October 3, 2025 • 34 mins
Governor Stein has just one day left to either sign or veto Iryna’s Law, a justice reform measure sparked by the Charlotte light rail murder of Iryna Zarutska. Meanwhile, the federal government shutdown continues. In Raleigh, Deputy USDA Secretary Vaden announced the city will become a new national workforce hub for the agency, highlighting its role in federal expansion. Separately, a federal appeals court has unsealed video from a 2019 Charlotte law enforcement shooting, renewing public interest in the case.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Friday edition
of The Carolina Journal news Our Newstock eleven ten nine
three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, A good morning to you. Tomorrow,
October fourth is the deadline for Democrat Governor Josh Stein
to sign Arena's Law into legislation, sign that legislation into law,
(00:30):
or veto the legislation. This is how the process works
in North Carolina. Ten days excluding Sundays. After a bill
is passed by the General Assembly and set to the governor,
the governor has three options. He can either sign the
legislation into law, veto the legislation, or after that ten
day window, the law will become law. The legislation rather
(00:53):
will become law automatically. Because the legislation passed both chambers
and was sent to the governor back last Tuesday, September
twenty third, that marks tomorrow at eleven to fifty nine
pm Sunday for the deadline for the governor. Quick recap
in case you missed it. Arena's Law was presented to
(01:14):
the governor after it passed the House in an eighty
one to thirty one vote. That the shortened or the
bill number for that for those keeping track is House
Bill three oh seven, and it is a sweeping criminal
justice reform bill that was introduced and advanced after the
murder of Irena Zaruska back on the Charlotte light rail
(01:35):
on August the twenty second. The House vote again eighty
one to thirty one, the Senate vote twenty eight to eight,
meaning it does have, in the grand scheme of things,
a pretty broad bipartisan support in the North Carolina General Assembly,
House Speaker Destin Hall said, quote, for far too long,
activist judges and magistrates have turned dangerous criminals, loose, endangered lives,
(01:59):
and spread care chaos in our communities. That ends now.
Irena Zaruska's murder is a tragic reminder of what is
at stake. That's why we are delivering some of the
strongest tough on crime reforms in North Carolina history. The legislation,
which once again is sitting on the Governor's desk this morning,
Titan's pre Trial Conditions for Release of violent Offenders, eliminates
(02:23):
cashless bail and establishes a new protocol for ordering mental
health evaluations in the criminal justice system. It also sets
a firmer timeline for appeal in death penalty cases. House
Majority leader Brendan Jones, the Republican out of Columbus County, said,
we're very clearly on the House floor, we are sending
(02:46):
a clear message North Carolina will not tolerate allowing violent
criminals to walk free on our streets. IRENA's loss strengthens
protections for our citizens and restores accountability in our courts
because the safety of our families and communities come first.
Diving in on some of those additional details, the legislation
(03:07):
does eliminate cashless bail for certain offenses where it was
previously allowed. It restricts judicial discretion in granting pre trial release,
and creates a new category of violent offenses that would
require either GPS monitoring, house arrest or a secure bond
for those accused in falling under that new violent offense category.
(03:31):
It also mandates mental health evaluations in specific cases Titan's
deadlines on death penalty appeals, and adds committing a committing
a felony on public transportation to the list of factors
that can make a defendant eligible for the death penalty.
Republican leaders say that the changes are designed to ensure
(03:53):
that violent and repeat offenders remain off the streets, while
holding magistrates accountable for the decisions they make when it
comes to release decisions and cashless bail. Representative Trisha Cotham,
the Republican out of Mecklenburg County, who introduced the legislation
in the House last Tuesday, said quote, no family should
(04:16):
have to endure what Arena's family has suffered. People across
Mecklenburg County and North Carolina should never have to fear
for their safety in their own neighborhoods. Arena's law prevents
violent offenders from walking free and ensures that those who
threaten our community face real consequences before they can harm
(04:36):
another soul. The bill also establishes a new protocol requiring
judicial officials to order a mental health evaluation if one
A defendant is charged with a violent offense and has
been involuntarily committed within the last three years. To a
defendant is charged with any offense and the judicial official
(04:57):
has a cause to believe that the defendant a danger
to him or herself three the judicial system, the judicial
official must order an evaluation for involuntary commitment if the
examiner determines that the defendant needs to be committed commitment
proceedings must be initiated immediately. Representative Sarah Stevens, the Republican
(05:20):
out of Surrey County, described the legislation by saying, Arena's
Law is about more than punishment. It's about prevention. By
requiring mental health evaluations and stricter pre trial conditions for
violent offenders, we are taking decisive steps to stop tragedies
before they happen. Alse Bill three oh seven modifies procedures
(05:43):
related to capital cases. According to a press release from
House Speaker Destin Hall's office, the bill sets a timeline
for pending appeals and motions in capital cases. Any filing
over twenty four months old must be scheduled for a
hearing by de December of next year, twenty twenty six,
with a hearing held on or before December of twenty
(06:05):
twenty seven. It also requires that hearings and death penalty
cases occur in the county of the original conviction. One
of the justifications for that, as we go back to
last Tuesday when that was being debated, is right now,
it is a very expensive and lengthy process to go
through any of the hearings and death penalties, as all
(06:26):
of them currently have to take place in Wake County,
meaning if somebody in the far east or far western
half of the state is going through that process, you
have to send the individual prosecutors and a whole bunch
of local officials to Raleigh to hear have some of
those hearings in some of the legal challenges in that case.
This legislation would allow those hearings to now take place
(06:49):
in the county in which the original conviction took place.
Looking at some other comments from lawmakers, according to Representative
David Wilson, the willis rather the Republican out of Union County.
He says, Arena's law puts common sense limits on pre
trial releases, ensures violent offenders cannot get out scott free,
(07:11):
and protects our neighborhoods, our children, and our communities from
preventable harm. Additionally, the bill would clarify that a judicial
official must review and consider the defendant's criminal history before
setting pre trial release conditions. It would also require that
judicial officials make a written finding of fact this is important,
(07:33):
which would explain the reason for determining the conditions of
a release in each individual case. A failure by a
judge or magistrate to make those require findings could very
quickly become grounds for removal. That removal process would be
taken place by either the Chief Justice of the North
Carolina Supreme Court or a Chief District Court judge that
(07:56):
would be able to initiate those suspension proceeds four magistrates
for example, if they do not follow through on that
written fact of explanation for that And finally, it directs
the North Carolina Collaboratory to study the intersection of mental
health and the justice system in North Carolina for both
(08:17):
adult and juvenile defendants, examine the availability of house arrests
as a condition of pre trial release, and evaluate alternate
methods of execution beyond those currently authorized in North Carolina.
This is, again a very wide, sweeping piece of legislation,
for the most part, relatively brought broad bipartisan support, especially
(08:40):
in the North Carolina House, where eighty one members voted
in favor of it, thirty one against, passing twenty eight
to eight in the North Carolina Senate as well. As
I mentioned that legislation now sits on the Governor's desk,
he has until eleven fifty nine tomorrow, Saturday, October fourth,
to either again sign veto or the legislation becomes law
(09:02):
automatically without the signature of the governor. Over the last week,
and the Governor's had a couple of press appearances, Council
of State meeting, he was in Southport after the horrific
shooting that happened there last weekend, and he has been
asked about Arena's law and has continued to say that
this is a complicated piece of legislation and he is
(09:24):
not really hinted one way or the other whether he
is set to sign this into law. So that is
something that we will keep our eye on throughout the
day today and tomorrow, and of course we'll have the
latest details coming up for you Monday morning right here
on the Carolina Journal News Hour as it relates to
Charlotte and the death of Irena Zaruska. Mayor v Lyles
(09:45):
and the city manager are set to hold a press
conference coming up later on today to outline some of
the immediate security enhancements for Cats as it relates to
light rail. This in the response of that stabbing, comes
the same week that State Auditor Dave Bollock's office has
noted that the security budget for cats has ballooned by
(10:07):
some twelve million dollars over the last couple of years.
Yet the number of armed guards available to protect and
to work on the CATS system and more particularly the
light rail, has dropped by over forty percent. This story,
which again happened back on August the twenty second, continues
to be a major topic in North Carolina. We'll keep
(10:30):
our eye on all of the details over on our
website Carolina Journal dot com. It's five, twenty two. Welcome
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Day three of
the twenty twenty five federal government shutdown does continue as
there are very little indication, at least as of this morning,
(10:51):
that there is set to be a resolution as Republicans
and Democrats continue to remain planted on their variety of
issues with this at government men shut down. The Senate
once again will be back again today as they remain
divided over a House passed bill earlier last month about
the middle of last month, a clean continuing resolution to
(11:13):
keep the federal government funded until November the twenty first. However,
while that has received a majority fifty five votes in
the United States Senate, it has not received the filibuster
threshold number of votes, which is sixty. At this point,
it would require five additional Democrats to cross the aisle
and vote in favor of the House back to and
(11:35):
Trump back to legislation to restore the government and get
things opened back up. Those meetings and those votes are
expected once again later on today. We will keep an
eye on the details right here on the Carolina Journal
News Hour throughout the weekend and into early next week. Again,
as both sides seem pretty squared in on what their
(11:57):
various policies and issues are. No big discussions at least
publicly have been taking place between Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries,
President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and John Thune. Those have not
taken place since before the government shutdown. We'll keep an
eye on all of the details. It's now five point
twenty four. You're listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour.
(12:19):
Earlier this summer, we brought you a story about the USDA,
that's the United States Department of Agriculture and how they
were opening up five new agricultural hubs across the United
States and moving most of their workforce, if not almost
all of it, out of Washington, d C. And into
agricultural communities across the United States. One of those hubs
is going to be our state capital in Raleigh, North Carolina,
(12:41):
and a visitor from the USDA was in Raleigh this
week to go over some of those details to walk
us through that. This morning, Katiezender, Carolina Journal dot Com
joins us on the News Hour. Katie, when this was
first announced, this is a big deal for the state
of North Carolina. We had an assistant secretary in town
this week. What are some of the details that we learned.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah, good morning, Nick, thank you for having me on. Yeah. So,
Deputy Secretary Stephen Vandon of the USDA was in town
this week to speak at the NC Chamber of Commerce's
annual ag Allies conference. He also met with the Mayor
of Raleigh, Janet cal and he gave our personal tour
of some of the facilities that is going to house
the USDA employees that will be relocating here, as that
(13:24):
hub is kind of, you know, relocated and moved to
Raleigh from the the DC metro area. And so he said,
the positions that we are intending to move here are
positions that are not just functionary positions. There are positions
that will indeed have a say so and agricultural policy nationwide,
and we'll be joining officials who were already at Raleigh
before the relocation. So there are some already some USDA
(13:47):
employees here in Raleigh, but from what he said, you know,
there are going to be hundreds more moved here. In
the facilities that the USDA has here in Raleigh has
room for hundreds more USDA employees. So they're going to
be moving here, you know, probably within the next couple
the next year, a couple of years as they moved
this hub to Raleigh, North Carolina. And so he got
(14:10):
into some of the reasons for, you know, why they
chose Raleigh as one of the hubs, and he said,
what attracted us to Raleigh is the same thing that
attracts you know, everyone else to Raleigh is it's one
of the most affordable areas in the country. There's a
lower cost of living here. According to the Forbes Cost
of Living calculator, the cost of living in Raleigh is
almost forty five percent lower than that of Washington, d C.
(14:33):
Metro area. So that's almost, you know, almost a fifty
percent difference. So that means that someone on a yeah, exactly,
So it's a huge difference. And that means that someone
on a government salary can buy a home with a
yard and start a family and live the American dream,
said Bandon. In order for our government employee on a
government salary to be able to do that, in the
DC metro area, they're going to have at least an
(14:54):
hour commute into the city, if not more. And that's
if they want, you know, the house, the yard, the family,
all those things. In Raleigh, they can have all those
same things with an average commute of twenty to twenty
five minutes, so again almost half half commute time and
half the cost of living. So that's really one of
the things that is attracting them to the Raleigh area
(15:18):
from d C. He said when he was down here,
you know, meeting with USDA officials, most of the USDA
officials that are already here are transplants for that very reason.
But he did say that he met one DC native
who left DC and moved to Raleigh by choice and
they have never looked back. So, you know, same thing
(15:40):
that's attracting you know a lot of Americans to North
Carolina and to Raleigh. North Carolina has been one of
the most moved to states for Americans in the last
couple of years, and it's because of the affordable cost
of living and the policies that we have here. So
that's really one of the things that they're looking at.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Nick Well and Katie we talk about this. And obviously
you go up to the District of Columbia, you hang
out in the Washington, DC area, there's not a lot
of agriculture immediately in the direct DC area. As you
get to some of the suburbs and out into portions
of Virginia, sure there's an agricultural community. But to me,
one of the big things that stood out with this
announcement earlier this summer is that they are bringing USD
(16:19):
employees USDA employees two states like North Carolina, which, for
folks that haven't heard our show in the past and
haven't heard us talk about it, agriculture is the largest
business in the state of North Carolina. It only makes
sense to have USDA boots on the ground, or at
least more of them on the ground in a state
like North Carolina and four others across the country.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
That's exactly right, Nick, and that's exactly what Deputy Secretary
of Vandon said. He said you know, there's not a
lot of farming going on in Washington, d C. But
it is our number one industry here. It contributes more
than one hundred and eleven billion annually to the GDP.
