U.S. and those who do not will prove unworkable.

“Today’s compromise will burden executive officials with the task of deciding — on peril of contempt — whether individuals from the six affected nations who wish to enter

the United States have a sufficient connection to a person or entity in this country,” Thomas wrote.

The justices said that the travel ban will go into effect “with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”

That indicates that people from the six countries and refugees who have family, business or other ties would not be barred from entry. But those seeking visas to enter the U.S. with no such ties could be barred.

The decision endorsed the Trump administration’s contention that the president deserves greater deference from the courts on national security matters.

The Supreme Court left the lower-court injunctions against the ban in place, but only with respect to the challengers to the ban themselves and others in similar circumstances, meaning they involve people in the United States who have relationships with foreign nationals abroad and whose rights might be affected if those foreigners were excluded from entry.

But the court said the injunctions were too broad to also include barring enforcement of the ban against foreigners who have no connection to the United States at all. “Denying entry to such a foreign national does not burden any American party by reason of that party’s relationship with the foreign national,” the court

said.

The court handled the refugee ban in a similar way, allowing the government to exclude from the United States refugee claimants who do not have any “bona fide relationship” with an American individual or entity. Thomas said this will lead to a flood of litigation as courts try to figure out who has a “bona fide relationship” with the United States.

The state of Hawaii and a group of plaintiffs in Maryland represented by the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the order violated federal immigration law and the Constitution’s First Amendment prohibition on the government favoring or disfavoring any particular religion. Regional federal appeals courts in Virginia and California both upheld district judge injunctions blocking the order.

Trump signed the order as a replacement for a Jan. 27 order issued a week after he became president that also was blocked by federal courts. The revised order was intended to overcome the legal issues posed by the original ban, which also included Iraq among the nations targeted and a full ban on refugees from Syria. The revised order also jettisoned language that gave preferential status to persecuted religious minorities, which critics said could be taken as favoring Christians and other religious groups over Muslims.

The administration has said the travel ban is needed to allow time to implement stronger vetting measures, although it has already rolled out some new requirements not blocked by courts, including additional questions for visa applicants.

Detroit A federal judge halted late on Monday the deportation of all Iraqi nationals detained during immigration sweeps across the U.S. this month until at least July 10, expanding a stay he imposed last week. The stay had initially only protected 114 detainees from the Detroit area.

St. Louis to remove Confederate monument St. Louis, Mo A Confederate monument in St. Louis will be dismantled by the end of the week under an agreement announced on Monday, city officials said. The memorial depicts the Angel of the Spirit of the Confederacy hovering above a bronze sculpture of a family sending a soldier off to war. It has been repeated vandalized with “Black Live Matter” graffiti and is the latest Confederate monument to be targeted as U.S. cities remove the structures. The 32-foot statue will be stored until a new location can be found outside the city.

Facebook hits the 2 billion user mark Menlo Park, Calif.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday that the social media network had 2 billion monthly users. The company had some 1.94 billion people using its service monthly as of March 31, an increase of 17 percent from a year earlier. Facebook is looking to grow its massive user base, especially in developing nations where the service currently has smaller penetration rates.

wednesday, June 28, 2017

All Grown Up Former NC State star Dennis Smith Jr,. shakes the hand of NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the 2017 NBA Draft after being selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Smith was one of eight different players taken from the state of North Carolina during the draft.

the Wednesday Sideline report

SPORTS

NFL

Brady named best of NFL Network’s “Top 100”

nba

Former Raleigh high school standout and Wizards star point guard John Wall wants the Washington franchise to chase after Paul George this offseason via trade, claiming that the team is “one piece away” from contending for an NBA championship. “[George] is a guy that can guard LeBron [James] and go back at LeBron,” Wall said.

“It’s a piece that you’re going to need to win. If you don’t have a guy who can do that, you don’t have a chance. You got to add another star. You got to add another piece. You got to have three guys. That’s what it’s looking like.” nba

Westbrook wins MVP, Brogdon nets ROY Russell Westbrook was named the NBA MVP on Monday night, winning the award after producing a season-long triple-double stat line for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Former Virginia and current Bucks standout Malcolm Brogdon won NBA Rookie of the Year over two 76ers, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.

Rockets guard Eric Gordon won NBA Sixth Man of the Year, beating out teammate Lou Williams and Warriors forward Andre Igoudala.

2017 NBA Draft features tons of local N.C. flavor

By Brett Friedlander | North State Journal

The incredible run for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady continued on Monday night when he was named the No. 1 player on NFL Network’s “Top 100” players. Brady accomplished just about everything he could during the 2016 season, coming back from a four-game suspension to nearly win MVP and to eventually capture a Super Bowl title and Super Bowl MVP honors. The Patriots quarterback, who will turn 40 in August, has said he wants to play professional football for five more years.

Wall wants Wizards to chase after Paul George

Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

David Banks | USA TODAY Sports

Martin Necas puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center.

Canes keep eight picks, select Necas 12th overall

By Cory Lavalette | North State Journal

RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes went into last weekend’s draft in Chicago with eight picks, and opted to use them all. The biggest decision was who to take with the 12th overall selection, and they opted for Czech forward Martin Necas. On Day 2, Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis and his team made seven choices, selecting three forwards, three defensemen and a goalie to complete their 2017 class.

There has never been a shortage of elite college basketball players in the state of North Carolina but Tobacco Road’s talent was truly on display during a Carolina-centric 2017 NFL Draft.

It is fitting, too, with a season that featured the Tar Heels cutting down the nets, that so much talent from in and around the state would find its way into the NBA through the player selection process.

All told, eight different players from the state’s “Big Four” were selected in the two rounds of last Thursday’s draft, including multiple lottery picks like Jayson Tatum (taken third overall by the Boston Celtics) and Dennis Smith Jr. (taken ninth overall by the Dallas Mavericks). Additionally, Duke’s Luke Kennard was taken by the Detroit Pistons with the 12th overall pick and Wake Forest’s John Collins was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 19th pick.

The Sacramento Kings got a double dip of Tobacco Road, drafting North Carolina’s Justin Jackson (No. 15 overall) and Duke’s Harry Giles (No. 20 overall).

The North State Journal breaks down the winners and losers from the full draft on pages B4 and B5.

Inside

Here’s a look at Carolina’s eight draft picks in their 2017 draft class, along with a comment on each from Hurricanes director of amateur scouting Tony MacDonald.

Martin Necas, C 6’1, 178 pounds, Brno (Czech) 1st round, 12th overall (No. 16 in NSJ Top 100) Rumors swirled that Francis might use this pick as part of a package to bolster his NHL roster, but the team kept it, selecting Necas from the Czech Republic. He is one of the best skaters in the draft and has held his own playing in the men’s league in his native country.

Necas had an up-and-down year in international tournaments, but

was dominant at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he captained the Czechs. Necas isn’t a quick fix — he is likely to spend another year in the Czech league before heading to North America — but he could pay off for Carolina in the future.

MacDonald says: “He’s a skilled player, he can skate. But he’s also a guy that competes very hard. For a European player he plays with some edge, and you have to like that.”

See hurricanes, page B3

photo courtesy ofLaura Wolff | Charlotte Knights

Charlotte Knights pitcher Carlos Rodon is headed back to the big leagues, with the former North Carolina State standout and early-round pick set to re-join the Chicago White Sox after an extended absence from the rotation as he dealt with injuries. Along the way in his rehab, Rodon hit up some old stomping grounds, joining the Knights for a trip to Durham to play the Bulls.

Shawn Krest caught up with Rodon to follow his return. B8

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

B2 wednesday

06.28.17

Trending

Avery Bradley: NBA players lost their minds on social media when the All-Defensive teams for the 2016-17 season were announced this week and Bradley did not make either of the top two teams.

Nick Fairley: New Orleans defensive tackle and former first-round pick will miss the entire season after the Saints placed him on injured reserve with a heart condition.

Adrian Wojnarowski: Yahoo! NBA columnist and noted scoop-meister is reportedly leaving his own microsite there, the Vertical, to join ESPN beginning on July 1, according to a report from Sports Illustrated.

Terry Francona: Indians manager left the bench during the ninth inning on Monday after feeling ill, but was later evaluated and found to simply be dehydrated.

Brandon McCarthy: Dodgers right-handed pitcher was placed on the disabled list with right knee tendonitis the team announced on Monday.

Victor Oladipo: Thunder guard was embarrassed at his own basketball camp over the weekend when he was captured on video being beaten off the dribble by a 12-year-old camper.

Bill Russell: NBA legend was heard saying “I would kick your ass” on stage at the NBA Awards while being presented with a lifetime achievement award from five of the greatest former NBA big men to ever suit up in the NBA: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and David Robinson.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

golf

Jordan Spieth pulled off the rarest of rare moments for a professional golfer, when he won the Travelers’ Championship on Sunday with a walkoff, 60-foot bunker shot in the middle of a sudden death playoff. Spieth played poorly down the stretch Sunday but summoned his best from the sand and celebrated in fine fashion with a chest bump and club toss.

Anthony Gruppuso | USA TODAY Sports

“If she played the men’s circuit she’d be like 700 in the world.”

ESPN tennis commentator and former tennis legend John McEnroe guessing where Serena Williams, arguably the greatest female tennis player in the history of the game, would rank if she played men.

Bill Streicher | USA TODAY Sports

mlb

nba

Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

“Being a father is a privilege, it’s not my job, it’s not a responsibility, it’s an honor.”

Spurs VP of Basketball Ops Monty Williams, given the first annual “Sager Strong” award after losing his wife in a car accident last year.

nfl

$125M Millions of dollars Raiders quarterback Derek Carr received on his new extension from Oakland over the weekend, setting the record for highest average annual salary for an NFL player. Carr’s total guarantee in the contract does not top that of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, although the Raiders quarterback claims he left money on the table to sign other Oakland star players.

Joshua S. Kelly | USA TODAY Sports

The reason might not be for strictly baseball reasons, but Mets prospect Tim Tebow got a promotion to Class A Columbia to Class A Advanced St. Lucie. Tebow, a fan favorite, is batting .222 on the season with three home runs, 23 RBI and a .311 OBP.

nba

twitter | @SINOW

The exposure of Big Baller Brand continued unabated on Monday night with LaVar Ball appearing on WWE’s “Raw” along with his son LaMelo.

Ball ripped off his shirt and ended up screaming into a microphone, which probably should surprise no one.

Russell Westbrook got his revenge, sort of. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard, who became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple double, was named the 201617 NBA MVP on Monday night during the league’s first annual NBA Awards show on TNT. Westbrook received 69 first-place votes, beating out Rockets guard James Harden, who received 22 first-place votes, and Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who received nine first-place votes.

Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

B3

An up-close look at the Hurricanes’ 2017-18 schedule

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

David Banks | USA TODAY Sports

Martin Necas poses for photos after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center in Chicago on June 23.

Hurricanes head toward free agency with questions up front Van Riemsdyk shores up defense; Carolina still in need of top-line forward

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — Many expected the expansion and NHL drafts to lead to a flurry of moves, including from the Hurricanes. Carolina general manager Ron Francis had hyped — as much as he’s capable or willing, which isn’t much — the opportunities Carolina could have at both events to bolster their NHL roster.

That presumably meant targeting a top-six forward to strengthen the Hurricanes’ offensive muscle, especially after the team already made efforts to fix its troubles in goal with the trade for and signing of former Blackhawks backup Scott Darling earlier in the offseason.

The move to add one of Darling’s former teammates, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, on the day after the expansion draft had some believing Francis was preparing to move one of his blue line big four (Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin) to add offense.

