Man sentenced to 8 years for trafficking carfentanil

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a man convicted last year of trafficking a drug used to tranquilize animals has been sentenced to eight years in prison. U.S. Attorney Dena J. King says in a news release that Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Perez also was sentenced on Wednesday to three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute carfentanil and aiding and abetting. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, carfentanil is a synthetic opioid generally used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. Officials say it’s approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

MONEY LAUNDERING-FORT BRAGG WORKERS

Ex-Fort Bragg worker gets 3 years for taking bribes

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a North Carolina man who worked at Fort Bragg has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for bribery and money laundering related to government contracts. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in a news release that Calvin Alfonza Jordan, who pleaded guilty to receiving bribes, was sentenced Wednesday. Jordan was a procurement agent assigned to the Operations and Maintenance Division, Directorate of Public Works at Fort Bragg. Court documents showed that from 2011 into 2019, Jordan used his position as a procurement agent to receive bribes of approximately $200 per order from various vendors. Prosecutors estimate Jordan received $773,600 in illegal bribes.

ELECTION 2022-LEGISLATURE

Several incumbents lose N. Carolina legislative primaries

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Several state legislators won’t be returning to the North Carolina General Assembly next January after primary losses on Tuesday. And former lawmakers trying to get back to the House or Senate had mixed results. Seven incumbents lost in primaries for seats in their current chamber. And two current House members lost Senate primaries. Those who failed to win include Sen. Deanna Ballard of Watauga County and Reps. Jamie Boles of Moore County and David Rogers of Rutherford County. Several primary races involved pairs of Republican incumbents drawn together by redistricting. At least five former lawmakers won legislative primaries.

SESSION RECONVENES

North Carolina legislature gavels in annual work session

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly has returned to Raleigh for its traditional budget-adjustment work session, but lawmakers aren’t getting out of the blocks quickly. The House and Senate gaveled in and out sparsely attended floor sessions at midday Wednesday. Republican leaders say neither committee meetings nor recorded votes will occur this week. The chief job for lawmakers is to approve changes to the second year of the already-enacted two-year budget. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper made recommendations last week. Republican leaders want to complete their work around July 1. House Speaker Tim Moore says medical marijuana legislation likely wouldn’t be considered by his chamber until 2023.

BC-US-ELECTION-2022-TAKEAWAYS

Takeaways: Election denier wins, bad behavior dooms Cawthorn

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s influence was enough to elevate his Senate candidate to victory in North Carolina on Tuesday. His pick in Pennsylvania remained in a tough fight in that state’s Senate primary. In a key congressional race, a Republican congressman’s bad behavior finally caught up with him. And in the Pennsylvania governor’s race, a Trump-backed candidate who has spread lies about the 2020 vote count won the GOP nomination, putting an election denier within striking distance of running a presidential battleground state in 2024.

AP-US-BEACH-HOLE-WARNINGS-NORTH-CAROLINA

Deep beach holes are dangerous, Outer Banks town warns

Officials in a North Carolina town on the Outer Banks are pleading with beachgoers to think twice before digging deep holes on the beach. They posted a warning on Facebook on Tuesday just hours before a man died at a New Jersey beach when a hole collapsed on him. The town of Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks posted a picture of ocean rescue supervisor David Elder standing in a large hole that he said was as much as 7 feet deep. Elder says because the ocean water is cold, beachgoers tend to look for “alternate entertainment” — such as digging holes.

ELECTION 2022-CHARLOTTE-CANNON

Ex-Charlotte Mayor Cannon doesn’t advance in council primary

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon has come up short in his bid to return to municipal office, years after he was sent to prison for accepting bribes. Election results show Cannon finished last in a six-candidate race in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for at-large seats on the Charlotte City Council. The top four candidates now advance to the July 26 general election. Cannon resigned as mayor in 2014 and pleaded guilty to taking about $50,000 in bribes from federal undercover officers. He served nearly half of a 44-month prison sentence. Cannon said in March that he was seeking “a chance for redemption.”

AP-NC-TIRE MAKER-PROJECT DISCONTINUED

Chinese tire maker cancels project in eastern North Carolina

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — Officials say a Chinese tire maker which announced a project five years ago to build a plant and bring at least 800 jobs to a North Carolina county has pulled out and relinquished the 400-acre site. News outlets report that Carolinas Gateway Partnership CEO Norris Tolson announced Monday that Triangle Tyre notified the partnership and Edgecombe County that it would not build two large plants at the Kingsboro Road mega site. The investment was worth $580 million. In March, the company announced it was withdrawing from the project due to a number of issues that caused its leadership to decide to discontinue the project to focus on its business needs in China.