North Carolina

NC’s Morrow wants Trump to put her in charge of US education policy

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2024

NC’s Morrow wants Trump to put her in charge of US education policy

North Carolina voters may have rejected her at the ballot box Tuesday, but Michele Morrow is hoping President-elect Donald Trump won’t when he takes office in January.

Morrow, a Republican homeschooling advocate who lost to Democrat Mo Green in the race to become North Carolina’s superintendent of public schools, is now asking Trump to name her as the new U.S. Secretary of Education.

Most education policy and funding in the U.S. is carried out by state and local governments, not the federal government. The federal education department’s priorities include administering a program focused on boosting funding to schools in low-income areas, administering student loans and policing schools and colleges for allegations of racial or gender-based discrimination.

Morrow said she’d look to slash the department’s work on racial equity and withhold funding from states that disagree, saying it goes against a “pro-America” approach to schooling.

“They have been literally been tying the hands of the states and saying, ‘You are not going to receive your education dollars from us unless you have [critical race theory] trainings for teachers, unless you have a [diversity, equity and inclusion] program in every one of your counties, unless you are participating in the [social and emotional learning] program,’” Morrow said. “I think we should do the opposite. I think we should say, ‘Alright, you are not going to be receiving funds unless you are pushing a pro-America — a pro-excellence-in-education — merit-based system.’”

A petition on a website associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Trump ally, puts forward Morrow to be considered for the education department post. The website enables regular people to make nominations for a variety of government roles. The website says the nominations are for the purposes of public discourse.

Morrow said she didn’t write the nomination herself but would be honored to take the job. She added she hadn’t spoken with anyone on the Trump campaign or White House transition team about it.

Although Morrow lost the statewide race to lead North Carolina’s schools this year — and also lost a 2022 race for a school board seat in Wake County — she said she thinks her views resonated with Republican voters, even if it wasn’t enough voters to carry her to victory in a state Trump also won. Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris 51% to 48% this year; Morrow lost to Green by a similar margin.

A spokesman for the North Carolina Democratic Party pointed to Morrow’s lack of success in elections, questioning if Trump would support someone with that record, and added that if Trump did put Morrow in charge of the education department, she “would destroy public schools in America.”

During her run for state superintendent, Morrow had said that, if elected, she’d have North Carolina reject the billion-plus dollars it receives in federal funding for schools. She told WRAL Monday that if Trump picked her to run the department, she’d be similarly focused on making budget cuts on a larger scale.

“I think things are very bloated in D.C.,” she said. “How many people are actually in the U.S. Department of Education? Is it 1,000? Is it 5,000? Is it 10,000 people? That needs to be looked at and streamlined.”

The Department of Education has 4,400 employees, according to its website, which says it’s the smallest of all 15 cabinet-level federal agencies.

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North Carolina

Lower gas prices and open roads create ideal holiday travel conditions for NC travelers

Published

12 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Lower gas prices and open roads create ideal holiday travel conditions for NC travelers

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS0 — Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Thaissa Braga, a Florida resident who traveled by car to spend the holidays in Asheville.

WHITE CHRISTMAS UNLIKELY FOR MANY IN U.S. WITH WARM TEMPERATURES IN HOLIDAY FORECAST

“We thought we needed snow tires for the wheels and stuff, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was smooth sailing, not many accidents along the way. We did leave at 4:30 in the morning, so that was a little crazy, but it was worth it,” Braga said.

One plus for anyone traveling by car to their holiday destination this year is that gas prices are lower than they were last year, with the national average dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time in four years.

According to the same AAA report, which anticipates nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians traveling over the year-end holiday period, it also says that most of them travel by car.

DEC. 21, 2025 – Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

To help drivers get to their destinations safely and on time, the North Carolina Department of Transportation removed all lane closures where possible across the state through Jan. 2.

However, David Uchiyama with NCDOT says there are some areas in western North Carolina where the lane closures must remain in place, like the stretch of Interstate 40 going through the Pigeon River Gorge.

“It’s open with one lane in each direction, a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit, narrow shoulders,” said David Uchiyama, the Western Communications Manager with NCDOT.

Uchiyama is reminding drivers to plan their trips ahead of time, and he says one helpful resource is drivenc.gov.

DEC. 21, 2025 - Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

One person who planned for her trip is Asheville resident Emily Lamb; however, she’s flying instead of driving to visit her family in Ohio.

“Preparing for this trip looked like calculating my PTO for one. And then really comparing plane ticket prices and timing of things. And overall, just being intentional with any gifts I take home,” Lamb said.

According to the AAA report, over 200,000 of the North Carolina Holiday travelers will travel by plane.

ASHEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT SHARES HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS AMID ONGOING RENOVATIONS

The Asheville Airport published holiday travel tips online, telling people to make a parking plan before arriving at the airport.

A helpful resource is their website, which has a map of their parking areas.

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North Carolina

Life-threatening injuries reported after shooting on I-73 South near Wendover Avenue, Greensboro police say

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Life-threatening injuries reported after shooting on I-73 South near Wendover Avenue, Greensboro police say

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — One person was left with life-threatening injuries in an overnight shooting Sunday, according to the Greensboro Police Department.

At 12:52 a.m., officers responded to a man down call at Interstate 73 South just before the Wendover Avenue exit and found one shooting victim with life-threatening injuries. They were taken to a local hospital.

I-73 South at Wendover Avenue was closed following the shooting. As of 10:22 a.m. Sunday, the road is still closed.

No suspect information was available.

The investigation is ongoing.

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North Carolina

Seth Trimble returns to lead No. 12 North Carolina past Ohio State 71-70

Published

2 days ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Seth Trimble returns to lead No. 12 North Carolina past Ohio State 71-70

ATLANTA (AP) — Henri Veesaar scored the winning basket on a dunk with 7.2 seconds remaining off a pass from a stumbling Seth Trimble, and No. 12 North Carolina held off Ohio State 71-70 on Saturday.

Trimble, playing his first game since breaking his left forearm in a Nov. 9 training mishap, wanted to shoot but tripped as he spun into the lane. As the senior guard was falling, he dished the ball to Veesaar, who slipped past his defender for the emphatic slam.

Ohio State had two chances to pull off the upset.

John Mobley Jr. missed a 3-point try, only to have Devin Royal grab the offensive rebound under the basket. He went back up ahead of the horn, but Caleb Wilson blocked the shot to preserve the win for the Tar Heels.

Trimble, who played with a wrap covering much of his left arm, and Veesaar both finished with 17 points. Wilson led North Carolina (11-1) with 20.

Trimble also did a stellar defensive job on Ohio State star Bruce Thornton, who was held to 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He came into the game hitting 60.2% from the field.

Royal led the Buckeyes (8-3) with 18 points.

Mobley put Ohio State ahead on a 3-pointer with 48.7 seconds to go, also drawing a foul that made it a four-point play for a 70-67 lead.

Trimble hit a drive in the lane to cut the margin, and Jarin Stevenson made a steal as Ohio State tried to get the ball into the frontcourt to set up the winning basket.

It was the second game of the CBS Sports Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kentucky defeated No. 22 St. John’s 78-66 in the opener.

Up next

Ohio State hosts Grambling State on Tuesday.

North Carolina is back in Chapel Hill to face East Carolina on Monday.

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