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☆ Opinion | The Small-Business Tyrant Has a Favorite Political Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Despite the blue-collar affectations of some of its most visible leaders or the populist rhetoric of its most vocal cheerleaders, it has never been more obvious that the Republican Party is the party of the boss, and in particular the party of the small-business tyrant. Who or what is the small business tyrant? It’s the business owner whose livelihood rests on a steady supply of low-wage labor; who opposes unions, resents even the most cursory worker protections and employee safety regulations, and who views those workers as little more than extensions of himself, to use as he sees fit. The small-business tyrant is, to borrow an argument from the writer and podcaster Patrick Wyman, an especially reactionary member of America’s landowning gentry: local economic elites whose wealth comes primarily from their ownership of physical assets. Those assets, Wyman explains, “vary depending on where in the country we’re talking about; they could be a bunch of McDonald’s franchises in Jackson, Mississippi, a beef-processing plant in Lubbock, Texas, a construction company in Billings, Montana, commercial properties in Portland, Maine, or a car dealership in western North Carolina.”To look at Republican politics at the state level is to see an economic agenda dominated by the worst of this particular class.

Persons: podcaster Patrick Wyman, Wyman Organizations: Republican Party, Republican Locations: Jackson , Mississippi, Lubbock , Texas, Billings , Montana, Portland , Maine, North Carolina

Trump is aiming to wrest control of the RNC by muscling Whatley through in an orchestrated ouster of the organization's current chair, Ronna McDaniel. Yet for much of his professional life, Whatley's political sensibilities appeared to align far more closely with the party’s mainstream and corporate establishment. Later, he clerked for a federal judge in North Carolina before departing for Washington as Bush campaigned for the presidency. And a lot of people in North Carolina don’t think he was elected fair,” said Anderson Clayton, chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Art Pope, a North Carolina businessman and major conservative donor, said Whatley was well-equipped to lead the organization.

Persons: Michael Whatley, Donald Trump zeroed, Whatley, Trump, George W, Bush, “, ”, John Kane Jr, MAGA, muscling Whatley, Ronna McDaniel, Joe Biden, Sigal Chattah, Whatley's, Jesse Helms, ” Whatley, Sen, Elizabeth Dole, HBW, Anderson Clayton, Pope, Donald Trump's Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican National Committee, North, North Carolina GOP, longtime Washington, RNC, Trump, McDaniel’s, Watauga High School, Notre Dame, Republicans, Conservative Political, Department of Energy, North Carolina Republican, Patriot, Resources, Keystone XL, U.S, Consumer Energy Alliance, Chevron, ExxonMobil, British Petroleum, North Carolina Republican Party, Republican Party, North Carolina Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee, Republican National Locations: North Carolina, Whatley's, Nevada, Notre, Washington, Broward County , Florida, Bush's, Alberta, Canada, Ohio , Wisconsin, South Carolina, Carolina

Herbert Coward, known for his "Toothless Man” role in the movie “Deliverance,” died Wednesday in a crash on a western North Carolina highway, according to authorities. The crash happened Wednesday afternoon as Coward and Bertha Brooks, 78, left a doctor’s appointment, North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. Coward and Brooks as well as a Chihuahua and pet squirrel were killed, he said. Coward, who lived in Haywood County, was famous locally for having a pet squirrel, he said. Authorities don’t believe speed or distraction were factors in the crash, Owens said.

Persons: Herbert Coward, ”, Coward, Bertha Brooks, M.J, Owens, Brooks, John Boorman’s, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox Organizations: Patrol Locations: North Carolina, Chihuahua, Haywood County, Georgia

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials announced Wednesday they will consider adding 10 new species to the Endangered Species Act, including a big bumble bee that serves as a key pollinator across the United States. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said they had completed 90-day reviews of petitions to add the species to the list and determined that listing may be warranted. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022 to include the bee on the Endangered Species List. The agency included Eastern hellbenders who live in Missouri on the Endangered Species List in 2021. More than 1,300 species are listed as either endangered or threatened in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act.

