VOLUME 8 ISSUE 20
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2023
Lumbee Tribe celebrates annual homecoming
COURTESY PHOTOS
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UNC Chapel Hill says students from families making less than $80K to receive free tuition
BRIEF this week
CNBC names North Carolina top state for business for second consecutive year Raleigh Business network CNBC has named North Carolina as their top state for business in 2023. The annual rankings score all 50 states in 10 separate categories. North Carolina topped its top score from 2022. NC ranked as the top workforce state, the most important category in this year’s study, also boasting the thirdbest economy with solid growth, stable state finances and a healthy housing market. “Companies in desperate need of skilled workers are going where the people are, and people are going to North Carolina,” CNBC special corresponded Scott Cohn said. “The state’s well-balanced economy is handling the growth well. Rising political tensions could create issues down the road, but for now, North Carolina seems to have the winning formula—for the second year in a row.” The top five states were North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and Minnesota. NSJ STAFF
Cooper backtracking over Medicaid expansion deal Raleigh Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper now wants state Republican leaders to separate the measure authorizing Medicaid expansion from the passage of the state budget. “Making Medicaid Expansion contingent on passing the budget was and is unnecessary, and now the failure of Republican legislators to pass the budget is ripping health care away from thousands of real people and costing our state and our hospitals millions of dollars,” said Cooper in a statement about the bill he signed into law in late March. “Tying it to the budget is tying our hands, and the legislature should decouple the two and start Medicaid Expansion now.” In seven years as governor, Cooper has only signed the state’s biennial budget into law once. NSJ STAFF
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Lumbee Homecoming officially started in 1968 and the week-long celebration features a parade, outdoor gospel music concert, food and craft vendors, athletic events, a car show, and dozens of other events. Lumbee Indians from across the United States look forward to returning home for the festivities each year.
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Local governments face $7.6B shortfall in retiree health care benefit costs, per Folwell’s office
Saine talks long session, biggest bills and ‘keeping it running’ By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — With a portrait of former President Ronald Reagan behind him, Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) smiled from behind his desk while describing the current session as “managed chaos.” “You know, it’s the managed chaos that always happens,” Saine told North State Journal in a recent interview. “This one’s probably just been as chaotic as the rest. I think I’ve been around here long enough that nothing quite shocks me. I might be a little surprised, but never really
shocked.” “It seemed like we got off to a really great start as always with a session, but personalities, you know, get tired of each other, they see each other too long, fights start,” Saine said. “Although I will say working through a lot of complicated bills in our caucus, managing the chaos is probably exactly how to describe it because everyone has at least been even when they disagree on very contentious issues (and) have remained friendly.” He added that in the past his caucus has seen some “real See SAINE, page A2
Gaines urges legislators to back women’s sports in override vote By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — Riley Gaines, the decorated former University of Kentucky swimmer and Independent Women’s Voice Advisor, said she never thought it should be “political” to protect girls’ sports. In an interview with North State Journal on Monday, Gaines made the case for House Bill 574, which was vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper, to be enacted into law. Gaines testified in committee meetings at the General Assembly in support of the bill in
April, telling legislators, “I felt betrayed and belittled and like my efforts and sacrifices I had made had been reduced to a photo op to validate the identity and feelings of a male.” The bill passed both the N.C. House and Senate in late June. On July 3, Cooper vetoed the bill and two others concerning parents’ rights and ending gender transition surgeries for those under 18. Cooper said the bills were for “campaign purposes only” and dismissed them as political culture wars. “Republicans are serving up a triple threat of political cul-
By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, June 29, that affirmative action practices within college admissions were unconstitutional in a 6-3 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion of the court, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. A lawsuit spurred by Students for Fair Admission — a nonprofit organization of more than 20,000 members made up of students, parents and supporters — said “racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional” on their website, and sued Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over their admissions policies. “A student’s race and ethnicity should not be factors that either harm or help that student to gain admission to a competitive university,” their website says.
ture wars using government to invade the rights and responsibilities of parents and doctors, hurting vulnerable children and damaging our state’s reputation and economy like they did with the harmful bathroom bill,” said Cooper in a statement. “Republicans should get to work investing in our public schools and teachers, lowering the cost of living and creating more stability for middle class families.” Gaines said those arguments don’t make sense to her. “His argument, actually, I didn’t understand it at all,” she said. “He essentially said that, if we were to pass this (HB 574) ultimately in the long term, it hurts women. I couldn’t grasp what he means. “Being on the ground in North Carolina several times testifying, they claimed this is a nonissue, it’s not really happening. ‘Why should we really See GAINES, page A2
Roberts, writing in part, said, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it. And the Equal Protection Clause, we have accordingly held, applies ‘without regard to any differences of race, of color, or of nationality’ — it is “universal in [its] application.’” Colleges and universities as a result must reshape admissions practices, with many committing to finding alternate ways to maintain diversity on college campuses. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans issued a statement in response to the case, saying his team was reviewing the decision but will follow the law. “Our public universities do extraordinary work every day to serve students of all backgrounds, beliefs, income levels and life experiences,” Hans said. “ … The most important work of higher education is not in deciding how to allocate limited admissions slots at highly competitive schools, but in reaching and encouraging more students to take advantage of our 16 remarkable public universities.” In the days following the decision, UNC Chapel Hill ChancelSee TUITION, page A3