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Amber Alert: Sex-Offender May Be Taking Baby To The Coast
Authorities in North Carolina and Virginia are following up on tips as they search for a 7-month-old girl they say was abducted at knifepoint from the baby's mother.
Police in Danville, Virginia, said Emma Grace Kennedy was taken by her father, 51-year-old Carl Ray Kennedy at a convenience store near the North Carolina state line.
Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert saying the infant faces "extreme danger."
An update Monday night said Kennedy may have been spotted in Seven Springs, southeast of Raleigh, and could be headed to Oak Island on the North Carolina coast.
Authorities said Carl Kennedy is registered as a sex offender in Asheboro.
School Building, Officer Mandates Clear North Carolina House
More building safety and campus police officer requirements for North Carolina's public schools would occur if a bill that cleared one chamber of the General Assembly becomes law.
The House voted unanimously Monday for a measure that includes several policy recommendations made by a study committee formed in response to the deadly Florida school shooting in February. The bill now heading to the Senate would require all school buildings to undergo annual vulnerability assessments and middle and high schools to create student-to-student counseling programs.
Special training for school resource officers would be mandated, while charter schools would have risk management plans and hold safety drills.
House Speaker Tim Moore blocked debate and votes on several Democratic amendments containing gun-control restrictions and other items, saying they weren't relevant to the bill.
New State Bills Aim To Legalize Up To Four Ounces Of Marijuana For Personal Use
A new pair of bills in the state House and Senate aim to legalize carrying up to four ounces of marijuana in North Carolina. The bills, if passed, could also help in getting some previous drug charges erased.
As it stands now, possessing half an ounce of pot is a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a jail sentence of up to 20 days. The newly introduced legislation would allow up to four ounces of marijuana for this same smaller sentence - a sentence that is often suspended, or paid in community service. The bill also raises the felony level from 1.5 ounces to a pound.
Democratic Senator Paul Lowe of Forsyth County is the Senate bill's primary sponsor. The bill contains provisions for previous convictions as well.
Bill Prevents Primary Losers From Running In New Parties This Fall
Some North Carolina legislators think it's wrong that a primary election loser could switch and run in November as the nominee of a new political party.
The House approved omnibus election legislation Monday that would in part extend the state's current "sore loser" prohibitions to situations anticipated this year.
The Green Party is a new party, and the Constitution Party could be approved this week. Those parties would select their party candidates by convention. The bill says a candidate who lost in a primary race last month would be ineligible to run for the same office this year with a new party.
More Than A Dozen Arrested Inside North Carolina Legislature
More than a dozen demonstrators were arrested at North Carolina's Legislative Building as part of a national movement highlighting what its organizers call injustices to the poor.
General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock says 13 people were led away Monday in zip ties outside the offices of House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger. They are being charged with second-degree trespassing
Over 150 people attending a Poor People's Campaign rally outside the building had come inside.
Police have now arrested or cited 87 people in Raleigh since weekly campaign demonstrations began May 14.
Study: School-Choice Program Positive On Student Scores
A study shows North Carolina students attending private and parochial schools with aid from taxpayer-funded scholarships did better on standardized exams than public school students taking the same test.
The report by North Carolina State University researchers released Monday is based on scores of 500 public and private school students who voluntarily took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills last year.
The researchers wrote the Opportunity Scholarships Program showed a "positive, large and statistically significant" effect in math, reading and language. Study authors cautioned test participants comprised a small percentage of the 5,600 students receiving vouchers last year.
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