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Judges To Hear Arguments On North Carolina Redistricting
Judges deciding when North Carolina must redraw its state legislative districts are set to hear from voting rights activists calling for special elections and Republican lawmakers urging a slower pace.
A panel of three federal judges will hear their cases Thursday in Greensboro.
Districts must be redrawn after the federal court ruled 28 House and Senate districts are illegally race-based. That ruling was upheld earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme Court, which returned the case to U.S. District Court to decide the next steps.
The plaintiffs are seeking a special election before next year's legislative session, while GOP lawmakers argue they should have until later this year to draw new maps for use in 2018's regularly scheduled elections.
Shelter Fined, Director Resigns After 12 Dogs Left In Sun
A county animal shelter in North Carolina has been fined $2,500 for leaving dogs in outdoor kennels without adequate protection from the sun.
The News & Record of Greensboro reports Guilford County Animal Services Director Drew Brinkley resigned Wednesday, hours after the fine was levied.
An inspection last week found 12 dogs housed outside in kennels with metal sheeting, resulting in the citation. According to a state Department of Agriculture report, Brinkley had previously been told to stop putting dogs in outdoor kennels.
Sheriff: Fugitive Captured After 6-Day Search In Forest
A man who's been the focus of a manhunt in a national forest in North Carolina has been captured.
McDowell County sheriff's deputies say 38-year-old Phillip Michael Stroupe II of Weaverville was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway 70 west of Marion.
Sheriff Dudley Greene told WLOS-TV that Stroupe ran from officers, who used traffic spikes to end a chase. Greene says Stroupe ran from a vehicle but was arrested.
The sheriff says Stroupe was driving a truck belonging to 68-year-old Thomas Bryson of Mills River.
Stroupe had been on the run since Saturday when authorities say he stole a bike at gunpoint.
Charlotte Disputes Report That Drinking Water Could Be Unsafe
A report on the health of the nation's drinking water says Charlotte's city water contains chemicals that could make consumers sick, a claim the city disputes.
The Charlotte Observer reports the Environmental Working Group released a report Wednesday that says trihalomethanes, the byproducts of chlorine disinfection, in Charlotte's water are within federal safety limits, but still pose health risks, citing city data from 2015.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says large doses of TTHMs can cause liver damage and decreased nervous system activity.
Charlotte Water spokeswoman Jennifer Frost says the data is misleading, reflecting elevated levels traced to coal treatment at a Duke Energy power plant on Lake Norman.
Advocate: 2 Pardoned Brothers Steered Into Financial Straits
When two wrongfully imprisoned brothers were pardoned after three decades behind bars, they stood to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. Now a federal judge is considering whether too much of their payout is being siphoned away by legal fees and high-interest loans.
A court-appointed advocate for one of the brothers argued in a court filing Wednesday that Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were steered into dubious financial arrangements by lawyers who stand to profit from the men's lawsuit against investigators.
Raymond Tarlton, the court-appointed advocate for McCollum, asked federal Judge Terrence Boyle to rule that McCollum wasn't competent enough to sign the representation agreement with the men's current lawyers.
Travel Advisory On Outer Banks Bridge Is For The Birds
This travel advisory is for the birds.
North Carolina's Transportation Department is reminding drivers of a lower speed limit on an Outer Banks bridge to protect purple martins, which roost annually on the span over the Croatan Sound.
The speed limit on the William B. Umstead Bridge in Manns Harbor is 20 mph at dusk and dawn to protect the more than 100,000 purple martins that roost on the west end of the bridge as they prepare for their annual migration to Brazil.
The birds roost under the bridge at night. They leave at dawn to feed and return at sunset. The flock is so large during its peak that it can be seen on Doppler radar.
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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