Morning News Briefs: Thursday, September 22, 2016

2nd Night Of Violent Protests Over Charlotte Police Shooting

Downtown Charlotte is calming down early Thursday after a peaceful prayer vigil turned into a violent protest over the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Hotel and restaurant employees and security guards have started cleaning up dozens of broken windows.

But the city isn't entirely back to normal. Bank of America told its thousands of employees at its 60-story downtown skyscraper to stay home Thursday.

One man was critically injured in Wednesday's protest. City officials say police did not fire on the victim. Several reporters and people on the street were attacked as police in riot gear linked arms, marched down streets and fired tear gas.

Four police officers were injured during the protests.

Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and promised to bring in the National Guard.

Judge Dismisses Challenge To NC Gay-Marriage Law

A federal judge has dismissed a challenge to a North Carolina law that allows magistrates to refuse to marry same-sex couples by citing religious beliefs.

The judge in Asheville dismissed a lawsuit filed by three couples. The judge ruled that the couples lacked legal standing as taxpayers to sue and lacked evidence showing they were harmed directly by the law taking effect in June 2015. Still, U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn wrote there is potential someone could suffer real harm because of the law.

The plaintiffs' lawyers filed a notice Wednesday that they'll appeal Tuesday's ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prosecutor: No State Charges For Teacher Who Stepped On Flag

A North Carolina district attorney says he won't prosecute a high school teacher for stepping on an American flag during a lesson on the First Amendment.

Cumberland County district attorney Billy West told The Fayetteville Observer on Wednesday that the state's misdemeanor flag-desecration charges are unenforceable because a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling protects such actions.

Massey Hill Classical High School teacher Lee Francis says Monday's history lesson was about that case, which determined flag-burning is a form of protected speech. Francis was put on paid administrative leave Tuesday.

Blue Bell Recalls Some Ice Cream Distributed In The South

Blue Bell Creameries is recalling select flavors of ice cream distributed across the South after finding chocolate chip cookie dough from a third-party supplier for use as an ingredient was potentially contaminated with listeria.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Brenham, Texas-based ice cream maker said it's recalling half gallons and pints of Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and half gallons of Blue Bell Cookie Two Step from its Sylacauga, Alabama creamery. That's after intensified internal testing found the cookie dough from Garner, Iowa-based Aspen Hills Inc. potentially tainted.

Blue Bell says no illnesses have been reported. The ice cream was distributed in the Carolinas, as well as in eight other Southern states.

Stalled Front And Tropical Storm Deluge Roads, Close Schools

Flooding in coastal North Carolina and Virginia has blocked roads and closed schools for more than 100,000 students.

A stalled weather system and the remnants of Tropical Storm Julia have brought days of rain and localized flooding to the region. The rain is expected to continue into Thursday.

The National Weather Service says the region has seen more than 7 inches of rain since Sunday. Monday was the wettest with more than 3 inches of rain. By midmorning Wednesday, the region already had seen nearly 2 inches.

Classes have been canceled in two North Carolina counties, Currituck and Gates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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