Madison County, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">North Carolina</a>, is planning to put <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/guns">semi-automatic rifles</a> in each of its six schools heading into the 2022-2023 school year for enhanced security in the case of an active shooter threat.
County Sheriff Buddy Harwood announced that the rifles will be stored in secured safes at each of the county&#8217;s elementary, middle, and high schools. The six schools will also store breaching tools and ammunition in the safes that law enforcement could access in the case of an emergency.
“We were able to put an AR-15 rifle and safe in all of our schools in the county,&#8221; Harwood <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/madison/2022/08/05/madison-county-schools-add-ar-15-rifles-enhance-security/10234037002/">told</a> the Asheville Citizen Times. &#8220;We&#8217;ve also got breaching tools to go into those safes. We&#8217;ve got extra magazines with ammo in those safes.”
The Sheriff said that storing the breaching tools and AR-15s in school safes will help law enforcement act more quickly in the case of an emergency. Having the option to obtain a semi-automatic weapon in the instance of an active school shooter could save time and help law enforcement officers save lives, according to Harwood.
“Hopefully we&#8217;ll never need it, but I want my guys to be as prepared as prepared can be,” the Sheriff commented.
Harwood admitted that storing semi-automatic rifles in schools is not ideal, but said it’s necessary given the recent school shootings around the country. “I want the parents of Madison County to know we&#8217;re going to take every measure necessary to ensure our kids are safe in this school system,” he said.
The county’s decision stems from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uvalde-cops-knew-kids-were-still-alive-inside-the-school-and-waited-outside-anyway-report">police failures</a> during the May 24 Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where a lone gunman murdered 19 children and two adults. Law enforcement officers waited in the hallway outside the classroom for over an hour after the shooter began killing elementary-aged children at Robb Elementary. One of the first <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uvalde-shooting-police-waited-hour-backup-rcna30622">excuses</a> given by police for their hesitation after arriving on scene was that they were ill-equipped to engage the shooter and needed backup.
“Those officers were in that building for so long, and that suspect was able to infiltrate that building and injure and kill so many kids,” Harwood said of the Uvalde massacre. “I just want to make sure my deputies are prepared in the event that happens.&#8221;

AR-15

North Carolina County Will Put AR-15s In Every School

Guns

North Carolina

School Shooting

Schools

Uvalde

The body of a co-pilot who apparently jumped out of a plane without a parachute as it made an emergency landing at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">Raleigh-Durham International Airport</a> was found behind a house late Friday, police said.
Charles Hew Crooks, 23, “exited the plane while it was in air,” said Carolyn Roman, an official with the Town of Cary. The twin-engine turbo prop aircraft reported landing gear issues as it neared the airport Friday afternoon. The pilot landed the plane on some grass near a runway and suffered minor injuries.
Authorities received a report about the missing man around 2:30 or 2:45 p.m., said Darshan Patel, operations manager for Wake County emergency management. The body was found around 7 p.m. when a Fuquay-Varina resident flagged down searchers. Patel said search crews had “wished for a better outcome.”
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Federal officials are investigating the death of a co-pilot who exited a plane in mid-air in North Carolina. <a href="https://t.co/kacbksp5La">https://t.co/kacbksp5La</a>
&mdash; Aviation Pictures &amp; News (@aviationpicss) <a href="https://twitter.com/aviationpicss/status/1553341750504218625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We had officers that were responding in the area for the search and were flagged down by a resident. They had heard something in their backyard which led to us finding this individual,&#8221; Patel said.
Patel didn’t know whether the man had jumped or fallen or how high the plane was flying when he exited the plane. The pilot told authorities that the only passenger had jumped out before the landing attempt.
Patel and the Fuquay-Varina Police Department deferred questions on the investigation to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
<a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article263974426.html">The News &amp; Observer</a>, citing data from FlightAware.com, said the plane departed from Raeford in Hoke County at 1:10 p.m. and landed about 2:49 p.m. Because the flight was not a commercial flight, airport officials did not know the intended destination. The CASA C-212 Aviocar, made in Spain in 1983, is registered to Spore LTD LLC from Colorado Springs, according to FlightAware.
Fuquay-Varina is roughly 15 miles southwest of Raleigh.

