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Man Arrested In Shooting Death Of WSSU Football Player
An arrest has been made in the death of a Winston-Salem State University football player who was shot and killed at an event at Wake Forest University in late January.
21-year-old Jakier Shanique Austin was arrested Wednesday at a home in Charlotte. He has been charged with murder, possession of a stolen firearm and carrying a concealed gun.
Najee Ali Baker, 21, was shot on January 20th following an argument outside The Barn, an event venue on the Wake Forest University campus.
Malik Patience Smith, 16, was also charged in connection with Baker's death.
Wake Forest Baptist Still Working To Be In Compliance With Medicare Program
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center continues to work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, following a complaint survey done in February.
The hospital came under intense scrutiny earlier this year for erroneous pathology lab results affecting cancer patients. This put it in a state of what's called immediate jeopardy, threatening the hospital's funding.
Wake Forest Baptist issued a corrective plan and was recently reevaluated by the North Carolina State Survey Agency. A letter from CMS Monday said the immediate jeopardy situation had been lifted, but that the hospital was still in non-compliance.
CMS issued a new deadline of June 12th to fix the problems and says it will continue to monitor the situation.
High Point Breaks Ground On Newly Minted BB&T Point Stadium
A new baseball stadium in the Triad now has an official name - High Point's ball field will be known as BB&T Point.
City leaders announced the new moniker during a groundbreaking ceremony for the multi-use facility Wednesday.
The $30 million dollar stadium project is the centerpiece of a plan to reinvigorate High Point's downtown.
It will host a relocated independent minor league team from the Atlantic League that was formerly called the Bridgeport Bluefish.
The team's new name has yet to be announced. They are expected to start playing here in 2019.
Federal Tax Changes Won't Affect State Coffers Dramatically
North Carolina's nonpartisan legislative staffers say cash levels in state coffers won't be significantly altered by last year's federal tax overhaul compared to other states due to tax changes the General Assembly made years ago.
The explanation came during a revenue laws committee meeting Wednesday. Members debated legislation that would align state tax laws to many new federal rules Congress approved on deductions, expenses and other changes. A staff memo says passing it would result in roughly $120 million in additional state revenues through mid-2020, primarily from business and investment tax changes.
Deadline Nears To Comment On Moving Of Confederate Statues
A committee studying the possible removal of three Confederate monuments on North Carolina's Capitol grounds is accepting public comments for one more day.
So far, the committee that's part of the North Carolina Historical Commission has received more than 5,400 comments on whether to move the statues to a Civil War battlefield as Gov. Roy Cooper requested. The committee will continue to accept comments through midnight Thursday.
The panel plans to report on the proposal this month to the full state commission. Cooper wants the monuments moved to the Bentonville battlefield site in Johnston County.
Report Doesn't Judge Whether Splitting Districts Makes Sense
A North Carolina General Assembly study on potential gains and liabilities from breaking up large public school districts provides no judgment on whether deconsolidation is good for students.
The joint House-Senate committee wrapped up its work Wednesday by approving a report it will pass along to the entire legislature before it reconvenes next month. Some have questioned whether the Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake County districts are too large.
Panel members heard from school district leaders, education researchers and school policy analysts over several weeks. The report says existing studies don't document a relationship between district size and educational performance, but it appears smaller schools contribute to improved student performance.