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  62. <title>Plummeting balance in federal crime victims fund sparks alarm among states, advocates</title>
  63. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/plummeting-balance-in-federal-crime-victims-fund-sparks-alarm-among-states-advocates/</link>
  65. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Shutt]]></dc:creator>
  66. <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 12:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
  67. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  68. <category><![CDATA[D.C. Bureau]]></category>
  69. <category><![CDATA[crime victims]]></category>
  70. <category><![CDATA[criminal justice funding]]></category>
  71. <category><![CDATA[domestic violence]]></category>
  72. <category><![CDATA[federal funding]]></category>
  73. <category><![CDATA[rape survivors]]></category>
  74. <category><![CDATA[Senate Judiciary Committee]]></category>
  75. <category><![CDATA[sexual assault]]></category>
  76. <category><![CDATA[victim rights]]></category>
  77. <category><![CDATA[victim services]]></category>
  78. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175290</guid>
  79.  
  80. <description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON — States and local organizations that aid victims of sexual assault and other crimes are raising the alarm about a multi-year plunge in funds, a major problem they say Congress must fix soon or programs will be forced to set up wait lists or turn victims away altogether. Affected are rape crisis centers, domestic [&#8230;]</p>
  81. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/plummeting-balance-in-federal-crime-victims-fund-sparks-alarm-among-states-advocates/">Plummeting balance in federal crime victims fund sparks alarm among states, advocates</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  82. ]]></description>
  83. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="An attendee looks at a series of banners for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Crime-victims-Getty.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">An attendee looks at a series of banners for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall on April 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime held the event to pay tribute to victims and survivors of crime and individuals who provide service and support. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</p><p>WASHINGTON — States and local organizations that aid victims of sexual assault and other crimes are raising the alarm about a multi-year plunge in funds, a major problem they say Congress must fix soon or programs will be forced to set up wait lists or turn victims away altogether.</p>
  84. <p>Affected are rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers and more that serve millions of Americans and can’t necessarily rely on scarce state or local dollars to keep the doors open if federal money runs short.</p>
  85. <p>The problem has to do with a cap on withdrawals from the federal crime victims fund, put in place by Congress years ago in an earlier attempt at a solution.</p>
  86. <p>Under the cap, how much money is available every year is determined by a complex three-year average of court fees, fines and penalties that have accumulated — a number that has plummeted by billions during the past six years. The fund does not receive any taxpayer dollars.</p>
  87. <p><iframe id="datawrapper-chart-RoFKk" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" title="Federal funds made available for victim services, 1985-2024" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RoFKk/1/" height="487" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" aria-label="Interactive line chart" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
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  89. <p>National Children’s Alliance CEO Teresa Huizar said in an interview with States Newsroom that child advocacy centers, which help connect children who have survived sexual or domestic abuse to essential services, have no fat left to trim in their budgets.</p>
  90. <p>“What children’s advocacy centers are really looking at now are a set of extremely hard choices,” Huizar said. “Which kids to serve, which kids to turn away? CACs that have never had to triage cases previously, now will have to. CACs that have never had a waitlist for mental health services will now have long, lengthy waitlists to get kids in for therapy.”</p>
  91. <p>“I mean, imagine being a kid who’s been sexually abused and being told you’re going to have to wait six months to see a counselor,” Huizar added. “It’s terrible.”</p>
  92. <p>New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, chairwoman of the spending panel that sets the cap every year based on the dwindling revenue, and Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, the subcommittee’s ranking member, both indicated during brief interviews with States Newsroom that a fix is in the works, but declined to provide details.</p>
  93. <p>“There is an effort to address that and we’re in the process of doing that, but in the meantime there’s not as much money there,” Shaheen said.</p>
  94. <p><strong>Fund goes up and down by billions every year</strong></p>
  95. <p>Congress established the crime victims fund in 1984 when it approved the Victims of Crime Act. Its funding comes from fines, forfeited bonds and other financial penalties in certain federal cases.</p>
  96. <p>The money flowing into the fund fluctuates each year, making it difficult for the organizations that apply for and receive grant funding to plan their budgets. Congress hoped to alleviate those boom-and-bust cycles by placing the annual cap on how much money can be drawn from the crime victims fund.</p>
  97. <p>But that cap has sharply decreased recently, causing frustration for organizations that rely on it and leading to repeated calls for Congress to find a long-term solution.</p>
  98. <p>The cap stayed below $1 billion annually until fiscal year 2015 when it spiked to $2.3 billion before reaching a high of $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2018.</p>
  99. <p>The annual ceiling then dropped by more than $1 billion, starting the downward trend, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42672">report</a> from the Congressional Research Service and <a target="_blank" href="https://ovc.ojp.gov/about/crime-victims-fund/state-victim-assistance-allocations.pdf">data</a> from the Department of Justice.</p>
  100. <p>The cap was set at $2 billion in fiscal year 2021 before rising to $2.6 billion in fiscal 2022 and then dropping to $1.9 billion in fiscal 2023.</p>
  101. <p>Congress set the cap on withdrawals at $1.2 billion for fiscal 2024 when it approved the latest round of appropriations in March, and states and localities have reacted with concern at the prospect of such a dramatic cut. <a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/20/iowa-lawmakers-pass-income-tax-cut-budget-bills-in-push-to-end-session/">In Iowa, for example</a>, where the state receives $5 million a year, the potential loss of funding posed a major question as legislators wrote their budget for judicial services.</p>
  102. <p><strong>A better fix sought</strong></p>
  103. <p>Congress approved <a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1652">legislation</a> in 2021 to increase the types of revenue from federal court cases moving into the crime victims fund, but advocates say a longer-term answer is needed.</p>
  104. <p>Huizar said the National Children’s Alliance and prosecutors as well as organizations that combat domestic and sexual violence have been urging Congress to fix the funding stream or supplement it to provide stability and consistency.</p>
  105. <p>“Now is the time for Congress to turn urgent attention to this issue if they do not want the safety net for kids and families and serious crime victims to just fall apart,” Huizar said.</p>
  106. <p>A bipartisan group of lawmakers — Reps. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Jim Costa, D-Calif., Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas and Ann Wagner, R-Mo. — have introduced legislation that would move unobligated funds collected from entities that defraud the federal government under the False Claims Act to the crime victims fund. The act is a main tool the federal government uses to fight fraud.</p>
  107. <p>That bill is not a long-term solution, but a “temporary infusion of resources,” according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://wagner.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/wagner.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/CVFSA%20One-Pager%20(4.18.24).pdf">summary</a> released by lawmakers.</p>
  108. <p>As for the Senate appropriators, Moran said he and others on the spending subcommittee “are waiting for the Judiciary Committee’s examination of the issue, so that we can take the authorizers’ suggestions and take them into account when we appropriate.”</p>
  109. <p>Josh Sorbe, a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, wrote in a statement the “sustainability of the CVF is extremely important, as evidenced by Senator Durbin’s work on the VOCA Fix that passed in 2021, and we continue to work with our colleagues and survivor advocates and service providers to examine further ways to strengthen the CVF.”</p>
  110. <p>Shaheen’s office did not provide details about what changes may be in the works, following multiple requests from States Newsroom.</p>
  111. <p><strong>Should taxpayer dollars be tapped?</strong></p>
  112. <p>National District Attorneys Association President Charles Smith said his organization supports the House bill, but noted one problem with the short-term fix is that the crime victims fund would be last in line to get the additional revenue.</p>
  113. <p>“I believe that the government gets their money first, the whistleblower second and then we’re in kind of third place there,” Smith said.</p>
  114. <p>One struggle over the fluctuating revenue and available funding, Smith said, is debate about whether taxpayer dollars should be used to offset low balances.</p>
  115. <p>“We need to set a number that everybody’s happy with, so to speak, and fund it through these available sources,” Smith said. “But if there’s a deficit, there needs to be some mechanism in place for it to come out of the general fund.”</p>
  116. <p>The crime victims fund is essential for witness coordinators and victims assistance coordinators in prosecutors’ offices as well as other services for people who survive crimes.</p>
  117. <p>“They’re critical for the well-being of the victim and a lot of times they are critical for the witness even showing up and testifying,” said Smith, who also is the state’s attorney for Frederick County, Maryland.</p>
  118. <p>The organizations that support crime victims, like child advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, are crucial to prosecutors, Smith said.</p>
  119. <p>“Not only are we directly impacted by a loss of staffing and loss of resources, but a lot of the partner agencies that we rely on collaborating with are going to be hurt as well,” Smith said of the reduction to the funding cap.</p>
  120. <p><strong>‘Real alarm’ in states</strong></p>
  121. <p>Karrie Delaney, director of federal affairs for the Rape, Abuse &amp; Incest National Network, said the slowdown of court cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and the last administration not prosecuting as many corporate cases has impacted the fund more than usual.</p>
  122. <p>RAINN is the country’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization. It operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) alongside local organizations and runs the Defense Department’s Safe Helpline. It “also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice,” according to its website.</p>
  123. <p>“I think what’s important from RAINN’s perspective is the actual impact that those fluctuations have on the survivors that we support and organizations and service providers across the country,” Delaney said.</p>
  124. <p>When the federal cap decreases, she said, organizations that support crime victims often turn to state and local governments to make up the gap. And a lot of the times there aren’t enough funds to do that.</p>
  125. <p>“What we’ve seen across the states is real alarm that the cuts coming down are not just impacting the ability of these organizations to offer certain services, but to really keep their doors open,” Delaney said.</p>
  126. <p>Child advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, Delaney added, are the “real boots on the ground organizations that are helping people in times of very active crisis that are at risk of seeing their programs drastically cut to the point where service is placed in jeopardy.”</p>
  127. <p><em>If you are a victim of crime, there are toll free, text and online hotlines available. A list from the Office for Victims of Crime is </em><a target="_blank" href="https://ovc.ojp.gov/help-for-victims/toll-free-text-and-online-hotlines"><em>here</em></a>.<em> You can also find help in your state </em><a target="_blank" href="https://ovc.ojp.gov/help-for-victims/help-in-your-state"><em>here</em></a>.</p>
  128. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/plummeting-balance-in-federal-crime-victims-fund-sparks-alarm-among-states-advocates/">Plummeting balance in federal crime victims fund sparks alarm among states, advocates</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  129. ]]></content:encoded>
  133. </item>
  134. <item>
  135. <title>Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Golden Bachelor break-up shocks nation&#8230;or not</title>
  136. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/weekend-humor-from-celia-rivenbark-golden-bachelor-break-up-shocks-nation-or-not/</link>
  138. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Celia Rivenbark]]></dc:creator>
  139. <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
  140. <category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
  141. <category><![CDATA[Progressive Voices]]></category>
  142. <category><![CDATA[ABC]]></category>
  143. <category><![CDATA[divorce]]></category>
  144. <category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>
  145. <category><![CDATA[reality TV]]></category>
  146. <category><![CDATA[television]]></category>
  147. <category><![CDATA[The Golden Bachelor]]></category>
  148. <category><![CDATA[weddings]]></category>
  149. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175289</guid>
  150.  
  151. <description><![CDATA[<p>Show of hands…Who thought the “Golden Bachelor” couple would be getting a divorce just THREE MONTHS after their splashy televised wedding ceremony? Whoa. That many. OK, that’s a little surprising to this natural born cynic. After watching every episode, even I assumed they would probably stay together. He’s 72, she’s 70 and they seemed happy.  [&#8230;]</p>
  152. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/weekend-humor-from-celia-rivenbark-golden-bachelor-break-up-shocks-nation-or-not/">Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Golden Bachelor break-up shocks nation&#8230;or not</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  153. ]]></description>
  154. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="1024" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-1024x1024.jpeg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="a hand pointing a TV remote at a screen" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Television-remote-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">The author says she's saddened by the demise of the marriage spawned by The Golden Bachelor reality TV show. Photo: Getty Images</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Show of hands…Who thought the “Golden Bachelor” couple would be getting a divorce just THREE MONTHS after their splashy televised wedding ceremony?</span></p>
  155. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Whoa. That many. OK, that’s a little surprising to this natural born cynic. After watching every episode, even I assumed they would probably stay together. He’s 72, she’s 70 and they seemed happy. </span></p>
  156. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">I fought it hard, of course. I deducted points (as I do in real life) every time either one of them said the “soulmate” word to the other. Blech. But, as someone in the “golden” demographic myself, I honestly thought they were, if not in love, very much in like. Common interests, similar values, supportive adult children…what could go wrong? Even the morning-after scenes from the “fantasy suite” weren’t gross. </span></p>
  157. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">I’ve been to a lot of weddings over the years and I’m scary good at predicting which marriages will go the distance. Not this time. I figured Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist would spend their old age showing up on future shows being paid to dispense slightly cringey advice to the younger Bachelors and Bachelorettes and dozens of exaggerated winks to the future “Goldens.”</span></p>
  158. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Brand experts say by walking away, not only will Theresa have to return the $40,000 engagement ring to ABC (who will then propose to that skank Freevee?) but also the couple will forgo at least a couple of million dollars in various endorsement opportunities. </span></p>
  159. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR told Fox Digital News “Most brands would rather deal with people charged with crimes than get involved with them” at this point. Ouch.</span></p>
  160. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Which brings me to the dark but inevitable conclusion Gerry and Theresa must really hate each other. In public, Gerry remains upbeat, telling a reporter Theresa will have to return the ring “but you know what? We don’t have to give back the memories.” </span></p>
  161. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Oh, stuff it Gerry. If that’s even your real name. You don’t get to blow up the franchise and then act like no biggie. This is huge! You were America’s frisky, fun grandparents and now…pffffttt. Hope that doesn’t make you cry but it probably will. Gerry’s famous waterworks made him appear emotionally available and the bachelorettes loved it. Now I think he was just sniffin’ cut onions the whole time.</span></p>
  162. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">In a post bust-up interview Gerry and Theresa insisted they still love each other but “couldn’t make the relationship work.” How do you know this in only three months? Your wedding day spray tans haven’t even completely faded. There’s that spot between your toes. LOOK AT THAT AND REMEMBER!!!!</span></p>
  163. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Further insult is their joint plea that other older couples “never give up on love!” Uh, not to be a rhymes-with-witch but this is like taking cooking advice from Hanibal Lecter.</span></p>
  164. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">So why did they split? The party line is she doesn’t want to leave New Jersey and he doesn’t want to leave Indiana. </span></p>
  165. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Wow. So much for lecturing the kids about the importance of compromising. </span></p>
  166. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">I know that sounds bitter. And I also know it’s a really, really stupid TV show and those of you who have made it this far are huffing about “Who cares? Reality TV is all scripted. I prefer to relax with art films from the Czech Republic and I don’t even need the subtitles because of my big ol’ brain!”</span></p>
  167. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">I hear you. I mean, you’re obnoxious but I hear you. </span></p>
  168. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Golden Bachelor was different though. People in our age group are so often written off as unworthy of true romantic attraction. It was affirming and silly and fun to watch. Cat fights were minimal in recognition that older women tend to value one another more. The few squabbles were quickly defused by an honest conversation. Go figure.</span></p>
  169. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">ABC has announced the first “Golden Bachelorette” airs this fall. And I couldn’t possibly care less. </span></p>
  170. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/04/weekend-humor-from-celia-rivenbark-golden-bachelor-break-up-shocks-nation-or-not/">Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Golden Bachelor break-up shocks nation&#8230;or not</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  171. ]]></content:encoded>
  175. </item>
  176. <item>
  177. <title>Powerful Senate Republican dismisses effort to close NC&#8217;s public records loophole</title>
  178. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/powerful-senate-republican-dismisses-effort-to-close-ncs-public-records-loophole/</link>
  180. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Clayton Henkel]]></dc:creator>
  181. <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 14:34:13 +0000</pubDate>
  182. <category><![CDATA[State Govt.]]></category>
  183. <category><![CDATA[FOIA]]></category>
  184. <category><![CDATA[government transparency]]></category>
  185. <category><![CDATA[North Carolina Open Government Coalition]]></category>
  186. <category><![CDATA[North Carolina Senate]]></category>
  187. <category><![CDATA[public records]]></category>
  188. <category><![CDATA[secrecy]]></category>
  189. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Graig Meyer]]></category>
  190. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Ralph Hise]]></category>
  191. <category><![CDATA[State Treasurer Dale Folwell]]></category>
  192. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175283</guid>
  193.  
