North Carolina

She ‘sarcastically’ said Obama should be killed. Now she wants to control kids’ education.

Published

10 months ago

August 19, 2024

Press Room

When Morrow ran for school board in 2022, she referred to public schools as ‘indoctrination centers.’ Now she wants to control North Carolina’s education system as state superintendent.

She has never worked in a public school and has referred to them as “indoctrination centers.” She attended the riot at the U.S. Capitol and called for former President Donald Trump to use military force to stay in power. She has been known to use hashtags affiliated with the conspiracy theory QAnon.

Yet after defeating the incumbent in a Super Tuesday primary, Michele Morrow is the Republican nominee for North Carolina superintendent. Morrow will be running against Democrat Maurice (Mo) Green.

If elected, she would be responsible for a $12 billion budget, 115 school districts and 1.36 million public school students. Concern around her campaign has grown since she became the party’s nominee.

“We believe that Morrow is uniquely unqualified for this position to serve public school students and educators across the state,” Tamika Walker Kelly, the president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, told me.

I wanted to talk to Morrow more about her stances and thoughts on public education. After interviewing her, I worry about what it would mean for my home state of North Carolina – and the country, more broadly – if she were elected. Her rise in prominence is running parallel to parents’ rights movements across the country that threaten to destroy public education.

The lie that public schools are ‘indoctrination centers’

When Morrow ran for Wake County’s school board in 2022, she referred to public schools as “socialism centers” and “indoctrination centers.” Her own five children have attended public and private schools in other states, but have been homeschooled since moving to North Carolina. At one point, she told people not to send their children to public schools.

Morrow told me she stood by her claim that schools were indoctrinating children.

“Children believe any adult that is put in front of them,” Morrow told me. “And if we are telling children to be divided by the color of their skin, if we are putting politics into the classroom, if we are discussing the fact that they might be in the wrong body and that the United States is inherently racist, and that socialism is the answer for America and that capitalism is a threat to the entire world, then that is indoctrination, it is lies, and it needs to stop.”

As someone who went through the North Carolina public school system, I can assure you that I saw no brainwashing occurring. If you don’t believe me, a task force spearheaded by the lieutenant governor, conservative firebrand Mark Robinson, failed to find compelling evidence of indoctrination.

What Morrow and other Republicans don’t realize is that they are the ones putting politics in the classroom.

They brought politics into the classroom in 2021 when they began complaining at school board meetings over masking in schools. It continued with the claims that “critical race theory” is being taught and has culminated in actual legislation like the Parents Bill of Rights across the country or the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida.

Before Republicans started complaining about these things, I had never known North Carolina public schools to be political battlegrounds.

The MAGA candidate: North Carolina is on the verge of getting a MAGA governor. Why do we let this happen?

Concerning social media posts about assassinating Obama

Morrow has come under fire for previous social media posts beyond her involvement in Jan. 6, 2021. In 2020, she called for the public execution of former President Barack Obama in a reply on X, previously Twitter.

“I prefer a Pay Per View of him in front of the firing squad,” she tweeted in response to someone suggesting Obama should be sent to Guantanamo Bay.

She has also called for the killing of President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and a handful of other prominent Democrats. Morrow has also repeatedly used the QAnon-associated hashtag WWG1WGA on her personal social media account.

GOP controlling women: You’re not imagining it. Republicans have been weird about women for years.

When asked about the execution posts, Morrow said the they were “hyperbolic” and “rhetorical.”

“It was a sarcastic comment,” Morrow told me. “But the question that was being answered – and there are probably over 100 comments in that thread that they pulled from – was ‘What should happen to these individuals should they be found guilty of treason and crimes against humanity?’ So that was my response.”

I asked if she believed there was reason for Obama to be found guilty of treason, as she previously claimed.

“I am not a judge,” she told me. “I think we have moved on.”

Spoiler alert: There is no known reason Obama or any of the Democrats she targeted would be tried for treason.

Morrow participated in riot at US Capitol

Morrow also attended the Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.

In a since-deleted Facebook livestream, Morrow called for the arrest of those who certified the 2020 election results, adding that Trump should have used the military to stay in power.

“If the police won’t do it, and the Department of Justice won’t do it, then he will have to enact the Insurrection Act,” Morrow said at the time. “In which case the Insurrection Act completely puts the Constitution to the side and says, now the military rules all.”

She denies that she called for a military coup.

“I was calling for certification to go back to the states, because at the time, we wanted it to be investigated,” Morrow said.

I asked Morrow if she believed the 2020 election was stolen.

“Do you believe that the issue for the superintendent is about an election that happened four years ago?” she asked me. When I pressed further, she began talking about noncitizen voting; I never got a firm answer.

Conservative takeover of education

What’s surprising about Morrow’s win against incumbent Catherine Truitt is how similar their ideologies are.

