VOLUME 9 ISSUE 7
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024
the
BRIEF this week
Impeachment trial for Mayorkas set for this week Washington, D.C. House Republicans will bring their case against Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate this week, two months after impeaching the Homeland Security secretary. House Speaker Mike Johnson said at the end of March that he would send the two articles to the Senate on April 10. Unlike former President Donald Trump’s two impeachment trials in 2020 and 2021, the Senate isn’t expected to spend much time considering the charges. Democrats, who hold the Senate majority, appear to have the votes to immediately dismiss the trial, though Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t yet said what he plans to do.
March marks 10th straight month to be hottest on record Washington, D.C. For the 10th consecutive month, Earth in March set a new monthly record for global heat — with both air temperatures and the world’s oceans hitting an alltime high for the month, the European Union climate agency Copernicus said. March 2024 averaged 14.14 degrees Celsius (57.9 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding the previous record from 2016 by a tenth of a degree, according to Copernicus data. And it was 1.68 degrees C (3 degrees F) warmer than in the late 1800s, the base used for temperatures before the burning of fossil fuels began growing rapidly. Since last June, the globe has broken heat records each month, with marine heat waves across large areas of the globe’s oceans contributing.
$1.3B Powerball jackpot claimed Portland, Ore. Someone in Oregon has claimed the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot won last weekend, which is the eighthlargest lottery prize in U.S. history. The Oregon Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at a convenience store in northeastern Portland and someone came forward Monday claiming to have won. The lottery says it is now working to verify the win. The jackpot drawing happened early Sunday after hours of technical delays. Should the winner forgo the rarely claimed option of a payout over 30 years, the lump sum before taxes will be $621 million. After taxes, it would still be more than $400 million.
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Two warplanes perform a flyover above the Field of Flags at South Asheboro Middle School last November. North Carolina’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 will begin this weekend with Halifax Resolves Days.
America at 250: NC celebrating early “Halifax Resolves Days” will be held this weekend By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Event explores ways to move agriculture forward The NC Chamber hosted Imagine Agriculture Day
could make,” he said, “is not to do anything. … We’ve got to remember that change is better than extinction because that could happen. We’ve got a By Ena Sellers growing population around the North State Journal world. We know that it’s going CARY — Agricultural leaders to continue to grow.” Steward also said environand industry experts were invited last month to NC Ag Leads: mental changes are impacting Imagine Agriculture Day at the agriculture. “If you look at crops and how SAS campus in Cary, where national thought leaders spoke they’re moving across North about the future of agriculture America, north into Canada — something’s changing and the challenges … and we must adapt faced by today’s farmto that. We also have ers, engaging particiregenerative agriculpants in thought-provoking conversations “The biggest ture and soil health and how we deal with about moving the inmistake we that, making sure the dustry forward. land is preserved.” Ray Starling, gen- could make Steward spoke about eral counsel of NC is not to do innovation and comChamber and presimunity development, dent of its Legal Insti- anything.” encouraging particitute, provided a brief Marshall pants to think about overview of the program and how the ag Steward, Kansas the horsepower they sector can leverage State University have with 16 UNC system campuses, 58 priresources and knowlvate universities and 58 edge “in the face of community colleges. daunting challeng“You’ve got great diversity. … es to maintain and increase our productivity and our profitabil- You’ve got soil, climate, elevation,” he said. ity.” Steward told the audience to Golden LEAF Foundation president and CEO Scott Ham- position themselves at the inilton spoke about the Golden tersection of food and health, LEAF’s strategic plan to help and to create a research agenthe state continue as a leader da for food and agriculture in in agriculture, leveraging the the state. knowledge from those deeply involved in the industry from N.C. spotlight across the state. Taylor Holenbeck, Happy “We need to focus on what North Carolina can do better Dirt grower services coordithan anyone else and deliver a nator, spoke about the organic road map of clear and action- wholesaler business’ humble beginnings working out of a farmable steps,” said Hamilton. ers’ cooler with a Golden LEAF Foundation grant and a partRowing together nership with the Carolina Farm Marshall Steward, Kan- Stewardship Association. The company trains farmsas State University senior vice president for executive affairs ers who want to grow organand a Sampson County native, ic produce and works with the spoke about the importance of Fair Food Program certifying planning and adapting to serve farms to promote farm workfuture needs and how people er well-being and safety. Holenwho understood the need were beck shared that they do weekable to move the needle. “The biggest mistake we See AG, page A3
RALEIGH — On July 4, 2026, the United States will commemorate and celebrate its 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Preparations began under the Obama administration in 2016 with Congress creating the “U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission” to plan and carry out events and festivities. The commission is made up of 16 private citizens, four U.S. representatives and four senators, and 12 ex-officio members from the three branches of the federal government and its independent agencies, according to the America 250 website. The appointees were selected by the leadership of both parties in the U.S. House and Senate. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Reps. Don Davis (D, NC-01), Valerie Foushee (D, NC-04), Richard Hudson (R, NC-08) and David Rouzer (R, NC-07) are part of the Congressional America250 Caucus. Commemorative events and
celebrations are being coordinated by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which has chosen two overarching concepts: Revolutionary N.C. and When Are We US? These two concepts aim to explore historical events and the ideas of freedom, civic responsibility and change. Supporting themes include “Visions of Freedom,” highlighting movements like civil rights and women’s suffrage, and “Gathering of Voices,” incorporating diverse perspectives, and the commemoration seeks to foster a sense of common ground and progress toward a “More Perfect Union.” The Tarheel state will kick off its commemoration activities with “Halifax Resolves Days: Prelude to Revolution” to be held in Halifax from April 12-14. The event will be a “living history weekend” celebrating the Halifax Resolves. During the Fourth Provincial Congress in April 1776, the North Carolina Assembly authorized its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from Britain through what would become known as the Halifax ReSee AMERICA, page A3
Wait times, quality of district-offered driver ed frustrates families N.C.’s two largest school districts both use the same instruction vendor
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has been the subject of at least two legislative oversight committee hearings in the last six months. Most recently, lawmakers focused on contract issues during a March 7 hearing but also covered customer satisfaction problems, including teen driving license processes. Frustration with booking teen license appointments was brought up at that hearing by Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow), one of the Joint Legisla-
tive Transportation Oversight Committee’s co-chairs, who wants to see the NCDMV privatized. Lazzara gave an example of a law enforcement officer having to make “multiple trips” and “wait in line for hours” to get his teenagers their driving tests. NCDMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said his office amended the way appointments were made to better See DRIVER ED, page A2
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