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Tanneshia Dukes and Alan Branson vying for seat [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

Tanneshia Dukes and Alan Branson vying for seat [Video]

Democrat Tanneshia Dukes and Republican Alan Branson are competing for the North Carolina House District 59 seat, focusing on economic growth and community issues in Guilford County.”I’m glad to see Eastern party Guilford with Publix distribution center come back. I’ve been very glad to see Toyota make a second reoccurrence,” Branson said.Branson has a history in Guilford County, having served as a county commissioner before succeeding Jon Hardister earlier this year.Top StoriesLive updates: More than 3 million without power as deadly Hurricane Milton pounds FloridaWATCH: Doorbell camera and other videos show storm surge, flooding from Hurricane MiltonWATCH: Milton still lashing Florida, Triad temperatures are falling fastGet the latest news stories of interest by clicking here”Those are things that we’ve got to do to build, to continue to grow and flourish for our younger generations to have good quality jobs when they get out of college and go to work,” Branson said.Economic growth is also a priority for Dukes, who has a background in education and is concerned about affordable housing.”We have to redefine what we mean on the state level when we say affordable housing,” Dukes said.She emphasizes the need for community input on these issues.”I would love to create some sort of consortium where House District 59 has, it’s almost like a planning board, right where, if we talk about housing, there’s a team that talks about that they’re going into the community,” Dukes said. Both candidates align with their party lines on major issues like abortion access and the current 12-week ban.”No one deserves those rights to be taken away as a woman, being in that experience, having that experience,” Dukes said.”I do support the current law. It was 20 prior to that, and I think that’s going to be. See, you know, some folks want to see zero. Some folks still want to see 20,” Branson said.Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsSchool vouchers are another contentious topic.”When we take our dollars out of public schools and put them into private schools, what we’re telling our children is that we don’t care. We’re telling that community we don’t care what happens to that school,” Dukes said.”I am for school choice, whether you want to be a home school, whether you want to be a proud. Private school, or whether you want to be charter, or whether you want to be K 12,” Branson said.”Everybody seems to think that the voucher piece has taken money away from the public schools, and the difference in the funding mechanism is tiered where it doesn’t only go to the more affluent kids,” Branson added.Branson believes his political and business experience will appeal to voters.”I’ve served since April the 15th, filling out the remainder of Hardisters term. I’ve been endorsed by John. I’ve been endorsed by numerous board members that I’ve served with in the past, the sheriff, the police, Benevolent Association. So those are a few of the things where I feel my qualifications are better, more well-rounded,” Branson said.Dukes argues that her impact in the community speaks for itself.”If you’re going to push back, show me the impact of what you’ve really done in our county, in our district, on our boards, where you brought unity and you actually stood for everyone,” Dukes said.”We have been to town council meetings in all of the municipalities. They will tell you, I show up when I can and when we have the time. I show up, I ask questions, and it makes me accessible to the community,” Dukes added.Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.Both candidates are committed to representing everyone in their district, regardless of political differences.”You take an oath to help all people as you enter into this position,” Branson said.”Party politics aside, this is important, because we have to put the people back first,” Dukes said.If this seat flips, it could significantly impact the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |TRENDING STORIES

This is FEMA’s role in preparing for Hurricane Milton [Video]
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This is FEMA’s role in preparing for Hurricane Milton [Video]

