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State Approves Voting Machines Despite Objections
North Carolina election leaders have publicly chastised the nation's largest voting machine manufacturer for late software and supply changes related to voting systems for use in the 2020 elections.
Despite that, the State Board of Elections on Friday approved the software alterations and equipment tweaks by Election Systems & Software. The changes center around the company's touch-screen ballot-marking devices and tally machines that could be used by up to 20 counties starting next year.
Critics of the ballot-marking machines say they can't be trusted for accuracy and urged the board not to approve the alterations or delay action.
Superintendent: 70K Students Promoted Despite Reading Skills
North Carolina's superintendent of public instruction is alleging that more than 70,000 third-grade students have been wrongly promoted since 2014 even though they did not meet mandated reading requirements.
In a memo released last week, State Superintendent Mark Johnson criticized the State Board of Education and former staff members of the Department of Public Instruction for "aggressive workarounds" that he claims have "gutted" a program meant to ensure students can read proficiently before advancing to fourth grade.
State Board Chairman Eric Davis denied Johnson's allegations. He says that if the board had enacted policies contrary to law, the General Assembly would have already taken action.
UNC-Chapel Hill Names Kevin Guskiewicz As Chancellor
North Carolina's flagship public university has a new chancellor. Kevin Guskiewicz was named full-time chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Friday after having served as interim chancellor since February.
Guskiewicz had served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. He holds advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. He has served on the university's faculty since 1995.
Guskiewicz takes over the top spot at the university as its statewide governing board faces criticism over a settlement allowing a Confederate heritage group to take a toppled statue that includes university system money for its upkeep.
Repercussions Over UNC's "Silent Sam" Statue Deal Continue
Critics are objecting to a behind-the-scenes deal to protect a Civil War statue that once stood on the University of North Carolina's flagship campus and give $2.5 million to a neo-Confederate group.
On Friday, a civil rights group challenged the settlement in court and a foundation withdrew a grant over the deal to give the Confederate statue known as "Silent Sam" to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, along with $2.5 million for its care.
The statue stood on a main quad of the Chapel Hill campus for more than a century until protesters toppled it last year.
Sheriff: Resource Officer On Leave After Slamming Student
Law enforcement authorities in North Carolina say a school resource officer has been placed on paid administrative leave.
This comes after school surveillance video showed him violently slamming a middle school student to the ground twice before dragging him off-camera.
School district officials reported the officer to authorities Thursday. Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame says he was "stunned" by the video and has asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to probe the situation at Vance County Middle School, north of Raleigh. He says the student is under the age of 12.
Authorities have not publicly identified the officer.
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