Fire Hydrant of Freedom
Politics, Religion, Science, Culture and Humanities => Politics & Religion => Topic started by: Crafty_Dog on December 18, 2020, 09:02:30 AM
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I begin my studies in NC civics:
https://www.thepilot.com/opinion/column-race-for-chief-justice-shows-flaws-in-electing-judges/article_ab8be208-3f0c-11eb-a39a-6f6bead32b5a.html
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/north-carolina-republican-censure-burr-over-trump-impeachment
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/north-carolina-republican-censure-burr-over-trump-impeachment
That seems right to me. He made the wrong vote. Good to see that the party cares. Too bad to be divided, but that was the Democrat plan for the impeachment and it succeeded.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flmFYehpKI8&t=41s
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https://www.grnc.org/home/grnc-legal-action
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https://www.grnc.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdH2eD27KrM&t=5s
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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/7/editorial-roundup-north-carolina/
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Not really clear about charges against Gaetz
except had sex with wiling sugar daddy seeking 17 yo
which to me while caddy
I don't quite see as crime
so if she was months older it is ok?
I like Gaetz's politics but I was tired of hearing him ramble @ 200 miles per hr on the Fox shows
He did not really say much we didn't already know.............
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file:///C:/Users/craft/Downloads/chapter_127a.pdf
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https://toofab.com/2021/04/15/barney-dale-harris-high-school-teacher-drug-cartel/
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https://toofab.com/2021/04/15/barney-dale-harris-high-school-teacher-drug-cartel/
Mexican drug cartel in North Carolina?
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How on earth could they have gotten into the country?
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Got my Harley running yesterday for the first time since arriving in NC!
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http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=65011614781&ch=A1766039342E54066E350DC906F695C4&h=2b4bb6fb68b815aaea26f08af5e51955&ei=WdpxHbdNj&st=19-APR-21
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House Committee Passes Purchase Permit Repeal
Thanks to Reps. Jay Adams, Hugh Blackwell, Keith Kidwell, and George Cleveland, today the NC House Judiciary 4 Committee passed H398, a full repeal of North Carolina’s Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit (PPP) law – a law which not only allows some urban sheriffs to obstruct people from buying handguns for self-protection, but to this day also disproportionally denies minorities the ability to buy handguns for self-defense.
Not only are Republicans on board with repealing the racist law, but now the NC Sheriffs’ Association has joined them in supporting repeal. And who does that leave still supporting racist gun control? Democrats.
Said GRNC president Paul Valone: “We are encouraged to see that the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association now agrees to bring gun purchases in North Carolina into the 21st Century by eliminating our Jim Crow-era permit system and requiring background checks at the point of sale. Given that a recent UNC School of Law paper found that in Wake County, black applicants are being denied permits three times more often than whites, it is clear that racism in issuing permits continues to this day. Consequently, we are calling upon Democrat legislators to join in repealing this racist law.”
Presuming the PPP repeal passes the General Assembly, anti-gun Democrat Governor Roy Cooper will certainly veto it. Because Republicans don’t have the 6/10 majority in either chamber that is required to over-ride Cooper’s veto, at least some Democrats will have to vote to over-ride.
Will Democrats do the right thing, or will they be the only ones left clinging to racist gun control? Please note that this message goes to Republicans. Very soon, we will issue another alert with a message for Democrats.
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Because of your kind $2 donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
House Bill 559
On April 15, 2021, House Bill 559, Repeal Pistol Purchase Permit Requirement, was introduced at the North Carolina General Assembly. If enacted into law, House Bill 559 would allow for the purchase of a pistol in the State of North Carolina without a Pistol Purchase Permit.
If enacted into law, House Bill 559 would also eliminate the requirement of a Pistol Purchase Permit for pistols sold, given away, transferred, purchased, or received after the date the bill becomes law.
The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association is closely monitoring this important legislation as well as all bills affecting criminal justice and law enforcement in North Carolina. The goal of the NCSA is to support all legislation that protects our North Carolina communities and promotes safety. We will continue to update you on House Bill 559 along with any other legislation that affects gun laws on the State and federal levels and within the court system.
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Good news! Governor Cooper announced today that by June 1st he will lift many of the mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions that he initiated over a year ago, citing increased vaccination rates and COVID infection rate stabilization. The Governor said he plans to issue an executive order next week providing details. Read the press release below:
Governor Cooper Outlines Timeline for Lifting State’s COVID-19 Restrictions. As vaccinations continue and trends stabilize, NC will lift mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions by June 1.
Raleigh - Apr 21, 2021
Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. laid out a timeline for lifting current pandemic restrictions today. With stable trends and continued vaccination success, the state expects to lift mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions by June 1. The Governor plans to issue an executive order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May.
“Each shot in an arm is a step closer to putting this pandemic in the rearview mirror,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolinians have shown up for each other throughout this entire pandemic and we need to keep up that commitment by getting our vaccines.”
North Carolina continues to focus on distributing vaccines quickly and equitably. This fast and fair approach to getting shots in arms is the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, boost the economy and make it possible for restrictions to be lifted.
To date, the state has administered over 6.5 million vaccines. 46.9 percent of adults are at least partially vaccinated, and 35.1 percent are fully vaccinated. More than 76 percent of people 65 and older have had at least one shot.
With vaccine now widely available across the state – often with no wait for an appointment, all North Carolinians 16 and older can plan to take their shot. The state anticipates lifting the mask mandate and easing other public health recommendations, once two thirds of adult North Carolinians have received at least one vaccine dose and if trends remain stable.
“We are at an exciting moment. We now have enough vaccine for everyone,” said Secretary Cohen. “If you are 16 and older, it is your turn to join the more than 3.6 million North Carolinians who have already taken their first shot. It’s up to you to get us to the two thirds goal as quickly as possible so we can live with this virus and begin to put this pandemic behind us.”
Gov. Cooper and Sec. Cohen urged North Carolinians continue to get vaccinated and exercise good judgment even when restrictions are lifted. Businesses should continue to follow voluntary health recommendations and North Carolinians should continue to take safety measures in order to boost the economy, keep children in schools and protect each other.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released statistics indicating that North Carolina is among the states with the fewest deaths and fewest job losses per capita.
State health officials are continuing to monitor the presence of COVID-19 and its more contagious variants in North Carolina, which is why it is important to continue to follow the state’s mask mandate and continue to practice safety precautions, including the Three Ws—wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart, and wash hands often.
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Yesterday, we asked you to contact Republicans. Today, we focus on Democrats. Because anti-gun Governor Roy Cooper will almost certainly veto the bill, we need Democrat votes to over-ride the veto. The good news is that if Democrats are honest about wanting to stop racism, the fact that the purchase permit law is not only racist in history, but in its current application should motivate them to repeal it.
Background
Thanks to Reps. Jay Adams, Hugh Blackwell, Keith Kidwell, and George Cleveland, on Tuesday the NC House Judiciary 4 Committee passed H398, a full repeal of North Carolina’s Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit (PPP) law – a law which not only allows some urban sheriffs to obstruct people from buying handguns for self-protection, but to this day also disproportionally denies minorities the ability to buy handguns for self-defense.
Not only are Republicans on board with repealing the racist law, but now the NC Sheriffs’ Association has joined them in supporting repeal. And who does that leave still supporting racist gun control? Democrats.
What’s next?
Presuming the PPP repeal passes the General Assembly, anti-gun Democrat Governor Roy Cooper will certainly veto it. Because Republicans don’t have the 6/10 majority in either chamber that is required to over-ride Cooper’s veto, at least some Democrats will have to vote to over-ride.
Will Democrats do the right thing, or will they be the only ones left clinging to racist gun control?
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EMAIL THE FOLLOWING NC HOUSE DEMOCRATS:
Brian.Farkas@ncleg.gov; Ricky.Hurtado@ncleg.gov; Abe.Jones@ncleg.gov; Ashton.Clemmons@ncleg.gov; Linda.Cooper-Suggs@ncleg.gov; Terence.Everitt@ncleg.gov; Julie.vonHaefen@ncleg.gov; Joe.John@ncleg.gov; Rachel.Hunt@ncleg.gov; Brandon.Lofton@ncleg.gov; Wesley.Harris@ncleg.gov;
THANK THESE COURAGEOUS BILL SPONSORS: These guys have been hearing nastiness from gun ban advocates. Let’s give them some attaboys.
Jay.Adams@ncleg.gov; Keith.Kidwell@ncleg.gov; George.Cleveland@ncleg.gov; Bobby.Hanig@ncleg.gov; Edward.Goodwin@ncleg.gov; Jeffrey.McNeely@ncleg.gov; Larry.Pittman@ncleg.gov
THANK YOUR SHERIFF: The NC Sheriffs’ Association now supports repeal of the purchase permit law. Please thank your sheriff (unless you live in Wake County) for supporting the repeal. You can find contact info for your sheriff at: https://ncsheriffs.org/sheriffs
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/north-carolina-city-declares-state-of-emergency-ahead-of-officer-involved-shooting-video-release_3791493.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-04-27&mktids=15fc1028a397f53538a69ab8a80856d9&est=PQ1xMdi1O8FHKitOQDI7ePclQ4BdctTz%2BzmIhPcKnnoFjCs1QdmZgUVTWrACcCg7SJqg
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-carolina-deputies-shot-watauga-county-standoff?fbclid=IwAR18V_ImdJPA3w2yYR9qu2gQqSm8X6htznv4Ni5otmutQcyQ5_WdruqWHSI
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Get to know this guy.
North Carolina Lt Gov Mark Robinson interviewed by Hugh Hewitt this am, Podcast:
https://omny.fm/shows/hugh-hewitt-podcast/30-mark-robinson-lt-governor-of-north-carolina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Robinson_(American_politician)
The Greensboro City Council speech April 3rd 2018 on gun rights that went viral and launched his career:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIwf3d7hP9g
I don't see a teleprompter. )
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Yes, I remember that Greensboro speech!
I will keep an eye out for him-- I'm guessing he has some sort of official governmental website-- if I can find it I will sign up for his mailing list
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https://ltgov.nc.gov/about/mark-robinson
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The NC House had a tremendously productive week as we approach crossover on May 13th, passing dozens of bills, all of which have been sent to the NC Senate, awaiting further actions. The Governor signed one bill into law and has a few sitting on his desk, pending signature.
Of the items passed by the NC House over the past two weeks' sessions, bills driving these two weeks included:
HJR 233: Application for a Convention of the States
Applies to the U.S. Congress for a Convention of the States in order to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution to impose fiscal restraints, to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and to limit terms of office.
Passed with a 60-57 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HJR 286: Urge Congress/Propose "Keep Nine" Amendment
Urges the U.S. Congress to maintain nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Passed with a 68-44 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HB 398: Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal
Repeals the requirement to obtain a pistol purchase permit from the sheriff prior to the purchase or transfer of a pistol.
Passed with a 69-48 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HB 453: Human Life Nondiscrimination Act/No Eugenics
Prohibits individuals from performing an abortion unless a physician has confirmed the abortion is not being sought because of the actual or presumed race or sex of the unborn child or the presence or presumed presence of Down Syndrome.
Passed with a 67-42 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HB 755: Academic Transparency
Requires public school units to display information about instructional materials used in the prior school year by June 30 annually.
Passed with a 66-50 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HJR 330: Federal Authority Regarding Elections
Expresses the General Assembly's opposition to any federal action infringing upon the State's Constitutional authority to manage, control, and administer elections.
Passed with a 67-50 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HB 486: Replace EOC with National Assessment
Requires a nationally recognized assessment of high school achievement and college readiness to replace the high school end-of-course tests (EOCs).
Eliminates the required ACT WorkKeys for career and technical education students.
Requires all changes related to testing be implemented during the 2023-2024 school year.
Passed with a 77-39 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
HB 605: Voters Right to Know Act
Requires the State Board of Elections to develop and display voter education information on the placard at the entrance to each voting place during hours the site is open for voting.
Further requires NCSBE to provide the public with information on election laws via a webpage with a list of frequently asked questions and answers on voting and a toll-free telephone number for voters to call with questions.
Passed with a 119-0 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting action.
SB 115: Kickoff College Sports Act
Authorizes public and private university stadiums to operate at 100% capacity in Cumberland, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Jackson, Mecklenburg, Orange, Pasquotank, Pitt, Robeson, Wake, and Watauga Counties.
Passed with a 77-42 vote in the NC House and sent to the NC Senate, awaiting concurrence.
Note: This is a local act and therefore is NOT subject to gubernatorial veto.
Signed into law by the Governor over the past two weeks:
HB 582: Confirm Governor's Special Sup Ct Judges
HB 156: Unclaimed Prop. Div. Amend./DMV Tech Chngs-AB
HB 279: COVID-19 Related Tax Chngs/UI Tech Correct
SB 212: Bennett College Accredit./Private Need-Based
Pending the Governor's signature:
HB 142: UNC Building Reserves/Certain Projects
HB 217: Utilities Comm'n Tech. and Add'l Changes
SB 390: UNC Law Enforcement Recruitment
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http://speakermoore.com/speaker-moore-proposes-legislation-cracking-riots-civil-disorder/?fbclid=IwAR3Lt_Qewmujt51hXPsjgv2B4OvvJ5aPwxhq6-7oHaj1jMEYDX5q-0RmOCI
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but close
PEPPER X
is even more dangerous!
also developed by Ed Currie (yes that is his name ) who also developed the Carolina Pepper:
https://storage.googleapis.com/titlemax-media/93b9cf67-peppers-ranked-by-scoville-heat-units-3_85per.png
This guy is an assassin!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Poab7MJQI
next time progressives down conservatives at family get to togethers
consider they try a bit of sauce
:wink:
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9654023/North-Carolina-county-bans-Coca-Cola-vending-machines-woke-stance-Georgia-voting-law.html
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https://nypost.com/2021/06/05/city-limiting-in-person-police-response-after-losing-84-cops/
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This Week in North Carolina History: Cornerstone Laid at State Capitol, 1833
On July 4, 1833, builders laid the cornerstone of the State Capitol on Union Square. The ceremony officially kicked off construction that would last for seven years and cost $532,000, a massive sum for the era.
The Capitol that stands today was not the first in Raleigh. The original Capitol building, completed in 1794, burned in 1831.Several architects contributed to the neoclassical design of the current building, including Ithiel Town, Alexander Jackson Davis, William Nichols Jr., and William Strickland. Scottish-born David Paton ultimately supervised much of the construction, though he was dismissed before the project was completed. The exterior walls are built of granite quarried in southeastern Raleigh and hauled to the site on the horse-drawn Experimental Railroad, the state’s first railway.
The Capitol housed all of North Carolina’s state government until 1888, when the Supreme Court Building, now the Labor Building, was completed across Edenton Street. The General Assembly left the Capitol and moved into the State Legislative Building in 1963.
The building became a National Historic Landmark in 1973. The Capitol is now one of 27 state historic sites and is open to the public for tours.
Photo: The Capitol circa 1861. Image from the State Archives.
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https://notthebee.com/article/look-at-this-freaking-catfish-this-dude-caught?utm_source=jeeng
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NC "river monster"
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https://dengarden.com/gardening/Design-A-Tick-Free-Environment-To-Keep-Ticks-Out-Of-Your-Yard
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/how-pro-ccp-communists-are-working-to-flip-north-carolina_3964830.html?&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Epochtv&utm_campaign=2021-08-28&utm_term=counterpunch&utm_content=trend1
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‘Gov. Jim Crow’ vetoes purchase permit repeal
Despite Jim Crow origins of NC purchase permit law,
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoes repeal
[Raleigh] Governor Roy Cooper today vetoed House Bill 398 to repeal North Carolina’s Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit system.
Filed in March in response to requests from Grass Roots North Carolina, HB 398 would repeal the 1919 purchase permit law which was used to deny guns to blacks in the early 20th Century1, 2, 3 and has recently been abused by some urban sheriffs to obstruct issuance of purchase permits to qualified applicants.
Cooper’s veto comes despite widespread debate over the racist origins of the law which, according to an article in UNC’s North Carolina Law Review, is being used to discriminate against black permit applicants even to this day.2
Cooper also ignored the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association, which testified in support of repeal, stating that improved reporting of mental health information by clerks of court for gun purchase background checks has rendered the permit system “duplicative.”4
“Governor Jim Crow”?
The veto is leading to an increasing number of observers to note that cries of racism by the governor’s party ring false, earning Cooper the sobriquet, in many quarters, of “Governor Jim Crow.”
Said GRNC president Paul Valone:
“By vetoing House Bill 398 to repeal our Jim Crow-era pistol purchase system, Governor Roy Cooper has made it clear he places political posturing above actually taking action to eradicate racism. He has also shown that he doesn’t care about the thousands of North Carolinians who, amid civil unrest and “defund police” measures, have decided to buy guns to defend their families but are being obstructed by urban sheriffs who violate the law by delaying permits.
“Most ironic is Cooper’s claim that he vetoed the bill due to increasing ‘gun violence’ when, in truth, violent crime had been declining for decades until his own party caused urban homicide rates to skyrocket. Grass Roots North Carolina will be doing its dead level best to over-ride Cooper’s veto while showing the people of North Carolina exactly who their governor really is.”
Background
When Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker stopped issuing purchase permits, claiming COVID as rationale, GRNC filed two lawsuits, ultimately resulting in a settlement requiring Baker to issue permits as required by state law which requires permits be issued to qualified applicants within 14 days.
But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden is also delaying permits for as long as six months, provoking yet another GRNC lawsuit filed in early August. Similar problems are also being reported in Guilford and Buncombe counties.
Under North Carolina law, no citizen can legally purchase a handgun without either a purchase permit or a concealed handgun permit, issuance of which is also being obstructed by the sheriffs in question, effectively denying self-protection to thousands of new gun buyers reacting to national riots and defunding of police departments.
Racist purchase permit history
North Carolina’s purchase permit law was passed in 1919, after Missouri passed a similar law in response to 1917 East St. Louis race riots. Detailing the racist history of gun control, scholars David B. Kopel and Clayton Cramer have written on the racist roots of the North Carolina permit law, with Cramer theorizing that its vague “good moral character” requirement was, like other Jim Crow laws, actually doublespeak for race of the applicant.
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Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
References:
Kopel, David B., The Samurai, The Mountie, and The Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies? 1992, Cato Institute, Prometheus Books. Pages 337-339 contain excellent documentation of the racist application of gun laws in North Carolina, up to and including the 1960s civil rights movement when Governor Terry Sanford refused to command state police to protect a civil rights march from attacks by the Ku Klux Klan until John Salter, a professor at Tougaloo College and NAACP organizer, warned Sanford that absent police, marchers would be armed for self-defense.
Cramer, Clayton E., “The Racist Roots of Gun Control,” Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, Winter, 1995 available at: https://constitution.org/1-Constitution/cmt/cramer/racist_roots.htm
Cramer, Clayton E., “North Carolina's Permit to Purchase Law: The Rumble Seat of Gun Control Laws?” April 4, 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2759091 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2759091
Nicholas Gallo, “Misfire: How the North Carolina Pistol Purchase Permit System Misses the Mark of Constitutional Muster and Effectiveness,” 99 N.C. L. Rev. 529, 2021, Available at: https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol99/iss2/7
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Bill to curb racial teaching goes to North Carolina governor
BY BRYAN ANDERSON ASSOCIATED PRESS/REPORT FOR AMERICA RALEIGH, N.C. | North Carolina Republicans sent a bill Wednesday to the state’s Democratic governor that would limit how teachers can discuss certain racial concepts in the classroom.
The measure aims to prohibit teachers from compelling their students to personally adopt any of 13 beliefs, but does little to nothing to prevent any of the more than 500 alleged cases of “indoctrination” that were included in a task force report that GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson released last month.
Even so, Republican leaders insist the bill will hold teachers accountable by shedding light on questionable classroom activities.
“This bill does not change what history can or cannot be taught. No spin or innuendo changes that. … It simply prevents schools from endorsing discriminatory concepts,” state Rep. John Torbett, Gaston County Republican, said during a floor debate.
Mr. Torbett’s chamber gave the measure final legislative approval by signing off on changes the Senate made that increase the number of prohibited ideas, clarify that teachers can still discuss those concepts so long as they do not promote them and would require public school units to inform the Department of Public Instruction and post information on its website upon request a month before providing instruction on the 13 prohibited concepts.
The latest version of the plan passed the Republican-controlled House by a 61-41 vote.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper previously has criticized the measure, accusing Republicans of “injecting calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into public education.”
Mr. Cooper is likely to veto the bill, and Republicans would almost assuredly lack the Democratic votes they’d need to override the governor’s decision. Critics view the bill as part of a calculated political strategy Republicans are employing in more than two dozen states to boost voter enthusiasm heading into the 2022 and 2024 elections. Democrats, education groups and racial justice organizations also see the GOP effort as a solution to a problem that does not exist in the state. The months-long GOP effort to unearth cases of improper teachings appears to have yielded no clear examples of circumstances that House Bill 324 would prevent, as Republicans were unable at a committee hearing and news conference last week to point to a single case that would have violated the proposed law.
“Who is doing this? Where are you getting this info? It’s a boogeyman,” said state Rep. Abe Jones, Wake Democrat. “I’d like to see a film or picture of someone standing before a group of students in North Carolina in classrooms and teaching what’s in those 13 parts.”
Still, Mr. Robinson’s task force report did highlight instances of educators accused of giving preferential treatment to pupils who agree with their racial views and teachers offering questionable class assignments, including a book called “George” about a transgender child coming to terms with gender identity and a handout that mentions former President Donald Trump in a sentence describing the term “xenophobia.”
Some Republicans associate indoctrination with the promotion of any of 13 views the bill outlines, while other party leaders like the state’s lieutenant governor have a more expansive view of the term and believe the report unquestionably proves systemic failures within the state’s public education system.
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". Defendants, including North Carolina House Speaker Timothy Moore, failed to show that racial discrimination was not a substantial or motivating factor behind enactment of the law, Superior Court Judges Michael O’Foghludha and Vince Rozier Jr., both Democrats, wrote in a 102-page ruling permanently blocking the measure."
WAIT A SECOND. ISN'T THIS DEMOCRAT ASS BACKWARDS?
Why do defendants have to "prove" this was not racially motived?
Can plaintiffs prove it was ?
Again black people are not able to get voter IDs because they cannot get off their asses and get one? Is that what the thesis is here?
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/north-carolina-judges-strike-down-voter-id-law-claiming-its-racist_4003810.html?utm_source=News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-09-18-1&mktids=3bf6720f9d820bdf89b3e9f7f2ad5864&est=OolTYQQ%2F8%2BO8o7LuiUvCp9Ari%2FbuCCuYPie2IHq9VnDWMWrHcPekZME%2BV88%3D
Modify message
Report to moderator 24.186.88.236
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Fk.
