News – Moore County Edition

Jan

11

2023

0 Comments

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Moore County Schools bans TikTok, ByteDance entirely from district

Newsapps, board of education, ByteDance, Moore County, Social Media, tiktok

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Education met Monday with two major topics up for discussion. The first topic the board was presented with was a recommendation from Superintendent Tim Locklair to adopt an amended 2022-2023 Budget Resolution for the first quarter to account for an increase of $6,518.343.07 from what they previously had budgeted. However, Board Vice Chair David Hensley presented his own recommendation for utilizing the funding increase to cover some previously approved costs that had dipped into the district’s fund balance reserves. “In order to decompress the classified staff’s salary and to hire an additional full-time…

Jan

11

2023

0 Comments

By A.P. Dillon

N.C. Treasurer delivers over half a million in found funds to state education officials

NewsDale Folwell, Education, NC Treasurer, officials, state funds

RALEIGH — Last week, N.C. State Treasurer Dale Folwell delivered a check for over half a million dollars to State Superintendent Catherine Truitt and N.C. State Board of Education chairman Eric Davis. “At a time when so many schools are in need of money and resources, especially in rural and inner-city districts, every penny found to further North Carolina’s educational mission is a blessing,” Folwell said in a press release. “I see that need not only as a member of SBE, but as chairman of the Local Government Commission, which reviews and approves financing for school projects throughout North Carolina.”…

Jan

09

2023

0 Comments

By Matt Mercer

Moore school board moves to ban TikTok

Government, News

PINEHURST — On Monday, Jan. 9, the Moore County School Board moved to ban TikTok from county devices and internet networks. During the morning work session ahead of the regular meeting, a resolution from chairman Robert Levy was presented to the board. Among the reasons in the resolution are the "security concerns of TikTok and ByteDance, ltd. outweigh its educational value to our students." Many states have banned the service from government-owned devices and a ban was included recently for federal government devices in a bill passed late last year. It is believed that once formally approved, Moore County Schools will…

Jan

04

2023

0 Comments

By Randolph Record

Appeals court restores NC law addressing farm labor

Newsappeals court, farm labor, NC law

RALEIGH — A North Carolina law preventing legal settlements between farms and workers from requiring a farm operation to become a union employer doesn’t violate the U.S. Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday while overturning a lower court decision. The decision by a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, restores a provision contained in a 2017 farm law that was challenged by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee — the state’s only farmworker union with several thousand members. U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs had ordered in 2021 that the provision be permanently blocked, determining…

Dec

28

2022

0 Comments

By A.P. Dillon

Group files lawsuit against Governor’s School following controversial firing

NewsAlliance for Defending Freedom, David Phillips, Governor's School, professor firing, staff firing

RALEIGH — A lawsuit has been filed in Wake County against the state’s prestigious Governor’s School by the Alliance for Defending Freedom on behalf of English professor Dr. David Phillips following his “mid-session” termination in 2021. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is a non-profit based in Arizona. ADF describes itself as the “world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights.” The North Carolina Governor’s School is a summer residential program lasting four weeks for “gifted and talented high school students, integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique…

Dec

28

2022

0 Comments

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Moore County ends year on a hectic note

News2022 politics, 2022 review, economy, festivals, growth, jobs, Moore County, year in review

CARTHAGE — Perhaps the biggest stories of Moore County this year came within the last two months: November elections and the December substation attack. On December 3, two substations were damaged by gunfire, leaving nearly 40,000 residents in the dark for nearly a week. During a press conference, Sheriff Ronnie Fields – who won reelection in November – said that the attacks were “targeted” and not random. The attacks raised a lot of eyebrows due to the nature of their proximity to military installations, as well as due to the nature and severity of the damage. The investigation into the…

Dec

21

2022

0 Comments

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Architect firm selected for library and archives expansion

Newsarchitect firm, council meeting, expansion, Village of Pinehurst Council

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, December 13, where they decided on a design firm for the Given Memorial Library and Tuft Archives. The council approved a resolution to appoint Bruce Hironimus to the Planning and Zoning Board as well as the Board of Adjustments. Hironimus had prior government experience, having worked for the Pennsylvania DOT, as well as serving on the Derry Township Planning and Zoning Board and the Hershey Long-Term Comprehensive Plan Committee. “I enjoyed the nature of the work from past experiences,” Hironimus said. “I’ve been here now full-time over the last three years,…

Dec

21

2022

0 Comments

By A.P. Dillon

Moore County’s new school board brings back valedictorians

NewsMoore County Schools, valedictorians

RALEIGH — Moore County’s newly elected school board elected a new chair and voted to bring back honoring valedictorians at its meeting on Dec. 12. Even though Moore Schools’ board is nonpartisan, the majority of the new board is Republican. At the swearing-in of new members earlier this month, Robert Levy was installed as the new chair and David Hensley as vice chair. There was ample discussion over restoring the honoring of salutatorians and valedictorians during the meeting. During the debate, Hensley noted that the members of the previous school board had ended the practice of allowing students to compete…

Dec

14

2022

0 Comments

By Associated Press

Moore County power restored as combined reward announced

Newsmoore county power outage, Power, power grid, reward, vandalism

RALEIGH— Duke Energy and Randolph Electric Membership Cooperative completed repairs on Wednesday, Dec. 7 on electric substation equipment damaged in shootings that made international news in Moore County. Authorities have said the outages began shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 after one or more people drove up to two substations, breached the gates and opened fire on them. Police have not released a motive or said what kind of gun was used in the attack. But Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields told reporters Monday that whoever was responsible “knew exactly what they were doing to ... cause the…

Dec

14

2022

0 Comments

By North State Journal Staff

Hudson announces senior staff

Government, NewsRichard Hudson, staffing, us house of representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) announced new senior staff positions in his Washington, DC, and North Carolina offices. Chief of Staff Billy Constangy has been promoted to leadership chief of staff. Constangy, who has worked for Rep. Hudson since 2017, will take on the role following Hudson’s election to a new position in House Republican leadership that places Hudson fourth in line to the Speaker. Before serving as chief of staff, Constangy was Hudson’s district director from 2017-2020. Prior to joining Hudson, Constangy served as a senior staff member under former Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC)…