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Morning News Briefs: Monday, September 26, 2016

Courtesy of Wake Forest University

Arnold Palmer, Legendary Golfer And Wake Forest Alumnus, Dies

Golf legend Arnold Palmer has died at the age of 87.

A spokesman confirmed that Palmer died Sunday of complications from heart problems.

Palmer won 95 times as a professional, with 62 wins on the PGA Tour. He also won 10 times on the Champions Tour.

Palmer, a native of Latrobe, Pa, attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship.

While he never graduated, he returned to Wake Forest where he won the ACC Championship in 1954 before turning pro.

He named a golf scholarship after his late Wake Forest teammate, Buddy Worsham.

Palmer has said that Wake Forest had a huge influence on his life, and there is a statue of him at the University's practice facility.

The school's President Nathan Hatch said in a statement, “No alumnus has had a bigger impact on Wake Forest University as an ambassador, role model, benefactor and friend than Arnold Palmer.”

Charlotte Ends Curfew Imposed After Man Shot By Police

Charlotte lifted its midnight curfew, a sign of the possible calming of the unrest that's gripped North Carolina's largest city since the shooting death of a black man by police last week.

A weekend without street violence was highlighted with the city hosting the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Protests continued for a sixth day since 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed Tuesday after a confrontation with Charlotte police. The first two nights were violent, with more than a dozen police officers injured.

Protesters tried to block traffic on Interstate 277 through the city's downtown Sunday night.

Clinton To Visit North Carolina The Day After 1st Debate

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton plans to visit North Carolina the day after her first debate with GOP contender Donald Trump.

The Clinton campaign says in a news release that the candidate will speak at a Democratic Party event Tuesday at Wake Technical Community College. She plans to speak about her economic proposals that she says will help families.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. at the community college's physical education building.

NC Agency: Duke Energy To Pay $6M Fine For Dan River Spill

North Carolina's environmental agency says it's reached a deal with Duke Energy to pay a $6 million fine for a large spill of liquefied coal ash.

The state Department of Environmental Quality said Friday the negotiated amount holds Duke Energy accountable for violations of federal water protection laws during and after the Dan River spill in 2014.

The country's third-worst spill of coal ash coated 70 miles of the Dan River in more than 30,000 tons of sludge.

NC Supreme Court Upholds Blame On DOT For Collision

North Carolina's highest court has upheld earlier rulings that the state Department of Transportation's failure to install traffic signals at a Charlotte-area intersection helped cause an accident that killed three, including two children.

The state Supreme Court affirmed Friday the decision of the North Carolina Industrial Commission, which awarded $1 million each to the estates of those killed during the 2009 collision at an intersection with Highway 49 near the South Carolina border.

The justices upheld the majority opinion of the Court of Appeals that rejected DOT's arguments that drivers participating in a "drag race" that day were the sole cause in the accident.

Panthers Lose To Vikings

Playing without the injured Adrian Peterson, the Vikings moved to 3-0 with a 22-10 win over the Panthers in Charlotte. Sam Bradford completed 18 of 28 passes for 171 yards and a score in his second game for Minnesota. The Vikings sacked Cam Newton eight times and ended the Panthers' 14-game home winning streak.

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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