North Carolina
North Carolina lawmakers gird for another possible veto showdown over transgender sports ban
A proposed ban on transgender girls and women playing women’s high school and college sports is headed for a likely final vote in the state legislature Tuesday — a move that would make North Carolina the latest state to advance similar restrictions. If last week’s committee meetings were any indicator, the measure will likely continue to receive vocal opposition if it passes the legislature.
Gov. Roy Cooper has sought to spur opposition to controversial bills in the days leading up to his vetoes. He’s expected to reject this one as well. That would set up another override showdown with legislative Republicans, who have enough votes to override the veto, and would likely do so.
Supporters of House Bill 574 say it’s inherently unfair for transgender women and girls to play against women and girls who were identified as such at birth. They say past exposure to testosterone in utero and after puberty makes transgender women and girls bigger, faster and stronger than athletes born as females, even when they’re taking hormone-suppressing medication.
Sen. Vickie Sawyer, sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, says the proposal would even the field in women’s sports, protecting girls and women from both potential injury by transgender competitors and unfair competition for awards and scholarships.
“Why do we even have men’s and women’s sports?” Sawyer said during a committee hearing on the bill last week. “This is about women, love of women and love of women’s sports.”
The bill was ultimately amended to permit girls to play on boys’ and men’s sports teams and it advanced from committee to a vote on the Senate floor. Fifteen other states, mostly in the South, have enacted similar laws, according to Sawyer, R-Iredell.
Six LGTBQ+ people lined up to speak against the bill, including Karen Ziegler, a former pastor of an LGBTQ+ church, during Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Rules Committee.
“This is a really easy way to whip up hate and fear against a minority group that is not well understood,” Ziegler said. “Please stop picking on us. You’re creating suicide in our youth and a climate of violence.”
“I am that most frightening monster, a trans woman athlete,” Vivian Taylor told the committee, saying she ran track at Albemarle High School many years ago, although her best time wouldn’t have risked “ruining the girls’ success.”
Taylor said she served in the NC national guard as a chaplain’s assistant in Iraq, and earned master’s degrees in public policy and theology from Duke.
“Discrimination against trans kids puts them on a course to be discriminated against their whole lives,” Taylor said. “There are a tiny number of trans kids. Statistically, it’s all noise.”
Nathaniel Dibble of Raleigh said the ban would hurt girls who are not transgender rather than protect them “because this bill makes their bodies a public concern.
“We’ve already seen many cases across the country where a cisgender teen athlete has been harassed by parents with accusations of them being trans,” Dibble said.
Dibble criticized members of the committee for “smiling and laughing in the back while we’re pouring out our hearts.”
Ivy Nangalia urged lawmakers to focus “on the actual issues plaguing women’s sports: increase funding for schools and women’s programs, invest in better facilities and equipment, and most importantly, thoroughly vet and background check coaching staff.”
“There are more people in this room than there are transgender athletes in this state,” Nangalia said.
Tami Fitzgerald with the religious conservative group NC Values Coalition was the lone speaker in the bill’s favor.
“In college and university sports, it’s about winning,” Fitzgerald predicted. “If one team recruits a transgender-identifying male to play on their team, every team in that conference will have to recruit a transgender male.”
She added, “Bodies play sports, not identities.”
Fitzgerald went on to say that the ban upholds “the spirit of Title IX.”
According to the site BestColleges.com, 16 states now ban transgender females from playing on women’s sporting teams. The most recent addition was Missouri, where bans were signed by the governor June 7.
However, all these bans could be upended if the Biden administration advances a proposed rule under Title IX forbidding blanket bans on sports participation by transgender students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the proposed regulation has already gone through the public comment process and is expected to be released in October.
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North Carolina
Alabama man on work trip stops to buy $3 quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot
![Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/02/USAT/74654762007-screenshot-15.png?auto=webp&crop=1164,656,x0,y114&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Christopher Baker of Leesburg, Alabama was on a work trip in Hickory, North Carolina, when he thought he’d try his luck on a lotto game. It turned out to be a lucrative Powerball win.
An Alabama man on a work trip in North Carolina bought a $3 Quick Pick Powerball ticket on a whim and walked away with a six-figure windfall.
Christopher Baker of Leesburg in northeastern Alabama bought his lucky ticket in July in Hickory, North Carolina, where had been traveling for work, according to Powerball.
When the numbers were drawn, Baker says he had to do a double-take when he realized he had a $100,000 winning ticket. He had matched four white balls and the red Powerball, which would have been $50,000, but a 2X multiplier doubled the win and the disbelief.
“I just kept looking at it to make sure I was reading it right,” he laughed, according to Powerball. “I told my family but they didn’t believe me. either.”
Baker, who called his win “a shocker.” said he plans to save his winnings to buy a house.
Baker will take home $71,501 after federal and state taxes are withheld.
How to play the Powerball
In order to purchase a $2 Powerball ticket, you’ll have to visit your local convenience store, gas station or grocery store − and in a handful of states, you can purchase tickets online.
To play, you will need to pick six numbers in total to mark on your ticket. Five numbers will be white balls ranging from numbers 1 to 69. The Powerball is red and one number which is between 1 and 26.
If you want to increase your chances of winning, you can add a “Power Play” for $1 which increases the winnings for all non-jackpot prizes. This addition can multiply winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
Players can also ask a cashier for a “Quick Pick” where a cashier will give you a computer generated numbers on a printed Powerball ticket.
Drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. If there’s no jackpot winner, the cash prize will increase by millions.
Where to purchase tickets
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050(MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.
North Carolina
Obituary for Kristie Lee Sturgill Blake at Market Street Chapel
North Carolina
NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson
![NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2209,h_1242,x_1298,y_403/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/nba_draft/01j462h25vxrtranzx37.jpg)
Drake Powell
Guard | UNC
Height: 6’5” | Weight: 185 lbs
2025 Draft Age: 19.78
As a natural wing or off-ball guard, Powell has what it takes to be an impact player at the next level. He boasts the positional size and athleticism to exploit his opponents on either end of the floor. Overall, he’s a very smart player with a competitive edge and is willing to adapt to what his team needs to win.
Powell is really best as an off-ball player offensively, especially given he’s not known for being a self-creator or primary ball-handler. However, he is a smart cutter and has found ways to position himself for success when finding space. To really take his game overall to the next level, the North Carolina freshman will need to prove he can become a better shooter. Whether it’s in the mid-range or beyond the arc, his jumper is inconsistent. Again, as an offensive prospect, he needs to improve to really become a two-way threat. The physical traits are there for him to get where he needs to be, but the development of his offensive game is a huge swing for Powell in terms of draft stock.
On the defensive end of the floor, Powell really shines. His athletic tools allow him to be all over the place and make plays on and off of the ball. He is quick, boasts length and is very smart as a defender. When thinking about what will differentiate him from other prospects at the next level, it will be his upside as a defensive prospect. He plays with tremendous energy and effort and he makes those around him better on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, he is one of the best defenders in the entire freshman class.
If Powell can convince NBA teams that he has the future projection of being a better offensive player, there’s no question he could be one of the most impactful players in the draft. In the meantime, he can lean on his defensive abilities to contribute to winning. The former five-star recruit is following in the footsteps of his father as a Tar Heel, as he played baseball for North Carolina when he was in school.
Mid to Late Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.
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