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Partisan Gerrymandering Arguments In NC Map On Trial
Redistricting practices of North Carolina Republicans are getting scrutinized yet again in court, this time over whether mapmakers can go too far drawing boundaries that favor their party.
Federal judges convene a trial Monday in Greensboro over litigation filed by election advocacy groups, the state Democratic Party and voters who allege unlawful partisan gerrymandering in the state's congressional map. A similar case in Wisconsin was heard earlier this month by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Governor Orders New Safety Steps At NC Prisons
North Carolina's governor is ordering extra safety measures after an attempted prison breakout left two corrections officers dead and a dozen other prison workers and inmates injured.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday suspended the inmate work program at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City, the scene of Thursday's attempted escape by four inmates. Authorities said the inmates started a fire in a prison sewing operation where they worked to divert guards and allow their escape.
Cooper also ordered increased officers in areas where inmates work and a safety review of all inmate work programs.
Second-Place Candidate Wants Runoff For Raleigh Mayor
The man who finished second in the race for Raleigh mayor wants a runoff vote.
Charles Francis told reporters Sunday he wants a runoff with Mayor Nancy McFarlane after she failed to get a majority in last week's initial voting. McFarlane got 48.5 percent of the vote while Francis got 36.7 percent.
Francis said he thinks the election shows residents want change since McFarlane failed to get a majority. He told his supporters after last week's balloting to prepare for a fight.
The runoff would be held Nov. 7.
Police: Touching Claim Later Recanted Led To School Assault
Authorities say two people have been arrested for attacking a school employee in Winston-Salem after several female students accused a teacher of inappropriately touching them, then said it didn't happen.
Winston-Salem Police said 29-year-old Cindy Tatiana Samayoa and 30-year-old Jose Carlos Amaya hit a director at Carter G. Woodson School in the head Thursday, while Samayoa also threw a recycling bin at the woman.
Samayoa told the Winston-Salem Journal her daughter was one of about seven sixth-graders who said a gym teacher touched them inappropriately. Police say the girls later said the touching didn't happen and they were angry at the teacher.
Samayoa says she was trying to protect herself after the school director got physical with her.
Man Who Left Bomb At Asheville Airport Freed Days Earlier
A man charged with stashing a jar filled with explosive chemicals and nails at a western North Carolina airport was freed just eight days before the attempted attack after serving a short prison stint for an earlier crime.
Michael Christopher Estes is accused of leaving a homemade bomb near a terminal at Asheville's airport on Oct. 6.
The state prison system's online database shows the 46-year-old spent just seven days behind bars in September. The Citizen-Times of Asheville reports that records show he attacked a Swain County man with a hatchet and knife earlier this year.
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