But the van Riemsdyk deal, which had Carolina sending one of its three 2017 second-round picks to the new Golden Knights in exchange for the defenseman Vegas had selected a day earlier in the expansion draft, seems to be more about shoring up the Hurricanes’ third pairing than moving one of its prized D. That doesn’t make it a bad move.

Van Riemsdyk — who played the last two-plus seasons with the Blackhawks, including contributing to their Stanley Cup-winning team in 2015 — is a proven NHLer who comes to Carolina with one year and just $825,000 remaining on his salary. He’ll be 26 when the 2017-18 campaign begins, and the Hurricanes would still hold his rights after next season as a restricted free agent.

And the third pairing, while not a

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping to maybe take a few less picks. We had an awful lot of discussion in the last little bit about trying to trade picks for players.”

Ron Francis, Huricanes general manager glaring problem like goaltending or needed scoring, was an area of concern this offseason. Van Riemsdyk, a right-handed defenseman, could fit nicely with the returning Klas Dahlbeck or former first-rounder Haydn Fleury, both lefties, in the Nos. 5 and 6 roles.

Van Riemsdyk joins a slew of former Blackhawks in the Hurricanes’ locker room. On top of Darling, Carolina has former Chicago players Joakim Nordstrom and Teuvo Teravainen from that 2015 Cup team as familiar faces for the two Raleigh newcomers.

“I think that will make the transition a little easier,” van Riemdyk said via conference call last week. “Obviously I know Scotty and Teuvo and Nordy.

Like I said, I know Brett Pesce (from their time together at the University of New Hampshire) very well. And Noah [Hanifin], I met him for a month out in Germany [at the World Championships].”

Francis did re-sign part of the team’s supporting cast from last season, inking 30-year-old forward and Masterton Trophy finalist Derek Ryan to a new one-year deal that will pay him $1.425 million in 2017-18.

Ryan bounced throughout the lineup for Carolina last year, finishing the season with 11 goals and 18 assists in 67 games, and will likely be utilized similarly in 2017-18.

The Hurricanes also made decisions on their pending restricted free agents, re-signing defensemen Trevor Carrick and Jake Chelios to one-year, two-way

deals, and making qualifying offers on forwards Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe. Patrick Brown, who would have been an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, also signed a new one-year, two-way deal.

Forwards Andrej Nestrasil and Erik Karlsson, along with goalie Daniel Altshuller, were not qualified and will be free agents on July 1 unless Carolina resigns them before then.

Francis has been reluctant to dive head-first into the free agency market in his three seasons running the team, opting instead to dip in his toe with low- and mid-priced additions like last year’s July 1 signings of Viktor Stalberg and Lee Stempniak, respectively.

Francis, however, does have work to do to get to the NHL’s salary floor ($55.4 million) with around $50 million currently committed — which includes more than $6 million combined tied up in goaltenders Cam Ward and Eddie Lack, a number the team surely like to cut in half.

The free agent market at forward is relatively thin, though the Hurricanes could look to use another team’s cap woes — and Carolina’s wealth of space — to strike up a deal similar to the one that brought Teravainen and Bryan Bickell (and his $4 million cap hit) to Raleigh last June.

They could conceivably take a run at someone like James Neal, who was claimed by Vegas and has just one year and $5 million remaining on his contract. Neal played for Hurricanes assistant GM and newly named Charlotte Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers in the mid-2000s.

Regardless of what they end up doing, Francis knows there is still work to be done.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping to maybe take a few less picks,” Francis said of trying to make a deal at the draft. “We had an awful lot of discussions in the last little bit about trying to move picks for players. They just didn’t pan out the way we hoped.”

hurricanes from page B1

Luke Martin, D

Morgan Geekie, C

Eetu Luostarinen, C

6’2, 221 lbs, Michigan (NCAA) 2nd round, 52nd ove’rall (No. 70 in NSJ Top 100)

6’2, 190 lbs, Tri-City (WHL) 3rd round, 67th overall (No. 68 in NSJ Top 100)

Martin already has NHL size along with a year playing against men in the collegiate ranks.

He was part of a disappointing Wolverines team in legendary coach Red Berenson’s final season, and could be one of the underrated players in the draft if he can start to produce on offense.

International Scouting Services ranked him the draft’s top stay-athome defenseman, and he came to Michigan highly touted but managed just seven points in his freshman season. Even if Martin doesn’t develop into a point producer, his mobility, strength and ability make him a legitimate NHL prospect.

MacDonald says: “We think that he’s got more offensive dimension than he has shown. You could call him a big, shutdown defenseman at this point in time, but he’s more than that.”

Geekie went undrafted last year but had a monster season with Tri-City in 2016-17, piling up 90 points — including 35 goals — for the Americans and tying for ninth in the WHL in scoring. Big and strong, Geekie fits the Bill Peters mold: hard-working and willing to compete in all three zones.

MacDonald says: “He’s a very reliable player on both ends of the ice, plays a 200-foot game.”

6’2, 178 lbs, KalPa (Liiga) 2nd round, 42nd overall (not in NSJ Top 100) Francis & Co. must have really liked what they saw of Luostarinen, because he was an off-the-board pick compared to most draft lists. It marks the third straight year Carolina drafted a Finnish forward in the second round (Sebastian Aho, 2015; Janne Kuokkanen, 2016), and Luostarinen is a 6-foot-2, 178-pound center who played in the top Finnish league, Liiga, last season, registering seven points in 32 games there. He also had a goal and four assists in seven games for Finland at the World Junior Championships. He’s a solid skater and two-way player who some considered a sleeper.

MacDonald says: “At this stage of his development, he’s playing with the men there, playing pro hockey, and that can only enhance his game and make him a better player as he goes forward.”

Stelio Mattheos, RW 6’0, 189 lbs, Brandon (WHL) 3rd round, 73rd overall (No. 38 in NSJ Top 100) Mattheos is a guy who can play up and down the lineup and at any forward spot. He slid into the top center role with Brandon when second overall pick Nolan Patrick went down, but he’s probably best suited at right wing. The top overall pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, Mattheos had 61

RALEIGH — The 2017-18 schedule released Wednesday by the NHL offered some relief to the Carolina Hurricanes compared to years past.

After starting last season with a six-game road trip that resulted in a 1-3-2 record, the Hurricanes will open the upcoming campaign with two home games at PNC Arena before hitting the road for their annual — albeit shorter-than-usual at four games — state fair road trip.

Carolina opens their schedule hosting former captain Eric Staal and the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 7, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 10 before leaving Raleigh to avoid the crowds at the nearby North Carolina State Fair.

But the four-games-in-eight-days Western Conference swing isn’t as brutal as years past, and Carolina actually finishes the month with an even five games at home and five on the road. That doesn’t mean the Hurricanes won’t have their share of rough patches.

The team plays 18 sets back-to-back games, including five in March. December will also be difficult, with 10 road games — including a season-long six-game trip that includes Carolina’s first game in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 — compared to just five home games.

Also, Carolina’s first 13 games includes just one inside the Metropolitan Division (Game 2 at home vs. Columbus), whereas nine of the teams final 19 games will reside against division foes.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of some of the more interesting facets of the Hurricanes’ 2017-18 schedule.

October (10 games; 5 home, 5 road) The Hurricanes get two home games to open the season (Oct. 7 vs. Wild; Oct. 10 vs. Blue Jackets).

Carolina then heads out on a four-game N.C. State Fair road trip from Oct. 14-21.

November (13 games; 7 home, 6 home) New Hurricanes Scott Darling and Trevor van Riemsdyk face their old team, the Blackhawks, at PNC Arena on Nov. 11.

The Nov. 7 home game vs. Florida ends a 13-game run to start the season in which Carolina plays just one Metro Division opponent.

December (15 games; 5 home, 10 road) December marks the most road-heavy month of the schedule, with twice as many games away from Raleigh as the team has at PNC Arena.

It includes a season-long six-game road trip thatis highlighted by visits to five Western Conference teams.

Carolina’s first visit to T-Mobile Arena is Dec. 12 against the incoming Vegas Golden Knights.

January (12 games; 5 home, 7 road) A month after playing in Las Vegas, the Hurricanes will host the Golden Knights for the first time Jan. 21.

Carolina plays Washington three times in 11 days from Jan. 2-12, first at home and then an old-school home-and-home set in Washington Jan. 11 and back in Raleigh the next night.

The team’s five-day bye week is Jan. 15-19, sandwiched by games hosting Calgary (Jan. 14) and at Detroit (Jan. 20).

February (13 games; 10 home, 3 road) February sees the Hurricanes at home a season-high 10 times, including the first seven games of the month to cap an eight-game homestand that begins by hosting Ottawa on Jan. 30.

Eight of Carolina’s 13 games will come as part of four back-to-back sets.

March (16 games; 8 home, 8 road) March is the Hurricanes’ busiest month with 16 games, but it’s balanced with an even number of eight each on the home and road.

The month features a season-high five back-to-back sets, including two in the final week of the month.

Darling, van Riemsdyk and the rest of Carolina’s former Blackhawks visit Chicago for the only time in 2017-18 on March 8.

One day shy of five months after they face off in the season opener, the Hurricanes and Wild play the back half of their two-game season series on March 6.

April (3 games; 1 home, 2 road) Carolina closes its regular season with three Eastern Conference games in April: two on the road at Florida and Philadelphia, then the season finale at PNC Arena against the Lightning.

points last year.

MacDonald says: “He’s a big guy

who plays a heavy game. … We need some of that in our lineup, some of that in our organization.”

Eetu Makiniemi, G 6’2, 176 lbs, Jokerit (Fin) 4th round, 104th overall (not in NSJ Top 100) Makiniemi is the first European goalie selected by the Hurricanes since they took Frederik Andersen in the seventh round in 2010, and the first from Finland since Antti Jokela in 1999. He is signed to a two-way deal with Jokerit of the KHL, and was the ninth goaltender selected in the draft.

MacDonald says: “We got a sleeper goaltender, we think, that is an under-the-radar guy that’s going to be very good.”

Brendan de Jong, D 6’5, 192 lbs, Portland (WHL) 6th round, 166th overall (not in NSJ Top 100) De Jong is a lanky defenseman

whose brother, Nolan, was a 2013 seventh-round pick of the Wild and captained the University of Michigan last season, a team that included Brendan’s draft classmate Luke Martin. He had 23 points with the Winterhawks last year after going undrafted last year.

MacDonald says: “He’s a big man but he skates pretty well. We feel there’s a little more untapped offensive dimension there.”

Ville Rasanen, D 6’1, 167 lbs, Jokipojat (Fin.-2) 7th round, 197th overall (not in NSJ Top 100) Rasanen was the final player and third Finn selected by Carolina.

He played in the Finnish junior league last year — where he had 18 points in 22 games — but is expected to join Jukurit of Liiga in 2017-18. Rasanen is a good skater and offensive talent but a project.

MacDonald says: “He’s a great skater — tremendous skater, explosive — a player that will put up big numbers. … We hope we got a steal with this guy in the seventh round.”

B4

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

B5

Winners and losers from the 2017 NBA Draft

A general view of a video board displaying all thirty first round selections in the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 22.

By Brett Friedlander, North State Journal | Photos by Brad Penner, USA Today Sports Images

Eight players from North Carolina schools had their dreams fulfilled and their futures secured by being selected in the NBA draft last Thursday in Brooklyn.

That makes them all winners no matter where or by which team they were selected.

At the same time, however, some members of the in-state contingent clearly fared better than others in the annual lottery of amateur basketball talent, primarily because of the respective landing spots they found once the playerselection process was over.

Here is a look at which of them, at least initially, were the biggest “winners” and which may have come up short on the proverbial draft night scoreboard.

