POLICE SHOOT DRIVER

Police: Officer shot driver who veered toward deputy

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say police officers and sheriff’s deputies shot a driver when he veered toward a deputy on foot as if to strike him. Wilmington police say officers tried to stop a vehicle Wednesday for a traffic offense, but the driver refused to stop. Supervisors terminated a pursuit because of the volume of traffic and a short time later, the vehicle pulled up behind police to follow them. That’s when police say the driver veered toward a New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy on foot as if to strike him and police and deputies fired at the driver, striking him. After a crash, the driver was arrested and taken to a hospital.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUMMER LEARNING

Summer funding helped school districts address disparities

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Even before the pandemic, student experiences over the summer divided heavily on socioeconomic lines. As school districts and community organizations respond to increased demand and need for summer programming, part of that work is focused on overcoming persistent barriers to access for families. An infusion of philanthropic and public funding, including at least $1.2 billion in federal stimulus money, has allowed districts to invest in expanded partnerships with community organizations, to provide support services and to retain staff for the summer to address those challenges.

NEWPORT HEIRESS-DEATH WITNESS

1966 death of heiress’ employee under renewed scrutiny

The 1966 death of a longtime employee of wealthy tobacco and power company heiress Doris Duke is coming under renewed scrutiny because of an eyewitness account that has never before been made public. Vanity Fair on Thursday released a video interview with Bob Walker, who in 1966 was a 13-year-old paperboy and the first person on the scene after Duke struck and killed Eduardo Tirella with a car in Newport, Rhode Island. His description of events does not match up with the official police investigation which determined that the death was an accident. The new information has prompted police to take another look at the case, even though Duke died in 1993.

SPRING BREAK-DEATHS

Murder charges filed in Miami Beach spring break overdoses

MIAMI (AP) — Two North Carolina men accused of raping a tourist who died of an overdose during a spring break trip to Miami Beach are now facing first-degree murder charges. A grand jury in Miami-Dade County returned an indictment Wednesday finding Evoire Collier and Dorian Taylor responsible for the fentanyl-induced death of 24-year-old Christine Englehardt. Prosecutors say the 24-year-old from Richboro, Pennsylvania met the men in South Beach. Her body was found in the Albion Hotel. The grand jury added a murder charge against Taylor for supplying the same opioid to 21-year-old Walter Riley of Chicago. He was found unconscious and died two days after Englehardt.

HOUSE BUDGET

NC House budget writers start unveiling spending proposals

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The mostly behind-the-scenes work of North Carolina House budget writers fashioning a proposed two-year government spending plan is getting unveiled. The House scheduled several subcommittee meetings on Thursday to consider spending and policy items for most government agencies. The meetings mark a key step toward rolling out a complete budget bill and the full House voting on it by the end of next week. The Republican-controlled Senate approved its own plan in June. The two chambers ultimately will have to work out differences to get a final spending plan on Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Cooper wants input on that final plan.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina experts worry as schools don’t require masks

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nearly two in five North Carolina K-12 public school districts are making masks optional for students and staff at the start of the new school year. North Carolina experts who released a frequently cited report showing minimal COVID-19 transmission within K-12 schools are warning of increased learning loss as a result of local school boards’ decisions to defy public health recommendations. COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and test positivity rates are at their worst levels in months. Kids under 12 can’t yet get vaccinated and many eligible young adults are unvaccinated. But 38% of North Carolina’s 116 school boards will allow them to be unmasked. One researcher called this a form of “experimentation.”

SHERIFFS-FELONIES

Bill tightening NC sheriff candidate rejection gets final OK

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina legislature has agreed that people convicted of a felony can’t run for sheriff even if it’s been removed from their criminal records. The House voted on Wednesday to accept Senate changes to a measure that clarifies how to carry out a 2010 addition to North Carolina’s constitution barring convicted felons from running for sheriff. The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Criminal offenders have been able to get some felonies removed from their records for a decade. The bill says a candidate must provide a form confirming the person has no felonies, even if one was expunged.

SPORTS GAMBLING

NC sports betting bill gets winning vote from Senate panel

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation to license and tax sports betting throughout North Carolina has cleared its first Senate committee. The bipartisan legislation approved on a divided voice vote Wednesday would direct the issuance of up to 12 sports wagering operators’ licenses. License fees and a tax on gross revenues would be collected by the state. The bill’s chief sponsor says many people already are wagering on sports through out-of-state betting sites. Sen. Jim Perry says regulating these activities would promote transparency and generate revenues for things like education. Social conservatives argue the bill would be a massive gambling expansion that leads to more gambling addicts.

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