Morning News Briefs: Thursday, August 13, 2016

Health Official Resigns In Cancer Warnings Flap

A North Carolina epidemiologist is quitting her state job because she says health agency officials are trying to mislead the public about warnings concerning well water near Duke Energy coal ash pits containing a cancer-causing chemical.

Dr. Megan Davies resigned Wednesday. She said a letter from top members of Gov. Pat McCrory's administration falsely blamed a colleague for contributing to fear and confusion for people who live near the pits and whose well water is tainted with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium. In her resignation letter, Davies says she "cannot work for a department and an Administration that deliberately misleads the public.”

State officials on Tuesday criticized state toxicologist Ken Rudo for his work urging people near the Duke Energy plants not to drink their well water. The officials blamed Rudo for "questionable and inconsistent scientific conclusions."

Candidate Filing Reopens For Local Wake County Elections

There's now another chance for people in North Carolina's second largest county to run for office this fall after a judge ordered local elections be held under district boundaries approved five years ago.

A special candidate filing period for three positions on the Wake County commission and all nine Wake school board seats begins midday Thursday and continues until this coming Wednesday.

E-Cig Patent Lawsuits Moved To North Carolina

A federal judge in California has agreed to transfer patent-infringement lawsuits involving R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. to a North Carolina court.

Reynolds Vapor manufactures Vue, the top-selling U.S. e-cig product, at its Tobaccoville plant.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports the ruling also affects lawsuits against Nu Mark LLC, the Altria Group Inc. subsidiary that makes e-cig brand Mark Ten.

The lawsuits were filed by companies owned by Imperial Brands PLC of England.

Those companies say they own patents for rechargeable e-cigs, cartridge refill packs, batteries and disposable e-cigs.

Reynolds claims it has developed internal e-cig technology.

Lawsuit Filed Against Duke University Over Retirement Plan

A St. Louis law firm says it has filed a class action lawsuit against Duke University on behalf of more than 20,000 of its employees enrolled in the school's contribution retirement plan.

A statement from Schlichter, Bogard & Denton on Wednesday said the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Attorney Jerry Schlicter said Duke caused plan participants to pay millions of dollars in fees for record keeping, administrative and investment services. The plaintiffs also say Duke failed to consider or offer lower-cost investment alternatives, and selected and retained a number of duplicative options, some of which had historically underperformed.

North Carolina State-Run Attractions See Attendance Growth

More people are visiting North Carolina's state-run attractions, whether to view masterpieces, learn about exotic animals or take in other natural beauty.

Gov. Pat McCrory's office says overall visitation grew by nearly 8 percent at state historic sites, museums and other offerings for the year ending June 30 compared to the previous 12 months. The increase equals nearly 1.8 million more visitors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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