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Tag: Walter Reinke

  • New litter of red wolf pups brings hope for most endangered wolf in the world

    New litter of red wolf pups brings hope for most endangered wolf in the world

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    For the first time since 2019, the Museum of Life and Science has welcomed a litter of red wolves, the world’s most endangered wolf.

    What You Need To Know

    • Durham’s Museum of Life and Science welcomed a litter of red wolves for the first time since 2019

    • The red wolf is the most endangered wolf in the world, with a combined population under 300 in the wild and captivity

    • The species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980, but 45 facilities around the U.S. have started breeding programs

    • The Museum of Life and Science received its first red wolf in 1992, and has seen five litters before this most recent one

    Seven pups were born at the museum on Sunday. All seven pups, four males and three females, were found to be in good health on Wednesday.

    “Their arrival is a beacon of hope for the species and a significant milestone in our conservation efforts,” the museum said in a press release.

    Oak and Adeyha, the first-time parents to the new litter, were identified by the museum last summer as a “high-value breeding pair.” The museum said their litter will help maintain genetic diversity in a red wolf population that has dwindled to fewer than 300 in the wild and under human care combined.

    Red wolves suffered a similar fate as gray wolves. Their population was decimated by predator control programs and degradation of their habitats.

    The species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980 after the last remaining red wolves were captured for a captive-breeding program. Once common throughout Eastern and South-Central United States, the Fish and Wildlife Service says only there are only 15 to 17 red wolves in the wild.

    Red wolves are currently classified as critically endangered. While they could once be found from Texas to New York, they are now confined to a small area in eastern North Carolina.

    It’s the sixth litter of red wolves born at the museum. (Museum of Life and Science)

    But there are around 250 red wolves in captivity at 45 captive breeding facilities throughout the United States, including the Museum of Life and Science in Durham.

    The museum received its first red wolf in 1992, and has since had five litters before this most recent one. Throughout the years, the museum has been home to over 50 red wolves and had more than 30 pups born.

    The museum’s Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels said that the parents and pups are healthy, and regular monitoring is scheduled throughout the next few weeks.

    “This summer promises to be filled with excitement as we watch this family grow,” Samuels said in a press release. “Patience and quiet observation will be key when observing our new pups.”

    The public could see the baby wolves late next month, but the museum says red wolves tend to be reserved around crowds and loud noises. Museum staff will be present throughout the summer to help the public respectfully observe the new family.

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    Walter Reinke

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  • UAW, Daimler reach tentative deal for workers in N.C., Georgia and Tennessee

    UAW, Daimler reach tentative deal for workers in N.C., Georgia and Tennessee

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    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The United Auto Workers announced a tentative deal with Daimler late Friday night covering thousands of workers at plants in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. 

    What You Need To Know

    • The United Auto Workers and Daimler have reached a tentative deal covering thousands of workers in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee

    • UAW President Shawn Fain announced the agreement late Friday night

    • The deal came a week after workers in Tennessee overwhelmingly voted for the first Southern auto union outside of the Big Three automakers

    UAW President Shawn Fain addressed over 7,000 workers live on Facebook at nearly 11 p.m. shortly before a contract with the Mercedes-Benz-owned company was set to expire.

    Daimler workers will get at least a 25% pay increase over four years, including a 10% raise immediately when the deal is ratified, Fain said. He hailed the contract as a “major victory for the members who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built buses.”

    It will end wage tiers, he said, enabling workers who make trucks and those who make buses to receive equal pay. He said the lowest-paid workers, who make buses at Thomas Built, which has its headquarters in High Point, N.C., will get pay bumps of over $8 an hour.

    Fain said the deal includes profit sharing and a cost of living adjustment to protect workers against inflation.

    The four-year agreement — which covers workers at plants in North Carolina as well as distribution centers in Atlanta and Memphis, Tennessee — will go to union members for approval.

    “The UAW members at these locations will now be asked to vote on the new contracts, and we hope to finalize them soon, for the mutual benefit of all parties,” Daimler said in a statement. 

    The UAW says its workers face declining real wages as the cost of living increases. “Daimler’s profits have increased by 90% while workers’ buying power has fallen 13%,” the UAW said in a press release.

    The agreement comes after a month of negotiations with the company. Daimler workers had voted by 96% to authorize a strike.

    Fain was joined in Charlotte by the UAW Daimler Truck North America Bargaining Committee for the livestreamed address.

    The UAW filed four unfair labor practice charges against Daimler on Tuesday. The charges allege, among other things, that the company retaliated and discriminated against union members, interfered with workers’ right to organize and has not bargained with the UAW in good faith.

    “Daimler Truck thinks it can intimidate us by trampling on our rights,” said UAW DTNA Council President Kenny Dellinger in a press release. “These unfair labor practice charges are a necessary step. It’s time for Daimler Truck to get serious about negotiating a record contract without violating the law.” 

    All of this comes on the heels of a historic victory for the UAW. Workers from a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly voted April 19 to join the UAW, becoming the first Southern autoworkers outside of the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Stellantis) to win a union. 

    North Carolina has the second lowest unionized rate in the country, followed closely by Georgia at sixth and Tennessee at 13th. 

    Workers at Mercedes factories near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the 18th least unionized state, could become the next Southern factory to join the UAW. An election is set for May. 

    Six Southern Republican governors, including Tennessee’s, Georgia’s and South Carolina’s, signed onto a statement on the eve of the union vote in Chattanooga, saying that unions would be a detriment to manufacturing in their states and lead to job cuts. 