Persons: It's Organizations: Fish, Wildlife Service, Biological Diversity, U.S . Fish, Lockes, Lockes Wildlife Management, West Virginia . Locations: MADISON, Wis, United States, U.S, Southern, Midwest, Texas, North Dakota, Florida, Queens, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi, Borneo, North Carolina, Lockes Wildlife, Nye County , Nevada, Arizona, Kentucky , Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, West Virginia . U.S, Eastern, Missouri

“This is a phenomenal moment for North Carolina and for North Carolinians,” state Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley said in an interview. “All that adds up to just the peace of mind, knowing that when they need health care, it’s not going to drive them into debt.”Democratic Gov. They warmed to the idea in 2022, when the federal government offered a $1.8 billion bonus over two years if North Carolina signed on. It stipulates that North Carolina hospitals cover the state’s 10% share of expenses through increased assessments that began in November, DHHS said. Much of western North Carolina exists in the Medicaid coverage gap, “and its citizens are absolutely left behind,” McBane said.

Persons: Carrie McBane, McBane, Kody Kinsley, it’s, Roy Cooper, weren’t, Cooper, DHHS, ” McBane, Kinsley, “, ” Organizations: North Carolina, Medicaid, of Columbia, Republican, National Center for Health Statistics, of Health, Human Services, ” Democratic Gov, General Assembly Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, North Carolina, Sylva, Raleigh, South, Midwest, ”, Carolina

☆ The woman who travels around the US in an Airstream with her husband and a goat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“We didn’t know how well she was going to do with traveling,” Cate tells CNN Travel. Kid on boardPet goat Frankie spends several months of the year traveling around the US in and Airstream with her owners Cate and Chad Battles. “We’ve been all over the country and we’ll pass someone on a trail and they’ll be like, ‘Is that Frankie?’” Cate recalls. “So it’s really, really funny.”She particularly enjoyed getting the chance to speak with other goat owners to “talk goats,” while appearing on the program. And it ended up working really, really great.

Persons: Frankie, Cate Battles, Chad, who’ve, ” Cate, they’ve, Cate, ”, “ I’ve, she’d, “, they’d, they’d “, Woody Guthrie, Maggie, it’s, they’ll, that’s, “ We’ve, ’ ” Cate, ” Airstream, I’ll, they’re, We’re, haven’t, They’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Chad Battles, Argosy, ”, Discovery Locations: United States, Midwest , Montana , Wyoming, Idaho, Antarctica, Tennessee, Asheville , North Carolina, Chad, Southern Oregon, Western North Carolina, Pacific Northwest, Oregon, Utah, California , Nevada , Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Carolina , Kentucky , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Canada, Arizona, Southern California, Baja , Mexico, Airstream

☆ Seeds of Native Knowledge Grow in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Jacey Fortin | Mike Belleme | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

WHY WE’RE HEREWe’re exploring how America defines itself one place at a time. Cherokee, N.C., is a town steeped in Native American history, and a draw for outsiders in search of connection. Oct. 21, 2023There is a mushroom whose beige caps grow wild in the mountains of western North Carolina. But Amy Walker and Tyson Sampson have years of experience. “Tyson can tell you the scientific stuff.

Persons: Amy Walker, Tyson Sampson, Walker, ”, “ Tyson Locations: Cherokee, N.C, North Carolina

☆ At 19, a car crash changed her view on the American Dream — so she and 2 friends bought a parcel of land and built a life on their own terms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Natalie Bogwalker, 44, built a 400-square-foot log cabin in rural Western North Carolina by hand. She loved being in the woods and was always interested in building things, although she didn't consider pursuing it professionally. "They were just happy to have other people living on it who wanted to do cool things," Bogwalker said. AdvertisementAdvertisementShe said anywhere between 15 and 30 people can show up for these work parties, including friends, friends of friends, and even others who are part of the DIY and off-grid living community. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt was about a year and a half between the first cutting of the trees and her moving into the cabin, Bogwalker said.