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/north-carolina-hospital-system-suspends-hundreds-of-employees-after-covid-19-vaccine-mandate_4009111.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-09-22&mktids=1f25b1c5e93f239fa0d91132cb5fbce9&est=ZTrn0Nv8O1ImtsZcTtSu2gPKgYBF9%2FMz27cCCPUf%2FbQR%2BQ01%2FnrOs2QCVDznyGum0Occ
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/north-carolina-hospital-system-suspends-hundreds-of-employees-after-covid-19-vaccine-mandate_4009111.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-09-22&mktids=1f25b1c5e93f239fa0d91132cb5fbce9&est=ZTrn0Nv8O1ImtsZcTtSu2gPKgYBF9%2FMz27cCCPUf%2FbQR%2BQ01%2FnrOs2QCVDznyGum0Occ
Coming soon: NC hospitals shut down for lack of staff.
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Because of your kind $2 donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
As a general rule, for a bill to be successful during any legislative session it must meet the “crossover” deadline. Making crossover means a bill receives a majority vote in one chamber and is sent to the other chamber for consideration by a certain date set by the General Assembly. This year the crossover deadline was May 13.
There are a few notable exceptions to the crossover requirement which would allow a bill to stay alive after crossover. For example, if a bill contains any funding component or is related to elections, it does not have to make crossover and can be voted on at any time during the session. Additionally, a bill which makes crossover can be amended to add the language of a bill that did not make crossover before it is called for a final vote.
The following House and Senate bills were considered by the General Assembly this session and most of them made crossover. Only two of the bills as noted below have been vetoed by the Governor Roy Cooper this session and only one did not make crossover. Any bill that made crossover may be considered at any point during the two-year session extending into 2022.
HOUSE BILL 47, Elected Officials Concealed Carry, would authorize all elected officials (including those appointed to an elective office) with concealed handgun permits to carry a concealed handgun while performing their official duties in areas where these individuals are currently prohibited by statute from doing so (such as State buildings and local confinement facilities). If enacted into law, a county commissioner could, for example, lawfully carry a concealed handgun into a courthouse or courtroom to evaluate the condition of the county building while it is in operation, or to do anything else that could be characterized as falling within the county commissioner’s official duties.
HOUSE BILL 48/SENATE BILL 134, Concealed Carry/Emergency Medical Personnel, would allow emergency medical services personnel to carry a concealed handgun while on duty only if they are deployed to provide tactical medical assistance to a law enforcement Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team during an emergency situation.
The bill would require the emergency medical personnel to first obtain specialized training before carrying a concealed handgun in this scenario, which would include training on firearms safety, use of firearms systems and use of deadly force.
HOUSE BILL 49, Concealed Carry Permit Lapse/Revise Law, would require a sheriff to waive the requirement to take a firearms safety and training course upon the renewal of a concealed handgun permit if the person applies to renew the permit no more than 60 days after the permit expires. Currently, a sheriff has the discretion to waive the firearms safety and training course if the person applies for a renewal within 60 days of the expiration date of the concealed handgun permit.
In addition, if the permittee applies to renew a concealed handgun permit between 61 days and 180 days after expiration, the bill would also require the sheriff to waive the requirement of taking another full firearms safety and training course if the permittee completes a “refresher” course on the laws and provides proof of completion to the sheriff. The bill does not define what is meant by a “refresher” course.
Finally, the bill does not create a grace period for an expired concealed handgun permit. Therefore, a person would still be prohibited from carrying a concealed handgun once the permit has expired, and until such time as the sheriff renews the permit.
HOUSE BILL 134, 2nd Amendment Protection Act, would allow anyone with a concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun on the premises of a place of religious worship when the place of worship is also located on the grounds of a nonpublic school only when the premises is NOT being used for school or school activities.
The bill would clarify that property owned by a local board of education or a county commission would not be considered a place of religious worship. In addition, the bill would not authorize the carrying of a concealed handgun on the property of an institution of higher education (such as a public college, university or community college) or a nonpublic postsecondary educational institution (such as a private college or university).
In addition, the bill would also clearly define school operating hours as any time when the following occur: (1) the premises are being used for curricular or extracurricular activities; (2) the premises are being used for educational, instructional, or school-sponsored activities; or (3) the premises are being used for programs for minors by entities not affiliated with the religious institution.
Finally, the bill would allow emergency medical personnel that receive specialized training to carry a concealed handgun while on duty only if they are deployed to provide tactical medical assistance for law enforcement during a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operation.
HOUSE BILL 145, Property Protection Act/DVPO, would authorize a qualified licensed firearms dealer to take custody of surrendered firearms and ammunition from the sheriff if the defendant is the owner of the items and the items have been in the custody of the sheriff for at least 15 days. A qualified licensed firearms dealer would mean an FFL who operates a business in a commercial building located in the State that is open to the public, who regularly engages in the purchase and sale of firearms with members of the public.
The bill specifies that in the event the surrendered firearms and ammunition are sold by the sheriff or the qualified licensed firearms dealer, the defendant is entitled to the sale proceeds, less any costs associated with the sale and any storage fees owed to the sheriff or qualified licensed firearms dealer.
HOUSE BILL 194, Federal Court Official/Concealed Carry, would add to the categories of individuals currently allowed to carry concealed weapons under G.S. § 14-269(b) (such as law enforcement officers, district attorneys and district and superior court judges) the following individuals: federal judges, including federal magistrate judges, and United States attorneys or United States assistant attorneys.
The bill would authorize these individuals to carry a concealed handgun in areas such as State courthouses so long as the individual has a valid concealed handgun permit and the individual secures the weapon in a locked compartment when the weapon is not on the person of the federal judge or United States attorney.
HOUSE BILL 200, Lifetime Concealed Handgun Permit, did not make crossover. However, significant discussions about the bill’s provisions have taken place between bill sponsors and other members. Therefore, there is a possibility that an amended version of this bill may still appear later in another bill prior to adjournment.
This bill would provide for two types of concealed handgun permits: (1) a fixed duration permit, valid for five years from the date of issuance, which is subject to the same requirements under current permitting laws; and (2) a lifetime permit, which would be valid until revoked or surrendered.
A lifetime permit would be required to bear a clear indication of its lifetime status on the face of the permit. Additionally, sheriffs would be required to maintain a list of permit holders that includes identifying information that indicates whether the permit is a fixed duration or lifetime permit. Sheriffs would be required to make this list available upon request to all State and local law enforcement agencies.
HOUSE BILL 234, Assault LEO/Require Destruction of Firearm, would authorize a judge, upon the filing of a motion by a district attorney for disposal of a firearm that is no longer needed as evidence in a criminal trial, to order the firearm destroyed if the firearm was used in committing an assault against a law enforcement officer or any other offense that resulted in serious bodily injury or death to the victim.
Currently, upon the filing of such a motion by the district attorney, the court must order the firearm destroyed if the firearm does not contain a unique identification number or if the firearm is unsafe.
Finally, the bill is entitled “Assault LEO/Require Destruction of Firearm.” However, if enacted into law as written, the bill would still authorize a judge to return the firearm to a rightful owner (i.e. “innocent” owner) if the person establishes they are the rightful owner of the firearm and that the person was unlawfully deprived of the firearm or had no knowledge or reasonable belief of the defendant's intention to use the firearm unlawfully.
HOUSE BILL 386, Sunny Point Rail ROW Firearm Discharge Ban, makes it unlawful to discharge a firearm, or to attempt to discharge a firearm, from, on, across, or over the right-of-way of the United States Department of Defense Strategic Rail Corridor Network connecting the Leland rail interchange yard with the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, North Carolina.
A violation of this provision is a Class 3 misdemeanor and is enforceable by law enforcement officers of the Wildlife Resources Commission, by sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, by sworn civilian police officers for the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, and by other peace officers with general subject matter jurisdiction.
This bill only applies to Brunswick County. Since the bill applies to fewer than 15 counties, it is considered a local bill and therefore does not require the signature of the Governor to become law. This local bill became law when approved by the General Assembly and has an effective date of October 1, 2021 and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
HOUSE BILL 398, Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal, would eliminate the requirement of obtaining a pistol purchase permit to sell, give away, transfer, purchase, or receive a pistol in this State. Currently, a pistol purchase permit issued by the sheriff is required to sell, give away, transfer, purchase, or receive a pistol in North Carolina.
This bill passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper.
HOUSE BILL 483, Pistol Permit/Mental Health Record to Sheriff, would eliminate the current requirement that the applicant for a pistol purchase permit provide the sheriff with a signed and notarized release for mental health orders. The bill would also clarify that, upon request by the sheriff in writing, any holder of a mental health order (such as clerks of court or medical facilities) must provide such court orders directly to the sheriff.
The bill would also require the pistol purchase permit application to contain a written warning to the applicant that is substantially as follows: “By filing this permit application, I understand that I am giving the sheriff the authority to obtain all criminal and mental health court orders required by State and federal law to determine permit eligibility."
Lastly, the bill would create the new criminal offense of “Misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.” It would be a Class A1 misdemeanor to use or attempt to use physical force, or to threaten the use of a deadly weapon, against a person when the perpetrator of the crime is one of the following: (1) a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim; (2) a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; (3) a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian; or (4) a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.
SENATE BILL 43, Protect Religious Meeting Places, would allow anyone with a concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun on the premises of a place of religious worship when the place of worship is also located on school grounds. The bill specifies that the carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises of school grounds would only be allowed when the premises is NOT being used for curricular, extracurricular or any school-sponsored activities (such as on weekends or during holidays) if the person carrying the concealed handgun possesses a valid North Carolina concealed handgun permit.
The bill clarifies that a school may prohibit the carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises of school grounds, even when school is not in session, by posting a conspicuous notice that states the carrying of a concealed handgun is prohibited.
This bill passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper.
SENATE BILL 233, Modify Fox/Coyote Taking for Certain Counties, would add Guilford, Harnett, Onslow, and Randolph counties to the list of those counties where there is an open season for the taking of foxes with weapons and for the taking of foxes and coyotes by trapping during the trapping season set by the Wildlife Resources Commission.
The bill would remove Cumberland County from the list of other counties where the above hunting provisions currently apply to the taking and trapping of foxes and coyotes.
If you would like to continue to support the efforts of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, please click here to make an additional $2 donation.
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OPINION REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Scorched-Earth Judging in North Carolina
A liberal state Supreme Court gambit threatens political legitimacy.
By The Editorial Board
Oct. 3, 2021 5:11 pm ET
Donald Trump tried to overturn at least three state elections in 2020. But liberal groups in North Carolina are trying to overturn or sidestep four separate elections in that state from 2018 and 2020. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020, a filing last week suggests North Carolina’s Supreme Court is willing to entertain the political revanchists’ claims.
The scorched-earth politics at work are elaborate, so bear with us. The two elections immediately under fire are a 2018 state referendum capping North Carolina’s income tax at 7% and another referendum requiring photo identification for in-person voting in the state.
North Carolina’s constitutional amendment process requires a three-fifths majority of the Legislature to put a measure on the ballot, and then for the public to ratify it in a referendum. The Republican Legislature placed the tax and voting amendments on the ballot in 2018, and voters approved them by about 15 and 11 percentage points, respectively.
Liberal groups want to throw out those decisive outcomes, and their sweeping claim extends beyond the 2018 election. It’s that the entire Legislature of America’s ninth largest state was essentially illegitimate for the better part of a decade due to gerrymandering. Federal litigation forced North Carolina to redraw its 2011 legislative maps in 2017.
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Therefore, the plaintiffs argue in NC NAACP v. Moore, the Republican Legislature should not have been able to put the measures on the ballot, rendering both of the voters’ verdicts void. A North Carolina lower-court judge agreed. But he was reversed by a state appellate court, which balked at the notion of retroactively stripping an elected Legislature of its powers and nullifying referenda, no matter the outcome of litigation over district boundaries.
The shenanigans don’t end there. The case is now before the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court, which is closely divided along partisan lines. The three Republicans include Tamara Barringer and Phil Berger, who were elected in 2020. That’s where the next layer of electoral subversion comes in.
The plaintiffs this July filed a motion for the two justices elected in 2020 to be removed from the case. The pretext is that Justice Barringer served in the North Carolina state Legislature when the constitutional amendments were passed, and Justice Berger’s father is a GOP legislative leader and therefore named as a defendant as a stand-in for the state.
Yet the public and the press were well aware of this high-profile case and the justices’ backgrounds when they were elected in 2020. Past service as a legislator is not normally disqualifying from hearing cases related to legislation passed during that service, and removing a judge at a “court of last resort” requires a higher burden since that judge can’t be replaced.
One of the liberal justices, Anita Earls, litigated extensively against North Carolina’s 2011 maps before she was elected to the Supreme Court in 2018. Yet Justice Earls’ removal is not sought because a liberal majority to overturn the two constitutional amendments would depend on her vote.
Recusals at the U.S. Supreme Court are at the discretion of the Justice alone, and it might be expected that Justices Barringer and Berger would see through this political gambit. But last week the court’s liberal justices suggested that they might be considering an unprecedented effort to evict their conservative colleagues involuntarily—a stunning and destabilizing prospect.
The court delayed argument in the case and last Tuesday sent out an unusual order asking the parties a number of questions, including, “Does this Court have the authority to require the involuntary recusal of a justice who does not believe that self-recusal is appropriate?”
That suggests that Justices Barringer and Berger believe, rightly, that they do not need to recuse from the case, but at least some (perhaps a majority) of the other justices have been moved by the liberal pressure campaign to consider a vote to oust them.
***
It’s worth reviewing the radicalism of what may be transpiring. Democrats in North Carolina lost policy votes in 2018 around taxation and voting, and elections for the state’s highest court in 2020.
Now liberal interests are seeking to reverse their 2018 election defeats using the courts. It would be one thing to challenge policy through the normal judicial process. But because Democrats lost seats on the state Supreme Court in the 2020 elections, they want to effectively undo the impact of those elections on this case with a selective removal of justices.
What’s remarkable is that the advocates claim that their tactics in serially subverting the judgments of voters are somehow a defense of democracy. If successful, this institutional mischief will reverberate far beyond North Carolina.
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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/judge-upholds-university-of-north-carolinas-affirmative-action-policies/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=breaking&utm_campaign=newstrack&utm_term=25386116
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From Judge Loretta Biggs in the above link:
"U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs said the university could continue to consider an applicant’s race during the admissions process, writing that “because race is so interwoven in every aspect of the lived experience of minority students, to ignore it, reduce its importance and measure it only by statistical models misses important context.” Biggs added that UNC “continues to have much work to do” to improve diversity in its student body."
Cannot get any more obvious she is a political activist than this.
So fight racism with MORE racism. :roll:
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NORTH CAROLINA
Republican-drawn redistricting maps spark ire among Democrats
BY BRYAN ANDERSON AND NICHOLAS RICCARDI ASSOCIATED PRESS RALEIGH, N.C. | A decade ago, North Carolina Republicans redrew their legislative districts to help their party in a way that a federal court ruled illegally hurt Black voters. A state court later struck down Republican- drawn maps as based on pure partisanship.
So, as the GOP-controlled legislature embarks this year on its latest round of redistricting, it has pledged not to use race or partisan data to draw the political lines. Still, the maps Republicans are proposing would tilt heavily toward their party. Several publicly released congressional maps dilute Democratic votes by splitting the state’s biggest city, Charlotte — also its largest Black population center — into three or four House districts and giving the GOP at least a 10-4 advantage in a state that then-President Donald Trump narrowly won last year.
As the once-a-decade redistricting process kicks into high gear, North Carolina is one of at least three states where Republicans say they are drawing maps without looking at racial and party data. But those maps still strongly favor the GOP.
Democrats and liberal groups are incredulous, noting that veteran lawmakers don’t need a spreadsheet to know where voters of various races and different parties live in their state. Plus, under certain scenarios, the Voting Rights Act requires the drawing of districts where the majority of voters are people of color.
“This is the first redistricting round I’ve ever heard of this,” said Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which is suing Texas Republicans over maps that the GOP said it drew without looking at racial data. “I suspect they’re trying to set up a defense for litigation. Because they know the race data — they know where the Black community lives. They know where the Latino community lives.”
The drawing of legislative lines is often a partisan fight because whichever party controls the process can craft districts to maximize its voters’ clout — often by concentrating opposing voters so they will be a majority in fewer districts.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that federal courts cannot overturn unfair maps on the basis of partisanship. But state courts still can void maps for being too partisan and race remains a legal tripwire in redistricting.
If mapmakers explicitly try to weaken voters’ power based on race, they may violate the. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. But the Voting Rights Act requires them to consider race if the state has “racially polarized” voting, in which White people consistently vote against candidates backed by people of color. The mapmakers must then create a district in which a community of color comprises a plurality or majority of voters so they can elect their preferred candidates.
Republicans complain they cannot win no matter what they do.
“It’s truly a conundrum and has been for the last decade for the GOP, because when we look at race, we were told we shouldn’t have, and those maps were struck down,” said North Carolina state Sen. Paul Newton, who co-chairs that state’s redistricting committee. “Now that we’re not looking at race, the Democrat Party is telling us, ‘Oh, you should be looking at race.’” North Carolina’s redistricting legal fight is part of why the new race-blind approach caught on.
The Republican-controlled legislature has complete control of redistricting; its maps cannot be vetoed by its Democratic governor. A federal court in 2016 found North Carolina Republicans improperly crammed Black voters into two congressional districts to dilute their votes elsewhere and ordered the map redrawn. That updated map was the basis of the 2019 Supreme Court case.
In August, the legislature formally adopted a rule that it wouldn’t consider race or partisanship in its latest line-drawing that would begin after the Census Bureau released data on population changes over the past decade.
Lawmakers noted that, during the epic litigation of the prior decade, a federal court had found the state didn’t have racially polarized voting and didn’t require special attention to racial data.
Other GOP-controlled states have followed North Carolina’s example. For the past five decades, Texas has been found to have violated federal law or the Constitution in redistricting, including by shortchanging Black and Hispanic voters. This time, Republicans who control the state Legislature said they wouldn’t consider racial data and their lawyers said that was OK.
“I’ve stated it, and I’ll state it again — we drew these maps race blind,” state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican who drew that state’s maps, said in one Senate hearing.
Although almost all of Texas’ population growth has come from Hispanic people, Black people and Asian people, the maps do not create any new majority-minority districts. That latter omission is at the heart of suits by Hispanic civil rights groups last week as Texas approved its maps.
“The only time that communities of color can get justice is going to the courthouse,” said Democratic state Rep. Rafael Anchia, chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus
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https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article255212846.html
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A Tax Cut for the Tarheel State
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper heeds the message from Virginia.
By The Editorial Board
Nov. 21, 2021 4:33 pm ET
Democrats in Washington are ignoring the party’s November election defeats, but the impact has been more salutary in the states. The latest example is North Carolina, where last week Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a significant tax cut for individuals and business.
The tax cut is part of a two-year state budget that trades Republican priorities for pay increases for public workers. The GOP controls the Legislature and is aiming for a supermajority next year. Mr. Cooper went along with a bipartisan deal rather than veto and give the GOP the tax issue.
The deal phases out the state’s 2.5% corporate income tax between 2025 and 2031. When fully repealed, that will amount to at least $900 million in annual tax savings. The deal also cuts the state’s flat 5.25% personal income tax rate in stages to 3.99% by July 1, 2027. The deal raises the standard deduction to $25,500 for joint filers and $12,750 for single payers, among other tax tweaks. North Carolina ranks tenth on the Tax Foundation’s 2021 state business tax climate index, and these reforms will make it even more competitive.
States are flush with revenue from strong nominal GDP growth and the deluge of federal largesse. North Carolina has an unreserved cash balance of $8.55 billion, and legislators are wisely returning some of it to taxpayers. Most states are making the mistake of building in new structural spending burdens that will be difficult to shrink in the next recession.
Mr. Cooper had wanted to sign up the Tarheel State for ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion, which has been a disaster for many state budgets as the rolls have expanded far beyond expectations. In the end he settled on a compromise that extends Medicaid coverage for new mothers for up to 12 months from two. The budget includes no other Medicaid expansion. Republicans gave Mr. Cooper the political cover of a legislative committee that will study healthcare access and present recommendations next year, but with no promises.
Mr. Cooper did win pay hikes for his supporters in public unions. Teachers and state employees will get an average pay raise of at least 5%, retroactive, from July 1 this year to July 1, 2023. All teachers will get bonuses of $2,300, while some will get more. Other public workers will get a bonus of up to $1,500. The bill also provides for a $15 minimum wage for non-certified public-school staffers like custodians and cafeteria workers.
In return, Republicans won an increase in eligibility and funding for Opportunity Scholarship Program grants that will give parents more educational options for their children. The deal increases the maximum scholarship to $5,200 from $4,200, and families that earn 175% above the income threshold to qualify for a free school lunch will be eligible. It had been 150%.
The North Carolina budget is an example of bipartisan compromise that would be possible in Washington if President Biden tried to govern as he campaigned instead of bowing to the left at every turn. But the GOP victories in Virginia and beyond are already paying dividends around the country.
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https://dailycaller.com/2021/12/06/donald-trump-north-carolina-gop-republican-primary-senate-richard-burr-thom-tillis-ted-budd/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recaps&tpcc%3D=recaps&pnespid=7rhoGi1XKqMV0OjZuGqoEcmBogz2DZ97cOy90elzvxtm2rCuZ98iOxtkw5FyuqGjO.mtaC0f
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second post
Toyota to build $1.3 billion EV battery plant in North Carolina
WT
BY GARY D. R OBERTSON AND TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS RALEIGH, N.C. | Toyota is preparing to build a $1.3 billion electric vehicle battery plant near Greensboro, North Carolina, that will employ at least 1,750 people, government officials said Monday.
Toyota was identified during a morning meeting of the state Economic Investment Committee, which voted to award at least $79 million in incentives to the company if the project is completed.
State officials have scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference to announce a major economic development project at an 1,800-acre plot called the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, about 20 miles southeast of Greensboro.
The site is along a four-lane highway with water, sewer and railroad infrastructure already available.
Randolph County elected leaders voted unanimously Monday morning to offer a local incentives package to the expected company that they didn’t immediately identify except as “Project Darwin.”
In October, Toyota announced that it plan to build a new U.S. factory to make batteries for hybrid and fully electric vehicles. The location was to be announced later in the year. The automaker said the plant would start making batteries in 2025, gradually expanding through 2031.
The plant is part of $3.4 billion that Toyota plans to spend in the U.S. on automotive batteries during the next decade. It didn’t detail where the remaining $2.1 billion would be spent, but part of that likely will go for another battery factory.
Toyota will form a new company to run the new plant with Toyota Tsusho, a subsidiary that now makes an array of parts for the automaker. The company also will help Toyota expand its U.S. supply chain, as well as increase its knowledge of lithium-ion auto batteries, Toyota said.
The site near Greensboro is relatively close to many of Toyota’s existing U.S. auto assembly plants in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas. The company has yet to announce where it will build fully electric vehicles for sale in the U.S.
A state Commerce Department official said Toyota Motor Corp. considered sites nine states including North Carolina.
The Randolph County package would result in an estimated $65 million in property tax rebates and the transfer of megasite land to the company should it invest $1 billion and create at least 1,750 jobs with average salaries of more than $62,000, according to a Randolph economic development official. The return to the company would grow if it a second phase of the project occurs — a $3 billion investment and more than 3,800 jobs in total.