  194. <description><![CDATA[<p>In the waning days of the 2023 legislative session, legislative leaders tucked a provision in the $30 billion budget bill giving North Carolina lawmakers the discretion to decide whether work documents could be shared publicly, destroyed or even sold. For those who may not remember, here&#8217;s the power they granted themselves from page 531: The [&#8230;]</p>
  195. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/powerful-senate-republican-dismisses-effort-to-close-ncs-public-records-loophole/">Powerful Senate Republican dismisses effort to close NC&#8217;s public records loophole</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  196. ]]></description>
  197. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="900" height="574" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PublicRecords.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="a person holds reems of paper to their chest" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PublicRecords.jpg 900w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PublicRecords-300x191.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PublicRecords-768x490.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Public records from legislators can be a treasure trove of information, explaining how decisions were made and how taxpayer money was allocated. (Photo: Clayton Henkel) </p><p>In the waning days of the 2023 legislative session, legislative leaders tucked a provision in the $30 billion budget bill giving North Carolina lawmakers the discretion to decide whether work documents could be shared publicly, destroyed or even sold.</p>
  198. <p>For those who may not remember, here&#8217;s the power they granted themselves from page 531:</p>
  199. <div id="attachment_175284" style="width: 972px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/public-records_p531_large.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175284" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-175284" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/public-records_p531_large.jpg" alt="Excerpt from budget bill" width="962" height="276" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/public-records_p531_large.jpg 962w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/public-records_p531_large-300x86.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/public-records_p531_large-768x220.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 962px) 100vw, 962px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175284" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Excerpt from budget bill</em></p></div>
  200. <p>The change did not sit well with Senator Graig Meyer (D-Orange) who on Thursday attempted to get his colleagues to address the matter when they were voting on a technical corrections bill to the budget.</p>
  201. <div id="attachment_167070" style="width: 202px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-167070" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-167070" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer-683x1024.jpg" alt="Sen. Graig Meyer" width="192" height="288" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer-200x300.jpg 200w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sen.-Graig-Meyer.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-167070" class="wp-caption-text">Sen. Graig Meyer (Photo: NCGA)</p></div>
  202. <p>Meyer asked Senator Ralph Hise, the Senate Deputy President <em>Pro Tem</em>, why SB 508 (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/S508" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 Budget Tech/Other Corrections</a>) that addressed numerous other technical corrections over 60 pages failed to fix the repeal of the state&#8217;s public records law for legislators.</p>
  203. <p>&#8220;Why is there no technical correction on the public records provision?&#8221; asked Meyer.</p>
  204. <p>&#8220;Because that would not be a technical correction. That would be a clear policy change of the policy enacted by the general assembly,&#8221; said Hise unmoved.</p>
  205. <p>Meyer told the chamber shielding themselves from the public records law only fosters a lack of transparency and trust in the institution.</p>
  206. <p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll remind this body but more importantly I&#8217;ll remind the public of the state of North Carolina that the General Assembly has exempted itself from all public record standards&#8230;.leaving public records compliance to be a voluntary matter to the individual members and giving members the ability to both destroy and sell our records paid for by the state, by the public through their taxpayer funds for the work that we do,&#8221; said Meyer.</p>
  207. <p>&#8220;We have a chance in this correction to the budget to fix that and have not, and I ask this body to continue to consider that as a matter of urgent public responsibility to fulfill our duties to the people who sent us here.&#8221;</p>
  208. <p>Meyer is not alone in his criticism of the provision.</p>
  209. <div id="attachment_167436" style="width: 418px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hise-5252022.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-167436" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-167436" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hise-5252022.jpg" alt="Sen. Ralph Hise" width="408" height="305" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hise-5252022.jpg 791w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hise-5252022-300x224.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hise-5252022-768x574.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 408px) 100vw, 408px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-167436" class="wp-caption-text">Sen. Ralph Hise (Photo: NCGA)</p></div>
  210. <p>State Treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-treasurer-criticizes-gop-legislators-budget-provision-allowing-public-records-to-be-sold-destroyed/">urged lawmakers</a> last October to change course.</p>
  211. <p>“By allowing individual lawmakers to determine what records are public and what material can be destroyed without ever seeing the sunshine of public view creates a system that does not have standards or accountability,” said Folwell.</p>
  212. <p>The former director of the Open Government Coalition, Brooks Fuller, said shielding legislative documents from public view does not itself cause corruption &#8220;but it creates a perfect environment for it to incubate.”</p>
  213. <p>And for now, that perfect environment still exists.</p>
  214. <p>Meyer&#8217;s appeal fell on deaf ears Thursday with no effort to address loophole legislative leaders carved out. Five minutes after Meyer brought it up the Senate adjourned for the week.</p>
  215. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/powerful-senate-republican-dismisses-effort-to-close-ncs-public-records-loophole/">Powerful Senate Republican dismisses effort to close NC&#8217;s public records loophole</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  216. ]]></content:encoded>
  220. </item>
  221. <item>
  222. <title>Dan Bishop said the 2020 election was stolen. Now he wants to be NC&#8217;s attorney general.</title>
  223. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/dan-bishop-said-the-2020-election-was-stolen-now-he-wants-to-be-ncs-attorney-general/</link>
  225. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kelan Lyons]]></dc:creator>
  226. <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 10:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
  227. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  228. <category><![CDATA[Election 2024]]></category>
  229. <category><![CDATA[Brennan Center for Justice]]></category>
  230. <category><![CDATA[Chris Cooper]]></category>
  231. <category><![CDATA[Dan Bishop]]></category>
  232. <category><![CDATA[election integrity]]></category>
  233. <category><![CDATA[gerrymandering]]></category>
  234. <category><![CDATA[Irving Joyner]]></category>
  235. <category><![CDATA[Jeff Jackson]]></category>
  236. <category><![CDATA[NC Attorney General]]></category>
  237. <category><![CDATA[The Big Lie]]></category>
  238. <category><![CDATA[Voting Rights]]></category>
  239. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175050</guid>
  240.  
  241. <description><![CDATA[<p>After the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina became an outspoken proponent of the lie that Democrats had rigged the results. He accused the rival party of running a national campaign to tie up the courts and disrupt the election&#8217;s administration, announcing that he would contest Electoral College votes in four states [&#8230;]</p>
  242. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/dan-bishop-said-the-2020-election-was-stolen-now-he-wants-to-be-ncs-attorney-general/">Dan Bishop said the 2020 election was stolen. Now he wants to be NC&#8217;s attorney general.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  243. ]]></description>
  244. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="614" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson-1024x614.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="images of Dan Bishop and Jeff Jackson appear next to the N.C. Department of Justice Building" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson-300x180.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson-768x460.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson-1536x921.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DOJ-Bishop-Jackson.jpg 2008w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Republican Dan Bishop (top) and Democrat Jeff Jackson are running to become state attorney general -- an office that plays an important role in interpreting and enforcing voting rights laws. (Photos: Bishop and Jackson campaign websites and Clayton Henkel for NC Newsline) </p><p>After the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina became an outspoken proponent of the lie that Democrats had rigged the results. He accused the rival party of running a national campaign to tie up the courts and disrupt the election&#8217;s administration, announcing that he would <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2021/01/06/at-least-six-members-of-congress-from-nc-plan-to-contest-electoral-college-votes-today/">contest</a> Electoral College votes in four states that were key to Joe Biden&#8217;s victory.</p>
  245. <p>&#8220;The Democrats&#8217; objectives were to weaken ballot security, undermine positive identification of voters, and provide opportunities for post-election ballot-box stuffing,&#8221; Bishop <a target="_blank" href="https://danbishop.house.gov/media/press-releases/bishop-objects-ga-pa-mi-wi-electoral-certifications">said at the time</a>. &#8220;This has been a national, partisan attack on the Constitutional delegation of authority to regulate elections specifically to state legislatures.&#8221;</p>
  246. <p>Bishop has expressed skepticism about the outcome of elections in other states but not the ultimate results in North Carolina, which Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2020. But just before Election Day 2020, Bishop <a target="_blank" href="https://danbishop.house.gov/media/press-releases/bishop-comments-letter-nc-board-elections-house-administration-committee">criticized</a> North Carolina&#8217;s governor, attorney general and &#8220;national Democrat operatives&#8221; for what he saw as partisan attacks on the integrity of the election.</p>
  247. <p>Now, Bishop is running for state attorney general, an office that would give him immense power in safeguarding North Carolina&#8217;s &#8220;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nc.gop/protecttheballot">election integrity</a>&#8221; — and in determining its future on voting rights.</p>
  248. <div id="attachment_120227" style="width: 166px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-scaled.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120227" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-120227" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-200x300.jpg" alt="Prof. Irving Joyner" width="156" height="234" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-200x300.jpg 200w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-scaled.jpg 683w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-400x600.jpg 400w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Prof.-Irv-Joyner-NCCU-267x400.jpg 267w" sizes="(max-width: 156px) 100vw, 156px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-120227" class="wp-caption-text">Prof. Irv Joyner (Photo: NCCU)</p></div>
  249. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“There will be continuing efforts to challenge the right of people to vote, the requirement that they use voter ID, the counting and security of the ballots when cast, and how that is to be handled at the state level,&#8221; said Irving Joyner, a law professor at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law. &#8220;</span><span style="font-weight: 400">Who is elected as the attorney general in 2024 will determine what positions the Attorney General’s Office and the state of North Carolina will take with respect to those challenges, and how those challenges will be handled in court.”</span></p>
  250. <p>That means an elected official who tried to overturn the results of an election four years prior could run an office originally intended to expand North Carolinians&#8217; access to the ballot.</p>
  251. <p>&#8220;We&#8217;re in a little bit of uncharted water here,&#8221; said Christopher Cooper, a professor of political science at Western Carolina University. &#8220;We&#8217;re talking about electing somebody to an office that would enforce voting rights laws, who doesn&#8217;t believe that the election was free and fair, when it clearly was.&#8221;</p>
  252. <p><strong>&#8216;A crucial role in protecting voting rights&#8217;</strong></p>
  253. <p>A century and a half before Bishop voted against certifying the 2020 election, North Carolinians adopted a new state constitution as a condition of rejoining the union after the South had lost the Civil War. Among the provisions was a requirement that North Carolina&#8217;s attorney general win election in a statewide race, an effort to make the state&#8217;s top lawyer more responsive to the needs of the electorate — one that had changed virtually overnight, when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncpedia.org/african-americans/emancipation#:~:text=With%20the%20Emancipation%20Proclamation%20of,of%20them%20in%20North%20Carolina.">thousands of newly freed, formerly enslaved</a> men gained the right to vote.</p>
  254. <div id="attachment_175255" style="width: 230px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Robyn-Sanders.png"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175255" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-175255" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Robyn-Sanders.png" alt="Robyn Sanders" width="220" height="220" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Robyn-Sanders.png 220w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Robyn-Sanders-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175255" class="wp-caption-text">Robyn Sanders (Photo: Brennan Center for Justice)</p></div>
  255. <p>That <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/1868-constitution">1868 Reconstruction Constitution</a> also expanded the attorney general&#8217;s role in protecting voting rights, allowing them to prosecute violations of elections laws, said Robyn Sanders, counsel with the Democracy Program’s Voting Rights and Elections Team at the Brennan Center for Justice.</p>
  256. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“Those changes were made with the aim of protecting the voting rights of those who were newly enfranchised, so African Americans formerly enslaved,&#8221; Sanders said.</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> &#8220;This was a significant step to ensure that the voting rights of all citizens, especially those who had recently gained the right to vote would be protected and upheld.&#8221;</span></p>
  257. <p><a target="_blank" href="https://democracync.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/A-Brief-History-of-Voter-Suppression-in-NC-2.pdf">Poll taxes</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://objectofhistory.org/objects/show/votingmachine/53.html">literacy tests</a> were used to suppress the voting rights of Black people for decades after the end of Reconstruction, but the attorney general&#8217;s powers to protect voting rights are still intact today. North Carolina&#8217;s attorney general can take action against attempts to suppress the vote and intimidate voters, Sanders said. They can investigate and prosecute voter fraud, file lawsuits to challenge restrictive voting laws that disproportionately impact certain groups, and play a role in monitoring elections to make sure they comply with voting rights laws.</p>
  258. <p>&#8220;The state AG really does play a crucial role in protecting voting rights,&#8221; said Sanders.</p>
  259. <p>By contrast, Sanders said an attorney general more hostile to voting rights could decline to enforce voting rights protections, or propose creating a task force to investigate supposed mass voter fraud.</p>
  260. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“Perhaps that particular AG would manipulate information to suggest voter fraud is this rampant problem when all the evidence done by scholars and academics and attorneys have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/analysis/Briefing_Memo_Debunking_Voter_Fraud_Myth.pdf">disproven</a> that over and over again,” said Sanders.</span></p>
  261. <p>The attorney general can also <a target="_blank" href="https://abc11.com/roy-cooper-josh-stein-supreme-court-voter-id/1765696/">oppose</a> legislative efforts to restrict access to the ballot box, as Attorney General Josh Stein <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=175050&amp;action=edit">has done</a>.</p>
  262. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“I think that&#8217;s particularly important, given the history of the country and the state, that the Attorney General sends that signal to all voters, but particularly those who are African American and from other marginalized communities who </span><span style="font-weight: 400">have historically and contemporarily continue to be disenfranchised, and to face barriers and hurdles to voting,&#8221; Sanders said. </span><span style="font-weight: 400">“I think that can help strengthen democracy and ensure that all citizens are heard.”</span></p>
  263. <div id="attachment_174019" style="width: 213px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chris-Cooper.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-174019" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-174019" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chris-Cooper-300x251.jpg" alt="Chris Cooper" width="203" height="170" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chris-Cooper-300x251.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chris-Cooper.jpg 554w" sizes="(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-174019" class="wp-caption-text">Prof. Chris Cooper (Photo: wcu.edu)</p></div>
  264. <p><strong>Standard Republican versus standard Democrat</strong></p>
  265. <p>Bishop&#8217;s opponent is a fellow congressman, Democrat Jeff Jackson. To Cooper, the candidates couldn&#8217;t be any more different.</p>
  266. <p>&#8220;Do you want a standard Republican or a standard Democrat?&#8221; Cooper asked. &#8220;Both candidates are very much a part of the party brand.&#8221;</p>
  267. <p>When it comes to election administration, Cooper said, there is a spectrum. On one end are security measures, things like voter ID — which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/impact-voter-suppression-communities-color">research</a> shows disproportionately impacts communities of color — and cracking down on voter fraud. On the other are methods of expanding access to the ballot, like extending early voting and broadening rules on voting absentee.</p>
  268. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“If you think of the conversation about elections as being this tension between security and access, you can imagine it being all the way towards the security side with Bishop and, of course, Jackson much more to the access side,&#8221; said Cooper. </span></p>
  269. <p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2015/S28">first bill Jackson filed</a> when he was in the General Assembly would have ended gerrymandering in North Carolina by creating an independent redistricting commission. It didn&#8217;t pass.</p>
  270. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">“It’s not like he would want elections to be unsecure or something like that, but he’s much more likely to advocate for issues about voter access or issues about what he would call ‘fair representation,'&#8221; Cooper said. </span></p>
  271. <p>Bishop, meanwhile, is unlikely to challenge the General Assembly if the Republican supermajority passes more laws to restrict access to the voting booth.</p>
  272. <p><span style="font-weight: 400">&#8220;I cannot imagine Dan Bishop trying to defend the length of <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/01/22/federal-judge-blocks-part-of-republicans-new-election-law/">early voting</a> or trying to stop the legislature’s authority in any way,&#8221; Cooper said.</span></p>
  273. <p>North Carolina&#8217;s attorney general may not create voting laws, but they can devote their office&#8217;s resources to supporting voting rights and opposing voter suppression tactics and unrepresentative gerrymandered maps, said Bob Phillips, the executive director of Common Cause North Carolina.</p>
  274. <p>&#8220;My fear is working hand in hand with a legislature that may also not be friendly to voting rights, that could be a real disaster for our state,&#8221; said Phillips.</p>
  275. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/dan-bishop-said-the-2020-election-was-stolen-now-he-wants-to-be-ncs-attorney-general/">Dan Bishop said the 2020 election was stolen. Now he wants to be NC&#8217;s attorney general.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  276. ]]></content:encoded>
  280. </item>
  281. <item>
  282. <title>Biden’s welcome action on marijuana</title>
  283. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/bidens-welcome-action-on-marijuana/</link>
  285. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Schofield]]></dc:creator>
  286. <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 09:59:20 +0000</pubDate>
  287. <category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
  288. <category><![CDATA[Radio Commentaries]]></category>
  289. <category><![CDATA[Biden administration]]></category>
  290. <category><![CDATA[cannabis]]></category>
  291. <category><![CDATA[marijuana]]></category>
  292. <category><![CDATA[medical marijuana]]></category>
  293. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175276</guid>
  294.  
  295. <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/bidens-welcome-action-on-marijuana/">Biden’s welcome action on marijuana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  296. ]]></description>
  297. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="marijuana products on display" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marijuana-products-GettyImages.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Marijuana products are seen on display at Apothecarium Dispensary on April 21, 2022 in Maplewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)</p><p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/03/bidens-welcome-action-on-marijuana/">Biden’s welcome action on marijuana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  298. ]]></content:encoded>
  301. <enclosure url="https://media.blubrry.com/ncpolicywatch/ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/FridayCommentary_May3.mp3" length="836315" type="audio/mpeg" />
  302.  
  303. <itunes:image href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/for-apple.png" />
  304. <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  305. <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
  306. <itunes:duration>1:05</itunes:duration>
  307. </item>
  308. <item>
  309. <title>Biden administration to issue rule expanding DACA health care access</title>
  310. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/biden-administration-to-issue-rule-expanding-daca-health-care-access/</link>
  312. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ariana Figueroa]]></dc:creator>
  313. <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 09:05:19 +0000</pubDate>
  314. <category><![CDATA[Federal government]]></category>
  315. <category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category>
  316. <category><![CDATA[NATIONAL]]></category>
  317. <category><![CDATA[affordable care act]]></category>
  318. <category><![CDATA[Biden administration]]></category>
  319. <category><![CDATA[DACA]]></category>
  320. <category><![CDATA[deferred action]]></category>
  321. <category><![CDATA[Dreamers]]></category>
  322. <category><![CDATA[Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra]]></category>
  323. <category><![CDATA[healthcare]]></category>
  324. <category><![CDATA[immigrant rights]]></category>
  325. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175280</guid>
  326.  
