RACIAL INJUSTICE-BUILDING RENAMED

NC college removes name of white supremacist from building

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina women’s college says it’s renaming a building named for a white supremacist who supported unequal funding for schools based on race. The board of trustees of Meredith College in Raleigh voted at a meeting last month to rename Joyner Hall after finding out about the background of James Yadkin Joyner. In addition to the renaming of Joyner Hall, the board endorsed placing signs with QR codes on each campus building to provide historical context about all of the individuals for whom the buildings are currently named.

FELONS-VOTING-NORTH CAROLINA

Ruling permitting more NC offenders to vote blocked for now

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court has temporarily blocked enforcement of a ruling by trial judges that declared people convicted of felonies can vote while serving probation or parole. The Court of Appeals issued a stay of the ruling, which struck down a 1973 law about when voting rights are restored. A trial judge panel last week said offenders on probation or being supervised after completing any prison time should be registered to vote if they apply. Tuesday’s order will give the appeals court time to examine the case. Ex-offenders and civil rights groups have asked the state Supreme Court to take over the litigation.

WILD HORSE DOMESTICATED

Wild horse in NC to be domesticated after tourists took it

HARKERS ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — Officials at a national park say a newborn wild horse will be raised as a domesticated animal after well-meaning tourists took it with them as they left a North Carolina barrier island. The Cape Lookout National Seashore said the foal followed a group of visitors on Shackleford Banks for two hours on March 26 with no other horses around. The park said the visitors were worried the newborn would drown, so they lifted it into their boat and left. The tourists were cited for removing the horse, and the park says it’s working with them to assist with educational opportunities and service projects to benefit the banks and its horses.

QVC FACILITY FIRE

QVC won’t rebuild NC distribution center destroyed by fire

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — QVC will not rebuild a North Carolina distribution center destroyed in December blaze that also killed a worker. WRAL-TV reports that the company said in a statement Tuesday that it made the decision not to rebuild the facility built more than 20 years ago after months of assessment and careful consideration. The company says it may lease or sell the land. About 75% of the QVC facility was destroyed in the Dec. 18 blaze that killed a 21-year-old worker. In January, the company that runs QVC announced it was shutting down the center, putting nearly 2,000 people out of work. Authorities have offered a $20,000 reward for information on the fire.

AP-US-SMOKY-MOUNTAIN-PARK-FEES

Smoky Mountains seeks parking fees, campsite rate increases

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park wants to start charging parking fees and increase rates for campsites, day-use cabin rentals and picnic pavilions. The park says the changes, which include a $5 daily parking fee, would be effective next year. The park says visits have increased 57% over the past decade and has taken a toll on facilities. It says additional revenue from the changes would allow the park to address renovations, law enforcement staffing challenges and services including trail maintenance and trash removal. The park is seeking public comment through May 7 and has scheduled a virtual public meeting on April 14 to discuss the proposals.

OFFICER SHOOTS PERSON

Police: NC officer on armed person call shot, wounded person

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say an officer responding to a report of an armed person chasing someone shot and wounded a person. News outlets report that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings says that the initial call involved someone chasing another person with a firearm. Police say an officer encountered a person at Annabelle Place in Charlotte early Wednesday, then discharged his service weapon, striking the person in the leg. Police say the injured person was taken to a hospital with an injury that was not considered life-threatening. Officials say the officer will be placed on routine paid administrative leave. Jennings couldn’t confirm that the person shot by the officer was one of the people referenced in the 911 call.

30-YEAR-OLD MURDER CASE

Mississippi man extradited in 30-year-old murder case

DOBSON, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a Mississippi man arrested for the murder of a woman whose body was found on an interstate 30 years ago has been extradited to North Carolina. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation says 71-year-old Warren Luther Alexander was arrested March 15 in Diamondhead, Mississippi, as a result of a joint investigation by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the SBI. A news release says Alexander was extradited on March 27 and is jailed without bond. Alexander is charged with murder in the 1992 death of Nona Stamey Cobb, who was 29 when her body was found in the northbound lane of Interstate 77 on the morning of July 7, 1992.

AP-US-CLIMATE-CHANGE-BLACKOUTS-ABRIDGED

Storms batter aging power grid as climate disasters spread

Power outages from severe weather have doubled over the past two decades across the U.S. as a warming climate stirs more destructive storms. An Associated Press analysis found the number of outages tied to severe weather rose from about 50 annually nationwide in the early 2000s to more than 100 annually on average over the past five years. The weather disasters fueled by climate change now roll across the U.S. year-round, battering the nation’s aging electric grid. The resulting blackouts can be harmful and even deadly for the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable communities.

