North Carolina
Editorial: Have outside forces taken over North Carolina’s GOP? :: WRAL.com
CBC Editorial: Friday, April 22, 2022; Editorial #8755
The next is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Firm
Is North Carolina’s Republican Social gathering vanishing? Has it been purchased out and swallowed up by former President Donald Trump and organizations backing his endorsed candidates? These are teams such because the “Conservative Outsider PAC” which shares lots of the identical donors because the Membership for Progress that, with Trump, appears to be dominating this state’s GOP main season.
What have these teams been capable of purchase – in return for the greater than $10 million that’s already been pumped into the state to advertise their hand-picked candidates — from the North Carolina GOP institution? Just about something and every part.
- What do these state GOP leaders get in return?
- What has been promised and to whom?
- What’s anticipated?
- Who’s in management?
These are essential questions – not only for the state’s Republicans, however for all North Carolina voters. Is political management being co-opted by big-dollar donors with no stake the state’s welfare?
Election legal guidelines prohibit outdoors political motion teams from coordinating actions with candidates or political events. On this case it seems outdoors teams have merely co-opted the candidates and events. They appear to have recruited candidates and and financed the campaigns.
The state’s strongest Republicans have — in a celebration main atmosphere the place the etiquette for such endorsements is often to keep away from overt suggestions and particularly assaults — brazenly lined up behind the PACs’ hand-picked candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Ted Budd.
It’s exceptional that this roster of endorsers contains the highest state GOP leaders — essentially the most highly effective member of the Common Meeting state Sen. Phil Berger and foremost statewide elected official Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. In fact, David MacIntosh was readily available. Trump launched MacIntosh as “a really highly effective man. … A fighter.”
Not solely have they captured endorsements – however the Membership for Progress has Robinson taking part in a $1.5 million assault, brazenly going after former GOP Gov. Pat McCrory.
“Pat put liberals accountable for state textbooks and supported Democrat judges,” Robinson says within the industrial – parroting an earlier assault advert the Membership for Progress’s affiliate Faculty Freedom Fund has been airing across the state.
A lot for former President Ronald Reagan’s well-known “eleventh Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not communicate in poor health of one other Republican.’”
The thousands and thousands spent on this main has given North Carolina voters extra complaints and assaults on the character and expertise of candidates than affirmative info on why anybody ought to assist a selected workplace seeker.
At a latest rally in Johnston County, the place President Trump reiterated his assist for Budd, Lt. Gov. Robinson supplied an endorsement as state GOP Chairman Michael Whatley watched on. By no means thoughts the actual fact the clear notion that chief of the state’s celebration was taking facet his celebration’s main.
North Carolina will be the most vital goal proper now for the Membership for Progress – however not the one one. It’s working in GOP main efforts in West Virginia, Texas to spice up hand-picked congressional candidates. https://www.opensecrets.org/information/2022/04/conservative-super-pac-spends-millions-boosting-republican-congressional-candidates/
North Carolina is likely one of the most politically aggressive states within the nation. Republicans have maintained management of the Common Meeting and a lopsided majority of the state’s congressional delegation, not by providing up candidates that entice broad assist. They’ve achieved it by means of gerrymandering — so excessive that courts on the state and federal degree virtually routinely reject and modify the preliminary election districts which were drawn. Together with that, they relentlessly search to impose voting guidelines and restrictions which have the best influence on segments of the voting inhabitants that aren’t typically part of the celebration’s pure base.
What has Berger been promised in return for his endorsement within the Senate race? An infusion of money to assist bankroll GOP candidates in weak districts? Impartial attack-ad campaigns in opposition to focused Democrats?
What has been promised to Mark Robinson, who has already brazenly declared his candidacy for governor in 2024? Will he get a Trump endorsement, akin to what Budd obtained? Has the Membership for Progress promised to launch a marketing campaign of assault advertisements in opposition to any of his potential GOP rivals — or in opposition to any potential Democratic candidates.
