VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Gov. Cooper says Group 3 eligible for vaccine beginning Wednesday Raleigh Gov. Roy Cooper and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen announced that additional frontline workers in Group 3 will be eligible for vaccinations beginning Wednesday. The expedited timeline follows the approval of the Johnson & Johnson oneshot vaccine and an expected increase in vaccine supply to North Carolina. “The state and our providers continue to work extremely hard to get people vaccinated in a way that’s fast and fair,” said Cooper. “The third vaccine and improving vaccine supply will help us get more people vaccinated more quickly.” State officials continue to encourage providers to exhaust each week’s vaccine shipment before the following week’s shipment arrives. Health officials cautioned that some vaccine providers may not be ready to open to frontline workers on March 3 if they are still experiencing high demand for vaccines in Groups 1, 2, and 3. NSJ STAFF
More churches could allow concealed handguns Raleigh Churches that meet on private school campuses in N.C. could allow members or visitors to carry concealed handguns if they’re otherwise permitted in legislation approved Monday night by the state Senate. The measure is essentially a portion of a 2020 concealed-weapons bill that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed. Supporters say they’re trying to treat churches that operate a school the same as standalone houses of worship in the name of safety and security of attendees. Current law allows a standalone church to let its parishioners and others carry concealed weapons if they have a permit or otherwise exempt. But that’s prohibited at churches that hold services at the same site where the school operates. The bill, approved 31-18, now goes to the House. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
More federal coronavirus relief funds debated by NC House Raleigh State legislators are working on ways to distribute more money from the federal government’s most recent coronavirus relief package. House Republicans have unveiled legislation that would direct where more than $1.7 billion of relief funds will go throughout the state. Gov. Roy Cooper signed legislation last month that doled out $2.2 billion in similar funds for public education, vaccine distribution and rental assistance. The measure being debated in the House’s budget committee on Tuesday, and later on the House floor, includes funds for colleges and universities, fisheries, COVID testing and tracing and food relief. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Race missing in half of vaccine records to CDC Atlanta Three leading health organizations say stronger efforts are needed to collect and report race and ethnicity data about Americans receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. That information was missing in almost half of vaccination records reported in the first month to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an open letter from the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Pharmacists Association. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOTO COURTESY STATE REP. DESTIN HALL
State Rep. Destin Hall at the N.C. Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Destin Hall is first millennial to enter top leadership role in General Assembly Now in his third term, the lawyer from Lenoir talks about growing up in Caldwell County By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
PART 2
What is the North Carolina Education Corps? Part two of two looks at how to apply, who is applying and applicant placement
Carolinians responding to the call to action, and we’re thrilled to receive such a quality response after launching the corps member recruitment campaign only a month ago,” NCEC’s program director, By A.P. Dillon John-Paul Smith, told North State North State Journal Journal. “Having said that, it’s imRALEIGH — Earlier, North portant to note that, while we are State Journal reviewed a program helping with recruitment, ulticreated to fill a staffing void cre- mately the local school districts ated by the COVID-19 pandem- review the applications we share ic. The program is the North Car- with them and they hire Corps olina Education Corps (NCEC), members whom they want based which recruits and trains volun- on each local school district’s needs and hiring politeers to work with discies.” tricts and the families Per email updates they serve with a varifrom NCEC, the appliety of tasks. cation deadline is exThe first article on While we are tended to Feb. 28 due NCEC looked at who is helping with to openings in several running the organizadistricts. The previous tion, for what purpose recruitment, deadlines were Dec. 7 and how the program ultimately the and Feb. 20. Districts was being funded. This seeking to fill spots for installment looks at the local school spring and summer inapplication process. districts clude Charlotte-MeckTo apply, the minireview the lenburg Schools, Halmum age to participate ifax County Schools, is 18 and those apply- applications Wake County Pubing should have at least we share with lic Schools and Wina high school diploma. All school employees them and they ston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. and volunteers must hire Corps Charlotte-Mecklenundergo a background burg Schools (CMS) check in order to in- members wants to hire 70 K-2 litteract with students in whom they eracy tutors to work up North Carolina schools. want based to 25 hours a week in For NCEC members, person starting Apr. 1 background checks are on each through July 31. CMS to be completed by the local school says they will be paid hiring school district. approximately $19 an Smith said that those district’s hour. CMS also wants checks “may vary” ei- needs to hire 35 contact tracther by district policies ers that can work reor by position, using the and hiring motely. example that “adminis- policies" Halifax Countrative positions may be ty seeks four tutors to less rigorous than those John-Paul Smith, work in person, and positions that include Winston-Salem/Forinteraction with stu- N.C. Education syth County Schools is dents.” Corps program looking for 20 tutors to As of mid-December director work in person. 2020, Smith said that Wake County Pubthere were over 1,100 applicants submitted through In- lic Schools (WCPSS) is North Cardeed.com and 649 official applica- olina’s largest district with nearly tions through the NCEC website. 162,000 students, 19,385 employOf the 649 applicants, 205 have ees and 10,320 teachers. Accordmaster’s degrees or doctorates. He ing to NCEC, WCPSS still is lookalso said that an equal number of ing to hire up to 30 K-2 literacy applicants didn’t finish or haven’t tutors to work in person starting yet finished college. “It’s a beautiful array of North See NCEC, page A2
RALEIGH — Entering his third term, Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) smiles as he talks about being one of the youngest members of the General Assembly to enter the top echelon of N.C. legislative leadership. Picked
to chair the powerful House Rules Committee, Hall becomes the first millennial to hold such a high office in either chamber of the state legislature. The 33-year-old lawyer is also chairman of the House Committee on Redistricting. While redistricting will likely be a major policy area in this new session of the General Assembly, his role as Rules chair makes him part of a leadership triumvirate in the House with Speaker Tim Moore See HALL, page A2
Equality Act passes US House with NC delegation split by party Bill unlikely to pass Senate due to 60-vote threshold By David Larson North State Journal THE U.S. HOUSE of Representatives passed H.R 5, known as the Equality Act, with a vote of 224-206 on Feb. 25. Congressional members, depending on their party, saw the act as either a dangerous unraveling of religious freedom and conscience protections or a bold and necessary step forward for protecting sexual minorities. “Nays” from the N.C. congressional delegation included Reps. Dan Bishop, Ted Budd, Madison Cawthorn, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson, Patrick McHenry, Greg Murphy and David Rouzer — all Republicans — and “yeas” included Reps. Alma Adams, G.K. Butterfield, Kathy Manning, David Price and Deborah Ross — all Democrats. According to the summary on the bill’s congressional webpage, the Equality Act “prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.” It accomplishes this by including “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.” The summary also states that H.R. 5 will prohibit “an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.” This means that in businesses open to the public, schools, housing and any place that receives federal funding, people must be given access to locker rooms, bathrooms and other facilities based on their
internal sense of gender, known as “gender identity,” not their biological sex. But religious conservatives are worried the bill would eliminate their right to incorporate key doctrines of their faith. The Equality Act specifically excludes prior protections in Section 1107, saying, “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 shall not See EQUALITY ACT, page A2