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Dear Friend of Senate District 10,
I hope you've had a great week thus far. This week, the General Assembly celebrated our annual Watermelon Day at the Capitol. We were honored to be joined by our 2019 North Carolina Watermelon Queen, Amy Arnold along with the NC Watermelon Association and the Department of Agriculture. Thank you all for help and efforts in making the celebration a huge success.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
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As We Near the End of Session
We are getting closer to the end of the session and the Senate is packed with bills making their way to the floor. Several bills filed by our office are still waiting to be taken up and we are working hard to finish up as much as we can before we adjourn. The Governor’s budget veto and the Farm Act of 2019 in particular are our primary focuses right now. There is still an opportunity to get these important pieces of legislation on the right track and we are working hard to refine our ideas. It has been a whirlwind of a session and we never have as much time as we would like to work on new legislation, but we can do our best while we have the time to do what is right for North Carolina.
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Four County Electric FEMA Reimbursement
FEMA and the state of North Carolina announced Tuesday that Four County Electric Membership Cooperative will be reimbursed more than $11.2 million to help with the cost of damages caused by the hurricane.
Four County serves more than 32,000 customers in Bladen, Columbus, Duplin, Onslow, Pender and Sampson counties.
In all, FEMA announced Tuesday that more than $22 million in reimbursements had been approved for electric cooperatives in eastern North Carolina. Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative and Tideland Electric Membership Corporation also were approved for reimbursements.
Public assistance is a cost-sharing program where FEMA reimburses applicants at least 75 percent of eligible costs while the remaining 25 percent is covered by the state.
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Tri-County Awards $170K in Grant Funding
Seven organizations have been awarded grant funding from the Tri-County Community Action Agency as part of a statewide effort to prevent and reduce opioid use and overdose. An estimated $170,000 will be distributed through January 2020.
In April, the Tri-County Regional Prevention Coalition issued a request for proposals for Community-Based Opioid Overdose Solution Grants, in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH). BHDDH has awarded State Opioid Response (SOR) funds to all seven Regional Prevention Coalitions across the state. Tri-County serves Region 1, consisting of Johnston, North Providence, Cranston, Scituate, Smithfield, Glocester and Foster.
Grant funding was awarded to the Dr. Edward A. Ricci Middle School in North Providence, the town of Johnston, the Smithfield Public School Department, Tobacco Free Rhode Island, the Cranston Police Department, the Scituate Health Alliance and the Rhode Island Student Assistance Services.
Grants will be used to fund innovative programs, services and activities that support opioid use education and prevention. Initiatives will be focused on a broad range of activities including reducing access to opioids, prevention of use and overdose, and training and education.
The long-term goal of the solicitation is to reduce opioid overdose, with short-term outcomes to increase perception of risk or harm associated with opioid use, to increase access to recovery supports and to increase access to naloxone and knowledge of rescue strategies. Each of the seven grant recipients will use the grant funding to implement various programs outlined in their individual grant applications. Grant funding may be extended beyond the original funding period based on program performance and the availability of additional funds.
The Tri-County Regional Prevention Coalition works with school departments, substance use and mental health organizations, law enforcement and other community organizations to establish community-wide plans to promote emotional health and wellness and to deliver substance use prevention services.
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Refurbished Engine Returns to Service
The Clinton Fire Department has welcomed one of its engines back into the fleet.
After months of planning and designing, the E-One (Emergency-One) Typhoon model has returned to the local station after undergoing a reconfiguration and refurbishment.
As part of Clinton Fire Chief Stephen Lovette’s plan to reorganize the department’s fleet, the fire engine was sent to the E-One manufacturing facility in Ocala, Fla. to undergo the improvements. E-One is one of the country’s largest emergency services manufacturers providing fire apparatus to some of America’s oldest and largest fire departments, including New York, Chicago and Boston.
When the Clinton department first began using the engine in 2015, it was used as a water supply vehicle capable of shuttling water to the scene of a fire where hydrants are not readily available.
According to Lovette, the project was under the leadership of Captain Brett Hairr, who was instrumental in overseeing Clinton Fire Department’s fleet of firefighting apparatuses.
The reconfigured engine returned to service July 4 and is assigned as the primary response unit from Clinton Fire Station 22, located on Beaman Street.
Current plans have the new engine being put into service as the primary unit responding from Station 21 on Wall Street in downtown Clinton.
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School Leaders Recognize Academic Achievement
During graduation ceremonies for Sampson County Schools, valedictorians and salutatorians from local high schools faced their classmates with words of for the future as they begin new journey in college and the workforce.
For achievement of being the best in their class, the district’s Board of Education and local principals honored them during a recent meeting.
For Union’s Class of 2019, DeeAnna Edwards was valedictorian and Sabrina Newkirk was salutatorian. They will attend Sampson Community College in the fall.
At Sampson Early College High School (SECHS) in Clinton, Megan Gardner was valedictorian, while Chistian Gonzalez-Rodriguez was the salutatorian. Gardner plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall to major in biology and pre-med. She graduated from Sampson Community College (SCC) as an distinguished graduate an earned an associate’s in science degree. Rodriguez is also planning to attend UNC-Chapel Hill. SECHS Guidance Counselor Jessica Tyndall recognized the students for their achievements.
John Goode, principal of Lakewood High School, honored valedictorian Ni’Daria Powell and salutatorian Trey McLamb for their years at the school in Salemburg.
Ni’Daria Powell earned a full-ride scholarship to North Carolina Central University and will major in pharmaceutical science. After receiving her bachelor’s, Powell is planning to continue her education by working toward an advanced degree in pharmacy. As a pharmacist, she hopes to conduct research in pharmaceuticals and mental health.
Trey McLamb is headed to UNC-Chapel Hill, where he will pursue a double major in biology neuroscience on a pre-med track. In the future, he wants to be in the surgery field.
For Midway High School, Principal Monty Strickland recognized valedictorian Rachel Edwards and salutatorian Mackenzie McLamb, who is headed to North Carolina State University and is also a graduate of SCC’s Career and College Program. She’s going to major in accounting and previously served as an office assistant. Edwards is a graduate of SCC and is continuing her education at Wake Forest University, where she will major in biology, politics and international studies.
Hobbton High School’s valedictorian Hayden Cottle and salutatorian Allison Flowers were honored by Principal Michael Warren. Flowers is planning to major in biology at Campbell University. Cottle is headed to Sampson Community College with plans to major in nursing.
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