An economic panel that must approve a separate, state packages of cash awards to companies seeking to build in North Carolina was to meet later Monday morning.
The North Carolina legislature already has promised to spend $135 million on road work and wetland improvements and would reimburse $185 million the company spends on similar upgrades should the second phase occur.
Toyota plans to sell 2 million zero-emission hydrogen and battery electric vehicles worldwide per year by 2030. In the U.S., the company plans to sell 1.5 million to 1.8 million vehicles by 2030 that are at least partially electrified.
Currently in the U.S., Toyota offers hydrogen vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but no vehicles powered solely by batteries. That has drawn criticism from environmental groups that accuse the company of dragging its feet on the technology. Toyota says it will have 15 battery electric vehicles for sale globally by 2025.
Toyota says vehicles that operate at least partially on electricity now account for about a quarter of its U.S. sales, and it plans for that to rise to nearly 70% by 2030.
The announcement comes as automakers race to build North American battery factories to supply what is expected to be exponentially increasing demand for electric vehicles as the world transitions away from internal combustion engines.
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Dear Friends,
As 2021 comes to a close, I want to share with you a list of what we accomplished this year in the NC House and the key conservative wins that we secured for the citizens of North Carolina. It is an honor to serve as your voice in Raleigh and I look forward to getting back to work in 2022 on your behalf.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
Jamie Boles
NC House Republicans 2021 Legislative Accomplishments
This legislative session, North Carolina House Republicans secured key wins for hardworking citizens and families across the state. From supporting military families and improving education to reducing taxes and expanding health care access, it has been another successful year under Republican leadership.
Military and Veterans
Budget
Eliminate state income tax on military pensions (Budget)
$1 million to support and maintain military presence across the state (Budget)
$2 million to increase scholarships for children of disabled veterans (Budget)
$2 million for No Veteran Left Behind project to help veterans with mental health support (Budget)
Expand veteran employment preference for state jobs to include National Guardsmen (Budget)
$400K for suicide prevention services to veterans and active-duty military (Budget)
Policy
Improve access to public schools for military families (HB 53)
Designate April 24th as Wounded Heroes Day in North Carolina (HB 138)
Assist military families in qualifying for in-state tuition (HB 53)
Improve veterans’ access to in-state tuition at UNC System schools (HB 602)
Waive DMV fees and extend deadlines for deployed troops (HB 297)
Establish PTSD as a factor when sentencing a veteran (HB 584)
Require POW/MIA flags to be flown at state buildings and schools (HB 746)
Authorize No Veterans Left Behind to help veterans with mental health support (HB 370)
Election Integrity
Prohibit secret settlements used to undermine state election law (HB 606, SB 360)
Set Election Day as firm deadline to accept absentee ballots (SB 326)
Prohibit elections officials from accepting private donations (Zuck Bucks) (SB 725)
Equip voters with more information on election laws (HB 605)
Remove non-citizens from North Carolina’s voter rolls (HB 259)
Require a post-election audit and all voting equipment be made in America (HB 259)
Second Amendment
Repeal Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit requirement (HB 398)
Protect concealed carry holders right to carry in places of worship (HB 134, SB 43)
Allow paramedics with SWAT teams to carry guns (HB 48)
Increase awareness about the need for safe storage of firearms (HB 427)
Allow federal prosecutors and judges to carry weapons in court (HB 194)
Enhance firearm property protections (HB 145)
Allow waiver for certain training courses (HB 49)
Education
Budget
Additional $1.5 billion (10% increase) above base budget for K-12 education (Budget)
$800 million from lottery fund for school capital projects (Budget)
$200 million to the Public School Capital Fund (Budget)
$80 million into a newly created school repair and renovations fund (Budget)
Add Fayetteville State University to N.C. Promise program (Budget)
Expand funding and eligibility for Opportunity Scholarship Program (Budget)
End the requirement that teachers pay $50 for a substitute teacher to cover their classes (Budget)
Improve broadband access for 25 rural community colleges (Budget)
Provide funding for School Safety Grants (Budget)
Include additional funds for school internet connectivity (Budget)
$70 million to support funding for enrollment growth at UNC System campuses (Budget)
$2.2 billion for repairs, renovations and construction of UNC System school facilities (Budget)
$1.0 billion for UNC System capital projects and $400 million for Community Colleges (Budget)
Policy
Prohibit “Critical Race Theory” in schools (HB 324)
Help support and expand charter schools (HB 729)
Reopen public schools and resume in-person learning (SB 37)
Establish summer school option to help kids catch up from school closures (HB 82)
Reopen schools for in-person instruction (SB 220)
Enhance reading plans and literacy intervention tools (SB 387)
Require monthly review of school mask mandates (SB 654)
Allow qualified college instructors to also teach in grades K-12 (SB 582)
Authorize new school-funded projects at UNC System institutions (SB 367)
Expand school choice for low-income families (HB 32)
Improve school conduct policies (HB 247)
End the Governor’s statewide school mask mandate (SB 173)
Reduce over-testing in high schools (HB 486)
Allow school calendar flexibility (HB 376)
Remove barriers to expand successful charter schools (HB 616)
Make it easier for retired educators to return to teaching (HB 428)
Require schools to post instructional materials online for parents (HB 755)
Enhance school safety by establishing threat assessment teams (HB 657)
End $50 fee teachers’ pay for a substitute (HB 362)
Health Care
Budget
Fund a new Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (Budget)
Extend postpartum Medicaid services for new mothers to a full year (Budget)
Allow a parent to retain Medicaid eligibility while their child is temporarily in foster care (Budget)
Increase Direct Support Personnel wages to $15 per hour – workers who serve elderly, most medically fragile and the intellectual and developmentally disabled (Budget)
$150 million for lead and asbestos remediation in schools and childcare facilities (Budget)
Additional Innovations Waiver slots to serve intellectually and developmentally disabled (Budget)
$16 million to combat the opioid crisis (Budget)
$5 million for rural hospitals (Budget)
$4 million to recruit health care providers to rural areas (Budget)
Policy
Protect religious rights of hospital patients during pandemic (HB 447)
Make organ donor status “evergreen” on a driver’s license (SB 135)
Ease “certificate of need” laws to expand access to healthcare (SB 462)
Increase access to teledentistry (SB 146)
Ensure children are not exposed to lead in drinking water (HB 272)
Expand small business health insurance options (SB 228)
Increase transparency of medication costs (SB 257)
Support and encourage foster care parents (HB 769)
Improve care of pregnant inmates (HB 608)
Ensure visitation rights for nursing home residents (HB 351)
Remove barriers for occupational therapists (HB 224)
Combat waste and fraud with State Health Plan (SB 542)
Designate September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (HB 89)
Improve access to care through telehealth (HB 149)
Expand access to oral chemo treatment drugs (HB 524)
Encourage safe disposal of unused medication (HB 683)
Increase access to prescription drug cost information (HB 178)
Increase penalties for falsifying medical record (HB 195)
Require coverage of dental care resulting from cancer treatment (HB 646)
Require insurers to cover breast cancer diagnostic imaging (HB 703)
Increase access to professional mental health counseling services (HB 791)
Increase punishment for mental health facilities operating without a license (HB 734)
Provide timely updates to newborn screening program (HB 736)
Establish safe surgical technology standards (HB 468)
Prevent rape victims from being billed for medical exams (HB 626)
Provide patients with education on opioid overdose prevention (HB 93)
Designate August 31st as Overdose Awareness Day (HB 180)
Law Enforcement, Firefighters and First Responders
Budget
Campus police officers can take unlimited university courses per semester for free (Budget)
$7.5 million for a new assistance program for firefighters diagnosed with cancer (Budget)
Policy
Increase penalties for breaking into police vehicles (HB 761)
Improve policing and accountability in law enforcement (HB 536, SB 300)
Increase punishment for firing at unoccupied emergency vehicles (HB 36)
Allow free classes for UNC System campus police (SB 390)
Expand access to mental health resources for law enforcement (HB 436)
Allow first responders to receive workers compensation for PTSD (HB 492)
Make it a crime to threaten law enforcement/correctional officer (HB 418)
Increase penalties for attacks on correctional officers in prisons (HB 560)
Ban the use of firefighting foam with potentially toxic chemicals (HB 355)
Allow fire trucks to use flashing blue lights when stopped (HB 448)
Allow certain law enforcement officers to pay for early retirement (HB 417)
Require the destruction of a firearm used to assault an officer (HB 234)
Allow retired law enforcement to return to work without retirement penalty (HB 647)
Protect first responder’s health care (HB 694)
Allow line of duty death benefits for 911 operators (HB 741)
Allow emergency aid to injured police K-9s (HB 648)
Government Overreach and Pro-Life Protections
Budget
Limit governor’s emergency powers by requiring approval from the Council of State (Budget)
Prohibit collusive settlements by the Attorney General (Budget)
Policy
Rein in Governor’s unilateral emergency authority (HB 264)
Protect donor privacy of charitable nonprofits (SB 636)
Prevent abortion based on race, gender and Down syndrome (HB 453)
Establish term limits for members of Congress (HJR 172)
Protect private property rights from eminent domain abuse (HB 271)
Oppose federal overreach over state election laws (HJR 330)
Urge Congress to maintain nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices (HJR 286)
Prevent Governor from mandating COVID-19 vaccine (HB 572)
Urge evacuation of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies (HR 973)
Public Safety
Policy
Increase penalties for looting and rioting (HB 805)
Ensure hotels could remove short-term residents for misconduct (HB 352)
Crack down on catalytic converter thefts (SB 99)
Restrict dangerous vehicle modifications (HB 692)
Crack down on credit card skimming devices (HB 238)
Increase punishment for destroying personal property (HB 743)
Increase penalties from misdemeanor to felony for fentanyl possession (SB 321)
Enhance punishments for elected officials who use position for financial gain (SB 473)
Increase restrictions for sex offenders (HB 84)
Expand expunction eligibility (SB 301)
Require sheriff candidates to disclose past felony convictions (HB 312)
Strengthen animal fighting laws (HB 544)
Budget
$10 million for testing sexual assault evidence kits and eliminating rape kit backlog (Budget)
$25 million toward sexual assault services (Budget)
$30 million to combat human trafficking and provide support services for victims (Budget)
Authorizes additional assistant district attorneys, clerks, magistrates, and judges (Budget)
$140 million for local courthouse construction, renovations, and repairs (Budget)
$5.6 million to improve safety at prisons over the next two years (Budget)
$4 million to support state search and rescue programs over the next two years (Budget)
Savings and Taxes
Increase zero-tax bracket to $25,500 (Budget)
Bring “Rainy Day” savings fund to $4.25 billion – the largest in state history (Budget)
Cut the personal income tax rate from 5.25% to 3.99% (Budget)
Increase child tax deduction by $500 per child (Budget)
Allow businesses to deduct expenses paid by Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans (Budget)
Eliminate state income tax on military pensions (Budget)
Reduce and simplify the franchise tax on businesses (Budget)
Phase out the corporate tax (Budget)
Expand and extend Historic Preservation Tax Credit (Budget)
Extend Mill Rehabilitation Tax Credit (Budget)
Pay Raises and Salaries
5% pay raise for state employees and teachers (Budget)
$15 minimum wage for non-certified public-school personnel and community college staff (Budget)
Provide $2,800 bonuses to most teachers using federal funds (Budget)
Provide bonuses for all state employees using federal funds (Budget)
$1,500 bonuses for law enforcement, correctional officers and staff (Budget)
$100 million teacher salary supplement fund (1.7% increase) for on low-wealth counties (Budget)
5% state and teacher retiree cost-of-living adjustment bonus (Budget)
New salary-based schedule for corrections, probation, and parole officers (Budget)
Individuals with Disabilities
Support individuals with disabilities and Down syndrome (HB 756, 642)
Expand access to care for children with autism (HB 91)
Increase awareness for students with epilepsy (HB 222)
Establish an advisory council on PANS/PANDAS (HB 340)
Develop voluntary driver’s license designation for individuals with autism (HB 581)
Energy
Prevent local governments from banning natural gas (HB 220)
Ensure reliable and low-cost energy production in North Carolina (HB 951)
Disaster Relief and Flood Mitigation
$412 million for disaster recovery and flood mitigation efforts (Budget)
$124 million for Tropical Storm Fred relief (Budget)
$25 million for Golden L.E.A.F. to help local governments plan or pursue resilience projects (Budget)
$20 million to create a Flood Resiliency Blueprint to guide flood mitigation projects (Budget)
$38 million to support flood mitigation in vulnerable areas (Budget)
$40 million for grants to local governments for storm damage mitigation projects (Budget)
Transportation
Reduce unnecessary regulations on the sale salvage vehicles (HB 294)
Streamline and update DMV services (HB 650)
$346 million over base budget for highway maintenance and preservation activities (Budget)
Fund new inmate litter crew pilot project (Budget)
$12 million to municipalities for construction and maintenance of roads and bridges (Budget)
$3 million in federal funds for extended service at DMV Driver License offices (Budget)
$16 million to the Global TransPark for a fuel storage facility and terminal renovations (Budget)
Authorize DMV to utilize online renewal for permits, licenses, and registrations (Budget)
Families, Children, and Aging
Increase awareness of child abuse (SB 693)
Increase punishment for abuse or neglect of elderly (HB 699)
Protect students from child abuse and neglect (HB 205)
Require safety call for absent children (HB 604)
Strengthen infant safe surrender laws (HB 473)
Establish uniform rate-setting process for adult day care and health services (HB 731)
Hospitality and Restaurants
Waive ABC permit fees for bars until they can fully reopen (HB 4, 73)
Allow cities and counties to create their own “social districts” (HB 890)
Ease regulations on restaurant and hospitality businesses (HB 890)
Ease outdoor dining restrictions for bars and restaurants (HB 781)
Allow event promoters to use vacant buildings on a trial basis (HB 477)
Reopen bars and restaurants (HB 211)
Expand allowable growler size (HB 722)
COVID-19 Relief and Response
Allocate $1.7 billion in federal COVID-19 relief (HB 196)
Distribute $6.4 billion in federal ARP COVID-19 relief funding (SB 172)
Economy and Business
Budget
$500 million fund to provide grants to businesses impacted by COVID-19 (Budget)
Expand apprenticeship opportunities in high-demand fields at small businesses (Budget)
$338 million for major Economic Development Projects (Budget)
Policy
End “extra” federal unemployment benefits and institute stricter work-search requirements (SB 116)
Waive interest on taxes paid after April 15 (HB 279)
Reduce unnecessary government regulations (HB 366)
Provide individual and business COVID-19 tax relief (HB 334)
Allow the recovery of certain electronic transaction fees (HB 685)
Streamline regulations to help startups and emerging technologies (HB 624)
Update state business laws to ensure we remain competitive with other states (SB 507)
Protect taxpayers from pension-spiking costs (SB 668)
Help small businesses apply for federal innovative and technology grants (HB 965)
Keep North Carolina on Daylight Saving Time year-round (HB 307)
Rural Infrastructure, Farming and Outdoors
Policy
Support North Carolina farmers and agriculture producers (Farm Bill) (SB 605)
Provide additional tools to help struggling cities and towns (SB 314)
Improve hunting and fishing laws and support wildlife resources (HB 181)
Preserve historic and abandoned school buildings (HB 70)
Improve water and sewer infrastructure needs (HB 806)
Expand rural broadband internet access (HB 947)
Improve sewer overflow notifications (HB 885)
Budget
$6 billion to fund infrastructure projects across the state (Budget)
$1.7 billion for water, sewer, and stormwater improvements (Budget)
$1 billion to expand rural broadband internet access (Budget)
$129 million for food banks, and meat, swine, and dairy producers (Budget)
Provide Forest Service with additional emergency response equipment (Budget)
$8 million for Farmland Preservation (Budget)
Fund the operating requirements for the new Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center (Budget)
Coastal
$283 million to support deepening and expanding the Wilmington Harbor (Budget)
Improve coastal dredging services (HB 735)
Resume passenger ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke (SB 241)
Remove abandoned and derelict vessels (HB 161)
Key:
Red = Vetoed by Governor
Italicized = Signed into law
Normal = Passed NC House
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Judges Uphold North Carolina’s GOP-Drawn Voting-District Maps
State court panel criticizes partisan gerrymandering but says intervening to stop it would usurp legislature’s role
Superior Court Judges Nathaniel Poovey, Graham Shirley and Dawn Layton listened to testimony during a gerrymandering trial over North Carolina’s new political maps.
PHOTO: TRAVIS LONG/THE NEWS & OBSERVER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Alexa Corse
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and Brent Kendall
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Jan. 11, 2022 6:27 pm ET
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A North Carolina court on Tuesday upheld the state’s new Republican-drawn voting maps, rejecting claims that they were illegally gerrymandered for partisan advantage.
A three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court said while excessive partisanship in redistricting was incompatible with democratic principles and had subjected the state to many years of ridicule, the court had no basis for constraining the legislature.
“Redistricting is a political process that has serious political consequences,” the panel wrote. “It is one of the purest political questions which the legislature alone is allowed to answer. Were we as a court to insert ourselves in the manner requested, we would be usurping the political power and prerogatives of an equal branch of government.”
The court also said plaintiffs challenging the voting maps hadn’t proven their claims that the districts were discriminatory on the basis of race.
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The ruling came in response to lawsuits from advocacy groups and voters who sued state lawmakers and other officials, alleging that the Republican-controlled state legislature adopted new congressional and state voting districts in November that unlawfully entrenched a partisan advantage for the GOP.
Republican state lawmakers have said they conducted the most transparent map-drawing process in the state’s history and didn’t use partisan or racial data when drawing the new maps. They said their maps kept communities with common interests together and Democratic lawmakers had had the opportunity to comment on the plans.
The challengers, which include advocacy groups Common Cause and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, immediately said they would appeal.
New North Carolina congressional districts
Urban areas
Raleigh
11
2
6
5
7
10
12
14
13
1
8
9
4
Charlotte
3
Source: North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina Supreme Court already has delayed the state’s March primary until May to allow time to resolve the legal battle. That court, where Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage, has indicated that it would consider any appeal on an expedited basis.
The litigation is at the forefront of a new chapter of legal battles emerging in light of the nationwide redrawing of voting maps for the next decade after the 2020 census. The cases also come during a new legal era in which plaintiffs alleging partisan gerrymandering must bring their cases in state courts, under state law. A divided U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that federal judges have no authority to referee such claims under the federal Constitution.
The North Carolina challengers argued that state GOP map makers violated several state constitutional provisions, including one that guarantees free elections.
Similar arguments were successful in 2019, when North Carolina judges blocked the use of an earlier set of Republican-drawn maps on the grounds that they were likely an unlawful partisan gerrymander.
North Carolina is considered a battleground state, and former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020 with 49.9% to President Biden’s 48.6%. If the midterm elections are tight, the state’s congressional map could play a role in who controls the U.S. House.
The state currently has eight Republican and five Democratic members of Congress. Based on the 2020 census results, North Carolina is gaining one House seat as a result of population growth.
The nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project rated North Carolina’s 2021 maps an “F” for partisan fairness, saying the maps gave Republicans a significant advantage.
The 2021 congressional map is likely to result in 10 safe Republican seats out of 14 total seats, according to the plaintiffs. Republicans also are likely to keep their majorities in the state legislature under the 2021 map, the plaintiffs said.
Advocacy groups and voters filed multiple lawsuits challenging the new maps, alleging they were manipulated according to partisan or racial lines. The cases were consolidated before a three-judge panel. The same three judges previously declined to block the use of the maps, but the state’s Supreme Court intervened and ordered a quick trial.
North Carolina has a history of legal battles over allegations of gerrymandering, and redrew its voting maps in the face of litigation multiple times over the past decade.
While the process for drawing districts varies across states, most analysts say Republicans have the advantage nationally. Republicans control the redistricting process in states that contain 187 congressional districts, compared with 75 seats for Democrats. That has raised alarms among Democrats about the party’s prospects in coming elections.
Write to Alexa Corse at alexa.corse@wsj.com and Brent Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nc-s-thom-tillis-threatens-to-resign-from-senate-if-republicans-ever-change-the-filibuster/ar-AASX6u6?ocid=msedgntp
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second
Because of your kind $2 donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
On Monday, November 29, 2021 the General Assembly adjourned a very long session which began in January 2021, making it one of the longest sessions on the books. Both the House and Senate announced an intention not to return to Raleigh to conduct any voting sessions until January unless there was a need to address a pressing issue such as redistricting or a potential veto override. January has arrived and they have held true to their word, having not yet called a voting session of either chamber. A voting session may occur this week, but is not expected to involve any firearms laws.
This long session saw over a dozen firearms related bills reaching the crossover deadline making the bills eligible for consideration anytime in this two-year session. At this point, only one of those bills which is explained below has been signed into law.
HOUSE BILL 386, Sunny Point Rail ROW Firearm Discharge Ban, makes it unlawful to discharge a firearm, or to attempt to discharge a firearm, from, on, across, or over the right-of-way of the United States Department of Defense Strategic Rail Corridor Network connecting the Leland rail interchange yard with the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, North Carolina.
A violation of this provision is a Class 3 misdemeanor and is enforceable by law enforcement officers of the Wildlife Resources Commission, by sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, by sworn civilian police officers for the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, and by other peace officers with general subject matter jurisdiction.
This bill only applies to Brunswick County. Since the bill applies to fewer than 15 counties, it is considered a local bill and therefore did not require the signature of the Governor to become law. This local bill became law when approved by the General Assembly and had an effective date of October 1, 2021 and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
SENATE BILL 105, 2021 Appropriations Act. While not in a stand-alone bill, the General Assembly included a provision related to concealed handgun permits in the over 600-page budget bill. Senate Bill 105 appropriates to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation $250,000 in recurring funds each year for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and the 2022-2023 fiscal year to provide funding for the implementation of electronic concealed handgun permits.
The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association will continue to monitor the firearm related bills which made the crossover deadline and are still eligible for consideration when the General Assembly reconvenes for the short session later in 2022.
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HT to MY:
This thing could blow up BIG!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winston-salem-fertilizer-plant-fire-ammonium-nitrate-explosion-potential-north-carolina/#app
==================================================================
ET
Thousands Evacuated as Fears Grow Blazing Fertilizer Plant May Explode
By Tribune News Service February 3, 2022 Updated: February 3, 2022biggersmaller Print
By Mark Price
From The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The city of Winston-Salem is working to evacuate 6,500 people as fears grow a smoldering fertilizer plant might explode near thousands of homes.
Fire trucks patrolled the mandatory evacuation area early Tuesday, blowing their horns and loudspeakers blasting a warning for people to evacuate as quickly as possible.
The mass exodus is due to a potentially explosive fire at the Weaver Fertilizer Co. in north Winston-Salem.
Just under 2,500 homes are within a mile of the plant, which stores tons of explosive materials as part of its products, the city said in a tweet.
Residents being are told to plan on being out of their homes for at least 48 hours, and roadblocks have been established around the area. A “reverse 911 call” went out at 6 a.m. Tuesday, to reach those who hadn’t yet left their homes.
The Education Building at the community’s fairgrounds has been opened as an emergency shelter, officials said.
