Breast cancer cluster suspected at NC State’s Poe Hall, contaminated with PCBs; separate study shows those chemicals linked to that cancer
Testing showed five rooms in Poe Hall at NC State University contained materials with high levels of PCBs, a likely carcinogen. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)
By Lisa Sorg
A 2020 study of nearly 800 North Carolina women found that PCBs might increase the risk death from breast cancer, raising questions about a suspected cluster at N.C. State’s Poe Hall, which is contaminated with high levels of the toxic chemical. In addition, among women who already have breast cancer, the study found PCBs could contribute to deaths from all causes. PCBs are known to accumulate in breast tissue.
Sampling results from Poe Hall in November showed extremely high levels of PCBs in multiple rooms and in air handling systems, Newsline reported. [Read more…]
Expanded Medicaid managed care for people with mental illness or disabilities to begin July 1
Map: NC Department of Health and Human Services
By Lynn Bonner
New managed care plans for North Carolinians whose mental health treatment or disability care is coordinated and paid through regional mental health offices will launch on July 1.
Under these “tailored plans,” regional mental health offices called “Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations” will pay for health care for people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, substance use disorder, or traumatic brain injury. [Read more...]
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US Army to begin excavating up to 300 tons of contaminated soil at former missile plant in Burlington
By Lisa Sorg
The U.S. Army Environmental Command this month is scheduled to begin excavating as much as 300 tons of contaminated soil at the Tarheel Army Missile Plant in Burlington, city officials announced this week. This is the first step in a renewed effort to cleanup extensive contamination at the abandoned 22-acre site at 204 N. Graham-Hopedale Road. The site is known locally as the Western Electric plant because it had a military contract to build Nike missile guidance systems there during the Cold War. [Read more...]
Rocky Mount charter school leader says ‘coding error’ caused unexplained expenses
Photo: https://www.rmprep.org/
By Greg Childress
The leader of Rocky Mount Preparatory Academy told the Charter School Review Board on Monday that the more than $804,000 in unexplained expenses that threatened to close the school last year was mostly a coding error.
Last August, the former Charter School Advisory Board warned school leaders that it could be forced to close due to its poor academic performance and unexplained expenses. [Read more…]
Bonus read: Charter renewals spark debate among review board members
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DOJ lawyer tells Appeals Court imprisoned man can serve the same sentence twice
A North Carolina Court of Appeals panel hears arguments in a case in which a trial court seemed to ignore a Supreme Court directive in resentencing a defendant. (Photo: Court of Appeals video stream)
By Kelan Lyons
A lawyer for the North Carolina Department of Justice argued in court Wednesday that a man should be allowed to serve the same prison sentence twice, even though he had already done his time for that crime.
“This is a question of what authority does North Carolina’s statutory law give a trial judge at re-sentencing,” said Heidi M. Williams, special deputy attorney general. “If the language of that statute confers that authority on the sentencing judge to exercise in his or her discretion, this court should not limit that authority that has been given to the sentencing court by the General Assembly.” [Read more…]
North Carolina AG’s office pushes for delay in key Racial Justice Act hearing
The North Carolina attorney general’s office has petitioned the state Supreme Court to overrule a Johnston County’s Superior Court’s plans to commence a review on Feb. 26 of evidence of racism in jury selection in North Carolina capital cases. (Photo: NCCourts.gov)
By Kelan Lyons
Johnston County prosecutor once compared Black defendants to wild dogs and hyenas, hunting their victims “like the predators of the African plain”
A hearing scheduled for later this month could clear a path for the 136 people on North Carolina’s death row to one day get resentenced to life without the possibility of parole — or bring them one step closer to the execution chamber.
Beginning Feb. 26, attorneys are scheduled to present evidence to a Johnston County Superior Court judge arguing that race significantly affected prosecutors’ actions during jury selection, not just in the underlying case of Hasson Bacote, but in capital cases throughout North Carolina.[Read more…]
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Latest NC campaign finance reports raise important questions, concerns
Board of Elections (Photo: Clayton Henkel)
By Bob Hall
North Carolina candidates and political committees recently filed their final campaign finance reports for 2023, disclosing who gave them money and how they spent it. A slew of news articles tell you who’s ahead in the fundraising horse race, but there’s so much more to explore in these reports. They offer a unique window into our state’s political culture. Here are eight examples, aided by a review of earlier reports and a little research. Look for more examples soon. [Read more.…]
Monday numbers: a closer look at school technology and learning loss recovery
As North Carolina students show signs of academic recovery, many school districts do not have a plan to update technology provided during the pandemic. (Photo: Adobe Stock)
By Clayton Henkel
Hard to believe it, but this March will mark four years since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As students and teachers switched to remote learning, federal pandemic relief dollars helped school districts purchase laptops, tablets, software, and other technology to minimize learning loss and allow students to study from home.
But now, in 2024, those cutting-edge tools from 2020 are beginning to show their age.
