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Storm Leaves Thousands Without Power In Winston-Salem
A heavy rainstorm blew through Winston-Salem Tuesday. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph downed trees and left thousands without power.
Officials say no injuries or deaths were reported.
According to Duke Energy, about 6,500 customers in Forsyth County had lost electricity by about 6 p.m.
The number of affected residential and business customers was just over 700 as of this morning.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the utility expects to have electricity restored to most customers by noon today.
Shareholders Weigh British American, Reynolds Tobacco Merger
Shareholders of British American Tobacco and Reynolds American Inc. will decide Wednesday whether to approve a merger that would create the world's largest publicly traded tobacco company.
If approved during separate shareholder votes, the deal is expected to become effective next week.
London-headquartered BAT will buy the 57.8 percent of Reynolds it does not already own.
BAT sells Dunhill, Rothmans and Lucky Strike cigarettes. The company said its cigarettes reach about 12 percent of the world's one billion smokers.
Winston-Salem-based Reynolds owns brands like Newport, Camel and Pall Mall.
Lawmakers Drawing General Assembly Lines Gather Next Week
General Assembly members tasked with soon drawing North Carolina's legislative districts after courts found some boundaries were drawn with unlawful racial bias will hold their first meeting next week.
A notice released Tuesday says the House and Senate redistricting committees will convene together July 26. That's the day before federal judges are hearing arguments about exactly when legislators should remap dozens of districts and whether an election under those maps should occur before the next scheduled election in November 2018.
Hurricane Aid, Zip Line Insurance Bills Signed By Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed legislation directing how $100 million in additional Hurricane Matthew relief funds must be spent and requiring zip line and aerial ropes course owners to get minimum levels of liability insurance.
Cooper enacted Tuesday ten more measures left on his desk by the General Assembly. He still has nearly 80 bills to consider before a July 30 deadline.
The state budget already set aside the hurricane relief money, but the separate measure signed Tuesday details how it will be used for low-income housing and public housing repairs, stream debris removal and farm cleanup. Those funds are on top of $200 million approved last December for Matthew and mountain wildfires.
Democrats: Cooper Raises $1M-Plus For Legislative Campaign
North Carolina Democrats say they're getting organized around their goal of retaking the Republican-controlled legislature thanks to the person who'd benefit the most — Gov. Roy Cooper.
Cooper and the state Democratic Party announced Tuesday a new initiative already started to get back a majority in the House and Senate by the close of the 2020 elections.
The party said Cooper has already raised more than $1 million for the "Break the Majority" effort, and party Chair Wayne Goodwin says the goal is for millions more.
Court: Judges Can't Force State To Transfer Money To Schools
North Carolina legislators violated the state constitution by diverting traffic fine revenues to jails instead of schools, but a state appeals court says judges can't make officials cough up the money.
A state Court of Appeals panel ruled unanimously Tuesday that the Richmond County school system is owed $272,300, but judges can't force state officials to draw money from the state treasury.
The decision reversed a ruling by a trial judge commanding various state officials to immediately pay the school district or risk being thrown in jail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.