WINNERS

LOSERS

Jayson Tatum

Justin Jackson and Harry Giles

The former Blue Devil couldn’t have asked for a better draft scenario. The Celtics had the top overall pick, but knowing that Tatum would still be there at No. 3 with Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball all but slotted in as the first two players to go, they traded down with Philadelphia to get him.

The sleek 6-foot-8 forward figures to be a perfect fit for a Boston team with designs on dethroning Cleveland as the beast of the NBA East. He gives the Celtics some badly needed wing scoring and offensive creativity, along with some toughness that was lacking in this year’s playoff series against the Cavaliers.

Tatum should also benefit from playing under Brad Stevens, a respected leader with many of the same qualities and philosophies as his coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski.

Neither player is actually a loser. Both went about where they were expected, Jackson at No. 15 overall and Giles at No. 20. The latter is actually something of a victory considering his history of knee injuries and the less-thanimpressive numbers he put up in his only season at Duke. The reason they’re in this category is because they both ended up getting sent to the NBA’s version of Siberia — the Sacramento Kings. The Kings got both picks in a trade with the Portland Trailblazers.

Both players — along with fellow firstround pick Collins of Gonzaga — will get the opportunity to contribute right away and improve a team in desperate need of improvement. The problem is that even if they succeed, few if anyone will notice.

Sacramento, which has suffered through 11 straight losing seasons and hasn’t been to the playoffs since Vlade Divac was turning the flop into an art form, is a place in which NBA players go and are never heard from again.

Tony Bradley

Jayson Tatum (Duke) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number three overall pick to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22 in Brooklyn.

Dennis Smith, Jr. (NC State) is interviewed after being introduced as the number nine overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22 in Brooklyn.

The young big man had the potential to be a breakout star and a possible lottery pick had he returned to UNC for his sophomore season, Instead, he took a leap of faith by staying in the draft despite marginal firstround projections. It’s a gamble that paid off when the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the third-to-last pick of the only round that comes with a guaranteed contract (28th overall).

Bradley’s situation got even better shortly after his name was announced when the Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the rights to 30th pick Josh Hart and 42nd pick Thomas Bryant. Instead of playing for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2013 and can’t seem to get out of its own way in its rebuilding process, the 6-10 forward is going to a Utah team that won 51 games and a playoff series last season and could use an injection of size and athleticism up front.

One-and-done freshmen Sixteen of the 30 first-round picks this year were college freshmen, surpassing the 13 that were taken in the 2015 draft as the most in NBA history. This year’s draft also marked the first time ever in which the first five players selected after just one season of college experience.

In addition to the four members of that group from the ACC — Tatum, Smith, Giles and Bradley — the others were Washington’s Fultz, UCLA’s Ball and T.J. Leaf, Kansas’ Josh Jackson, Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk (who went to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 12 overall) and Bam Adebayo, Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac, Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen, Gonzaga’s Zach Collins, Creighton’s Justin Patton and Texas’ Jarrett Allen.

Ted Kapita No one really blinked when the NC State freshman submitted his name for the draft.

It’s actually to an underclassman’s benefit to go through the process and get feedback on how to improve his game. But unlike most in his situation, the 6-9 forward didn’t withdraw his name at the deadline and return to school.

Despite barely playing for the Wolfpack, averaging just 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in just under 13 minutes per game, he signed with an agent and stayed in the draft. To no one’s surprise, he was not selected in either round, meaning that instead of returning to State or transferring to another school, he’s going to have to try to make a living in either the NBA’s development league or somewhere overseas.

Seniors The flip side of the record number of freshmen taken in this year’s draft is the record low number of seniors that heard their names called. In fact, there were only two — Colorado point guard Derek White and Villanova shooting guard Josh Hart — and they were the last two players chosen in the first round.

While several more upperclassmen went in the second round, the lack of love for college seniors helped leave UNC national champions Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks out in the cold. Both players will get an opportunity to play their way into the league after signing free agent deals, Meeks with the Toronto Raptors and Hicks with the Los Angeles Clippers. But the odds are stacked squarely against them.

WILD CARD Luke Kennard (Duke) reacts after being introduced as the number twelve overall pick to the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22 in Brooklyn.

John Collins (Wake Forest) walks off stage after being introduced as the number nineteen overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22 in Brooklyn.

Justin Jackson (North Carolina) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number fifteen overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22 in Brooklyn.

Frank Jackson Jackson could easily have been listed among the “losers,” since as the first selection of the second round (31st overall), he missed out on a guaranteed multi-year contract by just one pick.

But upon further inspection, maybe the former Duke point guard didn’t fare so badly after all.

For one thing, he was traded by the team that drafted him, the Hornets, to a New Orleans Pelicans team that didn’t have a first round

pick and clearly wanted him. The second is that despite a somewhat pedestrian rookie season with the Blue Devils, his draft stock could potentially never be as high as it was this year because of the arrival at Duke of blue chip recruit Trevon Duval.

It was definitely a gamble for Jackson to come out when he did, especially since Duval may not have chosen Duke had he decided to stay. Only time will tell whether the gamble pays off or not.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

B6

Quicken Loans National likely will not feature Tiger, in or out of field Tiger Woods is not expected to attend his own event, even as a presenter, following his arrest for DUI in late May

By Tom LaMarre The Sports XChange TIGER WOODS has missed numerous tournaments over the past few seasons because of his ongoing back problems, and he wasn’t going to play this week in the Quicken Loans National, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

However, Woods isn’t even expected to be at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Md., to perform his normal duties as tournament host.

“We haven’t been told anything official, but my hunch is that he won’t be here,” a tournament source said. “He has other things going on in his life right now. I expect he will announce something on his website, because that’s the way he usually does things.”

Woods was arrested on a DUI charge in the early hours of May 29 in Jupiter, Fla., when police reportedly found him asleep behind the wheel of his parked car at the side of the road several miles from his home.

After Breathalyzer tests revealed no trace of alcohol in his system, Woods said that he had a reaction to prescription drugs he was taking. He later announced on Twitter that he is undergoing treatment to manage his prescrip-

tion drugs use.

Woods’ DUI arrangement is scheduled for Aug. 9.

“He’s been in just immense pain for so very long that taking prescribed medication was a must just to be able to get up and move,” said Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent with Excel Sports Management. “I don’t think it’s fair to say there is an addiction.”

Because of his treatment, Woods probably will be a noshow for the 11th edition of what started out as the AT&T National in 2007 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., northwest of Washington.

The tournament has been played seven times at Congressional and now will be held there every other year. It makes its debut at TPC Potomac on Thursday.

“My foundation is deeply committed to the D.C. area with our three learning centers and Earl Woods Scholarship Program students,” Woods said in announcing the fourth host course in tournament history.

“We are excited to take the Quicken Loans National to another top course in the area that will challenge our strong field.”

The course formerly was known as TPC Avenel and hosted the PGA Tour’s Kemper Open (later the Booz Allen Classic) from 1987-2006, with Tom Kite, Adam Scott of Australia, Steve Stricker, Justin Leonard, Lee Janzen, Gil Morgan, Ben Curtis, Stuart Appleby of Australia, Rory Sabbatini of South Africa and Mark Brooks among the champions.

Mark O’Meara captured the

ORLANDO RAMIREZ | USA TODAY SPORTS FILE PHOTO

Tiger Woods tees off the 5th hole during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course in La Jolla, California Jan. 26, 2017.

2010 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, a major on the PGA Tour Champions, at TPC Potomac after the layout underwent a major renovation.

The National also was played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., in 2010 and 2011, and at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., two years ago.

Woods captured the tournament in 2009 and 2012 at Congressional but was especially proud last year to present the trophy to Billy Hurley III, a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who spent five years on active duty before being able to pursue his golf career full-time.

The National always has a strong military presence because Woods’ late father, Earl, was a Green Beret in the U.S. Army who

served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

“Couldn’t script a better one for me to win my first PGA Tour win,” Hurley said after beating Vijay Singh by three strokes at Congressional, not far from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where he lives.

“Grew up on one side of D.C., live on the other side of D.C. and then (to win) the premier military event. ... I’m just thrilled to have gotten it done today.”

Hurley, who led after 54 holes, made a bogey on the 12th hole in the final round. His lead was down to one stroke before he chipped in for a birdie from 35 yards on the 15th hole.

One hole later, he sank a 27foot birdie putt before two finishing pars capped a 2-under-par 69,

his highest score of the week.

“The way he handled himself down the stretch for his first win was awfully impressive,” said Woods, who greeted Hurley with a hug behind the 18th green. “He’s a guy who served his country and for him to win a tournament that celebrates the military more than any other is really apropos.”

Hurley will defend his title this week against the likes of Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, 2013 National winner Bill Haas, Billy Horschel, 2011 winner Nick Watney, Keegan Bradley, J.B. Holmes, Martin Laird of Scotland, Marc Leishman of Australia, Jimmy Walker and 2015 champion Troy Merritt.

However, the player who wins this time probably won’t be accepting the trophy from Woods.

SPLITTER TO SPOILER

Harvick captures first win under Ford banner at Sonoma EVIN HARVICK is currently in year four of his contract with K Stewart-Haas Racing and has

been a perpetual championship contender every single season, even winning the 2014 title. But after a shocking move to Ford at the end of the 2016 season, there were questions as to whether Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing would remain a dominant force in the sport.

While one of his teammates, Kurt Busch, answered those questions immediately at the Daytona 500, Harvick waited until just after the midway point in the season to prove he’s still in championship form with a win at Sonoma Raceway.

“Getting our first win with Ford, this has been a great journey for us as an organization and team,” Harvick said. “Kurt winning the Daytona 500 and we have run well. It is a great day. It finally all came together and we were able to not have any cautions there at the end.”

This season has been more about young drivers emerging as opposed to the traditional winners like Harvick. With Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney all earning their first wins and Kyle Larson winning his second and third, the normal headliners are being passed over for the youth in the sport.

That’s just fine with Harvick.

He’s never been a flashy driver, but has never taken flak either.

It’s fitting that his first win comes with tire rub marks all along the side of his car after taking a beating and banging in Sonoma.

“Right off the bat I think you knew you were going to have some fenders caved in,” Harvick said. “That is just how it is going to go with the short stages trying to get points. I felt like our car was good enough to not chase stage points and go after the win today and it all worked out.”

Harvick may have earned his first win in Sonoma, but he’s hardly been an afterthought this season. Currently sitting third in the points standings, Harvick leads Ford in nearly every category except wins — Brad Keselowski has two — but no spot in the playoffs is guaranteed without a win.

With a slew of winnable races coming up for Harvick including Daytona (two wins), New Hampshire (two wins) and Indianapolis (one win) in May, he could join Keselowski very soon in the multiple winners category for Ford.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) celebrates in victory lane during the Toyota - Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on June 25.

R. CORY SMITH

SHR hasn’t missed a beat without Smoke behind the wheel When Tony Stewart left NASCAR last season, there was a hole left in his fans’ hearts.

Thanks to his presence at the track and on social media as an owner, however, it’s clear he never strayed far from the sport.

“I’m still here,” Stewart slyly said when asked if he missed racing in NASCAR. “What am I missing? I’m not missing anything.”

Stewart-Haas Racing, which Stewart joined as a driver-owner in 2009, was long considered a one-horse town with Smoke serving as the only serious title contender. Then came Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 and Kurt Busch in the No. 41 during the 2014 season.

Harvick quickly proved he could win a title in his first year with the team. Busch already proved that championship pedigree 10 years earlier with a title in 2004. But with Stewart stepping away last year, many pundits thought the team would lose a title contender in the No. 14 car.

But with the addition of Clint Bowyer, it’s pretty clear that isn’t the case. Bowyer has stuck around the top 10 all season in points and earned his third top five and sixth top 10 of the season on Sunday in Sonoma. Prior to joining the team, he had a total of two top fives in the previous two years.

