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Cooper: Businesses, Rich Pay For Teacher Raises
Gov. Roy Cooper wants to raise teacher pay higher on average than what the state budget currently plans for next fall, and corporations and high wage-earners would help pay for it.
Cooper unveiled Thursday proposed adjustments to the second year of the state government spending plan.
He says teachers would get average raises of 8 percent, compared to the roughly 6 percent the GOP-controlled legislature enacted for next year over Cooper's veto.
Cooper says he'd locate $100 million for the raises by keeping the corporate tax rate at 3 percent, rather than let it fall to 2.5 percent in 2019, and by creating a new individual tax bracket for six-figure earners.
Cooper calls it "tax fairness for teacher pay" but Republican legislators who will approve adjustments say it sounds more like "an unserious attempt to score political points in an election year."
Legislative Committee OKs School Safety Ideas
A legislative committee has agreed to more than a dozen recommendations on how to improve K-12 school safety in North Carolina that leave out any new gun restrictions or harsher penalties for bringing weapons to schools or threatening mass violence.
The House panel voted unanimously Thursday for the proposals, which will likely be debated by the General Assembly when it returns next week for its annual work session.
The approved recommendations include more training for school police officers and funding for districts to hire officers along with counselors, nurses and social workers. Schools also would be subject to annual vulnerability reviews and have teams that help identify high-risk students for violence.
Local Leader Threatens R. Kelly Protest In North Carolina
As critics of singer R. Kelly seek to cancel his shows because of his alleged mistreatment of women, a community leader in North Carolina says she and others will stage a protest if his Friday show in Greensboro takes place.
Brandi Collins-Calhoun is director of reproductive and maternal health for the YWCA Greensboro. In a letter to the Greensboro Coliseum, she said if the show isn't canceled, she and other community leaders will be standing outside the arena in protest.
A spokesman for the coliseum wasn't immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Kelly has faced intense scrutiny in the last year after women have accused him of sexual coercion and physical abuse. He has denied the charges.
Doctor License On Hold Over Fat Storage, Syringe Allegations
North Carolina's Medical Board has suspended the license of a doctor who they say reused syringes and dermatology products on multiple patients and stored human fat in plastic bags in a closet.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the board suspended the license of Dr. Anne Litton White of Winston-Salem effective last Monday following complaints from six former employees.
Among the accusations were that White did not allow staff to dispose of syringes and unused botulinum toxin or filler product, but had the unused portions stored in baggies in her office. At least four former workers said some of that product was later injected into another patient.
Divers Confirm Wreck Off North Carolina Coast Is Steam Ship
Divers have found proof that a shipwreck off the North Carolina coast is a steam ship that sank in 1838.
The Charlotte Observer reports Keith Webb of Blue Water Ventures International says a candlestick recovered from the wreck bears markings that indicate it came from the Pulaski. Blue Water Ventures and Endurance Exploration Group are leading the recovery effort.
The wreck is 40 miles off the coast, more than 10 miles farther out than historians originally believed the Pulaski went down. A 1919 account in "The Georgia Historical Quarterly" says a boiler explosion caused the ship to split in half. About half of the roughly 200 people aboard died.
Panthers Sign 5 Draft Picks
The Panthers signed five of their eight draft picks.
The team announced Thursday they have signed second-round draft choice cornerback Donte Jackson, fourth-round draft picks tight end Ian Thomas and defensive end Marquis Haynes, fifth-round selection linebacker Jermaine Carter and seventh-round draft choice defensive tackle Kendrick Norton.
Terms of the contracts were not released.