North Carolina News – November 19

North Carolina News – November 19

ELECTION 2022-VOTING BILLS

Earlier NC absentee vote receipt deadline goes to Cooper

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republicans have pushed a bill through the legislature that would prohibit the counting of mail-in absentee ballots not received by Election Day. The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is likely to veto it. Current law allows ballot envelopes postmarked by the day of the election to count if received within a three-day grace period. The bill that cleared the General Assembly with a House vote Thursday would require ballots be turned in by 7:30 p.m. of the day of the general or primary election. Two other election-related measures also advanced through the House on Thursday.

STATE BUDGET

N Carolina budget gets final OK, quickly signed by Cooper

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A final North Carolina budget bill is now law after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed it almost as soon as the legislature placed it on his desk. The General Assembly gave its final approval on Thursday to a two-year state spending plan with a vote in the House. The Senate gave its final OK on Wednesday. The bill passed by wide margins in large part to the fact that Cooper announced this week he’d sign the measure into law, saying the good inside outweighed the items he disliked. There were several weeks of negotiations between House Speaker Tim Moore, Senate leader Phil Berger and Cooper.

ELECTION 2022-NORTH CAROLINA-BUTTERFIELD

Democrat Rep. Butterfield to retire, new district is toss-up

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina congressman G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat, has announced he’ll retire from Congress next year after Republican-drawn map put him in a toss-up district. Butterfield is the second Democratic North Carolina congressman to decide against a reelection bid. Rep. David Price announced last month he wouldn’t run. Butterfield made his announcement Thursday. He has represented northeastern North Carolina in the U.S. House since 2004 and is a former head of the Congressional Black Caucus. The congressional boundaries could still get struck down in court as Democrats and voting rights groups argue that Republicans created racial gerrymanders and drew lines for pure partisan gain.

SEXUAL ABUSE-PRIEST-LAWSUIT

North Carolina diocese, priest named in sexual abuse lawsuit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina diocese and a former priest have been named in a lawsuit alleging child sexual abuse involving a boy at an elementary school that spanned four years. The lawsuit was filed in Mecklenburg County by attorneys representing the plaintiff, who is identified only as John Doe J.C. Among those named as defendants are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools and the Rev. Francis P. Gillespie. The lawsuit accuses Gillespie of regularly sexually assaulting the boy in the church sacristy after gaining his trust. The lawsuit says the assaults began sometime in the 1996-1997 school year and continued through the 1999-2000 school year,

DOG FIGHTING-MAN SENTENCED

N. Carolina man sent to prison on dog fighting, gun charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials say a North Carolina man was sentenced to 75 months in prison for his part in a dog fighting operation and having a firearm as a convicted felon. A news release from the U.S. Department of Justice says 26-year-old Delontay Moore of Concord pleaded guilty on July 8 to conspiracy to commit dog fighting offenses and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Moore was sentenced on Wednesday. In February, agents seized 25 dogs from Moore which showed evidence of having been in dog fights as well as suffering from gross neglect. Authorities say he was also in possession of an AR-15.

FATAL ROAD RAGE CRASH

2 North Carolina men arrested after fatal road rage crash

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Police say two North Carolina men face charges in connection with what police describe as a road rage incident which led to a three-car crash that killed a man. Wilmington police said in a news release that officers arrested 25-year-old Thomas James Blyth and 43-year-old William Riley Gates. Both are charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless operation, and exceeding the posted speed. An investigation showed the two men were involved in a road rage incident on Nov. 7 that killed 79-year-old Peter Anstatt.Blyth and Gates are each jailed on a $100,000 secured bond

FRAUD SCHEME-FOUR SENTENCED

Four North Carolina men sentenced to prison for bank fraud

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal authorities say four North Carolina men have been sentenced to prison in connection with a scheme that used stolen identities to secure bank loans and purchase electronics. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of North Carolina, citing court documents and a sentencing hearing, the defendants obtained multiple identities which they used to apply for automobile and personal loans as well as cell phones and tablets. According to prosecutors, the co-conspirators tried to secure more than $1 million in fraudulent loans and merchandise. All four men are from Charlotte.

BEER-ICE CREAM-BREAK-IN

Police: Restaurant break-in suspect consumed beer, ice cream

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officers with a North Carolina police department appeared to have no trouble finding the suspect in a break-in, possibly because he had a stomach ache. Asheville police say in a news release that patrol officers apprehended the man who broke into a downtown restaurant on Monday and apparently helped himself to some beer and ice cream. According to a news release, officers responded to a business on Patton Avenue after a report of a forcible breaking and entering. The officers found open alcohol containers, and after a brief investigation, they found the suspect nearby.  

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