“Don’t wait for something to happen. Something has happened. Now is the time to get out,” Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo wrote in a tweet just after midnight.
City officials are also warning people in the city as a whole to “avoid strenuous activities outdoors” due to the toxic air. People with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory illnesses were advised to stay indoors.
The smoke plume—which smells like “spent fireworks”—was expected to drift southwest Tuesday, to downtown Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University.
“Air quality will be poor,” officials said in a Facebook post.
Epoch Times Photo
The Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, N.C., continues to burn on Feb. 2, 2022. (Walt Unks/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP)
Weaver Fertilizer released a recorded statement Tuesday, reporting “there have been no injuries or loss of life to any employees, first responders or citizens.” Plant officials also pledged “to participate fully in the investigation into the cause of the fire.”
The plant is known to include large quantities of volatile ammonium nitrate in its products, which prompted fire crews to pull back after 90 minutes, officials said on Facebook. One unmanned ladder truck has been hooked to a fire hydrant at the site, and it continues to spray water on a rail car that could potentially explode.
Emergency responders will not likely return to the plant site until late Wednesday, officials said at a news conference.
Investigators don’t know what caused the fire, but residents of the area reported hearing two “tremendous” booms.
Firefighters were called to the site about 6:45 p.m. Monday after someone reported a fire at the loading dock. They arrived to find “heavy fire and involvement in the building,” Mayo said in a video posted to Facebook.
“Subsequently the entire building has become consumed by fire and has collapsed in,” he said.
“The risk that is posed by this facility is, it stores ammonium nitrate … There is somewhere between 300 and 600 tons of ammonium nitrate in this facility. … At about 450 degrees, ammonium nitrate becomes pretty unstable. … It can explode.” (Fire officials later clarified those totals to report 500 tons of ammonium nitrate was inside the building and 100 tons was in a rail car outside the building.)
Such an explosion happened in 2013, he said, when chemicals at a Texas fertilizer plant ignited, killing 15 and destroying 120 homes, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
“That explosion involved 240 tons of ammonium nitrate,” Mayo said.
Winston-Salem Communications Director Ed McNeal warned the potential for an explosion “is not hyperbole.”
A drone flying over the flaming building has already confirmed “small explosions” have happened at the site, he said.
Wake Forest University announced it was canceling classes Tuesday and is opening up three campus sites to shelter students who are evacuated from their housing due to the fire.
“The evacuation area does not include on-campus housing, with the exception of Deacon Place, which is within the one-mile evacuation radius,” the university said.
The one-mile evacuation area is considered a “worst case scenario” of what would be impacted should an explosion occur, officials said.
©2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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NC political maps unconstitutionally gerrymandered, Supreme Court rules BY WILL DORAN UPDATED FEBRUARY 04, 2022 7:39 PM Play VideoDuration 0:53 Monster: Math, maps and power in North Carolina It’s redistricting time in North Carolina. In a limited-run podcast from Under the Dome, we explore how maps are drawn, their political impact on the state and the ongoing fight against gerrymandering. BY STEPHANIE BUNAO RALEIGH North Carolina’s new political district maps are unconstitutional, the N.C. Supreme Court ruled Friday. The maps, drawn by Republican lawmakers late last year, would have given GOP candidates a sizable advantage in elections throughout the next decade. Republican leaders argued in favor of the maps in court, saying redistricting is an inherently political process and that courts shouldn’t get involved by banning partisan gerrymandering. The Supreme Court, which has a Democratic majority, disagreed. TOP VIDEOS WATCH MORE × Julius L. Chambers' son and grandson talk about his legacy. The ruling divided the court along party lines. All three Republican justices dissented and said they would have allowed the maps to stand. But all four Democratic justices joined in the majority opinion, which struck down the maps for both the N.C. General Assembly and North Carolina’s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The justices ruled that the maps were skewed so far to the right that they violated the state constitution — specifically that they “are unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt under the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause and the freedom of assembly clause of North Carolina’s constitution.” $2 for 2 months Subscribe for unlimited access to our website, app, eEdition and more CLAIM OFFER Their ruling orders new political districts to be redrawn. That’s expected to happen quickly, before this year’s elections. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat who had filed a legal brief in the case arguing that the maps were unconstitutional, was the first to announce the news Friday. “Under our constitution, political power must be ‘vested in and derived from the people’ (and) our government must be ‘founded upon their will only,’” Stein wrote in a series of tweets on his personal account. “Our elected leaders flout that principle when they seek to perpetuate their power irrespective of the will of the voters.” Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican, wrote in his dissent that he didn’t believe the courts have the authority to override the legislature on redistricting. He wrote that the majority’s ruling “violates separation of powers by effectively placing responsibility for redistricting with the judicial branch, not the legislative branch as expressly provided in our constitution.” A top GOP redistricting official, Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County, wrote in a statement that he thought the decision was based in politics, not law. North Carolina’s Supreme Court elections have already been among the most intense and expensive in the nation, with outside political groups on both sides of the aisle spending millions to elect their favored candidates, and Hise predicted that will continue. Afternoon Observer Everything you need to know about the day's news in Charlotte, direct to your inbox Monday-Friday. SIGN UP This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “This perverse precedent, once set, will be nearly impossible to unwind, as monied interests line up to buy their own justices to set law favorable to them,” Hise said. “I’m certain Democrats will come to regret it.” WHAT NEXT? The court’s full ruling is still yet to come, but the short version released Friday did give some important scheduling instructions, specifically on how the maps must now be redrawn. The legislature will have a second chance to draw them, the justices ruled. And the job of reviewing those maps to see if they pass muster unlike the current maps will be up to the trial court that initially heard the case. That adds an extra layer of intrigue since that trial court panel has a Republican majority, which had originally ruled in favor of the legislature in this case, a ruling now overturned by the Supreme Court. In addition to the legislature, all other parties involved in the lawsuit will also be allowed to submit their own proposed replacement maps to the trial court for review. Everything must filed within two weeks, by Feb. 18, and then the court will have until Feb. 23 to make a decision. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said in a tweet Friday that the redrawing process will be important to watch over the coming days. “A healthy democracy requires free elections and the NC Supreme Court is right to order a redraw of unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts,” Cooper tweeted. “More work remains and any legislative redraw must reflect the full intent of this decision.” The Feb. 23 deadline is right up against the current date for the start of candidate filing for the 2022 primaries, currently scheduled to begin Feb. 24. That could complicate things, especially if either side appeals whatever decision the trial court ultimately makes on the new maps. In an interview with McClatchy on Friday before the ruling came out, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the court should move back the election, if necessary, to ensure new maps could be in place in time. Holder now leads a group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which was behind this lawsuit as well as a similarly successful one in 2019. “The one thing that’s most important is to get it right, and to have the elections take place, the line drawing done, have that done, done correctly, and then have the elections take place under those correctly drawn districts,” Holder said. The court has already moved the primary once, from March until its current date of May 17. Republican lawmakers recently passed a bill that would have pushed it back another three weeks, to June 7, to give more time for the redraw. Cooper vetoed that bill, however, saying the decision should be up to the court, not the legislature. REACTIONS AROUND THE STATE If the maps had stood, The News & Observer previously reported, around one-fourth of the Black lawmakers in the state legislature would have been at risk of losing their seats in this year’s elections. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice — a Durham group whose Executive Director Allison Riggs was a main attorney for the challengers fighting the maps — celebrated the ruling in a written statement to The News & Observer. “Today’s ruling is an unequivocal win for North Carolina’s Black voters who were most harmed by this extreme partisan gerrymander,” Riggs said. “At every level, North Carolina’s GOP leadership diluted representation of communities of color to entrench their own political power in ways that were both obvious and egregious.” The GOP legislative leaders who drew the maps did not immediately release a statement of their own on the ruling. But one Republican congressman, Charlotte Rep. Dan Bishop — whose district would have been made safer under the new maps if they hadn’t been ruled unconstitutional — criticized the ruling and urged his followers to vote in this November’s Supreme Court elections, when Republicans will have a chance to flip control of the court. “What a shock,” Bishop tweeted. “4-3 decision. Only Democrat judges struck down maps drawn by a Republican legislature. For 140 years of unbroken Democrat rule, they failed to see a problem. Elections for the Supreme Court majority are around the corner.” Francesca Chambers of the McClatchy Washington Bureau contributed reporting.
Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article257975758.html#storylink=cpy
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the crats win in a party line vote :
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/02/04/north-carolina-supreme-court-strikes-down-gop-redistricting-maps/
it is re assuring to note there is no politics in NC justice system :wink:
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https://www.oann.com/n-c-removes-430k-inactive-voters-from-rolls/
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Insane:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-carolina-house-swarmed-interested-144131357.html
like this all over I think
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https://www.oann.com/n-c-removes-430k-inactive-voters-from-rolls/
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On This Day in History > February 27, 1776:
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
"On February 27, 1776, the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge ends British rule in North Carolina. Governor Josiah Martin had been living in exile aboard a ship off the coast since July of 1775 after a popular uprising. In response to his lobbying, Scottish soldiers Brigadier General Donald McDonald and Lieutenant Colonel Donald MacLeod were sent to raise loyalist troops in the interior, many of whom were of Scottish decent, to help take back the colony.
In early 1776, Governor Martin learned that a fleet would arrive in mid-February and he hoped to have the Loyalists join them. McDonald and MacLeod met with Tory leaders at Cross Creek (present day Fayetteville) on February 5. They quickly raised 3,500 men, but they quickly dwindled when they learned there were no British soldiers to escort them to the coast through patriot friendly territory. By the time the force began its march, only 1,400 remained.
When the Provincial Congress learned of the meeting at Cross Creek, they sent Colonel James Moore to prevent them from reaching the coast. On February 20, McDonald began his march to the coast, intending to cross the Black River at Corbett's Ferry. Colonel Moore anticipated this and sent Richard Caswell (the future first governor of North Carolina) to block the ferry. Alexander Lillington was sent to block the crossing at Moore's Creek Bridge, a few miles to the north.
McDonald arrived at Corbett's Ferry only to find it blocked. He raced north to try to cross at Moore's Creek Bridge, but Caswell beat him, joining Lillie on the 26th. Lillie had already taken position on the east side of the creek, so Caswell went to the west side. During the night, however, he realized his position was weak, so he moved across the creek to join Lillie and built a semi-circular earthwork around the east side of the bridge during the night.
In the morning, the elderly McDonald was ill and gave command to Lt. Col. MacLeod. MacLeod saw the patriots on the opposite side of the creek, but severely underestimated their numbers. MacLeod ordered 80 swordsmen to charge across the bridge, which had been de-planked and greased by Caswell. The patriots, hiding behind their earthworks on the east side of the bridge, waited until the swordsmen were within only a few feet of them before firing. The swordsmen were wiped out almost immediately, including Lt. Col. MacLeod, who was shot nearly 20 times. The battle lasted only 3 minutes. 50 to 70 Loyalists were killed or injured. The remaining Loyalist forces quickly dissolved and fled.
Caswell re-planked the bridge and began pursuit. Over the next few days, nearly 850 Loyalists and loads of supplies were captured, including 1,500 muskets, 300 rifles and £15,000 in silver coins, all valued at nearly $1,000,000 in today's money.
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge effectively ended any hope of re-establishing British rule in North Carolina. The victory rallied southern patriots to join the militia and the Continental Army in mass. Loyalists became afraid of voicing their opinions. It has been called "The Lexington and Concord of the South." The British would not attempt to take North Carolina again until the southern campaign of 1780 and even then, the lingering memory of the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge would discourage Loyalists from joining General Charles Cornwallis as he attempted to take back the south."
Revolutionary-War-and-Beyond.com
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https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article250722774.html
https://www.ncpoisoncontrol.org/
https://www.ncpoisoncontrol.org/types-of-poisons
https://www.ncpoisoncontrol.org/types-of-poisons/venomous-creatures/ticks
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Gun Rights Supporters:
Sadly, in American gun rights politics, phony gun groups and lying politicians have become the norm, and North Carolina is no exception. Please allow me to tell two cautionary tales that North Carolina gun rights supporters need to hear.
Phony gun groups…
You may have gotten fundraising mail or email from an entity calling itself the “North Carolina Firearms Coalition” (NCFC) which purports to be headquartered in Raleigh. In truth, the UPS Store in the photograph you see is their “office.”
In July, NCFC did predatory fundraising by claiming credit for GRNC’s legislative accomplishments. Now they are reportedly sending surveys to North Carolina candidates – who should be aware that beyond claiming credit for the work of others, this type of charlatan often rakes in money by beating on pro-gun legislators for supposedly not being pro-gun enough.
NCFC was created by Patrick Parsons of Georgia (not North Carolina), where his “Georgia Gun Owners” also reportedly developed a somewhat unsavory reputation, including having as its place of business a UPS Store. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
Parsons originally hailed from the “National Association for Gun Rights” (NAGR), which itself developed a reputation for being far more interested in money than gun rights. In fact, NAGR became so notorious that there is even a Facebook page entitled, “The Truth About the National Association for Gun Rights.”
As gun rights supporters gradually discovered the truth about NAGR, the resulting flight of donors reportedly caused it to downsize, with laid off employees trained in NAGR’s predatory fundraising returning to their states to bilk gun owners in an exercise reminiscent of when Jimmy Carter decimated the CIA, forcing spooks to earn a living by fomenting revolution in South America.
Today I called the phone number for NCFC, and guess who I got: Chris Dorr of the infamous Dorr brothers. So notorious are the Dorr brothers, in fact, that they even warrant a website entitled www.dorrbrotherscams.com, featuring links to quite a list of their exploits. (And we won’t even talk about leftist articles “outing” the Dorrs in The Daily Beast and The Trace.)
It seems that Parsons is now working for another one of the Dorr brothers’ schemes, this one calling itself the “American Firearms Association” and that, in turn, the Dorrs are apparently running NCFC.
Oh, and I should mention that Chris Dorr, who answered a Raleigh phone number, reportedly lives in Pennsylvania. His brother Aaron reportedly lives in New York. Given that Parsons hails from Georgia, I have yet to speak to anyone at the “North Carolina” Firearms Coalition who actually lives in North Carolina.
…and lying politicians
Speaking of charlatans, it seems that Pat McCrory is sending fundraising mail claiming that Congressman Ted Budd is a “business partner” of none other than the evil George Soros, which McCrory knows full well is a lie.
Carolina Journal debunked this claim back in October. In truth, Soros invested in a company which itself invested in a company owned by Ted Budd’s father – a company in which Budd was not even an officer, but only a shareholder.
Even more interestingly, the claim was originally made by a shadowy super PAC calling itself the “Carolina Senate Fund” (which actually hails from Virginia), actually two rich power brokers: James “Art” Pope of Variety Wholesalers and Doug Lebda, CEO of Lending Tree, who have so far jointly contributed $350,000 to the effort. Its thirteen (yes, thirteen) donors read like a “Who’s Who” list of R.I.N.O.s.
The plot thickens when you learn that Art Pope has ties to Pat McCrory, specifically that Pope was a co-chair on North Carolina Governor-Elect Pat McCrory's transition team and served as the state budget director in the McCrory administration.
Super PACs are prohibited by law from coordinating with the candidate who benefits from their expenditures. So does the fact that McCrory is now making the same fallacious claim as Pope suggest that they might be illegally coordinating their hit pieces against Budd? It certainly warrants investigation.
And since McCrory seems to think being a shareholder in a corporation makes you the “business partner” of every investor in the corporation, GRNC calls upon McCrory to release a list of corporations in which he owns stock in order that we may examine who his “business partners” may be.
And since we are talking about Pat McCrory, gun rights supporters should understand that we are still saddled with our Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit system because of McCrory.
You see, when McCrory was governor, GRNC managed to get an omnibus gun bill through the General Assembly, HB 937, which contained a purchase permit repeal … at least until McCrory threatened to veto the bill if it contained the repeal. After that, then-Speaker Thom Tillis had the purchase permit repeal stripped out in committee and the remainder passed only under considerable pressure from GRNC.
Rather than donating to phony gun groups and lying politicians, may I suggest you donate to the GRNC Political Victory Fund? GRNC is our federally registered political action committee, and is the instrument by which we “throw the bums out” and elect pro-Second Amendment candidates.
And unlike the charlatans of phony gun groups, I don’t earn a dime for my work on behalf of gun rights. GRNC is an all-volunteer organization. We might not put out slick, high-dollar websites, but I guarantee we will put your money to more efficient, effective use in defending your rights than any other group.
Armatissimi e liberissimi,
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Executive Director, Rights Watch International
Radio host, Guns, Politics and Freedom
Paid for by Grass Roots North Carolina Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee
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GRNC-PVF CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATIONS
FEDERAL RACES
US SENATE (R)
To replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr, the clear standout for gun voters in the race is Rep. TED BUDD (GRNC ****). Not only was Budd a Life member of GRNC long before running for Congress, he is also a gun shop owner. More importantly, he has compiled the best record on Second Amendment issues of any legislator in the NC delegation to Congress, including a 100% pro-gun voting record and co-sponsorship of several pro-gun bills. Budd and Rep. Dan Bishop have the distinction of being the only members of the NC delegation to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act because it contained “red flag” gun confiscation for military members.
By contrast, opponent Pat McCrory (GRNC ***) is a RINO (“Republican in Name Only”) of the first order who has used a variety of false accusations to attack Budd. Worse, North Carolinians are still saddled with our Jim Crow era pistol purchase permit law – which urban sheriffs are using to obstruct handgun purchases – thanks to McCrory. In 2013, as governor, he threatened to veto omnibus pro-gun House Bill 937 unless the purchase permit repeal was removed from the bill.
Although some gun voters have supported Mark Walker in the race, he has no chance of winning the Republican nomination and acts principally as a spoiler by siphoning off votes needed by Budd to defeat McCrory. In this race, GRNC-PVF strongly recommends you vote for TED BUDD.
US HOUSE
Unfortunately, we are dealing with congressional districts imposed on us by the “special masters” which the Democrat-controlled NC Supreme Court selected to redraw districts after rejecting those drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature. Despite our Republican-leaning state, the “special masters” drew districts which, in normal election years, would yield 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans, effectively costing Republicans two seats. Given that NC picked up a congressional seat and that districts are new, the following analysis will also contain the partisan leaning of each district.
District 1 (R): In this Democrat-leaning (D+5) district, the Republican primary features 8 candidates, only three of which returned GRNC’s candidate survey: SANDY ROBERSON (100%, ****), SANDY SMITH (100%, ****), and BILLY STRICKLAND (100%, ****). Given identical survey scores and GRNC evaluations, GRNC-PVF can only recommend that you pick one of the three.
District 2: In this solidly Democrat (D+13) district, no Republican returned the GRNC survey. The seat is currently held by anti-gun Democrat Deborah Ross (0-star). GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this district.
District 3 (R): In this solidly Republican (R+12) district, incumbent Greg Murphy (****) faces a field of four Republican challengers in which Brian Michael Friend and George J. Papastrat, returned the GRNC survey with scores of 93 and 91, respectively, giving both 4-star (****) evaluations. Because Murphy has dropped two gun votes in recent sessions of Congress, GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in the district.
District 4 (R): In what is the most Democrat district in NC (D+16), perennial anti-gun Democrat David Price retired, but with no less than 8 0-star Democrats vying to replace him, things in the district are not likely to improve. That said, in the race for the Republican nomination, GRNC-PVF recommends ROBERT THOMAS (GRNC survey: 98%, ****) over Courtney Geels (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 5 (R): In this solidly Republican (R+10) district, GRNC-PVF recommends incumbent VIRGINIA FOXX (****) over challenger Michael Ackerman (survey: NR, 0-star), but notes that Foxx has dropped gun votes in recent sessions of Congress and should be watched carefully.
District 6 (R): In this Democrat-leaning (D+6) district, 7 Republicans are vying for the nomination to face anti-gun incumbent Kathy Manning (0-star). Mary Ann Contogiannis, Lee Haywood, William (Bill) Schuch, and Laura Pichardo returned GRNC’s survey, scoring 100, 98, 91 and 73, respectively. On the basis of Haywood’s history of conservative political activism, GRNC-PVF recommends LEE HAYWOOD.
District 7 (R): In this Republican-leaning (R+5) district, incumbent David Rouzer (pro-gun votes: 93%, ****) faces Max Southworth-Beckwith (GRNC survey: 98%, ****). Based on Rouzer’s long history of pro-gun votes, GRNC-PVF recommends DAVID ROUZER, but cautions that Rouzer did drop one vote in the current session of Congress.
District 8 (R): In this solidly Republican (R+17) district, incumbent Dan Bishop (pro-gun votes: 96%, ****) does not face a primary challenger, but deserves kudos for voting against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) because it contained “red flag” gun confiscation measures for military personnel. Among the NC delegation, only Bishop and Rep. Ted Budd had the guts to vote against the NDAA.
District 9 (R): In the most neutral of Republican-leaning (R+3) districts drawn, incumbent Richard Hudson (pro-gun votes: 82%, ****) faces 3 challengers, including Mike Andriani (GRNC survey 100%, ****) and Francisco Rios (GRNC survey: 100%, ****). Given two 4-star challengers and the fact that Hudson has dropped two gun votes in recent sessions of Congress, GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this primary.
District 10 (R): In NC’s most Republican congressional district (R+19) Congressman Patrick McHenry (pro-gun votes: 92%, ****) faces four primary challengers. McHenry has been a friend of gun owners ever since his service in the NC House, including his effort to ensure passage of a clean concealed handgun reciprocity bill. Therefore, we are deeply concerned that Rep. McHenry recently dropped the NDAA vote described above. Owing to his long history of service to gun owners, GRNC-PVF continues to recommend PATRICK MCHENRY, but notes that with a primary featuring pro-gun Jeff Gregory (GRNC survey: 98%, GRNC ****), Congressman McHenry needs to focus on avoiding the inherently corrupting influences of incumbency.
District 11 (R): The Republican primary for this Republican-leaning (R+5) district is a slugfest featuring 7 Republican challengers to incumbent Republican Madison Cawthorn (pro-gun votes: 89%, ****). Cawthorn has made a series of gaffs, including being reprimanded by Republican leadership, which damage his legislative effectiveness. Combined with dropping the NDAA vote in his first term in office (he says he voted for it knowing the red flag language would be stripped in the Senate), gun voters in the district should consider replacing him. That replacement should NOT, however, be Wendy Marie-Limbaugh Nevarez, whom leftist Democrat Moe Davis (defeated by Cawthorn in 2020) recruited and for whom he is recruiting Democrats to change registration to vote for her. Challengers Rod Honeycutt and Michele V. Woodhouse both scored 100 on GRNC’s survey, earning 4-star evaluations, but the standout is Rep. CHUCK EDWARDS (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****), who is not only a federally licensed gun dealer, but has a 100% voting record in the NC House and has helped GRNC pass pro-gun legislation through the legislature. GRNC-PVF recommends CHUCK EDWARDS.
District 12: In this D+14 Democrat district, none of the 3 Republican challengers completed GRNC’s survey, giving all of them 0-star evaluations. But it doesn’t really matter because none of them can defeat ensconced leftist Democrat Alma Adams (0-star).
