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Senior North Carolina House budget writer Saine says he'll leave legislature next month

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Senior North Carolina House budget writer Saine says he'll leave legislature next month


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A top budget writer and Republican leader in the North Carolina House said Monday that he will resign his legislative seat next month, further thinning out the GOP governance team next year when combined with the upcoming departure of Speaker Tim Moore.

Rep. Jason Saine of Lincoln County confirmed that he will step down from his 97th House District seat effective Aug. 12. He said he planned to file his formal resignation letter later Monday.

Saine, who joined the House in 2011, rose through the chamber’s ranks as the GOP tightened its electoral grip on the General Assembly. He became a chairman of the House Finance Committee, which considers tax policy, in 2015. Four years later he become a senior co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, becoming heavily involved in budget negotiations with the Senate and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

In recent years, he’s also been the House’s chief advocate for authorizing state-regulated sports gambling, which began in March after a law was enacted in 2023. A Saine news release also lists several awards for his legislative activity, including an early-career award for his efforts to regulate commercial dog breeders. And he was the 2018 national chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is known for providing model legislation to conservative legislators on a variety of topics.

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Saine, 50, said he’s “stepping away from public life to embrace new professional opportunities” that will allow him to keep advocating for issues he is passionate about. Saine, whose nonlegislative job has included public relations and marketing, said in a text that he was considering a marketing position with a mental health company. Saine said he also wanted to spend more time with his family, which includes a teenage son.

Saine’s resignation comes as Moore, who is serving a record fifth two-year term as speaker, runs for Congress this fall and won’t return to Raleigh. Saine was considered a potential successor as speaker, but he and Majority Leader John Bell last year got behind Rules Chairman Destin Hall for the post in 2025.

Saine was running unopposed this November for reelection to the 97th District, which comprises all of Lincoln County and whose voters lean heavily Republican. Lincoln County Republicans will have to choose someone to serve out the remainder of Saine’s two-year term through December, as well as someone to replace him as the GOP candidate in the district this fall.

News of Saine’s departure comes two weeks after GOP Sen. Jim Perry of Lenoir County announced his resignation. He also was a strong supporter of sports gambling legislation.

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Aidoo scores 17 and well-balanced Arkansas routs North Carolina A&T

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Aidoo scores 17 and well-balanced Arkansas routs North Carolina A&T


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jonas Aidoo had a double-double, and his 17 points led seven in double figures as Arkansas rolled past North Carolina A&T 95-67 on Saturday for the Razorbacks’ fifth straight win.

Aidoo made 7 of 13 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds. Boogie Fland also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Karter Knox 11 and D.J. Wagner 10 as all five starters reached double figures. Off the bench, Trevon Brazile had 11 points and Billy Richmond III scored 10. Brazile had nine rebounds.

Aidoo scored the first five points of the game and Arkansas (10-2) led 12-3 in the early going. Later in the half, Richmond scored seven consecutive Arkansas points and the Razorbacks were out front 28-17. They went on to lead 54-31 at the break.

An 8-0 run midway through the second half put Arkansas ahead by 36 points and the lead peaked at 37 when Aidoo scored in the paint with about 9 minutes remaining.

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Ryan Forrest led the Aggies (3-10) with 19 points and eight rebounds. Landon Glasper added 16 points.

It was the Razorbacks’ second game on their home floor this month. Next, they will host Oakland on Dec. 30.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

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Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


FAYETTEVILLE — Playing its first game in a week, the Arkansas basketball team showed no rust Saturday. 

The Razorbacks opened with a 12-3 run and were never threatened during a 95-67 victory over North Carolina A&T at Bud Walton Arena. 

Arkansas (10-2) won its fifth consecutive game and played for the final time before a break for Christmas. The Razorbacks are not scheduled to play again until a Dec. 30 home game against Oakland. 

Jonas Aidoo had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots before the first media timeout to spark the early run. Aidoo finished with season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes. 

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Aidoo was one of seven Razorbacks who scored in double figures. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Boogie Fland scored 12 to go with 11 assists, Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox scored 11 apiece, and D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond had 10. 

Zvonimir Ivisic (8 points) was the only Arkansas rotation player to score less than 10. The Razorbacks played the game without guard Nelly Davis, who sat out with soreness in his shooting wrist. Davis is averaging 9.9 points per game. 

Arkansas shot 50% (37 of 74) with 26 assists and held the Aggies to 36% (27 of 75) shooting. 

The Razorbacks led 54-31 at halftime and by as many as 37 points in the second half. 

North Carolina A&T (3-10) lost its eighth consecutive game. The Aggies were led in scoring by Marion native Ryan Forrest (19 points) and Fayetteville native Landon Glasper (16).

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After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt

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After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt


So far, nearly half of the 10,129 displaced households the Federal Emergency Management Agency has worked with have been placed in temporary shelters across the state, such as hotels, apartments and mobile homes, FEMA said. The remaining households have already found long-term housing, a spokesperson said.

While the temporary housing program was scheduled to end on Dec. 12, federal officials said that FEMA caseworkers wouldn’t force people from their temporary quarters and that they would work urgently to find them permanent shelter.

FEMA has spent $262 million on individual rental assistance and home repairs for Helene survivors in North Carolina, a spokesperson said. Another $274 million went to repairing infrastructure and removing debris. More financial help will be coming, the spokesperson said, but how much hasn’t been established yet.

Local officials said they are grateful for the assistance, but much more aid will be needed to restore Asheville, Biltmore Village and surrounding areas to their former condition.

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Manheimer and other North Carolina officials traveled to Washington last month to ask President Joe Biden and members of Congress for $25 billion to repair homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure in western North Carolina.

“We’re asking for so many exceptions and rules [to be] interpreted broadly, because this was an abnormal hurricane because of landslides, massive flooding, wind damage and large amounts of debris,” Manheimer said.

Private road and bridge repairs are costly, and there isn’t a specific federal program designed to repair them, she said.



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