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Body Of Co-Pilot Who Jumped From Plane Without Parachute Found

Airplane

Death

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">North Carolina</a> election board announced Wednesday that tens of thousands of non-incarcerated <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aclu-advocates-for-felon-voting-rights-points-to-racism">felons</a> in the state would be allowed to register to vote in November.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections <a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-north-carolina-raleigh-b16b3e2011be229d92b40a0e2615883f">said</a> that felons not currently in prison would be able to participate in the upcoming general election. A recent ruling in a discrimination lawsuit resulted in the possibility of up to 56,000 new voters, including some felons who are completing their sentences outside of incarceration.   
“[For] the time being, any person serving a felony sentence outside of prison or jail is eligible to register to vote and vote. Those in jail or prison for a felony conviction are not allowed to register or vote. If a person is in jail awaiting trial for a felony but has not yet been convicted, they retain their voting rights,” the election board <a href="https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2022/07/26/felons-who-are-not-jail-or-prison-may-register-vote-starting-july-27">announced</a>. 
The announcement came after a North Carolina superior court ruled in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-voting-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-north-carolina-c4a6bea138d256a59f58efc5b144bd43">March</a> that a state law banning felons on probation, parole, or post-release supervision from voting violated the state constitution. The decision, which has been appealed, is still in effect. 
The court had ruled 2-1 that the 1973 law was discriminatory against African Americans. The dissent was by Republican Judge John Dunlow, while Judge Keith Gregory, a Democrat, and non-partisan Judge Lisa Bell argued the policy violated equal protection. Bell and Gregory claimed that not allowing certain felons to vote could impact “close elections.” 
“Elections do not ascertain the will of the people when the denial of the franchise to such a large number of people has the clear potential to affect the outcome of numerous close elections,” they wrote. 
Bell and Gregory suggested the law was rooted in and motivated by “racism,” while Dunlow said it was justifiable for the state to enforce. 
“Establishing a restoration process that requires convicted felons to complete their terms of imprisonment, probation, parole, or post-release supervision before regaining their citizenship rights, including the right to vote, is a valid and legitimate governmental interest,” Dunlow wrote in his dissent. 
It has been estimated that about 56,000 felons in North Carolina were not incarcerated in 2021. These individuals are now allowed to vote, but the state Supreme Court is slated to hear the case at some point. 
Key elections in North Carolina this year include the race to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), which pits Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) against Democrat attorney Cheri Beasley.

Close-Up Of Hand Holding Voting Ballot

Tens Of Thousands Of North Carolina Felons Can Register To Vote In 2022 Midterms

Tens Of Thousands Of North Carolina Felons Allowed To Register To Vote In 2022

2022 Election

2022 Midterms

Criminal Justice

Voting

The entire police force in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">North Carolina</a> town – including the veteran chief – resigned Thursday over a new town manager who calls herself “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/progressivism">progressively responsible</a>.”
Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/josh.gibson.50159/posts/pfbid0Px37CovD2j7ueUD5GdquqMHLKejyg3zsLz63Z4T91zcJGEfUu92DADCHk4TKCbccl">Facebook post</a> he and all five of his officers as well as two other town officials quit in protest of Justine Jones. Jones, who became town manager last month, has created a “hostile work environment,” Gibson claimed.
“I have put in my 2 weeks notice along with the whole police dept.,” wrote Gibson, who has been on Kenly’s force for 21 years. “The new manager has created an environment I do not feel we can perform our duties and services to the community.”
<div id="attachment_413868" style="width: 232px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413868" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-413868 size-full" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-22-at-4.12.58-PM.png" alt="Kenly, N.C., Police Chief Josh Gibson and his entire force quit in protest of new Town Manager Justine Jones." width="222" height="234" />Kenly, N.C., Police Chief Josh Gibson and his entire force quit in protest of new Town Manager Justine Jones. (Town of Kenly, N.C.)</div>
Gibson did not specify what his beef was with Jones, who started the job on June 2 after what the town called a “nationwide search.”  The news release announcing her hiring lauded her for having “worked in progressively responsible positions” in several states. It did not mention that Jones had sued a prior employer, Richland County, S.C., for gender and racial discrimination after she was fired in 2015, according to <a href="https://www.wral.com/kenly-to-hold-emergency-meeting-after-police-force-2-clerks-resign-in-protest-over-hostile-work-environment/20383285/">WRAL</a>. The suit was later dismissed.
Jones has two Master&#8217;s degrees, one in public policy from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota and a second one in public administration from the City University of New York Baruch College. Prior to taking the job in Kenly, she listed herself on LinkedIn as “Principal CEO” of her own consulting company, Word of Mouth Realtime.
Jones declined to discuss the mass resignation, telling the station she was “not at liberty to talk because of a personnel matter.”
Gibson said in his resignation letter he would consider coming back to work if Jones was fired.
Town Attorney Chip Hewett told <a href="https://www.wral.com/kenly-to-hold-emergency-meeting-after-police-force-2-clerks-resign-in-protest-over-hostile-work-environment/20383285/">WRAL</a> News that the town would hold an emergency meeting Friday night to discuss how the town would be handling public safety.
&#8220;We just learned about this [and] it affects the entire police department and staff members,&#8221; Hewett said. &#8220;We are looking at having an emergency special meeting to figure out how to move forward with it.&#8221;
Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said his office would patrol Kenly.
&#8220;I will be there for the people of Kenly, and they can rest assured they will have deputies patrolling the streets,&#8221; he said.
Kenly, located about 45 miles southwest of Raleigh, has a population of just under 2,000. Its nickname is &#8220;Friendly Kenly.&#8221;

