VOLUME 9 ISSUE 29 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
NSJONLINE.COM
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BRIEF this week
State Rep. Elmore resigning before term ends Raleigh State Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, a longtime advocate for GOP K-12 education policies in the state House, is resigning from his seat a few months before his term was to end. The Wilkes County Republican, who joined the House in 2013, will step down effective Friday afternoon, according to his resignation letter read Monday on the House floor. Instead of seeking a seventh two-year House term, Elmore ran for lieutenant governor, finishing in the middle of the pack in the 11-candidate GOP primary in March. Elmore, who has been a House Appropriations Committee chairman, told the Wilkes Journal-Patriot that he was resigning due to another opportunity, with details to be released soon. Elmore, 46, represents the 94th House District covering Alexander County and most of Wilkes County. Republican activists in his area would pick someone to serve out the remainder of Elmore’s term through the end of the year. Republican Blair Eddins and Democrat Steve Moree are on the November ballot seeking to succeed Elmore in 2025.
MATTHEW HINTON / AP PHOTO
More of the same The debut of new Panthers coach Dave Canales, left, didn’t go as planned, with Carolina losing 47-10 in its season opener at New Orleans. Read more on B4.
K-12 testing scores continue to rise in NC
Inflation-adjusted incomes in U.S. rebound Washington, D.C. The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans’ purchasing power. The proportion of Americans living in poverty also fell slightly last year, to 11.1%, from 11.5% in 2022. But the ratio of women’s median earnings to men’s widened for the first time in more than two decades as men’s income rose more than women’s in 2023. The latest data came Tuesday in an annual report from the Census Bureau, which said the median household income, adjusted for inflation, rose 4% to $80,610 in 2023, up from $77,450 in 2022. It was the first increase since 2019 and is essentially unchanged from that year’s figure of $81,210, officials said. (The median income figure is the point at which half the population is above and half below and is less distorted by extreme incomes than the average.)
The results still haven’t reached pre-pandemic rates
Mecklenburg sheriff settles concealed carry lawsuit The ruling orders Sheriff Garry McFadden to process the permits within 45 days By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has settled a lawsuit brought by gun rights groups and individual plaintiffs that alleged delays in processing con-
cealed handgun permits. The lawsuit, filed in November 2022, claimed that the sheriff’s office’s practices violated the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. The plaintiffs claimed McFadden was abusing a loophole related to mental health checks for concealed handgun permits. The lawsuit filed by Grass Roots North Carolina See SHERIFF, page A2
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Student test scores for the 2023-24 school year were presented to the North Carolina State Board of Education last Wednesday. Overall, scores across most subjects continued to see upticks when compared to the last two school years but remain behind pre-pandemic rates. “We are proud of the steady progress reflected in this year’s state test scores,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said in a statement. “This progress highlights the hard work and incredible dedication of educators and students across the state. “The data in the accountability report provides us with a clear picture of what’s going well in our schools and what areas need additional support. This year’s data shows us that
23 states back NC appeal in sex reassignment surgery coverage case The 4th Circuit ruled in April that the North Carolina State Health Plan must cover the procedures By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, almost two dozen states have signed onto an amicus brief in support of North Carolina and West Virginia in their appeal to overturn a 4th Circuit ruling issued in April that directed the health plans in those states to cover sex reassignment procedures to plan members. In addition to Missouri, states signing onto the amicus include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. All 23 states have Republican attorneys general. “We appreciate the support nearly half of the states have shown by filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision,” North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell said in a statement. “Our position remains unchanged. State governing bodies are best equipped to evaluate health care coverage that provides the greatest good to the highest number of people. They, and not the courts, are the proper place to make such decisions.” Folwell, whose agency oversees the State Health Plan, filed a petition appealing the 4th Circuit’s 8-6 decision in Folwell v. Kadel to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 26. The 4th Circuit’s April 2024 ruling sided with the plaintiffs that the State Health Plan’s refusal to cover sex reassignment surgeries violat-
ed the Equal Protection Clause. Folwell’s petition called the 4th Circuit ruling “seriously flawed,” and the state’s exclusion of gender care treatments, “does not draw any classifications based on any protected trait. It distinguishes between medical treatments. “For decades, the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees has chosen to exclude coverage for treatments ‘leading to or in connection with sex changes or modifications,’” Folwell’s petition See APPEAL, page A2
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we’re headed in the right direction in most areas, but that we must remain committed to advocating for additional support for our teachers.” The results for each grade level and subjects area were presented in percentages for both grade-level proficiency (GLP) and college-and-career readiness (CCR). Test scores can fall into five levels, with five being the highest; GLP spans levels 3-5 and CCR levels 4-5. For the 2023-24 year, the report found most grades had small to moderate upticks in GLP in reading and math, and not a lot of changes in science. End of Grade (EOG) reading for grades three, five, six and eight saw small gains, but fourth and seventh grades declined over the previous year. GLP in 2022-23 for the fourth grade went from 55.1% to 52.6% this year, and for the seventh grade, the respective drop was 50.1% to 48.3%. High school English II scores increased to 59.5% from 58.3% in 2022-23. See SCHOOLS, page A3