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In GOP Victory, Judges Decide Supreme Court Ruling Is Narrow
A panel of state judges says a recent North Carolina Supreme Court ruling favoring Gov. Roy Cooper means only a small portion of a 2017 law he challenged that combined the state ethics and elections boards is struck down.
Monday's unanimous order by three trial court judges is a victory for Republicans at the General Assembly who last month passed small changes related to the combined board's membership and Cooper's powers.
North Carolina Legislator Won't Resign Despite Allegations
A North Carolina state legislator says he won't step down even though fellow Democrats — including Gov. Roy Cooper — called on him to resign following a media report in which people said he made unwanted sexual advances.
Rep. Duane Hall of Raleigh sent a statement over the weekend to WUNC saying he'll defend his reputation and accused "a tiny far-left element" in the Democratic Party of seeking to finish him off.
NC Policy Watch's report last week identified a Democratic campaign aide saying Hall made inappropriate sexual remarks to her. The report also quoted witnesses saying he kissed two women without their consent at public events.
Ethics Complaint Filed Against North Carolina House Speaker
A Washington-based group has asked North Carolina ethics officials to investigate state House Speaker Tim Moore about his business interests and interactions with state environmental regulators over some land.
The nonprofit Campaign for Accountability said Monday it filed a complaint with the state ethics board based on public records requests to what is now the Division of Environmental Quality.
The complaint accuses Moore of improperly intervening with DEQ so his limited liability company could avoid fines while the company worked to sell an old poultry plant in Chatham County.
NC Regulator Considers Another Duke Energy Rate Hike Request
North Carolina regulators are considering raising electricity rates on an additional 2 million Duke Energy customers by more than 11 percent.
The state Utilities Commission on Monday began considering the company's request to charge an extra $539 million a year to customers of its Duke Energy Carolinas subsidiary in central and western North Carolina.
The Charlotte-based company says that translates into a 14 percent increase for the typical residential customer's $104 monthly bill.
Official: North Carolina Jail Inmate Dies After 12-Foot Fall
An official says an inmate at the Forsyth County jail has died after falling 12 feet over a second-floor railing.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Forsyth County Chief Deputy Brad Stanley said 61-year-old Robin Steven Thomason fell about 7:45 p.m. Sunday over a railing in the housing area of the jail. Stanley said Thomason was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where he died about an hour later.
Thomason was jailed since last April after his arrest for indecent liberties with a child.