Storm Leaves 1 Person Dead In NC; Black Ice Remains An Issue
Cold weather and black ice are greeting North Carolina residents as many try to return to work.
The weekend storm that brought snow, sleet and ice to much of the state was followed by low temperatures that left ice on many roads, especially secondary ones. State officials say work crews cleared many of the highways and other main roads and would begin to clear secondary roads Monday.
Gov. Roy Cooper warned drivers to not be fooled by the sunshine. He says one person was killed Sunday and two injured when a car skidded off an icy Interstate in Montgomery County.
Schools and government offices are closed in many places.
Cooper: I'll Seek Consensus, But Fight Bad Laws
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vowed in his inaugural address to find consensus on issues but says he'll fight laws that attempt to make any state resident "less in the eyes of their fellow citizens."
In the prepared text of Cooper's speech delivered by television Saturday, the new governor pressed his case to expand Medicaid coverage and to repeal a law limiting LGBT rights and directing which public bathrooms transgender people can use. Republican legislative leaders have opposed Medicaid expansion and approved House Bill 2 last March.
Cooper last week filed paperwork toward his pursuit to expand Medicaid, and an effort last month to repeal HB2 fell short amid partisan acrimony.
Former NC Sen. Hagan Recovering From Encephalitis
Former NC Sen. Kay Hagan is still recovering from a brain inflammation that led to her hospitalization last month.
A statement through a family spokeswoman says Hagan was diagnosed with encephalitis and is now in Chapel Hill after previously being in a Washington hospital.
The statement includes Hagan's doctor saying the recovery could take months. Dr. William Powers says it's not definite what caused the infection, and that Hagan's type of encephalitis often originates from a virus.
Hagan's husband says the family is optimistic for her recovery but recognizes it will be a long process.
ACC Likely To Move Championship From NC Again If Law Remains
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford says the conference is likely to move its football championship game out of Charlotte again if a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people is not repealed or adjusted.
Swofford gave no timetable Sunday for a decision on whether to relocate the 2017 game but he did say the conference will not wait as long as it did last year.
The ACC followed the NCAA's lead and decided in September to pull its championship from Charlotte in response to North Carolina's so-called "bathroom bill."
Surratt, Hodge Named AP Prep Football Players Of Year For NC
Lincolnton receiver Sage Surratt and Wake Forest linebacker Darius Hodge are the 2016 Associated Press prep football players of the year for North Carolina.
Surratt, a senior, earned nine votes as offensive player of the year from 23 sports writers at newspapers across the state in results released Saturday. Surratt set single-season state records for catches and receiving yardage.
Hodge, also a senior, earned 19 votes as defensive player of the year after helping Wake Forest go unbeaten and win the Class 4-AA state championship.
Both players headlined the AP all-state prep football team for North Carolina released earlier this week, and joined AP coach of the year Reggie Lucas of Wake Forest as individual award winners.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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