RACIAL INJUSTICE-UNC BUILDINGS RENAMED
UNC-Chapel Hill to rename dormitory, student affairs office
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The flagship school of North Carolina’s university system is renaming a residence hall and a student affairs office long named for people tied to white supremacy. On Friday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will dedicate the Hortense McClinton Residence Hall and the Henry Owl Building in an on-campus ceremony. McClinton became UNC’s first Black faculty member in 1966. Owl was the first Native American to enroll at the university, as a graduate student in history in 1928. The buildings had been named for North Carolina Gov. Charles B. Adcock and Ku Klux Klan member Julian Carr, who promoted violence to terrorize Black voters at the turn of the 20th Century.
WIND-ENERGY-LEASE-CAROLINAS
2 companies bid $315M to develop wind power off Carolinas
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of the Interior says two energy companies bid a combined $315 million in an auction for the rights to produce power from wind energy in two areas off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. TotalEnergies Renewables USA paid a reported $160 million for 54,937 acres off the coast. Duke Energy Renewables Wind bid $155 million for 55,154 acres. Specifically, the sites are 50 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and about 30 miles south of Bald Head Island in North Carolina. If fully developed, the leasescould result in about1.3 gigawattsof offshore wind energy, enough to power about 500,000homes.
STATE BUDGET-COOPER
NC governor reveals what he wants to do with $6.2B surplus
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has proposed how he’d like lawmakers to adjust the second year of a two-year state government budget that got signed into law just six months ago. The Democratic governor unveiled his ideas Wednesday at a news conference. He would spend or earmark much of a projected $6.2 billion surplus to address further a host of needs like building construction, education inequities, affordable housing and worker retention. There would also be higher pay for state employees and teachers beyond what the enacted budget already directs. The spending is likely to breed skepticism among legislative Republicans. The General Assembly reconvenes next week.
CHILDREN DEATHS-NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina sees increase in child homicides, suicides
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A task force is reporting that the number of North Carolina children who died by either homicide or suicide has more than doubled over the past decade. The state Child Fatality Task Force’s report said that in 2020, 92 children died as a result of homicide, making it the leading cause of death for that age group. News outlets report homicide was the second-leading cause of death among children aged 1 to 4. Also in 2020, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death for children with 56 deaths.
COMMERCIAL FLIGHT-SEXUAL ASSAULT
North Carolina man gets 10 months for sex assault on flight
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl during a flight on a commercial airliner last year. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley says in a news release that Ryan Eugene Larned of Fayetteville was also sentenced to five years’ supervised release and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine for sexual contact without consent. Larned also will have to register as a sex offender. On a flight between Charlotte and Raleigh, Larned was seated next to a teenager, who was flying alone. Prosecutors say Larned put his coat over the teen and himself, then reached into her pants. The teen immediately reported the assault.
SCHOOL BUS CRASH
Officials: 17 hurt in crash involving school bus, dump truck
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say a crash involving a school bus and a dump truck left 17 people injured. News outlets report that officials said the crash happened Wednesday in Charlotte when a bus headed to South Mecklenburg High School was involved in a crash with a dump truck and another car. Medic and school officials say one person had life-threatening injuries and another had serious injuries, but the 15 children aboard the bus suffered minor injuries. Charlotte Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Gerin says it took firefighters about 30 minutes to free the bus driver and an hour to free the dump truck driver.
WINSTON-SALEM SHOOTINGS
Police: Shots fired at church, in front of police station
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say two people were shot and wounded after someone fired at a church in North Carolina, and another person shot at a car while it was at a police station. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Winston-Salem police said that shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, officers were called to a church where a large group had gathered. One or more people fired a gun multiple times, but a police statement didn’t specify whether the gunfire occurred inside or outside the church. Investigators said a 19-year-old who left the church and drove to a police substation was pursued by another vehicle. Someone in the pursuing vehicle shot into the 19-year-old’s car while it was at the police station..
AP-US-CONGRESS-CRYPTO-LOBBYING
Crypto comes to Washington. Will the millions buy influence?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cryptocurrency tycoons are emerging as new power players in American politics. They’re pouring millions of dollars into primary elections as they try to gain influence over lawmakers and other government officials. It’s those lawmakers and officials who’ll write laws or craft regulations overseeing the cryptocurrency industry. This year, for the first time, industry executives have flooded money into federal races, regardless of party. Records and interviews show them spending $20 million so far. Cryptocurrencies are a digital asset that can be traded over the internet without relying on the global banking system. They’re highly speculative and often lack transparency.
