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Debate, Votes Expected On Congress Remap In North Carolina

Some Republicans are ready to advance a new map for North Carolina's congressional districts next year.

The House planned to debate and vote on proposed boundaries Thursday that would replace the lines for the state's 13 U.S. House seats. It's happening because state judges blocked the current map's use for the 2020 elections, saying it was likely an illegal partisan gerrymander favoring the GOP.

2 Additional NC Health Systems Join Blue Cross Partnership

Two additional North Carolina health care providers are joining five other state health systems and an insurer in a deal designed to help lower medical costs.

The Charlotte Observer reports national insurance company Blue Cross and Blue Shield will soon be working with seven of North Carolina's largest health systems in a finance-sharing program called Blue Premier. Novant and Atrium health systems will join the deal Jan. 1. The others joined last year.

Duke University Receives Its Largest Gift Ever

Duke University is getting its largest gift since the founding of the school in 1924. It's one of three universities and a health clinic sharing a more than $1 billion donation.

Duke is getting $260 million, as is the University of Southern California and MIT. The Cleveland Clinic is also receiving a similar amount.

The gifts come from this year's sale of the Lord Corp. for almost $3.7 million.

Duke says it will put the money in its endowment, using it for undergraduate financial aid, funding for a new engineering building, and support for science and technology education.

North Carolina Board Rejected Native American Charter School

A North Carolina advisory board has rejected a new charter school catering to Native Americans, saying its curriculum is too activist and not inclusive enough.

The News & Observer reports the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board voted Tuesday to reverse its recommendation that the state approve the 2020 opening of Old Main STREAM Academy.

Advisory board members raised concerns about the school's use of “red pedagogy,” an approach tied to an educator critical of how the U.S. has treated Native Americans.

Old Main's leaders said something different is needed to help Native American students, who on average have lower test scores and higher suspension rates than many other groups.

NC Drug Takeback Nets 38,000 Pounds Of Unused Prescriptions

Federal authorities say people in North Carolina turned in more than 38,000 pounds of unwanted or expired drugs for disposal at a drug takeback event held around the state.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Initiative has operated for a decade to remove unneeded opioids and other dangerous drugs that could be abused if left in people's homes.

This year's event took place on October 26. It also included the collection and disposal of vaping devices and cartridges amid concerns about lung injuries due to vaping.

The next drug takeback day is in April.

Cows Cast Away By Dorian Found Alive On North Carolina Island

A trio of castaway cows has been discovered on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where they apparently washed up after swimming for miles to escape Hurricane Dorian 's storm surge.

Cape Lookout National Seashore officials think the stranded cows swam up to 5 miles during the September storm before being found near Cape Lookout this month. The cows belong to a herd that roams freely on Cedar Island, across the sound. When Dorian generated an 8-foot “mini tsunami,” it washed them and dozens of other animals away, including 28 wild horses that died.

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