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Cooper Vetoes Bill For Electronic Notices In Urban County
Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed legislation that would allow local governments and attorneys in Guilford County to stop posting legal notices in newspapers and put them on a government website instead.
Cooper announced Monday night the veto of legislation with legal notice changes that would apply to Guilford County only. Other statewide language in the measure could make it harder for newspapers to keep carriers identified as independent contractors.
The Democratic governor said the bill was another example of the Republican-controlled General Assembly seeking to attack an important institution in the state like the media.
Sen. Trudy Wade of Guilford County is the Senate's chief proponent of electronic notices. She said Cooper's veto showed the governor's top priority "is brown-nosing those who cover him."
Union Organizers, Supporters Gather To Criticize Farm Law
Advocates for migrant labor in North Carolina fields will gather outside Gov. Cooper's office to amplify their unhappiness with a bill he signed that they say makes it harder to improve worker conditions through union agreements.
Representatives of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, pro-labor clergy and others plan a Tuesday news conference outside the old Capitol building in Raleigh to criticize a provision in a farm measure approved by the legislature.
The new law makes it unlawful for farmers to collect union dues for workers and transfer the money to a union. It also would prevent a union contract mandate from being contained in worker lawsuit settlements with farmers.
North Carolina Gets $3M To Enforce Safe Drinking Water Act
North Carolina has received $3 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help the state enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The grant, announced Monday, was made under the Public Water System Supervision program and goes to the state Division of Environmental Quality. The money helps with the division's oversight of 5,677 water systems that serve approximately 9 million people.
The grants are designed to ensure that public drinking water systems comply with regulations. When systems are found in violation, funds are used to help bring them back into compliance.
Blitzer Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor, Sentencing Delayed
Former Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer has pleaded guilty to failure to discharge the duty of his office.
The News and Record of Greensboro reports the admission of guilt follows a State Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations he and former Person/Caswell County D.A. Wallace Bradsher hired Blitzer's wife Cindy. SBI says the scheme involved collecting 15 months of unearned salary amounting to $48,000.
Blitzer has since resigned from office and repaid the money.
The charge is a misdemeanor. Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens delayed Blitzer's sentencing because Blitzer has agreed to serve as a key witness in three other investigations.
North Carolina Police Search For 2 Women Reported Missing
North Carolina police are searching for two women reported missing, one of whom hasn't been seen since March.
A report from the Winston-Salem Police Department on Monday said 36-year-old Kristen Heath Gibson called her family on July 13. Gibson told them she was making arrangements to get a ride to her home in Elkin after being discharged from Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. The family hasn't heard from her or seen her since that call.
Winston-Salem police are also looking for 62-year-old Mary Magdalene Smith, who was last seen near a motel in early March. Officers found a red book bag believed to be Smith's in a vacant lot during a search on Monday, but no sign of the woman.
Panthers Fire Gettleman
The Carolina Panthers have fired the general manager who helped lead the team to Super Bowl 50.
The Panthers dismissed Dave Gettleman less than two weeks before the opening of training camp.
Team owner Jerry Richardson said Monday in a statement he made the decision after a long evaluation of the team's football operations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.