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Morning Headlines: Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Winston-Salem skyline Credit: Wiki Commons

Winston-Salem Hosts Community Conversations With Police

The Winston-Salem Urban League is hoping to raise the level of trust between local police and the community members they serve through a series of Town Hall meetings.

Organizers of “Black and Blue” say one of goals of this series is to defuse violence between community members and police officers.

James Perry with the Winston-Salem Urban League says the city has thus far avoided some of the more aggressive racial strife that other communities across the country have suffered. But he believes frustration is bubbling beneath the surface.

The first town hall is scheduled for Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the Winston-Salem Urban League.

HB2 Legal Fees Adding Up

The legal fees for the state's defense of House Bill 2 are beginning to add up. Money from a disaster relief fund was reallocated to cover the cost, which has already hit $176,000.

That figure is expected to continue rising. There are several lawsuits pendig already, plus a federal Title IX case. Among other things, the law dictates which bathroom transgender residents must use.

Heat Wave Causes NC Town To Suspend Water Disconnections

At least one North Carolina town has suspended disconnecting residents' water over unpaid bills amid the state's oppressive heat.

Spring Lake Town Manager Tad Davis says officials in the Cumberland County town believe the temporary suspension is the right move because water access is especially important when temperatures are so high. The National Weather Service says the daily high temperature in nearby Fayetteville so far this month has been 91 degrees or higher except for one day.

Spring Lake is about 10 miles north of Fayetteville, where the high hit 100 on Wednesday.

Poll Log Shows Former NC Lawmaker Didn't Vote In SC

Officials in South Carolina say a poll worker's mistake made it appear former North Carolina Rep. Charles Jeter voted twice in the November 2004 election.

The South Carolina Election Commission released the poll log from Jeter's Greenville County, South Carolina, precinct. It shows a Helen Jeter signed her name on the line for Charles Jeter, while Charles Jeter's signature is not on the list.

Charles Jeter had moved to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but his name had not been taken off the South Carolina voter rolls. Election records from North Carolina show Jeter voted there in 2004.

Earls Of Leicester Lead Bluegrass Award Nominations

The Earls of Leicester are nominated for eight awards individually and as a group, including entertainers of the year, at this year's International Bluegrass Music Awards.

The Grammy-winning musical group is the reigning entertainer of the year and leads the nominations announced Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee. The Del McCoury Band follows with six nominations for individual members and as a group and Flatt Lonesome has five nominations. Becky Buller, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Frank Solivan have three nominations each.

Other entertainer of the year nominees include the Del McCroury Band, Flatt Lonesome, Balsam Range and the Gibson Brothers.

The awards show will be held on Sept. 29 in Raleigh.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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