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McCrory Won't Run For NC Governor; Will Consider Senate Bid
Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory says he won't run for his old job next year. But he will consider a U.S. Senate bid for 2022.
McCrory, a Republican, revealed his decision on his morning radio program in Charlotte, where he used to be mayor.
Republicans Dan Forest and Holly Grange are already seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination to try to unseat Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The Senate seat will be open in 2022 because Republican Sen. Richard Burr is retiring.
Forsyth County Approves Voting Machine Purchase
Forsyth County commissioners have approved the purchase of new voting machines capable of producing paper ballots.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the machines will be ready for the 2020 election cycle.
All 101 precincts will get the voting equipment, which will also include special machines that can be used by people who are disabled.
High-speed counting machines will handle absentee ballots and recounts, while equipment for early voting will be able to custom-print ballots.
New state regulations require voting equipment capable of producing paper ballots, which help to ensure accuracy.
The county will spend about $1.5 million on the new machines. That includes credit for the trade-in of the old equipment.
Guilford County Makes Plans For Funding School Building Needs
Guilford County officials are discussing building improvements that will have a major impact on the school district for years to come. A joint committee made up of school and county officials met Thursday to consider the proposed $2 billion facilities master plan.
More than 40 schools would be either rebuilt or fully renovated. The major overhaul would come in phases and take at least a decade to complete. The district says this allows time to move students as needed during the construction process and work on other projects.
Man Gets Prison For Conning Kids Into Sending Nude Videos
A former biology professor at a North Carolina college has been sentenced to prison for tricking children into thinking he was a teenager so he could get them to undress on camera.
56-year-old Michael Edwin Dorcas was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for enticing a minor.
A U.S. attorney's statement says the former Davidson College professor pretended to be a 15-year-old boy online and befriended a 12-year-old girl in January 2016.
It says he suggested the two video chat and pretended his camera didn't work while proceeding to convince her to sexually expose herself. A warrant says he did this to at least 17 girls.
North Carolina County Reaches $2M Settlement In Jail Death
A county in North Carolina has agreed to pay $2 million to settle the case of an inmate who died in custody.
Buncombe County agreed Wednesday to pay the family of Michele Smiley. An autopsy found she died of a methamphetamine overdose in October 2017.
Smiley had been booked in the county jail on a probation violation. She told staff that she had ingested a lot of meth to avoid being caught with the drug. Smiley later died at a hospital. Video evidence from the jail showed she was left alone in a cell for nearly an hour before dying.
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