NC Supreme Court had constitutional duty to strike down GOP maps, Democratic majority says in full opinion

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Monday issued a full opinion on a contentious redistricting case, with the four liberal justices on the high court providing their full reasoning for striking down congressional and legislative maps the state’s Republican-controlled legislature passed in November.

Robin Hudson, a justice on the high court who will not seek reelection this year, wrote on behalf of her Democratic colleagues that it was their duty to step in to prevent the implementation of maps they viewed as a clear violation of the state constitution’s free elections, equal protection, free speech clause and freedom of assembly clauses.

Hudson rejected the views of Republican attorneys and three conservative state Supreme Court justices who argued the high court was overstepping its authority.

“It is no answer to say that responsibility for addressing partisan gerrymandering is in the hands of the people, when they are represented by legislators who are able to entrench themselves by manipulating the very democratic process from which they derive their constitutional authority,” Hudson wrote. “Accordingly, the only way that partisan gerrymandering can be addressed is through the courts, the branch which has been tasked with authoritatively interpreting and enforcing the North Carolina Constitution.”

The 217-page full opinion behind the 4-3 decision the court released on Feb. 4 gives state lawmakers and voting rights groups extra insight as they work to offer a lower court their proposals for revised voting maps. But it falls short of outlining specific ways future litigation could be avoided. (Read more)

City launches website about Unity Cemetery project

The DCN News Blog Online TV response: West the reporterr never seems to amaze me that when he write certain articles and about certain folk he pick and choose how far he wants to go back and how he want to paint a negative picture of certain folk. The article is about half-trues and does not mention when the Rocky Mount City Council Andre Knight and others tried to put monies in the budget for Unity Cemetery years ago and the late Mark Bowling, Jerry Fisher hosts on WHIG-TV and some others didn’t want that and said they wanted to clean it up. Tell the whole story. It tickles me how these White are always promoting known criminals with actual records.

People wanting to know more about Unity Cemetery and the efforts to restore and preserve the historically Black burial ground off East Grand Avenue in the eastern part of the city now have a go-to online link.

That link, www.unitycemeterync.com, provides the story of Unity Cemetery, with a timeline and with a collection of present-day snapshots of the location. That link also provides contact information for what is being called the Unity Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Project.

Unity Cemetery was incorporated in 1901 and is 18 acres in size.

As family members either died or moved away from the Rocky Mount area, the location began looking more like a forest than a burial ground, although there have been cleanup efforts in the more recent past.

The condition of Unity Cemetery increasingly became an issue in 2020 when resident Samuel Battle kept bringing up the subject during the public input phase of City Council regular meetings.

Resident Tarrick Pittman began organizing a group that made a community cleanup effort of Unity Cemetery a reality on Feb. 6, 2021.

Battle and residents Steve Cederberg, Steve Pridgen and Pridgen’s wife, Tracy, also had key roles in the cleanup effort. Other cleanup days followed.

On March 8, 2021, the City Council spent about an hour of a work session discussing Unity Cemetery and went on to approve the adoption of recommendations by then-City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney and her team. (Read more)

Downtown Visitor’s Guide Released

Rocky Mount, N.C. – A new downtown Rocky Mount visitor’s guide has been released. The guide contains details about the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences and 13 downtown dining establishments.

One goal in creating the guide was to provide information to guests who visit the Rocky Mount Event Center. The guide was initially distributed last weekend during the CHEERSPORT Sweetheart Rocky Mount Classic. The competition, which included 80 cheerleading teams, marked the sixth major tournament that has been held this year at the Rocky Mount Event Center.

“The Rocky Mount Event Center is bringing thousands of guests to our community, and we want to make sure these visitors are informed about the city’s vibrant downtown,” Interim City Manager Peter Varney said. “This guide is a first step in that effort.”

As part of an increased marketing campaign, the city of Rocky Mount also is creating a downtown Facebook page and Instagram page. These pages will include the visitor’s guide and frequent posts about downtown businesses and happenings.

The visitor’s guide also can be found on the city’s downtown website at https://downtownrockymount.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DowntownVisitorsGuide.pdf.

About Rocky Mount

The city of Rocky Mount, located in the Coastal Plains of North Carolina, was incorporated in 1867 and lies in Edgecombe and Nash Counties. Rocky Mount is a two-time All-America City on the Tar River. Serving as the Gateway to Eastern North Carolina, the city’s 875 employees serve approximately 58,000 residents daily.

The city’s mission is to advance community well-being, safety and quality of life by delivering excellent public services and actively collaborating with the community toward a fulfilling and inspired future for its citizens. As a publicly owned utility, the city of Rocky Mount is committed to safe, reliable service for its customers and operates in Nash and Edgecombe counties, providing customers with electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater (sewer), refuse, recycling and/or stormwater services. To learn more, visit www.rockymountnc.gov for news and updates.