Madison Cawthorn tries to survive primary as slip-ups mount
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A series of unforced political and personal errors by GOP congressman Madison Cawthorn has brought the forces of big-name Republicans and traditional enemies to bear on his reelection bid in North Carolina. Some of the transgressions have been headline-grabbing, like one that rankled GOP colleagues who believe he insinuated they were holding orgies and snorting cocaine. Some have been salacious, like recently released videos showing him in sexually suggestive poses. But at home, the most consequential may have been when he decided to run for a different U.S. House seat before changing his mind. Some constituents believe he’s more interested in inflaming the culture wars than helping the district.
ELECTION 2022-NORTH CAROLINA-LEGISLATURE
GOP incumbent bouts mark NC legislative primaries
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Four pairs of Republican incumbents in the North Carolina General Assembly are facing off against each other in next week’s primaries, but the most interesting legislative race may be among Democrats. Gov. Roy Cooper took the unusual step of endorsing a primary challenger to Democratic Sen. Kirk deViere of Fayetteville. DeViere has been accused of getting too comfortable with the GOP during 2021 budget negotiations and siding with Republicans on other issues. Cooper is backing former Fayetteville city council member Val Applewhite. The most high-profile primary between sitting Republicans may be between Sens. Deanna Ballard of Watauga County and Ralph Hise of Mitchell County.
RESOURCE OFFICER-FIGHT
School resource officer on leave after fight with student
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say a resource officer at an elementary school has been placed on administrative leave after he got into a fight with a student. Henderson County Public Schools issued a statement on Thursday saying the principal at Fletcher Elementary School reported the fight, which occurred on Monday, to system administrators. The statement says administrators reported the incident to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office then asked the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter. Neither the school system nor the sheriff’s office released further details were released.
AP-US-BIDEN-BROADBAND-INTERNET
Biden administration to release $45B for nationwide internet
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking the first steps to release $45 billion to ensure every U.S. resident has access to high-speed internet by roughly 2028. The administration is inviting governors and other leaders Friday to start the application process. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is overseeing the distribution. Raimondo is traveling to North Carolina and says universal access to broadband internet would be akin to the electrification of rural America during the 1930s, a recognition the internet is a utility needed for U.S. residents to function in today’s economy. The funding is part of the $65 billion for broadband in the $1 trillion infrastructure package President Joe Biden signed into law last November.
MINE SHAFT HAZARD
US Forest Service covers abandoned shaft to protect hikers
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has put a grate over an abandoned 30-foot-deep pit mine shaft in North Carolina that had posed a hazard on a popular biking trail. Nicknamed the “sinkhole,” the mine shaft is on the Holly Springs Trail in Pisgah National Forest. The forest service said that in the last decade, there had been multiple incidents in which people and animals had fallen into the hole. The forest service said several options were considered before officials decided to cover the sinkhole with a 12-foot by 10-foot flat aluminum grate that is safe to walk or ride over, and meets safety requirements while maintaining the character of the trail.
SAMFORD ALUM-GIFT
Samford University alum leaves record $100M gift
An alumnus of Samford University in Alabama has given the school the largest gift in its history, including $95 million for scholarships. The university says Marvin Mann, who died at his Cary, North Carolina, home in March, left the school a $100 million gift. According to the school, it is the largest gift to the university by a single donor and the largest gift ever made to a higher education institution in the state of Alabama by a single donor. Mann, a native of Springdale, Alabama, graduated from Samford in 1954. He worked for IBM for 32 years and went on to found Lexmark International Inc. in 1991.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-UNC BUILDINGS RENAMED
UNC-Chapel Hill to rename dormitory, student affairs office
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The flagship school of North Carolina’s university system is renaming a residence hall and a student affairs office long named for people tied to white supremacy. On Friday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will dedicate the Hortense McClinton Residence Hall and the Henry Owl Building in an on-campus ceremony. McClinton became UNC’s first Black faculty member in 1966. Owl was the first Native American to enroll at the university, as a graduate student in history in 1928. The buildings had been named for North Carolina Gov. Charles B. Adcock and Ku Klux Klan member Julian Carr, who promoted violence to terrorize Black voters at the turn of the 20th Century.
WIND-ENERGY-LEASE-CAROLINAS
2 companies bid $315M to develop wind power off Carolinas
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of the Interior says two energy companies bid a combined $315 million in an auction for the rights to produce power from wind energy in two areas off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. TotalEnergies Renewables USA paid a reported $160 million for 54,937 acres off the coast. Duke Energy Renewables Wind bid $155 million for 55,154 acres. Specifically, the sites are 50 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and about 30 miles south of Bald Head Island in North Carolina. If fully developed, the leasescould result in about1.3 gigawattsof offshore wind energy, enough to power about 500,000homes.
