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North Carolina just bought part of one of the Triangle’s ‘last vast wilderness areas’

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North Carolina just bought part of one of the Triangle’s ‘last vast wilderness areas’


Simply east of Interstate 95, lower than 35 miles from downtown Raleigh, is an space of cypress and lowland hardwood forests so huge that it’s seen from area.

These swampy woods alongside the winding Neuse River have been considered so stuffed with venomous snakes and moonshine stills that they turned generally known as the “Let’Lones,” as in higher simply go away that place alone. Biologists and conservationists have had their eye on them for many years, in hopes of preserving one of many largest remaining undeveloped areas of the Triangle.

Now the state has purchased 1,127 acres within the Let’Lones, alongside a possible hall of The Mountains-to-Sea Path. The vendor was the Triangle Land Conservancy, a nonprofit group that bought the land in 2019.

Johnston County was already rapidly transitioning from farmland to suburban subdivisions 30 years in the past when the land conservancy first recognized the Let’Lones, or Neuse Lowgrounds, as an necessary pure space price defending. Over the past decade, the county grew quicker than another within the state, and builders are beginning to look to rural areas east of I-95.

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Persons are additionally studying…

“This was all the time sort of one of many final huge wilderness areas of the Triangle,” mentioned Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, a director of land safety and stewardship for the conservancy. “With that mentioned, there’s now water and sewer strains within the space. It is rather near the 70 Bypass. So we’ve seen much more development and improvement than we ever anticipated with Johnson County being the fastest-growing county within the state proper now.”

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The conservancy purchased the 1,127 acres from the youngsters of Goldsboro doctor Joseph Hester for $2.9 million, the identical quantity it can obtain from the state in a deal permitted final week. The state is drawing from 4 conservation funds to pay for the land, with the biggest share coming from the N.C. Land and Water Fund.

The property contains 650 acres of floodplain, 70 acres of farmland transitioning to meadow and oxbow lakes the place the twisting Neuse River has been lower off from itself.

“The Neuse goes from having a floodplain of a pair hundred ft north of Smithfield to having a floodplain that’s nearly 4 miles vast on the base of the lowgrounds,” Hammerbacher mentioned.

Along with snakes, the land offers habitat for migrating birds and waterfowl in addition to fox squirrels, black bears and bobcats.

The property is throughout the river from the Howell Woods Environmental Studying Heart, a 2,800-acre protect owned by Johnston County Group School. Hammerbacher mentioned conservationists hope to attach the 2 properties sooner or later and shield others within the space.

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Planning for public entry simply getting began

As of now, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation has no agency plans for the Hester land, apart from to make it obtainable for The Mountains-to-Sea Path, mentioned spokeswoman Katie Corridor.

The path extends 1,175 miles, largely over land, from Clingmans Dome in Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park to Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. At Smithfield, the plan was for the path to comply with the Neuse by the Let’Lones to Goldsboro, however the space is fast to flood and sluggish to empty, mentioned Betsy Brown, outreach supervisor for Buddies of The Mountains-to-Sea Path.

“It’s a very difficult place to construct a path for the long run,” Brown mentioned.

So path planners proposed a brand new route heading south from Smithfield towards Bentonville Battlefield and different public lands and up by Jacksonville to the Outer Banks. The northern route alongside the Neuse continues to be a chance, Brown mentioned, however not within the close to future.

In the meantime, The Mountains-to-Sea Path additionally features a water choice, the Neuse River Paddle Route, which follows the river from Smithfield by the Let’Lones, between the Hester land and Howell Woods, to Goldsboro, Kinston and ultimately New Bern and Pamlico Sound.

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The land conservancy refers back to the Hester land because the Brogden Bottomlands, a reference to the topography and a small group close by. Film star and Johnston County native Ava Gardner grew up in Brogden.

“The home she was born in is definitely throughout the highway from this property,” Hammerbacher mentioned. “We think about that she in all probability tromped across the woods that at the moment are a part of this acquisition.”



