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North Carolina Sheriff Changes Chase Rules After Fatal Crash
A North Carolina sheriff has changed his department's policy on chases after five people were killed when a driver fleeing officers slammed into another car.
Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes says he's initiating a new vehicle pursuit training program. Barnes says the revised policy focuses on public safety. Additional classroom hours will be provided for officers. Deputy training will emphasize the balance between the immediate need to engage in pursuit driving and the risk of injury or harm to the public that could result.
But Barnes adds that his deputies will still have discretion to initiate chases for a wide range of crimes.
Beleaguered Guilford County Animal Shelter Names New Director
The Guilford County Animal Shelter has named new leadership. This comes after a series of fines and personnel shakeups for the agency.
Jorge Ortega will be the county's new Animal Services director. He previously worked for the ASPCA in New York and the Humane Society in Charlotte.
The former director, Drew Brinkley, started in 2016. He resigned this past summer when the shelter was cited for leaving dogs outdoors without adequate protection from the sun, and for continuing the practice after being warned. There were additional discrepancies related to care, record-keeping and euthanasia protocol.
Ousted Agency CEO Says Takeover Unjustified
The ousted chief executive of a North Carolina regional mental health agency says state health officials weren't justified taking control of agency operations earlier this week and sought a court order after the fact to cover their tracks.
Richard Topping spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday, after a judge issued an order preventing him and former board members from interfering with Department of Health and Human Services workers now overseeing Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions.
Topping says the conflict between Cardinal and DHHS centers on who controls Medicaid money left over after patient treatments and efficiencies. He says it's up to the former board to decide whether to challenge the takeover in court.
Ex-McCrory Environment Head Retires From Lesser Agency Job
North Carolina's environment Cabinet chief under then-Gov. Pat McCrory has retired from a lesser job within the agency weeks after the department suspended him.
Donald van der Vaart told WBTV he submitted his retirement letter Tuesday to the Department of Environmental Quality. The career state employee was named DEQ secretary by the Republican McCrory in 2015. A day before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper took office, van der Vaart demoted himself to the Division of Air Quality.
DEQ confirmed earlier this month he was placed on paid investigatory leave.
That's Cheating! Video-Game Companies Suing Crooked Players
A North Carolina-based video-game maker is suing online gamers for designing or using computer code allowing them to crush competitors playing the popular "Fortnite" survival video game.
Epic Games has lawsuits in North Carolina and California against three Americans and six foreign gamers. The suits claim that the game's experience and profit potential is spoiled when cheaters win. The free-to-play online game generates revenue by charging for cosmetic options like different outfits for virtual characters.
The company, based in Cary, says the game's copyright and terms of use contract are violated when unauthorized computer code allows some to defeat rivals in the game played by up to 100 people at a time.
Sheriff Urges Citizens To Search Their Property
A sheriff in coastal North Carolina is asking local residents who want to help in the search for a missing 3-year-old girl to check their own property.
Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller said Wednesday at a news briefing that property owners should look around their homes for any clues that might help find Mariah Woods.
A statewide Amber Alert was issued for the girl after she was reported missing from her home outside of Jacksonville on Monday. The FBI joined local law enforcement in the search for the girl on Tuesday.
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