H-1B visa facts | JoCo deputies help catch Greensboro cop-killer | Clemency for Wake Co. criminals | Woman set on fire in Harnett Co. - arrest made
No. 104 — Dec. 22-Dec. 28, 2024
ICYMI: Father pleads guilty in "Shaken Baby Syndrome" death
Noah Bliss, the Harnett County man accused of fatally "shaking" his infant son at WakeMed hospital last year has plead his first degree murder charge down to second degree murder and received a sentence of 94-125 months:
Facts about H-1B visas
With the H-1B non-immigrant work visa in the news this week, I was inspired to do a little digging into the local applicants for these visas.
The mainstream narrative around the H-1B visa is aptly represented in an ABC11 article this week, which describes the visa as "issued to highly skilled immigrant workers" and quotes Indian American Morrisville Councilman Steve Rao in support of the "talent" imported by the visa program: "They're more than just workers, they're business people that are entrepreneurs and they're innovators and the question is do we want those innovators going somewhere else?"
However, the "talent" and "highly skilled foreign workers" narrative is cast into doubt by a look at data published by the United States Department of Labor.
In my analysis of the 2023 Labor Condition Application data, which includes disclosure data related to H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa applications, the following facts leaped out at me.
The University of North Carolina system is actually one of the largest employer sponsors, with both NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill individually making the top-20 list of employers by application (Duke University is on the list as well):
Note: While performing further analysis, I realized I had inadvertently excluded Fayetteville State University, which sponsored 4 visa applications during the year
The most common job title for applications sponsored by UNC universities was "Assistant Professor":
Some of the lowest salaried H-1B visa applications were for teachers, particularly in the Granville County Schools, some of which appear to be for less than the state-set teacher salary schedule, which started at $37,000 for the 2022-2023 school year and $39,000 for the 2023-2024 school year:
If you want to dive into the data yourself, you can start with the applications for Morrisville alone on a convenient data browser which shows applications ranging from a HOSPITALITY INTERIOR DESIGNER for JM HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS LLC with a base salary of $36,338 to an ASSISTANT PROFESSOR for DUKE UNIVERSITY with a base salary of $450,000. The browser displays the following summary data for Morrisville:
8335 records was found, Median Salary is $98925. 1 percents of the salary are above $200K, 5 percents of the salary are between $150K and $200K, 43 percents of the salary are between $100K and $150K, 51 percents of the salary are less than $100k
Let me know if y'all are interested in further analysis of local H-1B visa data, including a possible overlap with companies receiving financial grants from state and local entities...
Man accused of shooting Greensboro police officer apprehended after police chase beginning in Johnston County
NC Food Lion shooting: Suspect identified, charged in shooting death of Greensboro police officer - ABC11
Man charged with murder of Greensboro police officer shot inside Food Lion - WRAL
A man charged with fatally shooting a police officer in a Greensboro Food Lion was taken into custody after a police chase beginning with his vehicle being spotted in Johnston County.
Deputies from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office pursued the vehicle into Sampson County, where the chase was joined by the Sampson County Sheriff's Office and the NC State Highway Patrol, who ultimately ended the chase with a PIT maneuver on I-40 near the Sampson-Duplin county line, according to WRAL,
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan was responding to a call about a suspicious armed man at the Food Lion when he encountered Instacart shopper Tarell Isaac McMillian. After what is described as a brief struggle, McMillian drew his firearm and fatally shot Officer Horan.
McMillian, 34, has been charged with first degree murder.
Gov. Cooper's clemency includes three Wake Co. criminals
Governor Cooper Issues Six Commutations and Nine Pardons of Forgiveness - Press Release
Among the six commutations and nine pardons announced by Governor Roy Cooper's office Monday are three individuals who were convicted of crimes committed in Wake County.
For Dwight Jordan, a commutation to make him eligible for parole on his life sentence:
Dwight Jordan, 48, has served 28 years of a life without parole sentence for the murder of Aaron Thomas Poole in Wake County. Mr. Jordan was 18 at the time of the crime. While incarcerated, Mr. Jordan has completed numerous rehabilitation programs and been regularly employed. He has earned a GED and an associate’s degree. Mr. Jordan will now become eligible for parole and whether parole is granted will be decided by the N.C. Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission.
For John White and Thurman Walker, pardons of forgiveness:
John White, 41, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon in Wake County in 2002. He was 18 at the time of the crime. Since that time, he has graduated cum laude from North Carolina Central University, served as a mentor in the community, and had a strong work history.
Thurman Walker, 43, was convicted of two robbery charges in 1998 in Wake County. He was 16 at the time. Since that time, he has earned a college degree and worked with adults with developmental disabilities in the New York area.
Arrest made after woman set on fire in Harnett County
Man arrested, charged with setting 20-year-old NC woman on fire - N&O
'How could they do this to my baby?': Man arrested, charged with setting woman on fire - WRAL
Man arrested in connection with setting woman on fire in Harnett County - ABC11
Jami Raiziah Griffin, 23, has been arrested and charged with dousing 20-year-old Ashanti Downey in gasoline and set her on fire, causing 2nd and 3rd degree burns
.Downey was reportedly walking to the Dollar General in Sanford on December 16th when Griffin, who lives nearby, approached her from behind near the intersection of Highway 27 and Barbecue Church Road.
The sheriff initially put out a media release requesting information from the public regarding three unknown individuals who perpetrated the attack; it is not clear whether Griffin is now believed to have acted alone.
Griffin is charged with attempted first degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and assault on a female. Griffin already had at least two pending court cases in Lee County for illegally carrying a concealed gun and making a threatening phone call from 2020 and 2024 respectively.
Although court records indicate that Griffin had violated bond by failing to appear and been re-arrested three times in the 2020 case and once in the 2024 case, Griffin had been rereleased and was out on a total of $6,000 bond when the attack occurred.
According to a fundraiser set up by Downey's mother which has raised nearly $100k as of the time of this writing, Downey "sustained 3rd degree burns over 70% of her body" but is in stable condition and has been removed from the ventilator as she awaits an upcoming surgery on Monday.