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Gates For North Carolina Primary Voting Open Wider Thursday
The gates are opening wider for North Carolina voters to cast ballots for next month's primary elections.
Early one-stop voting begins Thursday with at least one site open in each of the state's 100 counties. Nearly 300 sites will operate during the 17-day period that ends May 5. People at early-voting sites can also register to vote and cast ballots at the same time.
The actual primary election is May 8, but there's no "same-day registration" that day.
Tornado Damage Assessment Released
Guilford County has released its initial evaluation of structural damage from Sunday's deadly tornado.
Just over 1000 structures suffered some amount of damage from the storm. This initial list includes everything from businesses to single-family homes.
Among those affected, roughly 200 were either completely destroyed or suffered major damage.
Guilford Emergency Services will be updating the tally as it gains access to more buildings.
North Carolina Court Considers If Father's Paddling Is Crime
How far corporal punishment can go before parents are committing child abuse is on trial at North Carolina's highest court.
The state Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday about the misdemeanor conviction of a father who left bruises on his 10-year-old son's leg. Dean Varner paddled his son for turning up his nose at pizza for dinner.
Varner's attorney says the Lee County man used corporal punishment within his legal right as a parent. Varner's defense says the trial judge should have told jurors that parents are allowed to apply moderate punishment, meaning no lasting injuries. They say the boy's bruises faded in a few days.
A state attorney says bruises lasting for days are not moderate.
Lawyers: Accusing Voters Of Felonies Protected, Not Libel
A group and a law firm that helped former Gov. Pat McCrory fight a last-ditch campaign to disqualify votes and win re-election want to discard a lawsuit by voters who say they were libeled after the 2016 election.
A trial judge in Raleigh heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit by four voters who claim the Pat McCrory Committee Legal Defense Fund, the law firm and four attorneys should be punished for wrongly accusing them of felony crimes.
An attorney for the McCrory fund says the claims accusing certain people voted twice or were ineligible as felons are protected as part the ballot counting process.
McCrory fund attorney Philip Isley says he hasn't found any similar class-action lawsuit by voters alleging they were defamed anywhere in the country.
2 Agencies Reach Settlement On Homeowners' Insurance Rate
Homeowners' insurance rates in North Carolina are headed for an average increase of nearly 5 percent.
The state Department of Insurance and the North Carolina Rate Bureau announced Wednesday they have agreed on a 4.8 percent increase statewide. The Rate Bureau wanted an 18.7 percent rate increase.
The increase will vary according to territory with a cap of 5.5 percent statewide instead of the 25 percent increase for coastal homes proposed by the Rate Bureau, which represents insurance companies. Coverage on a $200,000 frame home on the Outer Banks will see an average $10 per month increase.
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