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Coal Ash Is Focus In Duke Energy's $478M Rate Increase Bid
The nation's largest electric company is fighting to persuade regulators that North Carolina consumers should pay 15 percent more on average, including nearly $200 million a year to clean up the toxic byproducts of burning coal to generate power.
Consumers, the state's attorney general and the state's utilities consumer advocate are digging in ahead of hearings starting Monday. Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp.'s requested $478 million passes along the full cost of cleaning up its coal ash pits.
The rate increase would affect customers of Duke Energy Progress, the subsidiary that operates in much of eastern North Carolina and around Asheville. It would add an extra $18 per month to the typical household bill of $105.
Managed-Care Mental Health Agency Fires CEO
The board of directors of a Triad managed-care mental health agency has fired its CEO.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions removed Richard Topping from his duties during a vote on Friday. The removal takes effect on Dec. 1.
Trey Sutton, interim chief financial officer of Cardinal, has been appointed to take Topping's place on Dec. 2 on an interim basis. Sutton is a former N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid official in the McCrory administration.
The State Auditor's Office in May accused Cardinal of spending excessively on salaries and benefits for their CEOs and on conferences and Christmas parties.
In October, Cardinal voted to reduce Topping's salary to $204,195 after he made more than $600,000 in the year ending June 2016.
Federal Report Finds Inhumane Violations At NC Poultry Plant
A poultry company in western North Carolina says it has installed cameras in the plant where live birds are present after a federal report found 33 inhumane violations.
The Morganton News Herald reports the U.S. Agriculture Department found the violations at Case Farms' plant in Morganton.
The violations include cases of birds being run over, kicked by an employee and dipped in a scalder while still alive.
Case Farms said in a statement that in addition to cameras, it also has set up a third-party hotline for employees to report inhumane treatment.
Sexual Assault Reports From Fort Bragg Increase 28 Percent
A summary released by the Department of Defense shows reports of sexual assault from Fort Bragg increased by 28 percent in 2016 over the year before.
The summary says Fort Bragg received 146 reports of sexual assault in 2016 compared to 114 reports in 2015.
According to the News and Observer, the summary notes that the location of the assault and the location of the report don't necessarily coincide.
Camp Lejeune had 169 reports of sexual assault in 2016, compared to 164 the year before.
North Carolina Paid $30M For 600 Acres That Now Sit Vacant
A state senator said he wants to know what's planned for 600 acres that the N.C. State Ports Authority bought for $30 million for a megaport that was never built.
The Star News of Wilmington reports that the vacant land bought by the state almost 12 years ago now had an estimated value of $15 million in 2013, half its purchase price.
Ports Authority spokeswoman Laura Blair says the ports' board of directors hasn't considered selling the property and isn't developing the megaport now.
Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County says development of the land is problematic because of its proximity to the Brunswick Nuclear Plant to the west and the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point to the north.
Outer Banks Town To Replenish Beach Lost To Hurricane
An Outer Banks town plans to replenish 10 miles of beach that was lost last year to Hurricane Matthew.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that Nags Head will replenish the beach with 3.7 million cubic yards of sand dredged from offshore pits if all the permits and financing work out. The $40 million two-part project is scheduled for next summer.
Nags Head then plans to add an additional 2.3 million cubic yards of sand after the replenishment at a cost of $25.5 million. Officials say Dare County's nourishment fund would cover up to half of that amount.
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