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Morning News Briefs: Friday, October 6th, 2017

House Completes Another Override, Goes Home

The Republican-dominated legislature has completed its ninth override from among Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's 12 vetoes so far this year, this one on a wide-ranging regulatory bill.

The House voted late Thursday to make the measure state law despite Cooper's objections that it rolled back water quality protections, particularly on stormwater restrictions for building projects. The Senate's override vote that occurred several hours before also exceeded the three-fifths threshold required.

The override vote was the House's last action before members wrapped up a special session that began Wednesday.

Booker, Jackson, Barber Are Speakers At NAACP Convention

A potential presidential candidate in 2020 and a former presidential hopeful are among the speakers at this weekend's North Carolina NAACP convention.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and the Rev. Jesse Jackson will address convention attendees at the Raleigh Convention Center. Jackson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1984 and 1988, while Booker is considered one of several current Democratic presidential aspirants.

Outgoing state president the Rev. William Barber also will deliver his final "State of the State" address on civil rights Saturday. Barber was elected state president in 2005.

North Carolina Jail Inmate Dies After Hanging

Jailers say an inmate in North Carolina has died several days after he hanged himself in his cell.

The Surry County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that jailers found 30-year-old Michael Adrian Martin in his cell Sept. 28.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem said Wednesday that Martin had died from his injuries.

Sheriff Jimmy Combs and District Attorney C. Ricky Bowman say they are awaiting a report by the State Bureau of Investigation.

There was no immediate word on why Martin was in the jail in Dobson.

Man Rejects Deal, Could Face Death Penalty In Murder Trial

A Triad man has rejected a plea deal in a murder case, meaning he could be sentenced to death if found guilty.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports authorities say 21-year-old Norman Kennard Carter Jr. of Rural Hall is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 60-year-old Alphonso Singletary in September 2016.

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill said Carter was prepared to plead guilty to first-degree murder and get a life sentence on Thursday, but rejected the deal.

NC Smoking Rates At New Low

New data shows the smoking rate in North Carolina is at an all-time low, but still higher than the national average.

The percentage of North Carolina adults who reported smoking in 2016 is 17.9. That's just above the national average of 17.1.

The data from the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics reveals that overall smoking rates are higher among certain populations including those who are unemployed, disabled, or living in rural areas.

The Department of Health and Human Services says smoking is still the state's leading cause of preventable death and costs taxpayers $3.8 billion per year in health care costs. 

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.

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