Tag: North Carolina

Cities Reveal Insane Offers They Made in Bid for Amazon HQ

Admin

by Evie Fordham   Amazon announced its decision Tuesday to split its second headquarters between Long Island City, New York, and Arlington, Virginia, but by picking those locations the corporation gave up some pretty sweet deals — and unusual offers — from other cities and states. Amazon will get incentives packages of more than $1.5 billion for bringing jobs to New York and more than $570 million for bringing jobs to Virginia, according to a Tuesday press release. Amazon bypassed big offers from Maryland and New Jersey, which put together incentives packages of $6.5 billion and $7 billion, respectively, according to The Baltimore Sun. But other states came up with offers that included deal-sweeteners other than infrastructure investments and tax credits proportional to jobs created. Here are a few of them: Georgia The Peach State had a long list it was willing to do to convince Amazon to build HQ2 in Atlanta. Georgia’s full package, which totaled more than $2 billion, was released for the first time Tuesday evening, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That package included “Amazon Academy of Georgia,” a state-provided space near or on Amazon’s campus to trains its employees, according to a March 5 document. The state was willing to pay…

Read the full story

Principal Replaced After Making a Student Take Off His Trump Jersey at a Patriotic-Themed Football Game

Admin

by Neetu Chandak   A North Carolina high school principal was replaced after she asked a student to take off his Trump jersey at a patriotic-themed football game. Cindy Gordon, the former principal at Harnett Central High School, asked Matthew Collins, 18, to remove the jersey because it was political, according to WRAL Friday. The front of the jersey read “USA” in red, white and blue and the back of the shirt had the word “Trump” with the number “45” written below. Gordon informed Collins that some parents were complaining about the shirt and he had to take it off in order to stay at the game, according to the son’s father Michael Collins, WRAL reported. Matthew Collins left the game that day. Students were encouraged to dress patriotically for the school’s football game on Oct. 5, according to ABC11 on Wednesday. “As long as the expression does not disrupt, and is not reasonably expected to disrupt, the educational mission of the school system, these rights include wearing clothing expressing political messages or supporting political candidates,” Harnett County school district spokeswoman Natalie Ferrell said, ABC11 reported. Michael Collins, who is a registered Democrat, said the shirt was not meant to promote President…

Read the full story

North And South Carolina Declare State Of Emergency As Florence Bears Down

Admin
Tennessee Star

by Chris White   South Carolina followed North Carolina’s footsteps in declaring a state of emergency Saturday as Tropical Storm Florence approaches the East Coast on its way to becoming a hurricane. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Friday, as the state prepares to make resources available if Florence morphs into a hurricane. He called on residents to make proper precautions. “While it’s still too early to know the storm’s path, we know we have to be prepared,” Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday. “During harvest, time is of the essence. Action today can avoid losses due to Florence.” Here are the 11 AM EDT Key Messages on #Florence https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/L5VdT2Ueh3 — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 8, 2018 South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster followed suit. “This is not an evacuation. It is way too early for that,” he said Saturday. “We know that it’s coming, and we know that we need to take precautions.” McMaster, a Republican, called Florence “a very unpredictable hurricane,” adding: “We are preparing for the worst and of course hoping for the best. Being prepared is always the best strategy.” Florence might not be the only major storm Cooper and McMaster…

Read the full story

Police Arrest Seven for Toppling Confederate Soldier Statue at North Carolina Protest

Tennessee Star Staff
Silent Sam

by Vandana Rambaran   Seven people were arrested Saturday after protests broke out in North Carolina as the statue of a Confederate soldier was toppled earlier this week. A “violent mob” of about 300 protesters used ropes on Monday to pull down Silent Sam, a century-old statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that commemorates Confederate soldiers, according to a video statement on Thursday by UNC board member Thom Goolsby. Over 100 people gathered near the statue on Saturday, some brandishing Confederate flags and promoting the historical significance of the statute, while others waved signs urging to “Destroy White Supremacy,” according to Reuters. School officials are urging that the statue be resurrected within the 90 days as required by state law, but off campus to avoid violent protests at the university, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said in a press conference Saturday. “We all have to recognize that the Confederate monument is a flashpoint for demonstrations and interruptions on campus and we believe it will continue to be a lightning rod,” Folt said. Some protesters who were arrested face charges of assault, while three who helped pull down the statue face misdemeanor charges of riot and defacing a…

