SEXUAL ASSAULT-MAN SENTENCED

North Carolina man gets 26 years for assaulting a child

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina district attorney says a man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting his partner’s daughter more than three years ago. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports the news release from the Durham County District Attorney’s office says 37-year-old Francisco Alvarado was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 28. Alvarado had faced felony charges of taking indecent liberties with a child and statutory rape of a child by an adult. 

REDISTRICTING

NC Congress, state House remaps clear 1 legislative chamber

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Redistricting plans that enlarge North Carolina’s congressional delegation and retool the state House seats have now each cleared one legislative chamber. The House voted along party lines Tuesday for a map that redraws the chamber’s 120 districts, which are based on population changes recorded in the 2020 census. If they withstand litigation, the new boundaries should keep Republicans in a good position to retain the majority they’ve held since 2011. The full Senate also approved a new congressional plan that would seat 14 U.S. House members from the state. Democrats and outside analysis predict that Republicans could win at least 10 of those seats.

BUMGARDNER-REPLACEMENT

NC Democrats walk out to protest Republican joining House

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Dozens of North Carolina House Democrats left the chamber when Republicans seated a new member who has said he was just outside the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection in January. All but a handful of Democratic caucus members left their desks for the exits as Rep. Donnie Loftis of Gaston County took the oath of office Monday evening. Gaston Republican activists picked Loftis to succeed the late Rep. Dana Bumgardner. Loftis has said he had “zero involvement in the rioting” and condemned how others went inside. At least one Democrat said Loftis’ rally participation crossed the line.

SCHOOL BUS CRASH-FATAL

Officials: NC school bus driver dead after crash

ZIRCONIA, N.C. (AP) — School officials in North Carolina say a school bus driver is dead and four students were taken to a hospital after a crash. Henderson County Public Schools officials say the crash happened Tuesday morning when the bus flipped as it traveled on Green River Road in Zirconia. School officials say North Carolina Highway Patrol and medics responded and determined that the driver, Tina Gordon, was dead. Officials say Gordon, a “beloved” bus driver from East Henderson High School, had been with county schools for 10 years. The cause of her death is not yet known. Officials say the four students who were on the bus at the time were taken to local hospitals for observation and evaluation.

GASOLINE SPILL-LAWSUIT

North Carolina agency files motion against Colonial Pipeline

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina state agency says it’s filed a lawsuit seeking to force Colonial Pipeline to meet obligations resulting from a gasoline spill that was found to be far worse than the company initially reported. In a news release, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality says it filed the 29-page lawsuit in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on Monday to force Colonial “to meet their obligations as the responsible party in the state’s largest gasoline spill.” Originally reported as a 273,000-gallon spill, Colonial Pipeline later disclosed the spill involved more than 1 million gallons.

STOLEN MERCHANDISE-THREE ARRESTED

Three women arrested for thefts from two N. Carolina stores

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police say three women were arrested after thefts from two North Carolina stores in which more than $1,600 in merchandise was taken. Asheville police said in a news release on Monday that officers were notified of the theft at a Walmart late Sunday night in which suspects left the store with the merchandise and fled in a vehicle. Police located the car and arrested three women and charged them each with felony larceny. One of the three women was also charged with carrying a concealed gun, while police charged another woman with possession of a stolen vehicle and financial card theft.

FAYETTEVILLE SHOOTINGS

Suspect arrested in shooting death of North Carolina woman

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police say a suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a North Carolina woman. Fayetteville police say in a news release that 22-year-old Dashawn Dominique McCullum of Fayetteville was charged with first-degree murder after he was arrested on Monday at his home without incident by U.S. marshals and a police apprehension team. Just after midnight Sunday, police say 22-year-old Maggie Lashaun Fulmore was found shot to death in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Investigators said there was a disturbance in a vehicle that led to the suspect shooting the victim and leaving her in the parking lot.

MEATPACKING PLANT SHOOTING

Man gets up to 20 years for shooting at NC meatpacking plant

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina prosecutor says a man was sentenced to prison nearly two years after he shot and wounded two people at a meatpacking plant. Bladen County District Attorney Jon David said in a news release that Jaquante Hakeem Williams was sentenced to between 188 months to 250 months in prison on Monday for the attempted murder of two Smithfield Foods Inc. employees. Williams was identified as a contract employee who entered the administrative building in Tar Heel around 12:14 a.m. and shot two workers. Deputies said Williams surrendered after he ran from the plant into a wooded area. 

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