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Veterans Day Observed In North Carolina With Cooper Proclamation
The North Carolina state government is set to thank service members on Veterans Day.
Gov. Roy Cooper will sign a special proclamation for the holiday on Monday at the Executive Mansion.
While state and federal offices are closed, the North Carolina Museum of History will be open.
The federal government says North Carolina ranked seventh among the states in total veteran population in 2017 with over 730,000 veterans.
Despite Teacher Pay Impasse, New Law Oks Seniority Increases
Many North Carolina public-school teachers soon will get seniority-based raises already on the books despite the months-long fight between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislators over teacher pay.
A bill Cooper signed into law means teachers move up the current salary scale this fall based on another year on the job. That means a $1,000 annual raise for teachers with one to 15 years' experience. A 25-year teacher also benefits from a $2,000 bump.
The law also means experienced-based raises apply to school psychologists and counselors.
New Law Increases NC Zero-Tax Bracket, Targets Online Sales
North Carolina income tax filers will get more generous breaks on their returns soon but could pay more upfront sales taxes for online purchases in a measure Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law.
Cooper's signing announcement came several hours after he vetoed another bill that would have reduced corporate franchise taxes.
The Republican-penned measure signed on Friday increases the standard deduction — meaning the amount of income on which filers pay no taxes — by $750 to $1,500 starting in 2020. For a single filer, the deduction will now be $10,750.
The new law also directs companies like Amazon to collect sales taxes on consumers buying products they offer through third-party retailers.
Report: Ex-ECU Leader "Probably Consumed" Multiple Drinks
A University of North Carolina system investigation about the former interim chancellor of East Carolina University determined he "probably consumed" between seven and 10 drinks over several hours while visiting popular student bars in Greenville.
The system released late Friday a report from a law firm it hired to investigate events involving Dan Gerlach in late September and anonymous emails sent to university leaders about him. Videos and photos on social media showed Gerlach "interacting with college-aged young adults and taking selfies."
Gerlach was placed on administrative leave, then resigned Oct. 26 as another video surfaced.
The report found the emailed allegations largely false.
North Carolina No. 2 In Risky Dams Where Failure Could Kill
North Carolina has the country's second-largest collection of poorly maintained dams built in places where a failure could kill people.
A two-year investigation by The Associated Press identified 168 high-hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory conditions in North Carolina. That trailed only Georgia among the 44 states and Puerto Rico that provided full information in response to the AP's public records requests.
High hazard means someone could die if a dam fails, though that could mean risk for a single house or a community of thousands.
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