Receive the morning news briefs delivered to your email inbox every morning. Click here to sign up.
New Tracking System For Rape Kits, Federal Grant Announced
North Carolina government's top lawyer says a new tracking system for pending sexual assault evidence kits and new funds toward completing untested kits sitting in local law enforcement agencies will help bring victims justice.
Attorney General Josh Stein announced the new tracking system Thursday at the State Crime Lab. It will provide real-time updates for authorities, attorneys and victims themselves.
Stein's office says a $2 million federal grant will help reduce the 15,000 untested kits in existence. The money also will go toward ensuring all kits have barcodes and training sexual assault investigators.
Tests Find Acceptable Level Of Heavy Metals In River After Coal Plant Dam Burst
North Carolina environmental officials say despite the gray muck in the Cape Fear River near a Wilmington power plant, tests so far show heavy metals contained in coal ash are within water quality standards.
The state Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday that samples collected within two weeks of Hurricane Florence crashing aground in Wilmington found no excessive results for arsenic, lead, chromium and other metals.
Duke Energy says results from samples it collected and tested at an in-house lab showed no negative impacts to the river from its Sutton power plant.
North Carolina Civil Rights Leader Receives 'Genius Grant'
North Carolina civil rights leader and "Moral Monday" movement founder Reverend William Barber has been awarded a “genius grant.” Barber was one of 25 people named as MacArthur fellows.
The foundation says the prize goes to those who show “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.” It comes with a cash award of $625,000, paid out over five years for the recipient to use as they please.
The Goldsboro-based minister has been arrested at least 14 times while fighting for the poor and civil rights issues. He says he's overwhelmed to have received the recognition.
Reverend Barber is co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, a revival of the movement started by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found On App State Campus
Officials are trying to determine who painted anti-Semitic symbols, including a swastika and a reference to the Holocaust, in a pedestrian tunnel at Appalachian State University.
The graffiti was found last Sunday. It was on a wall in a tunnel that is frequently painted with murals and information about school events.
University officials have investigated the vandalism but don't know at this point who did it.
Students quickly painted over the offending picture and words.
UNC Stadium Plate Swaps Father For Son, Citing 1898 Massacre
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will remove references to William Kenan on a plaque at Kenan Memorial Stadium, replacing him with another William Kenan — his son. The university is distancing itself from William Rand Kenan Sr.'s involvement in an 1898 massacre targeting black North Carolinians.
The News & Observer reports UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said in a Wednesday letter that the decision to change the honorific reference to focus on stadium donor William Rand Kenan Jr. followed consultation with the Kenan family.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad