The Trump administration argues that doesn’t matter. Welcome to the new front of the asylum war.
Erica Hellerstein
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Swedish Sadness: Ikea Pulls Out of Cary
In a huge blow to Triangle furniture enthusiasts and meatball lovers alike, Swedish powerhouse Ikea will not be setting up shop in Cary as expected, the N&O reported today. The store was expected to open in the Cary Towne Center in 2020 but decided not to pursue the location as part of a broader company […]
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Judge Britt Reduces Murphy-Brown’s Punitive Damages to $3.25 Million
The punitive damages for the ten plaintiffs who recently won their case against pork giant Murphy-Brown have been reduced from $50 million to $3.25 million, according to a decision filed today by U.S. District Court Judge Earl Britt. The decision means that each plaintiff involved in the litigation will now receive $325,0000, a small fraction […]
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Attorneys Suing Murphy-Brown Say the Punitive Damages Cap is Unconstitutional
Attorneys suing the pork giant Murphy-Brown LLC say a punitive damages cap that would significantly reduce the amount the company has to pay plaintiffs is unconstitutional, according to court documents filed yesterday. The argument to impose the punitive damages cap came last week after a jury handed down a landmark verdict of more than $50 […]
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Will a Raleigh Jury’s $50 Million Verdict Against Murphy-Brown LLC Force Big Pork to Clean Up Its Act?
Last Tuesday, as the first of twenty-six scheduled nuisance trials against pork giant Murphy-Brown LLC came to a close, U.S. District Court Judge Earl Britt slowly turned his chair and gazed at the ten-person jury. Britt, an octogenarian Jimmy Carter appointee with a soft drawl, had just finished reading jurors their instructions, a task that […]
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BREAKING: Plaintiffs Awarded $50 Million in Landmark Smithfield Hog Nuisance Case
In a landmark decision, the jury ruling on the first of twenty-six nuisance cases against pork-producer Murphy-Brown LLC awarded the plaintiffs damages of more than $50 million. The case, which went to the jury yesterday afternoon, was the first in a series of federal lawsuits filed by neighbors of hog farms against Murphy-Brown LLC, a […]
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The First Murphy-Brown Trial Wrapped Yesterday. Here’s What We Learned.
After lawyers gave their closing remarks in a groundbreaking trial over the stench of hog farms in Eastern North Carolina, U.S. District Court Judge Earl Britt left the courtroom with a parting thought: “My only comment is that I am tired of looking at that dirty hog,” he said, referring to a waste-coated, life-size hog […]
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An Exit Interview with Shana Overdorf, a Champion for Raleigh’s Disadvantaged
In October 2013, Shana Overdorf stepped into her role as the executive director of the Raleigh-Wake Partnership to End Homelessness in the middle of a crisis. The Raleigh Police Department was in a standoff with volunteers who tried to feed homeless people in Moore Square Park on weekends, claiming they violated a years-old ordinance prohibiting […]
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Durham Feels the Bern: The Vermont Senator Stopped By Duke to Chat With Reverend Barber About a “Moral Economy”
Back in October 2015, when Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were still battling it out for the Democratic primary, Saturday Night Live took a jab at the Vermont senator during a mock presidential debate. “How are you?” a faux Anderson Cooper asked comedian Larry David, playing Sanders. “I’m good,” David replied, nonplussed. “I’m hungry, but […]
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Downtown Raleigh Still Booming, According to Downtown Raleigh Alliance
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s annual State of Downtown Raleigh report is hot off the presses and continues to highlight historic growth for the center of the City of Oaks. Since 2005, per the report, more than $3 billion in development has been constructed or completed in downtown Raleigh, providing residents with new places to eat, […]