AP-US-NEWPORT-HEIRESS-DEATH-WITNESS

1966 death of Doris Duke employee an accident, review finds

The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department’s review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke. The city manager in a statement Tuesday said there is no new evidence that would suggest that the death of Eduardo Tirella after he was struck by a car driven by Duke was anything but an accident. The city opened a review into the case in July after a witness who had never before talked to police came forward after reading the book “Homicide at Rough Point,” by Peter Lance, which suggested Duke acted with intent when she struck Tirella.

TOWN’S WATER-CHEMICAL

Officials: Unsafe levels of chemical found in town’s water

PITTSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Officials say tests conducted on a North Carolina town’s water supply found more than double the amount of a potentially cancer-causing chemical that’s considered safe. WRAL-TV reports Since Nov. 8, the town of Pittsboro has been performing almost-daily tests for 1,4-Dioxane after the City of Greensboro warned communities downstream of contamination in the Haw River. At first, town officials reduced the draw from the river in hopes that the contaminated water would flow by. Pittsboro Town Manager Chris Kennedy says it appears the discharge passed without making it into the town’s water treatment plant, but there’s the possibility that it hasn’t. Kennedy says the town will “minimize” the amount of water it draws from the Haw River.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Cooper approves bill formalizing NC prep sports oversight

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has approved a measure that will create a formal agreement between the nonprofit body currently governing North Carolina high school sports and state education leaders. The compromise signed into law Tuesday eases some demands previously advanced by state lawmakers, which the North Carolina High School Athletic Association had fought against. The State Board of Education can now reach a memorandum of understanding with the group to administer and enforce the education board’s requirements for high school sports. The deal needs to be reached by March 15 and last for an initial four years.

ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-CLARK

NC lawmakers John Szoka, Ben Clark launch congressional bids

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic state Sen. Ben Clark and Republican state Rep. John Szoka have announced they’ll run in the state’s 4th Congressional District. Under the newly drawn map by Republicans, the district outside of Raleigh slightly favors the GOP. Clark is competing in the primary against Denton Lee, a high school teacher in Smithfield. Szoka is competing in the GOP primary against ex-Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson and former police officer Christine Villaverde. The district is likely to be one of the most competitive in the general election. Clark proposed congressional boundaries that would have more evenly divided and given the Democrats greater representation in the U.S. House and North Carolina General Assembly.

ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-SMITH

Erica Smith ends US Senate bid, moves to replace Butterfield

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic former state Sen. Erica Smith has announced that she will end her campaign for U.S. Senate and launch a congressional bid to replace Rep. G.K. Butterfield. She expects challenges for her party’s nomination from state Rep. James Gailliard and state Sen. Don Davis. Gailliard declared his candidacy on Monday night and is trying to present himself as the moderate candidate with the best chance to win a general election. Davis has filed paperwork to run in the redrawn northeastern North Carolina congressional district. Smith filed last week but formally announced her run Tuesday. 

INFANT DEATH-MAN SENTENCED

Pennsylvania man sentenced to prison in infant son’s death

CURRITUCK, N.C. (AP) — Officials say a Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to at least five years in prison after pleading guilty in the 2018 death of his 5-month-old son while his family was vacationing in North Carolina. At a Nov. 15 hearing in Currituck County Superior Court, 34-year-old Thomas William Imschweiler of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after entering into an agreement with prosecutors. The plea was first reported by Outer Banks Today. An indictment showed Franklin Thomas Imschweiler suffered head injuries. He died at a hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, in July 2018.

SHOOTINGS-TWO KILLED

2 killed, 2 wounded in shootings near N. Carolina apartments

WARSAW, N.C. (AP) — Police say two people were shot and killed and two others were wounded in a shooting near a North Carolina apartment complex. A news release from the Warsaw Police Department says officers responding to a report of shots fired around 7:45 p.m. found two people with gunshot wounds. Investigators say both people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people at the scene were taken to local hospitals for what police said were non-life-threatening injuries. Warsaw police and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation are looking into the incident, the news release said.  

THANKSGIVING-GROCERY LIMITS

2 Florida-based grocery chains limit some Thanksgiving items

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Two Florida-based grocery chains are limiting the number of items sold to customers ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday. Officials say Publix and Winn-Dixie are placing limits on some items due to the ongoing supply chain issues. Lakeland, Florida-based Publix operates nearly 1,300 stores across seven states in the Southeast.  Jacksonville, Florida-based Winn-Dixie has stores in five Southern states. Last week, Publix began limiting customers to two each of key Thanksgiving items including canned cranberry sauce, pie filling, jarred gravy, cream cheese and bacon. Winn-Dixie is limiting turkeys to one per customer. 

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