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This message is brought to you by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling's Paving the Way Forward initiative. It's 505 and welcome in to a Thursday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you.
Well, North Carolina, the tip of the spear last night in the 2026 midterm elections, as President Donald Trump returned to North Carolina, hosting a rally in Gaston County on Wednesday night to campaign for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michael Watley. Using a rally at the Gastonia Municipal Airport to attack former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper on crime, Hurricane Helene, and other issues that have become very hot topics of discussion in these midterm elections. It was just minutes into the president walking out on the stage in Gaston County on Wednesday night that he talked about Governor Roy Cooper's record with crime. But with your vote in this election, we're going to defeat The murderer and criminal protector, he's a murderer protector.
The man who made North Carolina the talk of our country. The whole country was talking about it. For its violent crime, the radical left Democrat Roy Cooper on November 3rd, he's terrible. No, he's a murderer protector and he let out 3,500 murderers and criminals. And we're going to elect one of the greatest men that I've ever worked with in government, Michael Watley, to go and become your United States Senator.
So, nobody used to think of North Carolina as a dangerous state, criminally dangerous. It was like North Carolina, it was beautiful, it was apple pie, right? And now it's one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation. And it all started with Cooper. And you have a lousy governor right now, too, but it started.
It started with Cooper. That was just minutes into the president's opening comments in Gaston County on Wednesday evening, shortly after that, talking about a story that drove North Carolina to an insane amount of national and international attention: the death of 23-year-old Irina Zarutska aboard the Charlotte Light Rail in August of 2025. Last year. A beautiful, beautiful, beautiful 23-year-old woman. A young, beautiful girl.
Named Irina Zaritska was riding home on a train in Charlotte after fleeing war-torn Ukraine. It was She was petrified of Ukraine, but you know what? When she got on that train, I watched that so many times, when she got on that train, she was petrified to be on that train. She didn't want to be. She went there.
She crawled up in the seat. She just wanted to hide. She was more scared being on that train in North Carolina than she was being in Ukraine with all the. missiles and bombs. But she didn't know that sitting behind her on the train was a deranged lunatic, a dangerous monster.
With 14 prior arrests for violent crimes, you Set his bloodthirsty eyes on her right from the beginning. You saw the guy, I mean, the tape is. Honestly, it's terrible. That animal stood up. grabbed her around the neck and slashed a knife right through her neck.
And most people don't see the whole thing. I'd never buy. I did it once and I wish I didn't. But they don't, they turn it off and ran, you know, frankly, the networks they don't even put it on. You can't put it on.
Most violent thing I've ever seen, I think. murdering her on that metro train where she died. Terrified and all alone, and she knew what was happening. It was a slice, and she's looking up and she said, What happened? And she was dead shortly thereafter.
The animal who murdered Irina Zarutska Should never have been on your streets. After 14 arrests, he should have been. locked up for many, many years, but Roy Cooper released him. He said, no, let's release him. Under Cooper and the Democrats, no cash bail policy.
That monster and Countless others were set loose to prey on the people of North Carolina. That's the president and Donald Trump in Gaston County Wednesday night recapping the brutal murder of Arina Zarutska aboard the Charlotte Lynx line light rail system back in August of 2025. The president continued on his trend of hammering former Democrat governor, now turned Senate candidate Roy Cooper on crime. As Governor Roy Cooper also cut a deal, with radical activists to release As I said, 3,500 inmates, some of the worst criminals in the nation. Into North Carolina.
They came out of the prisons, including savage criminals, hundreds of child predators, dozens of killers, murderers, and People serving life sentences, he released them. And You could take a look at some of the mug shots. I don't know if you have a. Video, if you can see a video around here someplace. Yeah.
These are all mostly murderers and people of violent crime. Those inmates who Roy Cooper released have since murdered. 25 people raped 99 and committed more than almost 1,000 felonies. He released these people. And that has been a major topic of the campaign as Michael Watley continues his race for U.S.
Senate here in North Carolina, hammering the former Democrat governor and Roy Cooper over his handling of crime across the Tar Heel State. That will remain likely a major topic as we continue towards November the 3rd. The president then transitioned into the handling of Hurricane Helene and some of the failures of the former governor on that. For the people of North Carolina, this election is about safety and bad management, like what he did, like what Cooper did in the whole term that I was in, four years plus a year and a half, there has never been worse management of a storm or hurricane than Cooper in North Carolina. It's the worst anybody's ever seen.
