North Carolina Congressional Map Redraw Almost Complete
The North Carolina legislature is nearly done redrawing the state's congressional map. It will also delay the March 15 U.S. House primary until June 7.
The House and Senate are expected to wrap up a special redistricting session today. That's the deadline in a federal court order demanding new congressional boundaries because judges found two districts were illegal gerrymanders.
Republican lawmakers disagreed with the ruling but redrew lines in case the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't block the order. The current boundaries would remain intact and the congressional primary would go on as scheduled in March if the justices intervene.
The contingent election calendar keeps all other primaries on March 15. But there would be no primary runoffs this year. Usually a candidate must get at least 40 percent to avoid a runoff.
Judges Rule Out Up-Or-Down Vote For State Supreme Court
A three-judge panel has decided a new option for choosing members of the North Carolina Supreme Court is unconstitutional.
Wake County court administrator Lisa Tucker alerted lawyers Thursday of the judges' ruling in a lawsuit challenging the law creating retention elections. The administrator's email provided by the state Attorney General's Office quotes the ruling, which bars state election officials from conducting a retention vote.
It's supposed to be used for the first time this November by Associate Justice Bob Edmunds. The justice would be subject to an up-or-down vote — without a challenger — to receive an eight-year term.
Oral arguments were heard Tuesday. The ruling won't be official until an order is written and signed. The ruling could be appealed to the state Supreme Court.
UNCG Will Rename Aycock Auditorium
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro voted Thursday to rename the Aycock Auditorium.
The university is scrubbing the title after reevaluating its namesake's legacy. The final vote was unanimous.
Former North Carolina Governor Charles Aycock led the state between 1901 and 1905, and was a strong advocate for public education, pushing for higher teacher pay and more schools. And he got results.
But the UNCG Board of Trustees voted for the name change because of Aycock's defining role in white supremacy movements around the turn of the 20th century.
UNCG is not the first university to strike Aycock's name from campus buildings. In recent years, Duke and East Carolina have taken similar actions.
Officer Accuses Fayetteville Police Department Of Profiling
An Elizabethtown police officer has filed a lawsuit accusing the Fayetteville Police Department of profiling and harassing African-Americans.
The Fayetteville Observer reports officer Willie Thompson, an African-American, filed the lawsuit Jan. 13 in Cumberland County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and damages in excess of $25,000.
The lawsuit stems from a Dec. 2, 2014, incident in which Thompson says he was temporarily arrested and detained after white officers mistook him for another suspect.
Thompson says officers ignored him when he said he was an Elizabethtown officer and that he had his credentials in his car.
Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock called the allegations ridiculous. He says he is looking forward to having the "facts of the case exposed" to help people understand what happened that evening.
Old Salem Celebrates Anniversary
An observance of the 250th anniversary of Salem is taking place Friday, called the “Walk Of Salem's Founding Builders.”
The site is a historic Moravian community that became part of Winston-Salem at the turn of the 20th century.
It was in 1766 that a group of Moravian men walked six miles to establish the town of Salem. The site was chosen to be a center for trade, craft, and commerce because of its location.
John Larson is with Restoration at Old Salem Museums and Gardens. He says these men created the street grids that structured the town, and eventually Winston-Salem. Their vision can still be seen in the buildings that stand in Old Salem today.
Ten staff members from Old Salem will recreate the walk. It concludes at the Builder's House, the community's first home. Events commemorating the founding of the town will continue throughout the year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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