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North Carolina

North Carolina Dems fight GOP power shift as lawsuit targets election boards

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North Carolina Dems fight GOP power shift as lawsuit targets election boards


Outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) and Gov.-elect Josh Stein (D-NC) filed an expanded lawsuit Monday to challenge a sweeping Republican-backed law that strips significant powers from the state’s incoming Democratic officeholders.

The move by the Democratic leaders escalates an ongoing legal battle over GOP efforts to reshape control of state agencies and boards ahead of next month’s transition.

The new legal action focuses on Senate Bill 382, which transfers the governor’s authority to appoint members of the State Board of Elections to the state auditor, a position set to be held by Republican Dave Boliek. Additionally, the law grants the auditor the power to appoint the leaders of all county election boards, further limiting gubernatorial influence.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) waves to supporters during an election night watch party for Democratic North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Grant Halverson)

“These blatantly partisan efforts to give control over election boards to a newly elected Republican will create distrust in our elections process and serve no legitimate purpose,” Cooper said in a statement.

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The lawsuit was originally filed by Democrats over Senate Bill 749, a bill blocked earlier this year that would have overhauled the state election board structure. With SB 382 now law, Cooper and Stein are seeking to amend the lawsuit to reflect the changes, which they argue are unconstitutional and undermine democratic principles.

“In recent years, these legislative leaders have repeatedly tried and failed to seize control of the State Board of Elections for their own partisan gain,” Stein said. “This latest move insults the voters who rejected their power grab and must not stand.”

SB 382’s provisions extend beyond election oversight. It prohibits the incoming attorney general, Democrat Jeff Jackson, from taking legal positions contrary to those of the Republican-led legislature. It also reallocates $227 million to a Hurricane Helene relief fund but does not specify how the money will be used, raising concerns about delayed aid to affected communities.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Republicans overrode Cooper’s veto of SB 382 earlier this month, using their supermajority in the state Senate. However, starting in 2025, they will lose their veto-proof majority in the House, creating a more challenging legislative landscape.

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The case now heads to Wake County Superior Court as the political fight over North Carolina’s balance of power intensifies.



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North Carolina police officer killed days before Christmas

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North Carolina police officer killed days before Christmas


Officer Michael T. Horan (Greenboro Police Department)

A Greensboro police officer was shot and killed on Monday morning while responding to reports of a man with a gun inside a Food Lion supermarket, authorities said. The suspect was taken into custody, though details of the incident remain under investigation.

Officer Michael T. Horan, 43, was shot just before noon at the store on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro, Assistant Police Chief Milford J. Harris said during a news conference. Horan, who joined the department in 2018, was remembered as an outstanding officer with a sterling reputation.

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“He was an excellent officer. He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and in the community,” Harris said. “Together, we are mourning Officer Horan — who was a husband, father, son, and friend.”

Witness recounts Greensboro officer shooting

Ramona Miller, a shopper, told WGHP-TV she was with her 6-year-old granddaughter when the shooting occurred.

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“We were on our way out, and I was purchasing a lottery ticket,” Miller said. “I was just sitting there and heard a ‘pop-pop’ and then ‘pop-pop-pop.’ I think I heard five shots. At first, I didn’t know it was a shooting, but an employee yelled out, ‘Shooting! Shooting!’”

Miller and her granddaughter left the store as police arrived. Authorities said there were no 

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North Carolina police officer killed in line of duty

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into the circumstances of the shooting. Police did not release additional details about the suspect or the events leading up to the officer’s death. A heavy police presence was visible outside the supermarket in the hours following the incident.

Gov. Roy Cooper expressed his condolences to Horan’s family and colleagues in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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“Officer Horan was courageously doing his duty protecting Greensboro when he became the victim of a senseless act of violence,” Cooper wrote. “We are grateful for his brave, dedicated service.”

Cooper also noted that he had sent a significant number of state law enforcement officers to support the response in Greensboro.

Who is Officer Michael Horan?

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Horan was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard since 2000, serving as a law enforcement officer, tactical instructor, and search-and-rescue operator. In 2019, he received a lifesaving award for rescuing a man and his son from a rip current while off duty.

