SEVERE WEATHER-NORTH CAROLINA
Severe weather topples wall at North Carolina facility
Officials say a wall at a North Carolina distribution center was toppled by a severe storm on Friday, but none of the 30 workers inside the facility was hurt. News outlets report emergency officials in Orange County say high winds knocked down the wall at the Gildan Distribution Center in Mebane. The emergency officials couldn’t be reached for additional comment on Friday evening. The weather service also reported half-dollar-sized hail and 60 mph wind gusts near Raleigh-Durham International Airport just before 4 p.m., but there were no immediate reports of damages.
FELONS-VOTING-NORTH CAROLINA
NC Supreme Court taking over appeal on voting by offenders
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Supreme Court is taking over now the appeals in a lawsuit seeking to change when felony offenders can vote again. The justices agreed Friday to a motion from ex-offenders and civil rights groups asking the state’s highest court to review the case before the Court of Appeals gets too involved. That likely means a sooner final outcome over the future of a 1973 law that prevents someone convicted of a felony from having voting rights restored while still on probation or parole. Trial judges struck down this restriction in March, but right now registration requests for these offenders are being held.
SUPREME COURT-CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
NC Supreme Court won’t hear case of Rev. Barber’s conviction
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highest court has refused to hear the appeal of a civil rights leader convicted of trespassing during a 2017 demonstration inside the Legislative Building. The state Supreme Court announced on Friday it had denied the request of the Rev. William Barber II for the justices to review his case and his 2019 trial. It appears to mean Barber’s second-degree trespass conviction is final. A jury found Barber guilty after he led a call-and-response chant with others outside Senate leader Phil Berger’s office. A Court of Appeals panel upheld the conviction in December. Barber said he had the right to “instruct” legislators.
INMATE DEATH
Man held at NC jail dies after ‘medical emergency’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A man being held in a North Carolina jail has died after what a sheriff’s office calls a “medical emergency.” The Charlotte Observer reports that a news release says a detention officer at the Mecklenburg County jail called in the emergency just after 10 a.m. on Thursday in the infirmary, where 33-year-old Derrick Geter was being kept. Geter was pronounced dead at a hospital at around 11:30 a.m. Jail officials did not provide a cause of death, citing privacy laws. Geter is the third person to die in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in 2022. The newspaper reports three inmates died last year.
MURDER CHARGE-FAMILY MEMBERS
North Carolina man arrested in deaths of family members
KINSTON, N.C. (AP) — Police say a North Carolina man has been arrested in the slayings of two family members. News outlets report Kinston police apprehended 34-year-old Lawrence Cox Jr. in Goldsboro on Thursday night. Cox is charged with murder in the deaths of 78-year-old Ruby Cox and 57-year-old Johnny Rouse. Police did not say how the three were related. Officers were called to a location early Thursday in response to a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Rouse and Ruby Cox dead. Police said tips led investigators to identify Lawrence Cox as the suspect.
PEOPLE-DABABY HOME-SHOOTING
Police: No charges in shooting at rapper DaBaby’s house
STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police say no charges will be filed in a shooting at the North Carolina home of rapper DaBaby. News outlets report Troutman police said on social media on Thursday that the investigation into the April 13 shooting has been completed. According to the post, investigators consulted with the Iredell County District Attorney’s Office in determining no charges will be filed. Troutman Police Chief Josh Watson told The Associated Press at the time that DaBaby and at least one other person were at the home when the shooting happened on the evening of April 13. Watson wouldn’t say who was shot or who did the shooting. The unidentified victim suffered wounds that were not life-threatening.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-STATE EMPLOYEES
NC state employees getting extra day off for booster shot
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state employees will be getting an extra day of vacation for receiving a COVID-19 booster. Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order Wednesday that provides the leave to workers whose Cabinet-level agencies report to him. The extra time off will be given to those who have already received the first COVID-19 booster or those who show documentation by Aug. 31 of receiving one. Cooper also announced that agencies are pausing a policy that began last September in which unvaccinated employees would have to be tested at least weekly. It still may apply to workers in health care facilities or prisons.
BOYFRIEND-FATAL SHOOTING
North Carolina woman charged in boyfriend’s shooting death
ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say a woman has been jailed in the shooting death of her boyfriend inside a home. News outlets report Roanoke Rapids police said in a statement that officers received a call around 1:05 a.m. Thursday that indicated a man had been shot in the chest. When officers arrived, they found 19-year-old Robert Jenkins lying on the floor with a gunshot wound in the upper chest. Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation led to police charging 22-year-old Emoni Alston with voluntary manslaughter. Alston is being held under a $20,000 in the Halifax County jail.