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Entire Police Force In NC Town Resigns In Protest Of ‘Progressive’ Town Manager

Entire Police Force In NC Town Resigns In Protest Of 'Progressive' Town Manager

Leftism

Police

GOP House Representative Ted Budd of North Carolina and Cheri Beasley will face off in November for the North Carolina Senate seat after Senator Richard Burr (R) did not seek reelection, setting up a heated contest in the swing state.
Representative Budd’s fundraising <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00614776/?tab=summary#total-raised">dollars</a> from the beginning of last year until June 30, 2022, come in at over $6.3 million total. From April of last year until June 30 of this year, <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00777904/">Beasley</a> raised over $16 million.
The race is <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2022/07/15/beasley-budd-senate-ad">considered</a> to be one of the closest in the nation as Senate Republicans push to gain a majority over both chambers of congress.
Cheri Beasley, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, raised over $7.42 million in the second quarter of 2022, which is over twice what she raised in the last quarter, per her campaign, according to the News <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article263381138.html">Observer</a>.
The number would beat a prior second-quarter fundraising record established in 2020 by Democratic senate nominee Cal Cunningham. Cunningham raised $28.3 million in the third quarter of that year.
As of April 27, Budd had reported totals reported at over $4.5 million. Budd’s campaign reportedly referenced Beasley’s announcement in a fundraising email last week, stating, “we cannot let her overwhelm us in fundraising.”
Budd won the primary in a field of 14 Republican candidates. Beasley was <a href="https://www.wunc.org/politics/2022-07-13/us-senate-nc-cheri-beasley-carolina-74-millions-raised-months-2022-election">previously</a> a chief justice of the state Supreme Court and secured 81% of the May 17th primary vote in a field of 11 candidates.
Beasley released an attack ad against Budd on Friday, pointing to the cost of insulin for Americans. Her campaign told Axios that the television spot cost six figures, and will be shown throughout North Carolina.
“If you live outside the U.S., a month’s supply of this insulin costs about $16. But here, it’s more than $220. And get this, when Congress had a chance to do something, politicians like Ted Budd voted against it,” Beasley tweeted on Friday.
“It’s time to stand up to the drug companies and put you first,” she concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🌎: $16 🇺🇸: $220
That&#39;s the average cost a month for insulin. Politicians had the chance to make insulin affordable, and Ted Budd voted against it. 
1.3 million North Carolinians living with diabetes deserve a Senator who will make insulin more affordable. Watch our latest ad: <a href="https://t.co/LSHatnVtmG">pic.twitter.com/LSHatnVtmG</a>
&mdash; Cheri Beasley (@CheriBeasleyNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/CheriBeasleyNC/status/1547928348650663940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In a statement to Axios, Budd senior advisor Jonathan Felts said, &#8220;It’s only July, but Cheri Beasley is already a desperate candidate out of ideas and forced to fall back on the same distorted negative attacks that delivered Democrat losses in N.C. over the past decade.”
Last week, Budd <a href="https://twitter.com/TedBuddNC/status/1547331951270301697?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">posted</a> a video on Twitter, linking Beasley to Biden’s policies, saying, “my opponent, Cheri Beasley, she has supported Joe Biden every step of the way. Beasley supports Biden’s reckless spending. Beasley supports Biden’s tax increases. And Beasley supports Biden’s war on American energy.”
He added, “Cheri Beasley would vote to continue each and every policy that has made life worse for North Carolinians.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The inflation rate is now 9.1 percent.
If Cheri Beasley is NC’s next Senator, nothing will change.
If I’m your Senator, I will always vote to make life better for you and your family. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ncsen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ncsen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ncpol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ncpol</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZNWOeLvnNY">pic.twitter.com/ZNWOeLvnNY</a>
&mdash; Ted Budd (@TedBuddNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/TedBuddNC/status/1547331951270301697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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E4EEF9A5-39CC-4775-91DC-43801F01A040_1_201_a