District 13 (R): The race for this open seat in the most competitive “swing” (D+1) district in the state features no less than 8 Republicans, 5 of which refused to return GRNC’s survey, earning them the lowest 0-star evaluation. The three 4-star Republicans are Renee Ellmers, DeVan Barbour, and Bo Hines. In previous service in the US House, Ellmers proved to be a disappointment. Trump has endorsed Hines, but some Johnston County Republicans object that he hasn’t lived in the district. GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this race.
District 14: In this new, Democrat-leaning (D+6) district, the only candidate to return the GRNC survey was Jonathan Simpson, who scored only 79, earning a poor 2-star (**) evaluation. GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this race.
STATE RACES
NC JUDICIAL RACES
The redistricting debacle, in which activist Democrats on the NC Supreme Court invented reasons to reduce the number of conservatives NC sends to Washington, emphasizes why Second Amendment voters MUST vote in judicial elections. Two seats on the NC Supreme Court and four on the NC Court of Appeals will be on the ballot in the state’s 2022 elections with majority control up for grabs in on each court. In particular, Republicans stand an excellent chance of reversing the 4-3 majority currently held by Democrats.
NC Supreme Court Seat 3: For this open seat, there are no primaries for either Republican or Democrat nominations. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dietz will face Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Inman in November. Despite the lack of primaries, however, GRNC-PVF strongly recommends Judge RICHARD DIETZ, who is a strong originalist and constitutionalist who respects the Second Amendment and has argued gun rights before the US Supreme Court.
NC Supreme Court Seat 5: The race for this seat features two Republicans vying for the nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Justice Same Ervin IV. The Republicans are Trey Allen, who previously clerked for conservative Chief Justice Paul Newby, and Court of Appeals Judge April Wood. Either Allen or Wood would likely be good on the court. However, if Wood won the race for NC Supreme Court, leftist Democrat Governor Roy Cooper would appoint a Democrat to replace her on the Court of Appeals, potentially shifting control of the Appeals Court to Democrats. For this reason, GRNC-PVF recommends TREY ALLEN for the Republican nomination.
NC Court of Appeals Seat 9 (Stroud seat): Although GRNC-PVF has supported incumbent Republican Donna Stroud in past elections, she faces District Court Judge Beth Freshwater-Smith, who is a stronger constitutionalist and Second Amendment supporter, in the Republican primary. GRNC-PVF recommends Judge BETH FRESHWATER-SMITH.
NC Court of Appeals Seat 11 (Jackson seat): In 2020, Gov. Cooper appointed former NC House Rep. Darren Jackson (GRNC 0-star) to a vacant seat which is now up for re-election. Jackson is an anti-gun leftist with only a 7% pro-gun voting record in the House. Republicans Charlton Allen and District Court Judge Michael Stading are vying for the Republican nomination to challenge Jackson. Because Stading is a strong constitutionalist who respects the Second Amendment, GRNC-PVF recommends Judge MICHAEL STADING.
NC SENATE
District 01 (R): In a district which found two Republicans “double bunked,” GRNC-PVF recommends NORMAN SANDERSON (pro-gun voting record: 100%, ****) over Bob Steinburg (pro-gun voting record: 84%, ***).
District 04 (R): This race represents a rare opportunity for gun voters. In the Republican primary for NC Senate District 4, the GRNC-PVF strongly recommends BUCK NEWTON (pro-gun voting record: 100%, GRNC ****). In previous NC Senate service, Newton was a gun rights leader who wrote and sponsored numerous pro-gun bills. Meanwhile, opponent Joe DeMocko (GRNC survey: NR, GRNC 0-star) refused to return GRNC’s candidate survey, suggesting that he doesn’t want you to know where he stands on the Second Amendment. In this race, Newton is the clear choice.
District 05 (D): In this D+8 district, GRNC-PVF recommends LENTON CREDELLE BROWN (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over Kandie D. Smith (NC House pro-gun voting record: 25%, 0-star).
District 10 (R): In this R+11 district, GRNC-PVF recommends BENTON SAWREY (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over Matt Ansley and Jill Homan (both GRNC surveys: NR, 0-star).
District 12 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends incumbent JIM BURGIN (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over challengers David Buboltz and Ernie Watson (both GRNC surveys: NR, 0-star).
District 13 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends DAVID BANKERT (GRNC survey: 96%, ****) over Jeff Werner (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 18 (R): In this race, E.C. Sykes (GRNC survey: 95%, ****) and Dimitry Slabyak (GRNC survey: 93%, ****) both earned 4-star evaluations. Consequently, GRNC-PVF makes no recommendation in this race.
District 19 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends WESLEY MEREDITH (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Dennis Britt (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) due to Meredith’s voting record and history of bill sponsorship in previous NC Senate service.
District 30 (R): In this rematch, Steve Jarvis (****) and incumbent Eddie Gallimore (****) have both returned GRNC surveys (with 98% and 97%, respectively), both have 100% pro-gun voting records, and sponsored pro-gun legislation in the past (Gallimore in the NC Senate, Jarvis in the NC House). However, Gallimore is the more devoted Second Amendment supporter. GRNC-PVF recommends EDDIE GALLIMORE.
District 36 (R): Shirley Blackburn Randleman (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****), Lee Zachary (pro-gun votes: 87%, ****) and Eddie Settle (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) have all earned 4-star evaluations. However, GRNC-PVF recommends SHIRLEY BLACKBURN RANDLEMAN due to her 100% voting record in previous senate service.
District 37 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends VICKIE SAWYER (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Tom Fyler (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 42 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends SCOTT STONE (pro-gun votes in previous service: 100%, ****) over Cheryl Russo (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 46 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends WARREN DANIEL (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Mark Crawford (GRNC survey: 98%, ****).
District 47(R): An unfortunate race in which two pro-gun Republicans have been “double bunked.” Both Deanna Ballard (****) and Ralph Hise (****) have 100% pro-gun voting records. GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this race.
NC HOUSE
District 5 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends DONALD KIRKLAND (GRNC survey: 92%, ****) over Bill Ward (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 6 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends MURRAY SIMPKINS (GRNC survey: 99%, ****) over Joe Pike (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 9 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends TONY MOORE (GRNC survey: 94%, ****) over Timothy Reeder (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 13 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends either PETE BENTON (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) or CELESTE CAIRNS (GRNC survey: 100%, ****), but not Eden Gordon Hill (survey: NR, 0-star).
District 14 (R): Incumbent George Cleveland is one of the few long-term stalwart Second Amendment defenders of the NC House, with a 100% voting record and repeated 100% survey score, more than earning a GRNC 4-star evaluation (****). GRNC-PVF strongly recommends GEORGE CLEVELAND over challenger Debbie Burke (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 25 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends ALLEN CHESSER (survey: 99%, ****) over Yvonne McLeod (survey: 87%, ***) or Alsey Heth Hopkins (survey: NR, 0-star).
District 26 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends incumbent DONNA MCDOWELL WHITE (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over challenger Rick Walker (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 28 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends LARRY STRICKLAND (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over James Davenport (GRNC survey: 79%, **).
District 35 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends FRED VON CANON (GRNC survey 92%, ****) over Brandon Panameno (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 43 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends DIANE WHEATLEY (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Clarence W. Goins, Jr. (GRNC survey: 94%, ****) due to Wheatley’s demonstrated voting record.
District 47 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends JARROD LOWERY (GRNC survey: 96%, ****) over Mickey Biggs (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 52 (R): In another unfortunate double-bunking of Republicans with good voting records, GRNC-PVF recommends BEN MOSS (pro-gun votes: 100%, GRNC ****) over Jamie Boles (pro-gun votes: 95%, ****).
District 53 (R): Because voting record is a better measure of candidates than survey scores, GRNC-PVF recommends HOWARD PENNY, JR. (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Brian Hawley (GRNC survey: 100%, ****).
District 54 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends CRAIG KINSEY (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over Walter Petty (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 55 (R): Because voting record is a better measure of candidates than survey scores, GRNC-PVF recommends MARK BRODY (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Brandon Smith (GRNC survey: 96%, ****).
District 63 (R): Because voting record is a better measure of candidates than survey scores, GRNC-PVF recommends STEPHEN ROSS (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over Ed Priola (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) or Peter Boykin (GRNC survey: 95%, ****).
District 65 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends A. REECE PYRTLE, JR. (GRNC survey: 94%, ****) over Joseph A. Gibson III (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 70 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends incumbent PAT B. HURLEY (pro-gun votes: 94%, ****) over challenger Brian Biggs (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 73 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends PARISH MOFFITT (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over Catherine Whiteford (GRNC survey: 88%, ***) and Brian Echevarria (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 78 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends CORY BORTREE (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over David Ashley (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star) and Neal Jackson (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 79 (R): GRNC-PVF strongly recommends incumbent KEITH KIDWELL (pro-gun votes: 100%) over challenger Ed Hege (GRNC survey: 100%, ****). Kidwell has been a leader for gun rights, sponsoring numerous pro-gun bills.
District 83 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends BRAD JENKINS (GRNC survey: 100%, ****) over Kevin Crutchfield (GRNC survey: 88%, ***) and Grayson Haff (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 89 (R): Because voting record is a better measure of candidates than survey scores, GRNC-PVF recommends MITCH SETZER (pro-gun votes: 98%, ****) over Benjamin Devine (GRNC survey: 100%, ****). Kelli Weaver Moore (GRNC survey: 84%, ***).
District 90 (R): Incumbent Sarah Stevens (pro gun votes: 93%, ***) dropped votes in years past but has voted with gun owners in recent years. Challenger Benjamin Romans returned a 100% survey, earning four stars (****). GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this race.
District 91 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends incumbent KYLE HALL (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) over James Douglas (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star) and Stephen L. James (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 109 (R): In this four-way Republican primary, Donnie Loftis is the incumbent but has no voting record because he was recently appointed to fill a vacant seat. GRNC-PVF recommends DONNIE LOFTIS (GRNC survey: 95%, ****) over Lauren Bumgardner Current (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star), John Gouch (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star) and Ronnie Worley (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
District 113 (R): Another unfortunate district in which redistricting double-bunked two pro-gun Republicans, Jake Johnson (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) and David Rogers (pro-gun votes: 100%, ****) have identical voting and survey scores. GRNC-PVF has no recommendation in this race.
District 117 (R): GRNC-PVF recommends DENNIS JUSTICE (GRNC survey: 96%, ****) over Jennifer Capps Balkcom (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star) and Chelsea Walsh (GRNC survey: NR, 0-star).
This message supporting the above-named candidates was authorized and paid for solely by the Grass Roots North Carolina Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
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https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/over-60k-voters-nc-are-either-dead-registered-twice-under-similar-name-or
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/04/28/tillis-cornyn-start-talks-democrats-promote-amnesty-hundreds-thousands-illegals/
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Second post:
https://saveourstates.com/take-action/north-carolina?fbclid=IwAR29GlZ-RDXl5Ux3VXbowHCcXdGMVqceRhIWsgQfrapvXPNdDFE7n29cfps
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NORTH CAROLINA CAUTION:
In regards to all the people wanting to move here from New York and California as well as many other heavily populated cities across the country, as well as those wanting to visit...
Before you come to North Carolina to visit you must be aware of what is happening here. There's a housing shortage, rent has tripled, and folks are vacationing here in record numbers...
So if you plan on moving here, or just plan on vacationing at our beaches, hill country, mountains or lakes this summer, I think you should know that wolf spiders, fire ants and bedbugs have infested hotels and motels across the area due to dryer than usual weather. The woods will eat you alive with ticks and chiggers.
Our lakes are full of gators, fresh water sharks, and creepy old guys wearing speedos.
Our rivers are full of drunks in tubes peeing themselves while the banjo players lay waiting in the bushes.
Carolina panthers have eaten many domesticated animals and possibly some small children.
The local bear and coyote population are all 'in heat' and think your wife/girlfriend is hot.
Snakes... don’t even get me started on the water headed copper moccasins here, and the Diamond Back Rattler Cobras.
The poison ivy has overtaken all other vegetation.
We have had bear sightings at every park and town and they are after your picnic baskets….and some cougars have been spotted in motel rooms and bars.
Watch out for the jackalopes, they have been extremely aggressive this season.
We have the Skunk Ape invading our parks and it’s their mating season. Porcupines are "stabbing" small children should they dare to utilize the local playground equipment.
Skunks have made their way over and multiplied at unprecedented rates and wander the local campgrounds in packs looking for beer.
Murder hornets!?! We’ve got great black clouds of murder hornets, and swarms of giant crickets and even some attack grasshoppers.
Scorpions have now migrated here and have been congregating in massive quantities under rocks, logs, wooden steps, automobiles, and tarantulas are now stealing peoples food and biting like crazy.
I’m pretty sure all private tiger owners (we had a jump in them after Tiger King) have released their cats into the streets of our cities and towns.
Head lice now fly and we have vampire bats.
Oh, and no one is vaccinated.
I hear Idaho and Louisiana are really nice though.” 👍🏼
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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/20/democrats-north-carolina-senate-00033887?fbclid=IwAR2eq3s7UUVilnxuVQ2lxVo40BAJfBOyzE2BozxMCQQBy5r-OxLVDZCPcME
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https://readlion.com/2022/05/27/north-carolina-senate-committee-approves-parental-rights-in-education-bill/?fbclid=IwAR1mK2sBlBmZ6Qc9Xzp5rJbe51BOetYvZa-w67cdCBc50ocIyxxZz36YgCY
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legislature wants voter photo ID, it enforced while harvard lib did not:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-rules-gop-lawmakers-141909882.html
now look at Josh Stein's election history ; out of over 5.3 million votes cast in 2020 Stein only was elected back as State AG by 13,000
In other words looks like he cannot win without cheating :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Stein
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/supreme-court-allows-gop-legal-defense-of-north-carolinas-embattled-voter-id-law_4553386.html?utm_source=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2022-06-23-3&utm_medium=email&est=xoDbkdKGR%2Bpqo%2B31ct9r5lsY8%2Fd8v9Dd%2B9u%2BKDBFobnPDiekdCC3z9lLJGNMCE7DPcT%2F
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https://www.carolinajournal.com/green-party-says-democrats-used-tricks-to-block-them-from-ballot/?fbclid=IwAR2NAYFtZfQjPLMaa74-N0jipiVFaHWGeKH9p7qhtJH3P8ogRR1GjC_jVLc
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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/31/ice-identifies-cop-killer-suspects-illegal-immigra/?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=subscriber&utm_campaign=evening&utm_term=evening&utm_content=evening&bt_ee=dQ%2BozDfIz8DzmOHytyLg0A563Zq4GY1DU0lz8z5AHV6%2B3nIsivv6pd26CINzuxVs&bt_ts=1661977537390
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Court of appeals: North Carolina fisheries challenge can continue
BY GARY D. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATED PRESS RALEIGH, N.C. | Coastal recreational anglers can keep suing the state of North Carolina over accusations that government regulators have devastated nearshore fishing stocks in violation of the state constitution, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina and more than 80 individuals sued the state in 2020, alleging it had failed its fiduciary duty to protect the state’s fisheries from overfishing.
Their complaint cited constitutional provisions giving people the right to hunt and fish and making it the state’s policy “to conserve and protect its lands and waters for the benefit of all its citizenry.”
The constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife was approved by voters in November 2018. The “conserve and protect” language cited in the lawsuit was added to the constitution in 1972.
In particular, the anglers blamed the state Division of Marine Fisheries and state Marine Fisheries Commission for allowing excessive for-profit commercial fishing and certain fishing methods that they say have led to dramatic declines in certain fish stocks since 1997. The plaintiffs want a court to declare violations have occurred and to force the state to make changes.
Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins refused last year to dismiss the lawsuit. He rejected arguments by state Department of Justice attorneys that individual rights haven’t been violated in the challenged constitutional provisions, which in part only clarifies state policies and functions.
The state attorneys also said the state hasn’t waived sovereign immunity, which exempts state government from lawsuits unless an agency consents to be sued.
The state appealed Judge Collins’ ruling.
Court of Appeals Judge Toby Hampson wrote Tuesday that state courts hadn’t previously ruled until now whether sovereign immunity bars someone from suing to enforce the state’s “public trust” obligations.
The public trust doctrine states that natural resources are held in the government’s trust to benefit current and future generations.
But Judge Hampton said a review of North Carolina law by the three-judge panel hearing the case determines that sovereign immunity doesn’t bar such claims.
“The doctrine of sovereign immunity will not stand as a barrier to North Carolina citizens who seek to remedy violations of their rights guaranteed under the North Carolina Constitution,” Judge Hampson wrote in the unanimous opinion.
And he said the plaintiffs’ alleged wrongs — the inability to protect public waters and to carry out the right to harvest fish — can’t be addressed through any other means.
The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina praised Tuesday’s decision, which was agreed to by Court of Appeals Judges Hunter Murphy and April Wood.
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I don’t think I need to tell you about the importance to gun rights of the 2022 elections. For example, leftist and former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, if elected to the U.S. Senate, has admitted she would “be the 51st vote to end the filibuster…”
And if Beasley is allowed to cast a vote ending the filibuster, the ban on semi-automatic firearms Democrats have been trying to pass, as well as universal gun registration (aka “universal background checks”) will become law shortly thereafter.
That is one of many reasons we need to elect Ted Budd (GRNC ****) to the U.S. Senate. In addition to being a gun shop owner and GRNC Life member long before being elected to Congress, Budd has a perfect 100% pro-gun voting record and the best pro-gun bill sponsorship record in the entire NC delegation to Congress.
The problem is that the current RealClear Politics polling average puts Budd only 1.3 ahead of Beasley (RCP Average 44.8/43.5).
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Because of your kind donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
Did you know:
A pistol purchase permit is valid for 5 years from the date it is issued. Therefore, an applicant does not have to immediately use it, but can hold on to the permit and use it later.
A sheriff can only issue a pistol purchase permit to residents of their county with only one exception. A sheriff can issue a pistol purchase permit to a non-resident if the permit is for collecting (as long as the non-resident meets all other requirements for a permit).
By statute, a sheriff can only charge $5.00 for each permit requested and cannot limit the number or frequency of pistol permit applications.
A sheriff is required to keep a list of county residents who receive pistol purchase permits. This list must include the date of issuance, name, age, place of residence, and former place of residence of each person, firm, or corporation to whom a permit has been issued. This list is not public record.
If a permit is revoked, the list must be updated to include the date that a permit was revoked, the date the permittee received notice of the revocation, whether the permit was surrendered, as well as the reason for the revocation.
Even with the addition of information about revocations, this list remains confidential and is not public record.
However, the list or information related to a particular permit issued can be made available upon request to any federal, State, and local law enforcement agency. Additionally, the sheriff will make the records available to a court if required to be released by court order.
A sheriff is also required to keep a list of permit denials. That list must include the specific reasons for the denial. However, the list cannot contain any information that would identify the applicant. Unlike the list of issued permits which is not public record, this list of denied permits is public record.
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North Carolina Senate Race Spotlights Shrinking Slice of Persuadable Voters
‘This is the closest race in the country nobody’s talking about,’ said one Democratic strategist in the state
Facing a tight race, North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Cheri Beasley, right, says she may sway some voters angry over abortion restrictions.
PHOTO: JOSHUA JAMERSON/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Joshua JamersonFollow
Oct. 24, 2022 5:30 am ET
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GREENSBORO, N.C.—In one of the closest Senate contests in the country, both political parties have emphasized energizing their bases more than trying to persuade a shrinking pool of undecided voters ahead of the midterm elections.
The race between Democrat Cheri Beasley, a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, has been close for months, as many elections in North Carolina have been in recent years. Mr. Budd holds a roughly 2.6 percentage-point edge, according to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight.
There is no incumbent on the ballot as the pair vie to fill an open seat vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, and the race hasn’t gotten the same national attention or become the center of controversy as have some states with high-profile candidates on the ballot.
“This is the closest race in the country nobody’s talking about,” said Morgan Jackson, a Democratic strategist in the state.
Midterms 2022: Where Republicans and Democrats Stand on the Issues
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Control of Congress is up for grabs and candidates are eager to sway voters heading into November. WSJ’s Joshua Jamerson explains how Republicans and Democrats are framing the debate around key issues like the economy, abortion, gun violence, immigration and student loan forgiveness. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann
The slice of the state’s electorate that is seen as persuadable is getting smaller, a trend that has shown up in many parts of the country, strategists from both parties said. In North Carolina, where the state’s voter-registration system allows for voters to be unaffiliated with either party, strategists say even those voters typically lean heavily to one side of the aisle.
“It just feels like there are fewer and fewer people who are gettable, and more and more people who put their jerseys on at the beginning of the cycle,” said Jordan Shaw, a GOP strategist in North Carolina and a former top aide to GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.
Both candidates in recent weeks held events in places where they expected to find their strongest supporters. Ms. Beasley rallied voters at a brewery in downtown Asheville, a Democratic stronghold in the western part of the state. Mr. Budd held a rally with Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son and a celebrity on the right.
Ted Budd, left, appeared at a recent rally with Donald Trump Jr.
PHOTO: MELISSA SUE GERRITS/GETTY IMAGES
Mr. Jackson, the Democratic strategist, said Ms. Beasley was unlikely to win many rural counties but said she could convince enough Democrats there to show up to eat into Mr. Budd’s margins. Mr. Shaw, the GOP strategist, said Mr. Budd had an advantage in that Republicans are motivated to vote this year in a bad national environment for Democrats.
Many North Carolinians did split their tickets here in 2020, when former President Trump and Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, both won the state. But nationally, 2020 marked a 20-year low for ticket-splitting, according to Republican pollster Bill McInturff. Some 11% of the electorate were ticket-splitters in 2020 compared with 20% in 2016 and 36% in 2000.
Senate Leadership Fund, the super political-action committee that supports Republican Senate candidates, has reserved a total of $30 million in TV ads in the state, according to ad-tracker AdImpact.
Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC run by allies of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), recently injected roughly $4 million in TV ad reservations in the state, bringing its total here to about $12 million, according to AdImpact.
North Carolina has backed Republicans for president since 2012 and senate since 2014, but voters here twice picked Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, for governor, giving Democrats hope that Ms. Beasley has a path to an upset victory. Some North Carolina Democrats have been calling on Washington officials to send more money as polls showed a close race. Asked whether she needed more money from the national party, Ms. Beasley said: “I would never say no.”
Many North Carolinians split their tickets in 2020, when former President Trump and Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, both won the state.
PHOTO: GRANT BALDWIN/POOL/SHUTTERSTOCK
The candidates in North Carolina say they could persuade some voters outside their camps. Mr. Budd told reporters that the economy was front of mind for voters and that he thought high prices would persuade some Democrats and independents to vote for him.
Asked in an interview whether President Biden deserves some blame for higher prices, Ms. Beasley declined to say yes or no. “I think really the bottom line is how do we get out of it,” she said. An aide said the campaign was advertising on lowering the cost of living, such as capping the cost of insulin.
