WWW.TRIANGLE TRIBUNE.COM The Triangle Democrats use Obama- Clinton appearance to RIBUNE fire up NCTHE ASSOCIATED base PRESS TTHE TRIANGLE’S CHOICE FOR THE BLACK VOICE CHARLOTTE – Deborah Ross and Roy Cooper, two Democrats seeking to unseat Republican incumbents in November, used their appearances ahead of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to fire up voters at a rally here Tuesday. VOLUME 18 NO. 20 WEEK OF JULY 10, 2016 $1.00 Halfway across the state in Raleigh, Donald Trump was holding his own event in this battleground state. Ross energized a crowd of thousands at the Charlotte Convention Center Black college hoops by pointing out the state's prominence in the race for the White House. "North Carolina is on the map and we are going to be blue in November," standouts inducted to Ross said. "We are going to keep the White House. We are going to take back national hall of fame. the Governor's Mansion, and we're going to take back the U.S. Senate, start- ing right here." Ross is running against GOP Sen. Richard Burr. Cooper faces Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. "This may be the most important election in our lifetime," Cooper said. "And North Carolina is ground zero. Why else would our president and our next president use our state to campaign together for the first time?" Other Democratic contenders in the down-ballot races also used the Please seeDEMS/2A Report: How to Medicaid define helps lawmakers unbornSTAFF REPORTS RALEIGH — More babies born in over short Durham County could survive their first year and live healthier lives if their mothers got health session? care before pregnancy through By Anna Gronewold Medicaid expansion, according to ASSOCIATED PRESS a new report by N.C. Child. RALEIGH – The North Carolina The report finds one in five General Assembly worked a LATISHA CATCHATOORIAN women of reproductive age (19- marathon week to complete its an- 44) statewide are uninsured, Xavier Cason, with his family beside him, is sworn in as a new school board mem- nual work session so lawmakers more than half of whom (about ber. could go home by July Fourth. 175,000) fall in the health insur- Now it's time for Gov. Pat McCrory ance coverage gap — their in- to evaluate their results. comes are too high to qualify for The legislature adjourned late Medicaid and too low to afford last Friday after the House and private health care. Senate approved a tweak to the Many factors contribute to in- controversial LGBT law they ap- fant mortality; the environmen- Durham school board proved in March to ensure work- tal, economic and social ers can sue in state court for conditions of the communities discriminatory termination. They where parents live can play a big sent lots of other legislation to Mc- role, but we also know that Crory, who's got until the end of women’s health is a strong pre- makeupBy Latisha eran changes members Sendolo Di- father of a school teacher. I the month to sign roughly 50 bills dictor of future birth outcomes. Catchatoorian aminah, Matt Sears, and long- raised children that went to time public servant Minnie Durham Public Schools (and) on his desk or veto them. Other- Uninsured women are more [email protected] Forte-Brown. taught half of my entire ca- wise, they become law without his likely to have unaddressed health DURHAM – For the first “Our board believes we reer in Durham Public signature. issues, including chronic condi- time since 1992, the Durham must nurture every student Schools. I could not be more Dozens of other proposals died tions like diabetes, obesity and Public Schools education so that they can learn, create proud of having worked and at the close of the 10-week ses- hypertension that contribute to board will have an African- and dream. Today, I’m espe- served in this community sion, some due to time constraints premature and low birthweight American majority. cially delighted to welcome and to now have the oppor- or strained relations between the births — the leading causes of in- Last week Xavier Cason two legendary educators to tunity to continue to do chambers. fant mortality in North Carolina. and Steve Unruhe were the Durham school board. that.” "We got caught up in trying to “Healthy births start with sworn in as the newest board Xavier and Steve bring ex- Cason, who will be the con- jam so much through a smaller healthy moms,” said Michelle members. They will replace pertise that will help our solidated District B leader, is funnel if you know what I mean," Hughes, executive director of longtime chairwoman Heidi board continue our district’s also a former DPS educator said House Majority Leader Mike N.C. Child. “If we want to reduce Carter (who was elected to commitment to support ex- and will be the fourth black Hager, R-Rutherford. "It's time to infant mortality, we need to do a the Durham County Board of cellent teaching and learn- on the seven-member board. be out of here. We all need to go better job providing their moth- Commissioners) and two- ing,” Beyer said. “We’re at an historic mo- home to our families and jobs." ers with access to health insur- term board member Leigh Unruhe recently retired ment since the merger of the Here's a look at what passed in ance before they get pregnant.” Bordley. from DPS and was the at- city and county schools in the final days, what McCrory pre- In Durham County, 20 percent Incumbent board member large school board represen- 1992, and in this moment I viously signed and what ideas of women of child-bearing age Mike Lee was elected as the tative. challenge us all to think dif- were put aside until at least 2017: are uninsured and many of them new DPS chair, with incum- “It’s a great honor to be ferently about what we do AT THE GOVERNOR'S DESK fall in the health insurance cover- bent member Natalie Beyer here,” Unruhe said after his and the services we provide The two chambers passed the age gap. In 2014, 8.9 percent of elected as vice chair. Cason swearing in. “I am the son of $22.3 billion budget for the new Durham babies were born at a and Unruhe join other vet- school teachers and now the Please see DURHAM/2A fiscal year, which raised teacher low birthweight, and 11.4 percent and state employee pay, boosted were born premature, putting the state's rainy day reserve and them at risk for long-term health increased standard deductions for challenges and infant mortality. income tax. The measure also of- Over the past two decades, fers $500 in-state tuition per se- North Carolina’s infant mortality mester at three University of North rate has dropped by more than Carolina campuses in fall 2018 40 percent as a result of im- and fixed tuition for incoming in- proved clinical practices and Facebook helps Durham kids state freshmen this fall. smart public policy. But North Lawmakers passed a bill that de- Carolina’s progress has plateaued cided footage from police body and lags behind the rest of the na- learnBy Latisha the intricacies of code and vehicle dashboard cameras tion, ranking 42nd for infant mor- aren't public record but laid out tality. For every 1,000 babies Catchatoorian how the subject of a video can re- born alive in North Carolina, [email protected] view the footage or anyone else seven die in their first year of life. DURHAM – Elementary, middle can try to get a copy, including Moreover, a baby born in North and high school students clicked going to court. Tacked on the bill Carolina is less likely to live to cel- away at their keyboards as they is a process to create needle and ebrate her first birthday than one played programming games last syringe exchange programs. born in the neighboring states of week at the Emily K Center. Another approved proposal South Carolina, Virginia or Ten- Facebook launched TechPrep would hand over five of North Car- nessee. last October – a free online edu- olina's lowest performing elemen- The report shows stark racial cational resource in both English tary schools to charter operators and ethnic disparities mean and Spanish for parents, in an "Achievement School Dis- African-American and American guardians and students who trict" pilot exempt from oversight Indian babies in North Carolina want to learn more about com- and evaluations from local school are more likely to die before puter science. The site is specif- boards. reaching their first birthday than ically geared towards black and The legislature prohibited sex of- white babies. Although overall in- Latino families. LATISHA CATCHATOORIAN fenders identified as threats to fant mortality rates have de- To celebrate the rollout of the Facebook techs teach coding to students. children from places like arcades, clined, the infant death gap program, Facebook team mem- parks, and libraries while a 2009 between African-American and bers have been taking TechPrep can start studying.” from the American Community law remains under federal appeal. white babies in North Carolina is on the road, recently making a The program’s goal is to help Survey, young computer science There's also an omnibus farm bill wider today than in 1988. Fur- stop in Durham. bridge the gap between potential and engineering graduates with that would extend to 2020 a tax thermore, the mortality rates for “We are super excited to be interest and opportunity by join- bachelor’s or advanced degrees credit for renewable fuel process- Hispanic and American Indian here in Durham,” said Lauryn ing together hundreds of re- are 8 percent Hispanic and 6 per- ing facilities and allow wildlife re- children have worsened over the Ogbechie, part of the education sources to develop coding skills.