Persons: Natalie Bogwalker, —, didn't, Jenny Tenney, Bogwalker, Hazel, they're, it'll, It's Organizations: Service, Humanity Locations: Western North Carolina, Washington, Spain, Guatemala

☆ This single mom lives in a 700-square-foot cabin she built by hand. Now, she's teaching other women how to do the same.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina, a onetime conservative Democrat who switched late in his career to the Republicans and then got elected to Congress, died Thursday. Before the end of the 1998 campaign, Faircloth had fired his campaign consultant and tried to link Edwards to Bill Clinton and portray him as out of step with moderates and conservatives. Sanford rewarded Faircloth with an appointment to the state Highway Commission, which he chaired later under Gov. Faircloth was putting together his own Senate bid in 1986 when his old friend Sanford entered the race, causing him to stand down. "For close to 50 years, I've been a businessman making a payroll on Fridays," Faircloth said during his 1998 reelection bid.

Persons: Lauch, Faircloth, John Edwards, Brad Crone, U.S . Sen, Terry Sanford, Sanford, Hillary Clinton, Marion Barry, Edwards, Bill Clinton, Kerr Scott, Bob Scott, Jim Hunt’s, Crone, I've, Anne Organizations: Former U.S . Sen, Republicans, GOP, U.S ., Senate, District of Columbia, Gov, Commission, Democratic Party Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, North Carolina, Clinton, Sampson County, Salemburg, Raleigh, Faircloth, Washington

☆ How Oliver Anthony’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ became a chart-topping conservative anthem
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In a matter of days, Oliver Anthony’s working-class anthem, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” has gone from viral sensation to legitimate country hit. “Rich Men North of Richmond” touches upon Anthony’s time as a factory worker in Western North Carolina, he said in the video shared before the song was posted online. Conservative media personality Jason Howerton said he has offered to pay to produce Anthony’s record and that Rich had agreed to produce it. (A representative for Rich told CNN on Wednesday that there “isn’t much to report on” about Anthony and Rich working together. Anthony's song has been compared to Aldean's for their rural perspectives and embrace by conservatives.

Persons: Oliver Anthony’s, “ Rich, ”, dethroning Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Walsh, Anthony, he’s, “, …, ” Anthony, That’s what’s, Oliver Anthony, Richmond ”, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, RadioWV, it’s, Kari Lake, Lauren Boebert, ” It’s, Travis Tritt, John Rich of, Jason Howerton, Rich, Jason Aldean's, parlayed, “ Don’t, “ Oliver Anthony’s, Phil, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Anthony’s, Uncle Sam’s, Merle Haggard’s “, Guy Drake’s “, Cadillac ”, ain’t Organizations: CNN, North, Apple, iTunes, US Rep, YouTube, Richmond, Virgin Islands, Arizona, John Rich of Big, Rich, Conservative, Records, Facebook Locations: Richmond, ”, Virginia, Appalachia, Western North Carolina, Washington , DC, Virgin, Currituck , North Carolina, America

☆ The Ridiculous Medical Bill Brought to You by the Latest Hospital Merger - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Elisabeth Rosenthal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Mark Finney moved to southwestern Virginia with his young family a decade ago, there were different hospital systems and a range of independent doctors to choose from. But when his knee started aching in late 2020, he discovered that Ballad Health was the only game in town: He went to his longtime primary care doctor, now employed by Ballad, who sent him to an orthopedist’s office that had been purchased by Ballad. That doctor sent him to get an X-ray at a Ballad-owned facility and then he was referred to a physical therapy center called Mountain States Rehab that was now owned by Ballad as well. Though none of the interventions took place in an actual hospital, all came with a hospital “facility fee.” When the price of P.T. “My wife now drives 50 miles to see a doctor that’s not part of Ballad, and I don’t have a doctor anymore.”