It's one sixth of the state's overall income, and employees
at least sixteen percent of the state's population, and our
agricultural products are ranked ninth in the nation for their value.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, there's obviously a lot of great facts and figures
as it relates to that. You can read some additional
coverage on this visit this week and the original announcement
from earlier this summer by visiting our website this morning,
Carolina Journal dot com. We appreciate the update. Katie Zender
joins us son the Carolina Journal News Hour. It's five
(17:30):
thirty six. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour,
News Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. A
search warrant gone wrong back in twenty nineteen has been
in the news over the last couple of years at
a variety of legal challenges. We do have an update
this morning to walk us through some of those details.
Mitch Koki of the John Locke Foundation joins us on
(17:51):
the Carolina Journal News Hour twenty nineteen Mitch six years
or so ago a story out of Mecklenburg County including
a search warrant law enforce officers being shot. A lot
of information going on here. What's the latest that you're
tracking out of the courts.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yes, this was an incident that really arose out of
a law operation that certainly went sideways. A task force
involving multiple law enforcement officers from multiple departments was trying
to serve as search warrant on a suspect who was
accused of trafficking metanthetamine. But what happened was when the
law officers arrived, there was some chaos that ensued, some
(18:31):
shooting that took place, and one of the officers, a
fellow named Clarence Belton, who was a Gastonian police officer,
got shot as he was trying to get away. He
got shot some more, and though he survived, he suffered
some very long lasting, serious injuries that prevented him from
continuing his work in law enforcement. And so he sued
(18:52):
one of the fellow officers, a woman named Heather Loveridge
from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, along with the city
of Charlott saying that there was a legal liability for
his injuries. So this case has been moving through federal
courts now for several years, and there was a ruling
back in February from the Fourth US Circuit Court of
(19:15):
Appeals that said that the trial judge was going to
have to take another look at whether Heather Leveridge would
get immunity in the case. The judge said no immunity,
that the case could go forward, but the Fourth Circuit,
in a unanimous ruling earlier this year, said the judge
didn't go through the specific analysis that's required to ensure
(19:36):
whether immunity is or is not possible in this case.
So the judge in the case, Max Cogburn, has to
go back and do the analysis to decide whether there's
going to be immunity. So that's one piece of this case.
But the most recent development, which should be very interesting
to people who are fans of the First Amendment and
to media access to public records and documents, is that
(19:59):
the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals came out with
a ringing endorsement of the media's access to records. Because
WBTV wanted to get access to the video from law
enforcement footage of this incident, and not only would the
law enforcement agencies not turn it over, but the same
judge in this case, Judge Cogburn, ruled a that WBTV
(20:23):
couldn't intervene in the case and also b that the
law enforcement footage would not be turned over even if
they could intervene, because it could threaten the right to
the fair trial that Heather Leverage said that she would
have threatened if this video were released. Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals disagreed. It actually agreed with Cogburn that WBTV
(20:47):
could not intervene in the case they had no right to,
but the Fourth Circuit also said this video should be
put forward, that this is part of the media and
the public's at right to under the First Amendment to
have access to public documents and public footage of this sort.
The Fourth Circuit also said that Leverage put forward no
(21:12):
evidence at all that this would jeopardize her right to
a fair trial, and if she was going to prevail
on that, she would have to show somehow that this
video footage would somehow threaten her right to a fair trial,
which is an also which is also a constitutional right,
and she had put forward no evidence. All she had
said was, this is going to jeopardize my right to
(21:34):
a free trial, and the judge had gone along with it.
So a very interesting development. The decision that came out
from Judge Nicole Berner talked quite a bit about the
public role of the media and why it's important for
accountability and transparency, and basically saying that even if this
(21:57):
was something that could have some sort of impact on
the trial, that the interests of the public and having
access to this were more than the interests of having
a fair trial unless there would be some sort of
convincing evidence that the video could take the trial. Another
sort of sideline was so much of the information about
(22:18):
the shooting is already into public documents that it's hard
to imagine that anything in the video would change what
people already know about this case.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
And Mitch, this is not even the first time that
we've had discussions about WBTV and their attempts in this
case going to court to try and get various pieces
of video surveillance or information about some law enforcement matters
in the Charlotte Metro audience. Mitch, you've been in the
media business for quite some time, would you pine a
(22:49):
little bit more on the importance for folks, as you noted,
who are supporters of the First Amendment, folks that want
to hold and make sure that their local governments, which
law enforcement is an extension of that, at least in
some regards, hold them accountable and make sure that this
information is available to the public when situations like this unfold.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Certainly much of what government does is available to the public,
and that is important because we have to be able
to hold them accountable, and if we don't know what
they're doing, then that makes it harder. And so there
has been debate over the years about this law enforcement
video footage and whether it is public, whether it isn't,
and who should have access to it. I think there
(23:33):
are some lines that you have to put out there
about what should be available, what shouldn't be And if
there is a threat to someone's constitutional right to a
fair trial, that would be a key argument that could
be made about why you wouldn't release the footage in
this case, though there wasn't any evidence put forward about
(23:54):
why this particular footage would jeopardize the right to a
free trial, and I think that's one of the reasons
the fourth said no, this is just a case of
one party in a lawsuit not wanting this information to
be released. That in and of itself is not enough
of a justification. We want to make sure that police,
(24:14):
elected officials, city and county and state bureaucrats are doing
the jobs that they're supposed to be doing. And if
there is a way for them to be hiding things
from us by not making public documents and other types
recordings and that sort of thing available, that there need
to be strict limits on when that is acceptable, because
(24:37):
almost everything that government does ought to be available to
the public so that the public can look at it
and decide whether the government is doing the right job
or not.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
I'm sure some folks are probably looking at another situation that,
of course, has garnered an incredible amount of national attention
over the last month or so, Mitch, the murder of
Irena Zaruskan, the Charlotte light Rail surveillance footage of that,
with the accused killer now in custody, has been plastered
over international television. Noah claims, at least to this point,
(25:08):
being made that there could be no fair trial there.