Read the full story

Nineteen Foreign Nationals Charged For Voting in 2016 Election

Jason M. Reynolds
Robert J. Higdon

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina on Friday announced 19 foreign nationals were charged with, among other alleged crimes, voting by alien for their actions prior to and on Nov. 8, 2016. A 20th defendant was charged with aiding and abetting a fellow defendant in falsely claiming citizenship to register to vote. A federal grand jury in Wilmington, North Carolina returned Indictments charging the following foreign nationals with false claim of United States citizenship to register to vote, and voting by an alien: Jose Cruz Solano-Rodriguez, 41, Mexico; Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena, 63, Mexico; Sarah Emilia Silverio-Polanco, 35, the Dominican Republic; Elizabeth Nene Amachaghi, 44, Nigeria; Maria Rufina Castillo-Boswell, 31, Philippines; Dora Maybe Damatta-Rodriguez, 64, Panama; Elvis David Fullerton, 54, Grenada; Olive Agatha Martin, 71, Guyana; Kaoru Sauls, age 54, Japan. Criminal charges of voting by an alien were filed against the following: Jose Jaime Ramiro-Torres, 52, El Salvador; Juan Francisco Landeros-Mireles, 64, Mexico; Alessandro Cannizzaro, 46, Italy; Dieudonne Soifils, 71, Haiti; Hyo Suk George, 69, Korea; Merius Jean, 54, Haiti; Rosemarie Angelika Harris, 60, Germany; Daniel Tadeusz Romanowski, 39, Poland. A federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging an 18th defendant, Diana Patricia Franco-Rodriguez,…

Read the full story

ICE Arrests Illegal Immigrant Sex Offender After NC Local Custody Released Him While On A Detainer Order

Admin
ICE Arrest

by Neetu Chandak   Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an illegal immigrant and sex offender Monday who was released by North Carolina jail even though he was on an immigrant detainer. Mexican national Udiel Aguilar-Castellanos, 44, pleaded guilty for two counts of sexual battery on June 27, ICE reported Wednesday. ICE filed an immigration detainer on Aguilar-Castellanos in Sept. 17 when he was first charged for the sex crimes. Local officials, however, released Aguilar-Castellanos from Orange County custody on June 27 without informing ICE officials. “When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety,” ERO Atlanta Field Office Director Sean Gallagher said according to the ICE press report. The victim was an 11-year old girl, according to the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry reported by CBS 17. ICE found out about Aguilar-Castellano’s release after he registered as a sex offender, as part of his plea agreement, on July 11. “Nearly 90 percent of all foreign nationals taken into ICE custody this year were targeted following their criminal arrest,” Gallagher said. “Despite efforts by certain groups to misrepresent this reality, the fact is ICE continues to focus its enforcement…

Read the full story

Charlotte, North Carolina Embraces the 2020 Republican Convention, Nashville Passes

Tennessee Star Staff
Donald Trump

Charlotte, North Carolina has been selected as the location for the 2020 Republican National Convention. Nashville was under consideration as a potential location, but local government entities apparently did not pursue the bid with much interest. Charlotte, in contrast, let the Republican National Committee know it wanted the financial benefits such a convention will bring. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill discussed on Friday’s edition of The Gill Report – broadcast on Knoxville’s 92.3 FM WETR – the Republican National Committee’s pick of Charlotte, North Carolina as the site for the 2020 Republican Convention. “The Republican Party has picked their location for their 2020 convention. Which presumably will be where Donald Trump gets nominated for a second term as President of the United States. While Charlotte, North Carolina is going to be the site. The Charlotte City Council voted six-to-five to accept the bid to embrace the Republicans coming to Charlotte for the convention in 2020,” Gill said, adding: Four Democrats and two Republicans voted yes, Five Democrats voted no because apparently the five Democrats don’t want the crowds, the money and the national and international attention that comes. They didn’t have any problem by the way when the Democrats wanted to bring…

