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Greensboro: Financial Donations Needed Most In Tornado Recovery
The City of Greensboro says it has distributed supplies to those affected by a tornado but now needs financial donations and volunteers.
Greensboro Assistant City Manager Chris Wilson said Tuesday that financial support for those repairing homes or finding new ones is needed most. He says people are asked to consider contributing to tornado relief funds or signing up for one of many volunteer efforts.
The city said in a statement that thanks to residents and businesses, Greensboro and its nonprofit partners have been able to give supplies to those impacted by the April 15 tornado.
Wilson says in the statement the city has the necessary supplies and warehouse space is reaching capacity, so financial help will be the biggest need going forward.
Group Won't Endorse Lawmakers Who Voted For HB2 Replacement
North Carolina's leading gay rights group says it won't endorse in this year's General Assembly elections incumbents who voted for legislation last year partially repealing the so-called "bathroom bill."
Equality North Carolina announced its decision Tuesday, two weeks before primaries. It could affect dozens of legislators, especially Democrats historically more likely to receive backing. Equality NC opposed both the 2016 law also called House Bill 2 and the replacement law.
HB2 required transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding to their birth certificates, and barred local government non-discrimination ordinances. The replacement law kept bathroom policy in the state's hands and delayed new ordinances until 2020.
Lawyers Wrap Up Case Blaming Pork Giant For Ghastly Smells
Jurors in North Carolina are getting a roundup of testimony in a lawsuit filed by neighbors of an industrial-scale swine operation.
The 10 plaintiffs contend that open-air cesspools of hog waste inflict intense, putrid smells on them that can't be removed from clothing or household fabrics.
Lawyers for Virginia-based Smithfield Foods' hog-production division who closed their case Tuesday maintain that the smells, traffic and noise don't hurt the neighbors' ability to enjoy their own property.
The jury has heard three weeks of testimony. This is the first of a series of test cases by more than 500 neighbors against the low-cost, high-volume methods used by the Chinese-owned company.
North Carolina Town Council Backs Creating Charter Schools
A North Carolina town council has voted to support legislation allowing it to create its own charter schools.
The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 Monday to endorse the bill sponsored by Republican State Rep. Bill Brawley. Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte.
While the town said the bill is not an effort to break away from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, system officials say the measure would undermine public education across North Carolina. The CMS board was scheduled to discuss its opposition to the bill during a meeting on Tuesday.
Government: Wild Red Wolf Population Could Soon Be Wiped Out
Federal wildlife officials say the only wild population of endangered red wolves is unsustainable and could be wiped out within years.
The prediction comes in a five-year review of the status of the species released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report says only about 40 wolves remain in the wild in North Carolina, down from a peak of nearly 120 a decade ago. Another 230 wolves live in captivity.
The main purpose of the report was to evaluate the wolves' endangered status, which it says should be maintained. More detailed recommendations for conservation efforts will come in a separate document.