This isn’t idle hypothesis. That is the type of actual politics North Carolinians are witnessing at play proper now — in North Carolina’s GOP main.
Ought to North Carolina be led by officeholders who’re extra beholden to outdoors forces with an agenda that has little to do with what’s finest for the state and its individuals?
The state’s main voters ought to make their decisions based mostly on what THEY view as finest for North Carolina and the nation and NOT on what big-spending outsiders need to impose.
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North Carolina
Interstate 40 is impassable between Tennessee and North Carolina due to massive floods and a mudslide
Tropical Storm Helene floods Asheville’s River Arts District
The French Broad River is expected to reach a height of 21 feet, according to NOAA projections, continuing to flood the River Arts District.
Interstate 40 is impassable between Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina, and beyond, because of catastrophic floods from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
A mudslide and flooding have shut down the route.
Here are the I-40 closures listed on DriveNC.gov, though North Carolina Department of Transportation officials have told drivers all Western Carolina roads are essentially shut down.
- South of Asheville, all lanes of I-26 are closed between Exit 49 to US 64 and Exit 53 to Upward Road.
- All lanes of I-40 between Exit 66 in Ridgecrest and Exit 72 in Old Fort are closed due to a mudslide.
- All lanes of I-40 are closed near Black Mountain, one mile west of Exit 64 to NC 9.
- All lanes of I-40 are closed at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.
- All lanes of I-40 is closed at Exit 20 to US-276.
- I-40 East is closed at Exit 4 to NC 191.
- I-40 West is closed at Exit 7 to Cold Springs Creek Road.
- On the Tennessee side, all lanes of I-40 in Cocke County are closed, according to a post TDOT made on Facebook.
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.
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North Carolina
NBA Draft: North Carolina’s Prospect Loaded Roster
Heading into the 2025 season, North Carolina boasts one of the most prospect-filled rosters in college basketball. High-upside freshmen, returning players, and transfers help make the Tar Heels not only an interesting team to monitor in terms of the draft but also a real title contender.
Let’s highlight five standout players who have the best chance of being selected in the 2025 NBA draft.
Ian Jackson may have the most star potential out of this group, thanks to his polarizing two-way upside. He has great athleticism, which allows him to disrupt opponents on the defensive end as well as finish plays above the rim in transition. While playing in the halfcourt, Jackson does a great job of penetrating defenses and either sliding to the rim or knocking down mid-range pull-ups. His ability to make highlights will surely make him a fan favorite and could propel him up draft boards, but he will need to improve his connectivity and three-point shooting to reach his full potential as a prospect. Jackson looks like a surefire first-round selection and could battle his way into the top 10 if his fit promotes him to one of the Tar Heel’s first scoring options.
Drake Powell is a physically dominant wing whose high-level motor makes him impactful all over the court. He is not much of a self-creator at the moment, which could slow his development throughout his freshman year, but he excels in the open court. His ability to attack the rim off-ball is impressive, as he jumps at opportunities to cut for open runways. Defensively, Powell uses his elite athleticism and strong frame to create havoc within opponents’ offenses. Major shooting improvements may be a little ways off, but if he can show some steps in the right direction, his potential will be extremely intriguing to NBA teams. Powell could easily be viewed as a lottery-level talent, but time will tell just how promising his off-ball skill set will be.
Elliot Cadeau was one of the highest-ranked guards coming into his freshman season in 2024 but struggled at times, which led him to return for his sophomore year. He is a little undersized but has an impressive handle, great court vision, and high-end change of speed. Cadeau led the Tar Heels in assists last season and should be able to continue his playmaking productivity heading into year two. A key factor in his draftability will rely on how well he improves his three-point shooting. Last season, Cadeau made just below 19% of his threes, which is far from NBA-ready. Depending on where his improvements take him during the upcoming season, Cadeau’s draft range is uncertain but would likely fall somewhere in the second round.