So I'm sure some folks might call this argument being
made in this case from twenty nineteen bogus if some
of this other stuff you're seeing with the Charlotte light
rail situation is unfolding in the public the way that
it is.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Well, And remember that one of the reasons this case
has attracted so much attention speaking of the Charlotte light
rail case is the release of the video. I mean,
the video didn't come out until well after a week
of the events. I kind of feel good for the
family of Arena Zarutska that they had the funeral and
took care of the very private stuff before this really
(25:44):
hit the news wheel. Because this had the funeral taken
place while all of the media frenzy was going on,
you know, they would not have had any sort of peace.
But because of the availability of the video, this escalated
from what was at first seen as kind of a
(26:06):
minor local crime incident into being a major issue that's
attracted certainly attention from our General Assembly and from people
all the way up to President Donald Trump. And so
that's another reason why you would want to make sure
that something that happens on public transportation or involving a
(26:26):
government agency or government agency gets the scrutiny that it deserves.
And this fourth Circuit opinion, though it is not in
the Arena Zarotski case and probably was not even inspired
at all by the Arena Zarrootski case, does sort of
fit in with this idea of making this information available. Now.
I don't know all the details, but I think in
(26:48):
the Arena Zarotski case, there was some talk at the
beginning about whether this would be released or not. And
had it never been released, I'm certain this case would
not have attracted the attention that it did. And so
that's a for all of us about how public access
to this type of information can make a major difference.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, there was some initial pushback from Katz and the
Charlotte City Council on releasing some of the surveillance video
from that Charlotte light rail great points and some great information.
We appreciate the update. This morning. Mitch Kokai from the
John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
(27:29):
It's five point fifty one. Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News Hour, new Stock eleven, ten ninety nine to
three WBT. A couple of things that we are tracking
across North Carolina this morning. If you were with us
last week, if not encourage you to go. Check out
our Carolina Journal News Hour podcast available in Google Play,
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your shows. We covered
(27:49):
some of the details out of the General Assembly as
it related to House built three oh seven, that is
Arena's Law. It did pass the General Assembly last Tuesday.
On Monday, it was an Senate a twenty eight to
eight vote there moved it over to the North Carolina
House where the final vote there was eighty one two
thirty one Tuesday evening. That legislation was sent to Democrat
(28:11):
Governor Josh Stein and it has been sitting on his
desk ever since. That is relevant because tomorrow night, Saturday,
October fourth, at eleven fifty nine pm, is the deadline
for the governor to do something with that legislation. And
this is how the process works in North Carolina. Once
a piece of legislation passes both chambers, the House and
(28:32):
the Senate and is sent to the governor, he has
ten days to act on said legislation. His actions can
include either signing or vetoing the legislation, so it either
does become law or is sent back to the General Assembly. However,
after ten days, which excludes Sundays, the legislation becomes law automatically.
(28:53):
That's why that ten day time period, again excluding Sundays,
is incredibly relevant. So not immediately clear, at least from
some of the governor's public comments this week as to
what he will do with this legislation. Today, October the
third is day nine. Tomorrow will be day ten. The
Governor has not inherently has not necessarily said whether he
(29:15):
will sign or veto this law. He has told of
reporters in a couple of different settings this week that
this is complicated legislation and that he and his team
are working through some of the details. So we could
potentially see something maybe late in the day today on Friday,
or something anytime tomorrow on Saturday. If not when we
(29:36):
join you Monday morning, the Arena's law will be law,
regardless of the fact that the Governor did not do
anything with it. Just some quick details on this legislation,
House Bill three oh seven. It titans pre trial conditions
for the release of violent offenders, eliminates cashless bail, establishes
a new protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the
(29:58):
criminal justice system, in sets a firmer timeline for appeals
in death penalty cases. This is again a wide sweeping
piece of legislation, a wide sweeping criminal justice reform bill
introduced after the horrific murder of Irena Zaruska, a twenty
three year old Ukrainian refugee, on the Charlotte light rail
(30:19):
back on August the twenty second. That murder has drawn
an incredible amount of outrage from not only folks in
the Charlotte metro and the state of North Carolina, but
across the country. Earlier this week, you had members of
the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight making their way to
Charlotte to hold an official hearing with witnesses describing some
(30:42):
of the issues with cashless bail, some of the issues
with repeat offenders that kind of go through a revolving
door through the criminal justice system. We covered that Tuesday morning. Again,
if you missed any of that coverage, encourage you to
check out our Carolina Journal News Hour podcast. So that
is one of the things that we are tracking as
we head into the weekend. We'll have the latest details
(31:03):
coming up for you Monday morning right here on the
Carolina Journal News Hour. Also this week, a Deputy Secretary
Stephen Vaden of the United States Department of Agriculture, that's
the USDA, visited Raleigh and met up with the Mayor
of Raleigh for a personal tour of one of the
facilities that will now house USDA employees relocating from the
(31:27):
Washington d C Region permanently. This was announced earlier this summer.
It's part of an initiative to relocate USDA employees out
of Washington, d C and the DC metro area to
one of five new USDA hubs across the nation. One
of those hubs will be in our state capital in Raleigh,
(31:48):
which is why the Deputy Secretary in Stephen Vaden, was
in town earlier this week. He said during his address
at the North Carolina Chambers Annual Agricultural Allies Conference. Quote,
the positions that we intend to move here are positions
that are not just functionary positions. They are positions that
will indeed have a say so in agricultural policy nationwide.
(32:13):
And they will be joining officials who were already at
Raleigh before this relocation, who already have some of those
same responsibilities. This is an attempt buy the USDA to
increase their workforce while also making it more affordable for
people to join the United States Department of Agriculture. One
(32:33):
of the reasons that Raleigh was picked, according to USDA officials,
is due to its relative low cost of living compared
to other major metropolitan areas across the country. According to
the Forbes Cost of Living Calculator, the cost of living
in Raleigh is forty five percent lower than in the Washington,
(32:54):
d C. Metropolitan area. So some big changes there in
terms of the salary and some of the costs of living.
This USDA hub will be moving to North Carolina, where
our number one business is agricultural. It is at a
one hundred and eleven billion dollar industry added to the
state's GDP, and it represents one sixth of the state's
(33:17):
overall income, as well as employing at least sixteen percent
of the state's population either directly in agriculture or agricultural
adjacent industry. So a big announcement from USDA earlier this
year and now to have the Secretary the Deputy Secretary
in town is some great news here across North Carolina.
