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North Carolina Bracing For Direct Hit From Hurricane Florence
North Carolina's governor has urged residents to get prepared for Hurricane Florence as the state braces for a possible direct strike.
Gov. Roy Cooper warns of three potential threats: ocean surges along the coast, strong winds and island flooding. He said North Carolina is "bracing for a hard hit" in what forecasters say will be a statewide event.
“The forecast places North Carolina in the bull's-eye of Hurricane Florence," Cooper says. "And the storm is rapidly getting stronger."
Evacuations of coastal communities began Monday and are expected to continue over the next few days.
Cooper said 200 National Guard troops have already been activated. He's also asked President Donald Trump for a disaster declaration so the state can get federal help as quickly as possible.
Florence Causes North Carolina Schools To Cancel Classes, Events
Several North Carolina colleges and universities have announced they are closing and canceling events ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Schools that have cancelled classes and operations for most of the week include the Univerisity of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
North Carolina DMV Also Receives Voting Records Subpoena
Federal investigators already seeking a massive number of voting records from North Carolina election officials also want voter registration documents from the state DMV.
A Division of Motor Vehicles spokesman confirmed Monday that the agency had received a subpoena recently from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh. Prosecutors want voter registration applications since 2010, including those from foreign-born applicants or completed in a non-English language.
The state elections board is already fighting to block federal subpoenas sent to it and 44 county elections boards, calling them overly broad and unreasonable.
Officer Cleared In Fatal Shooting; Body Camera Video Shared
A white North Carolina police officer has been cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a black man prosecutors say kept reaching for a handgun during a traffic stop.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill announced the clearing of Winston-Salem police Officer Dalton McGuire on Monday. McGuire's body camera footage also was released.
Police say McGuire shot and killed 60-year-old Edward Van McCrae at a March traffic stop when the two fought and McCrae reached for a gun.
McGuire will return to active duty. McCrae family attorney John Vermitsky says they will sue for wrongful-death.
Amid Opposition From Dems, Marsy's Law Launches Campaign
Backers of a constitutional amendment aimed at expanding rights for North Carolina crime victims that's on the November ballot have formally launched their campaign.
The pro-referendum group called "Marsy's Law for North Carolina" held simultaneous news conferences Monday in Raleigh and Charlotte seeking to build support for the amendment.
The proposed constitutional change would give crime victims a right to updates on court proceedings and to be notified if those accused or convicted of crimes are released from custody.
While the amendment proposal received bipartisan General Assembly approval so it could go on the ballot, the state Democratic Party has come out against it and the five other amendments this fall. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper last week called the crime victims' amendment "unnecessary."
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