MARINES KILLED-VEHICLE CRASH
2 Marines dead, 17 hurt in truck rollover near Camp Lejeune
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say two U.S. Marines were killed and 17 others injured when the 7-ton truck they were riding in overturned near their North Carolina base. The State Highway Patrol said the truck was making a right turn onto a highway Wednesday afternoon when it lost control and overturned. A highway patrol spokesman, Lt. Devin Rich, said indications were that the truck was traveling too fast for the turn. The patrol says 17 Marines aboard the truck were ejected. It said a second vehicle trailing the truck hit one of those passengers. The accident occurred a few miles away from Camp Lejeune.
WINTER WEATHER-EMERGENCY DECLARATION
North Carolina governor declares emergency ahead of new snow
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency on Wednesday, the second one in as many weeks, in advance of another forecast of winter weather that will cover the snow and sleet that fell last week. While the most significant precipitation fell on central and western counties, the governor’s office cites forecasts that call for several inches of snow from the Research Triangle area and to the northeast toward the coast. Up to a half-inch of ice is expected in southeastern counties, raising the possibility of power outages due to accumulation on power lines.
REDISTRICTING-PRIMARY DELAY
In divided votes, NC legislature OK’s another primary delay
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly has agreed to delay the state’s already postponed primaries for U.S. Senate, House, the legislature and other positions by another three weeks. But the odds for the delay becoming law appear long after no Democrats voted for the legislation on Wednesday. And Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says lawmakers should leave the decision to the state Supreme Court while it reviews new redistricting maps. The state’s highest court already delayed the March primary to May 17 to let redistricting lawsuits be heard. Republicans say they want the primary postponed again to June 7 to reduce confusion whenever the court rules.
MURPHY-WAYS AND MEANS
N. Carolina Rep. Murphy joins powerful Ways and Means panel
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy has joined the House’s powerful tax-writing committee. Murphy’s appointment to the Ways and Means Committee was announced Wednesday. The Pitt County Republican joined the House in 2019, succeeding the late Rep. Walter Jones Jr. The panel considers tax legislation, including provisions on tariffs and U.S. debt, as well as revenue associated with programs like Social Security and Medicare. Murphy will be the lone North Carolina member on the committee and will serve on the health care and oversight subcommittees. The appointment fills a vacancy resulting from the resignation of Rep. Devin Nunes of California.
NURSING HOME DEATHS
Police: 2 dead at short-staffed NC long-term care facility
THOMASVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say two patients were found dead at a short-staffed long-term care facility amid last weekend’s winter storm after residents requested a welfare check. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the Thomasville police report says two more patients were found in critical condition Sunday at the Pine Ridge Health & Rehabilitation Center and taken to hospitals. The report states officers determined that there was inadequate staffing, with three staffers for 98 patients. Capt. Brad Saintsing says the weather and road conditions contributed to the inadequate staffing. The newspaper couldn’t immediately reach officials with Principle LTC, which, according to its website, operates 56 centers in North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
TRAFFIC CRASH-BABY KILLED
3-month-old girl killed in crash on I-85 in North Carolina
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 3-month-old girl died when she was ejected from a car during a crash on Interstate 85 in North Carolina. News outlets report the Durham Police Department says the crash occurred in the northbound lanes around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday when a car driven by 39-year-old Shanelle Johnson, 39, of Raleigh, tried to merge into the far left lane from the far right lane. Johnson tried to pass another car, but hit its left rear corner, causing her car to overturn several times before coming to rest upright in the far left lane. A 4-year-old in the car was hospitalized with critical injuries.
FALSE TAX RETURNS
2 North Carolina tax preparers sentenced in filing scheme
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says two North Carolina tax preparers have pleaded guilty to charges that they prepared fraudulent tax returns with an estimated loss to the government of $1.5 million. Court documents say Whitney Danielle Sales owned and operated a tax preparation business in Durham, and from 2014 to 2018 she and fellow tax return preparer Janelle Marie Corley prepared returns that claimed false education credits or manipulated the clients’ income to qualify for larger earned income tax credits. In addition to their preparation of false client returns, Sales and Corley also filed false personal income tax returns.
MOTHER SHOT-SON CHARGED
Police charge North Carolina man in mother’s shooting death
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina have accused a man of fatally shooting his mother and trying to leave the scene. News outlets report Concord police officers arrived at a home at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday to assist Cabarrus County paramedics who had been called for a medical-related incident. As emergency workers were leaving the home, multiple gunshots were heard coming from the home, police said. The officers then encountered 24-year-old Ya-Qway Jayshawn Sawyer as he tried to leave. Officers detained Sawyer and began a search of the house, where they found Sawyer’s mother, Katrina Renee Smith, dead in her bathroom with multiple gunshot wounds. Sawyer is jailed without bond on a murder charge.
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