The North Carolina Senate Race Is On

Representative Ted Budd And Cheri Beasley Face Off In North Carolina Senate Race 

U.S. Senate

<div>
An angry mob stormed a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">North Carolina</a> old folks home Wednesday in a fruitless hunt for the woman whose complaint 67 years ago led to the lynching of Emmett Till in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mississippi">Mississippi</a>.
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<div>
The throng acted after a 1955 arrest warrant surfaced naming Carolyn Bryant Donham, the then-young woman whose accusation that Till, a black 14-year-old, had whistled at her, motivated the bloodthirsty racist mob. The modern mob believed it had tracked Donham, who would now be in her 80s, first to a home in Raleigh, then to a senior living facility.
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<div>
&#8220;Time to face your demons,” a demonstrator at the facility said as shocked resident watched, <a href="https://www.wral.com/dozens-gather-in-raleigh-searching-for-woman-at-center-of-decades-old-arrest-warrant-in-emmett-till-s-murder/20362984/">according to WRAL</a>. “Come on out.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Emmett Till protesters storm senior living facility in search of his false accuser <a href="https://t.co/sWQccaaKlS">https://t.co/sWQccaaKlS</a>
&mdash; Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyMail/status/1545365868997185537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div>
Raleigh police arrived and restored order at the facility, although one resident told WRAL it was put on a brief lockdown.
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Donham allegedly accused Till in 1955 of whistling at her outside a grocery store in Money, Mississippi. A week later, the boy was abducted, tortured, shot to death, and tossed into the Tallahatchie River. The shocking slaying stunned the nation and made the murdered teen a civil rights icon.
</div>
<div>
Donham&#8217;s husband, Roy Bryant, and half-brother, J.W. Milam, were acquitted by a white jury, and even though they later admitted to their roles in the lynching, they were not retried due to double jeopardy protection. The case helped pave the way for the Department of Justice to use civil rights violations to address the wrongs of southern juries in racially charged cases.
</div>
<div>
Donham was not arrested, but last week, the unserved arrest warrant for her was discovered in a courthouse, causing Till&#8217;s family and activists to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/emmett-tills-relatives-want-accuser-prosecuted-for-role-in-his-lynching">renew their calls that she be brought to justice</a>.
</div>
<div>
“You cannot ignore this,” Priscilla Sterling, Till&#8217;s cousin, told WRAL. “If this is what’s needed to do for us to change our mindset, our behaviors and attitudes in the society, then this will do it. This will do it. Execute the warrant.”
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The Department of Justice closed the case last year after determining the statute of limitations had expired for any charges federal prosecutors could bring.
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Marsha Bryant, who is married to Donham’s son, told <a href="https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/08/21/emmett-till-carolyn-bryant-donham-recant-quote-missing/1017876002/">The Clarion-Ledger</a> her mother-in-law was innocent, and was “appalled” by Till’s murder.
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Malik Shabazz of Black Lawyers for Justice led the group of demonstrators that stormed the senior home, and streamed it on Facebook Live, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10992759/Emmett-Till-protesters-storm-senior-facility-searching-woman-accused-setting-lynch-mob-him.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus">Daily Mail</a>.
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“We’re on the move,” he said as the mob made its way around the facility. “We don&#8217;t know how they&#8217;re hiding this white woman down here, they&#8217;re hiding Carolyn Bryant Donham.”
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<div>
The group was seen entering a room full of confused elderly residents and demanding to know Donham’s whereabouts.
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“The false accuser of Emmett Till, the one that said that Emmett Till had sexually assaulted her&#8230; she lives in this building,” Shabazz said.
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A woman told the group they were in the wrong place.
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“No, honey, she does not live in this facility,” she said.
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The group, chanting, “No justice, no peace,” left just before police arrived.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/emmett-tills-relatives-want-accuser-prosecuted-for-role-in-his-lynching">Related: Emmett Till’s Relatives Want Accuser Prosecuted For Role In His Lynching</a>

