VOLUME 6 ISSUE 10
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Adviser suggests Biden still wears mask outside out of habit Wilmington, Del. One of President Joe Biden’s top White House advisers suggested that he’s still wearing a mask outdoors out of habit although the latest public health guidance says he doesn’t need it. Questioned about Biden’s practice, senior adviser Anita Dunn told CNN that she realized that she was also still wearing her mask outdoors even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people like her and Biden can stop wearing masks outside when they’re alone or not among strangers. “I myself found that I was still wearing my mask outdoors this week, because it has become such a matter of habit,” Dunn said. “He’s always taken his role as sending a signal to follow the science very seriously.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO VIA INDEPENDENCE FUND
Spring Food Fest coming to state fairgrounds Raleigh The N.C. Department of Agriculture is holding a threeday event with over 75 food vendors at the N.C. State Fairgrounds on May 21-23, 2021. Admission tickets will be $8 for adults and $4 for youth 6-12. A statement from the department says the event is a walk-up, take-out event, and in accordance with Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders, face masks are required when social distancing cannot be maintained. NSJ STAFF
Former US Attorney named acting DA in 3 NC counties Raleigh The most recent U.S. attorney for western North Carolina is filling a district attorney’s position vacated last week when a judge removed the DA from office for “willful misconduct.” Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Andrew Murray as the acting local prosecutor for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties. Murray was previously the Mecklenburg County district attorney before he was nominated in 2017 by President Donald Trump and confirmed to become the top federal prosecutor based in Charlotte. He and most other U.S. attorneys were asked to resign after President Joe Biden took office. The removal of Greg Newman — a rare occurrence in state jurisprudence — followed a campaign by families of crime victims who alleged Newman had mishandled cases and failed to prosecute felonies. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NC House speaker backs increased penalties for riots, civil disorder Raleigh N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) introduced legislation significantly increasing penalties for rioting and related crimes within the state on Tuesday. House Bill 805 would increase penalties for inciting a riot that leads to death, engaging in riots, and engaging in riots that lead to the physical injury of a first responder. “Riots and looting devastated many North Carolina downtowns last year at a time when many small businesses were already struggling,” said Moore. “This legislation will seek to deter future riots and increase penalties on those who engage in this anti-social anarchy.” Victims would be able to recover treble damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees, according to the measure. NSJ STAFF
Gov. Roy Cooper signs House Bill 138, Adopt Wounded Heroes Day, a bill to honor those who sustained injuries while serving their country in the U.S. Armed Forces in this April 21, 2021, photo. Seen behind Cooper are elected officials (including Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Speaker of the N.C. House TIm Moore and Majority Leader John Bell) and some of the wounded veterans (including Sgt. Michael Verardo, standing directly behind Cooper) whom the bill seeks to honor.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
House majority leader talks state budget, Emergency Management revamp Bell: In a state of emergency, I believe we should have all hands on deck, not just one set of hands By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Previously, North State Journal sat down with House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) to chat about some of the military-related bills he has had a hand in this session. Bell also talked about revamping the way the state and governor respond to emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor’s proposed budget and what the state’s budget might look like. With regard to the Emergency Powers Act, Bell reiterated comments he made during debate on the House floor prior to its passage along party lines by the House. House Bill 264 would amend the governor’s ability to extend state of emergency-based orders unilaterally and indefinitely, as Cooper has done over the last year. The Senate has passed a similar bill requiring Council of State approval of emergency declarations within 10 days. “In a state of emergency, I believe we should have all hands on deck, not just one set of hands,” Bell said. “It was partisan, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, they viewed it as a power grab or taking power away from the governor,” said Bell. “This doesn’t change anything for the governor except he has to get Council of State authority or approval when we’re in state of emergency, which is no different than what he has done up until he didn’t get what he wanted. Then he looked at how he could unilaterally navigate around that.” Bell said that lawmakers run bills every year that are basically “lessons learned.” He said the
General Assembly would be filing a “disaster mitigation piece” after what had been learned during hurricanes and floods that have hit the state. “We’ve never experienced a pandemic before. We saw some issues in state government,” Bell said. “We have addressed those, and now we’re looking at the issue where, hey, we probably need more heads involved in this, instead of one person unilaterally dictating what happens to the whole entire state. So, that’s why we wanted to include the Council of State. “When you look at the Council of State, you’ve got Commissioner Troxler sitting there, who feeds this entire state — it’s the largest economic impact. Why not include him? You’ve got Catherine Truitt, the secretary of Public Instruction. Why not include her?” asked Bell. “All these people that oversee entities of government, that control and oversee government and have an impact on everyday life. Why not include them in the conversation?” Other states like Kansas, Ohio and New York are looking at similar legislation after pandemic orders continued to be extended, often unilaterally, by state governors. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the state mask mandate enacted by the governor was unconstitutional. “It’s both red and blue states,” Bell said, “But at the end of the day, our country and our state was not founded on unilateral rule. There’s no unilateral rule in a constitutional republic.” Bell continued, “You are seeing these things start to unfold. Just over the last couple weeks you saw where the governor lifted executive orders, and it was very ironic that he lifted the executive orders right before a verdict in a lawsuit.” Referencing a Jan. 9 Raleigh See BELL, page A2
Charlotte-based nonprofit to lead training program on vets in crisis By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — While a lot of legislation gets caught up in partisan battles, two veteran-related bills (House Bill 138, Adopt Wounded Heroes Day; and House Bill 370, No Veteran Left Behind Act) have seen unanimous support. Behind both bills is Charlotte-based veteran-support nonprofit The Independence Fund, which is fighting to help those returning from military service with issues surrounding physical and mental health. The first bill, Adopt Wounded Heroes Day, sailed through both chambers unanimously and was signed by Gov. Roy Cooper on April 21. According to the
bill language, the act adopts “the 24th day of April of each year as Wounded Heroes Day in honor of Army Sgt. Michael Verardo.” Verardo lives in Union County with his wife, Sarah, who is the CEO of The Independence Fund. After serving in the 82nd Airborne and being deployed to active combat, Verardo was severely injured in an attack from an IED (improvised explosive device). He lost his left leg, much of his left arm and has had countless surgeries to various parts of his body. “We were very blessed to have unanimous, bipartisan support for Wounded Heroes Day and then roll right into No Veteran See INDEPENDENCE, page A2
Wake County Schools administrator denies Critical Race Theory offerings By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — In a previous article, it was reported that the state’s largest school district had been partnering with a training firm founded and run by state Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) to provide “equity” training. That organization, the Equity Collaborative, has contracted with Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) for training that included a recently pulled course, titled “Intro to Critical Race Theory.” It had also conducted a “Racial Equity Institute” and other professional development courses that utilize the controversial Critical Race Theory. Assistant superintendent of the WCPSS Office of Equity Affairs (OEA) Rodney Trice wrote an email on March 21 to the WCPSS board members about “the emails and calls some of us have received about Critical Race Theory.” In spite of all evidence to the contrary, Trice refuted the idea that the district had used Critical Race Theory. In his email, Trice told the district’s school board members that “Critical Race Theory has not been and is not incorporated in the PL plans/offerings within the district.” In that email, Trice also gave an oversimplified description of Critical Race Theory to the board, defining it as “an approach used to See WCPSS, page A2