North State Journal Vol. 1, Issue 41

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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 41

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www.NSJONLINE.com |

SUNDAY, December 4, 2016

Inside ‘Made in North Carolina’ holiday gift guide ‘Blessing of the hounds’ in Moore County

Christine t. nguyen | north state journal

Lincoln Sadler, a huntsman with the Moore County Hounds, leads a pack of Penn-Marydel hounds during the the Thanksgiving Day opening meet on Nov. 24 in Southern Pines.

the Sunday

News BRIEFing Special legislative session scheduled for Dec. 13 Raleigh Gov. Pat McCrory on Friday called for a special legislative session to take action on recovery needs from Hurricane Matthew. The session will take on the recommendations of the Hurricane Matthew Recovery Committee formed last month. Damage from the October hurricane is estimated to top $2 billion. Earlier this month, the governor requested $1 billion in federal assistance and laid out a timeline to request additional recovery funding from the state. For more on Matthew recovery by the numbers, see A8.

No charges to be filed against police officer in Charlotte shooting

Franklin man charged with starting wildfires

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ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

New rape claim surfaces at UNC Chapel Hill 16,800

female students at UNC Chapel Hill.

1 in 5

women are sexually assaulted while in college.

By Liz Moomey North State Journal CHAPEL HILL — Katherine* was raped her freshman year at UNC Chapel Hill in February 2014. “It didn’t start out not consensual, but eventually he just wouldn’t listen to me and he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Katherine said. “I didn’t really let that register that it was an assault until I was laying in bed in pain. I was really ashamed of myself. I think that’s the hardest thing that people like me go through is all of a sudden you don’t know who you are anymore.” Katherine reported her assault after visiting a doctor’s office a month later for scarring and for depression. She chose not to seek legal action and not to name her assailant. “I never told anyone who it was because he was a UNC football player and I didn’t think the school would support me,” Katherine said. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 20 percent of female college student victims report incidents to law enforcement. See unc, page A3

Asheville The U.S. Forest Service has arrested a 49-year-old Franklin man for suspicion of arson in the western North Carolina forest fires. Authorities allege Keith Mann used kitchen matches to set two fires along the Nantahala National Forest and then called 911. He made his first court appearance Wednesday and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

20177 52016

JOURNaL

By Jeff Moore North State Journal

STATE

About

Charlotte The police officer who shot and killed a black man in Charlotte in September “acted lawfully” and will not be charged, the local district attorney said on Wednesday. Officer Brentley Vinson, who is also black, was acting in self-defense when he shot Keith Scott, 43, three times outside a Charlotte apartment complex, District Attorney Andrew Murray told a news conference. “All of the credible and available evidence suggests that [Scott] was, in fact, armed,” he said.

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NORTH

governor’s race

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Durham County recount ordered in undecided gubernatorial election ALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections R voted Wednesday evening in fa-

vor of recounting approximately 94,000 Durham County ballots after hearing testimony for and against the measure. The decision adds yet another wrinkle to an as yet inconclusive race for governor that has been defined by official protests and allegations of voter fraud. The State Board of Elections said the recount must be complete by 7 p.m. Monday. Tom Stark, a Durham attorney, presented the case for a

By Jeff Moore North State Journal RALEIGH — The State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees’ Board of Trustees convened Friday to consider, among other agenda items, removing the blanket exclusion of coverage for gender dyspho-

ria-related medical treatments, most notably gender reassignment surgery. The board, by a unanimous vote except for one abstention, voted to eliminate the exclusion. State Health Plan staff estimate the new coverage will cost the State between $350,000 and $850,000 annually.

See Governor, page A3

Christine T. Nguyen | north state journal

Protestors outside the Durham County Human Services building urge the Durham County Board of Elections not to recount their votes on Nov. 18. The state board ordered a recount later that week.

insurance

State Health Plan Board votes to cover sex change surgery

recount, focusing on inconsistencies in Durham County’s tabulation results as they were transcribed from data cards nearly two decades old. “So, all we have is that we have an error in the reporting of these PCM-CIA cards,” said Stark at the hearing. “The way that we can find out if there’s a discrepancy is we can count the votes.” Representing Roy Cooper’s campaign and the N.C. Democratic Party in the hearing was Seattle-based attorney Kevin Hamilton, who was retained for his experience in election law and recounts. Hamilton argued

The board heard presentations on gender dysphoria, a medical term defined as the condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one’s biological sex. They also heard a review of new regulations from Health and Human Services (HHS) related to the issue, and the financial implications of not complying with them. North Carolina teacher Jeanne See health plan, page A2

in SPORTS Multiple N.C. stars net honors with ACC awards

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