    The UAW won 25% raises for autoworkers in Detroit last year. With cost of living increases, the raises will reach 33% by the end of those contracts. 

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    Associated Press

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  • From mountains to coast, social districts are popping up across North Carolina

    From mountains to coast, social districts are popping up across North Carolina

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    As the weather warms up, people in many cities and towns across North Carolina are able to take a stroll with a beer in hand. 

    Social districts allow people in cities across the state to do something previously unheard of: take their beverage of choice to go. 

    As of March, there are 55 registered social districts across North Carolina, according to the ABC Commission. Just three years ago, there were zero.

    In September 2021, the General Assembly passed a law that allowed city and county governments to create social districts, like the ones you can now find in more than a quarter of counties across the state. 

    Social districts allow people to carry open alcohol away from the places they buy it from, which has allowed for districts like Sip n’ Stroll in Downtown Raleigh, which comprises more than 20 city blocks. 

    In July 2022, Governor Roy Cooper signed into law a bill that clarified the requirements for social districts. The law laid out very specific rules for these areas. 

    Not all businesses inside of a social district have to participate, but those that do have to be registered with the ABC Commission. Alcohol purchased from participating establishments can be carried outside and into other participating businesses, but not outside of the designated social district boundaries. 

    Alcoholic beverages must have a sticker on them that says what business and social district the drink is from. As of this year, drinks cannot be served in glass containers.

    Social districts must have clear signage at the boundaries, and have to operate within defined hours. For example, Lexington’s social district, which just opened last Friday, operates from 10 AM to 10 PM seven days a week. 

    Since these guidelines were put in place in 2022, social districts have exploded across the state. In many places, they’ve revitalized downtown areas. 

    Selma, a town north of Raleigh in Johnston County, launched their social district two years ago. Since then, people have been able to roam the downtown streets with drinks in hand. The social district is particularly popular during Rockin’ on Raiford, an annual concert series that shuts down a block. The social district debuted with the concert two years ago, and the event is set to return.   

    The map below shows all of the social districts currently registered with the ABC Commission. The ABC Commission says some districts may still be in the process of submitting registration paperwork, so some towns that are starting a social district may not be included on this map.  

     

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    Walter Reinke

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  • Three Republican primaries heading to second elections

    Three Republican primaries heading to second elections

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    With the dust settled from Super Tuesday, three GOP primaries will be heading to a second round.

    Two statewide races and one congressional race will head to second elections next month to decide the Republican candidate. Second elections can be requested in North Carolina when no candidate reaches 30% of the vote.

    What You Need To Know

    • Three GOP primary contests heading to a second election

    • One Congressional seat and two state offices will be on the ballot

    • Republican voters and unaffiliated voters that used a Republican ballot can vote on May 14

    Four GOP races were originally slated to hold second elections, including the 6th Congressional District race. But in that race, Mark Walker, who previously represented a different version of the district, declined to ask for a second election.

    Instead, Walker, who served in Congress for six years, will be joining Former President Trump’s campaign to work with faith groups and minority communities. That leaves Addison McDowell, the top vote getter and first-time candidate endorsed by Trump, as the presumptive representative for the 6th District. There is no Democrat in the race for the seat, as current representative Democrat Kathy Manning declined to run for reelection, citing redistricting that made the seat much more Republican-favored.

    Candidates in the three other races have formally asked for second elections, to be held on May 14.

    13th Congressional District

    The 13th Congressional District, which stretches around the Triangle, played host to a crowded Republican primary, with 14 candidates running for the seat.

    Kelly Daughtry, who has spent her career working as a family law attorney, was the top vote getter, receiving about 27% of the vote, just shy of the 30% threshold needed to advance to the general election.

    Daughtry ran for a different version of the 13th District in 2022, coming in third. She is the daughter of Leo Daughtry, a longtime North Carolina politician who currently sits on the UNC Board of Governors.

    Brad Knott, who resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor to run in the race, came in second with about 18% of the vote. This is Knott’s first time running for office.

    Democrats did not hold a primary for the seat, with incumbent Wiley Nickel declining to run for reelection, citing gerrymandering that made the seat favorable for Republicans. Nickel will instead run for senate in 2026.

    The winner of the second election will be heavily favored against Democrat Frank Pierce in November.

    North Carolina Lieutenant Governor

    The Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor was another crowded race, with 13 candidates vying for the open seat. Incumbent Republican Mark Robinson won the Republican primary for Governor on Super Tuesday.

    The second election will be between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill. Weatherman received the most votes, with nearly 20%, followed closely by O’Neill with nearly 16%.

    Weatherman previously served as chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and U.S. Representative Sue Myrick. O’Neill is currently in his third term as Forsyth County District Attorney. He was first appointed to the position in 2009.

    The winner of the second election will move on to face Democrat Rachel Hunt in November.

    North Carolina State Auditor

    State Auditor is the last race that will be heading to a second election. The top two vote getters were Jack Clark and Dave Boliek.

    Clark is a registered accountant who has spent his career working as an auditor. Boliek is an attorney and currently sits on the UNC Board of Trustees.

    The Republican candidate will run against incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes. Holmes was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper last December after Beth Wood resigned.

    The second elections will take place on May 14. Only registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters who chose the Republican ballot in the primary can vote in them. Voter turnout in the last congressional second primary election in 2020 was just over 12%.

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    Walter Reinke

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