Persons: Mark Finney, “, ”, Finney, that’s Organizations: Appalachian Locations: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky

☆ Opinion | Barbara Kingsolver Thinks Urban Liberals Have It All Wrong on Appalachia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +58 min

It’s like there’s no point in asking who started this because it’s a really, really old antagonism. I think that’s probably what’s most critical right now is that all of our entertainment, our news media, it’s all made in cities. And he’s really pretty horrible, and he doesn’t feed them enough, and that’s really sad. You’re going to have a flat tire, and the guy that pulls up to help you is going to tell your dad within minutes. It’s not like most books you’re going to see.

Persons: Ezra Klein, ezra klein, —, Hernan Diaz, Barbara Kingsolver, “ David Copperfield ”, Dickens, It’s, barbara kingsolver, you’ve, ezra klein We’re, Nobody, I’d, I’ve, Bobby Ann Mason’s, “, — Wendell Berry, Robert Penn Warren, James Still, Harriette, Taylor Greer, you’re, George Washington, ” he’s, — he’s, he’s, I’ll, They’re, George W, Bush, they’re, barbara kingsolver You’re, we’ve, That’s, that’s, I’m, ” barbara kingsolver, barbara kingsolver Oh, barbara kingsolver ezra klein barbara kingsolver, ezra klein Yes, we’re, Charles Dickens, “ David Copperfield, ”, Tommy, ” It’s, ezra klein There’s, barbara kingsolver There’s, Tommy Traddles, Tommy Waddles, who’s, He’s, We’re, Tommy’s, she’s, it’s, Beth Macy, overdosed, ” ezra klein, There’s, grandkids, they’ve, Dori, doesn’t, Peggot, Frances Goldin, Arwen Donahue, She’s, Beth Macy’s, Lazarus, Laline Paull, ezra klein Barbara Kingsolver Organizations: New York, Fiction, Trump, Nicholas County High School, DePauw University, Walmart, The New York Times, . Times, New York Times, Farmers, “, Knoxville —, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, aha, Scots Locations: Appalachia, It’s, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, U.S, exploitations, Congo, Caribbean, Indiana, Nicholas, Arizona, Europe, Tucson , Arizona, Tucson, Paris, Athens, France, “ Shiloh, MAGA, America, Brazil, Eastern Europe, There’s, California, New York, “, Tommy, Pennington, Knoxville, there’s, nove, Lee County, that’s Lee County, that’s, United States of America, who’s, New York City

☆ Madison Cawthorn pleads guilty in case over bringing a loaded handgun through TSA checkpoint
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday to bringing a loaded handgun through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport last year, according to his attorney. Cawthorn’s weapon was “secured at the airport and he retrieved it after his flight,” the newspaper reported, citing the airport spokesperson. In July 2021, when the story was published, a Cawthorn spokesperson told the Citizen-Times that the congressman had brought the gun “by mistake.” He was not charged in the incident. Despite having Trump’s endorsement, he lost in the Republican primary to Chuck Edwards, who had the backing of several top North Carolina Republicans. Edwards easily went on to win the general election for the western North Carolina seat.

☆ Can’t Afford to Scuba in Aruba? Try This Snorkeling Adventure Closer to Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Caleb Johnson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

STREAMING NOW Snorkel in a freshwater river for a brief encounter with an eel, a lamprey and other colorful fish. MY SNORKELING ADVENTURE began in a parking lot at Mile-0 of the French Broad River, which flows across more than 200 craggy miles in western North Carolina and into eastern Tennessee. It was a sunny day, and Kevin Merrill, who would serve as my guide, asked me to meet him there so he could gauge the conditions and figure out where to start. Over the weekend, heavy rain had fallen across Transylvania County, so the river was running higher than normal. I followed his white Subaru through the town of Rosman, N.C., where Mr. Merrill grew up and later worked at the public high school before starting Oxbow River Snorkeling along with his wife, Christie.

