North State Journal Vol. 6, Issue 39

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VOLUME 6 ISSUE 39 | WWW.NSJONLINE.COM | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Toyota poised to build new plant at Greensboro Randolph megasite Greensboro Toyota is expected to announce plans for a new manufacturing facility at the Greensboro Randolph megasite near the town of Liberty in December, according to news reports. Bloomberg first reported the news over the weekend, saying that while the deal is not official, it is expected the Japanese automotive manufacturer will join with Panasonic to build an electric vehicle battery plant and would bring 1,750 new jobs to the area. NSJ STAFF

Biden to keep Powell as Fed chair, Brainard gets vice chair Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden announced Monday that he’s nominating Jerome Powell for a second fouryear term as Federal Reserve chair. Biden also said he would nominate Lael Brainard, the lone Democrat on the Fed’s Board of Governors and the preferred alternative to Powell among progressives, as vice chair. “If we want to continue to build on the economic success of this year, we need stability and independence at the Federal Reserve — and I have full confidence after their trial by fire over the last 20 months that Chair Powell and Dr. Brainard will provide the strong leadership our country needs,” said Biden. Powell’s re-nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which is considered likely.

Thanksgiving event at Fort Bragg

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden travel to Fort Bragg, N.C., to attend a Thanksgiving event with service members.

Multiple electionrelated bills see movement at legislature 4 bills working through legislature; 1 already sent to governor

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Federal prosecutor nominees confirmed by US Senate Raleigh President Joe Biden’s three nominees to become North Carolina’s top federal prosecutors were confirmed on Friday by the U.S. Senate. The Senate voted unanimously for Michael Easley Jr., Sandra Hairston and Dena King to be the next U.S. attorneys for the state. Easley, the Eastern District nominee, has been a partner at the law firm McGuire Woods and is the son of former Democratic governor and state attorney general Mike Easley. Hairston had been serving as the acting U.S. attorney in the Middle District since March and King was previously in charge of prosecuting violent crime and narcotics cases in the Western District. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Biden admin eases restrictions on Chinese journalists Beijing China and the U.S. have agreed to ease restrictions on journalists in an agreement reached ahead of the virtual summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden, the Chinese government-ran China Daily newspaper said. Under the agreement, the U.S. will issue one-year multiple-entry visas to Chinese journalists and will initiate a process to address “duration of status” issues, China Daily said. China will reciprocate by granting equal treatment to U.S. journalists once the policies take effect. “We hope that the U.S. will keep its promise to put the relevant measures and policies in place as soon as possible and work with China to create favorable conditions for both [nations’] media to continue to work and live in each other’s countries,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian in a statement. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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SUSAN WALSH | AP PHOTO

Here’s the list of NC lawmakers retiring ahead of 2022 elections By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Several North Carolina state lawmakers and two longtime congressional lawmakers have announced their retirement ahead of the 2022 election cycle. Those in the North Carolina House of Representatives who are leaving include state Reps. Charles Graham (D-Robeson), Verla Insko (D-Orange) and Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus). Graham, who served for six terms, departs his seat at the legislature in order to run for Congress. Graham is a Lumbee Native American, and his first campaign ad detailing his county’s stand against the KKK has gone viral. Prior to serving in the legislature, Graham was a special-needs teacher. According to his campaign site, Graham is the “owner of a companion home-health company.” On Sept. 15, Insko announced on the floor of the House that she will be retiring at the conclusion of her current term. Insko, 85, has been considered a progressive leader at the legislature over the course of her 12 terms spanning 24 years. She was first elected in 1997. During her tenure at the General Assembly, Insko’s work included health care policy, in particular, mental health issues and Medicaid Expansion. She also was active in policy, promoted additional education spending related to the long-ongoing Leandro case and was a proponent of the controversial Common Core Standards. After five and a half terms in the House, Pittman has said he will not seek re-election in 2022. Pittman was appointed to the District 82 seat in October of 2011 and was subsequently re-elected in 2012. During redistricting in 2018, his seat became District 83. “I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this office. It has been my privilege to serve the people of my district and of this great state, and I will continue to do all I can to take care of constituent needs, protect our citizens’ rights, and uphold our State and

US Constitutions during these two years,” Pittman said. During his tenure, the staunch conservative and pastor has been known as a constitutionalist and a constant protector of the Second Amendment, as well as a school-choice proponent. In a Facebook post, Pittman threw his support behind Robert M. Freeman, who has filed to run for Pittman’s seat. Others running include North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans Chair Catherine Whiteford and Holly Grimsley, a Cabarrus County school board member. In the North Carolina Senate, Sen. Ben Clark (D-Cumberland) will not be seeking another term at the conclusion of his fifth. He was first elected to the seat in 2013. In a statement issued on Twitter, Clarke said serving Cumberland and Hoke County citizens was the “blessing and honor of his life.” He also stated his focus through the end of his current term will be on the state budget as well as drawing congressional and legislative district maps. Following the publishing of new district voting maps, Clark has said he is exploring a run for the new Fourth Congressional District seat covering Cumberland, Harnett, Johnston, Sampson and Wayne counties. Prior to serving at the General Assembly, Clarke was an assistant professor of aerospace studies at North Carolina A&T State University and served in the United States Air Force for 20 years. Both Clark and Graham have drawn fire from their party for voting with the Republican majority on topics such as abortion, the state budget and education-related bills. Buck Newton, the former state senator for Wilson County is eyeing a return to the legislature. Newton is likely considering the newly drawn Senate district spanning Greene, Wayne and Wilson counties, which is currently held by Democrat Toby Fitch. On the federal level, U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC4) announced on Oct. 18 that he will not seek See RETIRING page A3

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The General Assembly’s House Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee discussed and approved multiple election-related bills during a Nov. 17 meeting.

The three main bills discussed were Senate Bill 326, Election Day Integrity Act; Senate Bill 724, Expand Access to Voter ID & Voting; and Senate Bill 725, Prohibit Private Money in Elections Admin. Sens. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), Warren Daniel (R-Burke) and Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus) are primary sponsors on all three bills. See NCGA, page A2

Overdose deaths climb to record levels in NC, nationwide By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are now being seen in the record number of drug overdose deaths that have occurred between April 2020 and April 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 97,990 people died of a drug overdose during that time period. That data lines up with the estimate by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), that over 100,000 in the United States died from an overdose. NCHS’s estimate, when compared to CDC data, is around a 29% increase over the same period last year. In April of 2020, North Carolina saw 2,576 predicted overdose cases according to the CDC. In 2021, the number of predicted cases is up to 3,526. That represents an almost 37% increase. According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Opioid Dashboard, between 2000 and 2020, over 28,000 North Carolinians died from drug overdoses. The dashboard also says over eight North Carolinians died each day from a drug overdose during 2020. Data from the dashboard also shows that drug overdose deaths had started to decline and level off prior to the pandemic. Opioids seem largely the source of overdose and related death increases. The CDC has linked around a third of deaths to opioids, including deaths from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid known to be a particularly deadly and addictive. The National Institute of Health’s estimates for opioid deaths in North Carolina are

pre-pandemic, but the agency estimated that 79% of drug-overdose deaths in the state involved opioids, causing the fatalities of 1,783 people. See OVERDOSES, page A2


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