VOLUME 10 ISSUE 19 | THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) walks to the Senate chamber last Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Tillis announced Sunday he will not run for reelection in 2026.
Tillis won’t run for third Senate term in 2026
the
BRIEF this week
Chimney Rock reopens 9 months after Helene
President Donald Trump threatened to find a Republican primary opponent for the North Carolina senator
Chimney Rock Iconic tourist attraction Chimney Rock reopened to the public last Friday, nine months after Hurricane Helene brought historic flooding, destruction and loss of life. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and other officials attended a reopening ceremony at the state park, which will now be open again from Fridays to Mondays to visitors who make reservations, Stein’s office said. The park features hiking trails and other amenities, and usually attracts 400,000 people annually.
House, Senate drop mini-budgets before end of fiscal year
Inmate fatally shoots N.C. officer; later captured
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Murphy A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in Cherokee County and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, Sheriff Dustin Smith said. The inmate had been taken to an orthopedic office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer’s weapon and shot him, Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said. Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder. The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office employee.
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The Senate proposal has a broader scope, while the House’s version focuses on pay increases
RALEIGH — Both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly have dropped mini-budgets in lieu
By Ali Swenson and Seung Min Kim The Associated Press
of a full budget agreement as the end of the state’s fiscal year approaches on June 30. The House passed its mini-budget, House Bill 192, on June 24 by a vote of 96-17, with 29 House Democrats voting for passage. The bill now sits in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. Originally, House Bill 192
WASHINGTON, D.C. — North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Sunday he will not seek reelection next year, an abrupt announcement that came one day after he staked out his opposition to President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package because of its reductions to health care programs. His decision creates a wide-open Senate race in a state that has long been a contested battleground. It could also make Tillis a wild card in a party where few lawmakers are willing to risk Trump’s wrath by opposing his agenda or actions. Trump had already been threatening him with a primary challenge and posted Sunday that Tillis’ announcement was “Great News!” “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders
See BUDGET, page A3
See TILLIS, page A2
Elections board addresses missing voter information The plan includes three rounds of mailings to voters By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections rolled out a plan to address missing information in voter records at its meeting June 24. The plan, presented by the NCSBE Executive Director Sam Hayes, would collect incomplete registration information from certain voters to comply with an N.C. Court of Appeals decision, as well as resolving outstanding lawsuits regarding the missing information. Hayes said a previous voter registration form did not
make it clear that the driver’s license number and the last four digits of a Social Security number were required. “As a result, we’ve got a number of folks out there, the numbers vary, but it’s certainly a large amount,” Hayes said of registrations missing required Help America Vote Act (HAVA) data. He added that number could be greater than 200,000. The form in question and the missing data were the subject of complaints filed last year by the NCGOP, the Republican National Committee and later state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin. “The bottom line is that the state board has drawn multiple legal challenges as a result of those registration See BOARD, page A8
“The bottom line is that the state board has drawn multiple legal challenges as a result of those registration deficiencies.” Sam Hayes, N.C. State Board of Elections executive director
“I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)