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Morning News Briefs: Thursday, August 4, 2016

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine. Credit: U.S. Senate photo

Kaine Focuses On Economy In Greensboro Appearance

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine made a campaign stop in Guilford County Wednesday. Kaine focused on jobs and the economy.

Around 500 people packed into the depot of the Greensboro Transit Authority to hear Sen. Kaine's speech. The theme of the day was Hillary Clinton's plans for the economy. That includes providing more support for small businesses.

Kaine also said North Carolina is an even more attractive target for Clinton's presidential campaign after a federal court ruling throwing out a voter ID law that judges said was designed by state Republicans to depress minority participation.

He told the crowd that the court ruling last week means an additional 100,000 voters could cast ballots this fall.

Pence Holding "Town Hall" Campaign Event In North Carolina

Republican nominee for vice president Mike Pence is campaigning again in North Carolina, a battleground state running mate Donald Trump probably needs in his column to win the White House this November.

The Indiana governor planned to participate in a "town hall" meeting Thursday morning in downtown Raleigh before heading to campaign events in Norfolk, Virginia, later in the day.

High Court: School Can Block Transgender Teen From Boys Room

The U.S. Supreme Court says a Virginia school board can block a transgender male from using the boy's bathroom at his school until it decides whether to intervene in his case.

The high court agreed Wednesday to allow the Gloucester County School board to bar Gavin Grimm from the bathroom that matches his gender identity until the justices decide whether to review an appeals court ruling in his case.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided in April with Grimm, who argued the policy barring him from using the boys bathroom violated federal education discrimination law.

Duke Energy Says Stormwater Spilled From Coal Power Plant

Duke Energy says up to 50,000 gallons of stormwater runoff spilled from a coal-fired power plant in Rutherford County and into the Broad River.

The utility said in a news release that none of the water came in contact with the nearly 8 million tons of coal ash on the site, although it did come in contact with unburned coal stored at the Rogers Energy Complex near Mooresboro.

Duke Energy says the water does not appear to have harmed the Broad River, and the utility has reported the spill to North Carolina environmental officials.

Rockingham County Official Facing Embezzlement Charge

A Rockingham County official has been arrested on an embezzlement charge.

The  Rockingham County Sheriff's Office says the county's Chief Information Officer David Whicker was charged Wednesday with felony embezzlement by a public official or trustee.

Deputies say they received a tip last week accusing 35-year-old Whicker of selling county items at a pawn shop in Kernersville.

Rockingham County Manager Lance Metzler says Whicker, of Walkertown, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

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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