North State Journal Vol. 4, Issue 21

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 21

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2019

Inside NC State receives Notice of Allegations, page B1

FRANK MICHAUX | NASA VIA AP

50 Years since moon landing In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Michael Collins, right, speaks to Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana at Launch Complex 39A, about the moments leading up to launch at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be part of the first mission to land on the moon. Collins was orbiting in the Command Module, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went to the surface in the Lunar Module.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Thiel calls for feds to investigate Google Peter Thiel, tech entrepreneur and supporter of President Donald Trump, said Sunday that Google should be federally investigated for allegedly aiding the Chinese military. Thiel spoke at the National Conservatism Conference where he said Google should be asked if the company’s senior management has been infiltrated by Chinese intelligence and why the company works with the Chinese military and not the U.S. military.

Game of Thrones’ reigns with record 32 Emmy nominations HBO’s “Game of Thrones” slashed its way to a record-setting 32 Emmy nominations Tuesday for its eighth and final season, leading HBO back to dominance over Netflix, the streaming service that bumped it last year from atop the increasingly crowded television heap. The bloodthirsty saga’s total eclipsed the all-time series record of 27 nods earned by “NYPD Blue” in 1994. If “Game of Thrones” successfully defends its best drama series title and claims a fourth trophy, it will join the quartet of most-honored dramas that includes “Hill Street Blues,” ‘’L.A. Law,” ‘’The West Wing” and “Mad Men.”

Legislators consider budget stopgaps Chances that a budget standoff between Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will be resolved soon appear small enough that GOP legislators are looking to spend more funds to keep state government humming, then possibly go home. Negotiations between Cooper and GOP lawmakers on a compromise have gone nowhere since June 28, when Cooper vetoed the two-year budget bill drawn up by Republicans. The focus of negotiations has been on whether the state should expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands more low-income adults, which Cooper and his allies want.

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JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Graffiti campaign opposes state health plan changes By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Opponents to State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s changes to the North Carolina State Employees Health Plan responded with a campaign of graffiti. Messages in support of a bill to stop changes to the state health plan were found stenciled on sidewalks around the state capitol, legislative buildings and retail areas in Raleigh last week. The messages say “720,000 voters want you to protect their health-

care. PassHB184.com.” The website address in the stenciled messages redirects to the North Carolina Healthcare Association. Cynthia Charles, vice president of communications and public relations for the NCHA, said that the association used a vendor to place the painted stencils around Raleigh but would not name the vendor in a call with NSJ. “I think the stencils speak for themselves,” said Charles. “But the intent is to make people aware that

Agriculture leaders ask FDA for consistency NC Methodists vote to in hemp industry

See GRAFFITI, page A2

condemn ‘Traditional Plan’

Say hemp may fall flat if FDA does not outline regulations By Parker Ferebee For the North State Journal RALEIGH — The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) recently highlighted the importance of swiftly outlining regulations for hemp products in comments sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NASDA wrote that while the hemp industry is undeniably booming, “it will only become economically viable to American farmers and ranchers in the United States if a well-defined regulatory framework for its products is developed.” Prior to 2018, hemp was part of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the act and moved regulatory jurisdiction from the Drug Enforcement Administration to the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Joe Reardon, Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Protection at the N.C. Department of Agriculture, told North State Journal some concerns are, “initially the FDA had said that it’s illegal to include CBD in a food product. Likewise, it’s also illegal to include CBD in a nutritional supplement.” Reardon confirmed that his department has asked the FDA to provide clarity around that particular issue and, equally as important, to provide a clear pathway to allow these products to come to market. The FDA has not identified CBD as a nutritional supplement or food additive but has regulated the substance as a drug. According to the FDA, Epidiolex, which is derived from the Cannabis sativa L. plant, is the only FDA-approved drug product that contains CBD. Consequently, several pathways for hemp products to continue in the marketplace have not been approved. Most cosmetic products and ingredients are See HEMP, page A2

“The FDA needs to develop guidelines as far as what chemicals we can spray and what residual levels are legal in the end product.” Zack Whitfield

Denominational split likely over sexuality language By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — In the wake of a February 2019 worldwide United Methodist General Conference that voted to strengthen the denomination’s stance supporting a traditional definition of marriage, North Carolina’s two conferences voted to reject this decision in their annual meetings. They also selected delegates for the 2020 General Conference supportive of gay marriage and other proLGBT reforms. The Traditional Plan, which was passed in February and then declared constitutional in April, after a challenge in the UMC Judicial Council, not only maintained language in the Book of Discipline stating “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” but it also added penalties for performing marriages and ordinations of gay members in opposition to this teaching. The plan passed, despite overwhelming opposition by the United States church leadership, after African delegates were able to gather a conservative majority in the global vote. African power over church decisions will only continue to grow as U.S. church membership declines and African numbers increase. At local conferences across the United States this summer, progressive activists were highly organized and determined to achieve larger delegate numbers for the proLGBTQ cause. With a unanimous vote from U.S. delegates in the 2020 General ConferSee METHODISTS, page A2


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