</div>

Emmett Till

Angry Mob Storms Old Folks Home In Hunt For Emmett Till Accuser

Civil Rights

Crime

Mississippi

Murder

The husband of &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/entertainment">One Tree Hill</a>&#8221; alum Bevin Prince <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/death">died</a> Sunday after being struck by lightning, according to reports.
William Friend, 33, was reportedly boating with friends near his Wilmington, North Carolina, home when the incident occurred. The couple wed in 2016 and moved to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">Tar Heel State</a> to be closer to family.
&#8220;The unimaginable has happened,&#8221; Prince’s friend, fellow actress Odette Annable, shared on her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfsFs0wP7XV/?hl=en">Instagram</a> account. 
&#8220;The life and love that you gave to my best friend made it feel okay that we were thousands of miles apart. As I sit in your beautiful home, looking out onto the ocean, I keep thinking about what a gift you gave to Bevin. What a gift you gave to everyone who knew you to witness the passion that burned in your soul,” the post said.
She continued, “The passion to help people, to build your business, to find happiness like I’d never seen from you living in North Carolina with Bevin. You were perfect for her in every way. You supported her dreams, you made her feel seen, you adored her with every bit of your soul and I will forever be grateful to witness that kind of love.&#8221;
New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies performed CPR on Friend for 20 minutes after the incident, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/husband-one-tree-hill-actress-struck-lightning-killed">Fox News</a>. He was pronounced dead in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.
Prince hasn’t shared any thoughts publicly, but her Instagram feed is full of comments from fans expressing condolences for the loss. The “One Tree Hill” star has shared many photos of her husband there, including a sweet Valentine’s Day post from this year and multiple pictures of her husband and their dog, Winston.
“5 years, baby. Winston and I are so lucky to know you, to love you, and to learn with you. We have come so far and I am so proud of the life we have built. You make life delicious, my love. I love you,” Prince wrote in an anniversary post alongside a photo from their wedding. 
“We don’t know each other, but I wanted to send my sincere condolences to you and Lady Winston. I’m so sorry for your heartbreaking loss. Sending love and strength your way,” one fan wrote.
“I’m so heartbroken to hear the news and I’m sending you and your family SO so so much love and many prayers,” another shared.

Upstairs Boutique’s Grand Opening

‘One Tree Hill’ Actress’s Husband Killed By Lightning Strike

'One Tree Hill' Actress's Husband Killed By Lightning Strike

Entertainment

Television

A pro-life crisis pregnancy center in Asheville, North Carolina, was vandalized early Tuesday, according to a police news release.
Law enforcement is searching for those who may be responsible for the vandalism and threatening words painted in front of the Mountain Area Pregnancy Services Center.
&#8220;APD Patrol Officers were called to the Mountain Area Pregnancy Services business on 1710 Old Haywood Road around 7:20 a.m. Tuesday morning to investigate the report of vandalism. Upon arrival, Officers found that someone had spray-painted the business with red graffiti, with the threatening wording, &#8216;If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you!&#8217; and an anarchist symbol on the front of the building,&#8221; the release <a href="https://mountainx.com/blogwire/apd-seeks-persons-who-vandalized-business-with-threatening-graffiti/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.
&#8220;They also found the wording, &#8216;No forced birth&#8217; on the side. Red paint was sprayed throughout, and windows were broken, which occurred sometime overnight Monday,&#8221; it added.
The report also noted that at least one person may have been injured during the damage to the building, as the investigation found blood samples near a broken window.
&#8220;Officers also found signs that an offender may have injured themselves, and APD Forensic Technicians were able to obtain blood samples left behind from a broken window and a bloody trail,&#8221; the release shared.
The organization&#8217;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MountainAreaPregnancyServices/posts/3280267505563575?__cft__[0]=AZV2COxdiuUZ81sdlmwIaC7BmOGzi3whrf3wblV65P4ghuwpGqPuUyHpTo7a4zW3oqdDDVkI6di0u4ahwgwpX0wC5Tlo_7OqZxVSvWV01C8AB7Ts1Rzg09P38KspGl8JjP6ISni98GqgT48nJspUZsEouZ6D-R9iIkCYRly9OxVJbhnBUHJ10FH18OIpa0sq2AM&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook account</a> also posted pictures of the vandalism on Tuesday morning.
&#8220;Friends, please pray!!! Our building was vandalized last night. We are dealing with the cops and will still see clients, but we need your prayer support!!&#8221; the group added in the post.
&#8220;It saddens us,&#8221; Executive Director Kristi Brown <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2022/06/07/asheville-police-mountain-area-pregnancy-services-vandalized-threatened/7544848001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Asheville Citizen-Times.
&#8220;We&#8217;re heartbroken over this. The emotions that our team is experiencing (are) all over the board, right? &#8230; One moment you&#8217;re sad, you&#8217;re angry, you&#8217;re frustrated. Then you&#8217;re glad no one was harmed,&#8221; she added.
No one was in the building at the time, according to reports. The organization told the Citizen-Times it will continue operating despite the damages to the building.
The damage also comes alongside the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-group-says-abortion-activists-firebombed-new-york-location" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> of another pro-life group pregnancy center that was attacked outside of Buffalo, New York, early Tuesday morning, adding to a growing number of similar attacks following a leak of a Supreme Court opinion regarding the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The attack occurred at CompassCare, where vandals broke windows and set fire to the structure’s medical office, adding graffiti with the words “Jane Was Here,” a phrase used by a group called Jane’s Revenge that has claimed responsibility for similar attacks nationwide.
“This is the pro-abortion ‘Kristallnacht.’ Because of this act of violence, the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancy will go unmet and babies will die,” CompassCare CEO Jim Harden <a href="https://www.compasscarecommunity.com/2022/06/compasscares-buffalo-office-firebombed-by-abortion-activists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a statement on the organization’s website.
“I wonder if Gov. Hochul will veto the Pregnancy Center Investigation Bill? I wonder if Attorney General Letitia James will investigate these cowardly criminals? CompassCare will rebuild because women deserve better. CompassCare will not stop serving because pre-born boys and girls deserve protection,” he added.