That's going to do it. For a Friday edition of
(33:39):
The Carolina Journal News Hour, WBT News is next followed
by Good Morning BT. We're back with you Monday morning,
five to six right here on Newstalk eleven, ten and
ninety nine to three WBT
It's five oh five and welcome into a Friday edition
of The Carolina Journal news Our Newstock eleven ten nine
three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, A good morning to you. Tomorrow,
October fourth is the deadline for Democrat Governor Josh Stein
to sign Arena's Law into legislation, sign that legislation into law,
(00:30):
or veto the legislation. This is how the process works
in North Carolina. Ten days excluding Sundays. After a bill
is passed by the General Assembly and set to the governor,
the governor has three options. He can either sign the
legislation into law, veto the legislation, or after that ten
day window, the law will become law. The legislation rather
(00:53):
will become law automatically. Because the legislation passed both chambers
and was sent to the governor back last Tuesday, September
twenty third, that marks tomorrow at eleven to fifty nine
pm Sunday for the deadline for the governor. Quick recap
in case you missed it. Arena's Law was presented to
(01:14):
the governor after it passed the House in an eighty
one to thirty one vote. That the shortened or the
bill number for that for those keeping track is House
Bill three oh seven, and it is a sweeping criminal
justice reform bill that was introduced and advanced after the
murder of Irena Zaruska back on the Charlotte light rail
(01:35):
on August the twenty second. The House vote again eighty
one to thirty one, the Senate vote twenty eight to eight,
meaning it does have, in the grand scheme of things,
a pretty broad bipartisan support in the North Carolina General Assembly,
House Speaker Destin Hall said, quote, for far too long,
activist judges and magistrates have turned dangerous criminals, loose, endangered lives,
(01:59):
and spread care chaos in our communities. That ends now.
Irena Zaruska's murder is a tragic reminder of what is
at stake. That's why we are delivering some of the
strongest tough on crime reforms in North Carolina history. The legislation,
which once again is sitting on the Governor's desk this morning,
Titan's pre Trial Conditions for Release of violent Offenders, eliminates
(02:23):
cashless bail and establishes a new protocol for ordering mental
health evaluations in the criminal justice system. It also sets
a firmer timeline for appeal in death penalty cases. House
Majority leader Brendan Jones, the Republican out of Columbus County, said,
we're very clearly on the House floor, we are sending
(02:46):
a clear message North Carolina will not tolerate allowing violent
criminals to walk free on our streets. IRENA's loss strengthens
protections for our citizens and restores accountability in our courts
because the safety of our families and communities come first.
Diving in on some of those additional details, the legislation
(03:07):
does eliminate cashless bail for certain offenses where it was
previously allowed. It restricts judicial discretion in granting pre trial release,
and creates a new category of violent offenses that would
require either GPS monitoring, house arrest or a secure bond
for those accused in falling under that new violent offense category.
(03:31):
It also mandates mental health evaluations in specific cases Titan's
deadlines on death penalty appeals, and adds committing a committing
a felony on public transportation to the list of factors
that can make a defendant eligible for the death penalty.
Republican leaders say that the changes are designed to ensure
(03:53):
that violent and repeat offenders remain off the streets, while
holding magistrates accountable for the decisions they make when it
comes to release decisions and cashless bail. Representative Trisha Cotham,
the Republican out of Mecklenburg County, who introduced the legislation
in the House last Tuesday, said quote, no family should
(04:16):
have to endure what Arena's family has suffered. People across
Mecklenburg County and North Carolina should never have to fear
for their safety in their own neighborhoods. Arena's law prevents
violent offenders from walking free and ensures that those who
threaten our community face real consequences before they can harm
(04:36):
another soul. The bill also establishes a new protocol requiring
judicial officials to order a mental health evaluation if one
A defendant is charged with a violent offense and has
been involuntarily committed within the last three years. To a
defendant is charged with any offense and the judicial official
(04:57):
has a cause to believe that the defendant a danger
to him or herself three the judicial system, the judicial
official must order an evaluation for involuntary commitment if the
examiner determines that the defendant needs to be committed commitment
proceedings must be initiated immediately. Representative Sarah Stevens, the Republican
(05:20):
out of Surrey County, described the legislation by saying, Arena's
Law is about more than punishment. It's about prevention. By
requiring mental health evaluations and stricter pre trial conditions for
violent offenders, we are taking decisive steps to stop tragedies
before they happen. Alse Bill three oh seven modifies procedures
(05:43):
related to capital cases. According to a press release from
House Speaker Destin Hall's office, the bill sets a timeline
for pending appeals and motions in capital cases. Any filing
over twenty four months old must be scheduled for a
hearing by de December of next year, twenty twenty six,
with a hearing held on or before December of twenty
(06:05):
twenty seven. It also requires that hearings and death penalty
cases occur in the county of the original conviction. One
of the justifications for that, as we go back to
last Tuesday when that was being debated, is right now,
it is a very expensive and lengthy process to go
through any of the hearings and death penalties, as all
(06:26):
of them currently have to take place in Wake County,
meaning if somebody in the far east or far western
half of the state is going through that process, you
have to send the individual prosecutors and a whole bunch
of local officials to Raleigh to hear have some of
those hearings in some of the legal challenges in that case.
This legislation would allow those hearings to now take place
(06:49):
in the county in which the original conviction took place.
Looking at some other comments from lawmakers, according to Representative
David Wilson, the willis rather the Republican out of Union County.
He says, Arena's law puts common sense limits on pre
trial releases, ensures violent offenders cannot get out scott free,
(07:11):
and protects our neighborhoods, our children, and our communities from
preventable harm. Additionally, the bill would clarify that a judicial
official must review and consider the defendant's criminal history before
setting pre trial release conditions. It would also require that
judicial officials make a written finding of fact this is important,
(07:33):
which would explain the reason for determining the conditions of
a release in each individual case. A failure by a
judge or magistrate to make those require findings could very
quickly become grounds for removal. That removal process would be
taken place by either the Chief Justice of the North
Carolina Supreme Court or a Chief District Court judge that
(07:56):
would be able to initiate those suspension proceeds four magistrates
for example, if they do not follow through on that
written fact of explanation for that And finally, it directs
the North Carolina Collaboratory to study the intersection of mental
health and the justice system in North Carolina for both
(08:17):
adult and juvenile defendants, examine the availability of house arrests
as a condition of pre trial release, and evaluate alternate
methods of execution beyond those currently authorized in North Carolina.
