North Carolina
NC Democratic convention delegates vote unanimously to endorse Vice President Harris • NC Newsline
While some Democratic politicians and Democratic National Convention delegates have not immediately jumped on the Kamala Harris bandwagon in the aftermath Sunday’s startling announcement by President Biden that he is stepping aside and endorsing the Vice President to take his place at the top of the ticket, that isn’t the case in North Carolina.
In a statement distributed Sunday evening, state Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton announced that the state’s entire delegation to next month’s party convention had voted during an emergency meeting to endorse Harris. This is from her statement:
“Our DNC Delegation is thrilled to announce that we unanimously endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States. This November it’ll be a prosecutor going up against a felon. It will be experience going up against extremism. We know that with the infrastructure and the organizing powerhouse we have spent years building, North Carolina will send VP Harris to the Oval Office.”
Like so many other Democrats across the country, the statement also lauded and thanked President Biden for his service:
“North Carolina Democrats are deeply thankful to Joe Biden. He is a true public servant and history will know him as being one of the most consequential and legislatively successful presidents in our nation’s history. During his administration, President Biden made historic investments in people – from our jobs, to our health care, to our infrastructure. As always, he has been a champion of our Democratic belief that every American in every community deserves to thrive.”
A state party leader weighs in
In an interview with NC Newsline shortly after the statement was released, the party’s Second Vice Chair, Dr. Kimberly Hardy, an Associate Professor at Fayetteville State University and former state House candidate, echoed the sentiments expressed in the statement — calling it both a bittersweet day for party members who feel a deep affection for Biden, but also one in which the party received a big jolt of new energy.
Describing Harris as a leader who is “built and ready for this moment” and “someone who is exactly what you see,” Hardy said the vice president has proven herself over the past three-and-a-half years as a person who is more than ready to lead the nation.
When asked whether the U.S. is ready for the kind of historic presidency that electing a woman of color would represent, Hardy said she believes the nation has indeed reached that point. While acknowledging that misogyny and racism continue to plague the nation — something that Hardy said was more than evident in the campaign of Donald Trump — she also observed that the presidencies and campaigns of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had done much bring about “incremental progress” and gradually prepare the nation for a Harris presidency.
That, she said, in combination with Harris being “immensely qualified” can and should make the difference. Individuals can be good leaders and good candidates “whether they’re in heels or flats,” said Hardy.
Hardy also quickly disparaged and dismissed the idea floated by some GOP politicians that Biden’s decision to withdraw somehow indicates that he is not fit to complete his term. As a trained social worker who has worked with elderly clients, Hardy said it’s patently clear that Biden is not suffering from any disability that would prevent him from completing his term.
Hardy described the calls for Biden to resign as a “desperate” political move by a party that had premised its entire campaign on attacking the President and that has no idea “how to pivot” to facing Harris. Hardy added that she was especially looking forward to a Harris-Trump debate, though she expressed concern that Trump might find a way to avoid such match-up.
As for the prospects of Gov. Roy Cooper possibly joining Harris as his running mate, as has been mentioned in some circles, Hardy expressed excitement at the idea and said there is “a strong argument” for it — noting that Harris and Cooper have a friendship that goes back many years to the time during which they served as California and North Carolina attorneys general. In the end, however, Hardy said the decision is Harris’s to make and that she was confident Democrats would unite behind whatever selection she makes.
The Democratic National Convention will take place in Chicago from August 19-22.
(WLOS) — In a tragic update, one of the baby barn owls being monitored by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has died after a great horned owl entered the barn and killed the owlet. The barn owlets had attracted worldwide attention through the wildlife commission’s ongoing observation efforts.
Officials with N.C. Wildlife said it is not yet clear which owlet was killed, but confirmed it was one of the three youngest.
The wildlife commission said it captured a photo of the great horned owl and the adult female barn owl fighting on top of the box, calling it an “extremely rare encounter to capture on camera.”
PHOTOS: OWLETS ‘HOO’ GAINED WORLDWIDE FAME ARE GROWING QUICKLY INTO YOUNG ADULTS
The wildlife commission said that while this loss is tragic, it is a common encounter because great horned owls are a top predator of barn owls. Officials also said this will likely not be the last encounter.
Over the next few weeks, the commission said viewers will likely see the remaining owlets start exploring, leaving the barn and learning to hunt. The fledglings may leave the barn as early as July to start hunting on their own, according to the commission.
