VOLUME 7 ISSUE 36 |
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2022
NC one of many states affected by diesel shortage warning Raleigh A major fuel supply and logistics company is raising a red flag on upcoming diesel fuel shortages, Fox Business reported. Mansfield Energy issued the alert stating there was a developing diesel fuel shortage in the southeastern region of the United States. The company speculated that the shortage could be generated from “poor pipeline shipping economies” and a historically low supply of diesel reserves. “Poor pipeline shipping economics and historically low diesel inventories are combining to cause shortages in various markets throughout the Southeast,” the company said. States that are expected to experience serious effects of the shortage include Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Separately, The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported this week that the U.S. had only 25 days of reserve diesel supply, a low not seen since 2008.
AP PHOTO
Security personnel gather near the entrance to the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a visit by the World Health Organization team in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021.
Senate committee releases interim report on origins of COVID-19
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Affirmative action in jeopardy after justices raise doubts Washington, D.C. The survival of affirmative action in higher education appeared to be in serious trouble Monday at a conservative-dominated Supreme Court after hours of debate over vexing questions of race. The court’s six conservative justices all expressed doubts about the practice, which has been upheld under previous Supreme Court decisions. The court’s three liberals defended the programs. Justice Clarence Thomas noted he didn’t go to racially diverse schools, at one point saying, “I’ve heard the word ‘diversity’ quite a few times, and I don’t have a clue what it means.” He also challenged defenders of affirmative action to “tell me what the educational benefits are.” Justice Neil Gorsuch pressed Ryan Park, a lawyer for North Carolina, on why colleges shouldn’t be forced to eliminate those preferences, “which tend to favor the children of wealthy white parents,” to see if it allowed them to increase diversity without considering race. A decision in the affirmative action cases is not expected before late spring. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SpaceX nails booster landings after foggy military launch Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX launched its mega Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in more than three years Tuesday, hoisting satellites for the military and then nailing side-by-side booster landings back near the pad. Thick fog shrouded NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as the rocket blasted off at midmorning. The crowd at the launch site couldn’t even see the pad three miles away, but heard the roar of the 27 first-stage engines. Both side boosters peeled away two minutes after liftoff, flew back to Cape Canaveral, and landed alongside one another, just a few seconds apart. The core stage was discarded at sea, its entire energy needed to get the Space Force’s satellites to their intended extra-high orbit. This was SpaceX’s fourth flight of a Falcon Heavy, currently the most powerful rocket in use. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Report draws no conclusion, but posits a ‘research-related incident’ is more likely By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Cooper forms commission with goal of changing UNC governing boards Records obtained by Do No Harm show training conducted by the Racial Equity Institute The Associated Press RALEIGH — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced a new commission tasked with making recommendations on changing how he believes the boards guiding the University of North Carolina system and its 17 member schools are chosen. The Democratic governor essentially blamed the Republican-controlled legislature for contributing to problems within the governing structure of one of the country’s leading public university systems — with roughly 250,000 students. “The UNC system is the envy of the nation for what we have built here,” Cooper said in an Executive Mansion news conference. “But there are signs of trouble that come when all of the appointed leaders are chosen by too few ... we have an appointed university lead-
ership that doesn’t come close to reflecting our diversity.” As a reminder of partisanship he blames for the system’s stumbling, Cooper stood beside commission co-chairs Tom Ross and Margaret Spellings, two recent UNC system presidents from opposing political parties. Both got pushed out in different ways by previous editions of the UNC Board of Governors that were controlled by GOP-approved members. “Our public universities, especially, must be places where every person feels welcome, heard and represented,” said Spellings, system president from 2016 to 2019 and a U.S. education secretary under President George W. Bush. “We must leave our unique self-interests — be they political, geographic or institutional — at the door and we must be what I call organized for success.” For 50 years, the legislature has chosen the voting members of the system Board of Governors -- half elected by the House and the other half by the Senate. The board’s See COOPER, page A2
AP PHOTO
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks while former University of North Carolina system presidents Tom Ross, left, and Margaret Spellings listen at a news conference at the Executive Mansion in Raleigh, on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
RALEIGH —The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Minority oversight staff has released an interim report on the origins of COVID-19. The 35-page report, titled “An Analysis of the Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic, was released on Oct. 27 and offers a summary of the top theories that the virus was either a natural zoonotic outbreak or a research-related incident. The report is based on publicly available and opensource information related to the virus. “Over one million Americans
have died from COVID-19 and tens of millions have died from this virus worldwide. In addition to the tragic loss of life, over the past three years we have experienced the social, educational, and economic costs of a global pandemic,” Sen. Richard Burr (RNC), ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, stated in the forward to the interim report. “With COVID-19 still in our midst, it is critical that we continue international efforts to uncover additional information regarding the origins of this deadly virus. I hope this report will guide the World Health Organization and other international institutions and researchers as they proceed with planned work to continue investigating the origins of this virus. Uncovering the answers to this critical question is imperative to our national and international See COVID, page A2
National Report Card: Math and Reading scores plummet following pandemic Math scores saw largest decreases ever recorded; Reading scores fell to 1992 levels
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The release of the latest math and readings scores for fourth and eighth graders by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, reveals the impact of pandemic school closures with historic setbacks in learning both nationwide and in North Carolina. “We don’t want to be looking in the rearview mirror and regretting not doing this,” North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said as he closed the state’s schools on Mar. 14, 2020. State elected officials in North Carolina had initially agreed on the first round of school closures, but within months those sentiments changed. Cooper, however, would keep schools closed for in-person instruction for almost a year. The impact of those closures is now seen in this year’s NAEP results as well as reported mental health declines See TESTING, page A2