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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Chief Resigns
The chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has resigned.
Blue Cross' Board of trustees asked for the resignation of Dr. Patrick Conway in the wake of his impaired driving arrest in June.
Conway submitted his resignation, effective immediately.
Conway was charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving and two counts of misdemeanor child abuse on June 22nd.
Conway's two daughters were in the car when it crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 in Randolph County.
Forsyth County Recommends Current Supplier For New Voting Machines
The Forsyth County Board of Elections is recommending new voting machines that include a paper ballot option during early voting.
The five-member elections board unanimously recommended that new voting equipment be provided by Elections Systems & Software, a company that partners with North Carolina-based Printelect.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that ES&S supplies the touch-screen machines currently being used. Those units are being decertified because new rules require that all voting machines produce a paper ballot.
Officials expressed confidence in the new machines, although some observers believe that bar codes placed on some types of ballots could pose a security threat.
NAACP Women To Demand Action On Sexual Harassment
Women from the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP are traveling to the organization's national headquarters in Baltimore to demand the removal of a member who they say harassed a former employee.
Ana Ilarraza-Blackburn says the group will leave Greensboro on Thursday and pick up members in Durham before going to the national headquarters to demand the removal of the Rev. Curtis Gatewood. A former employee of the state chapter, Jazmyne Childs, said at a news conference Wednesday that Gatewood sexually harassed her.
Gatewood says he never sexually harassed anyone.
North Carolina Awarded $14 Million For Conservation Efforts
North Carolina is getting a $14 million cash boost to help with environmental preservation and restoration.
The state's Clean Water Management Trust Fund awarded the grants, which are earmarked to help fund 34 projects from the mountains to the coast.
The main goals of the funding are conserving land and protecting waterways. According to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the money will be used in part to help ensure clean drinking water in every county.
Nearly 9,000 acres of coastal habitats, greenways, and trails will see improvements, in addition to another 7,000 acres that will open to the public for recreational use.
Some of the funds will also add resources to rural and economically distressed areas.
UNC'S Interim President To Keep Role For Now
The interim president of the University of North Carolina system will stay in the role for now.
Bill Roper announced Wednesday that he isn't seeking the position permanently, but will stay in it through June 2020.
Roper said in a statement that the time frame will give him a chance to reach the goals he laid out when he took on the interim position in January. Roper succeeded Margaret Spellings, who left the $775,000-per-year role in December 2018 after fulfilling just over half of her five-year contract.
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