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Alterations To ID Qualifications For Voting Signed By Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law altered rules on how student and government employee identification cards can qualify as voter IDs, which are required for casting ballots in North Carolina elections starting next year.
Cooper announced Monday that he signed four bills, including the ID measure, which also gives colleges and government agencies a second chance in November to meet requirements. The previous law said institutions couldn't apply again until 2021 if their IDs didn't qualify in March, which happened to many University of North Carolina system campuses.
Cooper also signed a bill adding two new hiking trials to the state park system — the current federal Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and a yet-built state Wilderness Gateway Trail. Another new law expands the immunizations that pharmacists can administer.
Passenger Protections For NC Ride-Sharing Users Considered
Some North Carolina lawmakers are seeking more protections for ride-sharing service users following the death of a college student this year in South Carolina.
The House Transportation Committee scheduled Tuesday debate on legislation pushed by House Majority Leader John Bell.
Bell and other legislators recently proposed a requirement that drivers for Uber, Lyft and similar companies display illuminated logo signs. The idea came after police say a University of South Carolina student mistakenly got into the car of someone impersonating an Uber driver in March. She was later killed.
Baseball Team Owner Bengel Running For Lieutenant Governor
A baseball team and restaurant owner in eastern North Carolina says he'd bring ingenuity, energy and grit to North Carolina politics if he's elected lieutenant governor next year.
Buddy Bengel announced Monday he would seek the Republican nomination for the post. The New Bern native joins at least three other candidates already in the GOP field, including Renee Ellmers, a former congresswoman.
Triad Judges Plead With Locals Over 'Senseless' Crime
Two North Carolina judges have made impromptu emotional pleas to stop the "senseless" violence in Guilford County.
The News & Record reports the judges this week addressed the greater Guilford community while handing down the sentences in two murder cases.
Superior Court Judge David Hall on Monday sentenced a man to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder and armed robbery. Hall told the court that the murder was senseless and the robbery that took place days later is indicative of the mindset that has "devoured" most of the county.
Days earlier, Judge Lora Cubbage scolded a 27-year-old woman accused of ordering the death of a 16-year-old. Cubbage, who is black, shouted that the woman shouldn't "tell me another black life matters if it doesn't matter to you."
Teenager's Leg Amputated After Weekend Shark Attack
A 17-year-old who was attacked by a shark on the North Carolina coast over the weekend says she had a leg amputated.
High school junior Paige Winter issued a statement Monday through Vidant Medical Center in Greenville thanking people for helping her following the attack at Fort Macon State Park on Sunday.
Winter said while she has extensive injuries, including damage to her hands, "I will be okay." She is recovering at Vidant and said she will require more surgeries.
Chain Closes North Carolina Stores Over Racist Receipts
A national chain has closed two of its North Carolina stores and two workers were fired after racist names were added to two customer receipts.
Smoothie King announced that it closed the stores in Charlotte after the receipts were issued Sunday.
Photos of the receipts were posted on Twitter. In one instance, an employee listed the n-word as the customer name on a receipt. On the other, a Korean customer was listed as "Jackie Chan."
A company statement said both workers were terminated and the two stores involved will be closed "until the franchisees and their respective teams complete further training" to ensure it doesn't happen again.
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