You’ve got to feel terrible for former North Carolina standout Henri Veesaar right now. When he announced that he was leaving Chapel Hill to take his game to the NBA, plenty of eyebrows were raised. However, he was getting first-round grades, which made the decision a bit easy for him. That call has come back to backfire on him.
The first round of the NBA Draft has wrapped up, and the star big man never heard his name called. You’ve got to be kidding. There was always a bit of a worry that Veesaar would fall to the second round, but the recent buzz calmed worries there. Now, though, this setback has surely proverbially slapped him in the face a bit:
UNC’s Henri Veesaar does not get selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. He slips into the second round.
Turned down between $3-4 million to return to UNC? Maybe more?
— Ross Martin (@RossMartinNC) June 24, 2026
Henri Veesaar falling to the second round of the NBA Draft is a bit of a stunner
It’s no secret that Michael Malone and his new UNC staff were quite aggressive in their pursuits of bringing him back to Chapel Hill, as he would have easily had the Tar Heels in the Top 15-20 conversation. At first, with mock drafts popping up with him as a second-rounder, it felt like a return to the ACC was going to be in the works. The narrative changed there not long after, though.
He indeed bolted for the NBA Draft, with the assumption that he was going to be a first-rounder. Veesaar took a bit of a chance there, and things just did not go to plan for him. Let’s make one thing clear here too: we’re not happy in any way. With Veesaar leaving, Carolina fans were wishing him the best, the same way they were for Caleb Wilson.
Wilson ended up getting his life-changing news early during draft night, with the Chicago Bulls taking him off the board at No. 4 overall. Things were only made better for Wilson and North Carolina as a whole with Hubert Davis on hand for the former 5-star freshman’s big moment. It was a surprise not many of us were ready for.
On the flip side of things, Veesaar was left waiting for his special moment, but it never arrived. Is it possible that he’s having some serious regrets over things? We don’t want to speak for Veesaar or make any assumptions, but this just sucks as a whole for him. After averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game, while taking home all-conference honors, it’s a bit of a stunner that his draft slide has taken place like this.
Had Veesaar returned to school, North Carolina’s 2026-27 outlook would have been looking much stronger. Instead, Malone went overseas to bring in Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov to help carry the load near the glass. That helps, but replacing Veesaar was always going to be a difficult task, as he’s a dominant force. We can play the ‘what if’ game all we want had he stayed in Chapel Hill for one more season, but that’s pointless. Still, it’s now feeling like Veesaar got some bad advice, and that playing for Malone would have been the best thing for him next campaign.
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This spring, more than 62,000 people from North Carolina and
around the world watched as six barn owl eggs hatched live on the North Carolina Wild Life Resource Commission’s “Owl Cam.”
“We have folks who have watched from almost every
state, as well as Canada, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, France, the
Netherlands, Portugal, New Zealand, Italy, Estonia, Ireland, Argentina, Sweden,
Spain and more,” said Wildlife Conservation Engagement Coordinator Austin
Hill.
When asked what he thinks people connect with most while
watching the owls, Hill said the camera offers a rare look into the lives of
barn owls.
“We don’t see them too often at all, and it’s giving
people a glimpse into the life of a barn owl,” Hill said. “It’s very
rare that we’re able to see inside the nest of any creature that’s hidden in a
cavity.”
Hill said viewers enjoyed watching the owlets hatch, grow,
learn to fly and experience all the clumsy moments in between.
At this time all the owls have fledged, meaning they have all learned how to
fly.
“The oldest three owls fledged on the (June)
15th, they’re all females and then the male, the youngest, fledged on
the (June) 20th and you’ll start to see them popping around the
barn,” Hill said.
The webcam will continue to show the adult owls delivering
food to the nest as the owls prepare to leave the barn and learn to hunt.
The
young owls will learn by watching the behaviors of their parents. Depending on their development, the owls could
leave as early as July or as late as September or October.
NCWRC installed the owl nest box in 2011.
It was installed in an undisclosed remote location in Western North Carolina
and used for agency monitoring.
The idea of having a live webcam was a recent idea
created during and Educational Division
meeting.
“It allows us to see what happens in the nest of an
elusive raptor and behaviors we wouldn’t be able to observe from outside the
box,” Hill said. “We’re building out some K-12 curriculum to go along
with the camera so it can extend into the classroom.”
Once the young owls leave, the camera will go offline sometime this fall.
Hill
said staff will perform maintenance on the barn, relocate one of the cameras
and then put the system back in place in hopes that the same owl pair returns
this winter to begin its courtship and mating season. If that happens, the
process can start all over again.
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