VOLUME 7 ISSUE 27
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2022
New Lindberg trial set for March Charlotte A new trial for a North Carolina-based insurance executive whose previous convictions on corruptionrelated charges were overturned is set for early March, a federal judge decided Monday. U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn released Greg E. Lindberg from a minimumsecurity prison in Alabama last month, weeks after the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Lindberg’s convictions from March 2020 and ordered a new trial. Lindberg “looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name in the court of law as well as the court of public opinion,” Lindberg spokesperson Susan Estrich said in a statement. “The fact remains that the case against Mr. Lindberg is purely political.” The scheduling order and tentative March 6 trial date also applies to John D. Gray, a Lindberg consultant convicted of the same two counts as Lindberg. Gray also had his convictions vacated.
GREGORY BULL | AP PHOTO
Migrants wait along a border wall Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, after crossing from Mexico near Yuma, Ariz.
Biden’s illegal immigration woes hit competitive congressional race
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election challenge will be heard Friday, Sept. 2 Raleigh The State Board of Elections will hear a challenge to the residency of the Democratic candidate for N.C.’s 3rd state Senate District after the case was moved forward by the Currituck County elections board. Republican Bobby Hanig, who was sworn in Monday to a seat in the Senate following the resignation of Bob Steinburg, challenged the residency of Valerie Jordan. The dispute arose when Hanig’s campaign provided evidence that Jordan, a state transportation board member, lives in Raleigh and not Warren County, where she is registered to vote. The majority Democratic Currituck board heard the case last week and said evidence showed that Jordan likely lives in Raleigh, and advanced the challenge. If the NCSBE agrees, Democrats in the 3rd District will choose a new candidate. NSJ STAFF
NC Wildlife Resources Commission hosting National Hunting and Fishing Day events Raleigh The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the state’s agency mandated to conserve and sustain the state’s fish and wildlife resources, will host two family-friendly events on Saturday, Sept. 24 highlighting NC’s extraordinary hunting and fishing heritage. National Hunting and Fishing Day, formalized by Congress in 1971, was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to celebrate conservation successes of hunters and anglers. The two events will take place at the John Lentz Hunter Education Complex in Ellerbe and the Wildlife Expo at the Pechmann Center in Fayetteville. Hunting, fishing and related activities directly support upward of 123,600 wildlife associated jobs in North Carolina according to the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2021.
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
NC Lt. Gov. Robinson discusses education topics at Durham roundtable event Key issues included expanding school choice, parental involvement and better communication from the state By A.P. Dillon North State Journal DURHAM — North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson participated with a diverse group of education, political and nonprofit leaders at an education roundtable in Durham on Aug. 23. The roundtable was hosted by Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina (AFP-NC) and The LIBRE Initiative-North Carolina (LIBRE-NC). Americans for Prosperity is a 501(c)(4) organization engaging in “broad-based grassroots outreach to advocate for long-term solutions.” According to its website, The LIBRE Initiative is “part of a 501(c4) nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to amplifying the voice of the U.S. Hispanic community so it can thrive and contribute to a more prosperous America.” LIBRE’s focus areas include economic opportunity, health care, education, immigration and criminal justice reform. Joining Robinson were Rep.
Erin Paré (R-Wake), LIBRE Deputy Executive Director Juan Martinez, Classical Conversations CEO Robert Bortins, AFP Senior Education Policy Analyst Rachelle Engen and President of the NC Society of Hispanic Professionals Rocio Anderson. Topics included increasing communications on education opportunities in North Carolina, increasing broadband access, higher education options, and expansion of school choice options such as the Education Savings Accounts (ESA) and the popular Opportunity Scholarship Program. The panel agreed that parents can and should play a significant role in the education of their children and there should be more promotion of learning that happens outside of a classroom. “Another thing to look at is what the purpose of education is,” said Engen. “I think we all have a different reason as to what the purpose is, but I think the biggest reason is for students to develop and deploy their passions and interests and as the other panelists said, this doesn’t just happen in a classroom.” Paré concurred but added that “children are sponges” and underscored parental engagement. “It’s just critically important See ROBINSON page A3
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PHOTO VIA JAMES PIEDAD
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Panelists including Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson at the Durham education roundtable sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and The LIBRE Initiative.
RALEIGH — Illegal immigration looks to be one of the hot-button issues in the upcoming midterm election cycle after federal officials reported that for the first time ever the number of illegal immigrants arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border is on pace to exceed 2 million. According to data compiled by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, 4.9 million illegal immigrants have crossed our border since President Joe Biden took office. Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
show crimes committed by illegal immigrants also surged under Biden in 2021, including a 1,900% increase in manslaughter and homicide convictions compared to 2020. But it isn’t just adults entering the country illegally. Some 257,110 minor children have been encountered at the nation’s borders, per data from CPB. In North Carolina, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security intends to settle potentially thousands of those illegal minors in an old school campus near Greensboro over a five-year period. A recent NPR/IPSOS poll See IMMIGRATION, page A2
Gender dysphoria covered by disability law, court rules By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — A federal ruling that gender dysphoria is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act could help block conservative political efforts to restrict access to so-called gender-affirming care, advocates and experts say. A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week became the first federal appellate court in the country to find that the 1990 landmark federal law protects transgender people who experience anguish and other symptoms as a result of the disparity between their assigned sex and their gender identity. The ruling could become a powerful tool to challenge legislation restricting access to medical care and other accommodations for transgender people, including employment and government benefits, advocates said. “It’s a very important and positive ruling to increase people’s access to gender-affirming care,” said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. The ruling is binding in the states covered by the Richmond-based 4th Circuit — Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia — but will inevitably be cited in cases in other states, said Kevin Barry, a law professor at Quinnipiac University. The decision came in the case of a transgender woman who sued the Fairfax County sheriff in Virginia for housing her in a jail with men. The decision is not
limited to transgender people challenging jail policies, but also applies broadly to all areas of society covered by disability rights law, including employment, government benefits and services and public accommodations, Barry said. See HEALTHCARE, page A2