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GOP Senators From NC Come Out Against Trump EPA Nominee
North Carolina's two Republican senators say they oppose President Donald Trump's pick to oversee chemical safety at the Environmental Protection Agency, putting his nomination at serious risk.
Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis issued statements Wednesday saying they will vote against Michael Dourson to serve as head of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
The Associated Press reported in September that Dourson has accepted payments from chemical manufacturers in exchange for academic papers affirming the safety of his clients' products.
The North Carolina senators cited past drinking water problems at a Marine Corps base and contamination in the Cape Fear River in opposing Dourson.
Cooper School Funding Panel Led By Outgoing Blue Cross CEO
The outgoing chief executive of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will lead a panel created by Gov. Roy Cooper to make recommendations on complying with landmark court rulings over public school funding.
Cooper announced Wednesday the commission's membership, with Blue Cross CEO Brad Wilson as chairman. Wilson has announced his retirement from the health insurer and his successor has been named.
Cooper says the commission seeks to fulfill a 1997 ruling by identifying resources so all children can have an equal opportunity to obtain a sound basic education. The panel is expected to work with an outside consultant.
Civil Rights Attorney Running For NC Supreme Court
A longtime civil rights attorney who successfully sued in striking down North Carolina legislative redistricting maps is running for the state Supreme Court next year.
Anita Earls is executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She announced plans Wednesday at state Democratic Party headquarters to run for an eight-year term in 2018. Earls would run for the seat currently held by Justice Barbara Jackson, a Republican.
Two-Dozen Speak Against UNC Confederate Statue
About two-dozen speakers have voiced their opposition to a Confederate monument at North Carolina's flagship public university during a meeting with top university officials.
The public comment session before University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill trustees lasted about two hours Wednesday and ended without any disruptions.
Thirty-two people had signed up to speak, but a few didn't show up at their allotted time. Nearly all called for the statue's removal, but several spoke in support of it.
Community College Steps In To Aid North Carolina Turkey Farmers
A community college is helping North Carolina turkey farmers process their birds in time for the holidays after the only Animal Welfare Act-approved poultry processing facility in the region closed last month.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports the Western Piedmont Community College Sustainable Agriculture Program has received a special exemption from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to process turkeys for farmers. A release from the school says at least half a dozen farmers are planning to bring their turkeys to Morganton.
The shuttering of Cool Hand Meats in Marion had left farmers scrambling, as the nearest U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved slaughterhouses were in Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and Alabama.
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