“Michael Horan was a protector and a provider,” Harris said. “The loss of a man like him rips a hole in the hearts of his family, squad mates, friends, and community.”

Democratic state Sen. Michael Garrett, who represents Guilford County, called the shooting a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement.

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“During what should be a time of joy and celebration, another brave officer has been shot in the line of duty. Another family’s holiday season forever changed,” Garrett said in a statement on Facebook.

Greensboro police mourn loss of one of their own

The Food Lion store remains closed as authorities continue their investigation. The company said it is cooperating with law enforcement and offering resources to affected employees.

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A memorial has been established at Greensboro Police Headquarters, where the public can pay respects to Officer Horan. Additionally, a fundraiser is being organized to support his family.

Horan leaves behind his wife and children, whose holiday season has been marked by grief instead of celebration. “Our hearts are with his family during this time,” Harris said.

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The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Police have set up an online account to help the officer’s family.

The Source: Details in this article come from the Greenboro Police Department and the Associated Press.

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Latest challenge to North Carolina’s power-shifting law focuses on state elections board control

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s current governor and his successor tacked on another lawsuit Monday disputing a key provision within a GOP law that erodes the powers of several incoming Democratic state leaders — the latest in a longstanding power struggle between North Carolina’s executive and legislative branches over who controls the state’s elections.

The lawsuit challenges one of the law’s core power shifts that move the ability to appoint members of the North Carolina State Board of Elections from the governor’s authority to the state auditor’s office — which will be run by Republican Dave Boliek next year. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Gov.-elect Josh Stein, who currently serves as the state attorney general, filed the suit in Wake County Superior Court on Monday, saying in the complaint that the provision is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers.

The change to state election board appointments will take place next spring if it isn’t blocked in court. The state elections board would likely remain under GOP control for the next few years and would trickle down to county boards as well.

“We have had the same structure for our state board of elections for nearly a century and it has served North Carolina well, with fair and secure elections across our state through every cycle,” Cooper said in a news release Monday. “These blatantly partisan efforts to give control over elections boards to a newly elected Republican will create distrust in our elections process and serve no legitimate purpose.”

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The suit from Cooper and Stein is the second challenge the pair has levied against the GOP-controlled state legislature concerning the law. Cooper and Stein are also contesting another provision that prevents the governor from choosing his State Highway Patrol commander.

Those alterations to the governor’s powers were part of a larger swath of changes to several statewide offices that Democrats won in November and will preside over next year — such as attorney general, state schools superintendent and lieutenant governor.

If the law withstands the court challenges, it would further underscore the GOP-led legislature’s tightened grip over the other two branches of government since Republicans took control of the General Assembly more than a decade ago. Last year, GOP supermajorities in both the House and Senate firmed up power even more.

Pending legal disputes in a few outstanding races, Republicans could lose their supermajority if Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn’s attempt to oust incumbent Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon proves successful. That would give Stein a slightly more effective veto stamp on future Republican legislation if Democratic lawmakers stay unified.

Republican legislators passed the law in both chambers earlier this month — not without scathing disapproval from crowds of protesters in the building.

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The bill drew the ire of House and Senate Democrats, as well as some community organizers, who denounced it as a “power grab.” They also criticized Republican lawmakers for tying the power shifts to disaster relief funding for western North Carolina in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath. Most of the $252 million in recovery funds included in the law can’t be spent until the next time the General Assembly acts.

But GOP legislators defended the bill, with incoming House Speaker Destin Hall saying during the House vote that the changes are within the legislature’s constitutional right. Republicans also point to previous Democratic actions, such as weakening the state’s first GOP governor in 1972, as reasons necessitating the legislation.

Spokespeople for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — who are both defendants listed in the lawsuit — did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday evening. A state elections board spokesperson also did not immediately respond.

Changes to the state elections board aren’t a first for GOP lawmakers. Previous attempts have been blocked by courts, including a suit last year that would move board appointment authority from the governor to the General Assembly. Berger and Moore’s attorneys moved to dismiss that case last week, and the new lawsuit from Cooper and Stein seeks to replace it.



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