Morning News Briefs: Friday, August 5, 2016

Pence Stumps In Raleigh

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is calling on conservatives to spread the word.

The Indiana governor spoke to about 300 supporters Thursday, vowing to restore law and order, discredit the media, and do what he can to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House. Pence told the crowd the next commander-in-chief will influence the judiciary for decades to come.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine stumped in Greensboro Wednesday. North Carolina is seen as a key battleground state this fall.

Appeals Court Rejects Request To Postpone Voter ID Decision

An appeals court has quickly decided it won't delay enforcement of its ruling striking down North Carolina's photo identification requirement and other election restrictions, including reducing early in-person voting by seven days.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the stay Thursday, one day after state leaders' attorneys requested that last week's ruling be set aside as they prepare to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case.

A 4th Circuit panel had determined a 2013 law Republicans approved amounted to intentional discrimination of black voters.

NC School System Pauses On Transgender Bathroom Rules

The superintendent of a North Carolina school system is delaying new rules that would have let transgender students use school bathrooms and locker rooms based on the gender with which they identify.

The Charlotte Observer reports Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Ann Clark made the announcement Thursday, one day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Virginia school board can block a transgender male from using the boys restroom when school starts this month.

Clark said her decision was based on the court ruling and not because of a letter-writing campaign by the N.C. Values Coalition.

Triad Jobless Rate Ticks Up

The jobless rate in the Triad is growing, according to the latest data.  

The North Carolina Commerce Department report released the numbers this week. The unemployment rate jumped to 5.1% for the region - nearly half a percentage point higher than in May.  Some economists in the state are calling the summer swoon dramatic, particularly given the widespread nature of the declines.

But Winston-Salem State Professor of Economics Craig Richardson notes that the new numbers fall well within the cyclical nature of long term unemployment statistics.

Medical Practice Administrator Accused Of Embezzling $893K

Authorities in Craven County say the former administrator of a women's medical practice has been accused of stealing nearly $900,000.

Sixty-one-year-old Betty Mallard has been indicted on six felony counts of embezzlement. She is out of jail on a $250,000 bond, and it's not known whether she has an attorney. Each count carries a prison sentence of up to eight years upon conviction. As a condition of her bond, Mallard is required to surrender her passport and not leave the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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