She said some voters who aren’t registered Democrats, especially women, would be persuaded to vote for her because of Mr. Budd’s opposition to abortion. He supports a bill introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) that would limit abortions nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
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Mr. Budd defended his decision to support the bill, which he described as a counterweight to a Democratic bill that would stop states from enacting restrictions on abortion before fetal viability. “I’d prefer it be in the state capitals,” Mr. Budd said. The GOP bill hasn’t gotten a vote in Congress. The Democratic bill passed the House but hasn’t cleared the Senate.
Both Democratic and Republican voters in North Carolina said they liked their party’s candidates, but they loathed the opponent just as much if not more.
“If she gets in, I think that our situation here in North Carolina would be awful. I really do,” Janet Macrae, a homemaker from just outside Greensboro, N.C., said of Ms. Beasley.
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What’s your outlook on the Senate race in North Carolina? Join the conversation below.
Ms. Macrae, who attended the Donald Trump Jr. rally for Mr. Budd, said she generally thought Democrats were too soft on illegal immigration, which was her No. 1 voting issue this fall, above rising prices. “If we’re not secure, I don’t think inflation makes any difference,” she said.
Leslie Carey, a mother of four in Hendersonville, N.C., said that she typically votes Democratic and that the Supreme Court’s decision this year eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion made her want to double down on Democrats. For the first time, the stress-management consultant is knocking on doors to encourage people to vote in her community, which backed Mr. Biden in 2020 and is surrounded by rural neighborhoods that backed Mr. Trump, according to a WSJ analysis of Census Bureau data.
“I thought [abortion] was just used to raise money. I didn’t really believe that they would take that away,” Ms. Carey said. “Because I was feeling so helpless, the only way I sought to control the situation was to go and talk to people on my side.”
Natalie Andrews contributed to this article.
Write to Joshua Jamerson at joshua.jamerson+1@wsj.com
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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/exclusive-new-report-accuses-uncs-medical-school-of-putting-politics-before-patients/?bypass_key=b2VCOTQrMTZYNldXYXdwdmk0dGV2UT09OjpWRUo2ZG1aMVNXVkdkQzlQVUhsYVRtdGFSRVpRUVQwOQ%3D%3D?utm_source%3Demail&utm_medium=breaking&utm_campaign=newstrack&utm_term=29571059&utm_source=Sailthru
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release date: November 9, 2022
NC Gun Voters Win Big
Grass Roots North Carolina recommended
candidates make nearly a clean sweep
[Raleigh] In Tuesday’s biggest election victory, NC gun voters are sending Ted Budd to the U.S. Senate to replace retiring RINO Richard Burr. As a gun shop owner and strong Second Amendment supporter, Budd will be a considerable asset in the Senate.
Judicial races
Equally large were gun voters’ judicial victories, where we made a clean sweep of NC Supreme Court and NC Court of Appeals races. Thanks to victories by strong constitutional conservatives Richard Dietz and Trey Allen, Republicans will now control the NC Supreme Court by a 5-2 margin – something that will serve North Carolinians well as we continue to struggle over redistricting and our as-yet-unimplemented voter ID law.
Congressional races
Despite having a partisan, Democrat-led NC Supreme Court throw out and essentially redraw congressional districts, we were still able to send Chuck Edwards to the U.S. House in District 11. Edwards is a strong Second Amendment advocate who has been of considerable service to gun rights supporters in the General Assembly.
NC General Assembly (NCGA) races
In unofficial results, it appears that gun voters achieved a super-majority in the NC Senate, with 30 seats, and 71 seats in the NC House, just one seat shy of a supermajority. Here too GRNC-PVF was highly successful, winning in 8 of 10 targeted Senate races and 10 of 16 targeted House races.
Big individual wins
The GRNC Political Victory Fund was able to return Buck Newton to the NC Senate, where he had previously been a stalwart sponsor of gun rights legislation. Meanwhile, GRNC-PVF again defeated Christy Clark in Mecklenburg County. Clark is a “Mom’s Demand Action” Bloomberg gun ban advocate who briefly served in the seat before GRNC-PVF defeated her in 2020.
The GRNC and GRNC Political Victory Fund election effort included:
► 1+ million Ted Budd ads delivered to mobile devices via sophisticated “geofencing” apps;
► 1+ million email election alerts sent for NCGA races and judicial races;
► 150,000 “Remember in November” voter guides, with 120,000 mailed directly to voters;
► 60,000 GRNC-PVF postcard election alerts into targeted NCGA and judicial races;
► 98,000 “Peer-to-Peer” text messages in targeted NCGA and congressional races;
► 20,000 automated telephone alerts into targeted NCGA and judicial races.
Said GRNC president Paul Valone:
“I am deeply grateful to the many volunteers who made our victories possible. As an all-volunteer organization, GRNC is able to get more ‘bang for the buck’ when doing independent expenditures for and against candidates, allowing us to better shape a political environment conducive to gun rights.
“Now GRNC is calling upon Republican leadership to acknowledge the gains given them by gun voters by passing an aggressive Second Amendment legislative agenda. In particular, we are interested in joining the 25 states which have successfully adopted permitless or ‘constitutional carry’ laws, as well as repealing our Jim Crow era pistol purchase permit law and closing the ‘church loophole’ which prohibits lawful North Carolinians from protecting their families in churches which sponsor schools. GRNC’s legislative action team will be highly active in pursuing those objectives.”
For more information: www.GRNC.org
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Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
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https://www.thepilot.com/news/substations-vandalized-by-gunfire-more-than-half-of-county-without-power/article_b3b19780-7370-11ed-865d-c78d0de5d921.html
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https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/12/04/intentional-vandalism-causes-mass-power-outage-in-nc-county-bordering-ft-bragg-n668598
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NOT "vandalism"!!!
Sabotage!!!
This article is a few days old but gives the gist.
https://www.armytimes.com/.../how-army-commands-are.../
Collating various news sources since then we have:
Attack showed specific knowledge of the two power substations in question, both in terms of location, the targeting of the equipment, and the ammunition used.
DHS types blame "accelerationists".
Progs blame Christian groups for protesting a concurrent drag show that had invited children.
Logical people think the possibility of disgruntled employees should be seriously considered.
Early reports included reference to gun store being robbed, but subsequent reports did not mention this. Spur of the moment crime seeking to take opportunity of no electricity for alarms? Or related?
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someone said they shot several hundreds of yards away?
that is sniper range if true
sounds like they knew exactly what to shoot at
hacks on CNN
a day or two ago :
most likely right wing terrorists
included in story
with zero evidence
got the story line out there
:roll:
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The other unsupported smear is that it was Proud Boys and Christians protesting Drag Queen show that had invited children (to duck the heat they withdrew that, but word may not have spread.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11515081/Authorities-confirm-five-attacks-electricity-substations-Washington-Oregon-month.html
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/southeast/report-shows-intrusions-at-6-power-stations-in-florida/
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Good stuff, but let's post them here:
https://firehydrantoffreedom.com/index.php?topic=1903.msg30761#msg30761
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how come not in Kalifornia or NY or NJ?
:wink: :wink: :wink:
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Upon reflection this might be better yet:
https://firehydrantoffreedom.com/index.php?topic=2430.50
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/north-carolina-supreme-court-blocks-voter-id-law-over-discriminatory-intent_4930525.html?utm_source=Goodevening&src_src=Goodevening&utm_campaign=gv-2022-12-17&src_cmp=gv-2022-12-17&utm_medium=email&est=cVolfhHDRW6piSafmRlaU4XNTHlNWJCZWPcWk8p6jUJlqlU2VO%2FG7CzWHqLJ8s4%2FQn5X
North Carolina Supreme Court Blocks Voter ID Law Over ‘Discriminatory Intent’
By Zachary Stieber December 17, 2022 Updated: December 17, 2022biggersmaller Print
North Carolina’s top court has upheld the permanent block against a voter identification law, finding that lawmakers enacted it with “discriminatory intent.”
More African-American voters lack identification required under the law, Senate Bill 824, and a previous voter identification law was determined to be unconstitutional for that reason. That was part of a reason a panel of North Carolina judges used to conclude in September 2021 that Senate Bill 824 ran afoul of the equal protection clause in North Carolina’s Constitution. The clause states: “no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be subjected to discrimination by the State because of race, color, religion, or national origin.”
In a narrow 4–3 ruling on Dec. 16, the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld that earlier conclusion.
“We hold that the sequence of events leading up to S.B. 824’s passage supports the determination that S.B. 824 was enacted with the discriminatory intent to target African-American voters,” Justice Anita Earls, writing for the majority, said. “In doing so, we do not conclude that the General Assembly harbored racial animus; however, we conclude just as the trial court did, that in passing S.B. 824, the Republican majority ‘targeted voters who, based on race, were unlikely to vote for the majority party.'”
Acceptable forms of identification include driver’s licenses, passports, and student IDs.
The law was enacted in late 2018, with supermajorities of Republican lawmakers in both legislative chambers overriding a veto of Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The law came after voters approved a constitutional amendment to require voter identification.
Before its passage, several Democrats said that data showed a larger percentage of black voters than white voters lacked the identification allowed under the proposal, but their concerns did not result in any changes to the bill.
Before the passage of the previous law, House Bill 589, lawmakers reviewed state data that showed more Democrat voters lacked the appropriate identification when compared to Republicans, and that most of the Democrat voters were black.
Most of the same lawmakers who voted for House Bill 589 voted to override Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 824, the panel noted. It found that Republicans supported the bill “with limited analysis and scrutiny” in order to approve it before the party lost its supermajorities in the next session, a development that came because Democrats flipped a number of seats in the 2018 election.
Also counted against the defendants, including Republican North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, were “limited Democratic involvement” in the bill, the rejection of many Democrat-proposed amendments, and a lack of intent to help address the racial differences in identification holders.
Defendants have argued that provisions that were included in the bill, such as ordering county boards of elections to issue voter identification cards for free upon request, undercut the claims in the case. But prospective voters would have to go to a different location than a voting place to obtain the IDs, which could prove burdensome, the panel found.
The majority of the North Carolina Supreme Court said that their ruling should not be taken as saying no voter identification requirement laws are allowed, but that such laws should be less restrictive.
The majority was composed of Justices Robin Hudson, Samuel Ervin IV, Earls, and Michael Morgan.
All three Republicans on the court dissented from the new ruling.
In a dissenting opinion, one of them, Justice Philip Berger Jr., joined by Justices Paul Newby and Tamara Barringer, said that the legislature acted appropriately after voters approved a constitutional amendment.
“The plain language of S.B. 824 shows no intent to discriminate against any group or individual, and there is no evidence that S.B. 824 was passed with race in mind, let alone a racially discriminatory intent. The majority relies, as it must, on a misapplication of relevant case law and on its own inferences to reach a contrary,” he said.
He also noted that the new law enabled voters to vote without an ID if they produced a declaration that they suffered from a “reasonable impediment” to obtaining an acceptable form of identification.
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger said that a new voter identification law will be passed in 2023.
“If Democrats on the state Supreme Court can’t respect the will of the voters, the General Assembly will,” he said in a statement.
“We need to go back to the drawing board, and work in good faith to pass a voter ID law that will pass constitutional muster,” added Dan Blue, the leader of the state Senate Democrats.
Makeup to Change; Another Ruling
The new ruling came as North Carolina’s Supreme Court makeup is set to change.
In the midterm elections, Republican lawyer Trey Allen beat Ervin.
An open seat was won by Republican Richard Dietz.
Republicans will soon hold a 5–2 majority.
In another 4–3 party-line opinion released just before the change, the majority blocked North Carolina’s remedial Senate map, finding it unconstitutionally set boundaries to manipulate election results. [delete]
A remedial House map was approved, as was a congressional map.
In a dissenting opinion, Newby said the majority was trying to usurp the role of the legislative branch, which is charged with redistricting.
In an earlier ruling, he said, “the majority effectively amended the state constitution to establish a redistricting commission composed of judges and political science experts,” adding, “When, however, this commission, using the majority’s redistricting criteria, reached an outcome with which the majority disagrees, the majority freely reweighs the evidence and substitutes its own fact-finding for that of the three-judge panel.”
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:x
why is voting different from the 50,000 other things we need ID for?
citizens have no responsibility to get an ID
but then are deemed responsible enough to vote?
zero logic
all political BS
4-3 decision
low and behold - what a surprise - 4 dems and 3 repubs on Court
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Supreme_Court
gee I wonder who voted which way? !
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"The new ruling came as North Carolina’s Supreme Court makeup is set to change.
"In the midterm elections, Republican lawyer Trey Allen beat Ervin.
"An open seat was won by Republican Richard Dietz.
"Republicans will soon hold a 5–2 majority."
In my circles a real effort was made to spread the word to vote for the Rep candidates.
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/suspicious-man-carrying-rifle-arrested/
https://sandhillssentinel.com/meet-moore-people-kelly-ritter/
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/top-ranking-affirms-moore-countys-economy-is-consistently-strong-and-growing-2/
https://sandhillssentinel.com/antisemitic-sign-removed-from-bridge-in-vass/
I turn off at this point when I go to the gun range.
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my nephew niece lived in Pinehurst for couple of yrs
got married while there
both majors in Army
they can both kick my ass..... :-D
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My second gym is in Pinehurst.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-anti-semitic-sign-seen-in-moore-county-christmas-day-1-week-after-first-sign-spotted/ar-AA15FvUz?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=81bc4e09ab0d4c1c8eafe30b3e1f9dec
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https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/3789863-free-and-fair-voting-or-rigging-elections-supreme-court-will-decide/
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/hudson-surveys-moore-county-power-station-2/
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https://www.wspa.com/news/state-news/randolph-county-substation-damaged-by-gunfire-weeks-after-similar-attack-in-moore-county/
Randolph Co. substation damaged by gunfire weeks after similar attack in Moore Co. (wspa.com)
"The banner, first of two, included the language “bring it all down” with a link to a Telegram channel for the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Resistant Front. The channel includes graphics with the same language imposed over a graphic of a power substation. Both this and the second banner included the number 1488, a known white supremacist symbol.
"North Carolina men were among at least two groups of men with neo-Nazi ties awaiting sentencing in connection to plans to attack power substations. The plots were uncovered in 2020 and 2021 and covered numerous states.
"Three men pleaded guilty to a 2021 plot in February of 2022, and several men were indicted by the Eastern District of North Carolina in a 2020 plot. Both of these cases involved groups planning attacks on substations in different states, primarily using high-powered automatic weapons."
https://myfox8.com/news/investigations/power-grid-attack/neo-nazi-power-substation-plots/
MOORE COUNTY POWER GRID ATTACK
North Carolina men among several charged in various neo-Nazi plots against power substations in 2020, 2021
by: Emily Mikkelsen
Posted: Dec 30, 2022 / 10:16 AM EST
Updated: Jan 4, 2023 / 05:45 AM EST
SHARE
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — At least two groups of men with neo-Nazi ties have been charged or convicted in connection to plans to attack power substations, and some of those men have ties to North Carolina.
The plots were uncovered in 2020 and 2021, and covered numerous states.
Three men pleaded guilty to a 2021 plot in February of 2022, and several men indicted by the Eastern District of North Carolina in a 2020 plot are awaiting trial. Both of these cases involved groups planning attacks on substations in different states, primarily using high-powered automatic weapons.
Other than shared white supremacist ideology, it does not seem that the cases are directly connected. The planning in both of them also shares similarities with the attack in Moore County, although no group has taken responsibility for the shooting of the two substations in early December.
In October of 2020, Liam Collins, Paul Kryscuk and Jordan Duncan were charged with conspiracy to unlawfully manufacture, possess and distribute various weapons and weapon accessories. At the time of their arrest, the three men lived in Boise, Idaho. All of the charges came from the Eastern District of North Carolina. Collins and Duncan were both Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune. Collins was originally from New Jersey, while Duncan was from North Carolina.
In November 2020, Justin Wade Hermanson, a North Carolina man who was in the same Marine unit as Collins at Camp Lejeune, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate. After two superseding indictments, he pleaded guilty on March 8, 2022.
In June of 2021, Joseph Maurino, a New Jersey National Guardsman, was also indicted, accused of supplying untraceable guns to the other men.
In August 2021, Kryscuk, Collins, Duncan and Maurino received a third superseding indictment. They were charged with conspiracy to damage property of a United States energy facility.
The indictment alleges that the four men researched and discussed at length a previous attack on power infrastructure by an unknown group, using assault-style rifles. The indictment alleges that for three years, between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured guns and Collins, stationed at Camp Lejeune at the time, stole military gear and had them delivered to the other men. Duncan gathered “a library of information,” some military owned, about weapons, toxins and explosives.
The indictment goes into detail about how Collins and Kryscuk met on “Iron March,” a now-defunct forum for neo-Nazis to organize and recruit. They moved to encrypted messaging to talk outside of the forum, recruiting the other three accused men.
Video footage obtained show the men shooting guns, wearing AtomWaffen style-masks while giving Nazi salutes. The phrase “come home white man” is seen in the video.
Supposedly, Collins and Duncan moved from North Carolina and Texas respectively to Boise where Kryscuk relocated in 2020 in order to be closer to him.
The most recent document filed in the case against the men was a continuance, granted in early December of 2022.
In February of 2022, three men pleaded guilty to a plot to attack power substations in multiple states.
Court documents indicate that Christopher Cook, Jonathan Frost, and Jackson Sawall pleaded guilty to a count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
“These three defendants admitted to engaging in a disturbing plot, in furtherance of white supremacist ideology, to attack energy facilities in order to damage the economy and stoke division in our country,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio.
“The defendants in this case wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest,” said Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “These individuals wanted to carry out such a plot because of their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist views. When individuals move from espousing particular views to planning or committing acts of violence the FBI will investigate and take action to stop their plans. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”
Frost and Cook met in 2019 in an online chat group. They then began recruiting people to join in their plan of attacking power infrastructure, circulating neo-Nazi books. Sawall, a friend of Cook’s, joined them in their planning.
Each of them was “assigned” a substation in different parts of the country, and they would attack those electrical substations or power grids with high-powered rifles. They discussed how this would cause enough unrest in the country incite some sort of race war or financial collapse.
Frost gave Cook and Sawall “suicide necklaces” when they met up in Columbus, Ohio. These had fentanyl in then, documents say. The men expressed a “commitment to dying in furtherance of their mission.”
While in Columbus, they graffitied a bridge at an area park with a swastika and the words “Join the Front.” Sawall took his “suicide pill” during a traffic stop and “derailed” their plans for additional vandalism and propaganda in the area.
The three have a hearing on Jan. 4, 2023 “for the purpose of providing the government and defense counsel the opportunity to present evidence and argument which would assist the court in determining the magnitude of the risk this conspiracy posed to the national power grid.”
Unsealed court documents show that in the first week of December, an emergency bond revocation was filed for Cook and Sawall, and a warrant was issued for Cook to be taken back into custody. Electronics were seized from Cook on Dec. 5.
Moore County
On Dec. 3, two Duke Energy substations were attacked with high-powered rifles by unknown suspects. No group or ideology has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Moore County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve received numerous tips as they continue to investigate.
Two neo-Nazi banners have been put up on overpasses on US 1 in Moore County, one in the Vass area and the other in Cameron. The first was put up in the morning before Hannukah was set to start, and the second on Christmas.
The first banner included the language “bring it all down.” The Telegram channel for this neo-Nazi group, National Socialist Resistant Front, includes graphics with the same language imposed over a graphic of a power substation.
The second used the phrase “a touch of death” which doesn’t seem to have any specific Nazi ties and is the title of a pulp noir novel.
The sheriff’s office says they don’t have any indication that these incidents are connected to the power substations.
Raw Story reports, however, that documents that contained instructions on the destruction of power substations had been circulating in neo-Nazi social media spaces in the days before the Moore County attack.
Nazi banner not only antisemitic act across North Carolina in lead up to Hannukah
“Don’t you think it’s funny that three substations got attacked after the gardens pdf was posted here a few days ago?” someone asked.
‘The Garden’ is a document that includes an analysis of a 2013 “Metcalf attack,” where a California substation was shot and damaged, which cost millions and no suspects have been arrested for.
There had been an act of vandalism on a power substation in eastern North Carolina just three weeks before the attack in Moore County, when Cartaret-Craven Electrical Cooperative equipment was intentionally damaged near Maysville, leaving 12,000 customers without power for a few hours.
TIMELINE: Stokesdale man said he’s ‘ready to shoot’ FBI agents in conspiracy-filled TikTok videos, court documents allege
Concerning social media posts and the timing of the attack coinciding with a contested drag event in Southern Pines has put the local LGBTQ+ community on edge and left the broader community uncertain while investigators work.
In late November, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a report warning the country that there was a heightened risk of domestic terrorism, particularly against the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. The warning came in the wake of threats against synagogues in New York and the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
David Schanzer, the director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University, said, “We just don’t know exactly who the perpetrators are or what their motives are. But, once we do, the label of domestic terrorism could certainly be applied here, but it just depends.”
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Multiple bullets leave hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage at Thomasville substation, EnergyUnited says (wxii12.com)
Randolph County substation damaged by gunfire weeks after similar attack in Moore County | WBTW
This tangent appeared in this article:
"There had also been an act of vandalism on a power substation in eastern North Carolina three weeks before the attack in Moore County when Cartaret-Craven Electrical Cooperative equipment was intentionally damaged near Maysville, leaving 12,000 customers without power for a few hours."
Gov. Cooper responds after Nazi banner spotted in Moore County; ‘White supremacy and antisemitism will not be tolerated’ | FOX8 WGHP (myfox8.com)
If I am not mistaken, this was where I turn onto the 690 from the 1 on my way to PSR.
Also see:
Cooperative Substation Vandalized | Carteret-Craven Electric Co-op (ccemc.com)
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https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2023-2-6-candidate-for-the-craziest-state-supreme-court-north-carolina
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A National Popular Vote bill (HB-191) was filed yesterday in NC. If you live in NC please contact your State Representatives and urge your Representatives to deny the National Popular Vote scheme in your state!
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Drone tracks down 5 teens caught throwing ‘large’ rocks onto highway: sheriff
by: Rodney Overton
Posted: Feb 26, 2023 / 09:22 AM CST
MONROE, N.C. (WNCN) — Deputies in North Carolina used a drone Friday night to track down suspects they say were throwing rocks from an overpass onto the toll highway below it.
There were several reports of at least two people throwing “large rocks off a bridge” onto the expressway, U.S. 74, below, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
“Deputies arrived and located a semi-truck and trailer that had been struck by one of the rocks causing significant damage to the roof of the truck and the front side of the trailer,” deputies said in a news release.
Deputies then launched a drone with infrared technology to search the area.
During the drone’s flight, deputies “located several distinct heat signatures hiding near the on-ramp to the expressway,” the news release said.
Two suspects were initially caught before a perimeter was set up and three more were captured.
The five suspects range from 13 to 15 years old, deputies said.
Mexican president posts photo of what he claims is an elf
All five suspects will now face criminal charges for their actions via petitions issued by the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
“Throwing large rocks off of a bridge at commercial motor vehicles traveling on the Monroe Expressway could have seriously injured or killed one of the drivers who were just trying to work hard and provide for their families,” Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said in the release.
