Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts

Sunday, October 09, 2022

Democrat Cheri Beasley deadlocked with Republican Rep. Ted Budd in North carolina

North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race is a statistical dead heat with the economy as the driving issue for voters in all parties, according to a WRAL News Poll released on Monday.

The online survey found 43% of likely voters favor Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, while 42% prefer the Democrat, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley. Thirteen percent of the 677 likely voters surveyed are undecided. Two percent plan to back Libertarian candidate Shannon Bray, and less than 1% support Green Party candidate Matthew Hoh.


The poll, which was conducted in partnership with SurveyUSA from Wednesday to Sunday, reported a credibility interval of 4.4 percentage points. A credibility interval is similar to a margin of error but takes into account more factors and is considered by some pollsters to be a more accurate measurement of statistical certainty.


The WRAL survey is the third public opinion poll released over the past week showing Beasley and Budd within a single percentage point of one another. Civitas, a conservative nonprofit organization, last week had Beasley ahead of Budd by 0.3 of a percentage point with 10% of respondents undecided. A Meredith College poll on Thursday reported Budd up by 0.3 of a percentage point with 12% of respondents undecided.

Political onlookers say the race will remain tight leading up to Election Day on Nov. 8, with the economy and concerns over abortion access having an outsize influence on the results.

Saturday, April 02, 2022

University of North Carolina's Hubert Davis wins Coach of the Year Award

University North Carolina coach Hubert Davis is the recipient of the 2021 John McLendon Award, which is presented annually to the top collegiate head basketball coach and includes Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA.

In his first season as the Tar Heels’ head coach, Davis orchestrated a remarkable turnaround and led the team to 28 victories and the Final Four.

Davis, 51, starred at UNC as a player, graduating as the program’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage. After a 12-year NBA career, he worked as a college basketball analyst at ESPN before joining Roy Williams staff at UNC in 2012. He was tabbed to replace the Hall of Fame coach when Williams retired following the 2020-21 season.

UNC struggled early in Davis’ debut season, suffering blowout losses to Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke and Miami and was 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the ACC in late January. But the Tar Heels won 16 of the next 19, spoiled Coach K’s final home game at Duke and advanced to the Final Four for the 21st time, extending their record. The Tar Heels’ success mirrored the in-season development of guards R.J. Davis and Caleb Love.

The John McLendon Award is named after one of the true legends of the sport. A trailblazer and one of the true pioneers of the game, McLendon became the first African American coach to win an integrated national championship. His team went on to win the NAIA Division I Men's Tournament in 1957, 1958 and 1959, making him the first coach in history to win three consecutive NAIA championships.

In 1962 he became the first African American head coach in a major professional league (ABL) with the Cleveland Pipers. In 1966 he became the first African American head coach of predominantly white university, when he took over the Cleveland State program. He led the team to their best record in school history.

In 1969, McLendon was hired by the Denver Rockets and became the first African American head coach in the American Basketball Association. After a brief stint with the Rockets, McLendon ended his 25-year professional coaching career with a winning percentage of .760 and a lifetime career average of 523 victories and 165 losses.

Saturday, October 09, 2021

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson calls gay and transgender people 'filth' Lt. Gov. Robinson

Some North Carolina lawmakers and LGBTQ rights advocates are calling for Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to “resign immediately,” after a video showing him referring to the LGBTQ community as “filth” was posted on social media earlier this week.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

North Carolina court blocks state voter ID law, citing ‘intent to target African American voters’

A North Carolina state court panel on Friday blocked a voter identification law, citing discrimination against Black voters.

The law, known as SB 824, was passed in 2018 after Republicans lost their supermajority in the legislature but before the new legislature took over. It was already on hold under a preliminary injunction, after North Carolina’s Court of Appeals said voter ID provisions could negatively impact Black voters. But now the state court has permanently blocked the law, which required photo identification to vote.

The majority of the three-judge panel said Friday that the law “was motivated at least in part by an unconstitutional intent to target African American voters.”

“Other, less restrictive voter ID laws would have sufficed to achieve the legitimate nonracial purposes of implementing the constitutional amendment requiring voter ID, deterring fraud, or enhancing voter confidence,” Superior Court Judges Michael O’Foghludha and Vince Rozier wrote in their ruling Friday.

In a statement, Southern Coalition for Social Justice co-executive director and chief counsel for voting rights Allison Riggs and pro bono counsel Andrew Ehrlich — attorneys who served on behalf of a group of North Carolina voters — said they “hope” the ruling sent “a strong message that racial discrimination will not be tolerated.”

The statement continued: “Today’s ruling striking down North Carolina’s latest unconstitutional photo voter ID law is a testament to the overwhelming evidence, including compelling stories of disenfranchisement from voters themselves, which highlighted how the state’s Republican-controlled legislature undeniably implemented this legislation to maintain its power by targeting voters of color."

