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Judges: No Special Elections For Redrawn NC Districts
Federal judges have rejected a request to hold special elections next March in state legislative districts once new lines are drawn to eliminate illegal racial gerrymandering.
The three-judge panel issued its order late Monday. It means the next General Assembly elections won't occur until November 2018.
But the judges did tell Republican lawmakers that they'll have to approve new House and Senate boundaries by this September — at least two months earlier than the time GOP leaders sought.
The three judges told lawmakers to draw the new maps by Sept. 1 but wrote that they would extend the deadline to Sept. 15 if lawmakers make enough progress on new boundaries in the next few weeks.
Cooper Lets Last 4 Bills On His Desk Become NC Law
Gov. Roy Cooper cleaned off from his desk the last remaining bills the General Assembly sent him in June by letting them become law without his signature.
One unsigned law requires the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to adopt a free expression policy and to create a committee keeping tabs on campus free-speech obstacles. Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said Monday the legislature should trust university leaders on the issue rather than dictating what to do.
Porter says Cooper also had concerns with a bill to study whether previously merged school districts should be divided. The other bills made slight budget changes and addressed government parking spaces.
Future Of UNC Center For Civil Rights To Be Discussed
A center founded at the University of North Carolina to help the poor and disenfranchised could move one step closer to losing its ability to file lawsuits after a committee meets to discuss its future.
The committee meets Tuesday in Chapel Hill to consider whether to strip the UNC Center for Civil Rights of its ability to sue on behalf of clients. Supporters of the center say the ban would effectively defang the center. Ban proponents say the center's courtroom work strays from the university's education mission.
The UNC Board of Governors likely would consider the ban at its September meeting if the committee approves it. The board sets policy for the 16-university system.
NC Community Colleges Leader Out After 13 Months
The head of one of the country's largest community college systems is stepping down 13 months after taking the job.
The North Carolina Community College System's board said Monday it accepted the resignation of James Williamson, who took over in July 2016.
No reason was given why Williamson is leaving in two months. The announcement was sent after business hours Monday. A spokeswoman did not respond to messages and a phone number for board chairman Scott Shook rang unanswered.
Prosecutor To Seek Death Penalty For Fugitive
A prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty against a fugitive charged with kidnaping and killing a man while eluding police in North Carolina for six days.
District Attorney Greg Newman said Phillip Michael Stroupe II was charged with first-degree murder Monday, just hours after 68-year-old Thomas Bryson's body was found. Stroupe was arrested early Thursday.
Henderson Sheriff Charles McDonald says Bryson's body was found Sunday night in a cornfield near Arden, about a 20-minute drive from his Mills River's home.
McDonald said at a news conference that Stroupe kidnapped Bryson right after he left Wednesday morning and likely killed him shortly after. Neither Newman nor McDonald would say how Bryson died.
Four of Stroupe's relatives, including his father, have been charged as accessories after the fact.
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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