Bowyer was six spots ahead of Busch, who finished seventh at Sonoma, to put three of the four cars from SHR in the top seven.

That makes for a very happy Stewart with so much riding on his team’s first year with Ford.

“I get the best of both worlds,” Stewart said. “I get to go to my track more. I get to race my dirt cars more. And I still get to be a part of this. I don’t know how it could be any better for me. I think I’m in the perfect scenario for myself right now.”

KYLE TERADA | USA TODAY SPORTS

KYLE TERADA | USA TODAY SPORTS

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) during the Toyota - Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on June 25.

Alon Day makes history despite forgettable finish While a fresh face didn’t win Sunday’s race, it was still a huge afternoon for one young driver.

Alon Day, a 25-year-old driver born in Ashdod, Israel, made history when he started in Sonoma as a “road-course ringer” for BK Racing in the No. 23 car.

Unfortunately, Day was involved in a wreck as he was hit from behind into another vehicle after A.J. Allmendinger spun out in

Turn 11.

“We did the best in the circumstances,” Day said. “I don’t know what happened in Turn 11, I just got hit and lost half of the car.

I tried my best and I know that the speed was there, especially at the end of the race. I told my guys they did an amazing job and we hope to come back stronger.”

BK Racing is far from a juggernaut in the sport. Matt DiBenedetto — who has since moved on to Go Fas Racing — finished seventh at Bristol last

year and the celebration was similar to a win for most teams.

So to say that Day’s finish of 32nd was poor is preposterous. Neither Corey LaJoie nor Gray Gaulding would have competed for a top 20 had they been behind the wheel of the No. 23 on Sunday.

“NASCAR changed my life,” Day said prior to the race.

“Somehow, I got the opportunity to test in European NASCAR and it went the best way (it could), and two and a half years later, I’m doing my first race ever in the Cup. So it’s something pretty remarkable for me, and every time I think about it, it’s just crazy.”

What Day’s start does do, though, is continue to move NASCAR in the right direction in terms of driver diversity. With Bubba Wallace making a start in the previous two races — becoming the first black driver in 11 years to do so — and Day earning a ride for Sonoma, the doors are finally opening.

There’s still plenty of work to do, however, as BK Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports only awarded part-time rides to both drivers. But with the talent of diverse drivers at lower levels finally starting to show, all they need is backing from sponsors and teams to make the push in the Monster Energy Cup Series.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

B7

NFL notebook

Vikes back Floyd’s tea-based DUI excuse, Tebow promoted by Mets

By NSJ Staff

Conflicted reports about Chiefs interest in ESPN’s Riddick The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly are interested in interviewing ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for their vacant general manager opening.

Riddick later tweeted Sunday that the Chiefs have not contacted him about the GM job, shooting down a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who earlier wrote on Twitter: “The Chiefs have reached out to ESPN analyst Louis Riddick to set up an interview for next week for their now-vacant GM job, sources say.”

Riddick countered with his own tweet: “The Kansas City Chiefs have not contacted me and there is no interview set up for this week. Source? Me.” The Chiefs parted ways with John Dorsey after four seasons as the general manager. Team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt made the decision not to extend Dorsey’s contract beyond the 2017 season.

At the same time, Hunt announced coach Andy Reid signed a contract extension to remain coach of the Chiefs after four seasons and also would take over player personnel duties.

Vikings backing Floyd’s alcohol-based tea defense The Minnesota Vikings are supporting wide receiver Michael Floyd’s defense that kombucha tea caused him to violate terms of his house arrest by accidentally ingesting alcohol.

Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren wrote a letter backing Floyd’s claim that he did not know kombucha tea contains alcohol, according to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Warren sent the letter to Floyd’s attorney, Robert Feinberg, who attached it to a defense motion urging Scottsdale (Ariz.) City Judge Statia Hendrix to cancel the hearing and reinstate electronic monitoring for the last five days of Floyd’s 96-day home confinement.

According to the newspaper, Warren’s letter corroborates Floyd’s claim that he was unaware kombucha tea contained alcohol when he drank several bottles while watching movies into the early morning of June 11 at the Minnesota house of Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, his former college roommate at Notre Dame.

“I am writing to request Mr. Floyd not have his court mandated requirements negatively impacted since he did not know the kombucha he ingested contained alcohol,” Warren wrote in the June 21 letter, which was copied to Vikings president Mark Wilf, general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer.

Raiders QB Carr says he left money on the table The Oakland Raiders officially signed Derek Carr to a five-year, $125 million contract extension through the 2022 season, and the star quarterback said he “never chased the money.”

Carr confirmed Friday during a

press conference announcing his extension that his deal was structured in order to leave the Raiders with enough money under the salary cap to extend other star players on the team.

“We figured out a way to do it so that we have the opportunity to sign the other guys that I think are important to this organization,” Carr told reporters. “That was really important to me. Not to just take every single dime that we could. I hope that that’s known.

“Obviously, the position that I play, it has to be around a certain number. It just is what it is. At the same time, I told (my agent), if we can structure it in a way to help the Raiders get the other guys, give them an opportunity to come in, that that would be really important to me too.”

Green Bay confident city can host successful NFL Draft Green Bay, by far the smallest market in the NFL, is pushing to host an upcoming draft.

Philadelphia hosted the NFL Draft in April and the event drew over 250,000 people in a threeday span.

Brad Toll, president and CEO of the Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, is confident the city could manage a Philadelphia-sized crowd with enough working space and hotel accommodations.

“My gut feeling is with the people they had in town (in Philadelphia), we could accommodate that,” Toll told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Between the Resch Center and Titletown District, we certainly have every bit of space they need.”

Green Bay’s biggest challenge could be the number of hotel rooms to accommodate such a huge event. Green Bay has just 4,700 hotel rooms while neighboring Appleton adds another 3,000, compared to the Philadelphia region with more than 35,000 hotel rooms.

Mets to promote Tebow The New York Mets will promote former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow from Class A Columbia to Class A Advanced St. Lucie on Sunday.

St. Lucie is the Mets’ third-highest ranked minor league affiliate.

The 29-year-old Tebow is batting .222 with three home runs, 23 RBIs, a .311 on-base percentage and a .340 slugging percentage in 63 games for the Columbia Fireflies. He has 69 strikeouts and 23 walks in 212 at-bats.

Tebow was scheduled to play in his final game Sunday for Columbia, before reporting to St. Lucie on Tuesday.

“It’s not like he’s tearing up the league, but at the same time all of the indications are positive in terms of various things we look at — chase rates and exit velocity,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters Sunday.

“The bottom line is the average isn’t there, but he’s improving.

“His recent last three weeks are actually trending pretty well.

Given all the other circumstances, age and so forth, we thought this was the right time to promote him.”

Brad Rempel | USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd (18) catches a pass at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, MN on June 13.

Jeremy Brevard | USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) speaks with the media after practice at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on May 5.

Panthers anxious to see McCaffrey, Newton throws for first time since surgery 2015 MVP had shoulder surgery March 30 for partially torn rotator cuff The Sports XChange CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers didn’t have a chance to see the full operation in motion during the spring’s offseason, but there’s value in what they accomplished after a disturbing 2016 season that came on the heels of a Super Bowl appearance the season before.

Much of the objective was to return to the form that led to their success and re-established the areas that carried them so far in the 2015 season.

Some of the areas that can create a bounce-back are obvious, such as a healthy linebacker Luke Kuechly, who spent a good part of the past season in concussion protocol.

And there’s the need to see quarterback Cam Newton return to form. Plus, the possibilities for the offense could be almost endless with versatile running back Christian McCaffrey, a rookie who arrived for the final day of minicamp.

“It’s good to come out here,” McCaffrey said. “Real anxious ...

I’m glad to be here now. You miss some time, but that part is over now.”

The same could be said for Newton, who was seen throwing again for the first time since undergoing offseason surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his right throwing shoulder.

The Panthers posted a video on the team website to document an update on Newton’s recovery. He threw 45 passes to head trainer Ryan Vermillion in the locker room in sets of 15 throws.

“Obviously, it’s still not 100 percent, but seeing the ball come out of my hand in a throwing motion was good,” Newton told the website. “When I say it’s not 100 percent, I’m noting the rangeof-motion part. Like if you sleep with your legs hanging off your bed the whole night, you’re going to wake up and be super stiff. Or like sitting on your hands, or sitting in an awkward position and finally getting up and moving — that’s how I feel.”

Newton underwent surgery on March 30 to repair a partially torn rotator cuff that was expected to require a four-month rehab process. At the time, the team said the 2015 NFL MVP would not be allowed to throw for 12 weeks and wouldn’t throw with the team for 16 weeks.

Newton is expected to be cleared to throw to teammates when the Panthers begin training camp on July 26 in Spartanburg, S.C. “I want to be 100 percent come training camp,” Newton told the team website. “There’s no doubt that I will be. Shoot, in two weeks, I’ll be ready to rock and roll. It’s just the stiffness, getting the range of motion back,

Jim Dedmon | USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) performs a non throwing drill during Mini Camp held at Carolina Panthers Practice Field in Charlotte on June 13.

“Obviously it’s still not 100 percent, but seeing the ball come out of my hand in a throwing motion was good. When I say it’s not 100 percent, I’m noting the range-ofmotion part.”

Cam Newton, Panthers QB

strengthening those joints and the arm. Hopefully, with no setbacks, we’ll be good.”

Newton’s injury occurred in the Panthers’ Week 14 game against the Chargers. He played in each of the team’s remaining three games and underwent offseason MRI exams to monitor his progress before deciding on surgery.

Newton passed for 3,509 yards with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season for the Panthers, who missed the playoffs after finishing last in the NFC South with a 6-10 record.

McCaffrey’s arrival came with considerable hype, if for no other reason than often storylines can be mundane at this time of the year.

“He understands the game. He knows the game, and I think that shows,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “I’m fairly confident that once we get to training camp, when we get going full blast, there’s going to be no falloff.”

After Thursday’s workout, even Newton jumped into the frenzy.

“We’ve all been waiting on Christian, even myself,” Newton said.

Not only did McCaffrey attend the final minicamp session, but so did team owner Jerry Richardson, who makes such rare appearances that they’re notable whenever he’s on hand. For at least a day, McCaffrey seemed to fit in.

“I’ve been studying (the playbook) so hard,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of vets helping me out.”

Much of the intrigue around McCaffrey is how his role will complement that of veteran running back Jonathan Stewart, who often has been the go-to running back the past few seasons.

If nothing else, McCaffrey’s limited role to this point limited some of the examples of how that might pan out, though training camp is bound to offer better insight on that.

While the defensive unit often had its way during minicamp, that’s probably appropriate in the big picture. The offense, however, can take solace in that its starting quarterback and prized draftee weren’t full participants and their additions should provide a significant lift.

Some of the defenders probably departed the minicamp with an extra dose of confidence.

That, too, might be a step toward something better in a few months because that unit took some shots last season and rebuilding the swagger wouldn’t seem to hurt.

B8

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Dwight Howard looking to prove he’s still a superstar with Hornets Despite being overlooked in recent seasons and missing All-Star selections, newest Hornet confident he can regain dominance in Charlotte

By R. Cory Smith North State Journal DWIGHT HOWARD is 31 years old and entering his 14th season in the NBA. Despite the fact that the eight-time All-Star hasn’t been voted to the illustrious game in the last three seasons, he’s confident he can regain that form with the Hornets.

When Howard was traded to Charlotte last Tuesday, it came as a shock to most in the NBA community — even Howard was jokingly tweeting about NBA trade rumors when it happened. Now that he has come to terms with leaving his hometown Hawks for the Hornets, Howard is ready to get back to his All-Star ways.

