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Rivals In North Carolina Congress Case Pan New Map This Fall
Opposing sides in a North Carolina congressional redistricting case have told judges it's too late to hold elections this fall under a new map.
A federal three-judge panel recently struck down 12 of the state's 13 congressional districts, citing excessive partisan bias. The panel gave the parties in the case until Friday for input on what should be done next. The judges mentioned the possibility of requiring new districts mere weeks before Election Day in November.
Lawyers for election advocacy groups and Democrats who sued over the maps wrote they "reluctantly concluded" imposing a new plan for this year would be "too disruptive."
Judges Side With Cooper In Board Appointment Dispute
A panel of judges has found the makeup of a half dozen of North Carolina's boards and commissions to be unconstitutional. It's a part of an ongoing power struggle between the governor's office and the legislature.
Each of the six commissions is housed in a Cabinet-level agency. The General Assembly selects a majority of the members on each panel and the governor can neither easily remove them nor overturn their actions.
That violates the needed separation of powers, the judges ruled. The court rejected a request by Republican legislative leaders to hold off on a decision until after the November election.
Guilford County School Officials Want Lawmakers To Support Lead Testing
The Guilford County School system plans to ask lawmakers for help with lead testing in their buildings. This comes after elevated levels were found in drinking water at three schools.
District officials continue to flush water lines in some buildings and are determining how many faucets need to be replaced. They believe that was the source of the lead contamination, because the levels significantly dropped once the faucets were changed.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras says the average age for a school building in the district is around 51 years old, and they need help to address the problem.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recently found a similar problem when it tested taps. More than two-dozen schools in the CMS system had high levels of lead contamination in their water.
Prosecutor Who Helped Clear Duke Lacrosse Players Has Died
A state prosecutor who helped exonerate three former Duke lacrosse players after they were accused of sexual assault has died.
James Coman died Thursday from heart disease at a hospice in Raleigh. He was 75. His daughter Kimberly Coman Hunter confirmed the death.
Coman and Mary Winstead were special prosecutors appointed by then-North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper to investigate claims by an escort service dancer. She said the players raped her in 2006.
The case drew national attention and heightened tensions at Duke over race, class and athlete privilege.
Wild Horse Herd Hit By Losses Welcomes New Foal
A herd of wild horses in North Carolina that has suffered a stretch of deaths and banishments has welcomed a new foal.
The chief operating officer of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, Jo Langone, tells The Virginian-Pilot that a mare gave birth to a filly last week. This is the herd's fifth foal this year, though one has died. Langone says the herd has about four foals annually, but another one may be born before the year ends.
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