In February, Truitt’s campaign sent out mailers claiming she helped get “woke politics” out of public schools. She also supported conservative policies like the state’s Parents Bill of Rights, a 2023 law making it illegal to talk about gender identity or sexuality in elementary school through fourth grade.

Despite that reality, Morrow advertised herself as being further right than Truitt – and it worked.

Morrow’s rise to the forefront of the state’s Republican Party is happening in tandem with the ascent of Lt. Gov. Robinson, who is running for the governorship this November. Robinson has endorsed Morrow, saying at a campaign event that “we’re gonna make sure we do everything to get you in office.”

It is also occurring at a time when public schools across the country are being targeted by legislatures, as in Florida and Louisiana.

Her campaign also coincides with Project 2025 and the threat it poses to education across the country. Earlier this week, Trump said in a conversation with Elon Musk that he would close the Department of Education if reelected.

All North Carolina students deserve a quality education. To me, this is why it’s important that the Leandro Plan, a multibillion dollar school funding program that has been stuck in litigation for 30 years, be implemented.

Surprisingly, Morrow seems supportive of the initiative.

“In my role as state Superintendent,” she told me in an email, “I will absolutely advocate on behalf of our students to the General Assembly so that we not only fulfill the requirements of Leandro, but its spirit and with it, the full intent of our state constitution.”

Still, it does not change the fact that Morrow poses a threat to any child who happens to be LGBTQ+. It also does not change the fact that her social media posts are alarming, and are representative of someone who does not respect those who disagree with her.

North Carolina deserves better than Morrow. We all do.

Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno

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North Carolina

Hiking to North Carolina in Torrential Rain – The Trek

Published

4 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Press Room

Hiking to North Carolina in Torrential Rain – The Trek

I woke up in the shelter around 6 am but took some time getting out of my bed. I slept pretty badly last night and it felt like I had been awake half the night. Baby Feet told us that at some point last night he startled a mouse getting into Islan’s stuff and it ran right behind my pad to the corner by Honey and Moonie. As long as stuff like that happens when I’m asleep, I don’t care, it doesn’t exist to me! If I was awake I don’t know if I’d be able to fall back asleep.

I had a pretty ambitious plan for today to cross the border into North Carolina and do my first 15 mile day. The weather seemed like it would be pretty bad so I wasn’t sure if I could do it. As usual, everyone left the shelter before me. I was ready to go at 8:30, but I decided to stop at the privy last minute since it was pouring. Digging a cathole in the pouring rain didn’t seem like a fun idea. The rain continued in earnest and I moved as fast as I could. The side trail to get back to the AT was quite long and all uphill, and the rain made it a bit harder to navigate.

Once back on trail, I met a section hiker who told me the rest of the guys were just a little further down. There was a gradual climb to start with but it didn’t feel too hard and I kept a decent pace in the rain. Halfway up the climb I ran into Arwen who was heading south on another slack pack to try to finish out the section. We chatted for a minute but quickly got going again as the rain picked up.

Once the trail switched to downhill it was rocky and muddy, but I moved as fast as I could, paying attention to my footing and slowing down in sketchier sections. I passed Tortuga and John, then caught up with Islan. I could see Baby Feet ahead, but he kept his pace up. Islan and I talked about what his presidential ticket would be.

We got to dicks creek and Bill from the green dragon hostel was there to pick up all the guys. I was pleased to see it was only 10:30, which means I had made great time in the rain. I told Bill I was thinking of crossing the border and he was encouraging. Islan also decided to continue on, and I decided to evaluate once I got to the next shelter that was 5 miles away. We got moving again at 11. Islan and I started off hiking together, but I pulled ahead eventually as the rain spurred me to move faster. The trail turned into a stream and there was no point in trying to avoid it.

I ran into three section hikers who said there were some women ahead on trail. I saw Bullseye who was slackpacking south. I finally made it to the shelter at 1:30 ish and saw Mariel, Anna, who I camped with the first night at Springer mountain, and an older hiker I hadn’t met yet named Fire Marshal. I tried to eat quickly and was still deciding what to do, but something inside me just really wanted to continue on. It was early enough and I knew I could do this challenge.

Islan showed up and decided to stay in the shelter so I was on my own. It was too cold to sit for long in wet clothes so I knew I needed to move quickly. I got water, and Fire Marshal offered to filter it for me. I ended up leaving later than I wanted to close to 3 pm and had to climb the .3 side trail back to AT.

As I left the rain started to slow down and then completely stopped and I felt good about my decision. About two miles away I saw my first bear! It was bit bigger than a cub but seemed too small to be full grown. He saw me before I saw him, and was scrambling so hard to get out of the tree he was in that he fell a few feet, and then bolted off into the woods. It all happened so fast that I couldn’t even get a picture. It was a cool experience and felt like another sign that I should be doing this. I clicked my poles and sang loudly for the next few minutes in case any other bears were hanging around.