  327. <description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will publish a final rule Friday that will allow about 100,000 uninsured people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to enroll in state-run or private health insurance plans provided under the Affordable Care Act, administration officials said. The new rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human [&#8230;]</p>
  328. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/biden-administration-to-issue-rule-expanding-daca-health-care-access/">Biden administration to issue rule expanding DACA health care access</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  329. ]]></description>
  330. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Xavier Becerra" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies at his 2021 confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. HHS published a final rule Friday to expand health care access to DACA recipients. (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)</p><p>WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will publish a final rule Friday that will allow about 100,000 uninsured people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to enroll in state-run or private health insurance plans provided under the Affordable Care Act, administration officials said.</p>
  331. <p>The new rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could provide an opportunity for those uninsured DACA recipients to enroll in health coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace plan or a state-run Basic Health Program, also called BHP, in the few states where those plans are available.</p>
  332. <p>“By providing new opportunities for quality, affordable … health care, this rule will give DACA recipients the peace of mind and opportunity that every American deserves,” White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden said on a Thursday call with reporters previewing the final rule.</p>
  333. <p>Only two states, Minnesota and New York, operate Basic Health Programs. Oregon is set to become the third this year. The program, created in the Affordable Care Act, allows states to provide affordable health care coverage to low-income people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. The programs are almost entirely federally funded.</p>
  334. <p>In a statement, President Joe Biden said DACA recipients, often called Dreamers, deserve access to health coverage.</p>
  335. <p>“Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners,” Biden said. “And they deserve the promise of health care just like all of us.”</p>
  336. <p>There are about 600,000 DACA recipients who were brought into the country without authorization when they were children. The Obama-era program protects them from removal.</p>
  337. <p>HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said about one-third of DACA recipients are uninsured.</p>
  338. <p>“DACA recipients are currently three times more likely to be uninsured than the general U.S. population and individuals without health insurance … are less likely to receive preventative or routine health screenings,”  Becerra said on the Thursday call.</p>
  339. <p><strong>November start date</strong></p>
  340. <p>The rule will go into effect Nov. 1, “in order to align with the individual market Open Enrollment Period in most states and allow time for required operational updates,” according to a fact sheet provided by the White House. The move could affect as many as 100,000 DACA recipients, the White House said.</p>
  341. <p>“DACA recipients are no longer excluded from receiving coverage from a quality health plan,” Becerra said.</p>
  342. <p>DACA recipients who qualify to enroll in a Marketplace plan could also qualify for “advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) to reduce the cost of their Marketplace coverage, depending on their income,” according to the fact sheet.</p>
  343. <p>The rule will update the definition of “qualified noncitizen” to receive Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits to clarify the categories of noncitizens who qualify for coverage. The rule will not otherwise change eligibility for those programs for noncitizens.</p>
  344. <p>A senior administration official also noted that most DACA recipients have health care coverage through their employment, but that this rule will catch any recipients who are uninsured. The administration official spoke to reporters on the condition they not be named.</p>
  345. <p><a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/01/29/lengthy-timeline-for-daca-legal-fight-puts-lives-on-hold-for-years/">DACA recipients are currently awaiting a court case</a> that is likely to head to the Supreme Court to determine the legality of the program after the Trump administration tried to end it. If the Supreme Court deems the program unlawful, it’s unclear what happens to those in the program.</p>
  346. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/biden-administration-to-issue-rule-expanding-daca-health-care-access/">Biden administration to issue rule expanding DACA health care access</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  347. ]]></content:encoded>
  351. </item>
  352. <item>
  353. <title>Bill to increase spending on private school vouchers scores key win in NC Senate</title>
  354. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/bill-to-increase-spending-on-private-school-vouchers-scores-key-win-in-nc-senate/</link>
  356. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Greg Childress]]></dc:creator>
  357. <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 02:15:38 +0000</pubDate>
  358. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  359. <category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
  360. <category><![CDATA[Gov. Roy Cooper]]></category>
  361. <category><![CDATA[House Bill 823]]></category>
  362. <category><![CDATA[NC school vouchers]]></category>
  363. <category><![CDATA[North Carolina Senate]]></category>
  364. <category><![CDATA[Opportunity Scholarships]]></category>
  365. <category><![CDATA[private schools]]></category>
  366. <category><![CDATA[school vouchers]]></category>
  367. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Michael Lee]]></category>
  368. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175271</guid>
  369.  
  370. <description><![CDATA[<p>A bill to spend an additional $463 million on the state’s controversial private school voucher program over the next two years gained momentum Thursday, winning support in the state Senate. The bill was approved by a vote of 28-15 and will now return to the House for concurrence in Senate changes. Republican supporters of House Bill [&#8230;]</p>
  371. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/bill-to-increase-spending-on-private-school-vouchers-scores-key-win-in-nc-senate/">Bill to increase spending on private school vouchers scores key win in NC Senate</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  372. ]]></description>
  373. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="900" height="538" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenatorLee-on-vouchers.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Senator Michael Lee" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenatorLee-on-vouchers.jpg 900w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenatorLee-on-vouchers-300x179.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenatorLee-on-vouchers-768x459.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Sen. Michael Lee said traditional public school wasn't there for his youngest child. He wants all parents to have access to private school vouchers. (Photo: NCGA video stream)</p><p class="p4">A bill to spend an additional $463 million on the state’s controversial private school voucher program over the next two years<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>gained momentum Thursday, winning support in the state Senate. The bill was approved by a vote of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Legislation/Votes/RollCallVoteTranscript/2023/S/519" target="_blank" rel="noopener">28-15</a> and will now return to the House for concurrence in Senate changes.</p>
  374. <p class="p4">Republican supporters of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/h823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill 823</a> contend the extra money is needed to clear a wait list of more than 54,000 people for the state’s “Opportunity Scholarships.” The income-based program helps parents with private school tuition; awards range from $3,000 to $7,000.</p>
  375. <p class="p4">Funding ran out after scholarships were offered to 13,511 applicants in the lowest income tier and about 2,300 in the second income tier.</p>
  376. <p class="p4">Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, said education dollars should follow students where ever they attend school.</p>
  377. <p class="p4">“Clearing these waitlists fulfills our commitment to families from across the state that want a stronger say in their child’s education,” said Lee, who chairs the Senate Appropriations and Education committees. “From public schools to public charter schools, and private schools, North Carolina is at the forefront of school choice and education freedom.”</p>
  378. <p class="p4">Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said in a news release that parents have made it clear that they want educational freedom and school choice.</p>
  379. <p class="p4">“The incredible interest in Opportunity Scholarships means thousands of families are now in limbo,&#8221; Berger said. &#8220;We must clear the waitlist so families can prepare for the upcoming school year.”</p>
  380. <p class="p4">If approved HB 823 is approved, annual state spending on school vouchers would increase to $800 million by the 2031 fiscal year, which is $295 million more than projected.</p>
  381. <p class="p4">Democratic senators said the increase in spending on private school vouchers is tantamount to “welfare” for the state’s wealthiest families whose children already attend private schools without state assistance.</p>
  382. <p class="p4">Sen. Natasha Marcus, D-Mecklenburg, noted that 70% of vouchers funded in the bill would go to families of four earning more than $115,000 and 23% would go to families earning $260,000 or more a year.</p>
  383. <p class="p4">“Zero for the lowest-income families — they’ve already been funded, they don’t need this bill,” Marcus said. “This is welfare for the wealthy. This is not about helping middle-class or low-income families choose the school that they want their kid to go to.”</p>
  384. <p class="p4">Asking low- and moderate-income families to help millionaires pay private school tuition is like asking them to help rich families pay for a child’s Porsche, she said.</p>
  385. <p class="p4">“That’s what this bill is doing and it’s wrong,” Marcus said.</p>
  386. <p class="p4">Doubling down on remarks she made Wednesday in a Senate committee, Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, said the $3,000 voucher the wealthiest families are eligible to receive is a fraction of what those families pay in taxes.</p>
  387. <p class="p4">A family with an income of $1 million a year now pays $45,000 in state taxes, Galey said.</p>
  388. <p class="p4">“If they get the full award of $3,360 scholarship if they have a family of four … then more than 90% of their taxes are still paid and they still support public education,” Galey said.</p>
  389. <p class="p4">The program was created a little more than a decade ago with the stated purpose of helping low-income families escape low performing schools and districts. Now, there are no income restrictions. The number of families seeking private school vouchers exploded after the Republican-led legislature expanded the school voucher program to make it accessible to the state’s wealthiest families.</p>
  390. <div id="attachment_175272" style="width: 224px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sen.-Val-Applewhite.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175272" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-175272 size-medium" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sen.-Val-Applewhite-214x300.jpg" alt="Sen. Val Applewhite" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sen.-Val-Applewhite-214x300.jpg 214w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sen.-Val-Applewhite.jpg 386w" sizes="(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175272" class="wp-caption-text">Sen. Val Applewhite (Photo: NC General Assembly)</p></div>
  391. <p class="p4">Sen. Val Applewhite, D-Cumberland, told her Senate colleagues that concerned educators are dialing “911” for public education.</p>
  392. <p class="p4">“They’ve been dialing 911 for public education to this General Assembly and they feel like the phone call is going to voicemail or you’re just not picking it up,” Applewhite said.</p>
  393. <p class="p4">She said that in low-wealth, high-poverty counties such as hers, every dollar matters. Losing students to charter schools or private schools severely impacts public schools in low-wealth counties, she said. State funding is tied to enrollment, so when districts lose students, they also lose the allocation.</p>
  394. <p class="p1"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“It’s a $17 million impact to Cumberland County Schools,” Applewhite said.</p>
  395. <p class="p4">She noted that public officials are fond of thanking members of the military for their service. Cumberland County is home to Ft. Liberty, which is one of the largest military complexes in the world.</p>
  396. <p class="p4">“You know how you thank us for our service, help educate our children in Cumberland County and all of the other communities that host military installations,” said Applewhite, an Air Force veteran. “We can no longer continue to say thank you for your service and not fund or support the most important people in our lives, our children.”</p>
  397. <p class="p4">Republicans turned back two amendments during debate on Thursday &#8212; one of which would have required private schools to provide performance and attendance data for students who receive vouchers. The amendment would have also required private schools that take voucher money to follow state curriculum standards, accept students with disabilities, and provide free and reduced-priced meals.</p>
  398. <p class="p4">“If we’re going to give another $463 million to private schools, then we ought to have some accountability,” said Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford, who put forth the amendment. “Private schools that receive taxpayer funding need to provide the same level of student services.”</p>
  399. <p class="p1">Gov. Roy Cooper has called for a moratorium on school vouchers until the state’s public schools are fully funded. Under the voucher program, he contends, taxpayer money is spent on private schools that aren’t required to hire licensed teachers, provide meals, transportation or services for the disabled.</p>
  400. <p class="p1">“They [private schools] don’t have to tell taxpayers what they teach, how their students perform, which students they will reject or whether students even show up at all,” Cooper said in March <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/07/gov-roy-cooper-school-vouchers-are-a-reckless-waste-of-taxpayer-money/"><span class="s1">during a State Board of Education meeting</span></a>. “That is a reckless, reckless waste of taxpayer money.”</p>
  401. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/bill-to-increase-spending-on-private-school-vouchers-scores-key-win-in-nc-senate/">Bill to increase spending on private school vouchers scores key win in NC Senate</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  402. ]]></content:encoded>
  406. </item>
  407. <item>
  408. <title>Person County residents suing commissioners over rezoning for Dominion LNG plant</title>
  409. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/person-county-residents-suing-commissioners-over-rezoning-for-dominion-lng-plant/</link>
  411. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Sorg]]></dc:creator>
  412. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 20:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
  413. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  414. <category><![CDATA[Dominion]]></category>
  415. <category><![CDATA[lawsuit]]></category>
  416. <category><![CDATA[LNG]]></category>
  417. <category><![CDATA[Moriah Energy Center]]></category>
  418. <category><![CDATA[Person County]]></category>
  419. <category><![CDATA[Person County Commissioners]]></category>
  420. <category><![CDATA[Southern Coalition for Social Justice]]></category>
  421. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175267</guid>
  422.  
  423. <description><![CDATA[<p>The Tomato Lady. An amateur astronomer. A doctor-turned-organic farmer. Eight Person County residents have sued their county commissioners over an &#8220;arbitrary and capricious&#8221; rezoning that will allow a large liquified natural gas facility to be built near the southeastern community of Timberlake. The project would consume roughly 485 acres, with 50 to 60 accommodating the [&#8230;]</p>
  424. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/person-county-residents-suing-commissioners-over-rezoning-for-dominion-lng-plant/">Person County residents suing commissioners over rezoning for Dominion LNG plant</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  425. ]]></description>
  426. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1000" height="344" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/LNG-Person-County-example.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Dominion Energy provided this photo illustration of the proposed liquified natural gas facility -- LNG, for short -- in southeastern Person County. There is a large above ground tank that can hold 25 million gallons of LNG. There are five outbuildings and an injection point where the LNG would go into an underground pipeline. The facility is on concrete." decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/LNG-Person-County-example.png 1000w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/LNG-Person-County-example-300x103.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/LNG-Person-County-example-768x264.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Dominion Energy provided this photo illustration of the proposed liquified natural gas  facility -- LNG, for short -- in southeastern Person County. The large tank can hold 25 million gallons of LNG.</p><p>The Tomato Lady. An amateur astronomer. A doctor-turned-organic farmer.</p>
  427. <p>Eight Person County residents have <a target="_blank" href="https://southerncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024.02.02-Verified-Complaint-with-Exhibits_Final-F-S.pdf">sued their county commissioners</a> over an &#8220;<a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2023/12/05/shame-shame-shame-opponents-of-lng-plant-outraged-after-person-county-approval/">arbitrary and capricious&#8221; rezoning</a> that will allow a <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2023/11/03/dominion-plans-large-liquified-natural-gas-facility-in-person-county-near-rougemont/">large liquified natural gas facility</a> to be built near the southeastern community of Timberlake. The project would consume roughly 485 acres, with 50 to 60 accommodating the actual footprint of LNG site. The remaining area would serve as a safety buffer in case of a leak or explosion.</p>
  428. <p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://southerncoalition.org/person-county-residents-file-complaint-against-proposed-harmful-moriah-energy-center/">Southern Coalition for Social Justice</a>, which is representing the residents, is asking a court to nullify the rezoning. Attorney T.C. Morphis, who represents the county, has filed a motion to dismiss the case. A hearing is scheduled for July 15 in Person County.</p>
  429. <p>The proposed Moriah Energy Center, owned by Dominion would store the gas in two 25 million-gallon tanks at 260 degrees below zero. At peak demand times, usually during the winter, the gas would be vaporized and re-injected into the pipeline system. It’s unknown how often that would occur, although it could be as few as eight days a year.</p>
  430. <p>Dominion would source the gas from fracking operations outside North Carolina and transport it via their transmission pipelines. Alternately, the LNG would be shipped to the Moriah Energy Center by tanker truck.</p>
  431. <p>These large LNG facilities require significantly greater quantities of refrigerants to liquefy the natural gas than the amount typically used at a peak shavers or small-scale facilities, according to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration.</p>
  432. <p>The plaintiffs own property adjacent to the planned Moriah Energy Center, &#8220;which will destroy the rural character of their neighborhood and Person County&#8221; and subject them to &#8220;increased pollution, noise, traffic, toxic and hazardous air emissions, endangered and threatened species impacts, water resource impacts and the loss of use and enjoyment of their properties,&#8221; according to court documents. The concrete and pavement, land clearing and groundwater usage would also harm water quality and quantity, the plaintiffs allege.</p>
  433. <div id="attachment_171340" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/locator-map-LNG-Person-county.png"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-171340" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-171340" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/locator-map-LNG-Person-county.png" alt="This map shows the location of the Moriah Energy Center, in southeastern Person County, about two miles from the Durham and Granville county lines. (Map: Dominion)" width="900" height="438" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/locator-map-LNG-Person-county.png 900w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/locator-map-LNG-Person-county-300x146.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/locator-map-LNG-Person-county-768x374.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-171340" class="wp-caption-text">The location of the Moriah Energy Center, in rural Person County, about two miles from the Durham and Granville county lines. (Map: Dominion)</p></div>
  434. <p>James Dykes co-owns the Potluck Community Farm, which practices organic and regenerative agriculture, and where raises pigs, goats, cattle and other animals on pasture. He had planned to build a residential eco-village on part of the property, but &#8220;fewer people will be interested in living in a farming neighborhood overshadowed by the industrial operations&#8221; of the Moriah Energy Center, court documents read.</p>
  435. <p>Several other plaintiffs raise bees, grow nursery plants and vegetables; at least two of the plaintiffs say they have chronic respiratory conditions.</p>
  436. <p>In addition to leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas, <a target="_blank" class="NIuFY _5mtCX" href="https://lailluminator.com/2023/02/06/lng-export-terminals-pose-a-growing-and-invisible-threat-air-pollution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hook="WebLink">LNG plants emit</a> carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/liquefied-natural-gas-lng-health-and-climate-impacts">Environmental Health Project</a>. Studies have shown that these pollutants are associated with a range of health impacts, including headaches, coughing, dizziness, and other respiratory illnesses. They can also irritate skin, eyes, nose, and lungs. Long-term exposure to these pollutants can lead to heart disease, certain types of cancer, and damage to the reproductive system and internal organs, according to the project.</p>
  437. <p>The lawsuit also argues the Person County Commissioners erred on administrative grounds. For example, they did not notify by certified mail Camp Butner, a military base within five miles of the Moriah Energy Center, as legally required. Nor did the commissioners properly notify all of adjacent property owners of a public hearing within the legally required 10 days, the lawsuit alleges. Kristopher Clayton, who lives 78 feet from the rezoned property, alleged he did not receive his notice until five days before the commissioners&#8217; public hearing.</p>
  438. <p>Because the commissioners rezoned area from Rural Conservation and Residential to General Industrial, if the Moriah Energy Center is not built, other heavy manufacturing could be sited there.</p>
  439. <p>Dominion Energy has tried, unsuccessfully, to appease neighbors. In mid-April, Person County Economic Development officials held a meeting at the Golden Corral, where a Dominion spokesperson explained the project to a standing room-only crowd. However, the spokesperson offered no new information about the project and declined to take questions from the audience. Concerned residents say they have submitted more than 100 questions to Dominion, but have not received meaningful, if any, response.</p>
  440. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/person-county-residents-suing-commissioners-over-rezoning-for-dominion-lng-plant/">Person County residents suing commissioners over rezoning for Dominion LNG plant</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  441. ]]></content:encoded>
  445. </item>
  446. <item>
  447. <title>With runoff voting already underway, GOP congressional candidate bows out</title>
  448. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/with-runoff-voting-already-underway-gop-congressional-candidate-bows-out/</link>
  450. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Schofield]]></dc:creator>
  451. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 19:26:02 +0000</pubDate>
  452. <category><![CDATA[Election 2024]]></category>
  453. <category><![CDATA[13th Congressional District]]></category>
  454. <category><![CDATA[2024 election]]></category>
  455. <category><![CDATA[Brad Knott]]></category>
  456. <category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
  457. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  458. <category><![CDATA[Kelly Daughtry]]></category>
  459. <category><![CDATA[Mark Walker]]></category>
  460. <category><![CDATA[Republican primary]]></category>
  461. <category><![CDATA[runoff election]]></category>
  462. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175265</guid>
  463.  
