CMS board chair won’t seek reelection + The problems with maternal health in NC

Andrew Nantais
·2 min read

Hey, everyone! Drew here. Happy Hump Day!

“Sports Legends of the Carolinas” is back with a brand new episode today.

Scott Fowler sat down with Wake Forest legend and the newest member of the Golden State Warriors, Chris Paul.

Check out their full conversation here.

On to your news.

1. Exclusive: CMS board chair Elyse Dashew says she won’t seek reelection in 2023

Elyse Dashew told The votes for herself as CMS school board chair at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.
Elyse Dashew told The votes for herself as CMS school board chair at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board chair Elyse Dashew will not seek a third consecutive term, she told The Charlotte Observer today.

Dashew was elected in 2015 and reelected in 2019. Her tenure includes serving three years as vice chair and chair for four years.

Anna Maria Della Costa reports on Dashew’s decision.

2. Pregnancy can be risky in the U.S. In North Carolina, the threat of death is even higher.

A framed photograph of Atari Thomas, his daughter, Hannah Esquilin, and son, Braylon sits atop a blanket featuring a photograph of his wife, Tiffany. Thomas had the blanket made for Tiffany to mark their seven-year anniversary in 2020. Tiffany was eight months pregnant when she died in 2021.
A framed photograph of Atari Thomas, his daughter, Hannah Esquilin, and son, Braylon sits atop a blanket featuring a photograph of his wife, Tiffany. Thomas had the blanket made for Tiffany to mark their seven-year anniversary in 2020. Tiffany was eight months pregnant when she died in 2021.

The numbers are striking.

About 80 North Carolina women died from pregnancy-related complications in 2021. That was nearly double the number from 2019, and the rate was higher than the United States overall.

Understandably, health experts are very concerned about both the causes and the solutions.

A special four-part investigation from Teddy Rosenbluth and Tyler Dukes of The News & Observer and Lisa Vernon Sparks of The Charlotte Observer look at how North Carolinians and their loved ones are affected.

3. How House Speaker Tim Moore’s former employee benefited from last year’s NC budget

Cleveland County Trial Court Administrator Kinsley Craig, House Speaker Tim Moore and Forsyth County Trial Court Administrator Amanda Leazer pose together in Cleveland County in a screenshot taken from Craig’s Facebook page.
Cleveland County Trial Court Administrator Kinsley Craig, House Speaker Tim Moore and Forsyth County Trial Court Administrator Amanda Leazer pose together in Cleveland County in a screenshot taken from Craig’s Facebook page.

Last year, House Speaker Tim Moore and Rep. Jason Saine budgeted a new position for the courthouses in their home counties.

However, the Administrative Office of the Courts did not ask for it. The result was a new job and a $13,000 raise for one of Moore’s former law firm employees.

Danielle Battaglia has more.

4. Mecklenburg County employee suspended after arrest in sexual assault investigation

The Mecklenburg County Public Health building
The Mecklenburg County Public Health building

An employee for Mecklenburg County Public Health has been suspended amid a sexual assault investigation.

41-year-old Daniel Pitti-Casazola was arrested and is “facing chargers to be determined” in the case of a woman reporting she “received an illegitimate medical exam” at her home July 11.

Mary Ramsey continues to update this story.

5. Some more stories to read

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Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.