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North Carolina Bill Targeting Child Abuse Has Bipartisan Support
There's bipartisan support for legislation in North Carolina designed to prosecute child abusers and help victims of physical or sexual abuse obtain justice through the courts.
House and Senate members from both parties, as well as Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, promoted what they call the "SAFE Child Act" in a pair of news conferences this week at the Legislative Building.
The measures would extend the statute of limitations for misdemeanor "crimes of abuse" from the current two years to 10. It also would give child abuse victims until age 50 to seek civil action against a perpetrator.
The bill would prohibit high-risk sex offenders from contacting children through social media and expand the scope of grand jury investigations to investigate child abuse claims.
North Carolina Democrats Seek Resignation Of House Republican
North Carolina Democratic Party leaders are calling for the resignation of a Republican state lawmaker charged with cyberstalking related to a domestic case.
Court records show a misdemeanor criminal summons has been issued for two-term Rep. Cody Henson of Transylvania County. The document names estranged wife Kelsey Henson as the victim. Last week, a judge issued a long-term protective order against the legislator after determining text messages his wife received amounted to "mental harassment."
State Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin and Democratic Women of North Carolina President Julia Buckner says Henson must resign. Buckner says "any form of domestic violence or abuse is categorically unacceptable."
Chief Justice Says Her Elevation Brings 'Hope And Promise'
North Carolina's first African-American female chief justice says she believes her elevation to the post brings "a lot of hope and promise" to the state and for young people to become whomever they want.
The court system says more than 1,000 people watched in person or in overflow rooms to see the public swearing-in of Cheri Beasley on Thursday at the Supreme Court.
Gov. Roy Cooper chose Beasley to fill the seat vacated by Chief Justice Mark Martin. Beasley — an associate justice since 2012 — was officially sworn-in on March 1 in a private ceremony.
Ban On North Carolina Trips Cramps NY State College Swimmers
A ban on New York state-funded travel to North Carolina is complicating matters for state college swimmers heading south for an NCAA championship.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order in 2016 banning non-essential state-funded travel to North Carolina after lawmakers there voided a Charlotte ordinance that would have enabled transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.
Because of the ban, 13 swimmers and divers from the State University of New York colleges at Geneseo, Brockport and Cortland who qualified for this month's Division III championship in Greensboro, plan to stay more than an hour away in Virginia.
North Carolina Gets Plant Making Cancer-Fighting Biologics
A French company that uses gene-editing to make treatments that help a patient's immune system fight cancer is building its first U.S. manufacturing site in North Carolina.
State officials said Thursday that Paris-based bio-pharmaceutical company Cellectis could get tax breaks and other incentives worth up to $4 million if it follows through with hiring up to 200 workers at its Raleigh plant over five years. State business recruiters said New Jersey offered tax credits worth twice as much.
Children, Young Adult Among New North Carolina Flu Victims
A child 4 years old or younger and two other young people are listed among the latest flu victims in North Carolina.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that for the first time this year, a child who was 4 or younger died from a flu-related illness last week. Also among the dead was a child between 5 and 17 as well as a young person between 18 and 24, raising the death toll for the season to 119.
So far, 73 of the victims were ages 65 or older.
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