Receive the morning news briefs delivered to your email inbox every morning. Click here to sign up.
U.S. Reps Hold Hearing On Voting Rights In North Carolina
Members of Congress want to hear about barriers to the ballot in North Carolina before Democrats in Washington propose changes later this year.
A U.S. House subcommittee conducts a field hearing on Thursday in the Halifax County town of Weldon. U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield of North Carolina and other Congressional members plan to hear from people describing voting barriers.
Democrats in Congress are working on legislation to restore part of a federal law the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in 2013 that required many Southern states to get federal approval before changing voting rules that could affect minorities.
Federal Grand Jury Investigating North Carolina Ballot Fraud
A federal grand jury meeting in North Carolina is weighing whether to recommend criminal charges in the tainted congressional race.
The grand jury is meeting Tuesday through Thursday in Raleigh to review election irregularities in the 9th Congressional District.
State elections board spokesman Pat Gannon said Wednesday that the agency turned over extensive documents subpoenaed last month. Documents also were turned over by former Republican candidate Mark Harris.
Harris had a narrow lead after November's election before details emerged that his political operative in rural Bladen County collected ballots from voters.
Gateway School Will Remain Open
A school that serves special needs children in Greensboro will remain open next school year.
Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras backed off a planned recommendation to close Gateway Education Center at a school board work session Wednesday morning.
The News and Record reports that individual families are going to get a choice to stay at Gateway or to move to one of the district's three other schools that serve students with special needs.
Also Wednesday, Contreras said she wants to use proceeds from tornado insurance for the design costs to build a combined Hampton-Peeler elementary school.
Baby+Co. Closing Its North Carolina Centers
The birthing center Baby+Co. is closing its Winston-Salem location as part of exiting North Carolina.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the business will also be shutting down its locations in Charlotte and Cary.
The Baby+Co. center in Cary temporarily halted deliveries in 2018 following the deaths of three newborns in a six-month period.
State health regulators found last year “significant problems” at that center, including inadequate oversight and supervision of nurse midwives.
A date has not been announced for when the Winston-Salem location would close.
Delaware-Based Chicken Producer Expands Operations In North Carolina
One of the country's largest chicken producers is expanding its footprint in North Carolina. Delaware-based Mountaire Farms held a grand opening this week for its new processing plant in Chatham County.
Mountaire built a 40-acre complex in Siler City. The location is the site of a former poultry plant that shut down in 2011.
The $170 million dollar project also includes a health clinic on site for employees and their family members.
Pet Supply Retailer To Create 1,200 Jobs In Salisbury
An online pet supply retailer says it is opening a fulfillment center in North Carolina that will create 1,200 jobs.
Chewy, whose corporate offices are in Florida and in Boston, announced on Wednesday that it will spend $55 million on the new center, which will be in Salisbury. It's not known when the center will open.
Chewy specializes in pet food and supplies, such as chew toys, birdcages, fish tanks and litter boxes. It operates as an independent subsidiary of PetSmart, which purchased it in 2017.
North Carolina Transportation Board OKs Airport Improvements
The state transportation board has approved grants that will help provide safety improvements to six North Carolina airports.
The N.C. Department of Transportation says more than $2.1 million will be used to provide upgrades such as new lighting and improved aprons for aircraft parking.
More than $562,000 will go to Davidson County Airport to replace a system which tells pilots if they are approaching the runway at too steep or too shallow of an angle. Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport is getting close to $691,000 to design the runway, taxiway and apron rehabilitation with apron expansion.
Grants also have been awarded to Duplin County Airport, Kinston Regional Jetport, Mount Airy-Surry County Airport and Richmond County Airport.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad