Morning Headlines: Thursday, April 21, 2016

Berger Says HB2 Will Stay In Place

A North Carolina legislative leader said Wednesday he doesn't see the need to repeal or revise House Bill 2.

At a news conference on the upcoming legislative session, state Senate leader Phil Berger referred to the law as “our commonsense bathroom safety bill” for its measures governing transgender bathroom access in many public buildings.

Gender identity and sexual orientation are also excluded from statewide workplace and public accommodation protections in the law, which triggered widespread criticism from equality advocates and business leaders nationwide.

But Berger, a Republican, said he doesn't think the law enacted in March needs to be altered when lawmakers return next week.

Elon Poll Reveals Views On HB2, Governor's Race

A new poll from Elon University is giving people their first scientific look at what the public thinks about the controversial House Bill 2.

Nearly half of North Carolinians surveyed say the state should prohibit ordinances like the one in Charlotte that would have allowed transgender people to choose a bathroom.

49 percent of residents believe the state acted accordingly on the bathroom issue, while 39 percent think cities should have the freedom to pass such policies.

But attitudes shifted when researchers asked about other provisions in HB2, namely, the state's ban on allowing cities to raise a local minimum wage. Half of North Carolinians say cities should be allowed to make such a change.

The poll also shows growing support for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper. He leads incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory 48 to 42 percent among registered voters.

UK Alerts LGBT Travelers To North Carolina, Mississippi Laws

The British government is advising LGBT citizens to pay special attention when traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi.

The travel advice update was posted on the British government's website Tuesday.

The British advisory says new laws in North Carolina and Mississippi may affect LGBT travelers and directs those seeking more detail to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization.

Richmond County Schools Still Seeking Repayment Of $272,000

The Richmond County Board of Education is still waiting for more than $272,000 that a court awarded last year, and now more than 80 other school boards want their share of revenue generated from a  $50 traffic fine.

The money comes from a fine for an improper equipment offense such as dangerous tires. A 2011 law said the proceeds from the fine, now totaling more than $49 million, go to a state fund for inmate costs.

An Appeals Court decision last year says the proceeds have to go to public schools because that's what the state Constitution requires.

Wildfires Burning Thousands Of Acres In North Carolina

Wildfires continue to burn at each end of North Carolina.

Officials say a fire in Brunswick County has burned about 1,600 acres. Firefighters said Wednesday afternoon the blaze was about 70 percent controlled.

The North Carolina Forest Service is deploying plows at the uncontained parts of the fire Thursday. The agency hopes to have a cleared area completely around the fire to help contain it.

No injuries have been reported and no buildings have been damaged.

Air quality advisories are in effect for the area.

A huge fire in Hyde County has burned about 14,000 acres. A 30-mile stretch of US 264 is closed because of the fire in Hyde and Dare counties.

A fire near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line has burned about 800 acres.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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