VOLUME 6 ISSUE 29 | WWW.NSJONLINE.COM | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
Thermo Fisher expanding operations in Pitt County Raleigh Thermo Fisher Scientific will create 290 new jobs in Pitt County in an announcement from Gov. Roy Cooper and the N.C. Department of Commerce. The company will invest $154 million to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in Greenville. “Thermo Fisher’s exciting announcement underscores North Carolina’s global reputation as a prime location for life sciences companies to operate,” said Cooper. “This decision proves, yet again, that North Carolina’s biotechnology sector is thriving statewide.” The Greenville facility is a multi-purpose pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging campus spanning more than one million square feet. This expansion will increase the manufacturing capacity for sterile liquid and lyophilized filling, pre-filled syringes and solid dose continuous manufacturing. “Our continued growth in capabilities and capacity at our Greenville site has enabled us to support our clients’ needs and the patients they serve,” said Michel Lagarde, executive vice president of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Panthers ground Jets in season opener
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold celebrates after scoring against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Charlotte.
Cooper signs 9 bills, uses veto power for 2 as session continues Cooper holds almost 68% of all vetoes since NC governors were given veto power
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Putin in self-isolation due to COVID cases in inner circle Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin entered self-isolation after people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus, the Kremlin said, adding that the leader himself tested negative for COVID-19. During a daily conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin, 68, is “absolutely healthy” but had come in contact with someone who contracted the virus. Putin has occasionally gone to extreme lengths to protect himself from infection, despite the lack of restrictions in general. Officials set up special “disinfection tunnels” last year at his residence and the Kremlin that anyone meeting Putin had to walk through. The visitors were sprayed with a disinfectant mist. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
George Floyd fund has awarded over $50,000 in scholarships Minneapolis The George Floyd Memorial Foundation, based in Fayetteville, has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships since it was created. The foundation said it has recently given scholarships valued at $1,000 to 15 law school students, scholarships valued at $10,000 to interns, and $2,500 scholarships to undergraduate students. The foundation said it has also awarded $25,000 to Fayetteville State University. Foundation executive director Jacari Harris said the scholarships keep Floyd’s memory alive and support students. “Our hope is that these high-achieving students will become attorneys, activists and scholars who will work to ensure people are treated fairly around the world,” Harris said in a statement. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
NC leaders react to Biden’s controversial vaccine mandate By David Larson North State Journal
body — the Congress.” Bishop went on to say that he and other representatives are hearing from employers who are “mortified” by the prospect of imposing these vaccine and testing regulations on their large companies, but said in a tweet that “As with the eviction moratorium, SCOTUS [the Supreme Court] will slap him down. And then he will blame SCOTUS.” The office of Josh Dobson, the Republican commissioner of the N.C. Department of Labor, told NSJ on Sept. 13 that he is also opposed, but they are unsure of the role the White House would require his department to play in any OSHA order. “At this point, the N.C. Department of Labor has no information or additional details beyond what was announced by the Biden administration last week,” Jennifer Haigwood, Dobson’s communications director, told NSJ. “It’s too early to say exactly how these proposed requirements may impact North Carolina. But preliminarily, Commissioner Dobson – though supportive of vaccines – does not support this type of excessive government overreach and intrusion.” Among N.C.’s five congressional Democrats, on the other hand, there was largely silence on the upcoming OSHA rule. A search of the social media and press statements of Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC1), Deborah Ross (D-NC2), David Price (DNC4), Kathy Manning (D-NC6) and Alma Adams (D-NC12) turned up little, with only Price posting a short statement in support of the president’s plan. This may be a political calculation by Democrats, as the upcoming rule is proving to be unpopular with the American people. Trafalgar, a right-leaning polling firm that had among the most accurate polls in the last three election cycles, found in a poll released Sept. 13 that 59% of voters believe Biden’s mandate to be unconstitutional, including 68% of independents, while only 30% believe
RALEIGH — On Thursday, Sept. 9, President Joe Biden announced that he was directing the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create a rule “that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.” Those in violation could see fines of up to $14,000 per infraction. The plan will also require vaccination for all federal employees and contractors as well as employees for any health provider that accepts Medicare or Medicaid. “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” Biden said to unvaccinated Americans during his speech. “So, please, do the right thing. But just don’t take it from me; listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breaths, saying, ‘If only I had gotten vaccinated. If only.’” Soon after the announcement, there was strong pushback from conservative leaders across the country, including in North Carolina. U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy (RNC3) was among the first to release a public statement in opposition to the president’s move: “As a physician, I have been a strong proponent of the COVID vaccine since the beginning. I have administered the vaccine myself, and I believe in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. That said, I am completely opposed to a federal mandate requiring COVID vaccination.” U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (RNC9), speaking during a congressional debate on the rule, said, “Let me make this clear, a vaccine mandate has never in the history of this country been attempted. It is a gross abuse of power. It is an intrusion on the constitutional authority of this See MANDATE, page A2
RALEIGH — On Friday, Sept. 10, Gov. Roy Cooper signed nine bills but vetoed two, House Bill 324 and House Bill 805. The two latest vetoes bring Cooper’s total number of vetoes to 63. He now holds almost 68% of the vetoes issued by North Carolina governors. The past four governors with veto power had a combined total of 35 vetoes. House Bill 324, titled Ensuring Dignity/Nondiscrimination in Schools, overall prohibits public schools in the state from promoting certain concepts that are contrary
to the equality and rights of all persons. The bill would have blocked public schools from compelling students “to affirm or profess belief in” several discriminatory concepts, such as one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex or that an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive. The bill does not list any specific concept, but House Democrats seized on the bill tying it to a ban on Critical Race Theory and that it would impact teaching history in K-12 classrooms. In his veto message of the bill, Cooper said the bill pushes “calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into education.” “This lazy response is the same See COOPER, page A2
Intersectionality, microaggressions and ‘whitesplaining’ are part of NC State University ‘Diversity Training’ NSJ obtained materials for once-mandatory training and over $150,000 in invoices
Students” allegedly is to help students gain the “information and skills necessary to create a respectful and welcoming environment for
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
See DIVERSITY, page A2
RALEIGH — Earlier this year, North Carolina State University (NCSU) required all students, faculty and staff to take a “Diversity Training.” The NCSU mandatory diversity training includes topics such as “whitesplaining,” toxic masculinity, microaggressions, and unconscious bias. Also included is the topic of “intersectionality,” a core component of the highly controversial Critical Race Theory. Many of these topics were found to be incorporated in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion survey for students to fill out. Through a records request, North State Journal was able to obtain invoices related to the training and many of the training materials. The training information resides on the website of NCSU’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED), which records show is the office where the idea for the training originated. According to the NCSU OIED website, all staff, faculty, graduate and professional students are to complete two courses: “Managing Bias” and “Diversity: Inclusion in the Modern Workplace.” The training is online only and “promotes interpersonal awareness and an inclusive workplace culture.” The course “uses the unique experiences of real people to explore key concepts such as identity, power, privilege and communication.” The undergraduate course, titled “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for