“A lot of people have written me off, which is great because it’s going to make me work even harder,” Howard said at his introductory news conference. “I’m just looking forward to this opportunity because I have a lot left in the tank.”

Last season, Howard averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, which was near his production during the last two seasons in Houston. However, he saw his role diminished in the playoffs as Atlanta was bounced in the first round by Washington with Howard averaging just eight points and 10.7 rebounds.

Those numbers might not be what Howard wants, but they are better than the current starting center in Charlotte. Cody Zeller started 58 games last year while posting career highs in points (10.3) and rebounds (6.3), both of which are lower than Howard has ever averaged in 14 years in the NBA. Zeller will likely be moved to a backup role, bolstering the depth inside along with Marvin Williams and Frank Kaminsky at the power forward position. But head coach Steve Clifford, who was Howard’s assistant coach with the Magic and Lakers, is excited about much more than his offensive talents.

“I’m excited about working with Dwight again,” Clifford said. “He brings a defensive mindset, shot blocking ability and a level of physicality that will be a huge asset for us. We look forward to him continuing his career here in Charlotte.”

JASON GETZ | USA TODAY SPORTS

Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) attempts a shot against Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) and forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the first quarter of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22 in Atlanta.

As for Howard, the veteran forward had glowing remarks about his new coach, too.

“He understands me,” Howard said. ”... He was always there for me and not once did he turn his back on me or talk bad about me.

He was very positive and he was somebody that I have always trusted in.”

Howard wasn’t the only player added to the Hornets’ roster last week. The backcourt also saw a

vast improvement with the selections of Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon in the 2017 NBA Draft.

With Monk going No. 11 overall, he’s expected to fight for playing time with entrenched starter Nicolas Batum alongside All-Star point guard Kemba Walker.

But with Howard set to be paid $23.5 million in each of the next two seasons, the pressure will be firmly on his shoulders to carry the team in the paint. Pressure won’t

be the only thing on Howard’s shoulders though — there’s clearly a chip there, too.

“Over the years a lot of things have been said and I’ve not said anything back,” Howard said.

“Somehow things that weren’t true kept getting stirred up, and that gave a lot of people wrong opinions about who I was as a person.

I should be the one speaking up for myself instead of allowing other people to do that.”

ACC Kickoff lineup includes plenty of star power In all seven players from North Carolina will be attending this year’s ACC Football Kickoff, tying Florida for the most from any state

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal WE’RE STILL A WEEK away from July 4, the unofficial midpoint of the summer season, but already the ACC’s focus has shifted to football.

The league’s annual Football Kickoff media event is scheduled to take place on July 13-14 in Charlotte with the coaches and two players from each of the 14 schools taking part.

The list of attendees was announced Tuesday, with plenty of star power to go around — starting with the NC State duo of preseason All-American defensive end Bradley Chubb and all-purpose back/tight end Jaylen Samuels.

With virtually all of its skill players from last season gone, North Carolina will be represented by offensive tackle Bentley Spain and cornerback M.J. Stewart while Duke’s contingent will consist of two Charlotte natives returning to their hometown — quarterback Daniel Jones and safety Bryon Fields.

Wake Forest, meanwhile, will bring star tight end Cam Serigne and defensive lineman Wendell Dunn.

In all seven players from North Carolina will be attending this year’s ACC Football Kickoff, tying Florida for the most from any state.

In addition to Samuels, Spain, Jones and Fields, the others are Boston College defensive end Harold Landry (Spring Lake/Pine

Forest HS), Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander (Charlotte/ Rocky River HS) and Clemson offensive guard Tyrone Crowder (Marston/ Richmond County). Former East Carolina quarterback Kurt Benkert will also be in attendance, representing Virginia.

Here is the list of all 28 players that have been chosen by their schools to participate in the ACC’s preseason media event: Boston College: Jon Baker, Offensive Lineman, 6-3, 298, Senior, Millis, Mass; Harold Landry, Defensive End, 6-3, 250, Senior, Spring Lake, N.C. Clemson: Tyrone Crowder, Offensive Guard, 6-2, 340, Redshirt Senior, Marston, N.C.; Christian Wilkins, Defensive Tackle, 6-4, 310, Junior, Springfield, Mass.

Duke: Daniel Jones, Quarterback, 6-5, 210, Redshirt Sophomore, Charlotte, N.C.; Bryon Fields, Jr., Cornerback, 5-11, 185, Redshirt Senior, Charlotte, N.C. Florida State: Deondre Francois, Quarterback, 6-2, 205, Redshirt Sophomore, Orlando, Fla.;Derwin James, Defensive Back, 6-3, 211, Redshirt Sophomore, Haines City, Fla. Georgia Tech: Ricky Jeune, Wide Receiver, 6-3, 212, Redshirt Senior, Spring Valley, N.Y.; KeShun Freeman, Defensive End, 6-2, 250, Senior, LaGrange, Ga. Louisville: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback, 6-3, 200, Junior, Pompano Beach, Fla.; Jaire Alexander, Cornerback, 5-11, 192, Junior, Charlotte, N. C. Miami: Mark Walton, Running Back, 5-9, 205, Junior, Miami, Fla.;Shaquille Quarterman, Linebacker, 6-1, 240, Sophomore, Orange Park, Fla. UNC: Bentley Spain, Offensive Tackle, 6-6, 300, Senior, Charlotte, N.C.; M.J. Stewart, Cornerback,

6-0, 200, Senior, Arlington, Va. NC State: Jaylen Samuels, All-Purpose, 5-11, 223, Senior, Charlotte, N. C.; Bradley Chubb, Defensive End, 6-4, 275, Senior, Marietta, Ga. Pittsburgh: Brian O’Neill, Offensive Tackle, 6-6, 305, Redshirt Junior, Wilmington, Del.; Avonte Maddox, Cornerback, 5-9, 180, Senior, Detroit, Mich.

Syracuse: Eric Dungey, Quarterback, 6-3, 221, Junior, Lake Oswego, Ore.; Zaire Franklin, Linebacker, 6-0, 244, Senior, Philadelphia, Pa. Virginia: Kurt Benkert, Quarterback, 6-4, 229, Redshirt Senior, Cape Coral, Fla.; Quin Blanding, Safety, 6-2, 215, Senior, Virginia Beach, Va. Virginia Tech: Cam Phillips, Wide Receiver, 6-0, 199, Senior, Laurel, Md.; Andrew Motuapuaka, Linebacker, 6-0, 233, Redshirt Senior, Virginia Beach, Va. Wake Forest: Cam Serigne, Tight End, 6-3, 250, Redshirt Senior, Ashburn, Va.; Wendell Dunn, Defensive Lineman, 6-3, 250, Redshirt Senior, Miami, Fla.

For the second time in its history, the ACC will have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at its preseason media event, as Louisville’s Lamar Jackson makes his second appearance at the Kickoff.

Florida State’s Jameis Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, attended the 2014 ACC Kickoff.

Syracuse linebacker Zaire Franklin will become the first ACC player to attend the event three times after having previously represented the Orange in 2015 and 2016.

Among the offensive players in attendance will be five quarterbacks, four offensive linemen, and five running backs or receivers, five defensive linemen, three linebackers and six defensive backs.

NC State White Team running back Jacob Davis fumbles against Red Team’s Bradley Chubb during the Kay Yow Spring Game on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in Raleigh, N.C.

KEVIN MARTIN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL FILE

Charlotte Knights pitcher Carlos Rodon pitches against the Durham Bulls as he prepares to return to the Chicago White Sox MLB club.

LAURA WOLFF | CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS

Rodon’s return to MLB goes through Durham Rough outing on scoreboard still convinced Rodon and team he was ready to return

By Shawn Krest North State Journal DURHAM — The results on the scoreboard weren’t good, but the White Sox saw what they were looking for from Carlos Rodon.

The former NC State ace and No. 3 overall draft pick has been on the disabled list for the first three months of the season, battling left biceps bursitis.

When Rodon was ready to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment, the Holly Springs resident was able to pitch on home turf.

Of Rodon’s four minor league rehab starts, three came in the state of North Carolina. On June 6, he pitched 3.1 innings for Winston-Salem (Chicago’s Single-A affiliate) in Zebulon, against the Carolina Mudcats.

Then it was on to Charlotte, the Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox, for three rehab starts. The first was in Gwinnett, followed by a home game against Indianapolis. His final test was at the DBAP in Durham, site of some of his best games as a college player and member of Team USA. “It’s nice to be back,” Rodon said after the game against the Durham Bulls. “Nice to pitch back at home. I’ve always loved pitching here. I love Durham.”

In addition to several gems against Duke, who frequently play ACC home games at the DBAP, Rodon started ACC Tournament games, when Durham hosted the event. He also had an outstanding performance to beat Cuba in a Team USA exhibition game four years ago.

For three innings, the familiar surrounds seemed to bring out the vintage Rodon. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and, at one point, struck out six of seven Bulls batters.

“I thought location-wise, I was pretty good,” he said. “My slider was good. I didn’t use that much in my last start. So we tried to break that out today. It seemed like it was working pretty good. I got some strikeouts on that. My fastball in was better. Command-wise, I felt pretty good.”

Rodon ran into some trouble in the fourth inning. After getting a leadoff strikeout, he gave up a pair of walks and four hits, including two doubles, as the Bulls hung seven runs on him.

“Walks are never good,” Rodon said. “I think it was a lefty that I walked, and that stings a little bit.

That’s on me, and that can’t happen. Those walks always seem to come back and score. They bite you in the butt.”

The Bulls’ bats also caused some trouble for the lefthander.

“I left a couple pitches up, and they made me pay,” Rodon said.

“But on a couple good pitches I threw, they hit them too. These guys are just good. These guys can play baseball. It’s not an easy level to pitch at.”

Even though the result wasn’t what he wanted, Rodon said it was good to be home. “It’s nice to be able to see the family,” he said. “I don’t get to see them much or get to hang out with them. It was a pleasure to be here.”

“I thought it would help me out this time, again,” he added, referring to his other magical DBAP moments. “I guess sometimes you’ve got to pay back the ballpark.”

Remarkably, after being saddled with the loss against the Bulls, Rodon dropped to 0-4 in his rehab starts.

“I’m kind of still trying to go out and compete and win for the team,” Rodon said. “But it hasn’t gone the right way for me. Those things happen.”

Still, while the scoreboard didn’t indicate it, Rodon considered the latest outing a success.

“Today, I felt really god,” he said.

“I probably felt my best. I felt like everything I threw was on. I felt back to normal.”

So, naturally, the big question was when would Rodon be ready to return to the majors?

“My arm’s coming back,” he said.

“Everything seems healthy. Today was a big step. I think I’m ready to be up there. It’s just up to them. … That’s on the White Sox. I’ll be ready when they call my name.”

It didn’t take long for the Sox brass to make their opinion known. By the end of the weekend, Rodon was back with the team, and he could be activated for a start as soon as Wednesday night against the Yankees.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017

the good life IN A NORTH STATE OF MIND

MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The journey to the crown: Meet Victoria Huggins, Miss N.C.

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal KINSTON — Victoria Huggins, Miss Greater Sampson County, became the 80th Miss North Carolina when she took center stage under the bright lights of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night. The moment was the culmination of a five-year journey to one of the most coveted crowns in the state.

“I am thankful for every ‘no’ that led to this ‘yes’ — to my name being the last one called,” said Huggins.

Huggins, 23, is a native of St. Pauls in Robeson County. She’s a singer, a former “American Idol”

contestant, an active volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, a reporter, and five-time titleholder in the local preliminaries leading to her being named Miss North Carolina.

The first came as Miss Fayetteville 2013.

“My life should be a Lifetime Original Movie because it has been an amazing journey,” said Huggins.

