STATE NEWS BRIEFS 01-16-20
PRINCEVILLE TO GET $39.6 MILLION FOR NEW LVEE TO PREVENT FLOODS
[PRINCEVILLE] It’s taken many years, and a few freed African-Americans is now set to receive $39.6 million to construct a new levee system to prevent flooding. Hurricanes Floyd (1999) and Matthew (2016) caused the nearby Tar River to overflow, flooding the town, and forcing residents from their homes. The new levee funding - coming from $19.billion in disaster relief from Congress - will pay for elevation of the highways, and installation more levees around the Tar River.
FORMER REP. H.M. “MICKEY” MICHAUX, REPLACES MCLISSICK IN NC SENATE
[DURHAM] When state Sen. Floyd McKissick Jr. [D-Durham] left the Senate last week to take a new position on the State Utilities Commission, the question became, “Who could replace him temporarily to finish out McKissick’s term until a permanent replacement could be found. Enter former house Rep. H.M. “Mickey” Michaux, who retired November 2018 as the longest serving member of the NC General Assembly. Gov. Cooper appointed Michaux to the seat just in time to be present when the legislature convened for a one day session Tuesday.
REPUBLICANS FAIL TO OVERRIDE GOV.’S VETO IN ONE DAY SESSION
[RALEIGH] The NC Senate tried, but failed Tuesday with a one day session to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of their 2019 state budget, thus, leaving teachers pay increases, and tax cuts for businesses unresolved, according to state Senate Pro-tem Phil Berger, until the legislature convenes in April. The governor counters that Republican legislative leaders refuse to negotiate on issues like Medicaid expansion and bigger teachers pay. Thus, the state will not have a new budget in time for the next fiscal year.
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GOP LEGISLATIVE LEADERS
FILE MOTION TO STAY
JUDGE’S VOTER ID RULING
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Republican legislative leaders are not giving up without fight.
On January 10th, attorneys for NC Senate Pro Tem Phillip Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore filed a “proposed intervenors’ motion for a stay pending appeal” of federal Judge Loretta Biggs’ granting of a preliminary injunction effectively stopping implementation of the HB 824 voter photo identification law for the March 3rd primaries
NC Attorney General Josh Stein has indicated that he will appeal Judge Biggs ruling for trial, but would allow the injunction to stand for the primaries as to not cause confusion with early voting and absentee balloting slated to begin shortly.
But state Republican legislative leaders, originally not allowed to intervene once before because they were not the defendants in the NCNAACP lawsuit, want voter ID back in business for the primaries, and feel the because they created the voter ID law, they should have standing in deciding what happens to it.
Per their motion to appeal the denial of their original motion to intervene, Berger and Moore tell the court that their motion should be granted because they are likely to succeed on the merits of their argument; that they will be “irreparably injured absent a stay of the preliminary injunction pending appeal; That the issuance of a stay will not substantially injure the other parties (the NCNAACP) to this proceeding; and finally, grant of. Stay pending appeal will serve the public interest.
Berger and Moore also wants county boards of elections top continue to issue free ID cards to those who may need them if the preliminary injunction is lifted. The state Board of Elections had ordered the counties to cease issuing the free ID cards once Judge Biggs ruled that voter ID would not be used during the primaries.
In a statement, Senate President Pro Tem Berger defended their motion.
“Republicans are throwing everything we can at defending the decision made by a majority of North Carolinians to amend their Constitution to require voter ID,” Berger said in a statement.
“We won't stop fighting. Remember this: President Trump has made it a top priority to appoint rational, rule-of-law judges to the courts, and this lawlessness is a prime reason why we need him to stay in office.”
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SENATE PRESIDENT PRO-TEM PHIL BERGER
CANDACE OWENS
GOP SENATE LEADER FISHES
FOR BLACK SUPPORTERS
AHEAD OF MLK DAY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Several blacks and whites on Facebook are blasting N.C. Republican Senate Pro Tem President Phil Berger for promoting a black Republican group called BLEXIT - which stands for “blacks exit the Democratic Party, led by the controversial conservative, Candace Owens.
But a majority of white conservatives there are showing their support for Owens, calling her “intelligent” and “straight-forward.”
Owens is best known for her frequent rhetorical attacks on Democrats; calling Pres. Trump the “savior” of Western civilization; concern about white nationalism “stupid”; and once wrote on her Facebook page “ I proudly self-identify as an Uncle Tom”
She is heading up an event this weekend in Charlotte that Sen. Berger is helping to promote.
“It’s a grassroots movement led by Candace Owens to examine whether decades of loyalty to the Democratic Party has really produced results for the black community,” states Berger on his page.
As of Monday of this week, Sen. Berger’s post had 285 shares, and 281 comments, many of them negative from black Democrats who diligently reminded other readers that Sen. Berger has played a major role in every North Carolina voting redistricting legal controversy, and every voter ID legal battle that, according to the courts, sought to suppress the African-Americans vote, since the Republicans took over the NC General Assembly in 2011.
Readers of Berger’s BLEXIT pitch on Facebook were not impressed.
“What’s even cracking me up more is the people in support of this event are…wait for it…white! LOL!, “ posted a woman named Veleria. “Really, I can’t stop laughing.!”
Another poster named Ryan wrote, “You lost credibility once this insight read “led by Candace Owens.” Did my homework and moving on. Folks, you should too.’
But the majority of posters were white conservatives who raved about Owens, and her controversial style.
“Go! Candace,” wrote Tony. “We believe in you, and hearing the Truth.”
“A woman named Audrey posted, “Welcome free thinkers! Candace owns id amazing!”
Finally a poster named Robert wrote, “I love Candace - she should run for President.”
On his post, Sen. Berger said that “…former Senator Joel Ford has been talking to me about [BLEXIT] for some time now, and I always value his input.”
Ford, a conservative black Democrat, formerly represented District 38 in Mecklenburg County in the state Senate from 2013 to 2018. He was known for working alongside the Republican supermajority, supported the controversial HB2 “bathroom bill,” and even cosponsored the 2018 voter ID law that a federal judge recently ruled against.
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