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The Supreme Court Takes Another Look At Partisan Redistricting
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about whether or not North Carolina's congressional districts were drawn using too much political bias.
The result could have national implications.
It's been a very long road for this case, and a confusing one too, given how many different gerrymandering issues have come out of North Carolina recently.
Last year, a federal court decided that the state's congressional districts were so politically biased as to be unconstitutional, something the Republicans who drew the maps dispute.
Now, the nation's top judges will decide. While courts have thrown out maps that were racial gerrymanders in the past, the U.S. Supreme Court has never overturned a map on political grounds.
Genital Mutilation Ban Bill Passes In North Carolina Senate
North Carolina law would make it a severe felony for someone to perform female genital mutilation on a child under a measure advancing at the General Assembly.
The Senate voted unanimously on Monday evening for the prohibition, which has surfaced after a federal ban was struck down in November. A federal judge did say that states can regulate it.
The legislation now heading to the North Carolina House also punishes a parent who allows the child's genital mutilation or removal to occur. A first-offense conviction is punishable by at least 3 and a half years in prison.
North Carolina Teachers' Group Plan Another May Rally
North Carolina's largest teacher-lobbying group will organize another march and rally this spring to seek higher school salaries and funding from the General Assembly.
North Carolina Association of Educators President Mark Jewell confirmed on Monday the group will hold a public education "Day of Action" May 1 in Raleigh.
An estimated 19,000 people marched last May to the Legislative Building. They pressed unsuccessfully for Republican lawmakers to stop certain tax cuts that NCAE and ally Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said squeezed money from K-12 education.
North Carolina average teacher salaries have been ratcheting up state rankings recently, but Jewell says veteran teachers have been left behind.
Duke University Pays $112M To Settle Faked Research Lawsuit
Duke University will pay $112 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit after federal prosecutors said the school used a research technician's fake data to land federal grants.
The Justice Department claimed in its lawsuit that the private university in Durham knowingly submitted claims for dozens of research grants that contained falsified or fabricated information. Prosecutors said Monday that the faked data involved mouse studies.
Duke said it discovered the problem in 2013 after the technician was fired for embezzling university money. The school says in a statement that it's repaying grant money and related penalties. The statement says the technician pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery and paid restitution to the university.
Unoccupied Car Rolls Through Parking Lot, Kills Woman
Police in North Carolina say a woman was killed when an unoccupied car rolled through an apartment complex parking lot and hit her.
Winston-Salem police say in a news release the car was parked and unoccupied when it began to roll backward Monday morning and hit 66-year-old Linda Whitaker Idol.
Authorities say Idol was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the driver of the car was at the scene of the accident. Police Lt. J.S. Doss said it was too early to speculate on possible charges.
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