Receive the morning news briefs delivered to your email inbox every morning. Click here to sign-up.
NC Governor Promises Dems Win Would Lessen Gerrymandering
Governor Roy Cooper promises Democrats would give up the right to draw political districts that help their candidates and hamper Republicans if they regain legislative power.
Cooper made the promise to end gerrymandering during the state Democratic Party's annual gathering Saturday in Raleigh.
Cooper says if Democrats win General Assembly majorities in 2020 they'll transfer to an independent, nonpartisan commission the power to shape districts for seats in the legislature and Congress.
In Energy Bill, Cooper Faces Dilemma With Wind Farm Pause
Energy legislation on Gov. Roy Cooper's desk presents him with a decision that could force him to choose between buttressing the state's bright solar industry and nurturing its nascent wind power business.
Cooper must weigh whether to sign legislation that could make solar power production more competitive and less expensive for Charlotte-based Duke Energy and its customers. But the final bill also contained a moratorium on wind energy projects.
NC Man Imprisoned For IS-Inspired Plot Faces Murder Charge
A man who just started a life prison sentence for plotting to shoot hundreds of people for Islamic State is in court for a killing that authorities say he thought would help finance his plans.
Justin Nojan Sullivan is scheduled in court Monday in Morganton. The News-Herald of Morgnanton reports the 21-year-old was sentenced to life in federal prison last month after pleading guilty last year for his foiled plot to attack a nightclub or concert.
Authorities say Sullivan took a rifle from his father's gun cabinet and killed 74-year-old neighbor John Bailey Clark in December 2014. Court documents say Sullivan took the man's money for his terror plot.
Police Find Fleeing Suspect Dead After Breaking Into Home
Police trailing a suspect in Winston-Salem found him dead from injuries suffered after breaking a window to hide inside a nearby house.
Winston-Salem Police said Sunday they found 24-year-old Todd Mitchell Smith on the floor of the neighborhood home's basement from a wound suffered during the break-in.
Police say they responded Saturday evening to the report of an assault on a female and learned Smith was already wanted. Smith ran from the scene and was chased by officers and tracking dogs, but got away.
A neighbor called to say she heard a noise in her basement and investigators found someone punched in a basement window. Officers entered and found Smith's body.
Makers Of Cherry-Flavored Cheerwine Invited To White House
A North Carolina soft drink is being featured in a White House effort to focus on products made in the U.S.A.
Representatives of Salisbury-based Cheerwine will join President Donald Trump and manufacturers from each state on Monday. The White House effort seeks to encourage other companies to manufacture their products in the United States.
Cherry-flavored Cheerwine marks its 100th anniversary this year. The company is owned by the founder's great-grandsons.
NC Prof On Team That Discovers New Flying Squirrel
A North Carolina researcher is part of a team that has discovered North America's newest mammal.
University of North Carolina Wilmington associated biology professor Brian Arbogast is part of a team that recently discovered there are three, not two, species of flying squirrels in North America.
Arbogast and a graduate student assembled a large sample of specimens from the Pacific Coast and used genetic markers to compare them to the northern flying squirrel.
This new species, Humboldt's flying squirrel, is the continent's newest mammal. Humboldt's flying squirrels are a cryptic species, meaning it looks physically identical to another but is genetically different.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.