“Being Miss Fayetteville in 2013 was very special. My grandfather had just passed away and I had finished competing on ‘American Idol.’

He told me, ‘You may have wanted to be the American Idol, but you’ll always be my Miss America.’”

She competed for the scholar-

“I am thankful for every ‘no’ that led to this ‘yes’ — to my name being the last one called.”

ships and for her grandfather who saw her potential before she did.

“He believed in me before I believed in myself,” said Huggins.

Miss Central Carolina followed in 2014.

“Central Carolina has a very special place in my heart. It taught me about myself as an individual and who I wanted to be as Miss North

Carolina,” she said.

Then Miss Greater Southeastern in 2015.

“I grew up in Roberson County and I wanted to represent the area I grew up in. I was able to represent an area that had done so much for me,” said Huggins.

She followed with a Miss Wilmington win in 2016.

“Miss Wilmington had the amazing opportunity for me to join with the N.C. Azalea Festival and establish partnerships, opportunities and to really get to know the community I was working and living in,” said Huggins.

In her last year of eligibility for competition, she was named Miss

Greater Sampson County 2017.

“Greater Sampson County really brought me full circle,” said Huggins. “Before I competed in Miss Fayetteville, Greater Sampson County was the very first preliminary of Miss America that I attended to see how everything works. Four years later to compete as Miss Greater Sampson County after that was the initial impression of the Miss America organization was such a humbling and full circle experience.”

And finally, Miss North Carolina 2017.

“On the way to be Miss North See MISS N.C., page C3

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

C2

NeCessities! play list June 25-July 4

Dandy Railroad through the park or get a view from above while taking a helicopter ride. It includes hundreds of vendors, Southern cooking and live farming and antique machinery demonstrations. Camping is available on site.

July 1-2

N.C. 4th of July Festival Southport

The Red, White & Blue Invitational Pinehurst

For more than 200 years, Southport has celebrated our nation’s Independence Day in a big way. Festival events and celebrations include the official North Carolina 4th of July Festival Parade, classic car show, fireworks, dance contests, live music, children’s games, a firefighters competition, naturalization ceremony and a flag raising ceremony.

This 10th Regional Championship for U.S. Kids Golf will be a twoday junior competition played on three area courses, including Pinehurst No. 1 and No. 8 and Longleaf Golf & Family Club.

From accommodations, family activities and championship courses, these are more than just golf events, they’re family destinations.

June 30-July 1 Annual Christmas in July Festival West Jefferson Historic downtown West Jefferson in Ashe County hosts an annual Christmas in July Festival. Friday night features live country music, and the largest street festival in Ashe County follows on Saturday with arts and crafts, music, Civil War reenactors and food vendors.

June 30-July 4 47th Annual Southeast Old Threshers’ Reunion Denton One of North Carolina’s oldest farm shows, the event features thousands of antique tractors, engines and cars.

Take a ride on the Handy

July 1-31 Appalachian Summer Festival Boone The Appalachian Summer Festival began in 1984 as a chamber of commerce music festival and has developed over the years to become a regional festival with more than 25,000 people in attendance each year.

Presented by the Appalachian State University Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, the annual arts celebration is held every July on and around the university campus and features a mix of music, dance, theater, visual arts and film. For more than a decade, the festival has been named one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Source: North Carolina Department of Cultural and Natural Resources

COURTESY PHOTO

Record-breaking holiday expected

By NSJ Staff Independence Day was recognized as a paid national holiday in 1938, but the tradition of celebrating our independence from England dates back to the founding of our nation. On July 4, 1777, Philadelphia kicked off the fireworks tradition by adjourning Congress to celebrate with bonfires, bells and fireworks.

According to a study by the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend $7.1 billion on cookouts and picnics as they celebrate Independence Day this year, up from $6.8 billion in 2016, and 219 million Americans plan to celebrate the holiday. A total of 162 million plan to take part in a cookout or picnic.

“With warmer-than-average weather so far this summer, Americans should be in the mood to head outside to celebrate, whether it’s watching fireworks or firing up the BBQ,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers will be well-stocked with ev-

erything from flags to burgers to help Americans prepare for their holiday activities.”

When it comes to other activities to celebrate Independence Day, 44 percent of Americans will attend a fireworks show or community celebration and 14 percent will watch a parade.

The holiday weekend is also a popular time for travel. AAA predicts a record-breaking number of Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home. With 1.25 million more travelers than last year, 2017 will be marked as the most traveled Independence Day holiday weekend ever.

“Combined, strong employment, rising incomes and higher consumer confidence bode well for the travel industry, in particular this Independence Day weekend,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president of travel and publishing. “A historic 44.2 million Americans will travel to celebrate our nation’s freedom this year, adding to an already bustling summer travel season.”

When those Americans hit the road, they will do so with lower fuel prices. The national average gas price is four cents cheaper than this same time last year and a contributing factor to the increase in travelers on the roads this Independence Day. With today’s national average price for a gallon of gas at $2.28, prices remain historically low for the summer travel season. However, consumers may see prices increase, albeit by pennies, closer to the holiday weekend, similar to the Memorial Day gas price trend.

Only 18 percent say the price of gasoline will affect their plans, down from 21 percent last year and a record low since the survey began in 2004. The number who said high gas prices would discourage them from spending for Independence Day peaked at 59 percent in 2008.

In all, 32.9 million Americans are saying they will head out of town (13 percent of those celebrating), up from 31.1 million from last year.

UWHARRIE PLAYERS PRESENT

Performances at the Stanly County Agri – Civic Center Albemarle, North Carolina July 28 and 29 @ 7:30 PM July 30@ 3:00PM and August 4 and 5 @ 7:30PM August 6 @3:00 PM

Tickets may be purchased prior to the show at: UWharrie Players.org Starnes Jewelers B & D Bookstore Or at the Box Office

Kids 12 and under, come dressed as your favorite Mary Poppins character.

Prizes will be awarded for winners.

This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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PHOTOS BY MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

MISS N.C. from page C1 Carolina, every year that I received a ‘no,’ I learned from it,” she said.

“Looking back now, I would never have been able to fully appreciate this moment had it happened earlier in my life.”

Huggins acknowledges she met her scholastics, career and personal goals all with one crown.

A graduate of UNC Pembroke with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and mass communications, and a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, Huggins is debt-free. The scholarship winnings from competition have paid tuition and student loans.

Her $20,000 scholarship as Miss North Carolina will help finance the rest of graduate school.

“Because of this organization, I am graduating debt-free,” said Huggins. “Obtaining scholarships was a primary motivator for me getting involved five years ago.”

She has already begun achieving her career goals, but being Miss North Carolina is a full-time role. She has moved into the Miss N.C. apartment and will take a year off from graduate school and her job as a morning reporter and news producer at TV station WECT in Wilmington.

“I want to grow in my role as a reporter with hopes of being a political analyst with a national news

network,” said Huggins. “I love politics, discussing it, and one of my mentors is Barbara Walters. I love how she is able to speak with world leaders, listen to them and share her opinions and it’s not in a biased way. She is a beautiful storyteller, and that’s who I want to be as a journalist — someone people can trust.”

As Miss North Carolina, Huggins will represent all sides of the political spectrum unbiasedly as she travels, meets and works alongside fellow North Carolinians.

“Being Miss North Carolina, this is wonderful practice for my career goals,” said Huggins. “As Miss North Carolina I am very mindful that I am representing the entire state and that’s every political standpoint — the right, left, middle — and every ideology.

“While I do have my own personal beliefs and opinions, it is important for me to listen and be a good role model for every opinion that is out there,” she added.

“That’s what I think a good journalist or good political leader should do.

“Of course, the ultimate personal goal was becoming Miss North Carolina, so check that off the list,” continued an excited Huggins. “And then becoming Miss America would be an incredible opportunity that I can bring a

crown back home to North Carolina for the first time since 1962.

I believe my unique talents and abilities will help propel me to that job.”

Huggins, indeed, stands apart from the rest. The organization has never had a Victoria as a Miss America and there hasn’t been a winner with the platform of Alzheimer’s disease awareness.

Huggins will vie for the title of Miss America in Atlantic City on Sept. 10. In the meantime, she has already begun the business plan she created for her role as Miss North Carolina — one she presented to the judges in her interview.

The plan includes meeting with Gov. Roy Cooper to discuss ways they can work together to make North Carolina a better place; spotlighting musical therapy needs for Alzheimer’s patients; and meeting with representatives of Fortune 500 companies to secure more support of the Miss North Carolina Organization and the Children’s Miracle Network (the organization’s official platform).

“This organization isn’t about spotlighting yourself. It’s about bringing recognition to the other amazing people and organizations you represent,” said Huggins.

Huggins, in her new role, begins to shine the light on North Carolina.

Lead, Miss North Carolina Outstanding Teen contestants wait for their cue to take the stage before one of them is crowned during the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant event.

The Outstanding Teen competition is open to girls age 13-17.

Above left, Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen 2017 Marissa Garrison, left, receives her sash from last year’s winner Catherine White, right, during the scholarship pageant competition Above right, Miss Charlotte Kylee Russell performs a dance routine as part of the talent portion of the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant. Russell was fourth runner-up.

Bottom, The Four Points of the Crown Award sits backstage during the 80th Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant.

This year the award was given to Amanda Roberts, who has volunteered with the pageant for 20 years.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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ENTERTAINMENT the BRIEF

WSJ: Facebook in talks to produce original TV-quality shows Facebook is in talks with Hollywood studios about producing scripted, TVquality shows, with an aim of launching original programing by late summer, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The social networking giant has indicated that it was willing to commit to production budgets as high as $3 million per episode, in meetings with Hollywood talent agencies, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Labour’s Corbyn puts politics center stage at Glastonbury Festival British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn got a rock star reception at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, telling a headliner-sized crowd that millions of young people who voted for him would not be silenced or sidelined. Dismissed as a left-wing no-hoper before elections on June 8, Corbyn attracted a surge of support from 18- to 24-year-olds that helped his Labour Party deny Prime Minister Theresa May a parliamentary majority.

At platform 9-3/4, Harry Potter fans mark 20 years of magic Twenty years to the day after the first book in the Harry Potter series was published, fans gathered online and in the real world to express their enduring love for J.K. Rowling’s magical creation. Since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” came out in 1997, with a first print run of just 500 copies, the series of seven novels has sold 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages and spawned a blockbuster movie franchise.

Barry Gibb brings Bee Gee’s disco fever to Glasto’s legends slot Barry Gibb brought some Sunday afternoon fever to the legends slot at Glastonbury Festival when he entertained a huge crowd with Bee Gees hits “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep is Your Love,” “Night Fever” and “Tragedy.” The songs were all featured on the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever,” released 40 years ago, and festival goers at the Pyramid Stage were dressed up and ready to pay homage to the movie and music that defined disco.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Twentieth Century Fox’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ takes CGI to a new level Story takes a back seat to imagery in third film in reboot

By Peter Debruge Reuters LOS ANGELES — In the original “Planet of the Apes” movies, Caesar and his simian co-stars were buried beneath layers of prosthetic makeup, severely limiting their ability to emote. In Fox’s recently rebooted “Apes” trilogy (three and counting), the computer-generated chimps appear more human than the Homo sapiens — which is clearly what the series has been working up to. In purely technical terms, director Matt Reeves more than achieves that goal, although it requires rigging the screenplay and reducing the human characters to crass two-dimensional stereotypes in the process.

Dawn has risen, and “War for the Planet of the Apes” picks up at a point where the world has been divided into two camps: those deeply impressed by all that directors Rupert Wyatt and Reeves have done with the franchise, and those who couldn’t care less. If you already find yourself on the side of the “Apes” enthusiasts, a fittingly militant lot, then “War” will likely be a mind-blowing experience, upping the ante via both its bleeding-edge visual effects and the grim self-seriousness of Reeves’ approach.

