Morning News Briefs: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017

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North Carolina Constitution Proposal Would Remove Secession Ban

Some Republican lawmakers have offered amendments to the North Carolina Constitution that would remove a provision prohibiting the state's secession from the U.S. and eliminate a reference to the federal government.

One measure seeks to remove language that says the state "shall ever remain a member of the American union." The other bill focuses on language stating a citizen owes paramount allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and U.S. government. That proposal would eliminate the reference to the government.

Governor Objects As Senate Schedules Confirmation Meeting

The Republican-led North Carolina Senate is moving ahead with confirmation for a member of Democrat Roy Cooper's Cabinet, even though the governor argues doing so would violate a court order.

A Senate committee was scheduled Wednesday to consider qualifications for Larry Hall, Cooper's secretary for military and veterans' affairs.

North Carolina Dems Want US High Court To Drop Voting Law Review

North Carolina's new Democratic governor and attorney general say they are ending state efforts to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a GOP-backed voter ID law that was struck down by a lower court, but Republican lawmakers say they will continue pushing for the high court's review.

Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory last year asked the Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling that the elections law was unconstitutional because it targeted minority voters with "almost surgical precision" to discourage Democratic support and protect Republican dominance.

Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein said Tuesday they're withdrawing the petition for a high court review.

Bill To Punish Local Governments For 'Sanctuary' Policies Heard

North Carolina lawmakers are considering again whether to punish local governments if they don't comply with federal immigration law or have policies discouraging the collection of information about someone's immigration status.

Several House Republicans have filed legislation that would direct state officials to withhold pots of tax money distributed to municipal and county governments that don't follow a 2015 state law prohibiting what are known as "sanctuary" policies.

Greensboro Adds $100,000 To Police Patrol Funding

The City of Greensboro is devoting more money toward increased police patrols in crime hot spots.

City Council on Tuesday voted to move $100,000 to an account funding the police department's new Violent Crime Initiative.

Fox8 News reports that officers will be focusing on six areas around the city where the majority of crime is happening.

Chief Wayne Scott says officers will be patrolling those areas on foot and bike, and making their presence known as part of the department's Neighborhood Oriented Policing policy.

Scott says the officers should be on the streets sometime in March.

Alorica Adding 600 Jobs In High Point

A global call and customer service company is expanding in High Point, bringing hundreds of new jobs to the Triad.

Officials with Alorica say they will add 600 full-time jobs at their call center in High Point. This comes after Alorica said it was adding 800 jobs to the area in November.

Gov. Roy Cooper made the announcement alongside city leaders from Greensboro and High Point.

California-based Alorica employs more than 100,000 people worldwide.

Lowe's Announces Layoffs For More Than 500 Full-Time Workers

Home improvement retailer Lowe's has announced its second round of layoffs in just over a month, saying more than 500 full-time corporate employees company-wide will lose their jobs.

Lowe's announced Tuesday that 430 workers at its headquarters in Mooresville would be laid off. In addition, 70 support staffers in Wilkesboro and about 25 corporate support positions in other facilities across the U.S. would lose their jobs.

Meanwhile, the company said Lowe's will post more than 100 new positions at its corporate offices in Mooresville and will add at least 600 full-time customer-support and central production office positions in Wilkes County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.