VOLUME 10 ISSUE 13 | THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
AP PHOTOS
High stakes in NC North Carolina has been home to several big sporting events in the past week. Left, Andrei Svechnikov — pictured after scoring the winning goal in the clinching Game 5 of a series against the Washington Capitals — and the Hurricanes hosted Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday in Raleigh. Center, Christopher Bell claimed the NASCAR All-Star Race at iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway. Right, Scottie Scheffler earned his fifth major victory by winning his first PGA Championship at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club. See more in Sports.
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NCInnovation OKs $13.7M in projects
BRIEF this week
Trump urges Republicans to unify behind tax cuts bill Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump implored House Republicans at the Capitol to drop their fights over his big tax cuts bill and get it done, using encouraging words but also the hardened language of politics over the multitrilliondollar package that is at risk of collapsing before planned votes this week. During the more than hour-long session Tuesday, Trump warned Republicans not to touch Medicaid with cuts, and he told New York lawmakers to end their fight for a bigger local tax deduction, reversing his campaign promise. The president, heading into the meeting, called himself a “cheerleader” for the Republican Party and praised Speaker Mike Johnson. But he also criticized at least one of the GOP holdouts as a “grandstander” and warned that anyone who doesn’t support the bill would be a “fool.”
Salmonella outbreak tied to same Fla. cucumber grower Delray, Fla. U.S. health officials are investigating a new outbreak of salmonella illnesses tied to a Florida grower whose tainted cucumbers were linked to more than 550 illnesses last year. Cucumbers grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales have been linked to illnesses in at least 26 people in 15 states, including North Carolina, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported late Monday. At least nine people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported.
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General Assembly budget provisions may upend the group’s funding
National group backs NC REACH Act The American Council of Trustees and Alumni says the bill would put North Carolina in a “vanguard” of states By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A national group focused on academic freedom and excellence is backing a North Carolina House bill that would increase courses in American history and government.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) issued a formal letter to the chairs of the North Carolina House Committee on Higher Education in the NC REACH Act (House Bill 7). The letter was authored by Nick Down, ACTA’s associate director of external affairs. ACTA describes itself as “an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting academic excellence, academic freedom, and See NC REACH, page A3
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — NCInnovation, a nonprofit university research accelerator, announced $13.7 million in research and development funding for 17 new projects it has approved. The projects funded span 12 of the state’s public universities. “The research projects on this list are exactly what North Carolina public universities should be championing: real-world research that can bolster North Carolina’s — and America’s — competitiveness,” Deanna Ballard, chair of the NCInnovation Board of Directors Program Committee, said in a press release. In 2023, NCInnovation (NCI) received $500 million in endowment funds for its work,
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer “I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace.” Barack Obama
The former president’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 By Josh Boak The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday. The finding came after the 82-year-old reported urinary symptoms, which led doctors to discover a nodule on his prostate. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone. “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer ap-
pears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.” In a post on X on Monday morning, Biden posted a photo of himself and his wife, Jill Biden, and wrote: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.” Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what’s known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving See BIDEN, page A2
split into two equal tranches. NCI was authorized to use $140 million of the total funds but instead opted to invest the principal amount, which accumulated more than $20 million in interest; $5.2 million of that interest money was put toward the group’s first round of eight grants. The list of projects includes the topics of agriculture, livestock, vaccines, cancer treatments, Alzheimer’s therapy and other health care research areas. • Appalachian State: Using AI to identify livestock parasites (Zachary E. Russell) • East Carolina: Compact wind tunnel for testing pesticides (Stephanie Richards), and using technology to support speech language pathologists to treat stuttering (Patrick Briley) • Fayetteville State: Hempbased bio pesticide for use in commercial poultry houses (Shirley Lee Chao) See FUNDS, page A3