The president followed up on that by talking about how him and others, referring to Cooper and others, didn't do anything to help during that period of time. But Michael was also an incredible champion for your state when you... We're hit with that terrible storm. The storm, you know, a lot of people call it with Texas and Florida and all, they call it, from the standpoint of water, the worst hurricane they've ever seen. And I've gone over it.
Roy Cooper was the governor and he did absolutely nothing. He fought it. He didn't want to do anything. He didn't do a damn thing. And Mott Watley, and again, you got to remember there's two things, crime and Helene.
Remember Helene, that name, such a nice name, such a vicious, violent storm. But he was the number one advocate and I delivered. And also your congresspeople were fantastic. Republican congresspeople, they came and they worked with Michael as hard. I've never seen anything like it.
The Democrats didn't do a damn thing. The Republican Congress people came and we got to be friends really, fixing this place up. And we spent more than $2 billion, FEMA, for funding, and you know, you're waiting for some additional money to take care of some of the back, and I'm going to get that to you, Michael. That has been a major topic as well, getting additional dollars flowing out of Washington, D.C., into portions of western North Carolina as we are just ready to hit the two-year mark since Hurricane Helene left insane amounts of damage and destruction in western North Carolina, killing more than 100 people across the Tar Hills State as many areas in the western half of our state continue the process of rebuilding and have continued that process now. Over the last two years, the president promised additional FEMA funding and also talked about some of what FEMA has done up to this point.
But it's almost $3 billion for repairing roads and bridges that haven't been fixed yet by the Democrats. And we approve relief applications for almost 20,000 North Carolina small businesses. And I got to be very friendly with a lot of those small business owners, because I came here three times during that period. That was a terrible period of time. One of the worst I've seen.
I've seen tornadoes. I've seen her. I've seen it all. But that was one of the worst I've ever seen where people were stuck on islands. It was.
People that had very little water were stuck on islands and they were stuck there for a long time. We had to have helicopters and things. A lot of people did a great job. That's President Donald Trump in Gaston County on Wednesday evening talking about getting additional funding from the federal government through FEMA and other channels into Western North Carolina to continue the process of hurricane relief and recovery. This has been a major topic now for going on almost two years here across the state of North Carolina.
The event rallying and stumping for Republican Senate candidate Michael Watley. We'll hear from him. He also brought up Lori Buckout, the Republican candidate running in North Carolina's first congressional district, and Jennifer Balcombe, the newly appointed Republican candidate in North Carolina's 11th congressional district, that out in western North Carolina. Balcombe picked just a couple of weeks ago to replace Chuck Edwards after an investigation by the House Ethics Committee showed that Edwards was acting likely inappropriately with young female staffers in his office. Office.
He would later go on to drop out of the race. Jennifer Bulcombe, a Republican in the North Carolina General Assembly, chosen by the executive committee out in the western half of the state to continue with that race. We'll hear from both of them coming up here in just a couple of minutes. Have you ever thought about the difference between paying rent and owning a home? When you rent, your monthly payment helps cover the cost of living there, but it usually doesn't build anything for your future.
Home ownership is different. Each payment you make on a home may help build equity, which is the value you own in the property over time. As that equity grows, it can become a financial asset that may support your long-term goals. Owning a home can also provide stability. You have a place that's yours where you can build memories, establish roots, and truly make the space your own.
And the good news is that many people are surprised to learn there are programs designed to help first-time homebuyers get started, including grants and assistance programs that may help with down payments or closing costs. Learning about your options is the first step toward making an informed decision about your future. Visit ToolsForHomeOwnership.com. This is Troy Millings from Earn Your Leisure. On Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves.
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It's 5:21. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT, a busy Wednesday night for politics across the state of North Carolina as the 47th President of the United States. And Donald Trump was in Gaston County at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, conducting a rally in support of Republican U.S. Senate nominee and candidate Michael Watley. We've already heard from the president hammering former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper on his crime policies and responses to Hurricane Helene.
About halfway through the little more than an hour-long rally in Gaston County on Wednesday evening, the president brought Michael Watley up on the stage. This is what he had to say. And I'm excited about running for Senate. Because I want every North Carolina family to make more money, to keep more money. I want every community to be safe and secure.
