VOLUME 9 ISSUE 35 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024
NSJONLINE.COM
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Republican Michele Morrow, left, and Democrat Mo Green held their final debate last week in the race for state superintendent.
Morrow, Green spar on schools
the
BRIEF this week
The Republican and Democratic candidates for state superintendent debated in Moore County
Sheriff: Buncombe overcounted Helene death Raleigh Buncombe County overcounted deaths caused by Helene by as many as 30, according to a statement Tuesday from its sheriff’s office and data from the state, significantly reducing the death toll from the historic storm. Officials previously reported 72 deaths but are now deferring to a state tally of 42 deaths for the county. The county’s number dates back to an Oct. 3 news release in which county officials reported that “72 lives have been lost due to Hurricane Helene,” repeating a number cited by Sheriff Quentin Miller at an earlier media briefing. But state officials, relying on reviews by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, have consistently reported a number lower than that for the county. The number for Buncombe County included in the state’s tally has stood at 42 since at least Oct. 10.
IV fluid shortage due to storm may impact surgeries for weeks North Cove Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory in North Cove remains shut down for hurricanerelated damage. The federal government and medical suppliers have taken several steps to help ease the supply crunch created by Hurricane Helene, which forced Baxter International to close its North Carolina plant late last month. But experts say supplies are still choppy, and improvements will take time. The plant hopes to reopen by the end of the year.
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By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
campaign literature, then hold out a printed 3-by-5 card that looks like a wedding invitation. “Please take a list of Palestinian martyrs,” they say. “They’ll be referring to that later in the program.” No two cards are the same, but printed on each, in English and Arabic, are five names of people killed in the Israeli bombings of Gaza. Another set of cards highlights different Native American massacres. The 1622 Jamestown Massacre, for instance, saw 347 settlers of Virginia killed by the Powhatans, while another 500 English Colonists died of starvation.
SOUTHERN PINES — Republican candidate Michele Morrow and Democratic candidate Maurice “Mo” Green faced off in the final debate between the two candidates for North Carolina state superintendent at Pinecrest High School in Moore County last Monday. Morrow, a nurse who has homeschooled her five children, ran unsuccessfully for the Wake County School Board in 2022 before beating incumbent State Superintendent Catherine Truitt in the March Republican primary. Morrow has campaigned on a return to academics over social issues in the classroom, school safety, trimming down the bureaucracy of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and making sure education funding supports students instead of systems. Her candidacy, however, has been controversial due to her attendance at the Jan. 6 breaching of the U.S. Capitol and some past social media posts, including suggesting former President Barack Obama should be executed. Green is a lawyer and former superintendent of Guilford County Public Schools (2007-16). He also served as general counsel and chief operating officer (2001-05) and
See GREEN, page A8
See DEBATE, page A3
Gaza conflict overwhelms Green Party message Candidates Jill Stein and Butch Ware focus almost solely on Palestine in their campaign messaging By Shawn Krest North State Journal THE STAFFERS checking people in at the Jill Stein rally are warm and efficient. Each guest is greeted, their place of residence confirmed, and the campaign worker quickly provides them with a sheet of Green Party candidates running in their area. They offer a selection of other
NC schools land “The workforce in Carolina $800K in tech training North is changing Eighteen districts will receive varying grants ranging from $13,000 to $80,000 for coding and mobile app development By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced the distribution of $800,000 in grants to 18 school districts across the state to enhance student skills in computer science through coding and mobile app development programs. “The workforce in North Carolina is changing rapidly, and we must respond with initiatives like this to ensure that students know about these high-wage, in-demand
roles and are equipped to take advantage of them,” State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said in a press release. Launched in 2017 with North Carolina General Assembly funding, the Coding and Mobile App Development Grant program supports partnerships between schools and local businesses. The grants, ranging from $13,000 to $80,000, will be used to acquire equipment, purchase digital materials and cover costs for teacher professional development. According to the Department of Public Instruction, this year’s round of grants centered on implementing North Carolina’s new K-12 Computer Science Standards, which were adopted in 2023. The See TECH, page A8
rapidly, and we must ... ensure that students know about these high-wage, indemand roles and [can] take advantage of them.” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt
“I think one of my greatest qualifications is I have no experience in a failing system that chooses to continue to fund failures.” Michele Morrow, Republican candidate for state superintendent