US House Approves $1.7 Billion In Disaster Aid For Carolinas
The U.S. House has overwhelmingly passed legislation that would provide $1.7 billion to help residents of the Carolinas and elsewhere recover from recent natural disasters.
The aid was added to legislation to keep Federal Aviation Administration programs running beyond Sept. 30.
Lawmakers describe the disaster aid as a down payment. They say billions more will be needed in the months ahead to help communities devastated by Hurricane Florence.
The Senate needs to pass the bill before it can be signed into law.
Hurricane Florence Cost North Carolina Farmers An Estimated $1.1 Billion
Hurricane Florence caused more than a billion dollars in losses to one of North Carolina's most important industries, according to the state's initial estimates.
In a press release issued Wednesday, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler put the figures for crop damage and livestock losses at $1.1 billion.
All but a fraction of that comes in the form of lost crops: things like sweet potatoes, tobacco and soybeans. Row crop losses alone totaled more than $986 million.
The rest is spread across the state's other agricultural sectors, including forestry and livestock.
According to the agency, more than four million poultry birds and hogs were lost in the wake of the storm.
This damage estimate easily exceeds the losses from Hurricane Matthew, which came in at around $400 million.
EPA Drops 26 North Carolina Counties From Emissions Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dropped 26 counties from North Carolina's requirement for vehicle emissions inspections.
The rule change means that owners of cars and trucks in the affected counties will no longer have to get those vehicles tested for emissions.
In a statement, the EPA said it finalized a rule approving the state's revision of its air quality plan. The agency said the action removes regulations that are no longer needed and is expected to save consumers money.
According to the EPA, the state showed that the counties comply with ozone air quality standards.
The list includes Piedmont and High Country areas like Stokes, Surry, and Wilkes Counties.
Citizens' Group Wants Prosecution Over CIA Rendition Program
An anti-torture group says state and local officials in North Carolina should prosecute participants in a CIA program that ferried terrorism suspects to secret sites where they were tortured in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
That's one of dozens of recommendations the self-appointed North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture is releasing Thursday.
The group focused on a North Carolina based aviation company reportedly central to the CIA program. Aero Contractors Limited operates from a county airport located between Raleigh and Fort Bragg, home to the Army's anti-terrorist Delta Force and other Special Operations units. A London-based researcher says flights operated by Aero Contractors delivered at least 49 people to secret CIA sites for interrogation and possible torture.
Former North Carolina Gov. McCrory Demanding Amendments Ad Be Pulled
Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says a television ad opposing constitutional amendments on November ballots is false because it leaves the impression he's against all six referendums.
McCrory signed a letter to broadcasters demanding the ad by the group "Stop Deceptive Amendments" be removed from airwaves, and threatened legal action otherwise. McCrory wrote Tuesday he's a vocal supporter of a crime victims' amendment and backs three other questions.
"Stop Deceptive Amendments" spokesman Justin Guillory calls the ad accurate and clearly referencing the amendments McCrory opposes. The group now has a new ad featuring a retired judge.
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