I want us to have the strongest Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard in the entire world. Watley continued by saying the reason another reason why he's running is so that Americans across North Carolinians, I should say, can continue to have access and the opportunity for the American dream. And I'm running for Senate because I want every one of your kids and every one of your grandkids to live the American dream, just like I have here in North Carolina. And I am excited. About fighting for North Carolina, for every family, for every community, and fighting alongside.
the greatest president of our lifetime, Donald J. Trump. That is a Republican U.S. Senate candidate to Michael Watley at President Donald Trump's rally for him in Gaston County Wednesday evening. There are two other major races that we are going to continue to keep an eye on here across North Carolina as we approach the November the 3rd midterm election day.
Those are two congressional districts, 1 and 11. We'll start off in northeastern North Carolina. That is Congressional District 1, where Lori Buckout, the Republican nominee there, is looking to unseat her challenger and current Congressman Democrat Don Davis. If those two names sound familiar to you, those two candidates ran against each other in 2024, a very tight race when it was all said and done.
Some changes to that first congressional district by the North Carolina General Assembly through the redistricting process last year. Lori Buckout, once again, looking to become the next American. Member of Congress from North Carolina's first congressional district. She was invited to the stage Wednesday evening as well. This is what she had to say.
Sir, I'm running because I'm sick of career politicians and I'm a warrior. I would like to say that when I was fighting in Iraq, Don Davis was just beginning his 25-year stint as a political professional. That's all he is. He's an empty suit. He's done nothing for this district.
We call him Do Nothing Don. And Mr. President, I'd like to tell you that our district has voted for you overwhelmingly six times. And sir, it's time that you had a loyal, hardworking, conservative Army colonel on your back down there. And that's who I'm going to be.
That's Lori Buckout, the Republican candidate from North Carolina's first congressional district at the rally Wednesday evening. We then turned our attention to the opposite side of the state, the western half of North Carolina. There's a lot of discussion from President Donald Trump about Hurricane Helene and recovery efforts that continue in the western half of the state. The president invited Jennifer Balcom to the stage. Bulcom, a current member of the North Carolina General Assembly, over the last couple of weeks, has gone from a member of the General Assembly to running a full-scale congressional campaign.
16 counties make up North Carolina's 11th congressional district. Balcom being put in that position after a House ethics committee back a little bit more than a month ago determined that current Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who serves NC 11, acted inappropriately with two young female staffers. In his office, that ethics committee called for him to be censured by the entirety of the United States House of Representatives. That did take place just a couple of weeks ago. Before that censure vote, Edwards announced that while he would not be resigning and stepping down from his position, he would not be running for reelection in the 2026 midterm elections.
That caused a very quick timeline and a very quick process to play out, in which the executive committee of the Republican Party in North Carolina's 11th congressional district was tasked with finding a replacement candidate. That candidate is Representative of Jennifer Bulkham. Here are her comments in Gastonia Wednesday evening. Yes, let me just say thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you for closing our borders. Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you most personally for keeping boys and out of women's sports. Yes. Thank you for signing the.
Paul Fentanal, thank you for protecting our kids. From mutilation, thank you. As a mom, I thank you. Thank you as a woman. Thank you as a small business owner for what you've done for small businesses.
And this Western North Carolina farm girl is going to represent us well in Washington. Thank you so much. That's Republican candidate Jennifer Bulcombe. Her and Lori Buchout speaking back-to-back as those are two of the more interesting U.S. House races that are taking place across the entirety of the United States as Republicans look to retain their majority in the United States House of Representatives, Democrats looking to flip that and cause President Donald Trump to be what is commonly described as a lame-duck president for the remaining two years of his presidential term.
We'll be keeping an eye on both of those races as early voting kicks off on October the 15th and we approach Election Day on November the 3rd. And as always, President Donald Trump closing the rallies the way that he always does.
So ladies and gentlemen of North Carolina, a place that I really do love. I love it. The golden age of America is upon us, but You must get out and vote and vote for Michael Watley and those two incredible. Potential Congresspeople, they're going to be great. They're going to be warriors.
I know them from before. They're warriors. And with your help, we will make America powerful again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America healthy again.
We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make Americans safe again. And most importantly, we will make America great again. Thank you all very much.
Thank you, North Carolina. God bless you. God bless you. The president did note that he would be making more visits to North Carolina. We are just 48 days away from election day.