  464. <description><![CDATA[<p>Early voting in the runoff election for the Republican nomination in the state&#8217;s 13th congressional district commenced a week ago and won&#8217;t conclude until Tuesday May 14, but it appears the campaign has ended today. And once again, Donald Trump&#8217;s iron grip on Republican voters appears to have been the driving force. Kelly Daughtry, the [&#8230;]</p>
  465. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/with-runoff-voting-already-underway-gop-congressional-candidate-bows-out/">With runoff voting already underway, GOP congressional candidate bows out</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  466. ]]></description>
  467. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="850" height="465" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Daughtry_Knott.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Kelly Daughtry and Brad Knott" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Daughtry_Knott.jpg 850w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Daughtry_Knott-300x164.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Daughtry_Knott-768x420.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Kelly Daughtry (left) and Brad Knott (Photos: Daughtry and Knott campaign websites)</p><p>Early voting in the runoff election for the Republican nomination in the state&#8217;s 13th congressional district commenced a week ago and won&#8217;t conclude until Tuesday May 14, but it appears the campaign has ended today.</p>
  468. <p>And once again, Donald Trump&#8217;s iron grip on Republican voters appears to have been the driving force.</p>
  469. <p>Kelly Daughtry, the daughter of longtime state lawmaker and one-time House Majority Leader Leo Daughtry, and the leading vote-getter in the March 5 primary, announced today that she has suspended her campaign.</p>
  470. <p>In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/kellydaughtrync/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement posted to her campaign Facebook page</a>, Daughtry said:</p>
  471. <style>
  472. .indent2Container { margin-left: 1em; border-left: solid 1px var(--brand_one); padding-left: 2em; }
  473. </style>
  474.    <div class="indent2Container">
  475.        
  476. <p>&#8220;In light of President Trump&#8217;s endorsement of Brad Knott for the Congressional seat in District 13, it has become clear that a pathway to victory is no longer feasible. I believe in the democratic process and respect the endorsement of our President.</p>
  477. <p>The time has now come to suspend my campaign. Although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in. I will focus on conservative voter registration operations and supporting the nominated conservative judicial candidates running in November.</p>
  478. <p>Brad Knott will be the Republican nominee on May 14th. I extend my congratulations to him and wish him well. Brad has my full endorsement, and I want him to know that I am here to support him, not to oppose him.&#8221;</p>
  479.    </div>
  480.  
  482. <p>The announcement all but guarantees that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bradknottforcongress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knott</a> will be elected to Congress in a November contest against <a target="_blank" href="https://frankpierce4congress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat Frank Pierce</a>, as the 13th district was redrawn by Republican state legislators last year to assure a GOP victory.</p>
  483. <p>The demise of the Daughtry candidacy is reminiscent of what occurred in late March in the 6th congressional district, when <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/13/walker-abandons-6th-congressional-district-runoff-joins-trump-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Congressman Mark Walker declined to seek a runoff against newcomer Addison McDowell</a>, despite having lost the primary contest by only 2%. McDowell also received Trump&#8217;s endorsement and Walker opted to take a position in the Trump campaign when he withdrew.</p>
  484. <p>In making her Thursday announcement, Daughtry &#8212; who actually bested Knott 27.39% to 18.67% in March, just short of the 30% need to avoid a runoff &#8212; made no mention of any future plans other than supporting Knott&#8217;s candidacy.</p>
  485. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/with-runoff-voting-already-underway-gop-congressional-candidate-bows-out/">With runoff voting already underway, GOP congressional candidate bows out</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  486. ]]></content:encoded>
  490. </item>
  491. <item>
  492. <title>Senate approves bill requiring sheriffs honor federal immigration requests to hold people in jail</title>
  493. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/senate-approves-bill-requiring-sheriffs-honor-federal-immigration-requests-to-hold-people-in-jail/</link>
  495. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Bonner]]></dc:creator>
  496. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:33:39 +0000</pubDate>
  497. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  498. <category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category>
  499. <category><![CDATA[Legislature]]></category>
  500. <category><![CDATA[State Govt.]]></category>
  501. <category><![CDATA[Buck Newton]]></category>
  502. <category><![CDATA[detainers]]></category>
  503. <category><![CDATA[Immigration and Customs Enforcement]]></category>
  504. <category><![CDATA[NC Republicans]]></category>
  505. <category><![CDATA[NC Senate]]></category>
  506. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Danny Britt]]></category>
  507. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed]]></category>
  508. <category><![CDATA[sheriffs]]></category>
  509. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175262</guid>
  510.  
  511. <description><![CDATA[<p>The state Senate moved quickly to pass legislation requiring local sheriffs to hold people they arrest at the request of federal immigration agents.  Republicans supporting the bill say requiring sheriffs to hold people they arrest and whose legal status they cannot determine for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pick up would make communities safer. Opponents [&#8230;]</p>
  512. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/senate-approves-bill-requiring-sheriffs-honor-federal-immigration-requests-to-hold-people-in-jail/">Senate approves bill requiring sheriffs honor federal immigration requests to hold people in jail</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  513. ]]></description>
  514. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="450" height="292" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AdobeStock_immigration-law.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AdobeStock_immigration-law.jpg 450w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AdobeStock_immigration-law-300x195.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AdobeStock_immigration-law-400x260.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Image: Adobe Stock</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The state Senate moved quickly to pass legislation requiring local sheriffs to hold people they arrest at the request of federal immigration agents. </span></p>
  515. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republicans supporting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/h10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the bill</a> say requiring sheriffs to hold people they arrest and whose legal status they cannot determine for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pick up would make communities safer. Opponents said such a requirement would make crime victims afraid to call police. </span></p>
  516. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sheriffs’ compliance with ICE detainers became an issue about six years ago after candidates for sheriff who said they would not comply with ICE detainers won office in some of the state’s urban counties.</span></p>
  517. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republicans say that the legislation was based in their opposition to the policies of a few sheriffs, those Sen. Buck Newton of Wilson called “stubborn, hard-headed sheriffs” who didn’t want to work with ICE.</span></p>
  518. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republican legislators in 2019 and 2022 pushed bills requiring sheriffs to hold people they arrested in jail if ICE requested it. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed both bills, and Republican leaders did not try to override those vetoes. This year, Republicans have enough votes to negate Cooper’s vetoes, giving it a much better chance of becoming law. </span></p>
  519. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And this year, the issue is entangled with national politics, the presidential election, and public concerns about illegal crossings at the southern border. </span></p>
  520. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sheriffs are already required to try to determine the legal status of people they arrest and tell ICE. Sheriffs are not required to hold people thought to be in the country illegally for 48 hours to give federal agents time to pick them up. The bill would make 48-hour ICE hold mandatory for people arrested for certain crimes. </span></p>
  521. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bill’s opponents rallied in Raleigh on Wednesday to deliver the message that the bill would </span><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-panel-oks-bill-requiring-sheriffs-to-cooperate-with-ice/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">lead to racial profiling and discourage undocumented people from contacting the police</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, NC Newsline reported. </span></p>
  522. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“To us, it just sends a message of hate, it sends a message of racism,” El Pueblo executive director Iliana Santillan said in a radio interview with NC Newsline editor Rob Schofield. </span></p>
  523. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Thursday’s Senate debate, Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, argued that the bill would “allow criminal defendants to evade prosecution in our state courts,” and violate a victims&#8217; rights constitutional amendment and the promise that victims would be notified about court proceedings.  </span></p>
  524. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republicans sidelined an amendment that would have allowed victims or their families to have a say in whether a defendant is transferred to ICE custody, with a district judge deciding if a sheriff should comply with a detainer request. The amendment would also have also set aside $10 million in grant funds to compensate sheriffs’ offices for complying with the law, and $15 million for the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. </span></p>
  525. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sen. Danny Britt, a Lumberton Republican, said no victims rights groups have ever raised these questions. </span></p>
  526. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 28-16. The House passed the bill last year, but must take at least one more vote before the bill goes to Cooper. </span></p>
  527. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/senate-approves-bill-requiring-sheriffs-honor-federal-immigration-requests-to-hold-people-in-jail/">Senate approves bill requiring sheriffs honor federal immigration requests to hold people in jail</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  528. ]]></content:encoded>
  532. </item>
  533. <item>
  534. <title>U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization</title>
  535. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/u-s-senate-dems-launch-renewed-push-for-full-marijuana-legalization/</link>
  537. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jacob Fischler]]></dc:creator>
  538. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 16:12:58 +0000</pubDate>
  539. <category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
  540. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  541. <category><![CDATA[D.C. Bureau]]></category>
  542. <category><![CDATA[cannabis]]></category>
  543. <category><![CDATA[criminal justice]]></category>
  544. <category><![CDATA[drugs]]></category>
  545. <category><![CDATA[expungements]]></category>
  546. <category><![CDATA[marijuana laws]]></category>
  547. <category><![CDATA[marijuana legalization]]></category>
  548. <category><![CDATA[Senate Democrats]]></category>
  549. <category><![CDATA[Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer]]></category>
  550. <category><![CDATA[U.S. Senate]]></category>
  551. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175260</guid>
  552.  
  553. <description><![CDATA[<p>Leading U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances, following the Biden administration’s move a day earlier to significantly ease regulations on the drug. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, [&#8230;]</p>
  554. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/u-s-senate-dems-launch-renewed-push-for-full-marijuana-legalization/">U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  555. ]]></description>
  556. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cannabis-buds-Getty.jpeg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="hands holding marijuana buds" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cannabis-buds-Getty.jpeg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cannabis-buds-Getty-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cannabis-buds-Getty-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Tim Blakeley, manager of Sunset Junction medical marijuana dispensary, shows marijuana plant buds on May 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)</p><p>Leading U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances, following the Biden administration’s move a day earlier to significantly ease regulations on the drug.</p>
  557. <p>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, on Wednesday at a press conference applauded the Justice Department’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-greatly-ease-marijuana-regulations-11">announcement</a> it would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act.</p>
  558. <p>But they said it didn’t solve problems, including race-based discrimination, created by federal prohibition.</p>
  559. <p>Instead, they promoted <a target="_blank" href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/cannabis_administration_and_opportunity_act.pdf">a bill</a> that would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act entirely, while adding new federal regulations and oversight.</p>
  560. <p>The bill “will help our country close the book once and for all on the awful, harmful and failed war on drugs, which all too often has been nothing more than a war on Americans of color,” Schumer said. “In short, our bill’s about individual freedom and basic fairness.”</p>
  561. <p>Most Americans believe cannabis should be legalized, Schumer said.</p>
  562. <p>The move announced Tuesday by the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration will ease some of the harshest restrictions on marijuana use under Schedule I, which lists the most dangerous and easily abused drugs without any medicinal value.</p>
  563. <p>Schedule III drugs, which include Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids, are allowed to be studied and dispensed under certain guidelines.</p>
  564. <p><strong>DOJ move not enough, Dems say</strong></p>
  565. <p>The Tuesday announcement from the Justice Department didn’t go far enough, the trio said at a Wednesday press conference, and should be seen as a potential launching pad for further reforms.</p>
  566. <p>“We want to disabuse people of the notion that because the White House moved yesterday, things are at a standstill here in the United States Congress,” Wyden said. “I look at this as a chance to get new momentum for our bill, for action on Capitol Hill.”</p>
  567. <p>Fifteen other Senate Democrats have cosponsored the bill.</p>
  568. <p><strong>Communities of color and small businesses</strong></p>
  569. <p>The senators said that federal prohibition, even as many states have legalized medicinal or recreational use, has disproportionately harmed communities of color.</p>
  570. <p>“I think it’s a great step that the Biden administration is moving in the direction of not making this a Schedule I drug — the absurdity of that is outrageous,” Booker said. “But honestly, the bill that we are reintroducing today is the solution to this long, agonizing, hypocritical, frankly unequally enforced set of bad laws.”</p>
  571. <p>Federal prohibition has also blocked tax breaks for marijuana-related businesses, including small independent enterprises that Wyden, who chairs the tax-writing Finance Committee, said he is eager to help.</p>
  572. <p>Wyden said he was excited about a provision in the bill to allow state-legal marijuana business access to a common tax break that allows small businesses to deduct business expenses.</p>
  573. <p>With marijuana classified as a Schedule I substance, the federal tax break has not been allowed even for businesses that operate with a state license. Wyden said that small independent businesses “really get clobbered” under the current system. He indicated that his committee would look at more ways to reduce the tax burden for “small mom-and-pop” businesses.</p>
  574. <p>The senators did not answer a question about if the legalization bill should be considered in tandem with a separate bill to allow state-legal marijuana businesses greater access to the banking system. Many banks refuse to do business with marijuana businesses out of fear they will be sanctioned as an accessory to drug trafficking.</p>
  575. <p><strong>New regulatory framework</strong></p>
  576. <p>The bill would automatically expunge federal marijuana-related convictions, direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a program to help people who lost access to housing benefits because of marijuana convictions and establish a Cannabis Justice Office within the U.S. Justice Department.</p>
  577. <p>It would direct funding to an Opportunity Trust Fund to help people and individuals “most harmed by the failed War on Drugs,” according to a summary from Schumer’s office. It would disallow possession of cannabis to be used against any noncitizen in an immigration proceeding and prevent withholding of other federal benefits from people who use the drug.</p>
  578. <p>While the bill would remove cannabis from regulations under the Controlled Substances Act, it would add new federal oversight, making the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau the federal agency with jurisdiction over the drug.</p>
  579. <p>The bill would establish a federal Center for Cannabis Products to regulate production, sales, distribution and other elements of the cannabis industry, instruct the Food and Drug Administration to establish labeling standards and create programs to prevent youth marijuana use.</p>
  580. <p>It would also retain a federal prohibition on marijuana trafficking conducted outside of state-legal markets, ask the Transportation Department to develop standards on cannabis-impaired driving and have the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collect data and create educational materials on cannabis-impaired driving.</p>
  581. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/u-s-senate-dems-launch-renewed-push-for-full-marijuana-legalization/">U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  582. ]]></content:encoded>
  586. </item>
  587. <item>
  588. <title>Supporting North Carolina’s working families must be a bipartisan cause</title>
  589. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/supporting-north-carolinas-working-families-must-be-a-bipartisan-cause/</link>
  591. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Waters]]></dc:creator>
  592. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 14:30:05 +0000</pubDate>
  593. <category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
  594. <category><![CDATA[Progressive Voices]]></category>
  595. <category><![CDATA[Bipartisan]]></category>
  596. <category><![CDATA[childcare]]></category>
  597. <category><![CDATA[CHILDREN]]></category>
  598. <category><![CDATA[Families]]></category>
  599. <category><![CDATA[financial security]]></category>
  600. <category><![CDATA[living income]]></category>
  601. <category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
  602. <category><![CDATA[working parents]]></category>
  603. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175232</guid>
  604.  