C college removes name of white supremacist from building

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina women’s college says it’s renaming a building named for a white supremacist who supported unequal funding for schools based on race. The board of trustees of Meredith College in Raleigh voted at a meeting last month to rename Joyner Hall after finding out about the background of James Yadkin Joyner. In addition to the renaming of Joyner Hall, the board endorsed placing signs with QR codes on each campus building to provide historical context about all of the individuals for whom the buildings are currently named.

FELONS-VOTING-NORTH CAROLINA

Ruling permitting more NC offenders to vote blocked for now

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court has temporarily blocked enforcement of a ruling by trial judges that declared people convicted of felonies can vote while serving probation or parole. The Court of Appeals issued a stay of the ruling, which struck down a 1973 law about when voting rights are restored. A trial judge panel last week said offenders on probation or being supervised after completing any prison time should be registered to vote if they apply. Tuesday’s order will give the appeals court time to examine the case. Ex-offenders and civil rights groups have asked the state Supreme Court to take over the litigation.

WILD HORSE DOMESTICATED

Wild horse in NC to be domesticated after tourists took it

HARKERS ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — Officials at a national park say a newborn wild horse will be raised as a domesticated animal after well-meaning tourists took it with them as they left a North Carolina barrier island. The Cape Lookout National Seashore said the foal followed a group of visitors on Shackleford Banks for two hours on March 26 with no other horses around. The park said the visitors were worried the newborn would drown, so they lifted it into their boat and left. The tourists were cited for removing the horse, and the park says it’s working with them to assist with educational opportunities and service projects to benefit the banks and its horses.

QVC FACILITY FIRE

QVC won’t rebuild NC distribution center destroyed by fire

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — QVC will not rebuild a North Carolina distribution center destroyed in December blaze that also killed a worker. WRAL-TV reports that the company said in a statement Tuesday that it made the decision not to rebuild the facility built more than 20 years ago after months of assessment and careful consideration. The company says it may lease or sell the land. About 75% of the QVC facility was destroyed in the Dec. 18 blaze that killed a 21-year-old worker. In January, the company that runs QVC announced it was shutting down the center, putting nearly 2,000 people out of work. Authorities have offered a $20,000 reward for information on the fire.

AP-US-SMOKY-MOUNTAIN-PARK-FEES

Smoky Mountains seeks parking fees, campsite rate increases

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park wants to start charging parking fees and increase rates for campsites, day-use cabin rentals and picnic pavilions. The park says the changes, which include a $5 daily parking fee, would be effective next year. The park says visits have increased 57% over the past decade and has taken a toll on facilities. It says additional revenue from the changes would allow the park to address renovations, law enforcement staffing challenges and services including trail maintenance and trash removal. The park is seeking public comment through May 7 and has scheduled a virtual public meeting on April 14 to discuss the proposals.

OFFICER SHOOTS PERSON

Police: NC officer on armed person call shot, wounded person

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say an officer responding to a report of an armed person chasing someone shot and wounded a person. News outlets report that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings says that the initial call involved someone chasing another person with a firearm. Police say an officer encountered a person at Annabelle Place in Charlotte early Wednesday, then discharged his service weapon, striking the person in the leg. Police say the injured person was taken to a hospital with an injury that was not considered life-threatening. Officials say the officer will be placed on routine paid administrative leave. Jennings couldn’t confirm that the person shot by the officer was one of the people referenced in the 911 call.

30-YEAR-OLD MURDER CASE

Mississippi man extradited in 30-year-old murder case

DOBSON, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a Mississippi man arrested for the murder of a woman whose body was found on an interstate 30 years ago has been extradited to North Carolina. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation says 71-year-old Warren Luther Alexander was arrested March 15 in Diamondhead, Mississippi, as a result of a joint investigation by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the SBI. A news release says Alexander was extradited on March 27 and is jailed without bond. Alexander is charged with murder in the 1992 death of Nona Stamey Cobb, who was 29 when her body was found in the northbound lane of Interstate 77 on the morning of July 7, 1992.

AP-US-CLIMATE-CHANGE-BLACKOUTS-ABRIDGED

Storms batter aging power grid as climate disasters spread

Power outages from severe weather have doubled over the past two decades across the U.S. as a warming climate stirs more destructive storms. An Associated Press analysis found the number of outages tied to severe weather rose from about 50 annually nationwide in the early 2000s to more than 100 annually on average over the past five years. The weather disasters fueled by climate change now roll across the U.S. year-round, battering the nation’s aging electric grid. The resulting blackouts can be harmful and even deadly for the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable communities.