VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO
Irish eyes not smiling NC State’s Aziaha James (10) and Zoe Brooks (35) celebrate behind Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld (21) in the final moments of the Wolfpack’s double-overtime win over the top-ranked Irish on Sunday in Raleigh. See more in Sports.
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Proposed House bill would reclaim $500M from NCInnovation
BRIEF this week
Causey out of hospital after heart surgery Raleigh North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey was released from the hospital last Thursday, a spokesperson said, 10 days after undergoing heart surgery. Department spokesperson Jason Tyson said the Republican commissioner, who won a third four-year term in November, underwent surgery at Duke Hospital in Durham to “correct a congenital heart defect.” Causey “is currently recovering and doing well,” Tyson said in a statement provided before the commissioner’s release. “He has been in regular contact with the Department of Insurance almost daily and has been briefed and directed work.” Causey, 74, told the News & Record of Greensboro in a phone interview Wednesday that only a handful of people at his department were aware of the Feb. 10 surgery.
N.C.-born signer Roberta Flack dead at 88 New York Roberta Flack, the North Carolina-born Grammywinning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88. She died at home surrounded by her family, publicist Elaine Schock said in a statement. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Flack, born in Black Mountain in 1937, is best known for her hit “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
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Letter directs schools to eliminate DEI The Department of Education said schools that don’t comply within 14 days risk the loss of federal funds By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter on Feb. 14 directing education agencies in all 50 states to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs from schools by Feb. 28
or risk losing federal funding. The letter was signed by Craig Trainor, the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) acting assistant secretary for civil rights, and directs “all educational institutions” to ensure their policies comply with civil rights law, stop using proxies to circumvent race-based prohibitions and cease relying on third-party contractors that might help circumvent these prohibitions. The letter also provides information about filing discrimination complaints with the See DEI, page A8
The legislation also wants to take nearly $15 million in earned interest By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A bill filed in the North Carolina House seeks to reclaim money allocated to a nonprofit for accelerating marketplace commercialization of state university research and development projects. In 2023, the General Assembly allocated $500 million in two equal tranches of funding to NCInnovation (NCI), the 501(c)3 nonprofit providing acceleration grants to projects at universities and colleges. Of the $500 million, $140 million was authorized for direct spending by NCI, but the group instead invested the principal amount, accumulat-
Elections board opens public comment on rule changes April 21 End of the public comment period on new State Board of Elections rules
The proposed changes address election observers, protests and recounts By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced a public comment period for various proposed rule changes. Public comment on the rules opened on Feb. 17 and will end at 11:59 p.m. on April 21. The proposed changes cover elections observer rules that were instituted by the General Assembly as well as the board’s proposed election protest and recount rules. The N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) adopted the three temporary election
observer rules in January 2024 and voted to propose making those rules permanent during its meeting in January 2025. The Challenge to the Appointment of an Observer outlines a process for county boards of elections to hear challenges for good cause and for appeals of decisions made. The Appeal of Removal of an Observer from a Voting Site involves the process for the party that appointed an observer to appeal any removals of observers. Identification of Observers requires every observer to wear an identification tag so voters and officials know who they are and their role. The NCSBE is proposing three changes affecting protests and recounts, some of See NCSBE, page A8
ing around $20 million in interest. NCI has used around $5.2 million of the interest funds for its first round of eight grants. NCI has also raised $25 million in outside funding through various companies and businesses. That funding is being used for daily overhead, such as salaries and operating expenses. House Bill 154, filed by Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan), would take back the $500 million as well as the remaining $15 million in interest. The outside funding is not included. Warren told North State Journal the group should be privately funded. “As I stated in the House Oversight and Reform Committee meeting, NC Innovation is a good concept, but should be funded by the private sector,” Warren said in an See FUNDS, page A2