VOLUME 10 ISSUE 22 | THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO
On the upswing? The Charlotte Hornets celebrate after defeating the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League championship game Sunday in Las Vegas. Kon Knueppel, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft by the Hornets out of Duke, was named MVP of the title game. Charlotte went 6-0 in earning the Summer League crown for the first time.
Education Department to release some grant money
the
BRIEF this week
Hillsborough man convicted of killing wife dies on death row Starke, Fla. A Hillsborough man convicted of killing his estranged wife has died after spending more than four decades on Florida’s death row. Robert Peede, 81, died Monday at Florida State Prison in Starke, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. His cause of death wasn’t immediately reported. Peede was convicted in 1984 of murdering his estranged wife, Darla Peede, a year earlier. Robert Peede fatally stabbed his wife in the neck while attempting to return her to North Carolina from Florida, prosecutors said. Her body was later found dumped in a wooded area of Georgia. When Peede was arrested at his home in Hillsborough, Darla Peede’s car was parked outside. Its interior was heavily bloodstained.
Jackson joins lawsuit over FEMA program funding More than $189 million in state projects are impacted By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has entered the state into a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the April shutdown of a FEMA program
designed to fund projects to protect communities from natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and wildfires. “This program, which the President helped establish and strengthen, was a lifeline for our towns and cities trying to make sure every resident has clean and reliable water to drink, a functioning sewage system, and measures in See FEMA, page A3
North Carolina will have access to $35.7 million in funds for after-school and summer programs By Annie Ma The Associated Press RALEIGH — The Education Department will release $1.3 billion in previously withheld grant money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Trump administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Of that amount, $35.7 million is being released to North Carolina in grant funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, leaving around $130 million still outstanding. President Donald Trump’s administration on July 1 with-
Ex-officer gets 33 months in Breonna Taylor raid Louisville, Ky. A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffing a U.S. Department of Justice recommendation of no prison time for the defendant. Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn’t hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the woman’s death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year.
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NC Medicaid audit shows continued provider issues NCDHHS allowed providers with suspended licenses to remain in the program By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A follow-up audit by the state auditor found the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Health Benefits failed to fully address issues identified in a 2021 Medicaid provider enrollment audit. The audit found the Division of Health Benefits (DHB) was still allowing providers with suspended licenses or Non-Practice Agreements (NPAs) to remain enrolled, with some continuing to serve Medicaid patients and receive payments.
“When you go to the doctor, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether your physician is in good standing with the professional medical community,” State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a press release. “Medical suspensions and license limitations are serious prohibitions that need to be treated as such. To ensure Medicaid patients have safety and trust with their physicians, it’s important that the government promptly addresses the Medicaid provider issues found in our latest report.” Other key findings included no evaluation or removal of providers with license limitations posing safety risks and a lack of verification for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) See AUDIT, page A2
“When you go to the doctor, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether your physician is in good standing with the professional medical community.” State Auditor Dave Boliek
held more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction, part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities. In a letter sent earlier this month, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs with longstanding bipartisan support and was critical to local communities. The money had been appropriated by Congress in a bill signed by Trump. “We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,” the senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.” The administration’s review of the 21st Century Community See EDUCATION, page A3