  605. <description><![CDATA[<p>The American family is our nation’s greatest strength. Yet our country is failing them. As we navigate a year fraught with partisanship and conflict, we also have an opportunity to recommit to an inclusive America where raising a family, working, and contributing to our communities is not just feasible but easier. I was recently part [&#8230;]</p>
  606. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/supporting-north-carolinas-working-families-must-be-a-bipartisan-cause/">Supporting North Carolina’s working families must be a bipartisan cause</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  607. ]]></description>
  608. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="an image of young children playing with toys" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1367212888-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">The author says there is much more that America can and must do to support working families with young children. Photo: Getty Images</p><p>The American family is our nation’s greatest strength. Yet our country is failing them. As we navigate a year fraught with partisanship and conflict, we also have an opportunity to recommit to an inclusive America where raising a family, working, and contributing to our communities is not just feasible but easier.</p>
  609. <p>I was recently part of an effort to do just that. The Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families, a bipartisan collaboration of leaders from many backgrounds and political beliefs, was an opportunity to step back from the political maelstrom and concentrate on how to support working families better. We spent several months together, learning from diverse perspectives, sometimes disagreeing but uniting with policies to support the American family.</p>
  610. <p>Sadly, those families are hurting. Many working-class Americans have been left behind as wages have stagnated and inequality has grown. <a target="_blank" href="https://americancompass.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/American-Compass_2021-Home-Building-Survey_Final.pdf">A survey by the conservative American Compass found that in 2021</a>, only those who are married and have the highest income and education levels believe they have achieved the American Dream. This leaves millions more—<a target="_blank" href="https://dashboard.myfuturenc.org/wp-content/uploads/county-profiles/North_Carolina.pdf">including the 42.6% of North Carolinians ages 25-44 who do not have a degree</a>—feeling that the American Dream has failed them.</p>
  611. <p>The Collaborative began with four foundational principles essential for any family-supporting policies:</p>
  612. <ul>
  613. <li>Meet families’ essential economic, health, and safety needs</li>
  614. <li>Foster connection among families and their communities</li>
  615. <li>Bolster the resources families already possess to be resilient in the face of inevitable hardships and challenges</li>
  616. <li>Give families meaningful choices in caring for their children.</li>
  617. </ul>
  618. <p>Supported by these touchstones, <a target="_blank" href="https://convergencepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Convergence-Collaborative-on-Supports-for-Working-Families-Blueprint-for-Action.pdf">our recommendations</a> focused on areas where bipartisan opportunities may exist to better support working families.</p>
  619. <p>First, we must <strong>reshape the narrative about raising children.</strong> Instead of solely highlighting the challenges and financial burdens, we must celebrate the joys and the vital role of parents and young children in shaping our shared future.</p>
  620. <p><strong>Second, give families cash.</strong> Low-income families mainly depend on government programs that, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan observed, micromanage their lives. Instead, we must invest directly in families to support themselves and their children. Emerging evidence suggests that cash is <a target="_blank" href="https://springboardto.org/magnolia-mothers-trust/">positive for parents, their children’s relationships, and their mental health. </a> Policymakers should find more ways to get more money into the pockets of more low-to-moderate income people with young children.</p>
  621. <p><strong>Third, parents need more choices.</strong> Whether working full-time, starting a business, or taking care of sick family members, they need child care options that are flexible and affordable. A uniform approach to child care policy will not work for a nation as diverse as ours.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/02/stay-home-parents-support-working-parents-social-security/677400/"> My colleague Elliot Haspel believes stay-at-home parents are given little material or cultural support despite ? of American households with children having a parent who stays home to care for children.</a> Many families make this choice because it is best for them, and they deserve support as much as families who choose to place their children in external child care.</p>
  622. <p><strong>Last, we must support parents with new children.</strong> As I write this, my wife and newborn daughter are upstairs. Fortunately, my wife has a generous maternity leave policy at work. Still, too many Americans do not have the flexibility or resources to take time away from work to care for their very young children. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/27/maternity-paid-leave-women-work-childbirth-us">This leads to the barbaric practice of expecting new mothers to return to work weeks, if not days, after childbirth while they are still bonding with their children and healing from the strain of childbirth.</a> Our collaborative recommended establishing a baseline of protection and support through a national parental leave policy. This is only humane.</p>
  623. <p>For centuries, North Carolina’s greatest politicians have adopted policies and made investments – from Smart Start to our world-class public university system and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.arealahec.org/our-history/#:~:text=The%20AHEC%20program%20was%20developed,Chapel%20Hill%20School%20of%20Medicine.">our first-in-the-nation system of Area Health Education Centers</a> – brightening the future for children and families. Uniquely in the South, progress is our heritage. On both sides of the aisle, I hope North Carolinians will vote to sustain our heritage of progress for all children and families in the critical election of 2024.</p>
  624. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/supporting-north-carolinas-working-families-must-be-a-bipartisan-cause/">Supporting North Carolina’s working families must be a bipartisan cause</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  625. ]]></content:encoded>
  629. </item>
  630. <item>
  631. <title>North Carolina to receive $76m to replace drinking water lines that contain lead</title>
  632. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/north-carolina-to-receive-76m-to-replace-drinking-water-lines-that-contain-lead/</link>
  634. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Sorg]]></dc:creator>
  635. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 12:08:35 +0000</pubDate>
  636. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  637. <category><![CDATA[Biden administration]]></category>
  638. <category><![CDATA[Division of Water Infrastructure]]></category>
  639. <category><![CDATA[drinking water]]></category>
  640. <category><![CDATA[EPA]]></category>
  641. <category><![CDATA[infrastructure]]></category>
  642. <category><![CDATA[lead]]></category>
  643. <category><![CDATA[Michael Regan]]></category>
  644. <category><![CDATA[water pollution]]></category>
  645. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175252</guid>
  646.  
  647. <description><![CDATA[<p>North Carolina will receive an additional $76 million for utilities to remove and replace lead service lines that could be contaminating the drinking water, the Biden administration announced today. The money is part of a $9 billion package for all states and U.S. territories, as well as tribal lands, through 2026, with $3 billion available [&#8230;]</p>
  648. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/north-carolina-to-receive-76m-to-replace-drinking-water-lines-that-contain-lead/">North Carolina to receive $76m to replace drinking water lines that contain lead</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  649. ]]></description>
  650. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="577" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-25-at-1.17.04-PM-1024x577.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="A black and white illustration from a 1923 ad that lauds the benefits of lead in solder, pipes and paint." decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-25-at-1.17.04-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-25-at-1.17.04-PM-300x169.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-25-at-1.17.04-PM-768x433.png 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-25-at-1.17.04-PM.png 1504w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">An advertisement placed by the National Lead Company in National Geographic magazine in 1923. (Photo courtesy U.S. National Library of Medicine)</p><p>North Carolina will receive an additional $76 million for utilities to remove and replace lead service lines that could be contaminating the drinking water, the Biden administration announced today.</p>
  651. <p>The money is part of a $9 billion package for all states and U.S. territories, as well as tribal lands, through 2026, with $3 billion available each year.</p>
  652. <p>Half of this funding will go to disadvantaged communities, said EPA Administrator Michael Regan, &#8220;a crucial investment for communities that have been underserved and overburdened by pollution for far too long.&#8221; Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are often at particular risk because governments have historically failed to invest in those areas.</p>
  653. <p>&#8220;It&#8217;s far past time to get the lead out once and for all. This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice and a matter of basic human rights,&#8221; Regan said.</p>
  654. <p>Lead service lines were primarily installed from the late 1800s to the 1940s. However, some communities laid them through the 1980s until they were banned by the federal government in 1986, according to the EPA. In North Carolina, the State Plumbing Code banned the use of lead in these materials in March 1987. Nonetheless, there are still 9 million of these old pipes in use today, sending contaminated drinking water into homes nationwide, according to the EPA. The funding awarded so far will help replace 1.7 million of those lines, including lead-containing goosenecks and connectors.</p>
  655. <p>Lead in drinking water is a public health crisis. Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead because their brains are developing. They can suffer irreversible brain damage, resulting in lifelong cognitive and behavioral problems. (The 2016 water crisis in Flint, Michigan, involved lead; many children in that city had double the blood levels deemed unsafe by public health officials.) Yet even adults exposed to lead can develop high blood pressure, as well as reproductive, kidney and brain disorders.</p>
  656. <p>There is no safe amount of lead. The EPA Action Level in drinking water — the concentration at which a utility must address the contamination — is 15 parts per billion. It applies to public water supplies only, not private wells.</p>
  657. <p>The new allocation for North Carolina is in addition to <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/01/26/nc-utilities-to-receive-47-million-to-keep-toxic-lead-out-of-drinking-water/">$87 million the state received as part of a congressional appropriation under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law</a>. Yet that money is nearly exhausted. Of that original funding, the state Division of Water Infrastructure has awarded $74.2 million in grants and low-interest loans <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deq.nc.gov/water-infrastructure/2024-april-lslr-funded-projects-summary/download?attachment">to more than 100 utilities</a> to inventory their systems, and if necessary, replace the lead-containing service lines.</p>
  658. <p>Under the proposed lead and copper rule improvements the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/proposed-lead-and-copper-rule-improvements#:~:text=EPA%20is%20proposing%20to%20require%20water%20systems%20to%20replace%20lead,where%20lead%20service%20lines%20are." target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPA would require</a> all public water systems to inventory their service lines and to replace any lead service lines as – at least 7% of their respective totals each year. The goal is to eliminate all lead-containing service lines in 10 years. The money does not cover lead plumbing inside private homes, which is the responsibility of the property owner.</p>
  659. <p>The final rule is expected to be issued by October, according to a senior Biden administration official.</p>
  660. <p dir="ltr"> <div class="newsroomSidebarContainer">
  661. <div class="newsroomSidebar "> <strong>Whether a utility receives funding or not, it still must comply with EPA rules in finding or replacing the lines:</strong></p>
  662. <ul>
  663. <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the public side of lead service lines or galvanized pipe is replaced, if the homeowner&#8217;s side also contains that material, the utility must also replace it.</span></li>
  664. <li>Galvanized pipes must be replaced if they are downstream of lead-containing service lines.</li>
  665. <li>Connectors and goosenecks containing lead should be tracked.</li>
  666. <li>The deadline for utilities to inventory their systems is Oct. 14, 2024.</li>
  667. <li>Utilities must make the inventory publicly available, and in multiple languages if there are non-English speakers in the service area.</li>
  668. <li>Water systems serving more than 50,000 people must provide inventories online.</li>
  669. <li>Utilities must notify their customers if service lines were found to contain lead, or if the line status is unknown; this information must be provided within 30 days of when the inventory is complete. That means all North Carolinians should know whether their utility found lead service lines by Nov. 14, 2024. </div>
  670. </div>
  671. </li>
  672. </ul>
  673. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/north-carolina-to-receive-76m-to-replace-drinking-water-lines-that-contain-lead/">North Carolina to receive $76m to replace drinking water lines that contain lead</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  674. ]]></content:encoded>
  678. </item>
  679. <item>
  680. <title>Republican lawmakers back $463 million in additional spending on private school vouchers</title>
  681. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/republican-lawmakers-back-463-million-in-additional-spending-on-private-school-vouchers/</link>
  683. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Greg Childress]]></dc:creator>
  684. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 10:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
  685. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  686. <category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
  687. <category><![CDATA[Gov. Roy Cooper]]></category>
  688. <category><![CDATA[K-12 education]]></category>
  689. <category><![CDATA[N.C. General Assembly]]></category>
  690. <category><![CDATA[NC Opportunity Scholarships]]></category>
  691. <category><![CDATA[NC school vouchers]]></category>
  692. <category><![CDATA[public schools]]></category>
  693. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Michael Lee]]></category>
  694. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Natasha Marcus]]></category>
  695. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175238</guid>
  696.  
  697. <description><![CDATA[<p>The North Carolina Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a preferred committee substitute of House Bill 823 to add an extra $463.5 million over two years to the state’s controversial private school voucher program. Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, explained that $248 million of the $463.5 million will help to clear the wait list for [&#8230;]</p>
  698. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/republican-lawmakers-back-463-million-in-additional-spending-on-private-school-vouchers/">Republican lawmakers back $463 million in additional spending on private school vouchers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  699. ]]></description>
  700. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="577" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-PrivateSchool-Vouchers-1024x577.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="an image shows the word &quot;public&quot; becoming the word &quot;private&quot; in front of the word &quot;school&quot;" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-PrivateSchool-Vouchers-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-PrivateSchool-Vouchers-300x169.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-PrivateSchool-Vouchers-768x433.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-PrivateSchool-Vouchers.jpg 1204w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Photo: Getty Images</p><p class="p1">The North Carolina Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a <a target="_blank" href="https://webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewDocSiteFile/87303"><span class="s1">preferred committee substitute of House Bill 823</span></a> to add an extra $463.5 million over two years to the state’s controversial private school voucher program.</p>
  701. <p class="p1">Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, explained that $248 million of the $463.5 million will help to clear the wait list for this year and that another $215.5 million would fund school vouchers in future years.</p>
  702. <p class="p1">Lee and other bill supporters said the money is needed to clear a wait list of more than 55,000 people who want state-funded “Opportunity Scholarships” to send children to private and religious schools.</p>
  703. <div id="attachment_175247" style="width: 532px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenMichaelLee_5012024a.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175247" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-175247" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenMichaelLee_5012024a.jpg" alt="" width="522" height="303" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenMichaelLee_5012024a.jpg 968w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenMichaelLee_5012024a-300x174.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenMichaelLee_5012024a-768x446.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175247" class="wp-caption-text">Sen. Michael Lee (Photo: Screen grab NCGA video stream)</p></div>
  704. <p class="p1">“The first day [of the application period] more applications were received than the entire priority application period in 2023,” Lee said. “It was really amazing.”</p>
  705. <p class="p1">The number of families seeking private school vouchers exploded after the Republican-led legislature expanded the school voucher program to make it accessible to the state’s wealthiest families.</p>
  706. <p class="p1">The program was created a little more than a decade ago with the stated purpose of helping low-income families escape low performing schools and districts. Now, there are no income restrictions.</p>
  707. <p class="p1">Sen. Natasha Marcus, D-Mecklenburg, called the additional spending on the voucher program “welfare” for wealthy families whose children already attend private schools. Marcus said top earners make up 23% of parents on the wait list.</p>
  708. <p class="p1">“They’re already paying their private school tuition and can afford it quite well, so I think it’s disingenuous to say that they’re somehow waiting on this bill to save them in order to decide if their kids can continue to go to Greensboro Day or Providence Day or the fanciest private schools that money can buy,” Marcus said. “Those kids are already there and I think we know that.”</p>
  709. <p class="p1">She noted that every Tier 1 family — lower-income families eligible for the maximum award of $7,468 per child — who applied for school voucher money received it.</p>
  710. <p class="p1">Seventy percent of the people on the wait list earn more than $115,000 a year, Marcus said.</p>
  711. <p class="p1">She asked why further expanding school vouchers is such a high priority when there are many other unmet needs around education.</p>
  712. <p class="p1">Marcus said $197 million would clear the NC Pre-K wait list, $200 million would provide much-needed childcare subsidy grants to working parents or the money for voucher could be used for teacher pay raises.</p>
  713. <p class="p1">“Can you justify this welfare to the wealthiest families in some way that makes some sense to the taxpayers of North Carolina?” Marcus asked.</p>
  714. <div id="attachment_175248" style="width: 563px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenNatashaMarcus_5012024.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175248" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-175248" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenNatashaMarcus_5012024.jpg" alt="" width="553" height="297" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenNatashaMarcus_5012024.jpg 795w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenNatashaMarcus_5012024-300x161.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SenNatashaMarcus_5012024-768x412.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 553px) 100vw, 553px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175248" class="wp-caption-text">Sen. Natasha Marcus (Photo: Screengrab NCGA video)</p></div>
  715. <p class="p1">Lee responded that he doesn’t consider helping a $115,000, two-income household send children to private school helping the wealthy.</p>
  716. <p class="p1">Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, said it’s inappropriate to discuss school vouchers in terms like &#8220;welfare.&#8221;</p>
  717. <p class="p1">“It’s really insulting to people who actually need public assistance to cover those gaps in their lives when they’re having times of trouble,” Galey said.</p>
  718. <p class="p1">Galey also took issue with Marcus’ criticism of the GOP’s decision to make wealthy families eligible for private school vouchers.</p>
  719. <p class="p1">“They are the taxpayers,” Galey said emphatically. “This is not welfare if it’s actually their own money. They’re the ones who pay the taxes and if you have a high-income earner, a family with over $260,000 in income and if they’re receiving back an opportunity scholarship of around $3,360, I would submit that’s well below the amount of taxes they’re paying into the state of North Carolina and into the public school system.”</p>
  720. <p class="p1">Lee noted that the state’s voucher program has had a marketing problem that resulted in millions of dollars going unused.</p>
  721. <p class="p1">“It was really hard to get the message out to families that they had the opportunity to send their child to the school of their choice irrespective of income as long as they could get that opportunity scholarship,” Lee said.</p>
  722. <p class="p1">This year was different, he said, noting that Gov. Roy Cooper, one of the program’s most vocal critics helped to spark interest in the voucher program while condemning it during visits across the state.</p>
  723. <p class="p1">“I have to thank the governor [Roy Cooper],” Lee said. “The governor went around the state telling everybody about Opportunity Scholarships, I mean everybody.”</p>
  724. <p class="p1">Cooper has called for a moratorium on school vouchers until the state’s public schools are fully funded.</p>
  725. <p class="p1">Under the voucher program, he contends, taxpayer money is spent on private schools that aren’t required to hire licensed teachers, provide meals, transportation or services for the disabled.</p>
  726. <p class="p1">“They [private schools] don’t have to tell taxpayers what they teach, how their students perform, which students they will reject or whether students even show up at all,” Cooper said in March <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/07/gov-roy-cooper-school-vouchers-are-a-reckless-waste-of-taxpayer-money/"><span class="s1">during a State Board of Education meeting</span></a>. “That is a reckless, reckless waste of taxpayer money.”</p>
  727. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/republican-lawmakers-back-463-million-in-additional-spending-on-private-school-vouchers/">Republican lawmakers back $463 million in additional spending on private school vouchers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  728. ]]></content:encoded>
  732. </item>
  733. <item>
  734. <title>Critics raise big and legitimate concerns about Duke Energy’s carbon plan</title>
  735. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/critics-raise-big-and-legitimate-concerns-about-duke-energys-carbon-plan/</link>
  737. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Schofield]]></dc:creator>
  738. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 09:59:14 +0000</pubDate>
  739. <category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
  740. <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
  741. <category><![CDATA[Radio Commentaries]]></category>
  742. <category><![CDATA[carbon plan]]></category>
  743. <category><![CDATA[climate]]></category>
  744. <category><![CDATA[Duke Energy]]></category>
  745. <category><![CDATA[emissions]]></category>
  746. <category><![CDATA[environment]]></category>
  747. <category><![CDATA[power plants]]></category>
  748. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175250</guid>
  749.  
