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Morning News Briefs: Monday, August 8, 2016

Governor Pat McCrory says disaster relief funds will not be used to cover HB 2 lawsuit costs. Photo courtesy NCDOTcommunications

McCrory Won't Use Disaster Fund Money For HB2 Lawsuits

Gov. Pat McCrory's administration says money transferred from a disaster relief fund to his office won't be used to defend House Bill 2 in court as legislators directed it should.

Instead, McCrory's top lawyer said late Friday the governor will keep using other available funds from agencies to cover those outside legal expenses.

The General Assembly passed a bill moving $500,000 from the disaster fund to McCrory for the expenses, but McCrory let it become law without his signature because he wanted funds to come from Attorney General Roy Cooper, who won't defend the law.

North Carolina's Religious Objection Law In Court

Roughly 5 percent of North Carolina's magistrates are refusing to marry same-sex couples for religious reasons, and lawyers for the state say people suing in federal court have no standing to challenge these opt-outs as unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn scheduled a hearing for Monday in Asheville on a motion to dismiss their lawsuit altogether.

Separately, Republican legislative leaders and some magistrates also want to be added as defendants going forward, saying they don't trust Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper to defend the state law.

Officials To Discuss Forsyth Bond Referendum

Forsyth County Commissioners are discussing several projects at a public hearing Monday for a fall bond referendum. Most of the money would be used for infrastructure improvements in the county's public schools.

It's a list of around $430-million in projects. Those include bonds for improvements at Forsyth Technical Community College and county Parks and Recreation. The bulk of the money would be invested in Winston-Salem Forsyth County Public Schools for repairs and the construction of six new school buildings.

If their request is approved, school officials estimate a person who has a home valued at $150,000 can expect to pay around $50 more a year in property taxes. Voters in Forsyth County will have the final say on the Nov. 8th ballot.  

Sheriff Alters Procedure For Trump Rally After Past Violence

A North Carolina sheriff's office has changed its procedures for an upcoming Donald Trump rally after an altercation at a previous one.

A lawyer representing the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office tells The Fayetteville Observer that it will be ready for a Trump campaign visit on Tuesday.

During a Trump appearance in March, a man in the audience hit a protester as he was being led out. That man faces assault and other charges.

Reporter Arrested At Protest Says Police Went Too Far

A reporter arrested as he took photos of other protesters being arrested at an Asheville sit-in says it raises issues whether police really want to be transparent.

Mountain Xpress reporter Dan Hesse was arrested July 22 after police ordered 17 protesters to leave the Asheville Police Department. They were asking for racial justice.

Asheville Police spokeswoman Christina Hallingse says about half the protesters left. Hesse stayed to take photos for his alternative weekly publication.

Hallingse told the Citizen-Times of Asheville that there is no exemption that allows a reporter to ignore a lawful order and not be arrested.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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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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