Weekend reads: NCSU's cancer cluster, campaign finance issues, and a $804K charter school error | NC Newsline

Breast cancer cluster suspected at NC State’s Poe Hall, contaminated with PCBs; separate study shows those chemicals linked to that cancer

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

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...]

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

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

DOJ lawyer tells Appeals Court imprisoned man can serve the same sentence twice

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

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…]

Latest NC campaign finance reports raise important questions, concerns

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

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)

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.

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…]