North Carolina

NAACP Says Racist Redistricting Aims to Silence Black Voters

Published

1 year ago

December 25, 2023

Multiple civil rights organizations and activists in North Carolina have filed a lawsuit against allegedly racist redistricting in the Tar Heel State that they say will diminish the power of Black voters.

The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, Common Cause North Carolina—an organization to protect voting rights, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, filed the lawsuit accusing North Carolina’s state Senate, House, and board of elections of discriminatory gerrymandering.

“In 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly redrew its state legislative and congressional plans to severely diminish the voting power of North Carolina’s Black voters,” the lawsuit stated. “The General Assembly achieved this by intentionally dismantling existing and longstanding Black opportunity districts and diluting Black voting power.”

The lawsuit claims Black voters were purposefully targeted throughout the state, violating the Voting Rights Act and 14th and 15th amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Attorney Hilary Harris Klein told The Daily Beast that the state has already seen 2024 candidates drop out of the race as a result of the redistricting.

“They’re predominantly candidates of choice for Black voters,” she said. “[Rep.] Kathy Manning [D-NC], who was in Congressional District Six, is a quintessential example. She’s been completely cut out of her districts because Black voters have been denied any opportunity in the Greensboro, the Triad area, of any representation in Congress. This will be the first time they’ll have no representation.”

After the 2020 census results were released in Aug. 2021, North Carolina began to redesign its congressional, state house, and state senate maps. According to the lawsuit, North Carolina’s General Assembly specifically targeted Black residential areas and neglected to address any possible Voting Rights Act violations while devising the new voting districts.

Once new districts were decided by the state’s congress, hearings were supposed to be held for the public to provide comments and suggestions, but the lawsuit claims that meetings were held in different locations than what was originally given. Public meetings were also allegedly held during the day when many people had to work, the lawsuit claims. The complaint also alleges that secret maps were pre-drawn out of public view and that maps were “passed along strict party lines, within only a week of being publicly proposed.”

“The 2023 Appropriations Act also made dramatic changes to North Carolina’s public records law overall that further threaten the transparency of the redistricting process,” the lawsuit stated.

Gerrymandered district maps included in the lawsuit show areas of concentrated Black populations and how they were paired with other areas in the state that didn’t share similar interests.

“Instead of uniting counties along the North Carolina-Virginia border… Black Belt counties are paired with coastal communities hundreds of miles away, resulting in extremely noncompact districts. In fact, the only way to navigate from one end of Senate District 2 to the other is by ferry travel, as the southern portion of the district is contiguous with the northern portion of the district only by water,” the lawsuit alleges. “These coastal communities have different needs and interests from the Black Belt, are much wealthier on average, and are overwhelmingly white.”

Klein said the redistricting is shameful.

“They, obviously, knew exactly what they were doing when they drew those districts, what it would do to Black voters in particular,” she told The Daily Beast. “We’ve already seen the candidates just drop out and not even try.”

According to Politico, the new maps make it easier for Republicans to maintain control of the state, causing state Reps. Wiley Nickel and Jeff Jackson to not seek re-election and for Rep. Don Davis’ seat to become more competitive. Along with Manning, they’re Democrats. The outlet states that the redistricting could flip at least four House seats to Republicans and boost the party’s thin House majority.

The complaint also stated that racial tensions play a part in voting.

“The racial polarization of voting in North Carolina is rooted in the state’s founding and history as a slave society, in which the state’s social, economic, political, and cultural institutions were each heavily intertwined with and influenced by chattel, race-based slavery,” read the lawsuit. “Racial discrimination in North Carolina not only endured after slavery was abolished but was codified in 1866 in the North Carolina Black Codes…[which] severely restricted the rights of Black citizens and sought to recreate conditions of slavery. The legal invalidation of the Black Codes, rather than empowering Black people in the state, gave rise to a pattern of Black disenfranchisement that endures today.”

The voting rights activists who launched the lawsuit want North Carolina’s 2023 senate, house, and congressional plans to all be deemed unlawful for attempting to diminish Black voting power. They also demand new and more fair maps to be set in place by the 2026 election cycle.

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North Carolina

2024 photo galleries: Businesses hit hard by Helene in Western North Carolina

Published

3 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

2024 photo galleries: Businesses hit hard by Helene in Western North Carolina

Businesses in Western North Carolina took a hit after Helene hit on Sept. 27, causing unemployment to skyrocket. For example, before Helene, only around 5,000 were unemployed in the Buncombe County, but after the storm over 13,000 people out of work, according to a report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Fraser fir farmers

Christmas Cottage

Asheville Tea Company

River Arts District

Ellaberry Llama Farm

Corner Kitchen

Zillicoah Beer Co.

Asheville breweries

US Reps. tour Asheville’s River Arts District

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North Carolina

NC Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Dec. 25, 2024

Published

11 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

15-26-27-30-35, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

04-10-35-42-45, Lucky Ball: 02

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

Day: 8-0-0, Fireball: 3

Evening: 7-3-2, Fireball: 2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

Day: 9-0-3-0, Fireball: 7

Evening: 9-3-8-4, Fireball: 7

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

03-09-28-39-40

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Double Play numbers from Dec. 25 drawing

01-11-15-18-22

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:

Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.

When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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North Carolina

Santa Claus swaps reindeer for alpacas at farm in Waynesville

Published

22 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Santa Claus swaps reindeer for alpacas at farm in Waynesville

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — At Winchester Creek Farm, Santa Claus traded in his traditional reindeer for alpacas during the farm’s Santa Tour on Monday.

The event offered visitors a unique opportunity to pose for photos with Santa and interact closely with the farm’s animals.

The farm also featured a large mailbox for children to send their letters to Santa. Luanna Baldwin, a mother from Canton, expressed her delight with the experience.

“This was a great outing to take the girls for some Christmas magic,” Baldwin said. “They’ve been asking to see Santa, write a letter specifically, so that was super fun.”

At Winchester Creek Farm, Santa Claus traded in his traditional reindeer for alpacas during the farm’s Santa Tour, which concluded on Monday, Dec. 23.

WLOS via CNN Newsource

In addition to the alpacas, the tour allowed guests to feed and pet various other farm animals. Farm Manager Ashley Edwards highlighted the joy the event brings to visitors of all ages.

“We have people come in who are in their 60s, 70s, and above who have never touched a chicken before, and I’m able to provide that kind of happiness to their hearts to their soul, and I think it’s great,” Edwards said. “This is a memory people aren’t going to forget.”

Winchester Creek Farm has been hosting the Santa Tours for the past six years. Although this year’s event has ended, the farm offers tours throughout the year.

Winchester Creek Farm operates as a year-round working farm, raising animals primarily for the fiber produced by their coats.

SEE ALSO | Schools closed for winter break: Family fun things to do

Featured video is ABC11 24/7 Livestream

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