Chief Operating Officer For Developing Medicaid Agency Named
A new state agency dedicated to operating North Carolina's Medicaid system under a new spending and treatment model has its first key leader.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Rick Brajer told employees Thursday that Dee Jones is chief operating officer for the new Division of Health Benefits.
Jones has worked in the private sector and in state government, most recently as the Division of Medical Assistance operations director.
The medical assistance division ultimately will cede Medicaid oversight to the health benefits agency through a Medicaid overhaul law signed earlier this month. The law directs the phase-out of the fee-for-service method to treat Medicaid clients for a program in which insurers and provider networks receive a fixed amount per month for each patient.
Labor Department Fines Another State Agency For Worker Death
The state Labor Department has issued a $5,600 fine to another state agency in connection with a worker death in April.
The Labor Department fined the Department of Administration for the death of electrician Hal Rue. State officials said Rue was setting up an aerial lift outside the State Archives building when the lift toppled on him on April 13.
An Oct. 14 letter from the Labor Department said its position had not changed after the two departments couldn't reach a settlement. The Department of Administration has 15 working days from receipt of that letter to pay the penalty or appeal it to an independent board.
The fine was issued under the general duty clause, which requires employers to provide workplaces free from recognized hazards. The maximum penalty was $7,000.
UNC Faculty Group Says Secrecy To Hurt New University Head
Faculty representatives for North Carolina's public university system say the next president of the 17-campus University of North Carolina will take the job with extra baggage.
A statement issued by the UNC Faculty Assembly ahead of Friday's vote on a new president says teachers and researchers are miffed at being unable to meet and measure candidates during the selection process.
The statement signed by the group's top officers from UNC campuses in Chapel Hill and Wilmington says the secretive search and the top candidate's indifference to meeting in advance will make the new president's job harder.
The board is looking for a replacement for President Tom Ross, who is being pushed out of the job early next year by university governing board members who said they wanted a change.
Authorities: Sex Offender Flew Drone With Camera Over Fair
Authorities in North Carolina have arrested a registered sex offender accused of flying a drone with a camera attached over the State Fair.
Local media outlets report 38-year-old Matthew Allen Kenning of Raleigh faces multiple charges, including a misdemeanor violation of regulations of unmanned aircraft systems. Kenning is listed as a sex offender in North Carolina for a crime that occurred in Indiana in 1999.
It's not known why Kenning was flying the drone over the fair, but the sheriff's office said the drone had a camera attached. Deputies were trying to get a search warrant on Thursday to examine the camera.
Deputies arrested another registered sex offender at the fair on Tuesday. Officials say he posed as an inspector to access an area reserved for children's rides.
Beavers To The Rescue: Dam Saves River From Sewage Spill
Beavers are being credited for preventing a sewage spill from reaching the Catawba River near Charlotte.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Water had initially reported that 3,660 gallons of sewage overflowed into the Catawba River in northwest Charlotte on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the utility corrected the report, saying that the spill had reached a river tributary, but hadn't reached the river because a beaver dam had stood in its way.
Pumping was underway Thursday to suck the spill from the tributary.
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