SCHOOLS REPORT

NC judge to hold hearing on education funding order

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Longstanding education funding litigation in North Carolina could reach a watershed if a judge orders money be spent over the wishes of the General Assembly. Superior Court Judge David Lee scheduled a hearing Wednesday in which he’ll consider options on how to carry out two years of a remedial spending plan offered by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the State Board of Education. Plaintiffs in the so-called “Leandro” lawsuit want Lee to direct $1.7 billion to go to three agencies. Republicans who control the legislature say only the General Assembly can appropriate funds in state coffers.  

WILDFIRE-NORTH CAROLINA

Wildfire hits rugged, remote area of North Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Officials say state and local firefighters are trying to get control of a wildfire in a rugged and remote area of North Carolina. The Winston-Salem Journal reports Dakota Paris, a forester for the N.C. Forest Service, says the fire at the southern tip of Sauratown Mountain started sometime early Tuesday morning. It’s not clear what started the wildfire. Jimmy Holt, the Guilford Ranger with the N.C. Forest Service, says controlling the fire will be difficult because of warm, dry weather with low humidity. Holt says firefighters are using rocks and leaf blowers to create a fire line and keep flames from spreading.

JAIL OFFICER ASSAULTED

Another assault on jail officer in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — For the second time in two weeks, a Mecklenburg County jail officer was taken to the hospital after being assaulted. The Charlotte Observer reports the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office says a jail officer saw several inmates playing cards during a housing unit tour and told them to stop and return to their cells. According to the sheriff’s office, one inmate threatened the officer, prompting four other inmates to surround the officer. The sheriff’s office says another inmate threatened the officer, who hit an inmate and sparked a fight. Last week, the sheriff’s office says three jail officers were assaulted by an inmate.

BODY WASHES ASHORE

Officials: Man’s body washes ashore on North Carolina coast

HARKERS ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — The National Park Service says a man’s body has washed ashore on a North Carolina beach. A news release says that the body of 65-year-old Gregory L. Miller of Durham washed up on the north end of South Core Banks on Monday morning. Authorities have not said how Miller died, but noted that he was staying at the Great Island Cabin Camp, which is operated by the park service on Cape Lookout National Seashore. National Park Service rangers and the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office have begun an investigation. 

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY-DEATHS

Two people killed after car crash on Blue Ridge Parkway

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities have begun an investigation after two people were killed in a crash on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Monday. News outlets report the park service says dispatchers received a report around 8 a.m. of a vehicle off the road near Milepost 386. Park service rangers, along with Buncombe County rescue personnel, responded to the scene to find two people dead inside the car. A preliminary investigation shows the car was heading south in a curve when it left the road and hit two trees. The investigation will determine if there are any other contributing factors.

BOOKS-GEORGE FLOYD

George Floyd biography to be published in May 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — Two Washington Post reporters are working on a biography of George Floyd, from his family history in the tobacco fields of North Carolina to his murder last year in Minneapolis by a white police officer. Viking announced that “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice” will come out next May. It’s written by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa. The book expands upon the Post’s six-part series “George Floyd’s America,” which won a Polk award. Olorunnipa said in a statement that Floyd’s gruesome, videotaped death changed the world. 

SHOOTING DEATH-BODY FOUND

North Carolina man shot to death, body found in trunk

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina police department says the body of a man whose family reported him missing was found in the trunk of a vehicle. Durham police say in a news release that the body of 35-year-old Joshua Lamont Johnson of Durham was found around 5:30 p.m. on Monday in a parked vehicle. The news release says Johnson had been shot multiple times, and they believe the shooting occurred elsewhere. Police say Johnson’s family had reported him missing earlier in the day. Investigators say the shooting doesn’t appear to be random, but there have been no arrests so far.  

FATAL SHOOTING-GAS STATION

N. Carolina man shot killed after driving to gas station

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina police department says an unidentified man who was shot to death managed to drive to a nearby gas station for help before he died. A news release from Charlotte-Mecklenburg police says investigators say the shooting occurred on a street on the northern border of the Sugar Creek Community Park on the northeast side of the city. Police say the victim was found around 11:20 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of a gas station on Sugar Creek Road, and a person who saw the man called 911. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.