VOLUME 8 ISSUE 28
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
the
BRIEF this week
FAA authorizes RDU Airport to replace its primary runway RDU The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the RaleighDurham Airport Authority to seek final permits and begin construction on the replacement of RaleighDurham International Airport’s (RDU) primary runway. The FAA issued a final decision on the matter on Aug. 31. The airport’s existing 10,000-foot runway was built in the 1980s and needs to be replaced after nearly four decades of use, according to RDU officials. The replacement runway will be built approximately 537 feet west of the current location to allow the current runway to operate during construction. The runway replacement is expected to cost more than $500 million and estimated to be complete by 2028.
The North Carolina Symphony performs at a concert earlier in 2023.
NSJ STAFF
NC Symphony facing lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccination mandate
Another NC furniture maker quickly shuts down Taylorsville Hundreds of furniture manufacturing employees are out of a job following the closure of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams at the end of August. Signs were posted on the truck gate and office door of the company’s main plant in Taylorsville, informing employees the company, “has recently and unexpectedly learned that we are unable to continue business operations,” according to a Fox Business report. An Arkansas-based private equity firm, The Stephens Group, became the primary shareholder in the company in 2014. The closure represents the second furniture manufacturer to close in the state within the last month, following the unexpected shutdown of Klaussner Furniture.
NC’s second-largest school district sues social media companies
NSJ STAFF
Elon Musk says X will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policy San Francisco Elon Musk said that his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform. The company also updated its privacy policies that will allow for the collection of biometric data and employment history, among other information. Meta, which owns Facebook, introduced voice and video calls on Messenger in 2015. Snapchat added them in 2016. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOTO VIA N.C. DEPT. OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
The lawsuit seeks to hold the companies liable for deteriorating youth mental health
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina’s second-largest school district, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), has filed a lawsuit against various social media giants over the “addictive nature” of their products and the negative impact on the mental health of children. The more than 180-page
lawsuit was filed on Aug. 24 in the U.S. District Court for North Carolina’s Western District. The filing lists defendants as Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram; Siculus, Inc., a shell company linked to Facebook; ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company; Google; Google’s YouTube; and Snap Inc., the owner of Snapchat. “American children are suffering an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by Defendants’ addictive and dangerous social media products,” the lawsuit states. “In the past See CMS, page A2
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Three musicians are suing the North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources after they were fired for refusing the organization’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Symphony’s CEO, Sandi Macdonald, is also individually named as a defendant in the suit. “Some heroes wear capes — my clients play the French horn and violin,” Envisage Law attorney James R. Lawrence III said in a press release. “It’s an honor to represent these accomplished, highly talented musicians as they fight for religious freedom and their livelihoods.” “Our clients are dedicated musicians who have been unfairly discriminated against by the Symphony,” said Harmeet Dhillon, founder and CEO of the Center for American Liberty. “The Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but if governmental agencies can force Americans to choose between continued employment and fidelity to religious beliefs, our
most basic liberties are in jeopardy.” The main accusations against the Symphony include violating the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by mandating the COVID-19 vaccination over the religious objections of the plaintiffs. The constitutional violation allegation is tied to the lawsuit’s claim that the Symphony is a state actor because it is managed by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The complaint also alleges the Symphony tried to distance itself from its state ties by altering its website, removing its former tagline stating it was “A Division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.” “On information and belief, based on the timing of the Symphony’s changes to its webpage in relation to the events alleged herein, the Symphony altered its webpage in an effort to conceal or downplay its affiliation with the State of North Carolina for the purpose of avoiding the strictures of the United States Constitution,” states the lawsuit. See SYMPHONY, page A2
Wake County officials move to protect area farmland By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Wake County Commissioners have protected 112 acres of area forests and farmland from development by unanimously approving $400,000 in funding for a conservation easement. “This amount and the dedication of the rollback tax by Wake County is the largest single county dedication of funds for farmland protection in North Carolina and one of the largest in the country,” according to the county’s press release. The action and its funding is part of the county’s Farmland Preservation Program as well as the result of a partnership of multiple organizations including Triangle Land Conservancy, which will hold and monitor the easement, as well as funding contributions by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and North Carolina’s Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. “We are losing precious farmland at an alarming rate in Wake County, so this agreement for the Oaky Grove property marks a significant victory for conservation efforts, assuring that this historic property remains farm and open space for perpetuity,” Wake County Commissioner Donald Mail said in a press release. “This partnership will conserve prime farmland soils, as well as protect wildlife habitat and water quality in the critical natural area around Mark’s Creek. We can’t thank the Browns enough for leading the way in this new initiative.” Some of the acreage being preserved involves the Oaky Grove Farm in eastern Wake County which is owned by Carol and Talmage Brown. The Browns are re-
storing the property which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Per the press statement, the Brown’s farm dates back to 1798 and Talmage Brown’s great, great, great grandfather, Thomas Price, purchased an “estimated 353 acres for 400 pounds.” Price died in 1830 and at that time the farm was now a plantation spanning “over 4,500 acres, five grist mills, a plantation home built in the 1800s and a store.” “Preserving this land and ensuring its continuity for future generations fills me with gratitude,” said Talmage Brown, a retired NC State professor of veterinary medicine. “It feels like the purpose of a lifetime, a commitment to our community and the forthcoming generations that will cherish the beauty of this land and cultivate it for years to come.” “A recent report by the Amer-
ican Farmland Trust projects that North Carolina may lose up to 1.1 million acres of agricultural land by 2040, which places it 2nd in the entire United States in potential agricultural land lost to development,” Director of Land Protection and Stewardship (East) at Triangle Land Conservancy Leigh Ann Hammerbacher said. Hammerbacher added that Wake County ranks 32nd in the nation for potential farmland loss over the next 20 years. The move by Wake County ofSee FARMLAND, page A3
5
20177 52016 $2.00
8