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Morning News Briefs: Wednesday, September 27th, 2017

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Maria Expected To Erode Beaches Along NC Coast

Tropical Storm Maria is bringing winds of 55 mph to North Carolina's Outer Banks, along with storm surge washing over the main highway along the barrier islands.

Maria is forecast to move about 150 miles offshore Wednesday. But officials warned that severe beach erosion is likely on the Outer Banks and along many other mid-Atlantic beaches.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the North Carolina coast from Bogue Inlet to the Virginia border.

Officials estimate more than 10,000 visitors evacuated Ocracoke and Hatteras islands.

Rowan County To Take Prayer Issue To Supreme Court

The Rowan County Commission has voted to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to pray before public meetings.

The Commission voted unanimously Monday night to appeal a federal ruling that Rowan County's practice of prayer before meetings is illegal.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit in 2013 aiming to stop the practice. Since then, the case has gone through several courts, resulting in conflicting rulings on whether of not the commission's actions were legal.

The Salisbury Post reports that about 20 people spoke at Monday's meeting, with most in favor of the appeal.

3 Police Officers Not Charged In Man's Fatal Shooting

A North Carolina prosecutor says he isn't going to charge any of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man.

Durham District Attorney Roger Echols said in a statement Tuesday that he had determined that the officers fired at 24-year-old Kenneth Lee Bailey because they were afraid for their lives. Echols said state criminal investigators found empty bullet shells and a handgun near where Bailey fell.

National Folk Festival Sets Record For Attendance, Fundraising

The National Folk Festival had a successful run, attracting more people and receiving more donations this year than during the first two years in Greensboro.

Tom Philion is the president and chief executive of ArtsGreensboro, which co-produced the festival.

Philion tells the News and Record of Greensboro that about 162,000 people attended the 3-day festival in September. That's up nearly 59 percent since it first came to the city in 2015.

The festival also surpassed a fundraising goal of $77,000.

Philion says good weather contributed to this year's large turnout.

Players Meet With Panthers Owner To Discuss Social Issues

The Carolina Panthers say team captains and other selected players met with owner Jerry Richardson at his home Tuesday to "discuss social issues affecting the league and solutions moving forward."

Panther's spokesman Steven Drummond said the conversations between the players and owner will remain private.

Richardson was one of the last NFL owners to release a statement in response to comments made by President Trump on Twitter regarding NFL players.

None of Carolina's players participated in pre-game protests on Sunday except 17-year veteran Julius Peppers, who remained in the tunnel for the national anthem.

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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