Morning Headlines: Friday, November 6, 2015

Carson, Clinton, Cooper Lead In Elon Poll

Presidential contender Ben Carson now has a double-digit lead over his nearest competitor among North Carolina Republicans, according to a new Elon University poll released Thursday.

Nearly a third of North Carolina Republicans say they would vote for Carson in the state's primary. Donald Trump comes in second at 19 percent, with Marco Rubio in third with ten percent.

Among state Democrats, Hillary Clinton has expanded her lead over Bernie Sanders, taking 57 percent of the vote compared to Sanders' 24 percent.

In a hypothetical match-up between likely Democratic nominee Roy Cooper and Gov. Pat McCrory, Cooper leads by five percentage points.

Jeb Bush Fundraiser Slated Friday For Raleigh

North Carolina supporters of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush are aiming to give him a financial push during his visit to Raleigh.

Backers of the former Florida governor planned a private luncheon reception for Bush's campaign Friday at the home of Jim Cain — an attorney, longtime GOP fundraiser and former ambassador to Denmark.

Bush has been struggling to gain traction in the race for the GOP nomination behind current national poll leaders Ben Carson and Donald Trump. Bush's campaign has been retooling through staff cuts, spending reductions and a "Jeb Can Fix It" tour in New Hampshire this week.

Primary voting begins in about three months. The North Carolina primary is March 15.

Alcoa Electricity Sales From Yadkin Dams Nearing $200M

Alcoa Inc. is nearing $200 million in electricity sales from dams on a North Carolina river that once powered a factory that employed hundreds.

Alcoa reported to federal regulators this week that the Yadkin River dams generated 517,919 megawatt hours of electricity in the year ending in September, down about 40 percent from the previous year due to very dry conditions.

That would have generated revenues of about $15.3 million over the 12-month period, based on wholesale price data provided by energy information company Platts.

Those electricity sales might be more valuable depending on how much was sold during peak Monday-through-Friday hours.

The dams powered an aluminum smelter for generations before Alcoa closed it in 2007. The company has sold more than $190 million in electricity to commercial customers instead.

Guilford Sheriffs To Get Body Cams

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will fund body cameras for the Guilford Sheriff's office.

The Board unanimously approved the purchase of 213 body-worn cameras, which would outfit every patrol officer, including sergeants.

The News and Record of Greensboro reports the board also authorized the purchase of 88 in-car systems.

The cameras are expected to cost $646,000. They'll be paid for through the county's inmate welfare fund, which includes money collected from prisoners through charges for telephone calls, among other expenses.

The department expects to begin using the cameras in January.

Historic Downtown Winston-Salem Building Getting New Name

A historic building in downtown Winston-Salem is getting a new name.

Kimpton Hotel & Restaurants confirmed Thursday that it will operate a 174-room boutique hotel on the bottom six floors of the former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. headquarters.

The 22-story building, referred to as "the Grand Old Lady" by Mayor Allen Joines, will be known as Kimpton Cardinal Hotel and has a debut date of February. The hotel has been named after the state bird.

The building has served as downtown Winston-Salem's architectural signature for 85 years. In 2014, PMC Property Group of Philadelphia purchased it for $7.8 million. The real estate development company has pledged to spend an estimated $60 million overall to convert it into a mixed-used building, that includes luxury rental residential units.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.