Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Morning Headlines: Friday, May 20, 2016

Man Receives Pardon Of Innocence For Rape Of 81-Year-Old

Gov. Pat McCrory has granted a pardon of innocence to a man who served 27 years in prison for a rape that he didn't commit.

McCrory said in a news release that he told Edward McInnis of the pardon Thursday. The pardon makes McInnis eligible to file a claim for $750,000 in compensation.

McInnis had been released from prison in August after an investigation by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. He had been sentenced in 1988 to life in prison for the rape of an 81-year-old woman in Laurinburg.

Amendments Blocked LGBT Law, I-77 Toll Repeals

The full state House voted on more than two dozen amendments while passing their version of the North Carolina government budget this week. Items that didn't get to the floor for debate would have repealed House Bill 2 and canceled an agreement to build toll lanes on Interstate 77 north of Charlotte.

Speaker Tim Moore ruled both amendments out of order because they didn't comply with House rules. He said Thursday an amendment by Rep. Darren Jackson of Raleigh to repeal the LGBT law wasn't relevant to the budget. Jackson says he's optimistic the bill will still be debated and voted on this year.

Rep. Julia Howard of Mocksville filed the I-77 toll amendment. Moore says the amendment didn't qualify for floor debate because of uncertainty over a monetary penalty for canceling a contract with a private company to build the toll lanes.

GOP Debate In NC Takes On Being Conservative

Two U.S. House members with their political futures on the line are debating one of the core issues in their upcoming Republican primary — who deserves to be called a true conservative.

U.S. Reps. Renee Ellmers and George Holding debated Thursday on WRAL-TV ahead of a rare primary election next month between incumbent Republicans reshuffled into the 2nd Congressional District. They were joined by Greg Brannon, who was defeated in GOP primaries for U.S. Senate in 2014 and 2016.

Residents Demand City Water

North Carolinians who live near coal ash ponds organized a protest rally highlighting the need for city water in those regions.

Many of them are asking to be connected to city water lines to end their dependence on bottled water provided by Duke Energy

State health officials last year warned residents against drinking their well water due to a cancer-linked heavy metal. Officials reversed themselves in March, saying the water was OK.

Nonprofit Launches Campaign To Build Playgrounds In Flint

A North Carolina-based nonprofit seeks to build playgrounds in Flint, Michigan for children coping with the city's lead-contaminated water crisis.

The Make An Impact Foundation announced Wednesday the first playground is planned outside Flint's famed Berston Field House. The longtime facility has trained many athletes, including Olympic gold medalist boxer Clarissa Shields.

"Make An Impact Week" starts September 12 and will include various community improvement projects. Those efforts are envisioned as a lead-up to the playground construction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Receive the morning news briefs delivered to your email inbox every morning, click here to sign-up.

 

 

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate