North Carolina
NC Bill Seeks ‘Forever Chemical’ Standards, Reimbursements
By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Related Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state regulators would set most acceptable ranges of “without end chemical substances” — like these discharged for many years into the Cape Worry River — for consuming water in laws thought of Thursday by a state Home committee.
The measure additionally would give the state atmosphere secretary energy to order an organization liable for extreme ranges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, to pay for public water system enhancements designed to take away the chemical substances or reduce concentrations.
With out naming the corporate, the laws would goal The Chemours Co., which a state investigation discovered had discharged a kind of PFAS from its Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen County into the air, water and groundwater.
However the measure confronted sturdy pushback from a number of enterprise and commerce teams, and never simply Chemours — a sign that it could possibly be put aside for the remainder of this 12 months’s session.
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For years, a little-studied chemical often known as GenX flowed down the Cape Worry, which is the first consuming water supply for a number of hundred thousand residents, together with these in Wilmington. Chemours stated in 2017 that it might cease discharging the chemical substances into the river. Groundwater seepage means excessive PFAS ranges are nonetheless exhibiting up downstream.
Leaders of two public utilities within the Wilmington area instructed committee members they had been having to boost charges considerably on water prospects to pay for roughly $150 million in combination enhancements to decrease or take away PFAS concentrations. Brunswick County Public Utilities raised charges by 40% in January, director John Nichols instructed the committee.
“Ratepayers shouldn’t be liable for paying for gear to deal with the water contaminated by PFAS, attributable to a accountable occasion, to allow them to have secure consuming water to offer to their prospects,” invoice sponsor Sen. Ted Davis, a New Hanover County Republican, stated at a information convention that additionally included an endorsement from state atmosphere Secretary Elizabeth Biser.
Biser stated there are at present no federal consuming water requirements for PFAS chemical substances. The U.S. Environmental Safety Company is at present engaged on nationwide requirements.
Critics of the measure instructed committee members it gave an excessive amount of energy to the Environmental Administration Fee, which might set PFAS focus ranges which can be acceptable for human consumption. The invoice says the requirements themselves can be exempt from the state’s rule-making course of, which normally provides the legislature the chance to reject government department actions.
“This invoice circumvents the standard processes for brand new rules on job creators,” Peter Daniel with the North Carolina Chamber instructed judiciary committee members. “There’s no want for a state-by-state method when the federal authorities is main on the difficulty with a predictable, nationwide, multifaceted and well-funded method.”
As for Chemours, lobbyist Jeff Fritz instructed the committee the corporate had already agreed in 2017 to get rid of all plant-operating emissions to the Cape Worry River and that it was following a 2018 consent settlement with the state.
The corporate says it has spent or dedicated to spend $400 million on enhancements comparable to on-site emissions management know-how on the plant and remediation.
“Now we have engaged with public utilities and counties within the area and have been, and proceed to be, prepared to seek out significant options,” the corporate stated in an emailed assertion later Thursday.
Democratic Rep. Expensive Harrison of Greensboro stated she was “simply appalled’ by the opposition, saying residents should be shielded from harmful chemical substances.
Some analysis exhibits excessive ranges of sure PFAS could result in elevated dangers for kidney or testicular most cancers, elevated levels of cholesterol and well being challenges for youngsters, in accordance with the federal Company for Poisonous Substances and Illness Registry. GenX is utilized in industrial processes to make issues like nonstick coatings and hearth suppression foams.
Emily Donovan of Brunswick County with the group Clear Cape Worry pleaded with legislators to go the invoice, saying Chemours “contaminated our water provide” and PFAS concentrations stay excessive regardless of the consent order.
“The stakes for my household and my group are too excessive,” Donovan stated. “Nobody needs to pay to repair one thing they didn’t break.”
No committee vote was taken Thursday. Davis stated after the assembly that he can be chatting with Home management in regards to the subsequent steps for the invoice. Home Speaker Tim Moore stated later Thursday the difficulty may have to attend till the Normal Meeting session in 2023.
Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
North Carolina
3 men charged in connection with woman’s death at Cook Out restaurant in North Carolina
Two men have been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee at a Cook Out restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, last month. A third is facing a weapons charge.
Two men have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman at the fast-food restaurant Cook Out in North Carolina.
Twenty-three-year-old Alexander Kenyon Carlton Jr. and 19-year-old Calvin Jerade Spence Jr. have been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee late last month in Durham, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Friday.
A third man, 18-year-old Jamari Treyvon McKnight, is charged with one count of going armed to the terror of the people, which basically means terrorizing someone with a weapon like a gun.
USA TODAY could not immediately find attorneys representing the three men.
The shooting occurred just after 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Cook Out on South Miami Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Lee dead.
The sheriff’s office called the shooting “an isolated incident” that happened after shots broke out following a fight, WNCN-TV reported.
Arrests made in fatal shooting of Davicia Jean Ann Lee
Detectives arrested Spence and Carlton on Thursday and took them to the Durham County Detention Center without bond on charges of carrying a concealed gun, felony conspiracy, going armed to the terror of the people and first-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said.
McKnight was also taken into custody and arrested Thursday night on misdemeanor going armed to the terror of the people, according to the sheriff’s office. The Morrisville police arrested him and he is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Center until his first court appearance, the agency added.
The investigation into Lee’s homicide is ongoing, while all findings are now in the process of being turned over to the Durham County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to the sheriff’s office.
The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?
Nela Tupou Player Profile
Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.
Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.
Alex Payne Player Profile
Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.
Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.
In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.
USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons
One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.
Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.
Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.
Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.
Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.
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Sledding in Haw Creek Dec. 9, 2018
The Tracey family enjoys the snow in Haw Creek with some sledding.
Angeli Wright, Asheville Citizen Times
Some school systems in Western North Carolina are closed Friday, Nov. 21, due to winter weather.
- Avery County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Graham County Schools: Closed, workday for staff.
- Madison County Schools: Closed, optional teacher workday.
- Mitchell County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Watauga County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Yancey County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
This story will be updated
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