VOLUME 5 ISSUE 19
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
45,538 COVID-19 patients presumed to be recovered Raleigh The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said that over 45,000 COVID-19 patients are presumed to have recovered from the virus as of June 29. NCDHHS estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized and 28 days for hospitalized cases. Estimates are used since patient-specific data on the actual recovery time to resolution of symptoms are not available for all COVID-19 cases. NSJ STAFF
Supreme Court lifts ban on state aid to religious schooling Washington, D.C. States can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education, a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. By a 5-4 vote, the justices upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling in which almost all the recipients attend religious schools. The Montana Supreme Court had ruled that the tax credit violated the Montana constitution’s ban on state aid to religious schools. “A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. Attorney General William Barr praised the ruling as “an important victory for religious liberty and religious equality in the United States.” The Trump administration supported the parents’ Supreme Court appeal. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NCGOP forced to cancel in-person convention Raleigh The North Carolina Republican Party has canceled the physical portions of the annual state convention due to COVID-19 and opposition from state health officials. “Given the events of this year related to the spread of COVID-19, we have worked extremely hard to find a way to host a stellar convention in Greenville while complying with federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines for hosting major events. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed to receive a letter from Dr. Betsy Tilson, Gov. Cooper’s state health director, stating her opposition to the NCGOP moving forward with a physical convention,” NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley said on Tuesday. The NCGOP said their convention would have complied with CDC guidelines, state regulations and suggestions from health experts to reduce health risks, but Tilson stated the convention “could result in a large number of cases and severely ill people requiring hospitalizations and could jeopardize our ability to move forward in easing restrictions.” NSJ STAFF
Hong Kong security law criticized abroad, defended by China Hong Kong China’s enactment of a national security law for Hong Kong on Tuesday drew statements of deep concern and regret from abroad and a firm defense at home. “China has chosen to break their promises to the people of Hong Kong and go against their obligations to the international community. The U.K. will not turn our backs on the commitments we have made to the people of Hong Kong,” foreign secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest speaks to members of the media during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, June 29, 2020.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Gov. Cooper signs teacher pay bonus bill, step increases Cooper vetoed two attempts in 2019 by Republican lawmakers to give teachers raises
allotted $95,638,869. Cooper indicated he does not believe the relief money can be used that way; however, the letter sent to governors that accompanied the funding seems to indicate the governor can spend it as he sees fit. By A.P. Dillon “This extraordinarily flexible North State Journal emergency block grant empowers RALEIGH — After twice ve- you to decide how best to meet the toing teacher pay raises in 2019, current needs of students, schools Gov. Roy Cooper has signed a bill (including charter schools and non-public schools), that will give a one-time postsecondary instibonus to teachers and tutions, and other edincludes an increase in ucation-related orstep pay. ganizations in your Senate Bill 818 gives Between State so that faculall teachers and instruc- the 2014-15 ty continue to teach tional support personand students continnel one-time, $350 bo- and 2018-19 ue to learn,” reads the nuses to be paid out by legislative letter from U.S. SecOct. 31. Teachers will years, the retary of Education also see step-increases, Betsy DeVos. which are pay scale lev- combined The correspondels based on experience teacher-pay ing FAQ for the Govand longevity. For most ernor’s Education teachers, that step-in- increases Emergency Relief crease will be $1,000. passed by Fund does mention The assignment of continued payment bonuses is usually de- the General of employees but does termined by student Assembly not specifically menperformance; however, come to tion raises in comthat data is incomplete pensation or the probecause the schools just over hibition of them. The closed in March due to 25%. Those application for the COVID-19. As a result, funds provided by the the bill awards each increases Cooper Administrateacher the same size include 7.0% tion to the U.S. Dept. bonus. of Education does not “I signed this bill be- in 2014-15, mention raises in emcause it funds step in- 3.8% in 2015ployee compensation. creases for teachers 16, 4.7% in Despite a budthat have already been get shortfall estimatpromised, but it falls 2016-17, 3.3% ed at $5 billion due outrageously short on in 2017-18 and to COVID-19, Demraises we need to give ocrats pushed for teachers and all school 6.5% in 2018amendments that inpersonnel like bus driv- 19. cluded a one-time ers and cafeteria workbonus of $1,250 ers,” Cooper said in a for teachers and a press release. The bill also “encourages the $1,000 bonus to non-instructiongovernor to allocate funds from al employees. North Carolina’s average teachthe Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund to provide a er pay increase ranking jumped one-time, lump sum bonus of six from 47th in the country to 29th hundred dollars ($600.00)” for since Republicans took over the additional raises for teachers and majority at the General Assembly. The average teacher pay in 2013other school personnel. These additional funds would 14 was $44,990. By 2019-20, that draw from COVID-19 relief funds, of which North Carolina has been See EDUCATION page A2
Forest announces lawsuit against Cooper over executive orders By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, a Republican who will face off against Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper this fall, held a press conference on Monday morning at the General Assembly to give more details on the purpose of his recently announced lawsuit. “This week, in my capacity as lieutenant governor and a member of the Council of State, I am filing a lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper challenging the executive orders related to COVID-19 and the process by which they were implemented. This is the only option left
on the table as all others have been exhausted,” said Forest during his opening remarks. Forest stated multiple times during his remarks that the lawsuit was not challenging the substance of the orders, only the process used to implement them. “This lawsuit is not interested in the substance of Gov. Cooper’s orders,” Forest said. “It specifically addresses his lack of authority under the Emergency Management Act to shut down North Carolina without the concurrence of the Council of State.” In March, Forest raised a simiSee FOREST page A2
A closer look at Madison Cawthorn Western NC's 24-year-old congressional frontrunner By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — While many in Gen Z are in the streets protesting for change, or just posting about it on social media, one conservative member of the generation is taking his vision for the country to the U.S. Congress. In November, this western North Carolina native is poised to become the youngest member of Congress, meeting the 25-year age requirement set out in the Constitution by mere months, despite many hurdles along the way. When the Republican primary to replace President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, began, Madison Cawthorn’s name appeared next to 11 others, and was not immediately considered among the top. After he squeaked into a runoff with Trump and Meadows’ handpicked candidate, the nation asked collectively, “Who?” and began typing Cawthorn’s name in their search engines. Now that Cawthorn has won the runoff, and by a very comfortable 2-to-1 margin, there’s an even greater demand for information, especially since, in the heavily Republican district, the primary win makes him the overwhelming favorite to be the area’s next congressman. People want to know how old he is, how he came to be in a wheelchair and how he was able to pull off a political victory when the president and most other top leaders of his own party were rooting against him. Starting with his background, Cawthorn told NSJ in a phone interview that he had always been interested in politics, and his family raised him to discuss the big issues at their dinner table. “Growing up and going over to people’s houses, I was really surprised at the dinner table conver-
sations I would get. They never had anything to do with current events or politics,” Cawthorn said. “And growing up, I just thought that that was a mainstay of the American people, and that’s something that everyone focused on.” His family has been in western North Carolina for eight generations and has deep ties in Hendersonville. Cawthorn was homeschooled and was very active in Biltmore Church in nearby Asheville. A family friend, Taylor Bell, remembers when Madison was in high school and would come to her and her husband’s apartment for church small group. See CAWTHORN page A2