Supreme Court

North Carolina Pro-Life Center Vandalized With Threatening Message

Abortion

Pro-Life Movement

A mayor in North Carolina announced Saturday that a proposed LGBT Pride &#8220;Drag Queen Story Hour&#8221; event has been canceled after backlash from the community.
Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert, a former captain of the Apex Police Department, said in a Facebook message that the event was shut down after he relayed feedback from the community to the festival commission hosting the event.
&#8220;Given that this part of the event was not originally presented when the event was proposed, I met with representatives from the organizations hosting the event, the Apex Festival Commission, and presented the feedback I have received from citizens,&#8221; Gilbert wrote. &#8220;Today I was notified that the Apex Festival Commission has taken the feedback into careful consideration and has decided to remove the Drag Queen Story Hour from the event.&#8221;
&#8220;It continues to be my goal to ensure that all voices in our community are represented,&#8221; the mayor told his constituents, adding that he had &#8220;received a variety of feedback regarding the Drag Queen Story Hour.&#8221;  
The comments on the post were a mixed bag, and eventually disabled this week by Mayor Gilbert over &#8220;hate speech.&#8221;
“This was THE Pride event I was planning to attend with my toddler,” one woman posted. “Very disappointed in the event organizers who were swayed by hateful, misguided comments.”
<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql">
&#8220;Mr. Mayor, if your goal is to ensure that all voices in our community are represented, you should speak out against the silencing of this segment of the local community,&#8221; she added.
</div>
One man commented, &#8220;I think this is a reasonable decision for a public venue. I wish well the event and attendees, but this performance (stage names, etc.) is too adult for a children&#8217;s activity. Thank you, mayor and festival committee.&#8221;
Gilbert on Monday said he appreciates &#8220;the engagement regarding this matter,&#8221; but &#8220;will not tolerate disrespectful comments attacking others and hate speech on this page.&#8221;
&#8220;Therefore, effective June 6th at 10:20 am, I will be disabling comments on this post after several days of observing hate speech on this post,&#8221; he told the public.
&#8220;Despite the misinformation represented throughout the comments above, I will continue to love all members in our community as represented in the Pride proclamation that I was the first mayor of Apex to sign,&#8221; the mayor added. &#8220;I have very close family members of the LGBTQIA+ community who I love dearly.&#8221;
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Last week, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-town-cancels-family-friendly-drag-show-after-being-exposed-by-libs-of-tiktok">“family friendly” drag event</a> scheduled to take place in Jasper, Indiana, was canceled after backlash.
&#8220;&#8216;Pride in the Park&#8217; was advertised as being an &#8216;all ages&#8217; event,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-town-cancels-family-friendly-drag-show-after-being-exposed-by-libs-of-tiktok">The Daily Wire</a> reported. &#8220;The flyer, which [popular Twitter account] Libs of TikTok <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1531430816466669569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1531430816466669569%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2Fnews%2Findiana-drag-show-kids-cancelled">shared</a> in the post, said tips were greatly appreciated since drag &#8216;is not cheap.'&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-town-cancels-family-friendly-drag-show-after-being-exposed-by-libs-of-tiktok">Indiana Town Cancels ‘Family Friendly’ Drag Show After Being Exposed By Libs Of TikTok</a>

Jacques Gilbert

Mayor Announces Cancelation Of ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ After Community Backlash: ‘Ensure That All Voices’ ‘Are Represented’

