VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016
HEELS MARCH ON! To the delight of their fans and the agony of the Indiana faithful, the Carolina Tar Heels blew past the Hoosiers 10186 and advanced to the Elite Eight behind Marcus Paige’s 21 points and 6 assists.
CHRISTINE T. NGUYEN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the Sunday NEWS BRIEFING N.C. A&T celebrates 125 years Greensboro N.C. Agriculture and Technical University honored its 125 year anniversary with a carnival in Aggie stadium this week featuring the marching band, games, food and Gov. Pat McCrory on hand to greet the crowd.
790 arrested during St. Patrick’s campaign Raleigh The NCDOT and the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program ran a St. Patrick’s “Booze It and Lose It” campaign from March 16 to March 20, which resulted in 790 DWI charges (718 were alcohol related, 72 were drug related). The campaign yielded 2,474 traffic and criminal citations from its 2,813 checking stations and “saturation patrols.”
Wake County passes 1-million mark Washington, D.C. The U.S. Census Bureau released its population estimates this week for the nation’s cities and counties. Two counties passed the one-million population milestone last year: Fulton, Ga. (which includes part of Atlanta) and Wake, the latter which reached a population of 1,024,198 between 2014 and 2015, making Wake the 19th largest numerical gainer among counties in the country, adding nearly 25,000 people.
NORTH
CHARLOTTE
Backlash over special session law sweeps N.C.
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
ATLANTIC COAST
Obama reverses offshore drilling proposal MADELINE GRAY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
By Laura Ashley Lamm North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Obama administration re-chartered its course and banned a proposal to open the southeastern Atlantic Coast to drilling amid an outpouring of opposition from coastal communities. The ban reverses a January 2015 proposal for new leases in the Atlantic as part of the Interior Department’s five-year plan to set new boundaries for oil development in federal waters. The proposal would have opened the waters 50 miles off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Leasing could have begun as early as 2029 with the first rigs going up by 2035; however, the ban puts an end to offshore leasing in the Atlantic until 2022. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made the announcement stating, “We heard from many corners that now is not the time to offer oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic coast. When you factor in conflicts with national defense, economic activities, such as fishing and tourism, and opposition from many local communities, it simply doesn’t make sense to move forward with any lease sales in the coming five years.”
55,000 estimated number of jobs gained if drilling occurred off the coast
$4 billion revenue sharing gain from drilling, according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
See DRILLING, page A8
INSIDE Widower Bruce Ham rebuilds and gives back after loss. the good life The ACC sent six teams to the NCAA’s Sweet 16. Heartbreak and joy ensued. Sports
By Kimberly Johnson North State Journal State lawmakers who took aim at Charlotte’s city ordinance that allowed people to use either sex bathroom in public facilities are now finding themselves the target of national-level backlash. Opponents say the legislation threatens the state’s economy, while supporters say it provides a predictable, uniform policy for businesses statewide. The law says that people must use the multiple-occupancy bathroom intended for the sex listed on their birth certificate if a sex-neutral or family bathroom is not available. The law will likely result in a legal challenge, according to a joint statement from Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality NC. The groups say they are reviewing legal options. “[T]his will not be the last word,” said Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina. The groups led protests outside the Executive Mansion during rush-hour traffic Thursday evening. Raleigh city police say they arrested five people for impeding the flow of traffic and resisting, delaying or obstructing officers. The bill was supported by members of both parties in the N.C. House, passing 82-26, while all 18 Democrats in the state Senate walked out, refusing to vote. It was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory later that night. By Thursday intense social media attention filled newsfeeds, including a laundry list of corporations denouncing the law’s passage. Mooresville-based Lowe’s and Charlotte-based Bank of America, alongside IBM, Dow Chemical and American Airlines were just some of the corporations that spoke out publicly. “Inclusion is one of our core values and we are proud to champion LGBTQ equality in N.C. and around the world,” said a PayPal statement on Twitter. Just last week, the San Jose, Calif.-based company
“All North Carolina citizens expect bodily privacy in showers, locker rooms and bathrooms,” — Rep. Dean Arp
INSIDE: NBA weighs impact of legislation, more on B6
See BILL, page A2
N.C. GOP chairman lashes out
EAMON QUEENEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
White Memorial Presbyterian Church preschool celebrates Holy Week with an Easter egg hunt at Tatton Hall in Raleigh.
North Carolina Representatives Paul Stam, left, and Dan Bishop, right, who sponsored the bill that would overturn the Charlotte bathroom ordinance, listen to public comments during a special session of the North Carolina legislature. The bill proposes to require individuals to use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate.
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On Murphy to Manteo, page A5 8