VOLUME 8 ISSUE 18
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023
PHOTO VIA DAVID SINCLAIR
Miss North Carolina 2022 Karolyn Martin crowns the 2023 Miss North Carolina, Taylor Loyd at the annual Miss North Carolina pageant in High Point on Saturday, June 24, 2023.
the
Miss Statesville crowned Miss North Carolina 2023
BRIEF this week
US Supreme Court won’t let NC charter school enforce dress code Leland The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place an appellate ruling barring a North Carolina public charter school from requiring girls to wear skirts to school. The justices declined without comment to hear an appeal from the Charter Day School in the eastern North Carolina town of Leland. A federal appeals court had ruled that the school’s dress code violated students’ constitutional rights. School founder Baker Mitchell had said the dress code was intended to promote “chivalry” by the male students and respect for the female students, according to court documents. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Florida court won’t reinstate prosecutor removed by DeSantis Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida Supreme Court refused to reinstate a Florida prosecutor who was removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis after making comments opposing prosecutions for abortions or “gender-affirming” health care. In a 6-1 decision, Florida’s highest court rejected the petition brought by Andrew Warren, a twice-elected state attorney for Florida’s Hillsborough County in the Tampa area. The Republican governor last year suspended Warren, accusing him of neglect of duty and incompetence, after the Democratic state attorney signed statements, along with other prosecutors across the country, opposing criminal charges against abortion providers or women seeking abortions. He also said he wouldn’t prosecute people for providing so-called genderaffirming health care, and his office’s policies didn’t charge people with some minor crimes. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
High Schooler from Clayton crowned Miss North Carolina’s Teen
Gov Roy Cooper veto total now up to 83 By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed six bills since the middle of June, raising his already record-breaking total to 83. Cooper’s predecessors issued a combined total of 35 vetoes. His vetoes now account for 70% of all vetoes issued by North Carolina governors since the office was given that power in the mid-1990s. Cooper took office in January 2017. The governor’s most recent vetoes came on June 23 and included Senate Bill 582, the North Carolina Farm Act of 2023, and House Bill 750, Address ESG Factors.
“The provision in this bill that severely weakens protection for wetlands means more severe flooding for homes, roads and businesses and dirtier water for our people, particularly in eastern North Carolina,” Cooper said in his veto message of the 2023 Farm Act. “This provision coupled with the drastic weakening of federal rules caused by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Sackett case, leaves approximately 2.5 million acres, or about one half of our state’s wetlands, unprotected.” Cooper’s veto message went on to say “The General Assembly has allocated tens of millions of dollars to protect the state from See COOPER, page A2
took home the title of Miss North Carolina’s Teen. House, representing Miss Cleveland, an unincorporated community in Johnston County and Ava Socarras from GastoNorth State Journal nia were the first names called for awards on Thursday HIGH POINT — For during the first day of the first time in Miss teen preliminary comNorth Carolina’s histopetition with the pair tyry, Miss Statesville was ing for the evening gown the last-named called Loyd’s preliminary award. when the Queen of crowning Carrie Rader reprethe Tarheel State was senting Queen City took crowned. Taylor Loyd, moment home the first teen prea senior at UNC Chap- came with liminary talent award el Hill, was named the and a $500 scholarship. 85th Miss North Caroli- a $20,000 In the Miss prelimna and earned the right scholarship inary talent segment, to compete for the title and the Loyd wowed the judges of Miss America. with her operatic vocal Loyd’s win capped keys to a performance of “Amour, off a week of pageant- new car. raiment mon courage” ry in High Point North from Gounod’s “Romeo Carolina that saw over and Juliette” taking the $116,000 in scholarships awarded to the contestants preliminary award for talent and from across the state. Loyd suc- a $1,000 scholarship. Hannah ceeds Karolyn Martin, an Appa- Welborn-Lewis from Sandhills lachian State University gradu- received Thursday’s evening ate, who will step away from the gown award and a $1,000 scholcrown to enter law school at UNC arship. On Friday, Annika Schneider, School of Law in the fall. In addition to the Miss North representing Metrolina, won the Carolina competition, for wom- teen preliminary evening gown en aged 18 to 28, the Miss North segment and a $250 scholarship. Carolina’s Teen competition A three-way tie occurred in the hosted contestants from 13 to teen preliminary talent category. 17 years of age. Hanley House, a high school junior from Clayton, See MISS NC, page A3
Coast Guard captain temporarily relieved of command pending investigation By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — According to a press release by the U.S. Coast Guard, Capt. Matthew Baer has been temporarily relieved from command of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina as of June 20. Baer’s Coast Guard bio says he lives in Wilmington, has numerous merit awards and has been assigned in the past to the USCGC Diligence in Wilmington and the USCGC Juniper in Newport, Rhode Island. He also served in several other positions in Virginia and Georgia as well as at the Coast Guard Special Missions Training Center aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. “Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath,
Fifth Coast Guard District commander, temporarily relieved Baer due to a loss of confidence in his ability to effectively command the sector, pending an administrative investigation and final determination,” the press release stated. According to his bio, Gilreath assumed the duties of commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, in May 2022. In that role, he is the “operational commander of all U.S. Coast Guard missions from the North Carolina, South Carolina border to New Jersey, encompassing nearly 3,000 Coast Guard active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel.” Cmdr. Courtney Sergent has temporarily assumed the position of sector commander to maintain unit operations and Baer has been temporarily reassigned to the Fifth
Coast Guard District headquarters in Portsmouth, per the release. North State Journal reached out to the Coast Guard for more details but was told that due to the ongoing investigation, “we are unable to share any additional information beyond what is in the press release at this time.” In other recent news, North Carolina’s Elizabeth City Coast Guard crew was part of the search effort for the OceanGate submersible vehicle that went missing while exploring and documenting the wreckage of the Titanic. Contact had been lost with the vehicle on June 18. A C-130 aircraft from the Coast Guard Air Station in Elizabeth See INVESTIGATION, page A2
5
20177 52016 $0.50
8