This is, again a very wide, sweeping piece of legislation,
for the most part, relatively brought broad bipartisan support, especially
(08:40):
in the North Carolina House, where eighty one members voted
in favor of it, thirty one against, passing twenty eight
to eight in the North Carolina Senate as well. As
I mentioned that legislation now sits on the Governor's desk,
he has until eleven fifty nine tomorrow, Saturday, October fourth,
to either again sign veto or the legislation becomes law
(09:02):
automatically without the signature of the governor. Over the last week,
and the Governor's had a couple of press appearances, Council
of State meeting, he was in Southport after the horrific
shooting that happened there last weekend, and he has been
asked about Arena's law and has continued to say that
this is a complicated piece of legislation and he is
(09:24):
not really hinted one way or the other whether he
is set to sign this into law. So that is
something that we will keep our eye on throughout the
day today and tomorrow, and of course we'll have the
latest details coming up for you Monday morning right here
on the Carolina Journal News Hour as it relates to
Charlotte and the death of Irena Zaruska. Mayor v Lyles
(09:45):
and the city manager are set to hold a press
conference coming up later on today to outline some of
the immediate security enhancements for Cats as it relates to
light rail. This in the response of that stabbing, comes
the same week that State Auditor Dave Bollock's office has
noted that the security budget for cats has ballooned by
(10:07):
some twelve million dollars over the last couple of years.
Yet the number of armed guards available to protect and
to work on the CATS system and more particularly the
light rail, has dropped by over forty percent. This story,
which again happened back on August the twenty second, continues
to be a major topic in North Carolina. We'll keep
(10:30):
our eye on all of the details over on our
website Carolina Journal dot com. It's five, twenty two. Welcome
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Day three of
the twenty twenty five federal government shutdown does continue as
there are very little indication, at least as of this morning,
(10:51):
that there is set to be a resolution as Republicans
and Democrats continue to remain planted on their variety of
issues with this at government men shut down. The Senate
once again will be back again today as they remain
divided over a House passed bill earlier last month about
the middle of last month, a clean continuing resolution to
(11:13):
keep the federal government funded until November the twenty first. However,
while that has received a majority fifty five votes in
the United States Senate, it has not received the filibuster
threshold number of votes, which is sixty. At this point,
it would require five additional Democrats to cross the aisle
and vote in favor of the House back to and
(11:35):
Trump back to legislation to restore the government and get
things opened back up. Those meetings and those votes are
expected once again later on today. We will keep an
eye on the details right here on the Carolina Journal
News Hour throughout the weekend and into early next week. Again,
as both sides seem pretty squared in on what their
(11:57):
various policies and issues are. No big discussions at least
publicly have been taking place between Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries,
President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and John Thune. Those have not
taken place since before the government shutdown. We'll keep an
eye on all of the details. It's now five point
twenty four. You're listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour.
(12:19):
Earlier this summer, we brought you a story about the USDA,
that's the United States Department of Agriculture and how they
were opening up five new agricultural hubs across the United
States and moving most of their workforce, if not almost
all of it, out of Washington, d C. And into
agricultural communities across the United States. One of those hubs
is going to be our state capital in Raleigh, North Carolina,
(12:41):
and a visitor from the USDA was in Raleigh this
week to go over some of those details to walk
us through that. This morning, Katiezender, Carolina Journal dot Com
joins us on the News Hour. Katie, when this was
first announced, this is a big deal for the state
of North Carolina. We had an assistant secretary in town
this week. What are some of the details that we learned.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah, good morning, Nick, thank you for having me on. Yeah. So,
Deputy Secretary Stephen Vandon of the USDA was in town
this week to speak at the NC Chamber of Commerce's
annual ag Allies conference. He also met with the Mayor
of Raleigh, Janet cal and he gave our personal tour
of some of the facilities that is going to house
the USDA employees that will be relocating here, as that
(13:24):
hub is kind of, you know, relocated and moved to
Raleigh from the the DC metro area. And so he said,
the positions that we are intending to move here are
positions that are not just functionary positions. There are positions
that will indeed have a say so and agricultural policy nationwide,
and we'll be joining officials who were already at Raleigh
before the relocation. So there are some already some USDA
(13:47):
employees here in Raleigh, but from what he said, you know,
there are going to be hundreds more moved here. In
the facilities that the USDA has here in Raleigh has
room for hundreds more USDA employees. So they're going to
be moving here, you know, probably within the next couple
the next year, a couple of years as they moved
this hub to Raleigh, North Carolina. And so he got
(14:10):
into some of the reasons for, you know, why they
chose Raleigh as one of the hubs, and he said,
what attracted us to Raleigh is the same thing that
attracts you know, everyone else to Raleigh is it's one
of the most affordable areas in the country. There's a
lower cost of living here. According to the Forbes Cost
of Living calculator, the cost of living in Raleigh is
almost forty five percent lower than that of Washington, d C.
(14:33):
Metro area. So that's almost, you know, almost a fifty
percent difference. So that means that someone on a yeah, exactly,
So it's a huge difference. And that means that someone
on a government salary can buy a home with a
yard and start a family and live the American dream,
said Bandon. In order for our government employee on a
government salary to be able to do that, in the
DC metro area, they're going to have at least an
(14:54):
hour commute into the city, if not more. And that's
if they want, you know, the house, the yard, the family,
all those things. In Raleigh, they can have all those
same things with an average commute of twenty to twenty
five minutes, so again almost half half commute time and
half the cost of living. So that's really one of
the things that is attracting them to the Raleigh area
(15:18):
from d C. He said when he was down here,
you know, meeting with USDA officials, most of the USDA
officials that are already here are transplants for that very reason.
But he did say that he met one DC native
who left DC and moved to Raleigh by choice and
they have never looked back. So, you know, same thing
(15:40):
that's attracting you know a lot of Americans to North
Carolina and to Raleigh. North Carolina has been one of
the most moved to states for Americans in the last
couple of years, and it's because of the affordable cost
of living and the policies that we have here. So
that's really one of the things that they're looking at.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Nick Well and Katie we talk about this. And obviously
you go up to the District of Columbia, you hang
out in the Washington, DC area, there's not a lot
of agriculture immediately in the direct DC area. As you
get to some of the suburbs and out into portions
of Virginia, sure there's an agricultural community. But to me,
one of the big things that stood out with this
announcement earlier this summer is that they are bringing USD
(16:19):
employees USDA employees two states like North Carolina, which, for
folks that haven't heard our show in the past and
haven't heard us talk about it, agriculture is the largest
business in the state of North Carolina. It only makes
sense to have USDA boots on the ground, or at
least more of them on the ground in a state
like North Carolina and four others across the country.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
That's exactly right, Nick, and that's exactly what Deputy Secretary
of Vandon said. He said you know, there's not a
lot of farming going on in Washington, d C. But
it is our number one industry here. It contributes more
than one hundred and eleven billion annually to the GDP.
It's one sixth of the state's overall income, and employees
at least sixteen percent of the state's population, and our
agricultural products are ranked ninth in the nation for their value.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, there's obviously a lot of great facts and figures
as it relates to that. You can read some additional
coverage on this visit this week and the original announcement
from earlier this summer by visiting our website this morning,
Carolina Journal dot com. We appreciate the update. Katie Zender
joins us son the Carolina Journal News Hour. It's five
(17:30):
thirty six. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour,
News Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. A
search warrant gone wrong back in twenty nineteen has been
in the news over the last couple of years at
a variety of legal challenges. We do have an update
this morning to walk us through some of those details.
Mitch Koki of the John Locke Foundation joins us on
(17:51):
the Carolina Journal News Hour twenty nineteen Mitch six years
or so ago a story out of Mecklenburg County including
a search warrant law enforce officers being shot. A lot
of information going on here. What's the latest that you're
tracking out of the courts.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yes, this was an incident that really arose out of
a law operation that certainly went sideways. A task force
involving multiple law enforcement officers from multiple departments was trying
to serve as search warrant on a suspect who was
accused of trafficking metanthetamine. But what happened was when the
law officers arrived, there was some chaos that ensued, some
(18:31):
shooting that took place, and one of the officers, a
fellow named Clarence Belton, who was a Gastonian police officer,
got shot as he was trying to get away. He
got shot some more, and though he survived, he suffered
some very long lasting, serious injuries that prevented him from
continuing his work in law enforcement. And so he sued
(18:52):
one of the fellow officers, a woman named Heather Loveridge
from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, along with the city
of Charlott saying that there was a legal liability for
his injuries. So this case has been moving through federal
courts now for several years, and there was a ruling
back in February from the Fourth US Circuit Court of
(19:15):
Appeals that said that the trial judge was going to
have to take another look at whether Heather Leveridge would
get immunity in the case. The judge said no immunity,
that the case could go forward, but the Fourth Circuit,
in a unanimous ruling earlier this year, said the judge
didn't go through the specific analysis that's required to ensure
(19:36):
whether immunity is or is not possible in this case.
So the judge in the case, Max Cogburn, has to
go back and do the analysis to decide whether there's
going to be immunity. So that's one piece of this case.
But the most recent development, which should be very interesting
to people who are fans of the First Amendment and
to media access to public records and documents, is that
(19:59):
the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals came out with
a ringing endorsement of the media's access to records. Because
WBTV wanted to get access to the video from law
enforcement footage of this incident, and not only would the
law enforcement agencies not turn it over, but the same
judge in this case, Judge Cogburn, ruled a that WBTV
(20:23):
couldn't intervene in the case and also b that the
law enforcement footage would not be turned over even if
they could intervene, because it could threaten the right to
the fair trial that Heather Leverage said that she would
have threatened if this video were released. Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals disagreed. It actually agreed with Cogburn that WBTV
(20:47):
could not intervene in the case they had no right to,
but the Fourth Circuit also said this video should be
put forward, that this is part of the media and
the public's at right to under the First Amendment to
have access to public documents and public footage of this sort.
The Fourth Circuit also said that Leverage put forward no
(21:12):
evidence at all that this would jeopardize her right to
a fair trial, and if she was going to prevail
on that, she would have to show somehow that this
video footage would somehow threaten her right to a fair trial,
which is an also which is also a constitutional right,
and she had put forward no evidence. All she had
said was, this is going to jeopardize my right to
(21:34):
a free trial, and the judge had gone along with it.
So a very interesting development. The decision that came out
from Judge Nicole Berner talked quite a bit about the
public role of the media and why it's important for
accountability and transparency, and basically saying that even if this
(21:57):
was something that could have some sort of impact on
the trial, that the interests of the public and having
access to this were more than the interests of having
a fair trial unless there would be some sort of
convincing evidence that the video could take the trial. Another
sort of sideline was so much of the information about
(22:18):
the shooting is already into public documents that it's hard
to imagine that anything in the video would change what
people already know about this case.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
And Mitch, this is not even the first time that
we've had discussions about WBTV and their attempts in this
case going to court to try and get various pieces
of video surveillance or information about some law enforcement matters
in the Charlotte Metro audience. Mitch, you've been in the
media business for quite some time, would you pine a
(22:49):
little bit more on the importance for folks, as you noted,
who are supporters of the First Amendment, folks that want
to hold and make sure that their local governments, which
law enforcement is an extension of that, at least in
some regards, hold them accountable and make sure that this
information is available to the public when situations like this unfold.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Certainly much of what government does is available to the public,
and that is important because we have to be able
to hold them accountable, and if we don't know what
they're doing, then that makes it harder. And so there
has been debate over the years about this law enforcement
video footage and whether it is public, whether it isn't,
and who should have access to it. I think there
(23:33):
are some lines that you have to put out there
about what should be available, what shouldn't be And if
there is a threat to someone's constitutional right to a
fair trial, that would be a key argument that could
be made about why you wouldn't release the footage in
this case, though there wasn't any evidence put forward about
(23:54):
why this particular footage would jeopardize the right to a
free trial, and I think that's one of the reasons
the fourth said no, this is just a case of
one party in a lawsuit not wanting this information to
be released. That in and of itself is not enough
of a justification. We want to make sure that police,
(24:14):
elected officials, city and county and state bureaucrats are doing
the jobs that they're supposed to be doing. And if
there is a way for them to be hiding things
from us by not making public documents and other types
recordings and that sort of thing available, that there need
to be strict limits on when that is acceptable, because
(24:37):
almost everything that government does ought to be available to
the public so that the public can look at it
and decide whether the government is doing the right job
or not.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
I'm sure some folks are probably looking at another situation that,
of course, has garnered an incredible amount of national attention
over the last month or so, Mitch, the murder of
Irena Zaruskan, the Charlotte light Rail surveillance footage of that,
with the accused killer now in custody, has been plastered
over international television. Noah claims, at least to this point,
(25:08):
being made that there could be no fair trial there.
