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Cooper Warns Of Significant Irma Impact By Monday
State emergency officials say Hurricane Irma is now likely to arrive Monday as a weakened tropical storm unlikely to cause prolonged flooding.
But Governor Roy Cooper warned at a news conference Thursday that Irma will remain dangerous.
The News and Observer of Raleigh reports Cooper stressed the storm could strike any part of North Carolina, where all 100 counties remain under a state of emergency.
Officials say that inland counties face threats of wind damage and power outages from downed trees. Mudslides are a threat in the mountains, while coastal areas should expect heavy surf and rip tides.
State Law Enforcement Group Urging Removal of Confederate Statues
A coalition of North Carolina law enforcement officials is urging the state to remove all traces of the Confederacy.
The News and Observer of Raleigh reports a bipartisan group of prosecutors, law enforcement, judges and other advocates are asking for the removal of Confederate monuments and symbols at courthouses across the state.
They also are pushing for repeal of a 2015 law that prohibits their removal.
The North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities passed a resolution and released a statement Thursday. The group intends to send the resolution to Governor Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein, leaders of the General Assembly and state Supreme Court, and other state leaders.
Developers Ask Regulators To OK Atlantic Coast Pipeline Soon
Developers of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline are asking federal regulators to approve the project this month.
Executives with Dominion Energy, Duke Energy and Southern Company Gas made the request in a letter Thursday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The 600-mile pipeline would carry natural gas across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The letter asks the commission to issue its final approval in September so initial construction and tree clearing can begin in November.
Environmental groups and many landowners in the project's path strenuously oppose the pipeline.
Lawmakers File Redistricting Plan
North Carolina's Republican-led General Assembly formally submitted their much-disputed redistricting plan Thursday. Lawmakers say that any racial distinctions it might contain are “naturally occurring,” and not the result of any intentional black or white head count.
The News and Record of Greensboro reports a lawyer for the House and Senate filed the maps in U.S Middle District Court for North Carolina. A three-judge panel had found the state's current legislative maps drawn six years ago were unconstitutional because race was used as a “predominant factor.”
Critics say the new electoral maps are no better than the original ones, and in fact make some of the original flaws worse.
Guilford County has been a focus because judges found three of its House seats and one of its Senate seats were among those where state legislators improperly used race in determining district boundaries.
Report: Improvement But Stubborn Shortcomings In NC Schools
A snapshot showing how North Carolina's public schools are doing reveals steady improvement but stubborn shortcomings.
The annual school accountability report released Thursday shows high-school graduation rates and the number of high-performing schools inched up during the last school year. Schools increasingly earned As or Bs under the state's A-to-F grading system.
But fewer than half of North Carolina elementary and middle school students were ready to tackle both reading and math in the next grade. The report also amplifies the clear connection between student poverty and the likelihood a school will be considered failing.