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Voters Head To The Polls Tuesday For Municipal Elections

Voters across the state will head to the polls for municipal elections, including some races that will shape Triad cities.

In High Point, incumbent Mayor Jay Wagner is seeking a second term. He's facing a challenge from county commissioner Carlvena Foster. 

High Point voters will also consider a $50 million bond proposal to fund road improvements, parks and recreation projects, and an affordable housing plan. 

In Forsyth County, there are contested mayoral races in Kernersville, Clemmons, and Rural Hall. 

North Carolina Lawmakers Back To Begin New Congress Map

North Carolina legislators will start the process of redrawing the state's current congressional map for next year's elections. State judges last week blocked use of the current map because they said there was evidence of likely excessive partisan bias.

A House-Senate committee holds its first meeting on Tuesday. The legislature already has planned to resume its session Nov. 13 in part to consider drawing and voting for a new map.

Meanwhile, some voters have sued in federal court to try to keep the current map in place for the 2020 elections.

Judge: Redistricting Guru's Documents No Longer Confidential

A North Carolina judge says more than 100,000 computer documents generated by a recently deceased Republican redistricting guru covering several states are no longer under a court's confidentiality order.

The files were subpoenaed by Common Cause and North Carolina Democrats from the daughter of Thomas Hofeller for a partisan gerrymandering trial in July.

Only a few dozen documents were used in that case, providing evidence a Republican advantage was the chief goal of redrawing General Assembly districts in 2017. Several dozen districts were thrown out.

Wake County Judge Vince Rozier wrote Monday there's no justification to keep private the work Hofeller generated as an individual and not for the company.

Representative Foxx Co-Sponsors Bill To Reinstate IFB Federal Contracts

U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx has co-sponsored a bill to restore federal contracts with IFB Solutions. The Winston-Salem-based company has made eyeglasses for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the past two decades.   

The resolution addresses laws that oversee federal contracts with companies that employ the blind or severely disabled.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports IFB Solutions is fighting to keep over 100 positions following an announcement that the VA would end three optical contracts with the agency.

Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, is asking the government to review VA contracts drawn up under AbilityOne, a congressional act giving the federal government preference to award contracts to companies that employ the blind. A recent court ruling sided with veteran-owned businesses over AbilityOne nonprofits.

Blackbeard's Ship Case About Images Returns To Trial Court

Following a favorable court hearing, a treasure hunter accusing the state of North Carolina of misusing his images from Blackbeard's flagship says he'll ask for 10 times the damages he originally sought.

John Masters of Florida-based Intersal Inc. says he'll seek $140 million in damages after the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday ordered the case returned to Business Court. Masters said Friday that an expert witness puts Intersal's losses from the state's use of images and video at $129 million. He's seeking $11 million for losses regarding a permit for another ship.

Almost a quarter-century ago, Masters' father discovered Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground in Beaufort in 1718.

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