VOLUME 10 ISSUE 27 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
State Superintendent Mo Green speaks during a press conference last Wednesday announcing the state’s five-year strategic plan for schools at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School in Raleigh.
State education leaders roll out strategic plan
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BRIEF this week
Trump makes 4 nominations for N.C. judgeships Raleigh President Donald Trump nominated four individuals for judgeships in two districts in North Carolina. Susan Rodriguez and Matthew Orso were nominated to serve in the state’s Western District, and David Bragdon and Lindsey Freeman were tapped in the Middle District. All four nominees were recommended by North Carolina’s Republican Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis. Rodriguez currently serves as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Western District of North Carolina. She was previously a partner at the law firm McGuireWoods. Orso currently serves as a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke. Bragdon currently serves as the appellate chief for a U.S. Attorneys’ Office and previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Freeman currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney and previously clerked for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
N.C. native takes over as top Navy officer Washington, D.C. Adm. Daryl Caudle, a Winston-Salem native and NC State graduate, took over as the Navy’s highest-ranking officer Monday, ending a sixmonth vacancy created by the Trump administration’s firing of his predecessor. Caudle, who until the promotion was commanding U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said he wanted to be “judged by the results we achieved.” He replaces Adm. Lisa Franchetti. Caudle cited the number of ships delivered and repaired on time, the number of ships that are fully manned, and ordinance production as meeting the Navy’s demands.
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State Superintendent Mo Green set his vision for the next five years By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
co from the 2025 crop — the same crop farmers are currently harvesting — citing uncertainty related to the unstable geopolitical landscape, particularly tariffs. The cancellation, effective last Tuesday, was confirmed to North State Journal by N.C. Agribusiness Council President Jeffrey Lee. “It’s the whole entire flue-cured tobacco belt,” Lee said. “Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.”
RALEIGH — North Carolina State Superintendent Mo Green unveiled an ambitious five-year strategic plan aimed at transforming its public education system into the nation’s best by 2030 during a press event on Aug. 20 at the Centennial Campus Center for Innovation Magnet Middle School in Wake County. The event kicked off with a tour of the school led by school Principal Jesse Gore. There was also a student dance performance. “The goal is to be the best public schools in the nation,” Green said. “And to declare that, absolutely it is visionary.” Green was joined by N.C. State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis, Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor, Wake County School Board Chair Chris Heagarty and 2024 Principal of the Year Beckie Spears. Rep. Cynthia Ball (D-Wake) and former Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes) also attended. Gov. Josh Stein was unable to attend due to responsibilities dealing with Hurricane Erin. The “Achieving Educational Excellence” initiative represents the first collaborative ef-
See TOBACCO, page A3
See EDUCATION, page A2
China buying decision impacts NC tobacco farmers The nation canceled flue-cured tobacco contracts By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina’s flue-cured tobacco sector is staring at a volatile harvest season as U.S.-China trade tensions shift month to month and buyers reassess 2025 contracts. China Tobacco International has notified suppliers it will not purchase flue-cured tobac-
Police child care pilot program seeks funding The center would need between $5 million and $15 million By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Customized child care for law enforcement may be coming to North Carolina if a pilot program offered by the National Law Enforcement Foundation receives funds from the General Assembly. The National Law Enforcement Foundation (NLEF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement personnel by addressing recruitment and retention challenges through specialized child care and early childhood education services.
NLEF focuses on alleviating the unique demands of police work, such as irregular shifts on nights, weekends and holidays, which often conflict with standard child care options. Retired San Diego Det. Jim Mackay, the cofounder and CEO of NLEF, told North State Journal the group got its start through a grant in California, leading to the formation of NLEF to bring the model to other states. “I retired in the fall of ’21, and then the group that was doing it in San Diego created the National Law Enforcement Foundation to be able to take the model that was built in San Diego and move See CARE, page A3
“The state can afford it. It’s just reaching a budget agreement that has that language in there.” Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson)
“The goal is to be the best public schools in the nation. And to declare that, absolutely it is visionary.” N.C. State Superintendent Mo Green