So I'm sure some folks might call this argument being
made in this case from twenty nineteen bogus if some
of this other stuff you're seeing with the Charlotte light
rail situation is unfolding in the public the way that
it is.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Well, And remember that one of the reasons this case
has attracted so much attention speaking of the Charlotte light
rail case is the release of the video. I mean,
the video didn't come out until well after a week
of the events. I kind of feel good for the
family of Arena Zarutska that they had the funeral and
took care of the very private stuff before this really
(25:44):
hit the news wheel. Because this had the funeral taken
place while all of the media frenzy was going on,
you know, they would not have had any sort of peace.
But because of the availability of the video, this escalated
from what was at first seen as kind of a
(26:06):
minor local crime incident into being a major issue that's
attracted certainly attention from our General Assembly and from people
all the way up to President Donald Trump. And so
that's another reason why you would want to make sure
that something that happens on public transportation or involving a
(26:26):
government agency or government agency gets the scrutiny that it deserves.
And this fourth Circuit opinion, though it is not in
the Arena Zarotski case and probably was not even inspired
at all by the Arena Zarrootski case, does sort of
fit in with this idea of making this information available. Now.
I don't know all the details, but I think in
(26:48):
the Arena Zarotski case, there was some talk at the
beginning about whether this would be released or not. And
had it never been released, I'm certain this case would
not have attracted the attention that it did. And so
that's a for all of us about how public access
to this type of information can make a major difference.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, there was some initial pushback from Katz and the
Charlotte City Council on releasing some of the surveillance video
from that Charlotte light rail great points and some great information.
We appreciate the update. This morning. Mitch Kokai from the
John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
(27:29):
It's five point fifty one. Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News Hour, new Stock eleven, ten ninety nine to
three WBT. A couple of things that we are tracking
across North Carolina this morning. If you were with us
last week, if not encourage you to go. Check out
our Carolina Journal News Hour podcast available in Google Play,
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your shows. We covered
(27:49):
some of the details out of the General Assembly as
it related to House built three oh seven, that is
Arena's Law. It did pass the General Assembly last Tuesday.
On Monday, it was an Senate a twenty eight to
eight vote there moved it over to the North Carolina
House where the final vote there was eighty one two
thirty one Tuesday evening. That legislation was sent to Democrat
(28:11):
Governor Josh Stein and it has been sitting on his
desk ever since. That is relevant because tomorrow night, Saturday,
October fourth, at eleven fifty nine pm, is the deadline
for the governor to do something with that legislation. And
this is how the process works in North Carolina. Once
a piece of legislation passes both chambers, the House and
(28:32):
the Senate and is sent to the governor, he has
ten days to act on said legislation. His actions can
include either signing or vetoing the legislation, so it either
does become law or is sent back to the General Assembly. However,
after ten days, which excludes Sundays, the legislation becomes law automatically.
(28:53):
That's why that ten day time period, again excluding Sundays,
is incredibly relevant. So not immediately clear, at least from
some of the governor's public comments this week as to
what he will do with this legislation. Today, October the
third is day nine. Tomorrow will be day ten. The
Governor has not inherently has not necessarily said whether he
(29:15):
will sign or veto this law. He has told of
reporters in a couple of different settings this week that
this is complicated legislation and that he and his team
are working through some of the details. So we could
potentially see something maybe late in the day today on Friday,
or something anytime tomorrow on Saturday. If not when we
(29:36):
join you Monday morning, the Arena's law will be law,
regardless of the fact that the Governor did not do
anything with it. Just some quick details on this legislation,
House Bill three oh seven. It titans pre trial conditions
for the release of violent offenders, eliminates cashless bail, establishes
a new protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the
(29:58):
criminal justice system, in sets a firmer timeline for appeals
in death penalty cases. This is again a wide sweeping
piece of legislation, a wide sweeping criminal justice reform bill
introduced after the horrific murder of Irena Zaruska, a twenty
three year old Ukrainian refugee, on the Charlotte light rail
(30:19):
back on August the twenty second. That murder has drawn
an incredible amount of outrage from not only folks in
the Charlotte metro and the state of North Carolina, but
across the country. Earlier this week, you had members of
the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight making their way to
Charlotte to hold an official hearing with witnesses describing some
(30:42):
of the issues with cashless bail, some of the issues
with repeat offenders that kind of go through a revolving
door through the criminal justice system. We covered that Tuesday morning. Again,
if you missed any of that coverage, encourage you to
check out our Carolina Journal News Hour podcast. So that
is one of the things that we are tracking as
we head into the weekend. We'll have the latest details
(31:03):
coming up for you Monday morning right here on the
Carolina Journal News Hour. Also this week, a Deputy Secretary
Stephen Vaden of the United States Department of Agriculture, that's
the USDA, visited Raleigh and met up with the Mayor
of Raleigh for a personal tour of one of the
facilities that will now house USDA employees relocating from the
(31:27):
Washington d C Region permanently. This was announced earlier this summer.
It's part of an initiative to relocate USDA employees out
of Washington, d C and the DC metro area to
one of five new USDA hubs across the nation. One
of those hubs will be in our state capital in Raleigh,
(31:48):
which is why the Deputy Secretary in Stephen Vaden, was
in town earlier this week. He said during his address
at the North Carolina Chambers Annual Agricultural Allies Conference. Quote,
the positions that we intend to move here are positions
that are not just functionary positions. They are positions that
will indeed have a say so in agricultural policy nationwide.
(32:13):
And they will be joining officials who were already at
Raleigh before this relocation, who already have some of those
same responsibilities. This is an attempt buy the USDA to
increase their workforce while also making it more affordable for
people to join the United States Department of Agriculture. One
(32:33):
of the reasons that Raleigh was picked, according to USDA officials,
is due to its relative low cost of living compared
to other major metropolitan areas across the country. According to
the Forbes Cost of Living Calculator, the cost of living
in Raleigh is forty five percent lower than in the Washington,
(32:54):
d C. Metropolitan area. So some big changes there in
terms of the salary and some of the costs of living.
This USDA hub will be moving to North Carolina, where
our number one business is agricultural. It is at a
one hundred and eleven billion dollar industry added to the
state's GDP, and it represents one sixth of the state's
(33:17):
overall income, as well as employing at least sixteen percent
of the state's population either directly in agriculture or agricultural
adjacent industry. So a big announcement from USDA earlier this
year and now to have the Secretary the Deputy Secretary
in town is some great news here across North Carolina.
That's going to do it. For a Friday edition of
(33:39):
The Carolina Journal News Hour, WBT News is next followed
by Good Morning BT. We're back with you Monday morning,
five to six right here on Newstalk eleven, ten and
ninety nine to three WBT
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.