Morning News Briefs: Monday, September 19, 2016

Colonial Announces Construction Of Temporary Pipeline

Colonial Pipeline says it is beginning construction of a temporary pipeline that will bypass a leaking section of its main gasoline pipeline in Shelby County, Alabama.

According to AL.com, Colonial gave no timetable Saturday as to when that bypass line would be completed or what path it would take.

Fuel supplies in at least five states — Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas — were threatened by the spill, and the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the company responsible to take corrective action before the fuel starts flowing again.

McCrory Working To Keep Gas Flowing

Gov. Pat McCrory says he and other officials are working with fuel suppliers to monitor and quickly replenish gasoline supplies.

McCrory's office issued a statement Sunday night saying a pipeline repair in Alabama should soon have normal supplies flowing to North Carolina.

The governor's statement says state officials are working to make sure motorists are protected from excessive gas prices and to minimize any interruptions in fuel supplies.

Some service stations across the state reported they've run out of gasoline.

McCrory's office says most of those stations are getting new supplies of gas or will get them Monday.

One HB2 Lawsuit Dropped

Governor McCrory filed notice last week that he is voluntarily dropping a lawsuit defending the law limiting LGBT protections. This comes as he pursues similar arguments in a separate case.

McCrory's lawyers cite efficiency for the courts as a reason for dropping the lawsuit.    

The lawsuit was filed in May in a Raleigh federal court. The Republican governor is pursuing a similar defense of the law in another federal court against challengers including the ACLU and federal Justice Department. A trial in that case is expected in May of next year.

Feds To Check Tire In Bus Crash That Killed 4

Two federal investigators are heading to North Carolina to check the tires on a bus that crashed, killing four people on their way to a South Carolina junior college's first-ever football game.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Christopher O'Neil said in a statement that the agency hasn't decided whether a full investigation is needed into the wreck that also injured 42 others Saturday afternoon on U.S. Highway 74 near Hamlet, North Carolina.

Panthers Rout 49ers

Cam Newton bounced back from the beating he took against Denver in the NFL season opener, throwing for 353 yards and four TDs in Carolina's 46-27 rout of San Francisco.

Newton threw two TD passes to Kelvin Benjamin and one each to Greg Olsen and Devin Funchess to pass Jake Delhomme for the most scoring passes in franchise history with 122. Olsen gave the 1-1 Panthers the lead for good in the second quarter when he hauled in a career-long 78-yard touchdown pass. Fozzy Whittaker had 100 yards on 16 carries to help the Panthers overcome their four turnovers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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