Good News Friday is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly roundup of positive news stories from around NC. For past editions of Good News Friday, tap here.
- The vote counting goes smoothly in North Carolina
- A local Meals on Wheels program celebrates 8 million meals delivered
- Wake County runner sets out on intercontinental race journey for charity
A coalition of community organizations gathered at Pearl Street Park in Charlotte on Tuesday evening, just across the street from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections offices, to celebrate historic voter turnout in this year’s midterm elections and thank the officials working across the street as the county election certification process kicked off.
Organizers with Indivisible Charlotte and a slate of other groups went to the offices to personally thank election officials “who devote so much of their lives to making sure our Democracy runs the way it is supposed to,” read a release from Indivisible Charlotte in the lead-up to Tuesday’s rally. “It is the epitome of making sure that every vote counts.”
It’s great to see the unsung heroes of democracy get their due praise on the first week of election certifications. Now on this Good News Friday, let’s take a look at what these folks and others like them across the state found in their final provisional ballot counts.
The vote counting in North Carolina is going smoothly
County election officials carried out final vote tabulations in their respective locations this week, giving closure to a number of races that still hung in the balance leading into Tuesday’s deadline for counting provisional ballots.
On Friday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m., every county will conduct a canvass, during which the official results will be tallied and made official, as reported by Carolina Public Press, though the results are not likely to differ greatly from the tabulations made this week after provisional ballots were accounted for.
In a dramatic turn on Wednesday, provisional and absentee ballots led to a flip in NC’s congressional District 3 as Democratic challenger Raymond Smith overtook Republican US Rep. Greg Murphy. Smith came into the week down by just under 300 votes and ended Wednesday ahead by about the same margin.
Meanwhile in western North Carolina’s District 5, Chuck Hubbard, who came into the week up by 99 votes, only grew his lead with provisional ballots, ending Wednesday up by 335. While the tallies won’t be made official until Friday’s canvass, Hubbard is already in Washington DC getting acquainted with his surroundings and his new colleagues—many of whom are newcomers like himself.
Murphy conceded in a social media post on Wednesday. At the time of this writing, Foxx has yet to make a statement on the final count. A spokesperson with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called on Foxx to concede.
Meal on Wheels Forsyth County marks 8 million meals delivered
Gov. Josh Stein was on hand in Winston-Salem on Monday to help Meals on Wheels and Senior Services Inc. deliver their eight-millionth meal in Forsyth County. The meal went to Ben Briggs, a 105-year-old retired science educator and Meals on Wheels recipient.
The milestone came at a time when critical food programs for seniors have faced federal funding freezes and other shortfalls, as reported by Forbes in March.
Stein used the opportunity on Monday to call on Congressional leaders, namely the NC congressional delegation, to repeal the newly implemented Medicaid work requirements that will put as many as 90,000 North Carolinians covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at risk of losing their access to food services.
The changes are set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
“As grocery prices continue to rise, too many North Carolinians worry every day about where their next meal is coming from,” Stein said on Monday. “Delivering 8 million meals is an incredible milestone, and I am grateful to the Meals on Wheels and Senior Services team and every volunteer who connects people to the food they need. North Carolina will continue working to lower costs for families and expand access to nutritious meals to fight hunger.”
Wake County runner sets out on intercontinental race journey for charity
Jill Homan, a mother and avid runner from Clayton, departed this week for a marathon that will see her running races on all seven continents in as many days.
Her extraordinary efforts will raise funds for Isaiah 117 House, a nonprofit based in Tennessee that provides a safe, nurturing environment for children in foster care. The organization has locations in Johnston and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina.
Homan has raised more than $15,000 for the nonprofit so far, according to her GoFundMe page.
As a participant in the Great World Race, Homan’s journey will begin in Antarctica before moving on to Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Singapore; Algarve, Portugal; Cartagena, Columbia; and finish in Miami, Florida.
“The whole point of doing something this audacious is to capture people’s attention and then turn that attention toward Isaiah 117 House,” Homan told WNCN. “If seven marathons in seven days on seven continents makes someone stop, look, and ask why, then I have an opportunity to introduce them to an organization doing extraordinary work for children.”
Homan arrived in Cape Town on Thursday for orientation and will head to Wolf’s Fang, Antarctica, for her first race on Sunday.
