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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 56
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SATURDAY, february 25, 2017
Sports Who will lead the Pack next?
The North State Journal staff picks five coaching prospects to lead NCSU’s basketball team next season. Page B4
Left to right: Kevin Keatts (UNC-Wilmington), Archie Miller (University of Dayton), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Will Wade (VCU), LeVelle Monton (N.C. Central).
the weekend
News BRIEFing Blue Alert system launched in N.C. Raleigh The State Highway Patrol announced this week the implementation of the N.C. Blue Alert system. It will use radio, television stations and message boards on major highways to notify the public when any law enforcement officer in North Carolina has been violently attacked and a suspect is being sought. State Highway Patrol telecommunicators will issue the alert along with descriptions of the suspect and/or the suspect’s mode of travel.
Lawmakers ditch town halls organized by political opponents Charlotte N.C.’s Washington delegation is getting heat for not attending “town hall” meetings organized by groups using them as venues for protest. The raucous meetings are the latest in an ongoing series of rallies, marches and protests more than 30 days into the presidency of Donald Trump. At gatherings across the country as Congress goes on recess, members were invited to speak to their constituents but instead were shouted down and met with chants and “resist Trump” signs. National organizations like Indivisible and MoveOn are helping to coordinate the meetings. Indivisible Charlotte has taken heavily to social media criticizing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) for not attending their self-described “mock town hall.” However, Tillis and his staff say they are meeting privately with groups. In Hendersonville on Thursday, Tillis’ state director Jordan Shaw sat down with the Progressive Organized Women who called the meeting “open dialogue.” On Saturday, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C) will host a “Forward Together” community discussion in Durham.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Battle over confirmations between NC Senate, governor continues Committee issues subpoena for Cooper Cabinet nominee after three no-shows
By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — After failing to appear before a North Carolina Senate committee for a confirmation hearing three separate times, former Democrat lawmaker Larry Hall, Gov. Roy Cooper’s appointed secretary of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, will have to appear at a March 2 meeting to consider his qualifications after a Senate committee voted Thursday to issue a subpoena for him. Minutes before the Senate
Committee on Commerce and Insurance convened, Senate president pro tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) joined committee co-chairs Sens. Tommy Tucker (R-Union) and Bill Rabon (R-Southport) to speak to the press about the ongoing battle between the legislative and executive branch over the General Assembly’s authority to hold confirmation hearings, acknowledging a legislative subpoena was an option in proceeding. “Frankly, this should not be a big deal,” said Berger on Thursday. “Senate confirmation of cabinet appointees has long been standard practice in [Washington, D.C.] and many states for as long as we can remember. It is mind-boggling that this is even See NCGA, page A2
Trump administration rolls back Obama’s transgender directive Supreme Court may have final say on whether Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in education, extends protections extend to a person’s gender identity By Daniel Trotta Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration announced this week that it will revoke Obama administration guidance that allowed transgender public school students to use the multi-stalled bathroom of their choice, rather than only using the one that matches their biological sex or using single-stalled ones as individual schools’ policies may permit. The announcement raised the stakes in N.C. and other states that are grappling with the boundaries of state, federal and municipal law as it pertains to separation in public restrooms along the line of biological sex. Former Presdient Barack Obama’s directive attempted to add “gender identity” and multistalled bathrooms to the list of groups protected under federal Title IX law, saying that separation of sexes in public bathrooms is discriminatory against those who identify with a gender other than their biological sex. In rolling that directive back, President Donald Trump treads into the tumultuous political and economic waters that N.C. has found itself in since passing H.B. 2 last year, a law that requires individuals to use the multi-stalled public bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificate. Trump administration’s decision brought similar corporate
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that the Obama guidelines “did not contain sufficient legal analysis or explain how the interpretation was consistent with the language of Title IX.” criticism heaped on N.C., which included boycotts and canceling of sporting events and concerts through the summer. However, this time companies lacked the same opportunity to protest with their dollars, since the Trump administration action pertains to schools nationwide. “The action taken by the administration is troubling and goes against all that we believe in,” Yahoo said in a statement. In unveiling the new direction on Wednesday, Trump administration officials argued that transgender policies should be an issue for the states to decide. By invoking states’ rights, the Trump administration is potentially emboldening legislatures in other states that are considering laws similar to North Carolina’s H.B. 2. White House spokesman Sean See trump, page A2
Group looks to raise craft beer distribution cap with legislation By Cory Lavalette North State Journal
the good life The Total Life Center shows that art is ageless. Page C4 christine t. nguyen | North State Journal
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In 2003 the state legislature raised the cap on the amount of beer a brewery can produce without signing on with a wholesale distributor to 25,000 barrels. An organization, Craft Freedom, now wants the cap raised even more.
RALEIGH — In 2005, House Bill 392 was signed into law by then-Gov. Mike Easley, ending the 6 percent alcohol by volume restriction on beer made or sold in North Carolina. In the 11-and-a-half years since, the craft beer industry has grown to nearly 200 breweries across the state. Several of them and their supporters now want another North Carolina law changed. In 2003 the state legislature raised the cap on the amount of beer a brewery can produce without signing on with a wholesale distributor to 25,000 barrels (the equivalent of more than 6 million bottles of beer). The group, operating under the banner of an organization called Craft Freedom, now wants the cap raised even more. “The whole thing is really about free markets and fairness,” John Marrino, owner of Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and one of the driving forces behind Craft Freedom, said. “We built a business here, we built a brand from nothing and the state tells us at 25,000 barrels we have to transfer the owenrship of that brand to another private company and lose all our access to market, giving up the sale and distribution rights.” See breweries, page A3