Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1489342
8 UCW JANUARY 4 - 10, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS Carolina Public Press revisits top stories of 2022 from Carolina Public Press Staff Reports e year 2022 took the nation through many economic, legislative and political twists and turns and North Carolina marched in step. e state started the year with a winter storm that dropped as much as five inches of snow across central NC; COVID-19 tests and vaccines continued to be rolled out and the state experienced the spread of new coronavi- rus variants as the pandemic left in its wake an economic upheaval. Later in the year, inflation surged across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion rights in June and Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order to protect access to abortion; Hurricane Ian ravaged the coastal cities at the end of September, leaving thousands without power or homes and killing at least four people. Mass shootings increased, reaching epi- demic levels, with a mass shooting occurring in October in Raleigh, North Carolina when a 15-year old went on a rampage in a suburban neighborhood — killing five and injuring two. Politically, North Carolina also made some turns in the road. e state gained a congres- sional seat, sitting congressman Rep. Madi- son Cawthorn (R-N.C.) lost the primary, and voters elected a new U.S. Senator. To wrap the year up, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case, Moore vs. Harper, originating in North Carolina, that could change election law in the state and the rest of the country. roughout the year Carolina Public Press reported on the in-depth stories that mat- tered to our communities. e stories for this end-of-year edition were selected based on human interest, impact and inclusiveness, relevance, timeliness, uniqueness and align- ment with Carolina Public Press' mission. We also took into consideration the readership of each of these stories. ey have been arranged chronologically. Why NC legislators are arguing a legal the- ory that could upend US democracy (April) House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, tried out a legal theory in 2020 elections litigation that had the potential to change the balance of power between the state legislature and the executive branch. It failed at every level of state and federal courts. Now, they're trying to apply that theory again with a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, this time over a disagreement with the other branch of government, the state courts. https://carolinapublicpress.org/53029/why- nc-legislators-are-arguing-a-legal-theory- that-could-upend-us-democracy/ Pilot program brings sexual assault nurse training to historically Black university (May) By the end of summer, a handful of nursing students at Fayetteville State University will have started taking courses on how to care for sexual assault survivors. It's a small start but one Sheila Cannon has worked toward for more than two years. e funding comes from the state legislature, which allocated $125,000 for a pilot training program in Cumberland County late last year. https://carolinapublicpress.org/53627/ pilot-program-brings-sexual-assault-nurse- training-to-historically-black-university/ Child's death triggers new state response to Cherokee County DSS (May) e death of any child whose family was in contact with a county DSS unleashes a hur- ricane of bureaucracy. In North Carolina's system of state oversight and county adminis- tration, state workers examine whether county workers followed law, policy and accepted practice. https://carolinapublicpress.org/54341/ childs-death-triggers-new-state-response-to- cherokee-county-dss/ What does Supreme Court action on abor- tion mean for North Carolina: An FAQ (May) is summer, the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn the nearly 50-year-old legal prec- edent upholding the legal right to an abortion. If that happens, North Carolina is one of the few Southern states where abortion would remain legal after six weeks. https://carolinapublicpress.org/53758/ what-does-supreme-court-action-on-abor- tion-mean-for-north-carolina-an-faq/ Judge orders Cherokee County DSS to turn over open case records (June) e Cherokee County Department of So- cial Services must hand over all documents related to all open DSS cases on the calendar, a District Court judge ruled at a Monday hear- ing. Last month, local attorney David Moore said he filed a subpoena for DSS records after learning that Cherokee County DSS was under Senate leader Phil Berger (left) and House Speaker Tim Moore field questions at a press conference in 2015. (Carolina Public Press file photo) Dr. Sheila Cannon, left, speaks with nursing student Carissa Bascomb, on May 4 at Fayetteville State University. Cannon is the associate dean of the School of Nursing at FSU. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits / Carolina Public Press) e Cherokee County Courthouse in downtown Murphy. (Photo by Shelby Harris / Carolina Public Press) Status of abortion access in the U.S. as of Aug. 8, 2022. SOURCE: KFF analysis of state policies and court decisions, as of November 23, 2022. e Cherokee County Department of Social Services office in Murphy. Seen here on June 13, 2022. (Photo by Shelby Harris / Carolina Public Press)