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FBI: Man Threatened Muslim Candidate, Synagogue In Posts
A North Carolina man charged with anonymously threatening to lynch a Muslim-American political candidate in Virginia also is accused of posting an anti-Semitic threat on a Florida synagogue's Facebook page.
An FBI agent outlined those allegations against 52-year-old Joseph Vandevere in an affidavit unsealed before his initial court appearance Wednesday in North Carolina.
The affidavit says investigators linked Vandevere to a threatening comment posted in February 2018 on the website of a synagogue in Plantation, Florida.
Vandevere is charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure a person for a tweet directed at Virginia state Senate candidate Qasim Rashid.
North Carolina Proposes Smokable Hemp Ban As Demand Grows
North Carolina is the latest state looking to ban smokable hemp. A bill containing the proposed ban passed the Senate in June and is now being considered in the House.
If passed, the state will join Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas and Tennessee in either banning or limiting smokable hemp products.
Many people smoke hemp for its CBD, a compound that some believe helps with issues like pain or anxiety.
North Carolina farmers say a ban will hurt their profits. But, law enforcement says there is no way to discern smokable hemp, which doesn't produce a high, from marijuana.
Settlement Reached In Fatal Winston-Salem Police Shooting
A settlement has been reached with the family of a Winston-Salem man who was shot and killed by a police officer last year.
Edward Van McCrae was shot to death last March by Winston-Salem Police Officer Dalton McGuire. McGuire was eventually cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting, and police body-cam footage was released.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the McCrae family has been awarded $20,000 in the settlement. The family initially said they'd file a wrongful death lawsuit, but they didn't file one with Forsyth Superior Court.
In the agreement, city officials admit no liability in the incident.
2 Years After Storm, Study Planned To Help Princeville Homes
More than $1 million will be spent to determine if 75 North Carolina homes in the oldest town founded by slaves should be elevated to protect them from chronic flooding.
The state Department of Public Safety says in a news release that Edgecombe County will receive the money to study the feasibility of elevating the Princeville homes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide almost $844,000 for the study. The state will provide the rest.
After the study, FEMA will make money available to construct and elevate homes that meet several criteria, including cost effectiveness.
Transgender Woman Arrested After Bathroom Dispute Escalates
The Denny's restaurant chain wants its customers to know that they can use the bathroom of their gender identity, nationwide, after a transgender woman was arrested this weekend in North Carolina.
A man called police when the transgender woman used the same bathroom as his wife at a Denny's in Shelby.
Responding officers informed the man that the 22-year-old transgender woman broke no law. But their dispute escalated, and the transgender woman was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly spitting toward the man and his family.
A Denny's statement says the company "does not tolerate discrimination of any kind" and expects customers to treat people equally.
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