  750. <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/critics-raise-big-and-legitimate-concerns-about-duke-energys-carbon-plan/">Critics raise big and legitimate concerns about Duke Energy’s carbon plan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  751. ]]></description>
  752. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="889" height="734" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham.jpeg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="protesters gathered outside the Durham County Courthouse" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham.jpeg 889w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham-300x248.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham-768x634.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">A member of the Ragin' Grannies, an environmental advocacy group, sings "No Frackin' Way," outside the Durham County Courthouse, where the NC Utilities Commission was holding a public hearing about Duke Energy's carbon plan. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)</p><p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/02/critics-raise-big-and-legitimate-concerns-about-duke-energys-carbon-plan/">Critics raise big and legitimate concerns about Duke Energy’s carbon plan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  753. ]]></content:encoded>
  756. <enclosure url="https://media.blubrry.com/ncpolicywatch/ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ThursdayCommentary_May2.mp3" length="826235" type="audio/mpeg" />
  757.  
  758. <itunes:image href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/for-apple.png" />
  759. <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  760. <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
  761. <itunes:duration>1:04</itunes:duration>
  762. </item>
  763. <item>
  764. <title>NC Senate panel OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE</title>
  765. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-panel-oks-bill-requiring-sheriffs-to-cooperate-with-ice/</link>
  767. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ahmed Jallow]]></dc:creator>
  768. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 09:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
  769. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  770. <category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category>
  771. <category><![CDATA[Legislature]]></category>
  772. <category><![CDATA[race]]></category>
  773. <category><![CDATA[criminal justice]]></category>
  774. <category><![CDATA[Destin Hall]]></category>
  775. <category><![CDATA[El Pueblo]]></category>
  776. <category><![CDATA[ICE]]></category>
  777. <category><![CDATA[Immigration and Customs Enforcement]]></category>
  778. <category><![CDATA[N.C. General Assembly]]></category>
  779. <category><![CDATA[NC Sheriffs]]></category>
  780. <category><![CDATA[racial profiling]]></category>
  781. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175241</guid>
  782.  
  783. <description><![CDATA[<p>On Wednesday morning, the North Carolina Senate Committee on Rules and Operations approved HB10, a controversial bill requiring cooperation between all North Carolina sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration from the whole chamber, which could happen as soon as Thursday morning when the Senate [&#8230;]</p>
  784. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-panel-oks-bill-requiring-sheriffs-to-cooperate-with-ice/">NC Senate panel OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  785. ]]></description>
  786. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="600" height="405" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_Citizen-and-Immigration.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="ICE office sign" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_Citizen-and-Immigration.jpg 600w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_Citizen-and-Immigration-300x203.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_Citizen-and-Immigration-400x270.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Image: Adobe Stock</p><p>On Wednesday morning, the North Carolina Senate Committee on Rules and Operations approved HB10, a controversial bill requiring cooperation between all North Carolina sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.</p>
  787. <p>The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration from the whole chamber, which could happen as soon as Thursday morning when the Senate reconvenes. If approved, the measure will return to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments.</p>
  788. <p>North Carolina sheriffs are already required under current state law to try and determine the legal status of people they arrest and inform ICE. However, current law doesn&#8217;t require them to honor ICE detainer requests, which ask local authorities to hold someone believed to be in the country illegally for up to 48 hours while federal agents pick them up.</p>
  789. <p>House Bill 10 will change that.</p>
  790. <p>If it becomes law, the bill will require all 100 sheriffs in the state to notify ICE if they are unable to determine the legal status of a person charged with certain high-level offenses. It would compel sheriffs to honor ICE requests to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally for up to 48 hours.</p>
  791. <p>Dozens of people and advocates opposed to the bill gathered at the legislature on Wednesday under the banner &#8220;Todos Somos North Carolina&#8221; (&#8220;We Are All North Carolina&#8221;) to urge lawmakers to reject the bill.</p>
  792. <p>The event was organized by El Pueblo, the Alliance for Immigrant Rights and other local groups.</p>
  793. <p>Speakers at the rally warned that if passed, the bill would lead to racial profiling of Hispanic drivers and discourage undocumented immigrants from contacting the police.</p>
  794. <p>&#8220;Misleading arguments have been used to justify this legislation,” said Iliana Santillan, executive director of El Pueblo referring to statements by the bill’s primary sponsor Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, that 90 sheriffs voluntarily cooperate with ICE.</p>
  795. <p>Santillan said only 15 sheriffs&#8217; offices have signed agreements under the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to train local law enforcement officers for limited immigration duties.</p>
  796. <p>&#8220;It has also been said that it will only target those who have committed a crime and we know that many people are in jails only as suspects. This bill opens the door to racial profiling and abuse of power by law enforcement.&#8221;</p>
  797. <p>During the day, members of various groups visited 40 offices of House members and 25 Senate offices from 12 different counties to provide lawmakers with information about the contributions of immigrants in North Carolina, according to a release from El Pueblo.</p>
  798. <p>Santillan, who is also a member of the Governor&#8217;s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, told reporters that she plans to raise the issue at the council’s meeting tomorrow in Charlotte, saying the best she can hope for is the governor&#8217;s veto, though it is likely to be overridden by Republican legislators.</p>
  799. <p>She also expressed disappointment that some legislators on the committees that considered the measure failed to speak out on behalf of those they purportedly support.</p>
  800. <p>“Even if it passes, we just want legislators to really advocate for us and speak out when they&#8217;re needed to,” Santillan told reporters. “We saw in the committee hearings yesterday and today, and it&#8217;s a shame that legislators who have one&#8217;s voice that they support us didn&#8217;t stand up for our community members.”</p>
  801. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-panel-oks-bill-requiring-sheriffs-to-cooperate-with-ice/">NC Senate panel OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  802. ]]></content:encoded>
  806. </item>
  807. <item>
  808. <title>NC legislators boost HBCUs as another state budget-writing season begins</title>
  809. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-legislators-boost-hbcus-as-another-state-budget-writing-season-begins/</link>
  811. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Bonner]]></dc:creator>
  812. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 22:56:59 +0000</pubDate>
  813. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  814. <category><![CDATA[Higher Ed]]></category>
  815. <category><![CDATA[Legislature]]></category>
  816. <category><![CDATA[Abe Jones]]></category>
  817. <category><![CDATA[budget]]></category>
  818. <category><![CDATA[Carl Ford]]></category>
  819. <category><![CDATA[Gladys Robinson]]></category>
  820. <category><![CDATA[HBCUs]]></category>
  821. <category><![CDATA[NC A&T State University]]></category>
  822. <category><![CDATA[NC Central University]]></category>
  823. <category><![CDATA[NC legislature]]></category>
  824. <category><![CDATA[NCCU]]></category>
  825. <category><![CDATA[St. Augustine's University]]></category>
  826. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175233</guid>
  827.  
  828. <description><![CDATA[<p>St. Augustine&#8217;s University in Raleigh could be in line for support from the state legislature as it struggles with financial problems, but it may be in the form of technical help rather than money.  A news conference organized by the legislature’s bipartisan HBCU Caucus emphasizing the importance of the state’s historically Black colleges and universities [&#8230;]</p>
  829. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-legislators-boost-hbcus-as-another-state-budget-writing-season-begins/">NC legislators boost HBCUs as another state budget-writing season begins</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  830. ]]></description>
  831. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="538" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-1024x538.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="HBCU supporters press conference" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-1024x538.png 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-300x158.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-768x403.png 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-1536x807.png 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-11.55.36-AM-2048x1076.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Dr. Paulette Dillard,President of Shaw University, and other HBCU leaders discuss the need for increased support during a May 1, 2024 press conference. (Screenshot from NCGA feed)</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">St. Augustine&#8217;s University in Raleigh could be in line for support from the state legislature as it struggles with financial problems, but it may be in the form of technical help rather than money. </span></p>
  832. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A news conference organized by the legislature’s bipartisan HBCU Caucus emphasizing the importance of the state’s historically Black colleges and universities was notable for the presence of both private and public school leaders. </span></p>
  833. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">North Carolina has five private and five public HBCUs. NC A&amp;T State University in Greensboro is the largest HBCU in the country. NC A&amp;T released a study last year detailing the university’s </span><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2023/08/11/study-n-c-at-growing-rapidly-economic-impact-now-2-4-billion/#:~:text=By%3A%20Joe%20Killian%20%2D%20August%2011%2C%202023%205%3A55%20am&amp;text=On%20Tuesday%20economists%20from%20N.C.,economic%20impact%20of%20%242.4%20billion."><span style="font-weight: 400;">$2.4 billion economic impact</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
  834. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“No entity, no single group of colleges do what they do,” said Rep. Abe Jones, a Raleigh Democrat. “Theirs is a mission that must always be supported.”</span></p>
  835. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">HBCUs have been historically underfunded. </span></p>
  836. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">States underfunded Black land-grant universities compared to their predominantly white counterparts for decades, according to a 2023 federal report. It identified a </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ednc.org/biden-administration-says-state-leaders-have-shortchanged-n-c-at-university/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$2 billion funding gap between NC A&amp;T and NC State University</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
  837. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republican legislators praised the HBCUs in their districts and noted they have support from both parties. “We might disagree on a lot of things, but this is not one of them,” said Sen. Carl Ford, a Republican who represents Rowan and Stanly counties. </span></p>
  838. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The legislature has a history of funding private universities, though public universities are the first priority, said Sen. Gladys Robinson, a Guilford County Democrat. Legislators can’t promise St. Aug’s will receive money, “but there are other kinds of support,” she said. </span></p>
  839. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The IRS filed a </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wral.com/story/saint-augustine-s-university-faces-financial-crisis-7-9m-tax-lien-unpaid-debts-and-accreditation-at-risk/21286328/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$7.9 million tax lien </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">against the university, WRAL has reported.  The university has other unpaid debts and is fighting to keep its accreditation. </span></p>
  840. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Don’t count us out,” St. Aug’s interim president Marcus Burgess said at the news conference.</span></p>
  841. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Burgess said the university needs funding for building renovations and construction and for students who need money to complete degree requirements.</span></p>
  842. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Will Guzman, an assistant vice chancellor at NC Central University in Durham, asked to have the school’s cap on out-of-state students lifted from 35% to 50%, if not eliminated altogether. </span></p>
  843. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He asked for increased funding for the merit-based, four-year, Cheatham-White Scholarship.</span></p>
  844. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also asked that all high school students, regardless of citizenship status, be allowed to pay in-state tuition at public HBCUs. </span></p>
  845. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-legislators-boost-hbcus-as-another-state-budget-writing-season-begins/">NC legislators boost HBCUs as another state budget-writing season begins</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  846. ]]></content:encoded>
  850. </item>
  851. <item>
  852. <title>Chatham County Schools joins growing wave of lawsuits against social media giants</title>
  853. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/chatham-county-schools-joins-growing-wave-of-lawsuits-against-social-media-giants/</link>
  855. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ahmed Jallow]]></dc:creator>
  856. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 20:12:02 +0000</pubDate>
  857. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  858. <category><![CDATA[Chatham County Schools]]></category>
  859. <category><![CDATA[CHILDREN]]></category>
  860. <category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
  861. <category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
  862. <category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
  863. <category><![CDATA[Meta]]></category>
  864. <category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
  865. <category><![CDATA[TikTok]]></category>
  866. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175228</guid>
  867.  
  868. <description><![CDATA[<p>The number of North Carolina local school districts to have joined a nationwide lawsuit against social media companies accused of exploiting children grew again last Friday when Chatham County Schools added its name to the list. The school district becomes one of more than 200 school districts nationwide suing social media giants Meta, Google, TikTok, [&#8230;]</p>
  869. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/chatham-county-schools-joins-growing-wave-of-lawsuits-against-social-media-giants/">Chatham County Schools joins growing wave of lawsuits against social media giants</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  870. ]]></description>
  871. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/social-media.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="social media icons on a phone" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/social-media.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/social-media-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/social-media-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)</p><p>The number of North Carolina local school districts to have joined a nationwide lawsuit against social media companies accused of exploiting children grew again last Friday when Chatham County Schools added its name to the list.</p>
  872. <p>The school district becomes one of more than 200 school districts nationwide suing social media giants Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap. The districts accuse the companies of prioritizing profit over the safety and well-being of children, despite being aware of the negative impact their platforms have on young users.</p>
  873. <p>The school board voted unanimously to join the social media lawsuit at its March 11 meeting.</p>
  874. <p>“Chatham’s decision to take legal action reflects our unwavering commitment to the welfare of our students and to ensure that social media corporations are held responsible for their contribution to the mental health challenges faced by our students,” Gary Leonard, Chair of the Chatham County School Board, said in the statement.</p>
  875. <p>School leaders say they are seeking both to address what they describe as the surge in mental illness among students due to social media use and to secure financial compensation to help them respond to the mental health crisis among students, according to the release.</p>
  876. <p>&#8220;Social media companies have deliberately designed their products to attract and addict teen and adolescent users, using targeted algorithms, constant notifications, and insufficient parental controls. Chatham County Schools aims to initiate a transformation of these platforms, seeking both accountability and financial support. By pursuing this legal action, the school district aims to alleviate the burden placed on taxpayers and secure the necessary resources to address the crisis, thereby safeguarding the well-being of its students,&#8221; according to the statement.</p>
  877. <p><span class="TextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0">In November, a federal judge shot down an effort from the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0">social media companies</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0"> to dismiss the nationwide litigation, according to </span></span><a target="_blank" class="Hyperlink SCXW69934053 BCX0" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-says-social-media-companies-must-face-lawsuits-over-harm-children-2023-11-14/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW69934053 BCX0" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Reuters</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW69934053 BCX0">. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW69934053 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> </span></p>
  878. <p>Chatham County Schools becomes the latest North Carolina district to join the lawsuit against social media companies. Others include:</p>
  879. <ul>
  880. <li>Charlotte-Mecklenburg</li>
  881. <li>Wilson County</li>
  882. <li>Johnston County</li>
  883. <li>Union County</li>
  884. <li>Robeson County</li>
  885. <li>Moore County</li>
  886. <li>Wayne County</li>
  887. <li>Clinton County</li>
  888. <li>Pitt County</li>
  889. <li>Rockingham County</li>
  890. <li>Cumberland County</li>
  891. <li>Wake County</li>
  892. <li>Alamance-Burlington</li>
  893. <li>Currituck County</li>
  894. <li>Edenton-Chowan</li>
  895. <li>Edgecombe County</li>
  896. <li>Northampton County</li>
  897. <li>Durham County</li>
  898. </ul>
  899. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/chatham-county-schools-joins-growing-wave-of-lawsuits-against-social-media-giants/">Chatham County Schools joins growing wave of lawsuits against social media giants</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  900. ]]></content:encoded>
  904. </item>
  905. <item>
  906. <title>Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson </title>
  907. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/marjorie-taylor-greene-to-force-vote-next-week-on-ousting-u-s-house-speaker-mike-johnson/</link>
  909. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Shutt]]></dc:creator>
  910. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 18:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
  911. <category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
  912. <category><![CDATA[D.C. Bureau]]></category>
  913. <category><![CDATA[NATIONAL]]></category>
  914. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  915. <category><![CDATA[House Republicans]]></category>
  916. <category><![CDATA[Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene]]></category>
  917. <category><![CDATA[right-wing]]></category>
  918. <category><![CDATA[Speaker Mike Johnson]]></category>
  919. <category><![CDATA[U.S. House of Representatives]]></category>
  920. <category><![CDATA[Ukraine]]></category>
  921. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175225</guid>
  922.  