[SOURCE: CNN]

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Cheri Beasley: First African American woman Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that Cheri Beasley will be the next Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Beasley will be the first black woman to lead the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Thursday, January 03, 2019

First African American District Attorney in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina is sworn in

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has a new District Attorney.

Spencer Merriweather was sworn in Wednesday along with about 80 Assistant District Attorneys. Merriweather is Mecklenburg County’s first elected African American District Attorney. He won the election in November.

The Democratic ran unopposed. In this historic election Merriweather wants to have impact on a judicial system that some often find hard to trust.

"You cannot come from the type of legacy that I come from," Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather said. "You cannot live the type of life I believe I lived in this world and not take issue of justice and fairness and safety extremely seriously."

Merriweather shared his priorities after getting sworn in. He wants to take a look at the bail system.

He doesn’t want violent suspects to be released from jail because they have money in their account.

The DA also wants to help create a Family Justice Center. The hope is the center would be a one stop shop for victims of sexual or domestic violence.

Merriweather says the center would provide all the resources a victim needs. City and county leaders are discussing how to make the Center a reality. The DA says safety and fairness cannot be an afterthought.

[SOURCE: WBTV]

Friday, November 30, 2018

GOP Sen. Tim Scott To Oppose Trump Judicial Nominee Thomas Farr

Republican Sen. Tim Scott announced Thursday he would oppose President Donald Trump's nominee to be a US district judge in North Carolina, effectively ending the nomination that had been plagued with accusations that Thomas Farr supported measures that disenfranchised African-American voters.

"This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr's activities. This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr's nomination," Scott said in a statement.

Scott, who is the Senate's sole black Republican, told reporters Wednesday that he wanted to speak to the author of a 1991 memo obtained by the Washington Post, which outlines a controversial postcard campaign distributed by the 1990 campaign of Sen. Jesse Helms that the Justice Department said were used to intimidate black voters from going to the polls.

Scott's decision to oppose Farr prevented Farr from being confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans hold a 51-to-49 seat majority. Also opposing Farr was Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has sworn off advancing Trump judicial nominees until the chamber votes on a bill to protect special counsels such as Robert Mueller. All 49 Democrats opposed the nomination.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Sunday, October 21, 2018

North Carolina poll worker removed amid allegations of intimidating black voters

Election officials in Bunn, North Carolina removed a poll worker from an early voting site Thursday following allegations that she intimidated several African American voters.

The poll worker has been assigned to office duty away from the voting site pending a meeting Tuesday, the NC State Board of Elections confirmed to The News & Observer on Saturday. On Tuesday, voters who filed complaints will speak with members of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

Members of an African American political action committee, Franklin County PAC, accused the poll worker of repeatedly asking about a half dozen African American voters voters to spell their names on Wednesday, the first day of early voting across the state.

The voter complaint comes amid a highly sensitive atmosphere with accusations of voter suppression, fraud and intimidation targeting people of color in a number of states including, Georgia, North Dakota and North Carolina.

The State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement said on Saturday that the agency has been in contact with Lisa Goswick, the Franklin County elections director.

The state agency released a statement to The News & Observer:

“The poll worker in question was taken off of poll duty and is working in the county office until the County Board can meet to discuss the incident. It is our understanding that the County Board will hear from the poll worker involved to get the other side of the story. The board also will hear from several eyewitnesses to the events. Both the State and County Board take these allegations seriously and will continue to gather facts.”

