September Date Set For North Carolina Voter ID State Trial
A challenge to North Carolina's new voter identification requirement will go to trial in state court before the November election.
A Superior Court judge decided Monday on a trial starting Sept. 26 on the mandate approved in 2013 and used for the first time this March.
The case is separate from federal lawsuits challenging the photo ID requirement and other voting changes by the General Assembly.
The state lawsuit focuses on whether the ID requirement is another qualification to vote beyond the state constitution's limits.
North Carolina Keeps Public From Seeing Police Camera Videos
Gov. Pat McCrory has signed a bill excluding police video recordings from being scrutinized as public records despite opposition from civil liberties groups, which say it will deepen divides in communities already reeling from the killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
McCrory on Monday signed the state's first law detailing who can view and obtain footage from body cameras and dashboard cameras.
The law says the footage is neither public record nor a personnel record. It allows the video's subject or their representative to ask to view recordings. A law enforcement agency could withhold access for reasons such as a continued investigation or safety concerns. A requester can go to court if an agency denies the request.
NC Legislators Want To Meet With Trainers Over Deadly Force
Some North Carolina legislators say open dialogue is needed with groups that train law enforcement statewide to ensure police procedure standards minimize the potential for violence while officers are doing their jobs.
Sen. Joel Ford of Charlotte and Rep. Ed Hanes Jr. of Winston-Salem said Monday they want a meeting between North Carolina Black Legislative Caucus members and officials in charge of training and standards.
Their call came following recent fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Their news release also cited the shooting death of a black man in Charlotte in 2013 by a white officer.
Duke Energy: $1.5M To Electric-Vehicle Sites In Lawsuit Deal
Duke Energy is ready to spend $1.5 million to expand the number of electric-vehicle charging stations around North Carolina as part of a deal settling claims of illicit smokestack pollution.
The country's largest electric company is announcing Tuesday that it will make $1 million available to cities and towns wanting to install public charging stations for residents. Another $500,000 is going to municipalities that want charging stations for electric buses.
The spending is part of a settlement Duke Energy struck last year with the Obama Administration ending a 15-year-old lawsuit over claims that the utility violated federal clean air laws.
Judge: Is Special Session Needed On Wake County Maps?
North Carolina General Assembly leaders are deciding whether to return to work to redraw local districts in Wake County which were struck down by an appeals court.
A lower court judge is asking lawmakers to tell him in a week if they plan to create new lines for seats on the Wake County Board of Education and county commission for the fall elections. That would require the full General Assembly to hold a special session.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the use of the Wake County maps. The legislature approved them beginning this year. A trial judge says he or the State Board of Elections could redraw the districts if lawmakers don't.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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