  923. <description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office — despite the extremely long odds of success. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just [&#8230;]</p>
  924. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/marjorie-taylor-greene-to-force-vote-next-week-on-ousting-u-s-house-speaker-mike-johnson/">Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson </a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  925. ]]></description>
  926. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MTG-MAY1-2024.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left.  (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)</p><p>WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office — despite the extremely long odds of success.</p>
  927. <p>Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.</p>
  928. <p>She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnson’s speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.</p>
  929. <p>“I can’t wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative,” Greene said. “I think that’ll play well. I’m excited about it.”</p>
  930. <p>“I also can’t wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it,” she added. “Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?”</p>
  931. <p>Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnson’s six months in leadership, Greene said.</p>
  932. <p>That includes the government funding packages <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-overnight-vote-sends-12-trillion-government-spending-package-biden">approved in March;</a> a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/aid-ukraine-israel-overwhelmingly-approved-us-house-bipartisan-vote">approved</a> in April.</p>
  933. <p>Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.</p>
  934. <p>The two leaders, Massie contended, should be “archrivals,” not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.</p>
  935. <p>“This is about who holds that gavel,” Massie said. “Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.”</p>
  936. <p><strong>Johnson: ‘This motion is wrong’</strong></p>
  937. <p>Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.</p>
  938. <p>“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” Johnson wrote.</p>
  939. <p>House Democratic Leaders <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-democrats-vow-back-speaker-johnson-if-republicans-try-oust-him">released a statement</a> Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speaker’s office given the slim GOP majority.</p>
  940. <p>Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.</p>
  941. <p>Many of the Republican Party’s other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.</p>
  942. <p>Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.</p>
  943. <p>“This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it,” Greene said. “It’s the right thing to do for America. It’s time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trump’s agenda, God willing he wins in November.”</p>
  944. <p>Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is “doing a very good job” and then, following the foreign aid vote, that “he’s a very good person.”</p>
  945. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/marjorie-taylor-greene-to-force-vote-next-week-on-ousting-u-s-house-speaker-mike-johnson/">Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson </a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  946. ]]></content:encoded>
  950. </item>
  951. <item>
  952. <title>Ratepayers plead with NC Utilities Commission to reject Duke Energy&#8217;s carbon plan</title>
  953. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/ratepayers-plead-with-nc-utilities-commission-to-reject-duke-energys-carbon-plan/</link>
  955. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Sorg]]></dc:creator>
  956. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:14:02 +0000</pubDate>
  957. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  958. <category><![CDATA[carbon plan]]></category>
  959. <category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
  960. <category><![CDATA[Duke Energy]]></category>
  961. <category><![CDATA[environment]]></category>
  962. <category><![CDATA[global warming]]></category>
  963. <category><![CDATA[greenhouse gases]]></category>
  964. <category><![CDATA[natural gas]]></category>
  965. <category><![CDATA[NC Utilities Commission]]></category>
  966. <category><![CDATA[renewable energy]]></category>
  967. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175219</guid>
  968.  
  969. <description><![CDATA[<p>Bobby Jones, a founder of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition in Goldsboro, had been seated for less than five minutes when he bolted from his bench. “This hearing is a farce!” Jones said, as a Durham County Sheriff’s deputy led him from the seventh-floor courtroom. “You’re in cahoots with Duke [&#8230;]</p>
  970. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/ratepayers-plead-with-nc-utilities-commission-to-reject-duke-energys-carbon-plan/">Ratepayers plead with NC Utilities Commission to reject Duke Energy&#8217;s carbon plan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  971. ]]></description>
  972. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="889" height="734" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham.jpeg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="protesters gathered outside the Durham County Courthouse" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham.jpeg 889w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham-300x248.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ragging-grannies-durham-768x634.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">A member of the Ragin' Grannies, an environmental advocacy group, sings "No Frackin' Way," outside the Durham County Courthouse, where the NC Utilities Commission was holding a public hearing about Duke Energy's carbon plan. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bobby Jones, a founder of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition in Goldsboro, had been seated for less than five minutes when he bolted from his bench.</span></p>
  973. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This hearing is a farce!” Jones said, as a Durham County Sheriff’s deputy led him from the seventh-floor courtroom. “You’re in cahoots with Duke Energy.”</span></p>
  974. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jones was among several people who walked out in protest of the N.C. Utilities Commission, which held its final public hearing yesterday in Durham on Duke Energy’s </span><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/02/01/more-natural-gas-and-small-nukes-higher-electric-bills-in-revised-duke-energy-plan/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">updated carbon plan</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">– a plan that few people like, except for Duke Energy.</span></p>
  975. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the Duke plan would add more renewable sources, like solar, those efforts would be dwarfed by a massive build-out of natural gas infrastructure: as many as five new plants, including one in Person County and</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/18/duke-energy-unveils-plans-for-new-natural-gas-plant-in-catawba-county/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">another in Catawba County</span></a>,<span style="font-weight: 400;"> plus the pipelines and compressor stations to transmit and distribute the gas.</span></p>
  976. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Across the state line, in South Carolina, Duke plans to build another large natural gas plant, which, with the North Carolina facilities, will meet what the utility calls “unprecedented demand.”</span></p>
  977. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet natural gas is a major source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas and significant driver of climate change. Just last month, average global carbon dioxide levels reached an all-time high, while sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic have also broken historical records.</span></p>
  978. <p>Other components of the plan include:</p>
  979. <ul>
  980. <li>the development of small nuclear reactors, as well as hydrogen power, whose nascent technology has yet to be commercially deployed in the U.S.,</li>
  981. <li>the possibility of higher energy bills for ratepayers, as much as 73% by 2033, and</li>
  982. <li>the possibility that Duke could delay meeting its decarbonization requirements by five years.</li>
  983. </ul>
  984. <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/House/PDF/H951v6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A state law (House Bill 951) enacted in 2021</a> mandates that the utility cut its carbon emissions by 70% over 2005 levels by 2030. The Utilities Commission has the discretion to extend that target date, but as several ratepayers testified, the climate crisis is nearly out of runway.</p>
  985. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“These deadlines are not arbitrary,” said Rebecca Maselli of Raleigh. “They are crucial to help stave off the worst effects of climate change. We know that the extraction and use of fossil fuel is what has caused our climate crisis. We should be doing everything within our power to stem this tide as soon as possible. The reality is we do not need more fossil fuel plants. We should be prioritizing renewables.”</span></p>
  986. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The two main issues I have with [Duke’s] plan are one, the lack of urgency. It seems as if you don&#8217;t think climate change is actually real,” David Balletta of Durham said. “The second is the lack of innovative thinking. The plan is traditional and conservative, and has a bias in favor of gas and nuclear and against renewables.”</span></p>
  987. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Balletta encouraged the commission to emphasize stronger energy efficiency measures in the plan. “The benefits of energy conservation are well known; the reduction in demand is immediate.”</span></p>
  988. <div class="newsroomSidebarContainer">
  989. <div class="newsroomSidebar "><strong>What&#8217;s next?</strong></p>
  990. <p>The N.C. Utilities Commission is scheduled to hold another hearing Monday, July 22, at 2 p.m., in which it will receive testimony from Duke Energy and other intervenors in the case. The Commission will decide whether to approve, amend or deny the plan by the end of the year.</div>
  991. </div>
  993. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melissa McCullough of Chapel Hill is the EPA’s former assistant national program director of sustainable and healthy communities research. “Duke’s counterproductive proposal” fails to choose the most cost-effective option, McCullough testified before the commission. “That is renewable energy.”</span></p>
  994. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natural gas will result in higher and unpredictable energy rates, said McCullough, also a Chapel Hill Town Council member. And the plan will probably fail to meet decarbonization goals, “because Duke is proposing to rely on a wildly expensive if not infeasible technology, hydrogen.”</span></p>
  995. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The EPA recently</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/04/26/new-epa-rules-will-force-fossil-fuel-power-plants-to-cut-pollution/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">finalized carbon pollution standards</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that would affect not just existing coal plants but new natural gas facilities – like the ones planned for North and South Carolina.</span></p>
  996. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">New gas plants that run the most, Newsline previously reported, will have to capture 90% of their carbon emissions by 2032. That’s just three years after the Roxboro plant is scheduled to come online.</span></p>
  997. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cost of these upgrades would be passed along to customers. The current plan already projects significantly higher rates. Based on monthly usage of 1,000 kilowatt hours, a household would pay $52-$57 a month in 2033 &#8212; far higher than original carbon plan estimates of $30 to $41.</span></p>
  998. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">José Saucedo lives in Winston-Salem with three people and can’t afford to adequately heat their house in the winter. “We use kerosene and space heaters,” Saucedo said. “We use the furnace only on the coldest of nights.”</span></p>
  999. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He asked the commission to hold Duke accountable to the clean energy goals established in House Bill 951. “Failure to do so means that our testimony has fallen on deaf ears.”</span></p>
  1000. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the hearing wound down, people ambled through the courthouse hallway, whose windows overlook a half dozen new apartment buildings. On the roofs were mounted hundreds of air conditioners. The high temperature had reached 85 degrees that afternoon – well above average – and many of them were already running.</span></p>
  1001. <div id="attachment_175220" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Durham-apt-air-conditioners.jpeg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175220" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-175220 size-full" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Durham-apt-air-conditioners.jpeg" alt="The view of hundreds of rooftop air conditioners, as seen from the seventh floor of the Durham County Courthouse" width="800" height="600" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Durham-apt-air-conditioners.jpeg 800w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Durham-apt-air-conditioners-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Durham-apt-air-conditioners-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175220" class="wp-caption-text">The view of hundreds of air conditioners, as seen from the seventh floor of the Durham County Courthouse, where the N.C. Utilities Commission held a public hearing about Duke Energy&#8217;s amended carbon plan. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)</p></div>
  1002. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/ratepayers-plead-with-nc-utilities-commission-to-reject-duke-energys-carbon-plan/">Ratepayers plead with NC Utilities Commission to reject Duke Energy&#8217;s carbon plan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1003. ]]></content:encoded>
  1007. </item>
  1008. <item>
  1009. <title>DEQ: Stay out of Swift Creek in Craven County because of hog waste spill</title>
  1010. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/deq-stay-out-of-swift-creek-in-craven-county-because-of-hog-waste-spill/</link>
  1012. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Sorg]]></dc:creator>
  1013. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:06:51 +0000</pubDate>
  1014. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  1015. <category><![CDATA[Craven County]]></category>
  1016. <category><![CDATA[hog waste]]></category>
  1017. <category><![CDATA[NC Department of Environmental Quality]]></category>
  1018. <category><![CDATA[Neuse River]]></category>
  1019. <category><![CDATA[Saint John Farm]]></category>
  1020. <category><![CDATA[spill]]></category>
  1021. <category><![CDATA[Swift Creek]]></category>
  1022. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175222</guid>
  1023.  
  1024. <description><![CDATA[<p>The state Department of Environmental Quality is advising the public to avoid fishing, swimming or wading in a portion of Swift Creek in Craven County because waste from a hog farm has polluted the waterway. Saint John Farm in Grifton, which raises hogs for Smithfield Foods, is responsible for the release, according to DEQ. On [&#8230;]</p>
  1025. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/deq-stay-out-of-swift-creek-in-craven-county-because-of-hog-waste-spill/">DEQ: Stay out of Swift Creek in Craven County because of hog waste spill</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1026. ]]></description>
  1027. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1000" height="791" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Saint-john-farm-swift-creek.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Saint-john-farm-swift-creek.png 1000w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Saint-john-farm-swift-creek-300x237.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Saint-john-farm-swift-creek-768x607.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">DEQ is advising people to stay out Swift Creek from Honolulu Road to Highway 118 west of Vanceboro.(Map: DEQ, annotation Lisa Sorg)</p><p>The state Department of Environmental Quality is advising the public to avoid fishing, swimming or wading in a portion of Swift Creek in Craven County because waste from a hog farm has polluted the waterway.</p>
  1028. <p>Saint John Farm in Grifton, which raises hogs for Smithfield Foods, is responsible for the release, according to DEQ.</p>
  1029. <p>On April 30, DEQ received a report that waste from the farm had discharged into ditches that feed Swift Creek, which flows into the Neuse River. The state determined that the owners had over-applied the waste to pasture land, resulting in the runoff, which violates the farm&#8217;s water quality permit.</p>
  1030. <p>Hog urine and feces is typically is pumped from the barns into lagoons; to keep the lagoons from getting too full, farmers apply the waste using giant spray guns onto their fields. Critics of this practice note that the waste seeps into the soil, groundwater and even drinking water wells, or can enter surface water. In some cases, the spray has even landed on neighboring homes and people.</p>
  1031. <p>The state last visited the farm on April 19, as part of a <a target="_blank" href="https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WaterResources/DocView.aspx?id=3267213&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=WaterResources">routine inspection</a>. During that visit, the inspector noted that the land application fields needed improved.</p>
  1032. <p>At the time of the inspection, there were 1,863 hogs onsite; the farm is permitted to raise as many as 2,400 at a time.</p>
  1033. <p>The incident remains under investigation, DEQ said, including the amount discharged, the cause, and any necessary corrective actions.</p>
  1034. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/deq-stay-out-of-swift-creek-in-craven-county-because-of-hog-waste-spill/">DEQ: Stay out of Swift Creek in Craven County because of hog waste spill</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1035. ]]></content:encoded>
  1039. </item>
  1040. <item>
  1041. <title>Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations</title>
  1042. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/biden-administration-to-greatly-ease-marijuana-regulations/</link>
  1044. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jacob Fischler]]></dc:creator>
  1045. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 14:18:07 +0000</pubDate>
  1046. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  1047. <category><![CDATA[D.C. Bureau]]></category>
  1048. <category><![CDATA[Federal government]]></category>
  1049. <category><![CDATA[Biden administration]]></category>
  1050. <category><![CDATA[cannabis]]></category>
  1051. <category><![CDATA[Drug Enforcement Agency]]></category>
  1052. <category><![CDATA[drug offenses]]></category>
  1053. <category><![CDATA[marijuana laws]]></category>
  1054. <category><![CDATA[Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer]]></category>
  1055. <category><![CDATA[U.S. Department of Justice]]></category>
  1056. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175217</guid>
  1057.  
  1058. <description><![CDATA[<p>The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night. The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs [&#8230;]</p>
  1059. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/biden-administration-to-greatly-ease-marijuana-regulations/">Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1060. ]]></description>
  1061. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="690" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Marijuana-grower-Getty.jpeg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="a worker tends to marijuana plants" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Marijuana-grower-Getty.jpeg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Marijuana-grower-Getty-300x202.jpeg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Marijuana-grower-Getty-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas’ 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)</p><p>The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night.</p>
  1062. <p>The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs including testosterone and Tylenol with codeine.</p>
  1063. <p>“Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III,” DOJ spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement to States Newsroom. “Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”</p>
  1064. <p>Cannabis has been listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act since 1971, even as many states have moved to legalize recreational use for more than a decade and medicinal use for even longer.</p>
  1065. <p>State-legal marijuana businesses make up a multibillion-dollar industry, but the illegal status of the drug under federal law creates barriers unseen by other industries, including a lack of access to banking and the inability to deduct business expenses from taxes.</p>
  1066. <p>Social justice advocates have also noted that prosecutions for marijuana-related crimes have hurt communities of color. Many of those convicted for offenses related to marijuana have not benefited from the recent decriminalization in many states.</p>
  1067. <p>Moving cannabis to Schedule III would allow a more permissive approach to the drug, including permitting greater study of medicinal uses and allowing related businesses to use a common tax deduction.</p>
  1068. <p><strong>Schumer praises development</strong></p>
  1069. <p>Congressional leaders on the issue and other advocates of changing marijuana’s status welcomed the news Tuesday afternoon, even as they called for further action.</p>
  1070. <p>“It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and Draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.</p>
  1071. <p>The New York Democrat added that other legislation, including bills to provide cannabis businesses with greater access to banking and to completely delist the drug, is still needed.</p>
  1072. <p>“Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address longstanding harms caused by the war on drugs,” he said.</p>
  1073. <p>Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado who was the state’s governor when it and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational use in 2012, said the news was welcome but did not go far enough.</p>
  1074. <p>“Rescheduling marijuana is a step in the right direction. But – just a step,” he posted to X. “Marijuana should be DEscheduled altogether.”</p>
  1075. <p>The state’s current Gov. Jared Polis, also a Democrat, cheered the move in a written statement.</p>
  1076. <p>“I am thrilled by the Biden Administration’s decision to begin the process of finally rescheduling cannabis, following the lead of Colorado and 37 other states that have already legalized it for medical or adult use, correcting decades of outdated federal policy,” Polis said.</p>
  1077. <p>“This action is good for Colorado businesses and our economy, it will improve public safety, and will support a more just and equitable system for all.”</p>
  1078. <p>The U.S. Cannabis Council, a business group, applauded the expected change.</p>
  1079. <p>The move was based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services research and would have myriad benefits for business, Executive Director Edward Conklin said in a written statement.</p>
  1080. <p>The update would put marijuana on a path to full legalization and make it easier for state-legal businesses to run profitable operations, he said.</p>
  1081. <p>“Moving to Schedule III represents a tectonic shift in our nation’s drug laws. The US Cannabis Council is committed to ending federal cannabis prohibition, and we believe that reclassification is a necessary and critical step toward that goal,” he wrote. “In the coming days, we will submit comments to the DEA in support of the proposed rule.”</p>
  1082. <p><em>Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.</em></p>
  1083. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/biden-administration-to-greatly-ease-marijuana-regulations/">Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1084. ]]></content:encoded>
  1088. </item>
  1089. <item>
  1090. <title>Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide</title>
  1091. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/trump-leaves-door-open-to-banning-medication-abortion-nationwide/</link>
  1093. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Shutt]]></dc:creator>
  1094. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 12:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
  1095. <category><![CDATA[Abortion Policy]]></category>
  1096. <category><![CDATA[D.C. Bureau]]></category>
  1097. <category><![CDATA[Election 2024]]></category>
  1098. <category><![CDATA[Reproductive Rights]]></category>
  1099. <category><![CDATA[abortion care]]></category>
  1100. <category><![CDATA[abortion pill]]></category>
  1101. <category><![CDATA[abortion rights]]></category>
  1102. <category><![CDATA[Comstock Act]]></category>
  1103. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  1104. <category><![CDATA[mifepristone]]></category>
  1105. <category><![CDATA[pharmaceuticals]]></category>
  1106. <category><![CDATA[reproductive rights]]></category>
  1107. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?p=175188</guid>
  1108.  
