Effects Of Changes On Minorities At Crux Of NC Voting Trial
Changes to North Carolina's voting access rules finally go to federal trial Monday, nearly two years after lawsuits were filed accusing lawmakers of approving restrictions that would discourage minority residents from voting.
The U.S. Justice Department, advocacy groups and individuals sued soon after the General Assembly approved the 2013 elections overhaul law. The Winston-Salem trial will focus on provisions that reduced the number of days of early voting, eliminated same-day registration during the early-vote period and prohibited the counting of Election Day ballots cast in wrong precincts.
South Getting Its First Big Wind Farm Soon
A new development being built on a vast tract of old North Carolina farmland is giving the South something it's never seen: a commercial-scale wind farm.
Spanish firm Iberdrola Renewables LLC says it has found a utility company to buy the power generated by the 22,000-acre project it's putting up near the coastal community of Elizabeth City.
Winston-Salem To Open 'Speedy' Lab For Drug Testing
Winston-Salem police say the city is working with National Medical Services-Integrated Forensic Laboratories to create a lab that will process tests for drug and alcohol cases in days instead of months and years.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Police Chief Barry Rountree says the lab is scheduled to open next month. Rountree says the lab will allow tests to be processed faster, which will be better for investigators and the accused by allowing citizens to have a speedy trial.
Urban And Rural NC Officials Fight Over Tax Distribution
Representatives from North Carolina's rural and urban areas are divided in a debate that's extended past party lines over a proposal to give poor rural counties a larger share of sales tax revenue.
A piece of the Senate budget released last month would send less tax revenue to counties from where the sales occurred, and distribute it to counties more on a per-capita basis. The shift would occur over five years.
Rural residents like those in Caswell County near the Virginia border argue they're now at a disadvantage when their residents leave to shop in other counties. Urban leaders say sales taxes they collect maintains the infrastructure around their business communities.
Shark Attacks Prompt 2nd NC Beach Town Toward Restrictions
A second North Carolina beach town is making moves to try keeping swimmers and anglers separated after a record-breaking year of eight shark attacks.
Multiple local media reports say the ordinance at Pine Knoll Shores would establish 10 beach accesses where fishing will be prohibited and marked for swimmers only. Town Manager Brian Kramer says the town plans to designate swimming-only locations during a meeting Monday.
The nearby town of Emerald Isle moved Tuesday to ban shark fishing until mid-September.
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