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US House Members, Legislators Seek North Carolina Primary Wins
North Carolina voters are choosing their parties' nominees in dozens of legislative and congressional primary races congested with contestants.
More than 35 current General Assembly members and eight congressional incumbents are trying to advance through Tuesday's primary elections.
Sitting members of Congress seeking re-election include House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chief deputy whip in the House. The most threatened GOP incumbents may be Reps. Robert Pittenger of Charlotte and Walter Jones of Farmville.
North Carolina Lawmakers Expect $357M Surplus, Uptick Next Year
The North Carolina General Assembly will have several hundred million dollars more to work with as budget-writers adjust the second year of state government's two-year spending plan.
The legislature's fiscal agency and Gov. Roy Cooper's budget office have adjusted revenue figures upward for the fiscal year that ends June 30 and for next year. The projections come after all the money received at the mid-April tax deadline was counted.
A memo says the state expects to collect $357 million more than anticipated this current year. These extra collections also caused state economists to predict another $277 million at the state's disposal next year.
Guilford County Schools Joins List of Teacher Walkouts May 16
Guilford County Schools has announced that enough teachers plan on joining a statewide teacher walkout that classes will be cancelled on May 16.
Guilford joins other North Carolina districts, including the state's largest, Wake County, in shutting down for one day next week, allowing up to 10,000 teachers to attend a rally demanding better working conditions and education funding.
The Wake County Public School System said Monday it will be closed on May 16, the same day state lawmakers open their annual session.
The rally is being organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators. Their members are unhappy with the Republican-controlled legislature's decisions on teacher salaries and school funding.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have canceled classes on the protest day. Durham County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools will also close.
State Announces New Literacy Initiative
State Superintendent Mark Johnson visited Winston-Salem Monday to announce a new program aimed at improving literacy for some of the state's youngest students.
Johnson announced a new NC Read to Achieve initiative at Cook Literacy Model School in Winston-Salem.
The new program will support first-year, K-3 teachers in more than a dozen high-need districts across the state as they implement new reading instruction strategies in their classrooms.
The initiative is a cooperative between the Department of Public Instruction and North Carolina State University.
Owner Cited Over License, Insurance After Party Bus Death
A North Carolina party bus owner was cited for insurance and license plate problems after a college student fell out of the vehicle last week and died when she was hit by two cars.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced Monday that Victor Rabb was issued citations after investigators determined the bus was uninsured and was displaying a fictitious license plate at the time of the accident last Tuesday.
Police say Rabb has surrendered the bus to investigators for inspection.
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