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'Bathroom Bill' To Cost North Carolina $3.76B
The Associated Press has determined that North Carolina's law limiting LGBT protections will cost the state more than $3.76 billion in lost business over a dozen years.
That's despite Republican assurances that the "bathroom bill" isn't hurting the economy.
The tally includes state Commerce Department projections for several large companies that backed out of projects because of the law, as well as estimates for dozens of canceled sporting events, concerts and conventions.
Still, other measures show North Carolina has a healthy economy estimated at more than $500 billion a year. The federal government reported that North Carolina had one of the nation's fastest-growing economies months after the law passed.
UNC Amasses $5.6M In Costs For Academic Scandal From 2015-17
The University of North Carolina estimates it has amassed more than $5.6 million in attorneys' fees and other costs between mid-2015 and January tied to its multi-year academic scandal.
The school released updated figures Friday as it responds to public records requests. The total included an array of related issues, from the ongoing NCAA case that has led to five serious charges against the school to lawsuits filed by former athletes and the cost of dealing with more records requests.
UNC has now amassed at least $16.3 million in costs tied to the academic scandal dating to 2012, including $3.1 million for a 2014 investigation by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein into irregularities in the academic department at the center of the case.
ERA Supporters Seek Momentum With Nevada Ratification
North Carolina supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are trying to revive interest in it again after Nevada lawmakers ratified it last week almost 35 years past a congressional deadline.
An alliance of several organizations promoting women's rights scheduled a news conference Monday at the Legislative Building to draw attention to filed ERA ratification legislation. The amendment to the U.S. Constitution is designed to make clear equal rights under the law can't be limited or denied due to gender.
North Carolina never ratified the amendment as pro-ERA forces fell three states shy of the 38 needed to change the Constitution before a June 1982 deadline.
Five-Term Democratic Legislator Al Adams Dies At Age 85
Five-term Democratic legislator J. Allen "Al" Adams is being remembered as a progressive voice who fought for public education and helped integrate the Wake County Bar Association.
Family and friends say the 85-year-old Adams died Friday at his home in Raleigh.
Former Gov. Jim Hunt tells The News & Observer of Raleigh that Adams "was one of the finest progressive political leaders in North Carolina history."
Hunt served as governor for four terms while Adams was first a state representative and then a lobbyist.
92-Year-Old NC Man Receives Purple Heart Earned In WWII
A 92-year-old North Carolina man has finally received the Purple Heart he earned more than 70 years ago while fighting in Belgium during World War II.
The Fayetteville Observer reports that Oscar Davis Jr. received the Purple Heart on Saturday.
Davis was a private assigned as a radio telephone operator when he was knocked down by a large piece of shrapnel during the Battle of the Bulge. The radio on his back protected him, but the German artillery barrage knocked down a tree that fell on Davis, injuring his spine.
He was paralyzed from the waist down for three weeks and ultimately rejoined his unit in Germany.
Davis was told long ago that he would receive the honor, but the award paperwork was never signed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.