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Republican Budget On Course To Soon Reach Gov. Cooper
Republican adjustments to next year's North Carolina state budget remain on course to wind up on Gov. Roy Cooper's desk as soon as the end of the week.
Both the House and Senate scheduled debate and votes Thursday on the nearly $24 billion plan altering the second year of the two-year budget approved last year.
The Senate already gave tentative approval to the changes Wednesday on a nearly party-line vote. The House will stick around until Friday to complete its debate.
Attorney General Stein Criticizes GOP-Designed Budget Bill For Secretive Process
North Carolina's Democratic attorney general is blasting the state legislature for the way it drew up this year's budget bill.
Josh Stein delivered mostly criticism of the Republican-led legislature's $24 billion spending plan. His harshest words were directed at the process itself.
Typically, the spending plan is opened up for amendments and a period of public scrutiny before it's made law. But this year, Republican leaders essentially finished the bill before it became public, a move Stein called, “contempt for transparency.”
"The people of this state have a right to have their voices heard about how their tax dollars are spent," he said. "Unfortunately, this closed process prevented people from even knowing what is in the budget before it was finalized. This is simply no way to govern.”
For their part, Republicans say the budget includes many provisions, including teacher pay raises, which Democrats support.
Panel Oks Letting 4 North Carolina Towns Operate Charter Schools
Legislation allowing four communities close to North Carolina's largest city to apply for and operate their own charter schools has cleared a General Assembly hurdle.
A closely divided Senate Education Committee voted Wednesday to recommend the measure, which would apply only to the Charlotte-area towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville and Cornelius.
Municipalities currently can't operate charter schools, but bill sponsor Rep. Bill Brawley of Matthews says these communities are unhappy with overcrowding in traditional public schools and student assignment plans by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.
Senators opposing the option say it would accelerate school re-segregation and could set a precedent other communities will seek.
Lawsuit: The Poor Shouldn't Lose Licenses Over Traffic Fines
A federal lawsuit filed in North Carolina says low-income people shouldn't lose their drivers' licenses when they can't afford to pay traffic fines and court costs.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center are among the groups that filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of two named plaintiffs. They say they can't afford to pay their traffic tickets, so they have to decide between driving with a revoked license or not supporting their families.
The lawsuit says the practice violates the right to due process under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution because the state doesn't offer drivers a hearing to explain why they haven't paid.
2 Die In Home Collapse Following Alberto
Two people died in the High Country when a home was destroyed by a gas leak following a landslide as several states continue to feel the effects of Subtropical Storm Alberto.
The Boone Police Department said in a news release that rescuers were called at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Sgt. Shane Robbins said the landslide resulted in the "catastrophic destruction" of the home because of a gas leak.
The only two people in the home were found dead in the rubble. Their names haven't been released while relatives are notified.
The Watauga County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Wednesday, saying the forecast for the rest of the week calls for isolated heavy rain storms that could instantly cause flooding in areas that have had 20 inches of rain in the past 15 days.
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