A Fatal Stabbing and Its Aftermath

☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. Crime Bill Coming This Week
2. Books, Beer, and Banter
3. What We’re Reading
4. Around the State

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Six days after Charlotte authorities released gruesome video of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska’s killing on the city’s light rail, Republican legislative leaders called a press conference to announce a crackdown that House Speaker Destin Hall said would “prevent those things in the future.” 

This week, the General Assembly plans to introduce that legislation. The Assembly obtained a draft of the bill, which we published Sunday. Among other things, the draft bill restricts cashless bail and attempts to speed up executions. It also allows judges and magistrates to hold any defendant in jail without a hearing for up to three days for a mental health evaluation.

But as Jeffrey Billman and Michael Hewlett report, critics say most of the proposals would do little to prevent future tragedies like Zarutska’s killing. Tackling reforms that might—in particular, ensuring that the mentally ill get treatment—will be expensive and complicated. 

A Fatal Stabbing and Its Aftermath

Republicans have used Iryna Zarutska’s killing as a political cudgel. The Assembly obtained a draft bill that sends a tough-on-crime message. But critics say it reflects political posturing more than real solutions.

“This is a moment where the emotions of the case are heightened, and it’s just critical that we assess what happened and make level-headed policy recommendations to prevent this in the future,” said Tarrah Callahan, of the Raleigh-based group Conservatives for Criminal Justice Reform.

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

Books, Beer, and Banter

Join us on Wednesday, October 8 for beer, books, and political banter with three of the top national journalists who live right here in N.C.

New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, Pulitzer-Prize-winning PolitiFact cofounder Bill Adair, and The Atlantic staff writer David A. Graham will talk about North Carolina and the national political landscape, followed by a Q&A. We’ll have their books on sale from Flyleaf and craft beers from Motorco. 

–   When: Wednesday, October 8
–   Where: Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham, NC 27701
–   Tickets: Available here
– Books: Available from Flyleaf Books and on sale at the event

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What We’re Reading

Off to Washington: Jarrod Lowery, a Republican who has represented Robeson County in the state House since 2022, is departing for a job with the Trump administration, per Border Belt Independent. 

Well That’s Nuts: Ten times a year, a 25-person crew of congregants from the First United Methodist Church in Mount Olive gather to producing over a ton of beloved, blister-fried peanuts. If you don’t know why they’re so appealing, Taste has you covered.

She’s So Fly: Garden & Gun takes us to Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina to meet Julie Moore, “the flytrap queen.”

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