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Budget Stalemate Reaches Key Moment In North Carolina Senate
A four-month stalemate over the North Carolina state budget may end if Senate Republicans get a little help from Democrats this week to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of the bill.
Senate GOP leaders have signaled an override vote could occur during Monday night's floor session. An override already succeeded in the House during an unexpected vote last month.
Senate Republicans voting to override would need just one Democrat to defect or two absent Democrats to enact the budget despite Cooper's objections. Senate Democrats and Cooper have said the chamber's caucus is united on upholding the veto.
Final North Carolina Farm Bill Sets Smokable Hemp Ban Date
North Carolina's annual agriculture measure is getting final votes because negotiators have worked out differences, particularly on when to outlaw production and possession of smokable hemp.
The House and Senate scheduled floor votes for Monday evening on the 2019 Farm Act, much of which describes the regulatory framework to expand the state's industrial and medicinal hemp industry.
But the measure declares smokable hemp — which lacks the concentration of the compound that gives marijuana its high — illegal starting next June 1.
Interim East Carolina University Chancellor Resigns
The interim chancellor of East Carolina University is resigning after photos were published of him at a bar with students.
University of North Carolina Interim President Bill Roper announced Saturday that Dan Gerlach had resigned.
Gerlach, who was appointed in April, previously said in a statement that he went to a local pub with two adult male acquaintances on Sept. 25. The statement says videos and photos shared on social media show him "interacting with college-aged young adults and taking selfies."
Roper said Gerlach's resignation is in the "best interests" of the school and is effective immediately.
2 Arrested At Confederate Monument Protest In Pittsboro
Police in North Carolina say they've arrested two people after a "physical altercation" at a protest over a Confederate statue slated to be removed.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office said Saturday it arrested Calvin James Megginson and Timothy James Osborn on charges related to the altercation. Both were released and are due in court next month.
A pro-Confederate group is trying to stop removal of the statue, which has been stationed outside the county courthouse in Pittsboro since 1907.
The county's plans to remove the monument have sparked protests and counter-protests that have resulted in multiple arrests in the past month.
Microsoft Expanding In North Carolina, Will Hire Hundreds
Microsoft Corp. is expanding its North Carolina footprint by hiring new workers to build out its engineering and quantum computing businesses.
The software maker and Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Friday that the $23 million expansion in Charlotte aims to create 430 new jobs by 2023.
The Redmond, Washington-based company could receive $8.5 million in state incentives over time if it meets job-creation and investment goals. A state panel awarded an incentives deal to Microsoft minutes before Microsoft executives and Cooper unveiled the expansion at a Charlotte event. The state Department of Commerce says North Carolina won out over competing offers from Irving, Texas and Fargo, North Dakota.
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