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/senate-passes-bill-protecting-power-grid-from-attacks/
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https://www.aier.org/article/a-revolution-in-public-transportation-from-a-town-you-wouldnt-expect/
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Permit to buy handgun no longer required in North Carolina
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
March 29, 2023 GMT
1 of 2
FILE - North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore speaks in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Dec. 7, 2022. North Carolina legislators repealed on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the state’s requirement that someone obtain a permit from a local sheriff before buying a pistol, as the Republican-controlled legislature overrode successfully one of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes for the first time since 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina residents can now buy a handgun without getting a permit from a local sheriff, after the Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday overrode the Democratic governor’s veto — a first since 2018.
The House voted 71-46 to enact the bill, which eliminates the longstanding permit system requiring sheriffs to perform character evaluations and criminal history checks of pistol applicants. The Senate overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto in a party-line vote on Tuesday.
The permit repeal takes effect immediately. Cooper and Democratic lawmakers warned it allows a greater number of dangerous people to obtain weapons through private sales, which do not require a background check, and limits law enforcement’s ability to prevent them from committing violent crimes.
Those who purchase pistols from a gun store or a federally licensed dealer are still subject to a national background check, and concealed weapons permits are still required.
Bill supporters say the sheriff screening process for handguns was no longer necessary in light of significant updates to the national background check system. They also argue the permit system wasn’t very effective at preventing criminals from obtaining guns.
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association supports the repeal in light of national system updates, but its current president does not.
Although Republican seat gains in the midterm elections gave them veto-proof margins in the Senate, they were one seat shy of a similar majority in the House.
Wednesday’s House vote tally showed three Democrats — Reps. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County, Cecil Brockman of Guilford County and Michael Wray of Northampton County — failed to vote on the override, creating enough of a margin to meet the constitutional requirement. Republicans needed at least one Democratic member to join them, or as few as two Democrats not to vote.
Brockman was in urgent care Wednesday morning, according to a statement released by his office. Cotham said in a statement that she was receiving scheduled hospital treatment and had informed both parties that she would be absent. She said she does not support the permit repeal.
A phone message left at Wray’s legislative office wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday. Republicans gave Wray and Cotham key committee chairmanships this year — a rarity for the majority party in power.
A liberal-leaning group called Carolina Forward put out a fundraising tweet soon after the vote targeting the three representatives, vowing to “hold them accountable.”
House Speaker Tim Moore, a Cleveland County Republican presiding over the chamber during the override vote, said the provisions contained within the bill “have been long-standing goals of Second Amendment advocates in our state, and we have finally brought this legislation over the finish line.”
Moore used parliamentary maneuvers Wednesday to block floor debate before the vote, causing frustration among Democrats.
Cooper, who is term-limited from seeking reelection next year, criticized the the move by House leadership, saying in a tweet that arguments to uphold his veto would have been “too compelling for them to hear.”
Before the Senate vote Tuesday, some Democrats urged against loosening gun access in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville, despite Republicans’ insistence that lawmakers refrain from politicizing the shooting.
“For us to come in this tone deaf about what happened in Nashville and to pretend that it doesn’t matter, to pretend that that might not be an issue that we’ve got to bring up, is disturbing — with a bunch of kids sitting up here,” said House Minority Leader Robert Reives, referring to the school group watching from the gallery.
While Reives said he asked all Democratic caucus members to be present, he refused to criticize those who were absent or didn’t vote. The Chatham County Democrat told reporters the permit repeal could allow domestic abusers and mentally ill people at risk of suicide to obtain guns.
The enacted bill also will allow guns on some school properties where religious services are held, effective Dec. 1. The new law also creates and funds a two-year awareness campaign on the safe storage of firearms, which will distribute free gun locks.
In 2021, Cooper successfully blocked standalone versions of the pistol permit repeal and another provision allowing people with concealed weapons permits to carry openly or under clothing at houses of worship where private or charter schools also meet. At the time, Democrats had enough seats to block any override attempt if they stayed united.
Guns will not be permitted on campus during school hours or when students are present for extracurricular activities, and houses of worship can opt out by posting signs.
Gun-rights advocates celebrated the override after trying for years to pass the pistol permit repeal.
“Second Amendment supporters made history today,” said Paul Valone, executive director of Grass Roots North Carolina, which campaigned last year for candidates so that Republican majorities could override Cooper’s gun-related vetoes.
Gun-control advocates lamented the override, saying the handgun permit elimination would imperil more people’s lives in the nation’s ninth-largest state.
“We will wake up five or 10 years from now and see that our gun homicide and gun suicide rates have risen,” Becky Ceartas with North Carolinians Against Gun Violence said in a news release.
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Hannah Schoenbaum is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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Associated Press writer Gary Robertson contributed from Raleigh.
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The Honorable Tim Moore, Speaker
16 West Jones Street, Room 2304
Raleigh, NC 27601
Dear Speaker Moore:
On behalf of Grass Roots North Carolina and its many supporters, please accept my thanks for the outstanding work done by you and House Republicans in passing Senate Bill 41, “Guarantee 2nd Amend Freedom and Protections.” Congratulations on the historic override of anti-freedom Governor Roy Cooper’s veto, the first such override since 2019 and, in North Carolina, the first-ever override of a vetoed gun bill.
Indeed, the effort continues to bear fruit, most recently when Representative Tricia Cotham – one of the Democrats who chose not to vote on SB 41 – changed her party affiliation to Republican, giving Republicans truly veto-proof supermajorities in both the Senate and House.
I would be remiss if I failed to note the role played by gun voters in securing that supermajority. Had Second Amendment supporters not directed thousands of phone calls and emails to legislators, the critical three Democrats might have voted against SB 41, thereby eluding the chain of events which ultimately led to a Republican supermajority in the House.
Accordingly, I implore you to complete the task of strengthening the right of North Carolinians to keep and bear arms by passing House Bill 189, “NC Constitutional Carry Act.” With the May 4 crossover deadline looming, please give the bill an expeditious hearing.
With Florida recently becoming the 26th state to adopt some form of constitutional carry, and Nebraska likely to be the 27th, North Carolina is now part of a disadvantaged minority of states in which permission slips are required to exercise a basic civil right.
As the Latin proverb says, Mr. Speaker, fortune favors the bold. I hope you will leverage our success by passing HB 189.
Armatissimi e liberissimi,*
F. Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Executive Director, Rights Watch International
Host, Guns, Politics and Freedom
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https://rulesforantiradicals.com/blog/f/the-education-of-tricia-cotham
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https://www.oann.com/newsroom/673-university-professors-rally-together-to-oppose-courses-on-americas-founding/
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https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/warmer-temperatures-bring-out-nc-alligators-3-spotted-in-lake-in-one-day/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR3PiSn3Ec2MDaU6-Iu14MGFRmbhK0uUo9UYAJ2mW3w3i39RTuTh6W58NZE
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N.C. Supreme Court Hands Republicans Election-Law Victories, Citing Judicial Restraint
Demonstrators rally in front of the Supreme court in opposition of partisan gerrymandering, in Washington, D.C., March 28, 2018. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)
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By JEFF ZYMERI
April 28, 2023 4:46 PM
The North Carolina supreme court released a trio of opinions Friday that defer to the state’s general assembly on matters of election law, handing Republicans a victory prior to the 2024 election cycle.
At the turn of this year, two new justices joined the state’s high court, flipping the balance of power to a majority of Republican-appointed justices. In February, the court decided to rehear gerrymandering and voter-identification cases decided by the court’s previous iteration in December. The two Democratic justices lamented the decision to reopen the cases, saying it stood against more than 200 years of court history in which rehearings have been exceedingly rare.
The redistricting case, in particular, will give state Republicans the opportunity to rework the congressional map for next year’s election. Last year’s map saw North Carolina send a split delegation to Washington: seven Republicans and seven Democrats.
In that case, Harper v. Hall, Chief Justice Paul Newby wrote for the five-justice majority, explaining that the North Carolina Constitution expressly assigns redistricting authority to the general assembly subject to specific limitations, of which partisan gerrymandering is not one.
“There is no judicially manageable standard by which to adjudicate partisan gerrymandering claims. Courts are not intended to meddle in policy matters,” wrote Newby. “In its decision today, the Court returns to its tradition of honoring the constitutional roles assigned to each branch.”
“The people have the authority to alter their foundational document, not this Court. The people alone have the final say,” Newby added, referring to the assembly’s accountability to voters.
Justice Anita Earls, joined by Justice Michael Morgan, dissented, writing that “the majority strips millions of voters of this state of their fundamental, constitutional rights and delivers on the threat that ‘our decisions are fleeting, and our precedent is only as enduring as the terms of the justices who sit on the bench.'”
In Holmes v. Moore, the second case decided 5-2, Justice Phil Berger Jr. once again deferred to the acts of the legislature on behalf of North Carolinians.
“The people of North Carolina overwhelmingly support voter identification and other efforts to promote greater integrity and confidence in our elections. Subjective tests and judicial sleight of hand have systematically thwarted the will of the people and the intent of the legislature. But no court exists for the vindication of political interests, and judges exceed constitutional boundaries when they act as a super-legislature,” wrote Berger. “We recommit to that fundamental principle and begin the process of returning the judiciary to its rightful place as ‘the least dangerous’ branch.”
Berger explained that the plaintiffs failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the voter-identification law was enacted with discriminatory intent or that it produced a meaningfully disparate impact along racial lines.
In December, the court’s 4-3 majority struck down the voter-ID law for “being infected with racial bias.” Morgan wrote in dissent on Friday, joined by Earls, that the majority is acting to shield “the state legislature from scrutiny for invidious discriminatory intent.”
Finally, in Community Success Initiative v. Moore, Justice Trey Allen writing for the majority overruled a trial court decision on when the voting rights of convicted felons can be restored.
“It is not unconstitutional to insist that felons pay their debt to society as a condition of participating in the electoral process,” wrote Allen. “The General Assembly did not engage in racial discrimination or otherwise violate the North Carolina Constitution by requiring individuals with felony convictions to complete their sentences — including probation, parole, or post-release supervision — before they regain the right to vote.”
Morgan and Earls dissented once more.
The decision in the redistricting case also calls into question the future of a gerrymandering case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, Moore v. Harper, in which the “independent state legislature theory” is being assessed. The high court was using the North Carolina case as the basis for its review, but Friday’s ruling from the state court saw that decision vacated.
“If the North Carolina Supreme Court decides that the state constitution contains no such limits, its decision would effectively moot the federal Elections Clause issue in this case: There would be no need to decide whether the Elections Clause prevents state courts from enforcing particular types of state-law requirements in a case where the state courts have found that no such state-law requirements exist,” explained Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar in guidance to the high court in March, asserting the Supreme Court would no longer have a role to play.
On the other hand, counsel for the petitioners David Thompson wrote that “nothing the North Carolina Supreme Court does on rehearing can turn back time and rerun the 2022 congressional election on a map other than that written by the North Carolina court.”
“The North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to rehear Harper v. Hall . . . has no effect on this Court’s continued jurisdiction,” Thompson added.
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/developing-pinecrest-high-under-modified-lockdown/
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/north-carolina-bill-barring-adversarial-regimes-from-buying-land-passes-in-state-house_5227617.html?utm_source=China&src_src=China&utm_campaign=uschina-2023-04-29&src_cmp=uschina-2023-04-29&utm_medium=email&est=6cNItloAWjW3ySIz4S%2BKlAF%2BFPkS4RzvZLVyIQ6NSJpNyk%2FouS%2FPs3FPM0TZZXDrmcvm
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https://www.ncfire.info/
https://media.gab.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=852,quality=100,fit=scale-down/system/media_attachments/files/137/040/220/original/3d17e665112a623b.jpg
(https://media.gab.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=852,quality=100,fit=scale-down/system/media_attachments/files/137/040/220/original/3d17e665112a623b.jpg)
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https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/04/republican-bill-banning-most-abortions-in-nc-after-12-weeks-heads-to-gov-roy-cooper/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=59ab9d1b-a2d8-4b7d-a560-afed4f1380b8
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If we had children of this qge, this is the school where they would go:
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/school-board-hears-update-on-pinecrest-stabbing/
The Moore County Board of Education discussed the April 28 stabbing at Pinecrest High School during the May 1 agenda meeting.
Officials on Friday said the isolated incident involved two students. The female victim, who is a junior, suffered critical injuries and required surgery after being stabbed several times. The suspect, who is also a student, is charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, but authorities did not release a motive.
The school board did not say the female victim’s or the male suspect’s names during the meeting.
While it is not normal protocol to identify a minor victim, the identity of the student has been made public by social media and fundraising efforts. A fundraising event through GoFundMe for the victim has raised $63,996 of a $75,000 goal.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Locklair and staff said they are keeping the victim in their prayers.
Mike Metcalf, chief officer for academics and student support services said the stabbing happened in the back auditorium parking lot between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. on Friday. There was a lot of activity in the parking lot at the time.
Metcalf relayed the entire event to the school board. He said the suspect was dropped off in the parking lot, and the victim was in the parking lot getting out of her car.
When she got out of her car, the suspect allegedly stabbed her several times with a large knife. She fought back, and the suspect allegedly tried to get into the girl’s car, but a student backed his car against her car, so the suspect could not get inside. The suspect ran into the woods.
The assistant principal and a counselor saw the disturbance, and the assistant principal radioed for assistance and emergency services while five students reacted to help the girl. One student took off his shirt to provide pressure to the multiple lacerations, and other students called 911.
The assistant principal and a teacher took over the medical care, and the principal replaced the student who was applying pressure.
The school nurse arrived with an automatic external defibrillator kit and trauma kit, and a career education teacher in the medical field arrived, and they packed the deep wounds.
School resource officers and a counselor ran into the woods and apprehended the suspect without resistance.
The weapon was near the victim.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived and, with the school nurse, applied tourniquets to the girl. The school nurse traveled with EMS to the hospital.
An assistant principal and staff controlled parking lot traffic and cleared the scene, providing easier access for the police.
Another assistant principal applied a modified locked down to the campus.
The district’s critical incident response team arrived to help as counselors.
The communication plan was activated to provide updates to staff and students and provide media statements. The principal extended the first block of the lockdown and notified parents that students were safe and went into a phased release.
In phase 1, parents picked up students. In phase 2, students with cars drove home. In phase 3, normal procedures returned. The principal and others continued with the prom for Saturday night with extra police officers, a bag search, counseling services, and employee assistance through FirstHealth.
“We will learn a tremendous amount from this event,” Metcalf said about analyzing the incident responses.
“We appreciate the wonderful, professional response,” Chair Robert Levy said about the entire staff and students who provided a nearly flawless response.
Community members gathered at Pinecrest High School for a prayer vigil Saturday morning. The group prayed for all those involved and all those impacted. There were prayers of healing and also prayers of forgiveness.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Contact her at stephanie@sandhillssentinel.com.
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Second of the day:
https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/01/nc-supreme-court-upholds-law-that-disenfranchises-thousands-convicted-of-felonies/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=59ab9d1b-a2d8-4b7d-a560-afed4f1380b8
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third
https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/02/nc-fast-tracks-legislation-to-ban-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=59ab9d1b-a2d8-4b7d-a560-afed4f1380b8
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https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/nc-supreme-court-reinstates-voter-id-law-ends-felons-voting-rights-overturns-gerrymandering-decision/amp/
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https://www.wxii12.com/article/gov-cooper-plans-to-veto-bill-that-would-put-12-week-ban-on-abortions/43866334?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%20-%20Local%20Breaking%20News&utm_source=645d9f60db80fcbadc2221efe10e7dc7&brzu=53ecab0f3b8d6a2ca09b65d8510e60ad77b56f8da9314608af37a86d81a4a63c&lctg=63c87aa24ca70c165be352a5
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https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/12/in-raleigh-gop-supermajorities-advance-big-and-controversial-changes-in-public-education/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=1e5cdaf7-e688-48e2-9221-52a33ad8b79c
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https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/22/one-on-one-with-karen-brinson-bell-executive-director-of-the-nc-state-board-of-elections/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=34606f24-338d-42a7-8215-68686e3df53f
Some comments here are not of our POV, but plenty of detail regarding bureaucratic realities.
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second
https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/two-house-republicans-resign-leadership-positions-in-the-wake-of-derogatory-remarks/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=34606f24-338d-42a7-8215-68686e3df53f
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third
https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/25/rash-of-legislation-intimidation-threats-of-violence-pressure-lgbtq-allies/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=34606f24-338d-42a7-8215-68686e3df53f
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and hold Gov. Cooper in contempt.
https://winred.friendsofmarkrobinson.com/the-majority-p/?utm_campaign=20230526_RT-O6.103499_t1345735-2727&ex_tid=20230526_RT-O6.103499_t1345735-2727&fbclid=IwAR3iuEWcx8ZIekNc6P2bqzNIq0ZzZUy7Ling13g4pqdt_1Btxm4HIVforHM
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https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-republicans-propose-sweeping-voting-changes-including-new-rules-for-mail-in-ballots/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=81d051f5-92bb-48f5-a2a2-c1b9c8dfbbee
https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-senate-republicans-propose-sweeping-voting-changes-including-new-rules-for-mail-in-ballots/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=81d051f5-92bb-48f5-a2a2-c1b9c8dfbbee
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https://ncnewsline.com/2023/06/06/north-carolina-gop-advances-monster-voting-law-2-0/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=8ad3c6b7-974c-44f9-9cf6-55464e55c530
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second
Bummer that Cooper is ahead!!!
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https://thedispatch.com/article/north-carolina-republicans-fret-over-their-gubernatorial-frontrunner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=PROS-CON_TheDispatch_Internal_Meta_CVR_Web_CompleteRegistration&utm_audience=PROS_NC_18%2B_Both_Facebook_CompleteRegistration_Open&utm_content=PROS_IMAGE_LAND_Article_44342&fbclid=IwAR0Uv1tLf53FivMkGcHiRj8y89ELZeiwHK0LgAPXZcKjpUrI5v5nr2umIqo
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https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/a-jumbo-jet-of-a-voter-suppression-bill-nc-democrats-denounce-republicans-proposed-voting-restrictions/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5895cc15-b395-478c-85d4-4188a834efda
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seond
https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/new-poll-offers-insight-into-opinions-on-gubernatorial-candidates-issues-for-next-governor/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5895cc15-b395-478c-85d4-4188a834efda
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third
Obviously a super Dem article, but some interesting specifics to be found
https://ncnewsline.com/2023/06/06/north-carolina-gop-advances-monster-voting-law-2-0/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5895cc15-b395-478c-85d4-4188a834efda
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Obviously this is a Dem oriented source, but the article contains an effort at genuine specifics and makes an effort at being fair.
On a personal note, I would note that I have been stunned at just how many beautiful lakes in my area in natural surroundings have fish that should not be eaten.
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Legislature advances an anti-environment proposal that’s stunning in its sweep
Rob Schofield
ROB SCHOFIELD
JUNE 20, 2023 5:55 AM
a glass filled with water from a tap
A proposed “regulatory reform” bill at the North Carolina legislature would greatly inhibit the ability of regulators to protect drinking water safety. Photo: Getty Images
You don’t have to be a scientist with a Ph.D. to grasp the state of crisis that afflicts our fragile natural environment these days. Sadly, the list of dire threats to the global biosphere and the species who call it home is as long as your arm and readily apparent to anyone willing to look outside.
Between our rapidly changing climate, the alarming rates at which open space is being developed and species are becoming extinct, and the growing list of human illnesses attributable to pollution – just to name a few of the myriad challenges we confront — the massive scope of the problem is painfully obvious.
And, of course, all these problems (and many more) are on full display in North Carolina.
Especially in the state’s eastern third, increasingly frequent hurricanes and floods have already made climate refugees of thousands of residents. Meanwhile, rapid shifts in habitat brought on by the warming climate have adversely impacted millions of plants and animals from Murphy to Manteo.
Across the state, thanks in large part to the demands of a population that’s doubled and grown more affluent in the last half century, millions of acres of forests, wetlands, farmland, and other open spaces have been (and continue to be) transformed into urban landscapes each year at a breakneck pace.
And then, of course, there are the increasingly worrisome threats posed by toxic pollutants like PFAS and other “forever chemicals,” waste from massive hog and poultry farms, and the huge and frequently precarious mountains of coal ash that the state is only beginning to take on.
If ever there was time for strong – even urgent – public oversight of how and where we build and pollute, this is it.
Unfortunately, this realization continues to elude state Republican legislative leaders. The latest evidence: a new so-called “regulatory reform” bill that’s quickly advancing in Raleigh. As NC Newsline environmental investigative reporter Lisa Sorg reported last week, the 35-page measure represents a veritable Christmas tree of gifts for polluting industries.
Among the destructive changes proposed:
The bill would place impossible new time burdens to issue pollution permits on the state Division of Water Resources (a group that’s already badly understaffed). The agency would have 30 days to determine whether a water quality application is complete, and 60 days to approve or deny it. If it misses the first deadline, the permit must be deemed “complete,” no matter how flawed or inadequate it is. Failure to meet the second deadline results in automatic issuance of the polluter’s water quality permit.
Bizarrely, the bill would bar regulators from considering the impacts of a proposed water pollution source (like a new factory) beyond its immediate surrounding area, even if it’s going to, for instance, pollute a stream or lake miles away. Such a rule, of course, ignores the fact – one that’s particularly obvious to people who get their drinking water from the lower Cape Fear River – that water pollution from multiple sources accumulates.
The proposal would bar DEQ from limiting the amount of toxic chemicals a polluter discharges into the state’s waterways unless there is a specific numerical standard attached (e.g., such as “X parts per million”). The problem with this is that there are hundreds of chemicals that state and federal regulators know are harmful, but for which they have yet to establish a specific numerical standard. Doing so can take years. It’s for this reason that regulators frequently rely on terms like “free from toxics in toxic amounts” or “free from objectionable taste or odors” for discharges into public waterways. While imperfect, such language provides a means of protecting human health. If this provision were to become law and be implemented (there’s a good argument that it would run afoul of federal rules), polluters would be utterly free to discharge dangerous chemicals like 1,4-Dioxane and PFAS without limit.
The bill would bar the state from denying a permit for a hog waste lagoon or swine gas project based on civil rights grounds. Lower income people of color have long borne a disproportionate burden when it comes to the often-sickening nuisances posed by giant animal feeding operations and in 2021, a group of Black citizens succeeded in winning some protections via a federal civil rights complaint. The proposal seeks to put an end to that.
None of this is to imply that all would-be polluters are diabolical money grubbers bent on destroying our natural environment and human health. And sometimes, it’s true that regulators can be inefficient, officious and bureaucratic.
But it’s also true that we live in a time in which there is almost no margin for error anymore when it comes to such matters. Having painted ourselves into a dreadfully dangerous corner, humans are simply going to have to learn to cope with more and tougher environmental oversight if they hope to avoid any number of catastrophic outcomes.
It’s for this reason that in a legislative session full of destructive legislation, this disastrous proposal may well top the list.
