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Morning News Briefs: Wednesday, June 28th, 2017

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Vetoed NC Budget Poised To Become Law With Override

It looks like the North Carolina state budget approved by the legislature is about to become the law despite complaints and calls for compromise by Gov. Roy Cooper.

The House scheduled debate Wednesday morning to consider overriding Cooper's veto of the two-year spending plan written by Republicans. The Senate already agreed to its part of the override late Tuesday in a party-line vote. House GOP lawmakers also have a veto-proof majority in their chamber.

Sponsor: Judicial District Rewrite Idled For Rest Of Session

A Republican effort to redraw North Carolina's electoral districts for local judges and prosecutors is being idled, at least for the rest of this year's General Assembly work session.

A House judicial redistricting bill set for floor debate Tuesday was pulled and sent to committee. Bill chief sponsor Rep. Justin Burr of Stanly County says there's not enough time to get it through the House and Senate before the Legislature's expected adjournment by this weekend.

Burr says there's a good chance the bill will be considered later this year.

Prosecutors: 2 DAs Indicted For Hiring The Other's Wives

Two former district attorneys in North Carolina have been indicted after authorities say they hired each other's wives to collect salaries and do little work.

Former Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer and ex-Person and Caswell County DA Wallace Bradsher were charged with failure to discharge the duties of their office Tuesday.

Authorities say Blitzer and Bradsher created the scheme to get around a state restriction on hiring spouses.

The arrangement came to light when one of Bradsher's former employees sued.

North Carolina Man Sentenced To Life In Foiled Terror Plot

A North Carolina man has been sentenced to life in prison for a foiled plot to shoot hundreds of people on behalf of the Islamic State group.

Justin Nojan Sullivan of Morganton received the sentence Tuesday in federal court in Asheville. He pleaded guilty late last year to one count of attempting to commit an act of terrorism.

Federal authorities say Sullivan admitted to having frequent contact online with a prominent Islamic State terrorist in Syria who asked him to film his attack. Authorities say Sullivan planned to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to kill hundreds of people at a concert or night club. He was arrested in June 2015.

Review Board Wants Another Look At Police Shooting Decision

A review board has found a potential error in the Charlotte police department's decision that the fatal shooting of a black man by an officer last year was justified and has scheduled another hearing on the matter in August.

Julian Wright, an attorney representing the Citizens Review Board for the city of Charlotte, announced that the panel voted 8-2 Tuesday to take another look at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's conclusion.

The decision came after presentations from attorneys for the family of Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot and killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer on Sept. 20. In November, the district attorney cleared the officer of wrongdoing and police later determined his actions were within the law.

Slain North Carolina Prison Guard Remembered For Service

North Carolina lawmakers have remembered the life and service of a prison guard who authorities say was killed after being attacked by an inmate.

The House and Senate both passed memorial resolutions Tuesday honoring Sgt. Meggan Lee Callahan. Investigators say the 29-year-old was beaten to death by an inmate with the fire extinguisher she was trying to use to put out a trash can fire on April 26 at Bertie Correctional Institution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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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