Morning News Briefs: Tuesday, February 7th, 2017

Cooper Seeks Temporary Block Of Confirmation Law

Gov. Roy Cooper is asking a court to halt enforcement of a new law making his Cabinet secretaries subject to confirmation in the state Senate before his first department head is supposed to go before a Senate committee.

Cooper's office says attorneys filed a motion in Wake County court late Monday asking for the temporary block. Cooper's lawyers argue the confirmation mandate approved by Republican lawmakers just before Cooper took office is unconstitutional and would disrupt his appointees' effort to supervise their departments.

Bill Easing Class-Size Limits In Early Grades Considered

Some North Carolina lawmakers want to respond early this session to worries from local school districts that new class-size restrictions in early grades are too difficult to meet financially.

A House education committee scheduled a meeting Tuesday to discuss legislation that would ease the planned maximum class size mandates in kindergarten through third grade this fall.

The caps are based on a state budget provision approved last summer for individual classes and for the average throughout a district. Districts are worried meeting those requirements could mean having to hire more teachers without additional funds, forcing them to cut things like art and physical education.

Sports Group Pleads With Legislators To Get HB2 Off Books

A booster for North Carolina sporting events is telling legislators the state could lose out on NCAA championship events for another five years if they don't soon address a law limiting LGBT rights and which public bathrooms transgender people can use.

A representative of the North Carolina Sports Association wrote General Assembly members on Monday urging them to get House Bill 2 off the books.

Wade Blamed In First Day Of Greensboro Redistricting Trial

Greensboro officials are pointing to the election of Republican Senator Trudy Wade as the event that ushered in citywide redistricting.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan was among those officials who testified in the first day of a federal bench trial in U.S. Middle District Court.

Judge Catherine Eagles is considering whether state lawmakers racially gerrymandered Greensboro districts with the passage of a 2015 law that also made sweeping changes to how the city council is made up, and how members would be elected.

According to the News and Record of Greensboro, Mayor Vaughan testified that the “overwhelming majority” of comments from constituents were opposed to redistricting.

Local politicians told the judge Wade proposed redistricting legislation without consulting the mayor or the council.

High Point To Name New Basketball Court For Alum Tubby Smith

High Point University will name the basketball court in its planned new arena after University of Memphis men's basketball head coach Tubby Smith and his wife Donna Smith, who met while they attended the school.

High Point said in a news release Monday that the couple is donating $1 million to support the new Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.

The basketball arena will be part of a new $100 million on-campus complex that High Point hopes to open in 2020.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Receive the morning news briefs delivered to your email inbox every morning, click here to sign-up.