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Bill Making North Carolina Sheriffs Work With ICE Advances
North Carolina Republican lawmakers unhappy with recent decisions by newly elected sheriffs to stop assisting federal immigration agents are now pushing legislation that would force them to hold defendants if requested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A House judiciary panel approved legislation Wednesday that requires sheriffs in all counties to fulfill ICE detainer requests, which can be used to hold criminal suspects up to 48 hours. These holdings currently aren't mandatory.
Sheriffs elected last year in urban areas in and around Raleigh, Forsyth County, Asheville and Durham have announced they won't honor these requests.
North Carolina May Ban Wind Power Near Coast, Military Flights
North Carolina could permanently ban big wind-power projects from the most energy intensive parts of the state's Atlantic coast.
Legislation introduced Wednesday by Republican Sen. Harry Brown would prohibit sky-scraping wind turbines within about 100 miles of the coast between the Virginia border and the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base. Brown says he's trying to protect air routes around the state's major military bases.
Environmental groups say the Pentagon already has procedures protecting military flight paths.
NC House Agrees To Repeal Corporal Punishment In School
Corporal punishment would be permanently prohibited in North Carolina's public schools in legislation advancing a year after the last two school districts gave up that option.
The House voted 94-16 on Wednesday for legislation repealing the process by which local school boards can choose to use spanking.
Districts allowing corporal punishment declined over the years as it fell out of favor due to societal changes and research discouraging it. Graham and Robeson County schools were the last to allow it.
Board Votes To End Proposed North Carolina Light Rail Plan
A North Carolina board has decided to halt a light-rail project which would have linked two major universities.
The Herald-Sun of Durham reports that after a closed-door session on Wednesday, GoTriangle General Manager Jeff Moore recommended to the board of trustees that the $2.7 billion project linking UNC Hospitals with Duke University and stops in-between be discontinued.
Agency officials noted opposition from Duke, which had expressed concerns over running the line outside its medical center, and how noise, vibrations and trains could disrupt emergency traffic and patient care.
Students Protest Fatal Shooting By North Carolina Police
A group of students walked out of a North Carolina school to protest the shooting death of a man who police say was armed and ignored requests by officers to drop his weapon.
Several dozen students at the Northwest School of the Arts walked out of class Wednesday to protest the shooting death of 27-year-old Danquirs Franklin on Monday. Students carried signs which said "Stop killing us!" and "Police killed an unarmed black man."
The walkout followed two nights of vigils for Franklin at the Burger King restaurant where Franklin was killed.
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