Cade Tyson is a very intriguing transfer for the Tar Heels and has a chance to be seen as one of the best shooters in all of college basketball. He has good size and moves extremely well off-ball while getting to his spots for open threes. Tyson also has decent athleticism, which can be seen as he runs the court in transition and finishes plays at the rim when he gets a running start. His career shooting splits of 49%/45%/86% paint a clear picture of just how deadly he is on jumpers. He has good touch inside the perimeter and can also serve as a great connective playmaker, which should take another leap while playing with a more talented Tar Heel roster. If Tyson enters the 2025 draft, he would most likely be viewed as a second-round steal and could be a plug-and-play shooter.
RJ Davis was one of the best players in college basketball last season, and while he does not have great positional size, his ability to create space seems translatable to the NBA level. He can score from all three levels efficiently and excels both on and off the ball. Davis was productive while playing with upperclassmen last season and should showcase even more leadership on their retooled roster. Davis’ on-ball scoring could fit into a spark-plug off-the-bench role for several NBA teams, similar to how Cam Thomas has been used by the Nets at times, but he will need to continue improving on the defensive end. As an older, undersized prospect, his draft range is wide, but he will definitely get an opportunity to prove himself regardless of where he is drafted.
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North Carolina
Across Asheville, anxious residents brace for impending arrival of Hurricane Helene
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — It’s the calm before the storm but people in Biltmore Village are bracing for the worst.
“Well, you know, I’m kind of in a place of like shock and awe and also how do you protect,” said David Ross, a Biltmore Village resident. “So, like I’m in that place of like trying to do the best you can.”
When Ross saw the forecast — with the river expected to crest — he quickly got to work boarding up an Indian restaurant housed in his building and protecting what they could from inside by putting it in trucks.
Across western North Carolina, people anxiously prepared for the expected arrival of Helene, which Thursday night was menacing the Florida coast as a major Category 4 hurricane.
“I don’t think people are aware of the magnitude of what’s going to they say is going to happen,” one person said.
Across Asheville, stores and shops were getting ready for the storm.
Susan May-West said she remembers how bad things got 20 years ago from a similar storm and wasn’t taking any chances.
Asheville boards up, sets out sandbags ahead of Hurricane Helene as the NC mountains are expected to get serious flooding.
“We’ve got sandbags, tarps, silicone, you name it. We’re doing everything we can because I was here in 2004, and I know what it looks like and it’s going to be worse than that,” said May-West, who owns Blue Goldsmiths in Asheville. “So, we’re pretty prepared.”
Stores weren’t the only thing closing. Even the Blue Ridge Parkway was shut down.
Meanwhile, it’s been a tough couple of days for Mac Parra. He had a tough time getting to Asheville from California in time for his sister’s wedding this weekend.
“We circled Atlanta for an hour, hour and a half, and then got diverted to Birmingham, sat at the gate for a good two hours,” Parra said.
After another two-hour delay and a shortage of Ubers in Asheville, he made it. Now he’s trying to make the most of the weekend.
“That’s what I’m trying to do. Yeah, Hopefully,” Parra said. “Hopefully it won’t be raining on Saturday.
Helene is forecasted to cause significant problems including flash flooding and landslides in portions of western North Carolina.
Buncombe County’s emergency management leaders have been telling people who live down close to the river in the Biltmore Village area to self-evacuate.
Once things ramp up Friday, they said it could get to the point where water rescues may not be possible.
The North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center deployed 16 swift water rescue teams and added three additional swift water rescue teams from New York, Indiana and Illinois.
ABC11 was in Cary early Thursday as local emergency teams geared up to head to western North Carolina.
The Cary Swift Water team out of Station No. 7 loaded up several cars and trailers with boats attached.
After Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency, the Cary Swift Water team out of station 7 loaded up serval cars and trailers with boats attached.
WATCH | Duke Energy on preparation for power outages from Helene
Duke Energy’s Jeff Brooks talks about possible power outages and their response to Hurricane Helene in an ABC11 interview.
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