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Cooper, GOP Battle Over Federal Grants, VW Settlement Money
The unrelenting power struggle between North Carolina Republicans and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is back in court.
Lawyers for the two sides were in a Wake County courtroom Wednesday in a dispute over who controls money from federal block grants and money settling a high-profile lawsuit.
An attorney for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore says about $180 million is at stake in Cooper's lawsuit.
Republican legislative majorities last summer buried deep in the state budget plans to decide how to spend federal grants for health and community development programs and from compensation for Volkswagen cheating on diesel-vehicle pollution measures.
Cooper argues that's not money that the Legislature can allot, and it's up to him to ensure it goes toward its intended purposes.
New Boards Act Quickly On Elections
Local elections boards are now doing business after a fight over a 2016 election law led to a lengthy pause.
The Watauga County board quickly agreed to an early voting plan for the May primary.
The Watauga Democrat reports that the new four-member board unanimously approved an early-voting precinct on the campus of Appalachian State University. That had been the most highly contentious site the board previously fought over.
And in Lexington, Davidson County's new board has set a hearing for Tuesday over a challenge to Gerald Hege's candidacy for sheriff. In 2010 voters approved a change to the state constitution barring convicted felons from the position.
Rally Calls For Winston-Salem Workers To Get Higher Minimum Wage
A coalition demanding a higher minimum wage for Winston-Salem city employees gathered for a rally on Wednesday.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that about 100 religious leaders, workers and labor organizers attended the downtown rally, and called for a $15 minimum hourly wage for city workers.
Winston-Salem currently has a minimum wage of $11.25 for its employees. Rally organizers said they want the city to follow in Greensboro's footsteps, which has already moved toward $15 an hour.
City Manager Lee Garrity said earlier this week that Winston-Salem is studying a plan to raise wages for city employees.
Spellings, UNC Board Members Tour WSSU
UNC system president Margaret Spellings toured Winston-Salem State University Wednesday for an up-close look at the school and its programs.
According to The Winston-Salem Journal, Spellings was joined by the newest members of UNC's board of governors.
The tour included presentations about the school's fine arts and health care programs, and visits to the university's mobile health clinics and Center for Study of Economic Mobility.
The tour concluded with a signing of the UNC-WSSU metrics agreement, which sets goals and objectives, including graduation rates.
North Carolina DA To Seek Death Penalty In Missing Teen Case
A North Carolina district attorney says he will seek the death penalty against the adoptive father of a teenager who was missing for years before her body was found in South Carolina.
The judge presiding over a hearing in Salisbury on Wednesday confirmed the decision by the district attorney's office to try the case against Sandy Parsons as a capital murder case.
Sandy Parsons is charged with murder in the death of Erica Parsons, whose body was found in 2016. A grand jury indicted Parsons and his wife, Casey, in February for multiple charges, including first-degree murder.