North Carolina Mayor Cans ‘Drag Queen Story Hours’ After Community Backlash 

Children

Drag Queens

LGBTQ

Pride Month

A man who had arrived for a layover at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina was arrested Tuesday after officials say he faked a disability to hide more than 23 pounds of cocaine under the seat cushion of his motorized wheelchair.
Alexander Antonio Lopez-Morel, 22, was on his way to Newark, New Jersey, from the Dominican Republic when he was met by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who found four packages of the hard drug concealed under his wheelchair seat cushion, <a href="https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/authorities-find-cocaine-motorized-wheelchairs-seat-charlotte-douglas-man-arrested/4W677KWL7RC7ZND2I6XUOB4WUA/">according</a> to WSOC-TV 9.
“His answers didn’t match up. His physical purported handicap did not match up. That was a tell-tale sign that there was something suspicious,” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Mike Prado said.
The 23 pounds of cocaine was estimated to be worth $378,000 at street value, according to a Friday CBP press release.
“That’s unbelievable. That’s crazy,” said Richard Killian, another passenger at the airport. “What I am really upset and concerned about are our young people being bombarded with drugs.”
The CBP said Lopez-Morel is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. Investigators believe the suspected drug trafficker, along with many other drug dealers, use the Charlotte Airport because of its “size and location on the East Coast.”
According to WSOC-TV 9, “Drug trafficking through Charlotte Douglas is such a concern that Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and local police launched a new border enforcement security task force in March.”
Since 2021, investigators have seized more than $5 million from drug dealers using the airport to traffic fentanyl, cocaine, meth, and marijuana.
Lopez-Morel was charged with a felony for trafficking cocaine, and his wheelchair and drug packages were sent to the HSI to be investigated.
“This seizure demonstrates the dynamic border environment in which CBP officers operate at CLT,” CBP Charlotte Area Port Director Barry Chastain said. “Our officers are determined to adapt and respond to these threats in an effort to stop narcotics reaching our communities.”

Handcuffs on Handicap Sign

Man Arrested At Airport After Faking Disability To Hide 23 Pounds Of Cocaine In Motorized Wheelchair, Officials Say

Man Arrested At Charlotte Airport For Trafficking 23 Pounds Of Cocaine In Wheelchair

airport

Cocaine

Customs and Border Protection (CPB)

Drugs

A North Carolina man who won $1o million on a lottery ticket was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Michael Todd Hill, a 54-year-old from Brunswick County, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his girlfriend, 23-year-old Keonna Graham, in 2020. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday. He was also sentenced to an additional term of 22-36 months for possession of a firearm by a felon. Hill was arrested and jailed in 2020.
“The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank our local law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts in the investigation of Graham’s death,” Assistant District Attorney Shirley Smircic said in a news release from the prosecutors in the 15th district of North Carolina, via the <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article261942890.html">Raleigh News and Observer</a>. “The hard work of these officers ensured a just result in this case.”
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Hill and Graham had been in a loving relationship for more than a year, when she was reported as missing on July 20, 2020. Graham&#8217;s body was discovered by local police a few days later in the room of the Sure Stay Hotel in Shallotte, North Carolina, about 40 miles outside of Wilmington. The prosecutors&#8217; press release said that Graham was found in the room with a &#8220;gunshot wound to the back of the head.&#8221;
“Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Hill as the only individual in the hotel room with Graham,” the prosecutors added in their release. Prosecutors also said that Hill confessed to killing Graham, local CBS affiliate <a href="https://www.wspa.com/news/man-who-won-10-million-lottery-prize-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/">WSPA</a> reported.
Speaking to local NBC affiliate <a href="https://www.wect.com/2020/07/21/man-charged-with-murder-brunswick-county/">WECT</a> in 2020, Vee Patel, the manager of the Sure Stay Hotel, said that Hill checked into the room on July 21, alone. Patel told WECT that none of the hotel employees ever saw Graham. Checkout time at the hotel is at 11 a.m., and once checkout time had passed, housekeeping workers knocked on the door to the room several times. After they repeatedly received no response, the housekeeping staff opened the door and entered the room, where they found a woman unconscious inside, and blood in the room. Staff called 911 shortly afterward.
Hill was working as an employee of a local nuclear power plant when he won a $10 million prize from an Ultimate Millions scratch-off ticket at a convenience store near Wilmington in <a href="https://www.wect.com/story/36224161/brunswick-county-man-wins-10-million-in-lottery/">2017</a>. According to a WECT report from the time, Hill bought a scratch-off that did not win, then, on a whim, bought a second ticket, which was the winner. After state and federal tax withholdings, he took home a lump sum of just over $4.1 million.
“I think it’s horrible,” Tiffany Wilson, a friend of Keonna Graham&#8217;s family, said in 2020 after Hill was arrested. “I mean, he just won the lottery. I heard he just got married and you go and kill a young girl? A beautiful girl? I don’t understand.&#8221; &#8220;All that money and you are seducing a young girl to go into a hotel?” Wilson added. “I don’t know what the situation is but you had no business being in a hotel with her.”
Wilson remembered Graham as someone loved by her family. “She was very loved and she’s very beautiful,” she said.

