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State Cuts Department Of Public Instruction Jobs
Dozens of employees at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction have received layoff notices. This comes after the General Assembly made a $5.1 million cut to the agency's budget for the new fiscal year.
The State Board of Education and Superintendent Mark Johnson asked lawmakers to hold off on the budget cut, which comes after a $3 million drop last year.
The cuts at NCDPI are primarily in two departments: information technology and educator support services, a division that focuses on low-performing schools.
State education leaders say the layoffs affect 40 employees. 21 vacant positions were also eliminated at the agency.
Retrial Ordered For North Carolina Man Who Shot Man In Yard
A white North Carolina man convicted of fatally shooting a black neighbor will get a new trial after an appeals court ruled the jury was not properly instructed about his right to defend his home.
The state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday the jury should have gotten instructions about the state's "castle doctrine" law before it found Donald Kuhns guilty of voluntary manslaughter in 2016.
Kuhns and his neighbor, Johnny Dockery, had a drunken argument in 2014 before the shooting outside Kuhns' Alexander County home, according to court documents. Prosecutors concede Dockery was in Kuhns' yard when he was shot.
The appeals court found that jurors should have been instructed of Kuhns' right to defend against illegal entry to his property surrounding his home, not just the structure itself.
Arts Council Director Stepping Down
The president and CEO of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Arts Council is stepping down at the end of the month.
Jim Sparrow is leaving the organization after five years at the helm to lead the Fort Wayne Ballet.
Following a fundraising shortfall earlier this year, Sparrow told WFDD the Arts Council needed to refocus its efforts.
Organization officials say they will begin the search for Sparrow's replacement immediately.
84 Workers To Lose Jobs As North Carolina Snack Plant Closes
A snack plant is closing in North Carolina, leaving 84 employees without a job.
Great American Snacks said in federal paperwork it will close its Monroe plant in September because its building and equipment are old.
The Charlotte Observer reports that the plant filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice earlier this week.
Great American Snacks parent company McCain Foods bought a plant in Nampa, Idaho, in 2016. The plants make specialty appetizers like breaded vegetable and cheese snacks.
Ted Johnson, Former PTI Executive Director, Has Died
A former longtime executive director at Piedmont Triad International Airport has died.
Ted Johnson, who supervised landmark expansions at PTI for over 35 years, died Friday, according to an obituary with Cumby Family Funeral Service.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that during his 17-year tenure as executive director, Johnson oversaw the addition of runways, changes to roads at the airport, and the controversial arrival of the FedEx hub.
The main road leading to PTI now bears his name.
Ted Johnson was 78. A celebration of his life will be held Saturday in Jamestown.
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