It is not immediately clear how many more trips the president will make to the Tar Heels State, as eyes across the nation are on many of the races. We've talked about the United States Senate race, the two congressional races, NC1 and NC 11. Absentee by mail voting, kicking off about two weeks ago. Early voting starts in less than a month. On October the 15th, Election Day rolling around on November the 3rd.
We are going to be keeping a close eye on all this coming up a little bit later on today. We will be releasing our most recent Carolina Journal poll that is going to take a look at what is currently going on in North Carolina. We'll be joined by David Larson from CarolinaJournal.com. Coming up tomorrow morning, we are going to walk through the entirety of our Carolina Journal poll. Hopefully, you'll join us for that.
If not, don't forget to check out the Carolina Journal News Hour in your favorite podcast app. For many people, renting is a convenient option. It offers flexibility and may require less responsibility for maintenance. But owning a home can offer a different set of long-term benefits. Instead of paying rent to a landlord each month, homeowners are investing in a property that can potentially increase in value over time.
That means your home may become an asset as you continue to live in it. Home ownership can also provide more control over your living space, from decorating to renovations that really fit your lifestyle. And here's something that many people don't realize: there are education programs and financial assistance options available for first-time homebuyers.
Some of these programs even offer grant funding that may help cover part of the upfront cost, and grants typically don't have to be repaid. That's why learning about home ownership options can be an important step toward making the best decision for you and your family. To learn more, visit toolsforhomeownership.com. This is Troy Millings from Earn Your Leisure. On Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves, and here's one most people skip, and it starts with Insurify.
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About two minutes, free, no phone calls, no pressure. And if there's nothing better for you right now, Insurify keeps watching and tells you when that changes, so you're never stuck overpaying. Millions of people have used Insurify to shop for their car insurance.
So insure with Insurify. Go to Insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y dot com. Insurify.com. It's 537.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM. WBT, I'm Nick Craig. A good Thursday morning to you. Over the last year plus, we have been talking about some major changes to the North Carolina State Board of Election. For those that haven't been following, you'll remember in May of 2025, the appointment authority to the North Carolina State Board of Elections was switched from the governor, that is Democrat Josh Stein, to Republican state auditor Dave Bollock.
No surprise there. There's been a legal fight that has been suing ever since. To go through some of those details this morning, Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. No surprise, Mitch, a hyper-partisan times that we're living in. Lawsuits flying all over the place.
We got a major decision from the North Carolina Court of Appeals on Wednesday morning. Will you walk us through the latest? Sure. The short headline is that the State Court of Appeals upheld the law that transfers the election appointment authorities from Governor Stein to Auditor Dave Bollock. Backing up a little bit, these changes were part of Senate Bill 382 in 2024, which was passed after Stein was elected, but before he took office.
Pretty soon after this happened, a lawsuit was filed to block these changes from taking effect. The law called for the changes to take effect in May 2025. And shortly before that happened, a three-judge trial court panel ruled for Stein and said that it was beyond the General Assembly's authority to make these changes and to take the appointments away from the governor and to give them to the auditor. And of course, the practical effect of this, making that change, is that both the state board of elections and all of the county boards of elections go from majority Democrat to majority Republican.
Well, that three-judge panel ruled for Stein, but then the Court of Appeals in April of 2025 issued an order that blocked the lower court ruling and basically allowed the law. To remain in effect, thus shifting the appointments to Dave Bollock. And the state Supreme Court eventually said that the appeals court order was fine and actually had some rulings that said that the trial court got it wrong.
Meanwhile, so Dave Bollock gets to make his appointments, makes the changes. We've seen the impact of that now for well over a year with Republican majority, both state board of elections and county boards of elections. But the case remained at the Court of Appeals to actually go through. All of the written briefs, oral arguments, all of the things that you would normally see with an appeal. And now there's the final resolution from the State Court of Appeals, a 2-1 decision that says that it was fine for the General Assembly to make this change, and that there is nothing within the briefing, nothing within the Constitution, nothing within precedent that suggests that it was unconstitutional for the General Assembly to make the change that it did.
Now, I said it was 2-1. You will probably not be shocked to learn. The two judges who said that this was fine were both Republicans. The one judge who said it was not was a Democrat. The dissenting judge, John Arrowwood, said that basically the executive power is vested in the governor.