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Because of your kind donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
Each legislative session, it is possible and has been probable the past several years that the General Assembly will propose legislative changes to North Carolina’s gun laws. This year has been no different with bills being filed to both expand and limit firearms rights.
Bills have been filed which create safe storage initiatives, red flag laws, and new crimes for failing to secure firearms. Other bills propose suicide prevention measures, drastically altering concealed handgun permitting requirements, and allowing employees of certain school units to carry weapons on school campuses.
Obviously, not all of those bills have or will become law. In fact, bills which have not already become law this session and did not make crossover will have a very difficult, if not impossible, time becoming law this year. Crossover is a self-imposed deadline chosen by legislative leadership by which a bill must make it from one chamber to another in order to be considered for the remainder of the session.
However, one bill, Senate Bill 41 (Session Law 2023-8) has already become law this Session and does the following:
Repeals the pistol purchase permit for selling, giving away, transferring, purchasing, or receiving a pistol in this State.
Allows anyone with a concealed handgun permit, or who is exempt from having to obtain one, to carry a handgun on school grounds if the school grounds also house a place of religious worship. The law allows for the carrying of a handgun on the premises of the school grounds only when the premises are NOT being used for curricular or extracurricular activities, school-sponsored activities (such as on weekends or during holidays), or for any programs for minors conducted by entities unaffiliated with the religious institution.
Allows a civilian employee of a law enforcement agency with a concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun in a law enforcement facility so long as the person has been designated in writing by the agency head to carry the handgun and has in their possession written proof of the designation. The agency head is allowed to rescind this authorization at any time.
Requires the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, to conduct a statewide firearm safe storage awareness initiative to educate the public about the importance of the safe storage of firearms.
The repeal of the pistol purchase permit was effective when the bill became law on March 29, 2023. Most of the remaining provisions of the bill become effective July 1, 2023.
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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jun/29/north-carolina-legislature-overrides-governors-vet/?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=subscriber&utm_campaign=newsalert&utm_content=newsalert&utm_term=newsalert&bt_ee=1dPoDdEYxA0X%2FJyC2zG1tXiNp5%2BGorGK9%2FCD%2BMJc9zMh5MrzpP3bF0ORKgxFsPWX&bt_ts=1688066494856
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State legislature overrides governor’s veto of ESG ban
Pension use prohibited in climate financial strategy
BY RAMSEY TOUCHBERRY THE WASHINGTON TIMES
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and ESG investing suffered another setback this week when the Republican-controlled legislature voted to override his veto of legislation prohibiting the climate-focused financial strategy from being used with state pension funds.
Wielding their veto-proof majority, Republicans secured the three-fifths vote in the state House and Senate needed to override the veto from Mr. Cooper, a Democrat.
“We are grateful to those lawmakers who understand the need to shield the state pension plan against the movement to weaponize public retirement systems to achieve extreme agendas,” North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell said.
Mr. Folwell, a Republican who oversees the state’s public retirement system and is running for governor against Mr. Cooper, is among the array of GOP state financial officials across the country who have sought to bar ESG in state pension investments.
The veto override was the latest rebuke of Mr. Cooper from a lawmaker who defected from the Democratic Party. Saying that the “modern-day Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me,” Rep. Tricia Cotham switched to Republican in April, giving the GOP a veto-proof majority in the House.
The Tar Heel state’s Senate already had a veto-proof majority.
The legislature has since overridden Mr. Cooper’s vetoes of bills to impose a 12-week abortion ban, loosen wetland protections and prohibit asking state job applicants about political beliefs.
More than a dozen other states such as Texas, Florida, West Virginia and Louisiana, have passed laws barring ESG — short for environmental, social and corporate governance investing — from use in managing public pension programs.
The hot-button practice, which conservatives call “woke socialism,” takes into consideration non-monetary factors like climate change and social justice politics that proponents say could impact long-term investment returns.
North Carolina Retirement Systems includes more than 1 million retirees and is valued at roughly $114 billion. It is the 12th largest public pension fund in the U.S.
Previously, Mr. Folwell took back proxy voting power for $14 billion of its investments with BlackRock, a move the treasurer said was to combat the behemoth asset manager’s pro-ESG investing strategies. Mr. Folwell is among Republican officials who have called on BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to resign over his support of ESG.
“We don’t need a law to tell us what is right and wrong,” Mr. Folwell said. “But now we do have a law that very clearly defines the guardrails.
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NORTH CAROLINA
Attorneys say lawsuit alleging speaker ruined marriage now resolved
BY GARY D. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATED PRESS RALEIGH | Litigation filed by a North Carolina local elected offi cial accusing House Speaker Tim Moore of ruining his marriage by having an affair with his wife is ending, attorneys said Monday, two weeks after a lawsuit was filed.
Lawyers for Scott Lassiter and Mr. Moore confirmed the resolution in separate emails. They said little more when asked for details, such as whether the lawsuit filed in Wake County court was being withdrawn or a settlement reached.
“We won’t be commenting on this matter further,” said Stacy Miller, an attorney for Mr. Moore.
Mr. Lassiter’s lawsuit, which sought at least $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, claimed that Mr. Moore “willfully interfered in the marital relationship” between Mr. Lassiter and Jamie Liles Lassiter, who leads an agency within the state-court system.
Mr. Moore, who is divorced, publicly acknowledged having a “casual” relationship with Ms. Lassiter but said he believed it was appropriate because she was separated. He said other claims in the lawsuit were completely false and vowed to file a counterclaim.
Both men are Republicans. Ms. Lassiter wasn’t a defendant but called her husband’s lawsuit “outrageous and defamatory” and said he was “lashing out” at the end of their divorce proceedings.
Mr. Lassiter, a former Apex town council member and current elected member of the county soil and water conservation board, also claimed that Mr. Moore and another unidentified man conspired recently to install a camera outside Mr. Lassiter’s suburban Raleigh home. Mr. Moore said he hired no one and didn’t know who the man was.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said separately Monday that “at this time, based on a review of the complaint filed in the civil action, there are not allegations that would give rise to a criminal investigation or prosecution.”
Mr. Moore, a lawyer, has represented a region just west of Charlotte in the House for 20 years. He was elected speaker in 2015 and is now in his fifth two-year term at the post — a state record.
Mr. Lassiter sued in part under legal claims allowed in North Carolina and a few other states through which jilted spouses can seek damages from a cheating spouse’s lover through alienation of affection and criminal conversation — also known as adultery.
The lawsuit filed June 18 accused Mr. Moore of using his position “to entice Plaintiff’s wife ... to participate in an illicit relationship with him.” The Lassiters were married in 2013.
Mr. Lassiter, an assistant principal in the Wake County school system, contended that they separated in January.
But Ms. Lassiter said there had been a signed separation document for years, and rejected her husband’s claims she wouldn’t end her relationship with Mr. Moore for fear of losing her job as executive director of the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court
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https://ncnewsline.com/2023/07/05/nc-school-vouchers-a-decade-of-failureand-now-this/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=139881b4-59cd-40f4-873c-98871b9e3cb6
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/school-board-censures-removes-hensley-as-vice-chair/
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https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/republican-from-the-extreme-right-wing-joins-race-for-nc-house-speaker/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=c78d5304-63b0-4b51-b387-86e59a3a1a32
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A Transgender Victory for Parents in North Carolina
The Legislature overrides the Governor’s veto of three bills protecting minors and parental consent.
By
The Editorial Board
Follow
Aug. 17, 2023 6:45 pm ET
North Carolina’s Republican-led legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of three bills affecting transgender children on Wednesday. This is a victory for parents, despite what you read elsewhere.
One bill bans North Carolina doctors from helping minors change their sex characteristics, including giving them puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Another bans biological males from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams in middle school, high school and college. A third bans instruction on “gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in kindergarten through fourth grade, and requires schools to let parents know if their child asked to be called by a different name or pronoun.
Although Republicans have a comfortable majority in the state Senate, in the House they achieved a veto-proof majority in April when Rep. Tricia Cotham switched parties. Republicans are hoping to repeat their success by passing tax cuts and expanding school choice over Gov. Cooper’s objection when they finish with the budget.
Often lost amid the passions unleashed is that these bills involve minors, some as young as kindergarten. Gender identification is contentious, involving competing—and often irreconcilable—views of what is best for children, especially those who are unhappy with their sex or confused about their identity. In this case the real argument is about who gets to make those decisions. There are about 20 other states with similar restrictions for minors.
The consequences are serious, with sometimes irreversible consequences. Prisha Mosley testified that she was hospitalized as a teen for depression following a sexual assault, and started taking testosterone and had a double mastectomy to remove two healthy breasts as part of “gender affirming care.” She is now suing her doctors and therapists, one of whom told her parents: “Would you rather have a dead daughter or a live son?”
Medical and trans activists argue that by denying such care the Republicans are making suicide among transgender youth more likely. But Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, notes that systematic reviews of evidence by European health authorities and by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health have found no reliable evidence that gender transition reduces the incidence of suicide or suicidal intent.
North Carolina hasn’t ended this debate. But it has determined—democratically—that there should be limits on such radical medical treatment for vulnerable minors. And that parents must not be left in the dark.
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/county-buys-new-election-equipment/
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Systems_&_Software
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TY CCP.
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The apple snail
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/invasive-apple-snails-pose-threat-to-dog-s-nervous-systems-vets-warn/ar-AA1hKjdR?ocid=msedgntphdr&cvid=685037ec13f4430fac1c77ce2172575a&ei=10
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Apparently my Congressman Dan Bishop, whom I like, is leaving Congress to run for AG of NC.
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Apparently my Congressman Dan Bishop, whom I like, is leaving Congress to run for AG of NC.
Interesting. I heard he was responsible for killing the defense authorization, but I see it's something of which he is proud :
https://danbishop.house.gov/media/press-releases/bishop-votes-against-reckless-woke-defense-bill
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Thank you for that.
I receive his newsletter and overall I am quite pleased.
I cannot say I am conversant with the details of the bill in question here.
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Thank you for that.
I receive his newsletter and overall I am quite pleased.
I cannot say I am conversant with the details of the bill in question here.
Funding a woke military was part of it but I think the contentious part is Ukraine funding. Half of Republicans support it. Half oppose it. How do we resolve that?
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By impeaching Biden-Harris.
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By impeaching Biden-Harris.
Be careful what do you wish for. We don't have a Republican next in line anymore.
https://firehydrantoffreedom.com/index.php?topic=1273.msg162935#msg162935
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We don't?
Anyway, obviously the votes in the Senate to convict are not there so , , ,
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https://thedailybs.com/2023/10/11/key-swing-state-election-laws-under-fire-over-voter-integrity-provisions/?utm_campaign=james&utm_content=10-11-23%20Daily%20PM&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=Get%20response&utm_term=email
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https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/what-now :roll:
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https://studyfinds.org/cheapest-places-to-live/
Actually the closest thing to real Mayberry is Mt. Airy NC:
https://www.visitnc.com/story/DvHg/beyond-the-guidebook-mount-airy-the-real-life-mayberry
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On November 29 of this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did something that’s quite unusual for a large department of the federal government: it undertook a swift about-face on a matter of great importance to the public health of Americans in response to the reporting of a journalist working in a small, nonprofit newsroom.
The action EPA took was to withdraw the approval it had previously granted to the multinational chemical manufacturer, Chemours, to export wastewater shipments containing millions of pounds of the toxic substance known as GenX from its Dordrecht Works facility in the Netherlands to its facility in Fayetteville.
And the reporter who broke the story of the planned chemical waste shipment for U.S. readers just over a month earlier – a report that spurred citizens and elected leaders to demand a second look at the plan by EPA – was NC Newsline Environmental Investigative reporter Lisa Sorg.
====================================
https://ncnewsline.com/2023/11/29/epa-withdraws-consent-for-chemours-to-export-genx-from-netherlands-to-fayetteville/?emci=97b26963-8a9e-ee11-bea1-002248223f36&emdi=0e0a0834-10a4-ee11-bea1-002248223f36&ceid=244814
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NORTH CAROLINA
Forest residents rekindle ‘fire culture’ to restore longleaf pine tree
BY JAMES POLLARD ASSOCIATED PRESS WEST END, N.C. | Jesse Wimberley burns the woods with his neighbors.
Using new tools to revive a communal tradition, they set fire to wiregrasses and forest debris with a drip torch, corralling embers with leaf blowers.
Mr. Wimberley, 65, gathers groups across eight North Carolina counties to starve future wildfires by lighting leaf litter ablaze. The burns clear space for longleaf pine, a tree species whose seeds won’t sprout on undergrowth blocking bare soil.
Since 2016, the fourth-generation burner has fueled a burgeoning movement to formalize these volunteer ranks.
Prescribed burn associations are proving key to conservationists’ efforts to restore a longleaf pine range forming the backbone of forest ecology in the American Southeast. Volunteer teams, many working private land where participants live or make a living, are filling service and knowledge gaps one blaze at a time.
Prescribed fires, the intentional burning replicating natural fires crucial for forest health, require more hands than experts can supply. In North Carolina, the practice sometimes ends with a barbecue.
“Southerners like coming together and doing things and helping each other and having some food,” Mr. Wimberley said. “Fire is not something you do by yourself.”
More than 100 associations exist throughout 18 states, according to North Carolina State University researchers, and the Southeast is a hot spot for new ones.
Mr. Wimberley’s Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association is considered the region’s first, and the group reports having helped up to 500 people clear land or learn to do it themselves.
The proliferation follows federal officials’ push in the past century to suppress forest fires.
The policy sought to protect the expanding footprint of private homes and interrupted fire cycles that accompanied longleaf evolution, which Indigenous people and early settlers simulated through targeted burns.
“Fire is medicine and it heals the land. It’s also medicine for our people,” said Courtney Steed, outreach coordinator for the Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association and a Lumbee Tribe member. “It’s putting us back in touch with our traditions.”
The longleaf pine ecosystem spans just 3% of the 140,000 square miles it encompassed before industrialization and urbanization.
But some pockets remain, from Virginia to Texas to Florida. The system’s greenery still harbors the bobwhite quail and other declining species. The conifers are especially resistant to drought, a hazard growing more common and more severe due to climate change
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https://sandhillssentinel.com/man-accidentally-shoots-self-in-foot-at-mcdonalds-2/
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HT to CCP:
redistricting in NC
favorable to Repubs for 3 to 5 seats.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-fear-electoral-bloodbath-in-north-carolina/ar-AA1mlOA3
but of course the shysters will not sit still:
https://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-alleges-north-carolina-redistricting-190000073.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
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https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-elections-board-debates-using-voting-populations-race-as-a-criteria-for-choosing-counties-for-signature-verification-pilot/?emci=2618e913-e3ab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=92b38c44-02ac-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=244814
https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/no-compromise-in-nc-elections-lawsuits/?emci=2618e913-e3ab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=92b38c44-02ac-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=244814
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https://www.budd.senate.gov/
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https://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=73887963456&ch=AC617C4DBFAE46AFA1B1C484B7145CE8&h=2a2fa8feb17e29833c746cd3ee40b4a2&ei=shXkQwiNJ&st=22-JAN-24
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Judge blocks tighter rule on same-day voter registration
Says one-mailer system lacks due process protections
BY GARY D. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATED PRESS RALEIGH, N.C. | A federal judge has blocked, for now, a law recently approved by North Carolina lawmakers that tightens a rule on when a ballot cast by someone who is simultaneously registering to vote is removed from election counts.
The preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder tells elections workers they can’t nullify ballots by screening citizens who register and immediately vote over a 17day period before a primary or general election through an altered method unless applicant protections are created.
More than 100,000 new registrants have sought “same-day registration” in North Carolina in each of the last two presidential general elections, so slight adjustments in the closely divided state could make a difference in November’s elections for president, as well as governor and other statewide positions.
Early in-person voting — and thus same-day registration — for the March 5 primaries begins Feb. 15.
The new law is contained within broader voting administration legislation enacted by the Republican-controlled General Assembly in the fall over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. It would remove a registrant’s ballot from the count after one mailed notice to the person’s address by election officials is returned as undeliverable, instead of two under the previous law.
The new provision has been challenged in at least three lawsuits. Judge Schroeder’s 94-page ruling Sunday involved two of the lawsuits filed in October, one by the state and national Democratic parties and the other by national and local voter advocacy groups and a voter.
Judge Schroeder, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush, wrote that the one-mailer procedure doesn’t provide due process protections for voters to learn that their registrations were rejected and to appeal the decision to officials so the ballots could still count.
The plaintiffs said the new procedure would increase the risk that Postal Service mishaps and paperwork errors would lead to more registration denials. Judge Schroeder’s order cited evidence from a plaintiff called Voto Latino about election worker errors leading to verification cards being returned as undeliverable in 2022.
Giving people only one chance to verify by mail would be a “substantial burden on same-day registrants who cast a ballot,” Judge Schroeder said. They “will face a non-trivial risk of being erroneously disenfranchised by failing address verification due to governmental error, rather than factors related to their eligibility to vote, without any notice and opportunity to be heard,” the judge’s ruling said.
Judge Schroeder, whose ruling can be appealed, said his injunction would remain in force until due process concerns are addressed.
Two GOP state House leaders, Speaker Tim Moore and elections committee chair Rep. Grey Mills, said Monday in a news release that Judge Schroeder’s order “requires relatively minor changes” and that they were working with the State Board of Elections “to ensure that the entire bill is in effect before the primary and general elections this year.”
Representatives of some of the plaintiffs praised the ruling as a “major victory” and will “continue working to ensure that the (mail provision) does not wrongfully disenfranchise eligible North Carolinians in 2024,” attorney Aria Branch said in a news release.
Lawyers for the state board and GOP legislative leaders defending the new verification rule in court have said reducing the number of mailers to confirm the applicant’s mailing address attempts to address a problem with same-day registration.
The previous law could lead to situations where the second verification mailer is returned as undeliverable after vote totals are confirmed, meaning the ineligible registrant’s ballot is still counted. State lawyers also said a ruling in a previous lawsuit discourages efforts by local election boards to challenge such votes before the final count.
Judge Schroeder acknowledged there are legitimate interests in using address verification to promote preserving the integrity of the election process and instilling voter confidence.
But he wrote the plaintiffs have shown the “precise interests asserted in this case likely do not outweigh the substantial burden on the rights of same-day registrants who cast a ballot.”
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/50-years-of-robin-sage-warfare-test-for-u-s-special-forces-continues-this-week-across-nc-mountains-to-coast/ar-BB1hmwKN?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=53ca35e0b3f2460cb5e297a2e324d63b&ei=26
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/this-nc-community-was-named-zillow-s-most-popular-retirement-town/ar-BB1htLaJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=5728fc48787347d295ea741f8b4e437d&ei=30
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Pinehurst - wow
that is where my nephew and niece lived . both Army majors
lived near golf course
I will have to send this to them
They have moved since and soon going to Virginia as she will work with Kamala (did I spell this right?)
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https://www.wral.com/story/nc-governor-s-race-mark-robinson-still-gop-favorite-but-ecu-poll-shows-challengers-gaining/21182995/
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second
https://www.grnc.org/remember-in-november/grnc-candidate-evaluations-2024
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https://ncnewsline.com/2024/02/20/the-grim-future-for-k-12-education-in-a-post-leandro-north-carolina/?emci=3e9592ba-5bcf-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=06610df6-efcf-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=244814
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/don-t-be-fooled-nc-primary-election-results-will-come-in-later-this-year-but-it-s-ok/ar-BB1jijsk?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=2c9947b2cc494327b70b30eca66d3d11&ei=22
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https://washingtontimes-dc.newsmemory.com/?token=a352e7aec37a1d4b278cb4826a047f27_65e5e2b2_6d25b5f&selDate=20240304
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Robinson_(American_politician)
The MSM is all over hitting him with "controversial" remarks he has made.
CD , do you have any thoughts about him or the NC race?
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I briefly tried tracking down the purported remark, but somehow it seems to be hard to find. Imagine that.
Spectrum TV (roughly a Dem leaning PBS for NC) had a really nice extended segment on him a few months ago. I liked the man that I saw in that piece.
He is awesome on Second Amendment and other things and had my vote on Tuesday. Glad to see he won quite decisively.
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/alteration-of-gut-microbiota-affects-the-severity-and-complications-of-covid-19-post-5594202?utm_source=Health&src_src=Health&utm_campaign=health-2024-03-09&src_cmp=health-2024-03-09&utm_medium=email&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYvAqcwcVzc7PzLYPrHFRB710wA0AIj31kx5JTWZu9FddhEg4S8RP
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/06/nc-newslines-live-coverage-of-the-2024-north-carolina-primary-election/?emci=1853038d-44dd-ee11-85fb-002248223794&emdi=074e0289-88dd-ee11-85fb-002248223794&ceid=244814#173898
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/06/north-carolina-gop-faithful-reach-to-the-far-right-for-state-superintendent-nominee/?emci=1853038d-44dd-ee11-85fb-002248223794&emdi=074e0289-88dd-ee11-85fb-002248223794&ceid=244814
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https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/19/thom-tillis-and-non-maga-nc-republicans-reaping-what-they-helped-sow/?emci=86065c5d-59e5-ee11-aaf0-002248223794&emdi=a7f40c35-e8e5-ee11-aaf0-002248223794&ceid=244814
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second
Because of your kind donation to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association (NCSA) through your county firearm permit application, NCSA provides you with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen.
It is always a good idea to refresh your memory on the basics of the law related to concealed handgun permits. The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association wants to help.
Remember that a handgun is the only weapon that the concealed handgun permit authorizes you to carry. A handgun is defined by law as “a firearm that has a short stock and is designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand.” For example, a handgun would include a revolver or semi-automatic pistol.
A concealed handgun permit does not authorize you to carry a concealed rifle, shotgun, fully automatic weapon, or other deadly weapons such as a knife, blackjack, razor, metallic knuckles, bowie knife, loaded cane, stun gun, etc.
To be considered “concealed,” a handgun must be “about the person” which generally refers to being concealed from view on your person or within arm’s reach or readily accessible by you.
The concealed handgun permit issued by your sheriff must be in your possession at all times a concealed handgun is carried by the permit holder. Valid identification is also required such as a driver’s license or state identification card. Carrying a concealed handgun off your premises without both a (1) validly issued concealed handgun permit and (2) a valid form of identification is unlawful.
It is vitally important to remember that if approached by a law enforcement officer while you are carrying a concealed handgun on or “about” your person, you are required to disclose that information to the officer. This is always true when you are carrying a concealed handgun, even if you are in your own vehicle during a traffic stop.
All persons with a concealed weapon should make the disclosure as soon as you are approached by a law enforcement officer. Tell the officer you are carrying a concealed handgun with your hands visible, such as both hands on the steering wheel, to the officer and do not attempt to reach for the concealed handgun or your concealed handgun permit, until instructed by the law enforcement officer.
Knowing and following the law related to concealed handgun permits is important to keep you, the public, and law enforcement safe.
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/03/21/north-carolina-officials-demand-answers-biden-illegal-alien-allegedly-terror-watch-list/
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https://amgreatness.com/2024/04/17/high-school-student-in-north-carolina-suspended-for-three-days-for-using-the-term-illegal-alien/