Hurricane Milton is set to slam Florida on Wednesday evening the second hurricane to strike in two weeks and the federal agency tasked with responding to disasters is once again positioning supplies and personnel where they’re needed and coordinating with state and local officials.The Federal Emergency Management Agency has faced rampant disinformation about its response to Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida on Sept. 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction across six states.Critics allege the agency isn’t doing enough to help survivors, while false rumors circulating ahead of the presidential election include claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized or that FEMA is halting trucks full of supplies.Meanwhile, there’s also just a lot of confusion about what the agency does and doesn’t do when disaster strikes.Now, with Milton set to bring a life-threatening storm surge to the Tampa Bay region, many people are wondering whether they should see FEMA workers on the ground right away and what impact the agency is having if they don’t.Here’s a closer look at what the agency does during emergencies:What is FEMA’s role in a disaster?State or tribal governments can reach out to ask for federal assistance. But the disaster has to exceed their ability to respond, meaning that not all disasters end up getting federal help. The president approves disaster declarations.Once an emergency is declared like in the case of Milton and Helene that can unleash various types of aid from FEMA. Much of what FEMA does is give out money in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and for years to come.That can include assistance to individuals affected by disasters, such as payments of $750 to pay for their immediate needs like medicine or diapers after a storm or earthquake hits. It can also mean additional money to rent an apartment because their home is destroyed or to pay for a storage unit.In the wake of Hurricane Helene, FEMA so far has given out $344 million. But the agency has faced complaints in the past that the process is too bureaucratic.In hard-hit Asheville, North Carolina, Mayor Esther Manheimer said Wednesday that local officials had heard about people whose claims had been denied by FEMA and were working with the agency to solve the problem.”We will be meeting with our FEMA representatives here in Asheville and Buncombe County later today to discuss the number of denials and to secure a solution and get one in place as fast as possible,” she said.Another big part of FEMA’s disaster aid goes to public assistance. This is money to reimburse local governments for things like overtime for police or firefighters or to remove the mountains of debris left after storms.The agency also gives longer-term money to rebuild public infrastructure like schools, roads or libraries that are damaged by earthquakes or floods.Is FEMA in charge of every disaster?No. Experts and the agency stress that FEMA isn’t assuming control of Milton’s response. A lot of that falls to the state and affected communities.FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who led New York City’s Emergency Management Department before taking the top job at the federal agency, said FEMA’s role is to support the work of local emergency managers.”We do not come in and take over any response. I have been a local emergency manager. I know the steps that they are taking right now to prepare for this storm,” she said at a briefing Wednesday when she was heading from North Carolina to Florida.”Our role is to augment the incredible work that our local emergency managers, our first responders and our state partners are doing each and every day … and make sure that they have the resources that they need,” Criswell said.Craig Fugate, who was FEMA administrator during the Obama administration and before that was Florida’s director of emergency management, said FEMA really plays a supporting role in the initial response.”Disaster response belongs to the states, not the federal government,” Fugate said. In those emergency situations, it’s usually governors who are in charge, he said.Does FEMA send supplies or personnel?The agency sends water, tarps, food and staff. In an event like a hurricane when there’s time to prepare the agency coordinates with state and local officials about where to put those supplies before the storm arrives.For Milton, the agency says it has five staging bases where it stationed food and water ahead of time, including 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water.FEMA also has sent search and rescue teams and helps bring in expertise from across the federal government as needed. For example, two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams are in Florida to help with the Milton response. Other supplies have been brought in, like high-water vehicles from the Department of Defense as well as ambulances and helicopters.Ahead of Milton making landfall, the agency said it has 1,000 responders on the ground already. Many of them were there working on previous disasters and are pivoting to help with Milton.When asked about complaints that FEMA had not gotten to some areas of North Carolina hit by Helene, Criswell said Wednesday that just because residents don’t see someone in a FEMA shirt, that doesn’t mean the agency is not supporting them.For example, she said much of the water and food that is being delivered through the National Guard and other agencies comes from FEMA’s stockpiles.

How to Get Money Advice Without a Side of Shame [Video]
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Home Based Business

How to Get Money Advice Without a Side of Shame [Video]

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.Rahkim Sabree, a financial therapist and accredited financial counselor based in the Hartford, Connecticut area, worked hard in

What Trump and Harris Have in Store for Your Taxes [Video]
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What Trump and Harris Have in Store for Your Taxes [Video]

Youve heard a lot of campaign promises this election cycle, but the ones most directly impact your finances are tax cuts and credits. Vice President Kamala Harris is looking to: Expand the Child Tax Credit.Tax the wealthiest Americans and corporations.Expand the tax deduction for new small businesses.Expand the earned income tax credit.Expand and make permanent

Inside the fateful 12 hours of an apparent assassination attempt outside the Trump International Golf Club [Video]
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Inside the fateful 12 hours of an apparent assassination attempt outside the Trump International Golf Club [Video]

Donald Trump was walking down the fifth hole of the championship course at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, preparing for his birdie putt, when the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire prompted his Secret Service detail to pounce on the former president.This time, however, the only shots fired came from the gun of an agent protecting Trump, and not a gunman who had staked out the former president. Trump was whisked away to safety, unharmed, while the gunman, who officials believe remained near the tree-line perimeter of the golf course for 12 hours, fled the scene by car.Sundays apparent assassination attempt against Trump the second in the past two months has sparked a range of questions, including about the movements and motivations of the suspect now in custody and whether the Secret Service provided adequate protection for a last-minute golf outing.Investigators believe Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt, arrived to the tree-lined fence of the golf courses southern perimeter on Summit Boulevard at 1:59 a.m. Sunday morning, based on the location data from his cell phone. Phone records from T-Mobile that indicated Rouths phone was in the vicinity of the golf course for roughly 12 hours before he was first spotted by U.S. Secret Service, according to charging documents.Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, said at a Monday news conference, said that the cell-phone data indicated he was in very close proximity to where he was spotted by the Secret Service.Authorities found a snipers nest along the fence. Routh allegedly had an SKS-style rifle, with a scope and obliterated serial number. A backpack hung on the fence that contained ceramic tiles like those used in bulletproof vests. A GoPro camera and a black plastic bag with food were also hung on the course fence, according to a photo from the crime scene released Sunday.Its still not clear why Routh went to the golf course that day. There was nothing on Trumps public schedule, and the golf round was a last-minute add to Trumps calendar an off-the-record movement, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe explained Monday. On Sunday, the former president teed off the along with a donor, Steve Witkoff. By the fifth hole, Trump was having a good start to his round Trump told Sean Hannity he was at even par, the Fox News host said after the incident on Sunday, while a source told CNN Trump joked that he was actually at two-under par and in the middle of a wonderful game of golf.Trump had a putt for birdie awaiting him on the fifth green, Hannity said the former president told him.While Trump was walking along the fifth hole, a long par-three over a water hazard, one of the teams of Secret Service agents protecting him was one hole ahead, sweeping the perimeter of the course on the sixth hole before Trump played it.At 1:31 p.m. ET, the agent on the course the perimeter spotted what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. He fired in the direction of the rifle, according to the criminal complaint.As former President Trump was moving through the fifth fairway, across the course and out of sight of the sixth green, the agent, who was visually sweeping the area of the sixth green, saw the subject armed with what he perceived to be a rifle and immediately discharged his firearm, Rowe said Monday.Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said on Sunday that the Routh was roughly 300-to-500 yards from the former president.The would-be gunman never had a line of sight on the former president, Rowe said Monday, adding: He did not fire or get off any shots at our agents.Trump publicly recounted the incident for the first time Monday evening during an X Spaces conversation.All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets. But what do I know about that? But Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me, and I think probably the other one, Steve is one of the people. Steve Witkoff, a great friend of mine, Trump said.So were in the group and everybody just, we got into the carts, and we moved along pretty, pretty good, he continued. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job. There was no question that we were off that course. I would have loved to have sank that last putt, but we decided, lets get out of here.The suspect flees and officers flooded highwayAfter the Secret Service agent fired at his position on the fence, Routh fled into in a black Nissan SUV, driving east toward I-95 and heading north on the freeway, officials said.Crucially, a witness nearby spotted Routh leaving the scene, and took a picture of his car and license plate. That allowed law enforcement officials across multiple jurisdictions to ultimately stop Rouths vehicle about 45 minutes later in Martin County, more than 40 miles to the north of the golf course.The eyewitness provided remarkable assistance leading to the arrest of the suspect, Veltri said Monday.At about 1:55 p.m. ET Sunday, the Martin County Sheriffs Office received a BOLO or be on the lookout alert about a suspect heading north on I-95, with a vehicle description and a tag number.Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said his agency flooded the highway. The area around where Routh was detained Sunday was crawling with law enforcement, he said.Every available unit about 30 in all, he estimated went out to search, Snyder said Monday.One patrol deputy saw the suspect vehicle at about mile marker 110 and alerted others, following it but not trying to immediately stop the vehicle, Snyder said. Instead, the deputy waited for two large F-250 pickup trucks to get in place on the highway and force the vehicle to a stop near State Route 714.Deputies conducted a felony stop at 2:14 p.m. ET, calling Routh out of the vehicle. He came back and was handcuffed, the sheriff said, and taken into custody, Snyder said. Routh was asked if he knew why he was stopped, and he answered in the affirmative, according to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint.His facial affect was so flat. His demeanor was relaxed, Snyder said of Routh. I honestly thought it looked like somebody that had just left the church picnic and was on his way home.Routh was driving his daughters car when he was detained, according to a law enforcement source. The license plate on the Nissan SUV was registered to a 2012 white Ford truck that had been reported stolen, according to the charging documents.The witness who initially spotted Routh fleeing the golf course was flown by the Palm Beach County sheriffs helicopter to the scene to identify Routh once he was in custody, Snyder told CNNs Erin Burnett Monday evening. The Martin County Sheriffs Office turned Routh over to the FBI and Secret Service once they arrived on the scene, Snyder added.Routh was charged Monday morning with two initial counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional charges could be brought, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

After threatening to revoke hundreds of CDLs, RMV draws criticism [Video]
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After threatening to revoke hundreds of CDLs, RMV draws criticism [Video]

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are considering action to stop the Registry of Motor Vehicles from suddenly yanking the licenses of hundreds of bus and truck drivers across the state.The move is largely based on infractions from decades ago, and despite weeks of asking, the Registry still won’t say why this is happening now.Whatever the reason, it is upending the lives of drivers, including one featured in a NewsCenter 5 report who has now lost his job.After NewsCenter 5 started asking questions about hundreds of suspension notices the RMV suddenly mailed out last month, the agency slowed down its process and is giving drivers a chance to appeal.But the Registry doesn’t have to suspend many of these commercial licenses. The agency says its hands are tied by a tough state law, but that law also gives the RMV an offramp, which some lawmakers think they might have to force it to take.Mike McDonald, a truck driver at Ground Effects Landscaping in Carver, first spoke to NewsCenter 5 last month after he suddenly got a letter from the RMV saying he would lose his commercial driver’s license less than a week later based largely on an OUI he had in 1987. Since that initial interview, another RMV letter showed up at McDonald’s home, yanking his passenger license because of an OUI in 1984.The new letter is dated Aug. 28, 2024, but inexplicably says his passenger license would be suspended until March 4, 1985. It is, however, now showing as suspended on the RMV’s website, putting McDonald in the fast lane to losing his job last week.McDonald’s infractions happened decades before he drove a truck. And when he first applied for a commercial driver’s license known as a CDL seven years ago, the RMV made him plead his case to the state Board of Appeal, which ordered the Registry to reinstate his driving rights, despite reviewing his full record. So, it’s not clear why he or nearly 500 other truck or bus drivers across the state are facing sudden suspensions now when they believed the infractions were in their rearview mirror.State Sen. Patrick O’Connor sits on the Transportation Committee and calls what the RMV is doing “wildly unfair.””Their whole life, their whole career, could be taken away from them because of something they did 30, 40 years ago,” O’Connor said. “We didn’t do our homework and our paperwork properly at that point in time, and so now we are going to go back and arbitrarily take that away from you, retroactively take that away from you?”The RMV says Massachusetts state law automatically disqualifies drivers for life from holding a CDL for two or more of a long list of infractions, but that law also allows the Registry to cap any disqualification period at 10 years. Doing that would bring Massachusetts in line with federal rules and many other states.”Clearly, 10 years is a more than reasonable time period,” said state Rep. Brian Murray, vice chair of the Transportation Committee. Rep. Murray says he is open to legislation forcing the Registry to shorten the disqualification period.”When you’re looking at offenses that are 30, 40 years ago, the relevancy in terms of determining whether that operator is safe today really is not there,” he said. “Perhaps it’s time for the legislators to set down those guardrails.”O’Connor thinks there needs to be more nuance in the state’s enforcement.”I think that we need to be smarter and more pragmatic in our approach to how we do this,” he said. “All of these things that are happening now, all of these look-backs, are based on administrative failures and technical failures on behalf of the RMV.”Despite multiple requests for comment, the RMV did not respond in time for this story’s deadline.