A few minutes later I crossed through my first burn area on the AT. I’m not sure if it was a wildfire or prescribed burn, but it smelled recent. I continued along through the burn for a while before crossing back into a denser forest.

It was hard to capture the burn area

Before I knew it I was at the border crossing! It was an exciting moment and felt pretty cool that I walked for 8 days to enter North Carolina for the first time. All the states until Maryland will be new for me. After the border crossing there were a few cool waterfalls and streams before a gradual climb began.

Never been so excited to see a sign!

The clouds cleared up a bit and revealed some blue skies and sun, which felt like another sign that this push was right for me. As I continued along I heard a loud squawk which startled me. After a second I realized that a grouse was right along the trail and it wasn’t happy to see me. It flew a little further up and was very dramatic when I continued up the trail towards it.

The sun peeking through the trees as I entered NC

Once the trees switched over to denser rhododendrons and mountain Laurel I knew I was closer to the top, and made it to the peak shortly after. I started descending, feeling like I was moving at a good pace but didn’t check. At 6:45 I knew I was close but felt extremely tired and hungry. My first instinct is always to just try to push on and not want to take breaks, but there was no point in forcing myself to continue if I would be dragging the entire time. I sat down right on trail and rested for a few minutes. My entire body was buzzing and I felt extremely weak. I drank some water and ate a bunch of nuts and other snacks and felt much better. I got going again and was able to move quickly with a new energy. It’s amazing what a difference just taking care of your body makes. Finally, about 40 minutes later I made it to the shelter and felt really accomplished. It feels really good to set a challenging goal and meet it. The trail miles were only 15.4 miles but with all the .3 mile side trails to and from the shelters today my total mileage was 16, which is the longest I’ve ever hiked in a day.

An exciting patch of blue skies

I had the shelter to myself and I took my time collecting water and making some ramen for dinner. When I was still getting my stuff organized before bed, I saw a little mouse dart out from the side of the shelter towards the picnic table. It ran for cover as soon as it saw my light. I made sure to put any and all attractants super far from myself so the mice would have no reason to come near me, and then cozied up in my quilt to the sound of the rain falling outside the shelter.

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North Carolina

101 dogs rescued from apparent puppy mill in North Carolina

Published

1 day ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

101 dogs rescued from apparent puppy mill in North Carolina

More than 100 dogs were rescued from an apparent puppy mill in North Carolina where they were kept in “egregious conditions”, an animal shelter said.

The SPCA of Wake county on Wednesday removed 101 dogs from a home that appeared to have been functioning as a puppy mill. In a statement online, the shelter said that the dogs had been “surrounded by their own waste, packed 5 or 6 to a cage and stacked floor to ceiling, or free roaming in cramped quarters and filth”.

The dogs were removed from a home near New Bern Avenue and New Hope Road. Photograph: SPCA of Wake county

The shelter, working alongside Raleigh animal control, also said that there had been numerous mother dogs with very young nursing puppies, adding that 19 of those dogs were now in SPCA Wake’s care.

“These events unfolded very quickly. Within an hour of receiving this call for help, we were on the property ready to take as many pets as possible,” the shelter said.

Pictures posted online showed puppies of various breeds in cages and with matted fur as they were being cared for by shelter employees. Speaking to CBS 17, SPCA Wake spokesperson Samantha Ranlet said that many of the dogs were toy poodle mixes, pomeranians, chihuahuas, yorkies and other small “doodle” mixes.

In a follow-up post on Friday, the shelter said that its medical team had been treating each dog’s individual needs, adding that many of them were suffering from skin and dental issues.

“The matted dirty fur is coming off in heaps,” the shelter said.

Additional pictures posted online showed clumps of matted fur being trimmed from dogs of varying sizes.

“We’re seeing a lot of smiles from these guys. This is the biggest moment in these dogs’ lives, and we are feeling so grateful to be a part of their healing. Thank you to everyone who has donated or reached out in support of these efforts. This rescue is a big undertaking, and we can’t do it without you,” the shelter said.

In addition to the 101 dogs, the homeowner, who police said was “cooperative”, also surrendered 21 chickens.

A shelter employee greets one of the rescued dogs. Photograph: SPCA of Wake county

Speaking to CBS 17, Ranlet said: “The dogs in our care are being medically evaluated and some moved into foster homes … They will be placed up for adoption once they have received veterinary care and recuperated. We need to make sure they are healthy and rehabilitated so they can start fresh as somebody’s family members.”

It remains unclear whether the homeowner will face charges. The Guardian has reached out to the Raleigh police department for comment.

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