|
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 41
SPORTS
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
Panthers fire Rivera after 8-plus seasons
PHOTO BY BETH W. HEDGEPETH
Winter wonderland on the waterway The North Carolina Holiday Flotilla was held last weekend at Wrightsville Beach. The 36th annual event is the coastal version of a holiday parade – on water – at night. The boat, La Pachanga Tres, captained by Chuck Ohnmacht, won best in show with the theme “Stick Man Christmas.”
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Judge rules Confederate monument stays down The United Daughters of the Confederacy has lost a bid to put a Confederate monument back on the grounds of a N.C. courthouse after county officials removed it. Superior Court Judge Susan Bray issued the ruling Monday, more than a week after the monument was removed from the Chatham County Courthouse grounds. The UDC had tried to block the removal. The group said a 2015 state law mandates that the statue be returned. The local chapter donated the monument to Chatham County in 1907.
Clemson and Virginia vie for ACC Championship in Charlotte The No. 3 Clemson Tigers will look to wrap up a spot in the College Football Playoff when they take on the No. 22 Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC Championship Game at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night. Virginia became the seventh different Coastal team to play in the championship game in the last seven years. The Cavaliers now hope to avoid becoming the ninth straight Coastal team to lose in the game.
NC lottery takes step toward more online sales State lottery leaders have taken a key step toward expanding online sales, while leaving themselves a way out if they aren’t satisfied with the details or face opposition from retailers or politicians. The state lottery commission voted on Tuesday for the idea of marketing “digital instants” without officially directing that these online games begin. Commission members asked lottery staff to present a business plan that includes staffing needs, sales projections and a timeline for starting the games. They also want to hear from retail groups in the handful of states that already have such online games about whether they hurt inperson sales at grocery and convenience stores.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Dozens of new laws go into effect this holiday season Laws with effective dates in December and January address drug crisis, elections By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — As North Carolinians begin their holiday season, dozens of new laws will go into effect across the state on topics ranging from opioids and protecting first responders to election laws. When a law is passed, it is often effective immediately, but many others are given an effective date on which the passed bill will become enforceable. Because the end and the beginning of the year are common times to make a law effective, the holiday season often sees a flood of new laws that were passed months, or even years, prior. Some of these laws have only one or two sections that are now becoming effective, while others go into effect in their entirety. Due to the deadly and ongoing opioid crisis, laws continue to be passed aimed at reversing recent trends. Senate Bill 151, Break or Enter Pharmacy/Increase Penalty, makes it a Class E felony “to break or enter into a pharmacy with the intent to commit a larceny of a controlled substance,” and a Class F felony “to receive or possess a controlled substance knowing or having reason to be-
lieve the controlled substance to be stolen from a pharmacy.” House Bill 474, Death by Distribution, creates a new charge, a Class C felony, for distributing drugs, including opioids, methamphetamines or cocaine, that cause someone’s death. A more serious charge of Aggravated Death by Distribution is a Class B2 felony, carrying a possible sentence of 94-484 months of jail time. Both H.B. 474 and S.B. 151 were effective as of Dec. 1, 2019. Other criminal laws changing include the “Raise the Age” legislation that moves the age for juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds, except in felony cases. Most states no longer automatically prosecute older juveniles as adults, and as of Dec. 1, neither will North Carolina. Multiple sections of a sex trafficking law, House Bill 198, become effective on Dec. 1 as well. The bill increases penalties to a Class G felony for those trafficking others for illegal sex acts and involving people in “sexual servitude.” In addition, it creates a civil cause of action that victims can use against their traffickers. Senate Bill 199 aims to protect citizens from sexual abuse as well, extending the statute of limitations on child sex crimes and tightening reporting requirements for those aware of abuse. The bill also eliminated See NEW LAWS page A2
House committee releases Trump impeachment report By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House released its impeachment report Tuesday outlining evidence of what it calls President Donald Trump’s wrongdoings toward Ukraine. These findings will serve as the foundation for debate over whether the 45th president should be removed from office. The 300-page report from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee makes the case that Trump misused the power of his office and, in the course
of their investigation, obstructed Congress by stonewalling the proceedings. Based on two months of investigation, the report contains evidence and testimony from current and former U.S. officials. “The impeachment inquiry has found that President Trump, personally and acting through agents within and outside of the U.S. government, solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his reelection,” the report said. The House Intelligence panel See TRUMP, page A2
Candidate filing opens for 2020 elections in NC Congressional candidate can begin filing as courts approve new map By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — A rush of candidates filed Monday to join long and crowded ballots for North Carolina’s 2020 elections, seeking to win hundreds of statewide and local positions. The State Board of Elections and county election boards in all 100 counties began taking candidate paperwork and filing fees at midday and will continue doing so weekdays through noon Dec. 20. Nearly 130 people had filed at the state board office by closing, a board spokesman said, eclipsing the first day’s total of 108 for the 2016 elections. The first day was marked by a court ruling that allowed filing for congressional candidates to begin Monday afternoon. A three-judge panel had recently blocked the state board from accepting candidacy notices while the judges scrutinized a new U.S. House map approved by the General Assembly. The judges See ELECTIONS page A2