As in episodes one through three of the “Star Wars” franchise, Reeves is operating in revisionist-prequel mode, filling in the calamitous backstory that leads to a depressing present reality — except that in this case, he’s less concerned with mythology, approaching this chapter as an elaborate homage to such manly classics as “The Great Escape,” “The Bridge on the River Kwai”

and “Apocalypse Now,” starring monkeys. For better or worse, the result is the most impressive anthropomorphic-animal adventure since “Chicken Run” — although impressiveness alone does not a good movie make.

In fact, “War” so desperately wants to inspire awe that Reeves and director of photography Michael Seresin shooting on the largeformat, ultra hi-def Alexa 65 design every shot of the film as if it were a painting intended for the Louvre, getting the composition and lighting to look just perfect, often at the expense of the underlying narrative. Whereas 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (directed by Wyatt) offered a cautionary tale about genetic engineers playing God, and Reeves’ 2014 follow-up “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” coincided with growing racial unrest somewhat problematically equating apes to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., “War” fails to delivery a functional allegory.

Following a brutal prologue in which a team of human soldiers stumbles across a group of apes patrolling on horseback, the film abruptly switches sides, opting to identify with the misunderstood primates, led by Caesar (played by motion-capture maestro Andy Serkis), our hyperintelligent chimp hero. The villain here is a human known only as “the Colonel” (Woody Harrelson), who sneaks into Caesar’s waterfall hideout to murder his wife and child in cold blood. The attack doesn’t make much strategic sense, costing the Colonel’s team more damage than he inflicts, and yet it’s certainly stunning to behold, as the human soldiers’ green-laser scopes pierce the darkness of Caesar’s base.

More importantly, this tragic encounter gives Caesar a chance to emote — in extreme close-up, no less — as Reeves’ virtual camera studies his face, ensuring that

Visual effects technology has come mind-boggingly far since ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes.’

Serkis’ every micro-expression reads loud and clear on his all-digital avatar.

Visual effects technology has come mind-bogglingly far since “Rise,” where the crew concentrated nearly all of its energy on rendering a single simian character, Caesar. In “Dawn,” Caesar was but one of an elaborate monkey ensemble, including different species who squabbled and fought among themselves. In that film, Caesar made a big deal about rejecting violence and trying to establish some kind of harmony between man and ape. Now, he tosses all that wisdom out the window and sets out on a revenge mission, determined to make the Colonel pay for his crimes.

It’s a terrible idea, both practically, as Caesar is completely outmanned, and in narrative terms, considering that “War’s” final scene reveals a solution where they might have avoided violence altogether by striking out to colonize what looks like an untouched expanse of National Park land. But Reeves is determined to do things his way, which means orchestrating a man vs. ape conflict epic enough to justify the movie’s “War” title — represented by a gruesome concentration camp where apes are enslaved and later decimated by machine-gun fire, violence that would tip the film into “R” territory if it were directed at humans.

Rounding up a small band of loyal supporters — including fellow chimp Rocket (Terry Notary), right-hand orangutan Maurice (Karin Konoval) and sensitive go-

rilla Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) — Caesar sets off on a cross-country mission that takes him through snow-covered landscapes. Along the way, they discover a stunted zoo escapee known as “Bad Ape” (Steve Zahn, providing this grim film’s only comic relief) and a human orphan named Nova (Amiah Miller), rendered mute by the simian flu. As such, her linguistic skills lag far behind her animal saviors, and yet she’s the only human who seems to accept the apes, a few of whom can speak (in long, drawn-out sentences that make for tedious dialog scenes), while the others communicate via a combination of ape sounds and sign language.

For blocking purposes, Caesar nearly always has his back to whoever is signing — another indication that photorealistic facial expressions seem to matter more to Reeves than the emotional truth behind them. In scene after scene, he lingers on Caesar’s face, encouraging us to marvel at the nuance of Serkis’ performance, as if every virtual tic and twitch reveals the character’s profound humanity — when in fact, it’s Harrelson’s cartoonishly over-the-top turn as the Colonel that makes Caesar seem so subtle by comparison. It’s fitting that the visual effects have advanced so dramatically since 2011, as it allows the series to suggest that its ape protagonists have evolved to an equivalent degree, and yet, the story of “War’s” is beneath their intelligence.

Reeves asks us to empathize with Caesar on a quest that defies everything the character has previously stood for, then gives him an easy way out when it finally comes time to exact his revenge.

Likewise, he promises a war movie, then delivers a show-stopping avalanche at precisely the moment both sides are expected to do battle. By quoting from some of cinema’s best adventure movies, Reeves has safely satisfied the fanboy contingent, and yet the ease with which he eradicates the human race betrays an alarming soullessness that even the most pixel-perfect performance capture can’t excuse.

Want to learn more about North Carolina Agriculture?

The First Furrow www.FirstFurrow.com

the BRIEF

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017

BUSINESS

N.C. Realtor Lou Baldwin wins national award

nc research

Less dietary salt is coming from packaged foods these days UNC Chapel Hill study finds a drop in sodium intake

By Andrew M. Seaman Reuters

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL PINKSTON

Equipment from The Climbing Place in Fayetteville dries out after the facility was flooded by Hurricane Matthew.

Nine months later businesses are still rebuilding after Hurricane Matthew

By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal FAYETTEVILLE — When Hurricane Matthew ripped through North Carolina last fall bringing heavy rains and unprecedented flooding, many businesses, communities and residents were left without a home.

The Climbing Place in Fayetteville, one of the oldest indoor rock climbing facilities in the state, has been a hot spot for adventure enthusiasts since 1992.

“We opened our doors when rock climbing was just a whisper,” said owner Michael Pinkston. “There were only 15 to 20 rock climbing centers in the United States, and we were very visionary opening as rock climbing was a new sport.”

Twenty-three years in business and people still travel from all over to visit. Being in Fayetteville, they survived when businesses were closing during the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“During the first Gulf War, 30 percent of business in Fayetteville closed; but we stayed open,” said Pinkston.

Military presence is strong at The Climbing Place, making up 20 percent of their members. It’s also family-oriented with programs for youth, toddlers, mother’s morning out and is a place for the training of national athletes in the sport of rock climbing.

“We are helping the community to learn the sport of indoor climbing,” said Pinkston.

“We are not a gym with smelly socks and sour locker rooms. We have family events every day.”

There is no such thing as an offseason for the Climbing Place. On Oct. 8, 2016, as Hurricane Matthew was slated to make landfall, The Climbing Place opened as usual and began preparing to host a child’s birthday party.

“It was supposed to be a Category 1 storm coming in, but at 9:45 a.m. the parking lot was flooded. I looked up the street, up the

hill and saw a wall of water coming at us. I ran inside and told everyone to drop what they were doing and get out. The flood waters were coming,” said Pinkston.

More than 2 feet of water poured into the facility destroying their retail store, electronics, climbing walls, offices and everything else in the path of the water flow.

“The office partitions folded like cards.

The force of the water was terrible and we lost everything,” he added. “To see everything you’ve worked for and built swept away in less than 2 minutes is just devastating.”

It would be four days before Pinkston could get back to his business where he’d find extensive damage, hot temperatures, mold and mildew. The damage totaled $650,000.

“My first thoughts were, ‘We’re ruined,’” he added.

But Pinkston and his 10 employees began cleaning up and rebuilding anyway. He applied for funds from the Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) and thanks to a Fayetteville city councilman he learned he was eligible for an emergency loan through the N.C. Rural Center’s Emergency Loan Bridge program.

“Within 24 hours of turning in my application, I was notified I would receive a $15,000 bridge loan with zero percent interest,” said Pinkston. “I’m grateful for assistance from all of these avenues because I’ve been able to rebuild The Climbing Place from the ground up.”

In response to Hurricane Matthew, the N.C. Rural Center offered the N.C. Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to assist small business around the state needing quick assistance in helping to regain their footing following the devastating effects of the flood. The program was a partnership of the Rural Center, the N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center, and the N.C. Community Colleges See CLIMBING PLACE, page C6

CHAPEL HILL — Packaged foods and store-bought drinks are blamed for adding a lot of salt to U.S. diets, but a new study suggests those foods and beverages don’t contain as much sodium as they once did.

The amount of salt brought into U.S. households through packaged food and store-bought beverages fell by about 18 percent from 2000 through 2014, researchers found.

“Households are getting less sodium from the grocery store, but I think it’s important to know sodium in packaged foods is still way too high,” said lead author Jennifer Poti of the Department of Nutrition at the UNC Chapel Hill.

“So we have a long way to go.”

Experts and dietary guidelines have urged people in the U.S. to cut back on sodium. The current recommendation is to consume less than 2,300 milligrams per day, or the amount in about one tea- “Households spoon of salt.

Too much sodium in- are getting creases blood pressure by less sodium drawing water from the body into the blood vessels, from the according to the American grocery store, Heart Association. High blood pressure can damage but I think it’s the blood vessels and lead important to to serious problems like know sodium heart attacks and strokes.

For the new study, pub- in packaged lished in JAMA Internal foods is Medicine, the researchers analyzed data on packaged still way too food purchased from 2000 high.” through 2014 by 30,000 to 60,000 U.S. households each year. Overall, they had — Jennifer Poti, data on about 1.5 million lead author of products. the Department Over the study period, of Nutrition at sodium from packaged foods and beverages fell the UNC Chapel from 2,363 milligrams per Hill day per person to 1,967 milligrams per day.

When they examined the nutritional content of the purchased foods, the researchers found that the salt content in the products had fallen about 12 percent over the study period.

In seven of the 10 biggest sources of salt among packaged foods and beverages, sodium content declined at least 10 percent. Those included items like condiments, sauces and dips.

The new study can’t say why the amount of salt from packaged foods and beverages declined. Poti said people didn’t seem to drastically change their purchases during the study.

“Potentially some of these changes are due to the removal of sodium from products by manufacturers,” she told Reuters Health.

Despite the progress in reducing sodium, less than 2 percent of households were buying foods and beverages considered to contain an acceptable amount of salt, the study found.

Eduardo Munoz | REUTERS

Greensboro North Carolina Association of Relators past president and current Winston-Salem regional association of Realtors President Lou Baldwin was recently awarded the Federal Political Coordinator Meritorious Service Award from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Federal political coordinators are NAR members that communicate regularly with an assigned member of the United States Congress on behalf of the Realtor Party. The FPC Service Award is granted annually to two FPC members who have demonstrated exceptional service. “Recipients of this award will meet rigorous set of criteria that will set them apart from other FPCs. They will demonstrate a strong relationship with their assigned member of Congress and a willingness to educate Capitol Hill on issues most pressing to the real estate industry,” the NAR website says. “Lou has distinguished himself in a manner few others have accomplished. It is a great honor to have Lou as a member of NC Realtors,” stated CEO Andrea Bushnell.

Amazon launches “trybefore-you-buy” fashion service Seattle Amazon, already one of the biggest apparel sellers in the United States, has unveiled a test program called Prime Wardrobe. Part of the Amazon Prime shopping club, the new feature will allow members to order three or more items without paying for them up front. Customers will have a week after receiving their shipment to decide which items they want to buy and which they want to return before being charged. It is the latest foray by Amazon into apparel and groceries, categories that have been slower to shift online. Prime Wardrobe represents another way Amazon is encouraging people to sign up for Prime, its $99-per-year program that includes two-day shipping and streaming video. The company has found that assuming these extra costs is worth it because Prime members buy more goods, more often on Amazon.