He's the only one who is entrusted with taking care that the laws are followed properly. And so he should have the control over these appointments. It's not clear whether this legal fight is over. It's entirely possible that Governor Stein would appeal. And if he does, it'll be interesting to see whether the appeal to the state Supreme Court goes through the normal process, or I think there's at least a possibility that Governor Stein and on the other side, both the auditor and the legislative leaders who were in charge of making this change, might say, hey, Supreme Court, why don't you go ahead and consider this along with these other two cases that you're already considering that are dealing with this same type of thing.
We know that in early November, a week after election day, the state Supreme Court has already set aside two and a half hours for oral arguments on two other cases that pit Governor Stein against Republican legislative leaders over appointments changes. And so it might be a natural fit to try to say, let's go ahead and deal with all of these things at one point, deal with the boards and commissions, filling judicial vacancies, and now that you have the Court of Appeals ruling in this case, also the changes to the Elections Board. Yeah, you joined us a couple of weeks ago to walk us through and preview that case that we'll be seeing shortly after the election. Mitch, some of our audience might find it a little bit odd that the legislative leaders and the state auditor might say, Hey, Supreme Court, even though they've won, obviously, here in the Court of Appeals, maybe this is something that you want to take a look at. Is this a position, in your opinion, where the legislature, most predominantly that is obviously changing these laws, would want a final ruling from the state's high court?
So, in the future, if they decide to do something like this again, they may not have to deal with these very lengthy legal battles. Again, we're talking about legislation that passed in 2024, went into effect in May of 2025. Here we are in September of 2026 when some of these decisions are finally being made.
Well, I would think that the General Assembly would like to see some final resolution if that resolution is in their favor. I mean, if the Supreme Court is going to rule against them, they'd like to see it delayed as long as possible. And when we're talking about the possibility that all of this gets decided along with the other two cases that have already been fully briefed at the state Supreme Court. My guess is if the Republicans go along with that, it would only be after an appeal from Governor Stein. I mean, they've won at this point at the Court of Appeals.
And so the Republican legislators. Would be fine if this appeals court ruling just remains in effect. But if Governor Stein appeals, then I can see that both sides might want to try to lump this in with what's already being done at the state Supreme Court. But maybe not. Maybe they say, you know, let's let it go through its normal process.
We'll see what happens with the other two cases. And then. Try to decide what to do with the Board of Elections. Really, my guess is that on both sides, they are going to be thinking about what's the best way to proceed in a way that we think we're going to win. But if the idea is to try to limit the amount of time that they're going to have to write briefs, file arguments, or present arguments, and then wait for a decision, if there is a possibility to try to get some sort of ruling.
From the state Supreme Court that would deal with all of these issues at one time, that might be the best for what they call judicial economy. But it remains to be seen. Remember that these hearings are coming up in November.
So we're at this point less than two months away. And to be able to then add this case to that mix might be a little difficult and it might be something that they don't want to do. It was just something that came to mind for me that this is the third case really that are all in a group. Of Stein versus Berger and Hall, and it's all about taking authority away from the governor and giving it to other members of the Council of State or other entities that are outside of government. Does the General Assembly have the authority to do that?
All of these, all three of the cases, the two that are already scheduled for oral arguments, and now this elections board case, are basically all of a piece. And so it might be helpful for all people. Governor, Legislative leaders, the courts themselves, to have all of this resolved at once. Yeah, obviously the different commissions and boards and groups that we're talking about are different in all of these cases. But as we walk down the road there, Mitch, all the paths lead to the exact same discussion.
Let's go all the way back to the actual discussion here since we haven't talked about this case in a while. As I understand it and remember our previous conversations, the question has been, is the governor the sole executive in the state of North Carolina? For those that show up during a general elections, you will see a plethora of council of state members on your ballot, the state auditor being one of them. We've got treasurer, secretary of state, other members of the council as well. And as I remember the debate in 2024, lawmakers said, well, hey, we've got a governor and we've also got these other statewide elected officials that do have this same level of authority.
And I guess for the time being, the state's court system agrees with lawmakers that you can, in fact, shift some of those authorities around as long as you keep them in the executive branch. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: That's what the Court of Appeals has said in now basically all three cases, that the General Assembly can make these shifts. And as long as the General Assembly doesn't shift the power to itself, like taking appointments away from the governor and giving appointments to the General Assembly, that it's fine to take appointments from the governor and to give them to other members of the executive branch. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Governor Stein is arguing that he's the only executive official or the only executive official with any power. They're not making that argument.
