VOLUME 6 ISSUE 20
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
North Carolina ranks No. 2 on CNBC beststates-for-business list Raleigh North Carolina has jumped one spot to No. 2 among CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business,” its best performance in the annual ranking since it was introduced in 2007 by the business network. The CNBC study, released on Tuesday, ranks all 50 states on more than 85 different metrics in 10 key categories. The state’s strong economy and workforce recently helped convince Apple to locate its first East Coast corporate campus in the state’s Research Triangle area, according to CNBC. “Despite the pandemic, companies across a diverse array of industries announced major location and expansion projects in North Carolina over the past year,” said Christopher Chung, chief executive officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Virginia took the top overall spot in this year’s CNBC ranking, with 1,587 points overall across all categories. North Carolina was a close second with 1,546 points. The remaining top five states were Utah, Texas and Tennessee. NSJ STAFF
Red Bull and Rauch to create beverage manufacturing hub in Cabarrus County Concord Red Bull and filling company Rauch will partner to build a new beverage-manufacturing, filling and distribution center in Cabarrus County, creating more than 400 new jobs and investing more than $740 million in the City of Concord by 2027. “Global manufacturers need a world-class workforce to support their expansion plans,” said Gov. Roy Cooper. “In North Carolina, Red Bull and Rauch have chosen the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast and a resilient business climate with an excellent transportation infrastructure to support their long-term growth.” The companies will develop a state-of-theart campus for beverage manufacturing, can filling and distribution. Cumulatively, this high-tech beverage production hub will span 2 million square feet of vertical integration to include office space at The Grounds at Concord. “The decision by these innovative companies to choose Cabarrus County creates game-changing employment opportunities for our citizens,” said state Sen. Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus). NSJ STAFF
Mystery grows with key suspect in Haiti president killing Port-Au-Prince, Haiti New details that have emerged about a man considered a key player in the killing of Haiti’s president deepened the mystery over the assassination that shocked this nation of more than 11 million people, as it faces an uncertain future. Local authorities identified the suspect as Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 62, a Haitian who once expressed a desire to lead his country in a YouTube video. However, he is unknown in Haitian political circles, and associates suggested he was duped by those really behind the slaying of President Jovenel Moïse in an attack last week that critically wounded his wife, Martine. Twenty-six former Colombian soldiers are suspected in the killing, and 23 have been arrested, along with three Haitians. Charles said five suspects are still at large and at least three have been killed.
ELIANA APONTE | AP PHOTO
Protests in Cuba Anti-government protesters march in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, July 11, 2021. As Cubans facing the country's worst economic crisis in decades took to the streets in droves over the weekend into Monday, July 12, 2021, authorities blocked social media sites in an apparent effort to stop the flow of information into, out of and within the beleaguered nation.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Parents in NC’s largest school district mobilize against continued masking Taylor: Both CDC and state-level guidance on masks have been ‘consistently inconsistent’ By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Parents in Wake County are mobilizing in an effort to make sure their children will not be compelled to wear masks when the 2021-22 school year begins this fall. Neighboring Harnett County Schools has stated they will not be requiring masks this fall, as have several charter schools and private schools, like Thales Academy. Parents in Wake County are trying to make that happen in their district with a larger goal of ending the practice statewide. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on July 9 that vaccinated students and education staff no longer would have to wear masks indoors. As there is no vaccine for children under the age of 12 yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the CDC’s new guidance, some argue, creates a medical discrimination situation within K-12 and higher education institutions. Dr. Tracy Taylor of Raleigh has been tracking the mask de-
Truitt statement during meeting says standards and documents lack historical context, specificity
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
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See MASKS, page A3