Read the full story

Kimberly Guilfoyle Leaves Fox News for Super PAC

Julie Carr
Donald Trump Jr, Kimberly Guilfoyle

  Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill discussed on Friday’s edition of The Gill Report – broadcast on Knoxville’s 92.3 FM WETR – the departure of Kimberly Guilfoyle at Fox News. Gill stated, “Fox News star Kimberly Guilfoyle is leaving the cable network to join America First Action Super PAC. It’s a super PAC that supports president Donald Trump for President. She has been working for FOX News for twelve years as the co-host of The Five right now.” He continued: But she’s been dating Donald Trump, Jr. after he and his wife Vanessa filed for divorce in March. I don’t think their divorce is over. But they’re dating. In a recent interview Guilfoyle said to Breitbart News Daily that, ‘Donald Trump, Jr is the number one up and coming political figure on the right.’ So, she is hooking up with a rising star and we’ll see how that works out and how that works out for the PAC. The 49-year-old Guilfoyle is no stranger to personal controversy. A former prosecuting attorney in San Francisco, she was married to then-mayor, now California Lt. Governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom from 2001 to 2006. As their marriage was breaking up, Newsom admitted he had…

Read the full story

One-Fifth Of North Carolina Students Aren’t Going To Traditional Public Schools

Admin
classroom

by Rob Shimshock   Almost 20 percent of K-12 students in North Carolina are not attending traditional public schools. Enrollment in the state’s traditional public schools has fallen during the past few years as more and more students attend private, charter or home schools, The News & Observer reported Friday. North Carolina’s proportion of students enrolled in traditional public schools now sits at 80.8 percent. “Families are more attuned to and used to having choices at their fingertips, and that is entering education as well,” Parents For Educational Freedom Interim President Brian Jodice said. “We’re no longer in this mindset that because I live at this address or this ZIP code I have to attend this particular school that works for many students but doesn’t have to be the only choice.” The National Center for Education Statistics anticipated that out of the 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school in 2018, 3.3 million graduates would receive their degrees from public high schools. This proportion is over 10 percent higher than the aforementioned North Carolina rate. Not everyone is pleased with the trend. “North Carolina has already embraced the privatization, the [American Legislative Exchange Council] agenda of dismantling public schools in favor of…

Read the full story

Supreme Court Lets Contested District Maps In Texas, NC Remain In Effect

Admin
SCOTUS, North Carolina, Texas

by Kevin Daley   The U.S. Supreme Court Monday cleared the way for Texas and North Carolina to use a set of contested legislative district lines, declining to side with plaintiffs who alleged the maps were gerrymandered for partisan or racial advantage. The decisions come one week after the high court sidestepped sweeping rulings in landmark challenges to political gerrymanders. The North Carolina case, Rucho v. Common Cause, involved a challenge to the state’s congressional district map. The current lines afford Republicans a 10-3 advantage in North Carolina’s congressional delegation, although the state has adopted a moderate political character in recent election cycles. As in other gerrymandering cases, mapmakers brazenly acknowledged the partisan interests driving the process. “I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats,” said North Carolina Republican Rep. David Lewis, who chairs the state legislature’s redistricting committee. “So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country.” A three-judge district court said the map was unconstitutional and ordered the state to produce new maps in time for the 2018 elections, but the justices placed that order on hold in January. Monday’s order lifted the three-judge panel’s ruling, and required the lower court to…

Read the full story

North Carolina Judge Throws Mom In Jail For Baptizing Her Daughter

Tennessee Star Staff

A North Carolina judge threw a mother in jail for seven days for having her daughter baptized without the father’s presence and consent. Kendra Stocks of Charlotte, N.C. will report to jail Friday to begin her seven-day sentence after District Court Judge Sean Smith ruled in March 2017 that she acted in “bad-faith disregard” and was therefore in contempt of court for having her daughter baptized without consulting Paul Schaaf, the child’s father, according to Fox8. Stocks’ sentence is based on a previous custody battle between her and Schaaf, to whom the court gave final authority on all legal decisions regarding the child, including decisions about religion, according to WSOC.

Read the full story

Bannon Expands His Target List of McConnell GOP Senate Allies to Defeat into North Carolina

Tennessee Star Staff

WASHINGTON — On Thursday morning, GOP strategist Karl Rove lambasted Steve Bannon in The Wall Street Journal for his involvement in Republican primaries. By Thursday afternoon, Bannon’s allies were already plotting their revenge: mobilization against North Carolina Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger — Rove’s pick in that race. “I’m familiar enough with Bannon’s 2018 efforts that this…

Read the full story