Cash

NC Man Who Won $10 Million Lottery Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murder

Lottery

Money

An underwater expedition this month found that a Civil War ironclad warship sunk off the coast of North Carolina was still preserved in a time capsule-like state. 
A crew from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) went to Cape Hatteras and sailed out 16 miles to find that the wreck of the USS Monitor, a ship used by the Union during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/american-civil-war">Civil War</a>, was still in “an excellent state of preservation” on the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/atlantic-ocean"> Atlantic</a> seafloor.
“The wreck is in an astounding condition after being on the seafloor for 160 years and weathering all of the environmental conditions off Cape Hatteras, including exceedingly strong currents and hurricanes,” <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article261885685.html">said</a> Tane Renata Casserley, of the NOAA, to McClatchy News. 
The Monitor took part in the first-ever clash of ironclads (a warship covered in iron) in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, against the Confederate vessel, the CSS Virginia (which <a href="https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/mssc/merrimac/index.html">had</a> been the USS Merrimack before being repurposed by the Confederacy). One of the key features of the Monitor was the rotating gun turret which can now be <a href="https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/deep-dive-shipwreck-of-ironclad-uss-monitor-gets-high-tech-exploration/">viewed</a> at the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
Later that year, the Monitor would sink off the coast of North Carolina, taking the lives of 16 crew members. It went down in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of the frequent wrecks in those waters. 
“Leaks developed, flooding the engines and reducing steam pressure needed for propulsion. The crew tried using pumps and even bailing with buckets, but the distress was too great,” an NOAA <a href="https://monitor.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/uss_monitor.html">report</a> on the sinking explains. “The turret was the only escape hatch from below and as the men attempted dashing across the deck many of them were swept into the unknown by the treacherous waves.”
From May 15, 2022, the NOAA and the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration used a remote camera to view the Monitor’s wreck as part of the Valor in the Atlantic initiative. This initiative intends to document and publicize photos and videos of historic shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean, specifically those related to World War II and the Civil War. 
The ship&#8217;s wreck, examined extensively this month for the first time since 2002, is protected under the National Maritime Sanctuary Act, the first such location to be put under such protection. In 2001, NOAA, working with the U.S. Navy, pulled the Monitor&#8217;s steam engine out of the Atlantic.  
“That same iron hull and armorbelt built to withstand the rigors of war, has now enabled Monitor to provide a stable habitat in its new role as an island of life,” Casserley said. “It truly was incredible to see the transformation at the bottom of the ocean. There was often so much marine life on Monitor it was difficult to see the shipwreck itself.”
He also described the ironclad as &#8220;a time capsule back to 1862,” adding that parts of it were in better condition than wrecks from similar times and World War II.
“The bottom line is USS Monitor will be here for generations to come to share its stories of heroism,” Casserley explained.
On Memorial Day, the National Marine Sanctuary System put out a series of tweets on the Monitor showing an image of the ironclad resting on the ocean floor.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This Memorial Day, we honor those who have given their lives in service of our nation. In addition to protecting important ecosystems, <a href="https://twitter.com/sanctuaries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sanctuaries</a> also protect historical maritime heritage resources. Let&#39;s go back in time and visit USS Monitor, now protected by <a href="https://twitter.com/MonitorNMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MonitorNMS</a>. <a href="https://t.co/WDQlVe9TKW">pic.twitter.com/WDQlVe9TKW</a>
&mdash; Sanctuaries (NOAA) (@sanctuaries) <a href="https://twitter.com/sanctuaries/status/1531306956400435200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The organization also noted that two of the sailors who drowned when the ship sank were buried in Arlington National Cemetery after their remains were found in the ironclad&#8217;s turret back in 2013.
A previous version incorrectly referred to Tane Renata Casserley as a &#8220;she.&#8221; Casserley is a man.

Navy divers, working w. archaeologists f

‘Graveyard Of The Atlantic’: Expedition Documents Ironclad Warship That Went Down During The Civil War

NOAA Expedition Documents The Preservation Of The USS Monitor Off Coast Of North Carolina

American Civil War

American History

Atlantic Ocean

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