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NC Legislature Picks Up Pace, Aims For Adjournment
Debate and votes will be plentiful all week at the North Carolina General Assembly as Republican legislators aim to adjourn their annual work session before the July 4 holiday.
The House will return early to Raleigh on Monday to hold afternoon committees. The Senate also scheduled an afternoon floor session to consider close to 40 bills.
Chief Justice: Ask Voters If Judges Should Be Appointed
The chief justice of North Carolina's Supreme Court says voters should decide whether judges should be appointed instead of elected.
The Asheville Citizen Times reports that Chief Justice Mark Martin told the North Carolina Bar Association on Saturday that the General Assembly should put a question on the ballot asking voters whether they should continue choosing judges.
Martin says appointing judges through a merit selection process could insulate the courts from politics and improve public trust.
North Carolina NAACP Leader Says He'll Stay For Rest Of Term
The leader of the NAACP in North Carolina says he will remain in the role until his term ends in October, rather than leave this month as planned.
The Rev. William Barber said Sunday he will remain president until his replacement is elected at the NAACP's convention. He announced plans last month to step down in June after 12 years as president.
State NAACP leaders last week called on Barber to reconsider. They say he's needed as a "unifying voice" following U.S. Supreme Court's decisions that upheld lower-court rulings that Republicans illegally drew dozens of districts based on race after the 2010 Census.
Authorities Delayed Investigating Gay "Demons" Case
Matthew Fenner says he pleaded with authorities for two years to investigate his allegations that congregants at his North Carolina church attacked him to expel his "homosexual demons."
An Associated Press investigation found that Rutherford County law enforcement authorities told Fenner his only option was to pursue misdemeanor charges against the Word of Faith Fellowship church members.
Fenner says they assaulted him for nearly two hours in the church's sanctuary in January 2013.
It took nearly two years before five church members were indicted. The first didn't go on trial until May, but that ended in a mistrial.
North Carolina Jail Inmate Who Escaped Turns Himself In
A North Carolina man who escaped from a county jail and assaulted a detention officer has turned himself in.
Davidson County Sheriff David Grice said Benjamin Small, who escaped last Saturday from the county jail, turned himself in to authorities Friday. The sheriff's office said Small is jailed on a $5 million bond. His attorney couldn't be reached for comment on Saturday.
Former East Carolina Football Player Shot, Killed In Raleigh
Police say a former football player at East Carolina University has been shot to death.
A statement from the Raleigh Police Department said officers responded to a call about a shooting Friday night on the city's north side.
Authorities identified the victim as 24-year-old Anthony Domonique Lennon. He was pronounced dead at the scene. So far, there have been no arrests in the case.
Lennon had 65 total tackles in 12 games in his senior season on 2014, finishing fourth on the team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.