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Greensboro Deputy Police Chief James Hinson To Step Down

Greensboro city officials have announced the retirement of Deputy Police Chief James Hinson.

The News and Record reports Hinson will step down Friday, just days after one of his former employees was charged with sexually assaulting a teenager. The incident is alleged to have happened at a group home co-owned by Hinson and former Greensboro Police Sgt. Kevin Chandler.

A report prepared by a state agency details the encounter and questions a subsequent delay in the assault being reported to authorities. It also says Hinson tried pressuring the teen to drop the charges.

The Center of Progressive Strides has since closed. Hinson has said the shutdown was unrelated to the sexual assault allegations.

Forsyth County Puts Sales Tax On 2020 Ballot

Forsyth County Commissioners will put a quarter-cent sales tax on the ballot for the 2020 primary. If voters approve the measure, the money would be used to help fund Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

Local officials say the supplement schedule for teachers in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System hasn't had any major infusion of dollars for almost 20 years.

If the measure passes, a bulk of the money would help make teacher supplements more competitive with other districts in the state. Forsyth County Commissioner Don Martin says the goal is to attract and retain teachers.

Publix: Only Officers Should Openly Carry Guns In Its Stores

The supermarket chain Publix is joining a growing number of retailers in asking customers not to openly carry firearms in its stores, even if state laws allow it.

The company announced the move by email in a one-sentence statement on Wednesday, saying, "Publix respectfully requests that only law enforcement officials openly carry firearms in our stores."

The chain, based in Lakeland, Florida, currently has several stores in the Triad and is planning to open a distribution center in Guilford County.

Survivors of last year's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have criticized the company for donating to a Florida gubernatorial candidate aligned with the National Rifle Association.

Sparta Man Dies In Winston-Salem Workplace Accident

A man has died following a workplace accident in Winston-Salem.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports 55-year-old Bryan Adkins of Sparta died following an incident at HPFabrics Inc.

A preliminary investigation shows that two employees were hit by a forklift and pinned against some pallets.

Adkins died, and one other employee was injured.

The N.C. Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the incident, which occurred Wednesday morning.

Former Chief Justice Who Pushed For Innocence Process Dies

The conservative North Carolina chief justice who led the way for the state's unique innocence process has died at age 85.

His son-in-law, Tom Neal, said I. Beverly Lake Jr. died Thursday at the retirement center where he lived.

Lake was chief justice when a string of high-profile wrongful convictions in North Carolina caught his attention. In 2002, he convened a commission to review how innocent people are convicted and how to free them.

That led to the establishment of the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission, whose work has resulted in exonerations of 12 people.

Correction: an earlier version of the Morning New Briefs incorrectly identified the Center of Progressive Strides. 

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