By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Current general counsel for the N.C. Administration of Courts Trey Allen spoke with North State Journal on his run for the state Supreme Court and why he believes his background and philosophy make him the right choice for the seat. Allen said his interest in law and politics has been with him as long as he can remember, all the way back to his time growing up in Robeson County when, on his own initiative, he began to read extensively about the nation’s founders. “As a young man, I became fascinated by the founders, including, among others, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison,” Allen said. “That sense of history and that appreciation, even at such a young age, appreciation for their achievement, has always been something that’s stuck with me.” This focus on the founding, and being true to its original intent, followed him to UNC Pembroke, where he took classes in political science, and then to UNC Chapel Hill Law School. “I grew up in a very patriotic household,” Allen said on why he holds the Constitution and American system in such high regard. “My dad is a 30-year veteran of the Air Force, much of that in the Air Force Reserves. I grew up being taught, ‘Love God and love your country.’” Allen said that after law school, he decided to join the Marine Corps, partly because of his family’s military history and patriotism. But also because he wanted a challenge. “When I was in law school, I realized that if I was going to do any military service, that this was probably my last opportunity to do that, and I joined the Marine Corps because the Marine Corps promised to challenge me. I was looking for a challenge, and I will say, the Marine Corps lived up to that promise.” Allen spent time in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he was also deployed as a judge advocate to Okinawa, Japan. That’s when a man who would be very influential in his professional career offered him his next big opportunity — to be a state
State Board of Education approves support documents for controversial studies standards
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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bate since the start of the pandemic. She says that both CDC and state-level guidance on mask wearing have been “consistently inconsistent.” “This medical discrimination is creating an opportunity for other students, staff, and admin to bully those who are wearing masks about the vaccine,” said Taylor of granting privileges to the vaccinated over the unvaccinated. “It essentially puts a target on their back when students are the least at-risk cohort.” Taylor added that some students, staff, and admin may not be able to get the vaccine, and asked, “Should they wear a mask forever?” She said that the CDC’s recent mask guidance emphasizes flexibility at local levels. That in turn should open the door for the Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to update the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit to allow local districts to change their mask policies, she says. “There have been multiple studies showing adverse effects and pathogens on masks worn by children, but to date, there has yet to be a study done showing the positive impact of long-term daily mask wearing by children
Trey Allen discusses run for NC Supreme Court
RALEIGH — At its July scheduled meeting, the State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to approve documents that support the revised social studies standards for grades
six through 12. The vote was 6-5 down party lines, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against them. The vote this time around was minus member Donna Tipton-Rogers, who voted in favor of the new standards earlier this year. The supporting documents for grade K-5 were presented and approved in June. During the meeting, state Superintendent Catherine Truitt read a statement, a copy of which
was obtained by the North State Journal. The statement begins by thanking the Department of Public Instruction’s social studies standards team for its work before describing issues with the revisions and documentation. “As superintendent, one of the things I’m charged with is improving the quality of education for students and implementing strategies that will enhance student outcomes. However, I can’t say in good See EDUCATION, page A2
Supreme Court clerk back in his home state. That man was Paul Newby, now the state Supreme Court’s chief justice. “He interviewed me by phone from Okinawa, and I was fortunate enough to be offered a position to clerk for him,” Allen said. “It was a great education in how our state’s highest court functions. It was also an education in how a conservative judge goes about trying to remain faithful to the original understanding of the Constitution and to the text and legislative intent of the laws when deciding cases.” And this conservative philosophy, which he holds in common with Newby, has remained with him. “I would say broadly that I’m a constitutional conservative, and when it comes to interpreting the Constitution — the federal Constitution or the state Constitution — what that means is that when confronting an issue, you try to follow the original understanding of what the constitutional provision at issue meant,” Allen said. “You’re guided by the provision as it was understood when ratified.” After clerking for Newby, Allen spent almost seven years in private practice in Raleigh, working in education law and arguing constitutional cases in front of both federal and state courts. He then joined the faculty at UNC Chapel Hill School of Government, where he spent another seven years teaching on local government and giving legal advice to officials across the state. UNC Chapel Hill honored Allen as Coates Distinguished Term Associate ProfesSee ALLEN, page A2