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Jurors Slap Pork Giant Smithfield With $25M For Nuisances
A federal jury is punishing the world's largest pork producer with a $25 million verdict after jurors decided that two neighbors of a hog farm suffered unreasonable nuisances from flies, buzzards and rumbling trucks tied to an industrial-scale hog grower.
The jury's verdict Friday ends a five-week trial where attorneys for Smithfield Foods expected to present their best arguments.
It's the second in a series of cases in which more than 500 neighbors of industrial-scale hog farms have targeted the Virginia-based, Chinese-owned company for its open-pit waste handling methods.
Officer Accused In Jaywalker's Beating Won't Be Charged
The U.S. Department of Justice says no federal charges will be filed against a former Asheville police officer who was seen on body camera videos beating a black pedestrian.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray said in a news release Friday that after a thorough and independent investigation, the evidence doesn't warrant prosecution of a violation of federal criminal civil rights laws.
The video from last August showed former Asheville police officer Christopher Hickman punching, choking and shocking Johnnie Jermaine Rush, whom officers had accused of jaywalking.
3 For-Profit College Campuses In North Carolina Expected To Close
A for-profit company expects to shut down three college campuses in North Carolina before the end of the year.
Emails obtained by The News & Observer show that Dream Center Education Holdings this week notified University of North Carolina officials the company will close the locations enrolling 3,000 students. The newspaper reports that the company says it will close South University in High Point and the Art Institutes in Durham and Charlotte.
UNC officials say in an email that the company will stop enrolling students for the upcoming term.
State To Crackdown On Distracted Driving
The Governors Highway Safety Program recently announced a crackdown on impaired and distracted driving ahead of the July 4th holiday.
So far, this year in North Carolina, it's estimated that there have been 66 fatalities directly attributed to distracted driving—motorists texting or emailing. But Governors Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell says that the actual number is likely much higher, and that it's a problem that needs to be addressed.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, driving accidents occur at a rate 23 times higher than normal while texting.
North Carolina law prohibits the practice for all motorists. Most face a $100 fine.
Duke Law Graduate Is On Trump's List For Supreme Court Pick
A Duke University law school graduate occupies a spot on President Donald Trump's list of two dozen candidates he's thinking of nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The News & Observer reports 51-year-old Don Willett earned a law degree and a master's in political science at Duke in 1992. He returned to Durham to earn a master's in law in 2016.
Like the president, Willett has been willing to express polarizing opinions on Twitter. He's been criticized for his comments on women's rights and LGBTQ issues.
Billboard Warns Against Treats For Outer Banks Wild Horses
Property owners, merchants and wild horse enthusiasts are urging the summer's flood of tourists to North Carolina's Outer Banks to let the area's wild horses stay wild.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that a new highway billboard features a warning that apples and carrots meant as treats can actually kill wild horses.
Property owners along a North Carolina strip only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles are posting yard signs to reinforce a local law requiring people to stay 50 feet away from the rugged critters. Retail stores in Duck and Corolla are donating sign space for similar messages.
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