SOURCE: The News & Observer

Sunday, February 26, 2017

NAACP calls for economic boycott of North Carolina


NAACP BOARD CITES RACIALLY-DISCRIMINATORY GERRYMANDERING AND VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS AS KEY REASONS FOR ECONOMIC BOYCOTT
RALEIGH, NC—The NAACP Board of Directors announced a resolution calling for the discussion of the first steps of an international economic boycott of the state of North Carolina in response to actions of an all-white legislative caucus, which unconstitutionally designed racially-discriminatory gerrymandered districts, enacted a monster voter suppression law, passed Senate Bill 4 stripping the incoming Governor of power and passed House Bill 2. HB 2 is anti-transgender, anti-worker and anti-access to the state court for employment discrimination.
NAACP National President/CEO Cornell William Brooks and North Carolina State President and National Board Member Rev. Dr. William Barber II, will hold a press conference today (Friday, Feb. 24th @ 11:00 am) at the NC General Assembly to discuss the economic boycott and rally supporters for direct actions against the legislators.
“The federal court has declared and North Carolina citizens have discovered that partisan legislators are discriminating in the voting booth, school bathrooms, the workplace and across the state.  Seldom has such a poisonously partisan few violated the rights of a nonpartisan many: workers rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Therefore, the NAACP must use the power of the purse to demonstrate the power of our democracy.  We will use economic leverage, moral persuasion, civil disobedience and litigation in North Carolina and across the nation–as needed and now. Unrelenting resistance is the order of the day,” said NAACP CEO and President Cornell William Brooks.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, stated, “The actions of the all white caucus of extremists in our legislature and the former Governor are out of control. They have consistently passed legislation that is a violation of our deepest moral values, voting rights, civil rights and the fundamental principle of equal protection under the law.”
“The federal court ruled against their voter suppression and racially gerrymandered districts. We believe their attacks on the transgender community and attempt to strip the Governor of power will also be found unconstitutional. Their decision to block local municipality’s ability to raise wages and their limitation of access to state courts are wrong and we must stand strong against any and all attempts to deprive citizens their rights ordained by God and guaranteed by the constitution,” said Rev. Dr. Barber, NAACP North Carolina State President. “What has happened in North Carolina makes this state a battleground over the soul of America and whether our nation is sincere about making democracy real for all people, not just those with the right bank account, right sexuality or right skin.”
According to the NAACP Board of Director’s Resolution:
“The National Board of the NAACP will explore such a North Carolina Boycott along with the NC State Conference until the NC legislature passes bills that accomplish the following (or until such results are achieved through the courts):
a) Undo racially gerrymandered districts and create fair election districts;
b) repeal the entire HB-2 law;
c) repeal SB-4 law passed in a special session called for another reason that stripped trained civil servants in County and State Election Boards from supervising elections;
d) repeal the requirement that litigants to appeal to the en banc Court of Appeals before they can file an appeal to the NC Supreme Court;
e)repeal legislation that stripped the current Governor of powers his predecessor enjoyed.
Be It Further Resolved that the National NAACP and the North Carolina NAACP will engage in a joint media and public education campaign regarding this decision.
And be it finally resolved that in light of the adoption by other states of similar laws that reflect racial gerrymandering, discriminatory voter suppression laws and similar types of laws to redistribute political power to the detriment of racial and ethnic minorities or change the nature of the electorate, the National NAACP will engage in applying various forms of economic sanctions or other appropriate economic or direct action to address these types of discriminatory legislative or executive actions around the nation.”
Two weeks ago in a march that drew close to 100,000 individuals to the state capital to protest against extremism in the NC General Assembly, Rev. Barber informed the gathering that the NC State Conference Executive Committee had voted unanimously to ask the National Board of the NAACP to grant permission for economic boycott, which the NAACP National Board of Directors recently approved in a resolution last weekend during their annual board meeting in New York.
The NAACP is asking over 200 additional organizations to join them in the economic boycott of the state.  The press conference will kick off the economic boycott, which will include several stages and escalation of protest. The NAACP will refuse to hold its convention in North Carolina and will reach out to other organizations to take similar stances.
Additionally, the NAACP will create an internal task force to examine the ways in which the economic boycott can be expanded throughout the state as well as replicated in other states that have enacted similar racist voter suppression laws and laws like HB-2 which discriminates against the LGBT community, transgender people, workers, municipalities wanting to increase their minimum wage, and those in need of state access to courts for employment discrimination.
Click on the link below to watch this event https://livestream.com/accounts/5188266/events/7051729

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Supreme Court considers challenges to racial gerrymandering

One term after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the consideration of race in college admissions, and in a new term that already has cases on racial issues in the administration of the death penalty and in jury deliberations, one more race-infused subject will get the justices’ attention: redistricting.

The court will hear appeals on Dec. 5 from special three-judge federal panels that involve race considerations in redistricting in North Carolina and Virginia.

In the North Carolina case, McCrory v. Harris, the justices will consider whether two of the state’s 13 congressional districts, as drawn under a 2011 redistricting plan, represent unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.

In Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections, the court will weigh whether race was an improperly predominant factor in 12 challenged state House of Delegates districts (out of 100 districts in the state legislature’s lower house).

They’re the latest in a long line of redistricting battles to reach the high court, which has less flexibility on whether to hear such challenges than it does in most other areas of the law.

Read more: Supreme Court considers challenges to racial gerrymandering

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Three North Carolina counties ordered to restore voter lists

A federal judge on Friday ordered elections boards in three North Carolina counties to restore voter registrations canceled too close to Election Day after the NAACP sued over thousands of the challenges.

U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs issued the ruling after an emergency hearing earlier in the week on NAACP allegations that at least three counties purged voter rolls through a process disproportionately targeting blacks.

Biggs said the local elections boards must "take all steps necessary" to restore voter registrations canceled during the 90 days preceding Election Day on Tuesday.

Read more: Three North Carolina counties ordered to restore voter lists

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

North Carolina early-voting cuts could dampen black vote

Election officials in nearly two dozen North Carolina counties have approved reductions in early-voting hours ahead of November’s elections, cuts that Democrats warn could disenfranchise many low-income voters.

County boards of elections have approved reducing early-voting hours in 23 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Another eight counties plan to end early voting on the Sunday before Election Day, when a huge number of African-American voters tend to go to the polls.

North Carolina is a critical swing state in the presidential race, one where Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is counting on a heavy African-American voter turnout. President Obama won North Carolina in 2008 and narrowly lost the state in 2012.

Read more: North Carolina early-voting cuts could dampen black vote

Friday, July 29, 2016

North Carolina voter ID law struck down as discriminatory to black voters

A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a North Carolina law that required voters to show photo identification when casting ballots, ruling that it intentionally discriminated against African-American residents.

The ruling is likely to be seen as a boost for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton going into November's election. The state is politically important as it does not lean heavily toward either Democrats or Republicans, and Clinton is heavily favored among black Americans over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

The court's decision also canceled provisions of the law that scaled back early voting, prevented residents from registering and voting on the same day, and eliminated the ability of voters to vote outside their assigned precinct.

Critics argue that voting laws enacted by North Carolina and several other states are designed to drive down turnout by minorities and poor people who rely more on flexible voting methods and are less likely to possess state-issued photo IDs.

In its ruling, a three-judge panel at the U.S. Appeals Court for the Fourth Circuit said the state legislature targeted African-Americans "with almost surgical precision."

"We cannot ignore the recent evidence that, because of race, the legislature enacted one of the largest restrictions of the franchise in modern North Carolina history," Judge Diana Motz wrote.

Voting rights advocates heralded the decision as a major victory.

"This ruling is a stinging rebuke of the state's attempt to undermine African-American voter participation, which had surged over the last decade," Dale Ho, director of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. The ACLU was one of the groups that challenged the law in court.

[SOURCE]

Thursday, June 02, 2016

HBCUs to be dropped from low-tuition proposal at UNC campuses

Historically black universities will be dropped from a legislative plan to slash tuition to $500 a semester, said Republican Sen. Tom Apodaca, the sponsor of a bill that would have affected several UNC (University North Carolina) campuses.

His comment came as opposition mounted to the low-tuition plan. Several hundred alumni rallied outside the legislature Wednesday, saying the legislation threatens the economic viability of three black campuses: Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State universities. The protesters expressed skepticism about the bill’s language that promised that the state would cover lost tuition revenue up to $70 million in 2018-19.

Apodaca, a Hendersonville Republican, said he would put forth an amendment that would remove the three historically black campuses but keep UNC Pembroke and Western Carolina in the tuition-reduction proposal. Asked whether the outcry on behalf of historically black colleges and universities was behind his decision, Apodaca said, “If you can’t give away $70 million, then I’m not going to try to.”

Read more here: HBCUs to be dropped from low-tuition proposal at UNC campuses, sponsor says

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Deputies suspended for 'failures to act' at Trump rally where protester punched

Five sheriff's deputies in North Carolina have been suspended without pay following a Donald Trump rally where an African American protester was sucker-punched as he was being escorted out, the Cumberland County Sheriff said Wednesday.

The March 9 rally in Fayetteville, N.C., was caught on videos that showed a Trump supporter assaulting an anti-Trump protester, who was then detained by numerous uniformed men.

"The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office," Sheriff Earl Butler said in a statement.

Read more: Deputies suspended for 'failures to act' at Trump rally where protester punched

Saturday, December 13, 2014

FBI reviews hanging death of black teen

The FBI is reviewing the investigation into the death of a black North Carolina teenager found hanging from a swing set after relatives raised doubts about the official finding that Lennon Lacy committed suicide, a conclusion that the county coroner now questions.

On Friday, federal authorities confirmed they were reviewing the investigation. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Tom Walker said Walker’s office acted at the request of attorneys from the North Carolina NAACP representing the family.

Read more: FBI reviews hanging death of black teen

Sunday, November 02, 2014

Will blacks vote for democrats who run away from President Obama?

Let's be honest here. If democrats want to hold onto the Senate, they need to win the black vote overwhelmingly. While many pundits and talking heads have focused on this, they have not mentioned the fact that black voters in some states are making a tough choice. They have a choice to make, stay home, vote republican or vote for a democratic candidate that willingly distances themselves from President Obama.

In states like Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Kentucky and Alaska democratic candidates have asked the president to stay home and not help with their campaigns. Some like Kay Hagan in North Carolina have gone as far as attacking President Obama's handling of Ebola. In Kentucky Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes won't even say if she voted for President Obama.

Some back voters are publicly asking why they should support candidates that don't support the president. Obama himself has made the rounds on black radio to counter that type of thinking. He is trying to remind us that many of those same Dems distancing themselves have supported him in the past. He is trying to make his case to African American voters as to why they need to come out and vote for these democrats because he believes that the alternative is a lot worse.

So, what will you do? Will you vote democratic on Tuesday, vote republican, or stay home?