Imagination Tech up for sale after bruising Apple fight London Imagination Technologies, the British firm that lost 70 percent of its value after being ditched by its biggest customer Apple, put itself up for sale last week in a disappointing end to a once-great European tech success story. Founded in 1985 and listed in 1994, Imagination has been rocked

by Apple’s announcement in April that it was developing its own graphics chips and would no longer use Imagination’s processing designs in 15 months to two years time. Apple’s decision, which analysts said posed an existential threat to the company, sent Imagination’s shares plummeting 70 percent on April 3 and they have barely recovered since. The stock jumped as much as 21 percent on Thursday, however, after the sale announcement to 149.5 pence, giving the company a market capitalization of 425 million pounds ($538 million).

Analysts said potential buyers could include Intel, Qualcomm, Mediatek, CEVA and various entities from China, while Apple itself could be interested.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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n.c.

statewide spotlight

Booz Allen Hamilton says DOJ investigating its accounting practices

By Lisa Lambert Reuters

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FIREWORKS & FRANKS Whether you celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, franks or both, you’ll find some inspiring, fun and yummy ways to show your patriotic pride in North Carolina’s public power communities. Here are a few to consider: FIREWORKS Belhaven 75th Annual 4th of July Celebration Clayton 37th Anniversary Independence Day Edenton 38th Annual July 4th Celebration Morganton Red, White and Bluegrass Festival New Bern Independence Night at Tryon Palace Rocky Mount Independence Day Celebration Southport North Carolina 4th of July Festival FRANKS Greenville Sup Dogs Fayetteville Hot Diggidy Dog High Point The Dog House Kinston Ma’s Hot Dog House Statesville Jay Bee’s Wake Forest Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs Washington Bill’s Hot Dogs Wilson Dick’s Hot Dog Stand Head to www.facebook.com/ ElectriCities for links to details.

Have a safe and happy Fourth!

MCLEAN, Va. — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating some of the ways Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp, one of the largest consulting firms in the world, charges the government for services and accounts for costs, the company said in a filing on Thursday that sent its shares down 12 percent after the bell.

The Justice Department informed a Booz Allen unit of the investigation earlier this month, Booz Allen said in the brief regulatory filing, adding that it was cooperating with the government. The company declined to comment beyond the filing and an identical statement it posted on its website.

Public affairs representatives at the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment, but the agency as a rule does not make statements about ongoing investigations.

The firm said its audit processes had not identified any material weaknesses or “significant erroneous cost charging.”

Headquartered in McLean, Va., near the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. capital, Booz Allen generates almost all its revenue from government work. According to its latest annual report, the company receives nearly half of its revenues, $2.7 billion, from defense contracts, and nearly a quarter, $1.3 billion, from intelligence offices such as the National Security Agency (NSA).

It also brings in about $1.6 billion from contracts with Home-

CLIMBING PLACE from page C5 Small Business Center Network.

“With the help of different funding partners, agencies and banks, we could award 15 loans at $15,000 with zero percent interest for 16 months,” said Barry Ryan, senior director of programs at the N.C. Rural Center.

Funds for the Bridge Loan program were raised from the Golden LEAF Foundation, N.C.’s Electric Cooperatives, BB&T and Wells Fargo to assist North Carolina small

JOSHUA ROBERTS | REUTERS

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein speaks during National Missing Children’s Day at the Department of Justice in Washington.

land Security, Health and Human Services, Veteran Affairs, Treasury and Justice and other domestic departments.

Booz Allen gained attention for its NSA work. It employed Edward Snowden, who exposed the agency’s vast domestic and international surveillance operations by leaking a trove of secret files to news organizations in 2013.

Then, for the second time in three

years, an employee working under an NSA contract was charged last year with stealing classified information.

In October, the company hired former FBI Director Robert Mueller to conduct an external review of its security practices. But Mueller has since stepped away from that review after being named in May as special counsel to oversee the FBI’s probe of alleged Russian

meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Booz Allen has come under scrutiny in the past for its work on a U.S. government program of surveilling the global cooperative called the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, no-bid contracts it was given by Homeland Security and the high price tag for data software it provided to the National Institutes of Health.

businesses and family farms as they recovered following Hurricane Matthew. The program provided small businesses like The Climbing Place with a short-term, interest-free loan while federal loans, insurance payouts and other disaster relief funds were pending approval.

“The Rural Center has a long history of intervening in disaster recovery. Assisting businesses in need is a natural fit for us and one of the core aspects of our mission,” said Ryan.

While the Bridge Loan Program

is no longer being offered, the Rural Center offers the N.C. Small Business Recovery Fund to aid small businesses affected by the 16 storms and wildfires experienced in 2016.

The Recovery Fund offers loans up to $250,000 with a low interest and terms up to 10 years.

“The Recovery Fund offers financial assistance to businesses suffering from physical damage and economic injury; businesses needing repairs; and those businesses undergoing mitigation,” added Ryan.

For a business, assessing damage, understanding the financial and economic implications from the natural disasters, and rebuilding are processes that don’t happen overnight.

“The true impact on small businesses and the economies of rural communities from these natural disasters have yet to been seen,” Ryan continued. “This program is helping business that are finding their debt rise as they rebuild or are just now realizing the impact the flood had on their business.”

For generations, we’ve given doctors, nurses, firefighters, soldiers, scientists, shopkeepers, farmers, mechanics, moms and dads a ride to school.

A small-town company can make big dreams come true. At Thomas Built Buses, we’re proud of our contribution to the educational system. Each and every day, we put our hearts into the quality and durability of our buses. We’re so proud of the millions of young Americans who sat in a Thomas seat and are now incredible success stories. None of it would have happened without the communities where we live and work. You, our friends and neighbors, are part of the Thomas family. We sincerely thank you for working with us to make our communities and businesses the very best they can be.

Through the DaimlerCares program, Thomas Built Buses and Daimler work to support charities and philanthropies in the communities they serve, by encouraging employees to give back in both time and company-matched funds.

1408 Courtesy Road, High Point, NC 27260 | thomasbuiltbuses.com TBB/MC-A-105. Thomas Built Buses, Inc. is registered to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004. Copyright © Daimler Trucks North America LLC. All rights reserved. Thomas Built Buses Inc. is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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U.S. high court to review scope of Dodd-Frank whistleblower protections

By Sarah N. Lynch Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether corporate insiders who blow the whistle on their employers are shielded from retaliation if they only report alleged misconduct internally rather than to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The justices will hear Digital Realty Trust Inc’s appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of Paul Somers, an executive fired by the San Francisco-based company after he complained internally about alleged misconduct by his supervisor but never reported the matter to the U.S. SEC. The case hinges on the SEC’s whistleblower protection rules required by the 2010 DoddFrank Wall Street reform law.

The court agreed to take up the case on the last day of a ninemonth session. The court will hear the case during the next term that starts in October.

The SEC rules, adopted in 2011, prohibit corporate employers from retaliating in any way against whistleblowers who try to report allegations of securities law violations.

They also give the SEC the power to offer monetary awards to whistleblowers whose tips lead to successful enforcement actions.

Digital Realty Trust argues the anti-retaliation protections do not apply to people who fail to report their allegations to the SEC because the law defines a whistleblower as a person who reports possible securities violations to the SEC. If the Supreme Court ultimately sides with the company, then it would force corporate whistleblowers to report wrongdoing to the SEC in order to be protected from retaliation.

Such a result could deter people from reporting misconduct internally first, said Jordan

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As summer opened with World Trade Month, we thought we’d turn to an expert to explore some of the many reasons North Carolina businesses are contributing to the global economy. Jamie McCall, a research analyst for the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., has boiled it down to five essential reasons your homegrown business can thrive in a global marketplace: Approved Logos

JONATHAN ERNST | REUTERS

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (seated C) leads Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front row, left to right), Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan (back row, left to right), Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Neil Gorsuch in taking a new family photo including Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington.

“Corporate whistleblowers and corporations should hope that the Supreme Court finds that internal reporting is sufficient to have the antiretaliation protections because if not, sophisticated corporate whistleblowers will bypass internal reporting systems and report directly to the SEC.” — Jordan Thomas, partner at Labaton Sucharow Thomas, a partner at Labaton Sucharow who represents SEC whistleblowers.

“I think both corporate whistleblowers and corporations should hope that the Supreme Court finds that internal report-

ing is sufficient to have the anti-retaliation protections because if not, sophisticated corporate whistleblowers will bypass internal reporting systems and report directly to the SEC,” he said.

Digital Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust company, became entangled in the dispute over whistleblower protection after it fired Somers, its former vice president of portfolio management.

Somers had complained internally that his supervisor had eliminated some internal controls and hid major cost overruns on a project in Hong Kong.

After he was fired, he sued the company in November 2014, saying he was protected from retaliation as a whistleblower under the Dodd-Frank law.

The company tried unsuccessfully to quash his claim in the

China, Canada vow not to conduct cyber attacks on private sector

By Michael Martina Reuters BEIJING — China and Canada have signed an agreement vowing not to conduct state-sponsored cyber attacks against each other aimed at stealing trade secrets or other confidential business information.

The Canadian government, under pressure to show it is not being too soft on China, described the deal as a step toward dealing with Chinese espionage, The Globe and

n.c.

FAST FACTS

Mail reported Monday.

“This is something that three or four years ago [Beijing] would not even have entertained in the conversation,” an unnamed official told the paper, which first reported the agreement.

Some countries, including the United States, have long accused Beijing of sponsoring hacking attacks on companies in an effort to acquire sensitive foreign technology. China denies those accusations, and says it is also a victim of hacking.

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The new agreement between Canada and China covers only economic cyber espionage, which includes hacking corporate secrets and proprietary technology. It does not encompass state-sponsored cyber spying for intelligence gathering.

The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to boost trade with China, in part to lessen dependence on exports to the United States. In return, China is pushing Ottawa to reduce strict security-related re-

United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

While the case was on appeal before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a divided 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled in a similar case that people who only report misconduct internally are whistleblowers who merit protection from retaliation.

The 9th Circuit later affirmed the California finding, with the SEC also filing a friend of the courtbrief in the case and participating in oral arguments in support of Somers.

Both the 2nd and 9th Circuit opinions are at odds with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which previously held that whistleblowers must report to the SEC in order to receive protective status.

strictions on Canadian assets that China and other nations can buy.

Ottawa recently allowed Hytera Communications to buy Canadian satellite communications firm Norsat International.

Canada’s main opposition Conservative Party — long suspicious about Chinese investment in sensitive sectors — says the deal should have been vetted more thoroughly.

“These are steps the Liberals are doing to appease the Chinese government,” party leader Andrew Scheer told CTV Television Network on Sunday.

The new agreement was reached during talks between Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser and senior Communist Party official Wang Yongqing, the Canadian government said in a statement issued June 22.

1. North Carolina businesses manufactured and exported over $67.1 billion worth of goods and services in 2015.

2. North Carolina’s exports play a large role in the state’s total economic output.

3. North Carolina’s robust export economy creates hundreds of thousands of jobs.

4. The largest exporting industry in North Carolina is manufacturing.

5. Like many other states, urban counties produce the largest share of North Carolina’s exports, but rural counties aren’t far behind.

Representatives of Trudeau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In 2015, China and the United States came to a similar understanding on corporate cyber espionage, after the Obama administration had mulled targeted sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies for cyber attacks against U.S. commercial targets.

U.S. cyber security executives and government advisers said breaches attributed to China-based groups had dropped around the time of that agreement.

China implemented a new cyber security law this month designed to strengthen critical infrastructure, even as many global tech companies and lobbies said the rules skewed the playing field against foreign firms.

Helping farmers grow with technology www.vantagesouthatlantic.com

North State Journal for Wednesday, June 28, 2017

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