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Lawsuit Blames Pork Giant For Noxious Farm Smells

The world's largest pork corporation is facing the biggest threat in decades to its low-cost, high-volume method of raising animals by discharging liquefied waste over croplands.

A hearing began Tuesday on a federal lawsuit that could force changes on the hog production division of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods. It's the first of several nuisance lawsuits by more than 500 neighbors of industrial-scale hog operations in North Carolina, the country's No. 2 pork-producing state.

North Carolina Among States Suing US Government Over Census Question

Seventeen states, the District of Columbia and six cities sued the U.S. government Tuesday, saying a plan to add a citizenship demand to the census questionnaire is unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. North Carolina and Virginia are among the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit said adding the citizenship demand to the 2020 census questionnaire was an arbitrary decision that will "fatally undermine the accuracy of the population count."

State Investigators Give More Details In Winston-Salem Fatal Police Shooting

New information has emerged in the investigation of a white Winston-Salem police officer who shot and killed a 60-year-old black man on Friday. 

The State Bureau of Investigation is overseeing the case of Officer D.E. McGuire who discharged his service weapon during a traffic stop, killing Edward Van McCrae.

According to the police report, Officer McGuire saw a handgun. But at a press conference on Monday, city officials wouldn't say whether or not a gun was found at the scene.

Special Agent Scott Williams is leading the investigation. He says this can now be confirmed.

“There was a gun seized at the scene other than the officer's. The gun was recovered near where he was lying.”

Officer McGuire will soon be interviewed by the SBI, but it's up to his attorney's schedule. The department hopes to conduct the interview this week.

Greensboro City Council Approves Plan To Donate Proceeds From Gun Show

Greensboro residents packed a City Council meeting Tuesday night to take up the issue of guns. This comes on the heels of a debate surrounding the city's annual Gun & Knife Show held at the Coliseum Complex.

The community had discussed canceling the show following the February shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead.

But that decision belongs to Coliseum Director Matt Brown. Mayor Nancy Vaughan asked the Council to consider an alternative.

"One thing that I would like to propose for this year, since we do have a contract for this year, is that any proceeds from the gun show go to the gun stoppers program," she said.

The City Council unanimously approved the measure, and Vaughan called it a "small victory."  

Soil Testing To Cause Closures On Business 40

Ground testing related to the Business 40 Improvement Project is going to lead to alternating lane closures next week.

The N.C. Department of Transportation says contractors will alternate closing the eastbound and westbound lanes near Peters Creek Parkway beginning Sunday. The alternating closures will continue through Wednesday, April 11.

NCDOT resident engineer Mezak Tucker said the soil testing is a critical part of determining the safety of the foundation along the construction site.

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