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Presidential Contenders Set Sights On North Carolina

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush will bring his tax ideas to a North Carolina crowd.

The former Florida governor scheduled an economic policy address for this afternoon in Garner, just south of Raleigh. The event will be held at Morris & Associates, which makes industrial ice equipment and chilling systems for the poultry industry.

Meanwhile, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning a rally in North Carolina this weekend for his presidential campaign.

Sanders announced Tuesday he will speak Sunday evening at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

The free Greensboro event is open to the public.

Differences Slowly Dwindle In North Carolina Budget Talks

House and Senate Republicans have narrowed further the number of their differences that must be resolved before a North Carolina state budget can be finalized.

The top leaders of each chamber sounded hopeful Tuesday they'll have a final two-year plan approved and sent to Gov. Pat McCrory's desk to avoid the need for a fourth stop-gap spending measure. The third expires Sept. 18.

NC Stays Near Top In Paying For Subsidized Health Plans

Nearly 460,000 North Carolina residents are paying for health insurance policies purchased under provisions of the federal overhaul law pushed by President Barack Obama.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday the number of North Carolina consumers with an active policy purchased through a health insurance marketplace trailed only California, Florida and Texas at the end of June.

Nine of the ten states with the highest rate of subsidized coverage had not expanded Medicaid programs to extend medical coverage to the poor, meaning that more qualified for subsidies.

Study Finds More Sharks Off Southeast Coast

A newly released federal study shows a record number of sharks swimming off the coast from Florida to North Carolina.

The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reports that the increase in sharks comes when North Carolina set a record for shark attacks this summer.

Eight people have been attacked by sharks along the North Carolina coast this year, the most since a Florida group began counting attacks 80 years ago.

The new study showed that researchers tagged more 2,835 sharks from Florida to North Carolina in April and May. That compares with more than 1,831 sharks tagged in the most recent survey in 2012.

The most common species were sandbar, Atlantic sharpnose, dusky and tiger sharks.

Obama Honors 2015 Champs Duke Basketball Team At White House

President Obama is honoring Duke for winning its fifth NCAA basketball championship and lauding the team for its work on and off the court.

At a White House event Tuesday, Obama said Duke basketball is a model for other colleges. He also jokingly told the team he noticed similarities they shared with him: doing well in the classroom, winning twice in the last four years and knowing what it's like for people to oppose you no matter what you do.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski says the team was a fun group to coach. He also awarded the president a scholarship to attend a fantasy basketball camp.

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