Morning News Briefs: Thursday, February 16th, 2017

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No Support For Cooper's HB2 Repeal Offer

House Speaker Tim Moore said Wednesday that Gov. Roy Cooper's proposed compromise to repeal HB 2 won't carry in his chamber.

The News and Observer of Raleigh reports Moore and Senate Majority leader Phil Berger disagree with the compromise, which would repeal the controversial LGBT law while also toughening penalties for crimes committed in bathrooms. It would also require local governments to give the legislature 30 days' notice before approving any new nondiscrimination ordinances.

Moore indicated that HB2 is not a dead issue in the House, saying there are still many discussions on both sides of the aisle.

UNC Board Reduction Soon Could Head To Cooper's Desk

Gov. Roy Cooper could soon receive his first piece of legislation from the General Assembly — a bill reducing the size of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors by 25 percent by 2019.

The Senate scheduled floor debate and votes Thursday on the measure that already cleared the House by a wide margin.

The House and Senate chose all 32 voting members to the board, electing half of them every other year. The bill has the board falling to 28 members this summer and 24 two years later.

Bill supporters say the measure would promote board effectiveness and efficiency. UNC system President Margaret Spellings has suggested a 32-member board is unwieldy.

Cooper Offers Infrastructure Wish List

Improvements to major interstate arteries and urban loops and the completion of a Triangle-area light rail project are on North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's funding wish list if there is a federal infrastructure improvement plan.

Cooper's office said Wednesday several "shovel ready" projects are part of the list he submitted to the National Governors Association.

Cooper says his list includes upgrades along Interstate 95, improvements at the I-40 and I-77 interchange in Iredell County and completing both the northern beltway in Winston-Salem and Fayetteville's outer loop.

Lowe's To Hire 600 Full-Time Workers In Wilkesboro

North Carolina-based home improvement retailer Lowe's says it will add at least 600 full-time customer-support and central production office positions in Wilkes County, the company's former home county.

In a statement Wednesday, Lowe's announced its plan to add the jobs at its support facility in Wilkesboro.

It also says it plans to add 500 similar positions each in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Indianapolis, all by October.

The retailer's latest hiring initiative comes a month after it said it was cutting 2,400 full-time jobs nationwide as part of a major staffing overhaul.

American Eagle Jet Hits Deer On Takeoff, Returns To Airport

Authorities say an American Eagle flight struck a deer while taking off from the Charlotte international airport, forcing it to turn around and abort a flight to Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilot of Flight 5320 declared an emergency shortly before noon Wednesday.

American Airlines spokeswoman Katie Cody said the aircraft was leaking fuel as a result of the deer strike. TV stations showed damage to one of the right front wing flaps of the jet, and emergency personnel sprayed foam on the aircraft as a precaution.

No injuries were reported. The 44 passengers aboard the flight deplaned by stairs onto the tarmac and were seen boarding buses to return to the terminal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.