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North Carolina Open Thread [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-06-22

Welcome. This is a weekly feature of North Carolina Blue . The platform gives readers interested in North Carolina politics a place to share their knowledge, insight and inspiration as we take back our state from some of the most extreme Republicans in the nation.

Please stop by each week. You can also join the discussion in four other weekly State Open Threads . If you are interested in starting your own state blog, weekly to occasionally, I will list your work below.

Colorado: Mondays, 7:00 PM Mountain

Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern

North Carolina: Sundays

Missouri: Wednesday Evenings

Kansas: Monday Evenings

Please jump the fold for more, I hope you find this story collection useful.

President Donald Trump announced Saturday on Truth Social that the U.S. conducted successful military strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. North Carolina lawmakers react to the announcement.

You can imagine.

<More>

Heat continues to build and intensify, resulting in a prolonged and potentially dangerous heat wave. Sunday's highs will reach the mid to upper 90s, but we'll likely be hotter than that Monday through Friday.

It will still be very warm overnight, with lows in the mid 70s as you get up for the day on Monday.

A heat advisory goes into effect at 11 am. on Monday for the entire area, including Wake, Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Orange Person, Sampson, Vance, Warren, Wayne and Wilson counties. <More>

The state Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines to once again recognize the Green Party after a discussion over whether it qualified.

Republicans supported recognition, while Democrats were opposed. The official status means that voters can continue to register with the party.

There are three ways to qualify for party recognition, by submitting petition signatures; having a candidate for president or governor receive at least 2% of the vote in the previous general election or having a presidential candidate on the ballot in at least 35 states. The North Carolina Green Party was seeking renewed recognition under the third option.

Jill Stein, the party’s presidential candidate, appeared on ballots around the country. The question at the Board of Elections meeting was whether she was on enough state ballots as the Green Party candidate.

State law says that the voters seeking political party recognition needed to have a candidate on 35 state ballots who was “nominated by that group” in the last general election. Stein was on ballots in at least 35 states, but ran as an independent or as the candidate of a different party in some of them.

Democrats at the Thursday Board meeting said Stein fell short of hitting the 35-state requirement because she was not identified as the Green Party candidate on all of those states’ ballots. <More>

Governor Josh Stein issued the first vetoes of his administration on Friday, rejecting a trio of controversial measures sent to him by the General Assembly last week.

Permitless concealed carry

Senate Bill 50 would allow North Carolinians over 18 to carry concealed firearms without applying for a permit. The measure, branded “constitutional carry” by conservative backers, is law in 29 other states. The Senate approved the bill on a partisan, 26-18 vote, with all Republicans voting ‘yes’ and all Democrats voting ‘no.’ Six members were absent. In the House, the vote was 59-48, with two Republicans — Reps. William Brisson (R-Bladen) and Ted Davis (R-New Hanover) — joining Democrats in opposition. If Brisson and Davis remain opposed, it could make it much harder for Republicans to must the necessary three-fifths vote to override the veto.

In announcing his veto, Stein said:

“This bill makes North Carolinians less safe and undermines responsible gun ownership. Therefore, I am vetoing it. The bill eliminates training requirements associated with concealed carry permits and reduces the age to carry a concealed weapon from 21 to 18 years old. Authorizing teenagers to carry a concealed weapon with no training whatsoever is dangerous. The bill would also make the job of a law enforcement officer more difficult and less safe. We can and should protect the right to bear arms without recklessly endangering law enforcement officers and our people.”

The veto announcement also noted that the action had the support Sheriffs Charles Blackwood of Orange County and Clarence Birkhead of Durham County. The nonprofit group Moms Rising North Carolina issued a statement thanking Stein for vetoing what it termed “reckless legislation that would put us all in danger.” < More

Stalled Helene relief bill moves a little in NC Senate. Unclear if Democrats’ maneuver helped its chances. In late May, the latest Helene recovery package passed unanimously in the North Carolina House. But then it stalled for weeks, as NC Senate Republicans opted to use it as a bargaining chip in ongoing, tense budget negotiations about the relief bill. That is, until Tuesday, when a super minority of Senate Democrats used one of the few tools at their disposal — a discharge petition — to force action on the relief bill. While their move wasn’t entirely successful, it did make some legislative ground on the Helene bill. Now, the Helene relief bill is in the Senate’s main budget committee, and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, told reporters he expects further movement before the legislature breaks for a months-long recess at the end of June. As it stands, the Senate budget includes $700 million for Helene recovery, taken from various state funds. The House leaves Helene recovery out of its budget, instead opting to pass a separate $565 million package while budget negotiations drag on. <More>. “We are still here”: Annual Kituwah Celebration held KITUWAH – A light, constant breeze blew through the area as Cherokee songs were sung, anetso (stickball) was played, and Cherokee people came together to celebrate at Kituwah – the Mother Town of the Cherokee. The Kituwah Celebration of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), held annually to mark the return of the site to the Tribe, was held this year on the evening of Friday, June 6. Kituwah, located just outside of Cherokee, N.C., near Bryson City, N.C., was placed into trust for the EBCI by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Dept. of the Interior in 2021. The property was purchased by the EBCI in 1996, and according to the Public Notice to Acquire Land into Trust, the site totals 307.03 acres. “Kituwah is not just a plot of land, or a quiet field, it is one of the most sacred places in Cherokee history,” Renissa McLaughlin, EBCI Youth & Adult Education director, told the crowd. “It is our Mother Town, the regional village where our ancestors first gathered as people, where the first fire was lit, and where Cherokee life, government, and traditions began.” She spoke of the importance of Kituwah, “In 1996, the Tribe, our people, reclaimed and protected this sacred land. That moment was more than a land purchase. It was a homecoming. It was a return of something that could never truly be lost – our connection to our roots, our ancestors, and our identity. Today, Kituwah is alive – not with buildings or development, but with culture, ceremony, and community. Songs are sung. Seeds are planted, and prayers are offered. Kituwah Mound has become a living classroom and a place where everyone, young and old, can come to learn, remember, and celebrate.” McLaughlin added, “Let this place continue to bring us together to teach, to heal, to celebrate, and to remind us all that the Cherokee people are still here. We are strong, we are sovereign, and we are home.” EBCI Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks commented, “It’s very exciting that we’re recognizing, through this celebration, who we are as a people, our culture, our heritage, and especially the language. <More> PHOTO ALBUM 'Incredibly resonant': Amal Kassir named Hillsborough 2025-27 poet laureate

When Amal Kassir wrote her first poem — a message addressed to the leaders of the world — she didn’t even know that what she was writing was poetry. Kassir is now a world-renowned poet serving as Hillsborough’s newest poet laureate. Poet laureates are citizens who are appointed to compose poems for special events. Hillsborough appointed its first poet laureate, Mike Troy, in 2010. A new Hillsborough poet laureate is appointed every two years. Kassir was born and raised in Denver, Colo., and lived in Syria for three years in her early childhood. She said that her identity is shaped by being both Syrian and American. Throughout her life, she's lived across the United States, including in Knoxville, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and, since 2023, Hillsborough — which she said is the first real home she's ever had. <More>

Thanks for reading, please check in on people next week.

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