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Chief Justice Wants Redistricting Delay Response Next Week
Voters who successfully challenged North Carolina's legislative districts have until the end of next week to respond to a request by Republican lawmakers for the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lower-court ruling directing altered maps be used in this year's elections.
Chief Justice John Roberts told plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit over General Assembly maps to file any legal brief by Feb. 2. That's ten days before candidate filing for legislative seats is to start.
North Carolina Health Officials Report 21 Flu Deaths Last Week
State health officials say 21 people died from the flu in North Carolina last week, among them a victim between 5 and 17 years old.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that in addition to the 21 deaths, four more deaths in previous weeks were determined to be flu-related. For the 2017-18 flu season, 67 people have died in the state.
Audit: Community Colleges Should Limit Paid Holidays
North Carolina community college employees will be having fewer "happy holidays," or at least paid ones.
A state audit released Thursday found more than half of the state's 58 community colleges give their workers more paid holidays than the 12 that state and county employees receive.
In one case, State Auditor Beth Wood found Central Carolina Community College gave workers 23 paid days off, equal to $862,000 in pay during the last fiscal year.
The audit finds that the state community college board hadn't adopted a policy limiting campus holidays. The state community college board chairman and acting president say the board will approve a rule soon requiring the 12-day limit.
App State Foils E-mail Scam, Money Returned
Appalachian State University is getting back more than a million dollars allegedly stolen through an e-mail scam.
The case involves money that was supposed to go to companies building App State's new health sciences building. The U.S. Attorney's office in Charlotte says alleged fraudsters used email to pose as legitimate contractors. They got almost $2 million before the scam was discovered.
University officials contacted the FBI. An investigation found more than $1.5 million in multiple accounts, and the FBI filed warrants to seize the money before the scammers could take it.
The money was recovered through a federal civil court forfeiture proceeding and has been returned to the University.
Report: Understaffing, Corners Cut At Prison Where 4 Died
A federal report says understaffing was so bad at a North Carolina prison where four employees were killed that workers cut corners in ways that created opportunities for mayhem.
The security assessment of Pasquotank Correctional Institution by the National Institute of Corrections was released Thursday.
The report says workers at the Elizabeth City prison were forced to maintain oversight and prison services despite one in four jobs being vacant, adding they consequently grew complacent about security measures.