The chief information officer for the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) shared the status of the school technology with the House Select Committee on Education Reform last week. [Read more…]
Big data companies: Extracting millions from NC residents…with state government’s help (commentary)
Ads leading up to the Super Bowl stress the ease of placing a bet from your phone. (Photo: Screen grab)
By Rob Schofield
North Carolina will soon have legal sports gambling. The state Lottery Commission voted last month to allow bookmakers to start taking bets – both on the ground and online – starting March 11. It won’t be in time for this week’s Super Bowl, but it will be easy to lose big bucks on the ACC men’s basketball tournament that commences March 12.
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And while many have greeted this development as ho-hum news in a society in which gambling has become ubiquitous in recent years – for instance, the lottery is already plugging something called “digital instants” and as most sports fans are aware, even ESPN now has an entire website and significant programming devoted to gambling — it’s actually an important and deeply worrisome development.[Read more…]
Baker McKenzie today announced that leading project finance lawyer Matthias Schemuth has joined the Firm’s Singapore office* as a Principal and Asia Pacific Co-Head of Projects in its Finance & Projects practice, alongside Partner Jon Ornolffson in Tokyo.
Matthias joins the Firm from DLA Piper, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors across Asia Pacific. He advises sponsors, developers, commercial banks, multilateral lending agencies, and export credit agencies on the structuring and financing of large-scale projects. His practice also spans international banking, structured commodity and trade finance, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Matthias has been consistently recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific and Who’s Who Legal as a leading project finance practitioner.
James Huang, Managing Principal of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore, said: “We are excited to welcome Matthias to our team. His expertise and proven record in managing teams will be invaluable as we expand our regional and global finance offerings for clients.”
Emmanuel Hadjidakis, Asia Pacific Chair of Baker McKenzie’s Banking & Finance Practice, commented: “Asia Pacific is seeing strong momentum in infrastructure development, energy transition investments, and cross-border project financing, much of it centred in Singapore. Having Matthias on board will further enhance our ability to help clients seize opportunities in the region’s evolving energy and infrastructure markets.”
Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie’s Asia Chief Executive, added: “Matthias’s appointment underscores Baker McKenzie’s continued commitment to investing in exceptional talent across key markets to support our clients in navigating today’s increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”
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Matthias said: “I’m thrilled to join Baker McKenzie and contribute to its strong growth in Asia Pacific. The Firm’s global reach and local depth provide an unparalleled platform for delivering innovative projects and financing solutions to clients in this dynamic region.”
With more than 2,700 deal practitioners in more than 40 jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie is a transactional powerhouse. The Firm excels in complex, cross-border transactions; over 65% of our deals are multijurisdictional. The teams are a hybrid of ‘local’ and ‘global’, combining money-market sophistication with local excellence. The Firm’s Banking & Finance lawyers are ranked in more jurisdictions than any other firm by Chambers.
Matthias’s hire continues the expansion of Baker McKenzie’s global team. His joining follows the recent arrivals of Carole Turcotte in Toronto; Tom Oslovar in Palo Alto; Jenny Liu in New York and Palo Alto; Helen Johnson, Mark Thompson, Nick Benson, Kevin Heverin, James Wyatt and Michal Berkner in London; Jan Schubert in Frankfurt; Todd Beauchamp and Charles Weinstein in Washington DC; Dan Ouyang, Winfield Lau, and Ke (Ronnie) Li in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; and Alexander Stathopoulos in Singapore.
*Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow is the member firm of Baker McKenzie in Singapore
The Federal Reserve gave investors an early Christmas present by lowering interest rates by 25 basis points (i.e., 0.25%) marking its third rate cut this year. In the past, a change like this in the “long end” of the interest rate yield curve has triggered a predictable, investable pattern. Typically, this pattern would be bearish for finance stocks, particularly banks—investors would buy bank stocks when rates rose and sell them as rates fell….
Dozens of protesters from the “Religious Zionist Reservists Forum” and the “Shared Service Forum” demonstrated Saturday evening outside the home of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Kedumim.
The protesters arrived with a direct and pointed message, centered on a symbolic “draft order,” calling on Smotrich to “enlist” on behalf of the State of Israel and oppose what they termed the “sham law” being advanced by MK Boaz Bismuth and the Knesset’s haredi parties.
Among the protesters in Kedumim were the parents of Sergeant First Class (res.) Amichai Oster, who fell in battle in Gaza. Amichai grew up in Karnei Shomron and studied at the Shavei Hevron yeshiva.
Protesters held signs reading: “Smotrich, enlist for us,” along with the symbolic “draft order,” calling on him to “enlist for the sake of the State’s security and to save the people’s army – stand against the bill proposed by Bismuth and the haredim!”
Parallel demonstrations were held outside the homes of MK Ohad Tal in Efrat and MK Michal Woldiger in Givat Shmuel.
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Representatives of the “Shared Service Forum” said: “We are members of the public that contributes the most, and we came here to say: Bezalel, without enlistment there will be no victory and no security. Do not abandon our values for the sake of the coalition. The exemption law is a strategic threat, and you bear the responsibility to stop it and lead a real, fair draft plan for a country in which we are all partners. It’s in your hands.”
