Month: October 2021

Chicken Fried Politics: “South Carolina U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace was the lone Southern Republican to vote to hold former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the panel investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The House voted 229 to 220 on October 21 to hold Bannon in…

AR Times: “Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has been released from federal prison after serving less than half of a 10-year sentence for bribery. The development is the latest in a long-running and complex criminal case that dates back to 2014 and that has entangled a once-powerful Republican lobbyist, a wealthy nursing home…

WUNC: “Outside of Old Fort, the Western North Carolina railroad bends around Andrews Geyser.  The man-made fountain is named after the vice president of the company that owned the railroad, built in the 1870’s.  Now, the thousands of laborers who did the work are finally memorialized at the site too.   As so many places are…

NC Policy Watch: “Though Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s hateful attack on LGBTQ people was uttered in a Christian church, it continues to draw a growing chorus of condemnations and calls for his resignation from people of faith and religious leaders. Last week, a group of North Carolina-based church leaders issued a rebuke to Robinson in an event…

MS Free Press: “Damion Portis is a barber, marketer and graphic artist by trade, but he’s used to investigating his clients’ health. “I first started in the Healthy Heart Care Initiative,” he told the Mississippi Free Press in an Oct. 18 interview. Portis runs Klean Jokers Master Barber Art Studio in Jackson. As part of…

Political Wire:  “The death of the 84-year-old lawmaker in April created a rare opportunity for Democrats in Florida: an open seat in Congress in a majority Black district that is unlikely to undergo major revisions in next year’s redistricting process.” “That prospect has sparked a free-for-all, with 11 Democrats — including several state legislators and…

Sun Herald: “The 2008 shooting death of a Billey Joe Johnson Jr., a Black star athlete at George County High School, following a traffic stop by a white officer is back in the spotlight. Johnson’s death has been the subject of scrutiny and cries for justice for over a decade. His case is now being…

Newsweek: “The gubernatorial race in Virginia remains close with just two weeks remaining until voters elect their next governor on November 2. Statewide voter surveys conducted in recent weeks have shown a tightening race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin, the leading candidates on the ballot. Both candidates have received endorsements from top…

Politico: “In his bid to hold his Georgia Senate seat, Democrat Raphael Warnock collected a stunning $9.5 million over the last 90 days. Democrat Val Demings, who’s challenging GOP Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, amassed an eye-popping $8.5 million. In South Carolina, Republican Sen. Tim Scott brought in $8.4 million. All across the Senate map—…

NC Policy Watch: “The chance to win $1 million did not lead to increased vaccination rates against COVID-19, according to a new study published Friday that examined the states that held vaccine lotteries earlier this year. There was a “near zero” association between those cash drawings and additional vaccinations in states like Colorado, which held five drawings among…