☆ ‘Succession’ Star J. Smith-Cameron Discovered Acting After a High-School Dare
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

J. Smith-Cameron, 65, is an actress who recently appeared in TV’s “Fleishman Is in Trouble” and in the movie “Vengeance.” She currently stars as Gerri Kellman in HBO’s “Succession.” She spoke with Marc Myers. My grandfather, Richard Sharp Smith, was a prominent architect, but I didn’t know him. He died in 1924, when my father was still a child. He was a big presence in Asheville, in western North Carolina, where he designed many private homes in a blend of Craftsman, Shingle and Tudor Revival styles.

“Mission Hospital used to be where everyone would go if they wanted good care,” Jaquins said, reflecting on her previous experiences with the health care system. Sue Fischer is a longtime HCA employee who’s concerned about patient care in her facility. “We were a great system as Mission Health and we’re an even better system as HCA Mission Health,” she said. “Delays in care is the biggest patient care issue I see because of staffing,” Hernandez said. According to the CMS ranking system, Mission Hospital currently holds an above-average overall quality rating — four stars out of a possible five.

☆ Mark Meadows won't face voter fraud charges in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

RALEIGH, N.C. — Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff to President Donald Trump, won’t face voter fraud charges related to his 2020 registration and absentee vote in North Carolina, the state’s attorney general announced Friday. Meadows drew the attention of government attorneys when details that he was simultaneously registered to vote in North Carolina and two other states surfaced. Meadows cast a North Carolina absentee ballot by mail for the November general election, when Trump won the battleground state by just over 1 percentage point. Meadows began arousing public suspicion of widespread voter fraud leading up to the 2020 general election as the polls showed Trump trailing President Joe Biden. Election officials from both parties, as well as judges and Trump’s own attorney general, concluded there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

☆ U.S. East Coast in path of powerful winter storm that killed 3 in South
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - A sprawling winter storm was expected to unleash ice, snow and strong winds across the Northeast on Thursday after spawning dozens of tornadoes that claimed the lives of three people as it left behind a trail of destruction in the South. More than 20 people suffered injuries in Farmerville, Louisiana, when a tornado hit an apartment complex and a mobile home park, a police spokesperson told CNN. The relentless storm was not finished on Thursday. Additionally, the storm was forecast to unleash freezing rains across the region, glazing roadways with ice and prompting transportation officials to urge motorists to stay off the roads. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Just because rural areas are less populated doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to provide health services there. She recommends that rural counties explore lower-cost, evidence-based options like distributing naloxone, funding syringe service programs, or connecting people to housing or employment. “We couldn’t function if we didn’t partner for lots of different services.”In Colorado, pooling funds is built into the state’s model for managing opioid settlement money. “Nobody has paid any attention to our rural areas and this problem for years,” Laske said. They cross-referenced the results with a list of allowable uses for the $9 million in settlement funds they’ll receive over 18 years to create a priority grid.

☆ Some of Congress' youngest members have famously flamed out. Can a candidate be too young to serve?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

More youthful representation would better serve the country, young members of Congress say. But members of Congress, political scientists, and strategists generally don't blame age for these downfalls — leaders both young and old are prone to controversy. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history in 2019 as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at 29. "I was always accustomed to being the youngest," Schatz told Insider at the Capitol. The nation needs "more principled members of Congress," Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, 35, told Insider, adding: "It doesn't matter their age."

The deal includes a commitment from PPES that ioneer's lithium will be used to build EV battery parts inside the United States for the U.S. EV market. "The whole purpose of this agreement is for this lithium to be used in the United States," James Calaway, ioneer's executive chairman, told Reuters. The amount of lithium that ioneer will supply PPES is enough to make batteries for about 150,000 EVs annually, though that figure would vary depending on design and other factors. Australia-based ioneer aims to produce about 21,000 tonnes of lithium in Nevada annually starting in 2025. It signed a supply deal with Ford Motor Co (F.N) in mid-July and last year with South Korea's Ecopro Co (086520.KQ).

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