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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 34
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018
Inside Charlotte Hornets preview, Sports
GERRY BROOME, | AP PHOTO | FILE
Early voting for the 2018 November midterm elections in North Carolina begins on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 3rd . In this file photo, people line up under the morning sun for early voting in the 2016 election at Chavis Community Center in Raleigh. In 2016, North Carolina voters cast their ballots just four weeks after Hurricane Matthew hit with devastating floodwaters. This year, they’re voting about seven weeks after Hurricane Florence and that leaves lawmakers quickly adapting voter registration rules and the state elections board struggling to track down storm-displaced voters.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
UNC chancellor apologizes at University Day Chapel Hill At UNC’s University Day Saturday, celebrating the schools 225th birthday, Chancellor Carol Folt issued an apology for any involvement the university had in slavery. New markers at quad entrances will acknowledge the role of “indigenous people” as the first stewards of the land and contrition for enslaved men and women who built much of the early university.
NORTH
NC State Fair draws big crowds in its first weekend
JOURNaL
The first North Carolina State Fair opened in 1853 but closed from 1861 to 1868 for the Civil War, reopening in 1869.
STATE ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Debris found on North Carolina beach is from SpaceX rocket Ocracoke Island A large sheet of metal found on a North Carolina beach has been identified as debris from a SpaceX rocket. The National Park Service told a Charlotte newspaper that Elon Musk’s rocket building company confirmed the 10foot by 6-foot debris found Sunday was “rocket hardware.” Chief Ranger Boone Vandzura of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore says “it’s being handled appropriately.” This isn’t the first time chunks of a SpaceX rocket have been found on an Outer Banks beach. Last October, a 15-foot long section of a jettisoned nose cone was found near Hatteras Village.
Outdoor furniture maker plans 380 jobs in N.C. Roxboro An Indiana company that makes outdoor furniture from recycled plastic is opening a new North Carolina manufacturing site that expects to employ about 380 workers in five years. A committee of state officials that approves major tax breaks on Tuesday cleared Poly-Wood LLC to receive up to $5 million in incentives if it meets hiring and investment targets.
INSIDE Residency questions for Wilson lawmakers. Jones & Blount
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DAVID GOLDMAN | AP PHOTO
Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez retrieves her daughter’s clothing as she returns to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018.
$400M in Florence spending signed into law The second aid package would help deal with immediate needs like replacement of textbooks and vehicles so residents can resume work and school. By NSJ Staff RALEIGH — On Tuesday Governor Roy Cooper signed the $400 million relief package passed by the state legislature on Monday evening. The money is intended to help people and communities reeling from flooding left by Hurricane Florence and set aside another $450 million for upcoming needs. The emergency spending plan, unveiled a month after Florence slammed into the state, would help farmers and fishermen who suffered economic losses, keep college students in school despite
storm-related setbacks, and repair damaged school buildings. Most of the money would come from the state’s emergency reserves. The state has about $2 billion in rainy-day funds, and this year’s state budget left $560 million unspent. “There’ll be no tax increases and no interruptions or disruptions from a budgetary perspective of any of our existing important programs,” said Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Raleigh-area Republican who heads the House budget-writing committee. The Florence relief spending legislators have promised so far represents about half of the $1.5 billion Gov. Roy Cooper’s office estimated last week will be needed over a five-year recovery. More than 30 inches of rain from Florence fell in some parts of the state, and, along with the storm surge, caused wideSee RECOVERY, page A2
By Donna King North State Journal RALEIGH — Ticket takers and vendors were all smiles Monday afternoon at the N.C. State Fair, where good weather and high attendance so far meant a likely successful 2018 fair. “You have to try the key lime pie ice cream at Howling Cow,” said one volunteer as she greeted visitors streaming into Gate 8 on Monday morning. The North Carolina State Fair got underway Friday, albeit a day late due to Hurricane Michael moving through the Triangle area. At the Tobacco Pavilion, State Fair manager Kent Yelverton and North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler officially cut the ribbon to the 151st State Fair, kicking off ten days of activities and demonstrations, plus games and more than 120 rides that make North Carolina’s fair one of the largest mobile midways in North America. “My favorite thing to do is to first take the State Fair Flyer across the fairgrounds and pick out what I’m going to do next, and if you want to pin me down to my favorite food, good luck,” said Yelverton in an interview on Thursday before opening day. While the young and young at heart gravitate to the rides, food and carnival games, the cooking contests and giant vegetable competitions always draw the leisurely crowd. Ben Chapman, associate professor and food safety specialist, oversees the food competition and up to 1,400 entries. “My focus is on food safety,” said Chapman. “Our judges can’t just be taste testers. The process of food science is crucial here. If that pickle isn’t crunchy, our judges are going to know the science of why.” This year, Christi Broadway of Raleigh won first
“My favorite thing to do is to first take the State Fair Flyer across the fairgrounds and pick out what I’m going to do next. “ N.C. State Fair manager Kent Yelverton
See FAIR, page A8
Harnett County replaces principal over Trump jersey incident National attention over student’s free speech leads district to take action By David Larson For the North State Journal ANGIER — The principal at the center of a controversy over a student’s Trump shirt has been replaced. Cindy Gordon, the now former head of Harnett Central High School, decided to approach student Matthew Collins at a football game and have him remove a shirt with the 45th president’s name on the back. The students had been encouraged to wear patriotic clothing to a themed home football game. Collins chose to wear a jersey that a
family friend bought him. It had stars and stripes on the sleeves, big letters saying “USA” across the front and an image of the torch from the Statue of Liberty. The problem for some parents attending the game, who complained to school administrators, was it also had the word “Trump” across the back of the jersey and the No. 45, also a reference to the president. In a tearful interview with ABC 11, Mike Collins, Matthew’s father, says that the shirt seemed appropriate to him for a patriotic-themed game and his son felt “humiliated” and left the game. Mike Collins said although he is a Democrat, Donald Trump is the president and his son shouldn’t have been forced to reSee JERSEY, page A8