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Report Unearths Sexual Harassment Concerns In The General Assembly
A report this week from a North Carolina statehouse news agency has outlined allegations of sexual harassment by a handful of lawmakers and lobbyists.
The alleged behavior is wide-ranging, from reports of inappropriate compliments, unwanted touching and even kissing. Neither the accusers nor the lawmakers were named in the story.
NC Insider Statehouse Reporter Lauren Horsch says there are a few ways to report these incidents, including filing a complaint with the legislative ethics committee. But that process can be both lengthy and public.
Despite this, her sources say the harassment problem is improving, in large part due to tighter ethics rules on how lobbyists and lawmakers interact.
Ousted Mental Health Leaders Seek To Block State Control
Former leaders of a regional mental health agency have sued North Carolina's health department for taking over the organization and removing its board of directors, saying it lacked authority to do both.
The Charlotte Observer reports a counter-lawsuit filed Thursday in Mecklenburg County court tries to prevent Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen from seating new members on a reconstituted board for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions.
DHHS took over Cardinal two weeks ago following audits criticizing Cardinal leadership for excessive spending, compensation for CEO Richard Topping and severance packages. The board fired Topping last month and paid him and three other executives $3.8 million.
Treading Dangerously: Lax Safety Inside Goodyear Tire Plants
An investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting finds that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has ranked among the top five manufacturers for worker deaths since 2009.
Four died at the Danville, Virginia plant in one year.
Production demands and leaky roofs at two plants endangered workers and contributed to consumer risks.
Tires involved in three fatal accidents since 2011 were made in North Carolina and Virginia. Police say a tire from the Fayetteville plant caused a crash that killed two people in Texas. The company recalled that tire and over 40,000 others like it, saying tread could separate and cause a wreck.
Metal Detectors At North Carolina Legislature Could Come Soon
The police chief for North Carolina's legislative complex says he believes installing metal detectors where the General Assembly works can be done in a way that balances security with the public's access to see legislation enacted.
Chief Martin Brock told a legislative oversight committee Thursday that metal detector recommendations have been made through the legislature's building administrator to a bipartisan commission of House and Senate leaders. The commission has the final say. Brock says he anticipates something will develop "fairly soon."
GE Hitachi Nuclear Confirms North Carolina Layoffs
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has confirmed layoffs at its North Carolina plant.
The StarNews of Wilmington reports that company spokesman Jon Allen said Wednesday that he could not confirm the number of workers laid off. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said he didn't know how many people had been laid off and had feared local cuts.
Earlier this month, the company announced it would cut 12,000 jobs largely outside the U.S. from its power division because of falling energy demands.
GE Hitachi previously announced a round of layoffs in February, but did not disclose the number of jobs affected.
Judge Allowing $1M In Settlements For Wrongly Convicted Men
A federal judge says he will approve $1 million in settlements from a North Carolina town to two half brothers wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years in the killing of an 11-year-old girl.
U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle said Thursday he will also review any fees sought by lawyers for Henry McCollum and Leon Brown before the settlements with the town of Red Springs are finalized. A county sheriff and state agents named as defendants aren't part of the settlement.
Each man will get $500,000. The half brothers were imprisoned following the 1983 killing. They were released in 2014 because of DNA evidence.