They're not saying it's a unitary executive, as the legal jargon goes, like we have in the federal government. But I think the argument is a little bit more nuanced in that the governor is saying that he is the only one. Who has the constitutional obligation in what's called the take care clause to take care that the laws are executed faithfully? And basically, the legislative argument and the argument in this case that we're talking about now from the auditor Dave Bollock has also been: well, no, that's not true. Other elected executive branch officials.
also must take charge, must take care that the laws are executed faithfully. And since that power is shared among the 10 executive branch officials, that it is possible for the General Assembly to take some powers unless the Constitution says they definitely are with the governor, then they could take powers that aren't specifically guaranteed to the governor and shift them to other members of the executive branch. We did get a pretty quick reaction from state auditor Dave Bollick releasing a statement shortly after this ruling from the appeals court, saying in part, today's ruling affirms the constitutional independence of the state auditor's office as part of the executive branch of North Carolina. We will continue to uphold the election duties prescribed to our office. Our goal remains to ensure elections in North Carolina are run impartially, efficiently, and securely, and that all eligible voters have access to voting booths.
I have confidence in the state board of elections and our local board of elections. Long story short, wrapping this conversation up, no immediate change for anybody. We talked about how these changes have been in effect since May of last year. We will keep a close eye on this case as it relates to the governor. If he will decide to appeal this to the state's high court, we do have continuing coverage of this over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com.
We appreciate the update this morning. Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina. a journal news hour. For many people, renting is a convenient option. It offers flexibility and may require less responsibility for maintenance.
Only a home can offer a different set of long-term benefits. Instead of paying rent to a landlord each month, homeowners are investing in a property that can potentially increase in value over time. That means your home may become an asset as you continue to live in it. Home ownership can also provide more control over your living space, from decorating to renovations that really fit your lifestyle. And here's something that many people don't realize: there are education programs and financial assistance options available for first-time homebuyers.
Some of these programs even offer grant funding that may help cover part of the upfront cost, and grants typically don't have to be repaid. That's why learning about home ownership options can be an important step toward making the best decision for you and your family. To learn more, visit toolsforhomeownership.com. This is Troy Millings from Earn Your Leisure. On Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves.
And here's one most people skip. And it starts with Insurify. most of us never shop our car insurance. The policy renews every year, the rate creeps up a little at a time, and nobody calls you to tell you. You stay with the same company because it's easy, and that convenience costs you real money.
That's what Insurify fixes. Real quotes from more than 120 top insurance companies side by side. About two minutes free, no phone calls, no pressure. And if there's nothing better for you right now, Insurify keeps watching and tells you when that changes, so you're never stuck overpaying. Millions of people have used Insurify to shop for their car insurance.
So Insure with Insurify. Go to Insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y dot com. Insurify.com. Thank you.
It's 5.55. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT, an interesting story over on our website this morning. CarolinaJournal.com, North Carolina poultry processor Butterball is set to pay $230,000 and change how it handles employee disability accommodations as part of a settlement with the United States Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. The settlement stems from allegations that the company fired a longtime employee at its Mount Olive plant after counting absences for cancer treatment against her attendance record. The federal agency announced this agreement on September the 15th, resolving a lawsuit filed earlier this year against the company over its handling of an employee's request for interim leave while undergoing a chemotherapy.
According to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, The employee informed Butterball that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and needed leave to receive chemotherapy and recover from those treatments. Butterball referred the employee to a third-party benefits administrator responsible for handling the leave request.
However, it was never granted. The agency alleged the employee continued accumulating attendance points for absences related to her treatment and was eventually fired for violating Butterball's attendance policy. The case centered in part on whether an employer can rely on an outside administrator to handle accommodation requests while remaining responsible for compliance with federal disability laws. And according to the settlement and hearing from some of those in the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the answer to that question is no. The case EEOC versus Butterball LLC was filed in the U.S.
District Court for Eastern North Carolina. That has now been settled between the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the Very Large Poultry Processor $230,000 payment there. All right, that's going to do it for a Thursday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour. WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with you tomorrow morning, 5 to 6, right here on Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT.
This is Troy Millings from Earn Your Leisure. On Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves, and here's one most people skip. Car insurance renews on Autopilot, the rates creep up and nobody tells you. That's what Insurafi fixes. In about two minutes, completely free, you can see rates from more than one hundred and twenty top insurance companies.
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So go to insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y dot com. Insurify.com. Yeah.