  1109. <description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is planning to release more details in the weeks ahead about how his administration would regulate access to medication abortion, according to comments he made during a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Tuesday. Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president, said that he has “strong views” about access to [&#8230;]</p>
  1110. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/trump-leaves-door-open-to-banning-medication-abortion-nationwide/">Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1111. ]]></description>
  1112. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mifepristone-tablets.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Two boxes containing mifepristone tablets" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mifepristone-tablets.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mifepristone-tablets-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mifepristone-tablets-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Photo: Getty Images</p><p>WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is planning to release more details in the weeks ahead about how his administration would regulate access to medication abortion, according to comments he made during a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Tuesday.</p>
  1113. <p>Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president, said that he has “strong views” about access to mifepristone, though he declined to say exactly what those are. He did not rule out a nationwide ban, or imposing new restrictions.</p>
  1114. <p>“Well, I have an opinion on that, but I’m not going to explain,” Trump said, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://time.com/6972022/donald-trump-transcript-2024-election/">transcript</a> of the interview. “I’m not gonna say it yet. But I have pretty strong views on that. And I’ll be releasing it probably over the next week.”</p>
  1115. <p>Mifepristone is one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortions, which make up more than 63% of abortions nationwide, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020">research</a> from the Guttmacher Institute.</p>
  1116. <p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved mifepristone in 2000 before updating prescribing guidelines in 2016 and during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
  1117. <p>The changes to when and how mifepristone can be prescribed are at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-justices-seem-skeptical-limits-access-abortion-medication">case</a> brought by anti-abortion medical organizations and doctors. A ruling is expected this summer on whether access to mifepristone will stay as it is now or go back to what was in place before 2016.</p>
  1118. <p>Reverting prescribing would mean that mifepristone would be approved up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week ceiling; it could no longer be prescribed via telehealth and shipped to patients; patients would need to attend three in-person doctors’ office appointments; and only doctors would be able to prescribe it, not qualified health care providers with the authority to prescribe pharmaceuticals.</p>
  1119. <p><strong>‘Big statement’ coming on Comstock Act</strong></p>
  1120. <p>Trump was also asked about the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-obscenity law that conservative organizations and anti-abortion groups believe a Republican attorney general <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/1873-law-banned-mailing-boxing-photos-could-it-block-abortion-pills-too">could use to ban</a> shipping of mifepristone nationwide.</p>
  1121. <p>Trump said, “I will be making a statement on that over the next 14 days,” when asked if his Department of Justice would try to enforce the Comstock Act to ban mailing of abortion pharmaceuticals.</p>
  1122. <p>The interview was on April 12, more than 14 days ago.</p>
  1123. <p>“I have a big statement on that,” Trump said. “I feel very strongly about it. I actually think it’s a very important issue.”</p>
  1124. <p>Trump <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-says-abortion-policy-should-be-left-states-backing-away-national-ban">said in a video</a> released in early April that he believed regulating abortion access should be left up to state lawmakers, infuriating anti-abortion organizations and some members of his own party who believe there should be a nationwide law setting restrictions on access.</p>
  1125. <p>Trump said during the interview with Time that he didn’t have a strong viewpoint on states punishing women who seek abortion. Anti-abortion organizations generally have opposed penalties for women, though Trump has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2016/03/30/472444293/trump-calls-for-punishing-women-who-have-abortions-then-backtracks">mentioned it</a> in the past.</p>
  1126. <p>“I don’t have to be comfortable or uncomfortable,” Trump said of states punishing women who seek abortions. “The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.”</p>
  1127. <p>Trump said he thinks that some states might monitor women’s pregnancies, when asked about the issue.</p>
  1128. <p>Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, repeatedly declined to say how he would vote on a <a target="_blank" href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/04/01/fl-supreme-court-allows-rigid-6-week-abortion-ban-clears-abortion-rights-amendment-for-ballot/">ballot question</a> this November that would add protections for abortion rights to the state’s constitution.</p>
  1129. <p>“I don’t tell you what I’m gonna vote for,” Trump said. “I only tell you the state’s gonna make a determination.”</p>
  1130. <p><strong>Biden campaign reacts</strong></p>
  1131. <p>Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a written statement that a Trump reelection would be a threat to reproductive rights.</p>
  1132. <p>“Simply put: November’s election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trump’s new government will continue its assault to control women’s health care decisions,” Rodriguez wrote.</p>
  1133. <p>“With the voters on their side this November, President Biden and Vice President Harris will put an end to this chaos and ensure Americans’ fundamental freedoms are protected.”</p>
  1134. <p>Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a written statement about Trump’s latest comments on abortion access that she has “zero doubt in my mind that Trump will choose anti-abortion extremists and their horrifying agenda over American families every single chance he gets, and this new interview proves that he will ban abortion in all 50 states.”</p>
  1135. <p>“It’s imperative that we double down on our mission to reelect the Biden-Harris ticket and deliver Congressional majorities to lock our right to abortion care into federal law.”</p>
  1136. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/01/trump-leaves-door-open-to-banning-medication-abortion-nationwide/">Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1137. ]]></content:encoded>
  1141. </item>
  1142. <item>
  1143. <title>&#8216;This country lost four heroes&#8217;: NC Governor honors officers lost in Charlotte shooting</title>
  1144. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/this-country-lost-four-heroes-nc-governor-honors-officers-lost-in-charlotte-shooting/</link>
  1146. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Clayton Henkel]]></dc:creator>
  1147. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 10:08:01 +0000</pubDate>
  1148. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  1149. <category><![CDATA[Gun Violence]]></category>
  1150. <category><![CDATA[State Govt.]]></category>
  1151. <category><![CDATA[assault weapons]]></category>
  1152. <category><![CDATA[Attorney General Josh Stein]]></category>
  1153. <category><![CDATA[Charlotte]]></category>
  1154. <category><![CDATA[Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles]]></category>
  1155. <category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
  1156. <category><![CDATA[Gov. Roy Cooper]]></category>
  1157. <category><![CDATA[gun violence]]></category>
  1158. <category><![CDATA[mass shootings]]></category>
  1159. <category><![CDATA[police]]></category>
  1160. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175199</guid>
  1161.  
  1162. <description><![CDATA[<p>Governor Roy Cooper said North Carolina will never be able to fill the void or fully thank the families of the four law-enforcement officers who lost their lives in Charlotte Monday while attempting to serve a warrant. Authorities identified the slain officers on Tuesday as: Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer Samuel &#8220;Sam&#8221; Poloche with the [&#8230;]</p>
  1163. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/this-country-lost-four-heroes-nc-governor-honors-officers-lost-in-charlotte-shooting/">&#8216;This country lost four heroes&#8217;: NC Governor honors officers lost in Charlotte shooting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1164. ]]></description>
  1165. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="800" height="498" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cooper-4302024b.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at a press conference" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cooper-4302024b.jpg 800w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cooper-4302024b-300x187.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cooper-4302024b-768x478.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">Governor Roy Cooper addresses the media at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department following the April 29 shooting. (Screengrab from CMPD video stream) </p><p>Governor Roy Cooper said North Carolina will never be able to fill the void or fully thank the families of the four law-enforcement officers who lost their lives in Charlotte Monday while <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/officers-killed-charlotte-north-carolina-warrant-64a4a9c849b721631cd2f8872945e08d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempting to serve a warrant</a>.</p>
  1166. <p>Authorities identified the slain officers on Tuesday as:</p>
  1167. <ul>
  1168. <li>Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer</li>
  1169. <li>Samuel &#8220;Sam&#8221; Poloche with the NC Department of Adult Correction</li>
  1170. <li>Alden Elliot, also with the NC Department of Adult Correction and</li>
  1171. <li>Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Jr.</li>
  1172. </ul>
  1173. <p>Of the four additional Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers wounded on Monday, three have been released from the hospital. CMPD Officer Christopher Tolley remained in stable condition Tuesday after undergoing surgery to treat his gunshot wound injuries.</p>
  1174. <p>Gov. Cooper told those attending Tuesday&#8217;s press conference that he spent time in the hospital Monday with officers and was moved by the stories of the officers who lost their lives.</p>
  1175. <p>&#8220;They were good ones&#8230;people that you could trust, people who you could count on, and people who would risk their lives,&#8221; said Cooper.</p>
  1176. <div id="attachment_175197" style="width: 512px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CharlotteMayor.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175197" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-175197" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CharlotteMayor.jpg" alt="Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles " width="502" height="272" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CharlotteMayor.jpg 804w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CharlotteMayor-300x163.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CharlotteMayor-768x416.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 502px) 100vw, 502px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175197" class="wp-caption-text">Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles offered praise to the health care providers who treated the officers.</p></div>
  1177. <p>The governor said this tragedy leaves behind an emptiness that will continue to run deep. He asked for North Carolinians to pray for the families and their law enforcement colleagues.</p>
  1178. <p>Attorney General Josh Stein joined Cooper and said words are insufficient as we mourn for the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.</p>
  1179. <p>&#8220;We ask our peace officers to do something that is awe inspiring, to run into the face of danger that every human urge is telling them to flee, but they do it to keep us safe,&#8221; said Stein. &#8220;They engage the public. They patrol, they investigate, and they make arrests, so that our kids can learn safely at school, play safely in the neighborhood, and sleep safely in their homes.&#8221;</p>
  1180. <p>Stein said the city of Charlotte is strong, and days and weeks ahead will be the time to surround the families and friends of the officers with &#8220;the love that they need and deserve.&#8221;</p>
  1181. <p>Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in this moment of tragedy, she wanted to take a moment and recognize the actions of the Queen City&#8217;s health care providers.</p>
  1182. <p>&#8220;You did all that was possible and we&#8217;re grateful for that, that you&#8217;re able to keep watch over those that are still in your care, and for those that had to take that journey home,&#8221; said Lyles. &#8220;If you had to stand in Atrium and Novant and see the kinds of things that these doctors were reaching out to do, you would be grateful as a community. I am grateful as your Mayor.&#8221;</p>
  1183. <p>Authorities say 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes, Jr. had a lengthy criminal record including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was killed during Monday&#8217;s exchange of gunfire. An AR-15 and a .40 caliber handgun were among the items recovered from the scene.</p>
  1184. <p>Flags in North Carolina will fly at half-staff through Friday to honor the fallen officers.</p>
  1185. <p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://charlottepolicefoundation.org/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation</a> is accepting contributions to be directed to the officers&#8217; families. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-cmpd-officers-us-marshals-killed-in-tragic-shooting?attribution_id=sl:6c741e14-bca7-424c-be2e-c46f6a7f2a35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> campaign organized by Back The Blue NC to assist the families of the slain officers had raised more than $82,000 as of Tuesday evening.</p>
  1186. <div id="attachment_175198" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-scaled.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175198" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-175198 size-large" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-1024x709.jpg" alt="The North Carolina Legislative Building" width="1024" height="709" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-1024x709.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-300x208.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-768x532.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-1536x1063.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_163039-2048x1418.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175198" class="wp-caption-text">Flags at the North Carolina General Assembly were flying at half-staff on Tuesday. (Photo: Clayton Henkel)</p></div>
  1187. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/this-country-lost-four-heroes-nc-governor-honors-officers-lost-in-charlotte-shooting/">&#8216;This country lost four heroes&#8217;: NC Governor honors officers lost in Charlotte shooting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1188. ]]></content:encoded>
  1192. </item>
  1193. <item>
  1194. <title>NC needs to remove hurdles that keep former offenders from finding jobs, advocates say</title>
  1195. <link>https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-needs-to-remove-hurdles-that-keep-former-offenders-from-finding-jobs-advocates-say/</link>
  1197. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Bonner]]></dc:creator>
  1198. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 10:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
  1199. <category><![CDATA[Courts, Justice]]></category>
  1200. <category><![CDATA[Legislature]]></category>
  1201. <category><![CDATA[State Govt.]]></category>
  1202. <category><![CDATA[court fees]]></category>
  1203. <category><![CDATA[expungements]]></category>
  1204. <category><![CDATA[Forward Justice]]></category>
  1205. <category><![CDATA[mugshots]]></category>
  1206. <category><![CDATA[NC legislature]]></category>
  1207. <category><![CDATA[Operation Gateway]]></category>
  1208. <category><![CDATA[Rep Terry Brown]]></category>
  1209. <category><![CDATA[Second Chance Act]]></category>
  1210. <category><![CDATA[Sen. Julie Mayfield]]></category>
  1211. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://ncnewsline.com/?post_type=briefs&#038;p=175191</guid>
  1212.  
  1213. <description><![CDATA[<p>A record of incarceration can prevent people from landing apartments or jobs. People who have been arrested but never convicted can have a hard time shaking that history when their mugshots appear forever online.  Advocates want previously incarcerated people to be able to rebound without the millstones of past mistakes acting as a constant drag.  [&#8230;]</p>
  1214. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-needs-to-remove-hurdles-that-keep-former-offenders-from-finding-jobs-advocates-say/">NC needs to remove hurdles that keep former offenders from finding jobs, advocates say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1215. ]]></description>
  1216. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="746" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-1024x746.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="a pile of buttons in which each reads: &quot;I&#039;m for second chances&quot;" decoding="async" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" loading="lazy" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-1024x746.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-300x219.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-768x560.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-1536x1120.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122830-2048x1493.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style="font-size:12px;">'I'm for Second Chances.' The bright yellow buttons have become a symbol of the annual advocacy day at the NC General Assembly. (Photo: Clayton Henkel)</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A record of incarceration can prevent people from landing apartments or jobs. People who have been arrested but never convicted can have a hard time shaking that history when their mugshots appear forever online. </span></p>
  1217. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Advocates want previously incarcerated people to be able to rebound without the millstones of past mistakes acting as a constant drag. </span></p>
  1218. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Currently, we make life very difficult for people coming out of the justice system &#8212; more difficult than most of us can even imagine,” Sen. Julie Mayfield, a Democrat from Buncombe County, said at a news conference Tuesday. </span></p>
  1219. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“These folks face discrimination in jobs and housing. They may face fines and fees that begin accruing often when they are in jail or prison and quickly become unmanageable,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We then allow garnishment of hard-earned wages to help pay those fines and fees, keeping people in poverty.&#8221;</span></p>
  1220. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Advocates called for passage of “Second Chance” bills that would help former offenders more easily engage in community life.  </span></p>
  1221. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On their list is </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/h888"><span style="font-weight: 400;">a bill</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that removes driver&#8217;s license revocation as punishment for missed court dates or overdue fines. </span></p>
  1222. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another would restart the automatic record expungements the legislature approved in 2020 but were paused months later and have now been on hold for nearly two years. </span></p>
  1223. <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/s565"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Senate Bill 565 </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">restarts automatic expungements and makes fixes to the original law that triggered the pause, said Whitley Carpenter of Forward Justice. The Senate passed the bill unanimously last April, but the House has not debated it. </span></p>
  1224. <div id="attachment_175192" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM.png"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175192" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-175192" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-300x166.png" alt="Second Chance news conference" width="300" height="166" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-300x166.png 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-1024x566.png 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-768x425.png 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-1536x849.png 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-30-at-1.05.21-PM-2048x1133.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175192" class="wp-caption-text">Whitley Carpenter of Forward Justice speaks at &#8220;Second Chance&#8221; news conference Tuesday.</p></div>
  1225. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Philip Cooper, head of </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.operationgateway.org/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Operation Gateway</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, said people who have never been convicted are being punished as they find careers closed off to them even when charges have been dismissed. </span></p>
  1226. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If we want to be able to have a job with upward mobility so that we can take care of our families, so that we can own a home, so that we can go to our kids’ soccer games, so that we can go to community events and afford the opportunity to participate in the economic mainstream, then we have to see this issue with expunctions as an economic issue,” Cooper said. </span></p>
  1227. <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/h778"><span style="font-weight: 400;">House Bill 778 </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">would prevent law enforcement offices from sending mugshots to &#8220;publish-for-pay&#8221; tabloids or websites, and would prohibit those publications from charging people to remove their photographs. The bill would require publications to remove and destroy mugshots of people cleared of charges. </span></p>
  1228. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s difficult to reconcile the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ with the gas station publications and “click-bait websites” that display mugshots no matter the charges, said Rep. Terry Brown, a Mecklenburg Democrat. It’s even more difficult when websites tell people to pay if they want their mugshot removed. </span></p>
  1229. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The publication of these mugshots is for no other reason than to dehumanize and exploit people to make a spectacle, and to charge a fee to remove them from the websites,” he said. </span></p>
  1230. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mugshots depict people at their worst moments, said Micah Hayes of Operation Gateway. An arrest doesn’t make a person a criminal, but “the mugshot itself automatically criminalizes a person.” </span></p>
  1231. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hayes said a Google search will produce information about his community involvement. It will also bring up an image of his bruised and bloodied face in his mugshot. </span></p>
  1232. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t think that this just affects me,” he said. It also affects his family “financially, emotionally, and generationally,” Hayes said. </span></p>
  1233. <div id="attachment_175176" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a target="_blank" href="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-scaled.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-175176" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-175176" src="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-1024x701.jpg" alt="people gathered outside the General Assembly" width="1024" height="701" srcset="https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-1024x701.jpg 1024w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-300x205.jpg 300w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-768x526.jpg 768w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-1536x1052.jpg 1536w, https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430_122528-2048x1402.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-175176" class="wp-caption-text">North Carolinians from across the state gathered for the Second Chance lobby day at the NC General Assembly. (Photo: Clayton Henkel)</p></div>
  1234. <p>The post <a href="https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-needs-to-remove-hurdles-that-keep-former-offenders-from-finding-jobs-advocates-say/">NC needs to remove hurdles that keep former offenders from finding jobs, advocates say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ncnewsline.com">NC Newsline</a>.</p>
  1235. ]]></content:encoded>
  1239. </item>
  1240. </channel>
  1241. </rss>
  1242.  

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