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Sessions: US Prosecutors Will Help Addiction-Ravaged Cities
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sending 12 federal prosecutors to cities ravaged by the opioid epidemic. One of them will be based in North Carolina.
Sessions announced the pilot program at a speech in Ohio. He calls the group of prosecutors the “opioid fraud and abuse detection unit.”
One of the prosecutors will be based in the Middle District of North Carolina which has offices in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Durham.
The group will focus on rooting out pill mills, doctors and other health care providers who illegally prescribe or distribute narcotics.
A government opioid commission including Governor Roy Cooper recommended this week that the crisis be declared a state of emergency.
Veto Session Likely To Omit Override Votes Until September
North Carolina lawmakers are returning to Raleigh for a "veto override" session, but it doesn't sound like they're going to give Gov. Roy Cooper's objections much attention now.
The General Assembly is scheduled to convene Thursday, probably only for one day. It's supposed to consider the four vetoes Cooper issued from over 100 bills lawmakers left him when their annual work session ended June 30.
A key House lawmaker says so many legislators are expected to be absent that action on the vetoed bills will wait until a session in September. The Republican-controlled legislature could take up some other pieces of legislation Thursday.
NC's Blue Cross Cutting Rate Request On Individual Policies
North Carolina's largest health insurance company is pulling back on its requested price increase for coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said Wednesday it doesn't need a 23 percent price hike next year, a request that's often been used as evidence of rising prices and fewer choices under former President Barack Obama's overhaul law.
Blue Cross says it has informed state regulators it now needs to increase premiums an average of about 14 percent next year for individual ACA policies. It offers the policies statewide.
Families Vent About Trips Lost To Outage
Vacationers turned away by an island power outage in North Carolina say they've gotten few answers about whether they'll get back money they spent on canceled or interrupted trips.
The outage caused by a construction accident forced an estimated 50,000 visitors to leave Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, and still others never made it to the popular vacation areas because of evacuation orders that are still in place.
Utility officials are hoping to have power restored by early next week, but that will be too late to salvage vacations for many.
Scores of vacationers are now navigating the sometimes confusing process of trying to get repaid for lost travel expenses. Travel insurance plans vary, and many don't cover man-made disasters.
Nearly 2 Dozen Evacuated After Chlorine Leak At Pool
Authorities say nearly two dozen people were evacuated from a YMCA in North Carolina due to a chlorine leak at a pool.
Durham police say that there were at least 35 children and adults in the pool at the downtown YMCA on Wednesday when the leak occurred. Of the 35, 23 were taken to area hospitals.
Durham Deputy Fire Chief Chris Iannuzzi said there was a report of a leak in the disinfection system, and a hazardous materials team was on the scene trying to determine how to stop it.
Elon University To Town Board: We Have Too Much Parking
Elon University has asked the town board to change parking space requirements.
The Times-News of Burlington reports university director of planning, design and construction management, Brad Moore, asked the Elon Board of Aldermen on Monday to amend its land use plan, saying hundreds of parking spaces are going unused. The proposed amendment would require one spot per faculty member and one spot for every two students.
The plan requires one spot for every 500 square feet of commercial space. Moore says the plan doesn't address nonresidential campus use, which sees less traffic than commercial enterprises.
Delinquency Charge Against Former NC Senator Dismissed
The case against a former North Carolina state legislator accused of wrongdoing related to youth alcohol consumption at his house has been dismissed.
The News & Record of Greensboro reports a local district attorney this week dismissed the charge of contributing to the delinquency of minors against Don Vaughan, who served two terms in the Senate and seven terms on the Greensboro City Council.
Vaughan is the ex-husband of Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan.
Copyright 2017 WFDD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
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