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Winston-Salem Chamber Collaborates To Define City's Brand
The Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce is collaborating with two other groups to define what it means to live and work in Winston-Salem. Their aim is to recruit businesses to the city.
The Chamber and Winston Salem Business Inc. have teamed up with New York-based consulting group Development Counsellors International on the project. They're also working with local nonprofits and business owners to determine what about Winston-Salem is attractive to outside businesses and what strategies to use to bring them here.
The chamber has also been talking with city officials and looking at ways to break down economic barriers to disrupt the cycle of poverty that many in the city face. The Chamber CEO Mark Owens says creating more job opportunities could help citizens thrive.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Wants Rate Cuts
North Carolina's largest health insurer says it's figured out how to make money after six years of selling subsidized policies under the Affordable Care Act and wants to cut average premiums by more than 5 percent for individuals and 3 percent for small businesses.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said Wednesday it's asking regulatory permission to set the lower rates for 2020.
The company also cut prices this year on individual plans offered under the federal "Obamacare" law.
Appeals Court Allows Lawsuit In 1983 Killing To Move Forward
A federal appeals court has denied a request by North Carolina police officers to throw out a lawsuit filed by two brothers who spent decades behind bars after being wrongfully convicted in the 1983 killing of an 11-year-old girl.
Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were convicted of rape and murder in the death of Sabrina Buie in Red Springs, North Carolina. The intellectually disabled brothers spent years on death row before being cleared by DNA evidence linking another man to the crime. They were released in 2014 and later pardoned.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that their lawsuit alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and other claims can move forward and be decided by a jury.
Investigators: Accumulating Natural Gas Led To House Blast
Investigators say natural gas accumulated in a house in North Carolina for several days before a fatal explosion.
The Charlotte Fire Department says the gas ignited within a few minutes of the residents entering the house on July 2, killing 58-year-old Rania Karam. Her husband, Jebran Karam, called 911 about the explosion and helped firefighters once they arrived. Investigators said the couple had been on vacation.
While the explosion has been deemed accidental, a task force says investigators haven't found the source of the leak or what may have ignited it.
Sheriff's Office Denies Discrimination Claims In Lawsuit
A North Carolina sheriff's office is asking a federal court to throw out a lawsuit claiming in part that a supervisor used a slur against a biracial deputy and pointed a gun at his head.
Beaufort Sheriff Ernie Coleman and four others were sued by Dominic Franks, who claimed in his lawsuit that supervisor William Ragland pointed his loaded service weapon at his head, called him a slur and "monkey boy," and made fun of his hair. Franks said the behavior continued despite his complaints up the chain of command, and he was unfairly disciplined, leading to his resignation.
An attorney for the sheriff's office, Christopher Geis, said Franks was fired for "bizarre and unstable behavior, and fabricated allegations" and engaged in "possibly criminal behavior in retaliation against former colleagues."
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