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Spirit Airlines Comes To Piedmont Triad International Airport

Piedmont Triad International Airport is welcoming a new carrier. Spirit Airlines will be flying in and out of the region beginning in September.

Spirit will run non-stop flights from PTI to three Florida destinations: Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale.

The Florida-based airline is known for its low fares and a la carte business model that allows passengers to pay only for the options they choose, such as baggage, seat assignments, and refreshments.

Company To Close North Carolina Plant, Eliminating 63 Jobs

A North Carolina company says it will close a textile plant later this month. This will mean the loss of 63 jobs in Yadkin County.

Parkdale Mills says it will close its yarn-making plant in Boonville by June 29.

The Gastonia-based company said the phasing out of jobs would begin immediately with departments closing as production ends.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports the company cited "business reasons" for the decision, but didn't offer any details.

Legislators OK Moving North Carolina Presidential-Year Primaries

Primary elections in 2020 and future even-numbered years — including presidential primaries — would be permanently moved from May to March in legislation heading to Gov. Roy Cooper for his consideration.

The General Assembly gave final legislative approval to the shift in an overwhelming Senate vote Tuesday. The House and Senate passed slightly different versions in 2017, but no action had occurred for a year.

The legislature moved the 2016 primary to March to attract presidential candidates to visit North Carolina and to be a more significant player in the nomination process. This year's primary reverted to May.

Legislature Considering Change On US Senate Vacancies

North Carolina legislators believe political parties should have more say over whom the governor picks to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy.

The Senate voted Tuesday evening for a measure that would require the governor to appoint someone from a list of three people recommended by the executive committee of the party with which the outgoing senator was affiliated. The party would need to offer options within 30 days.

A similar version of the bill cleared the House last year but needs one more House vote before it could go to Gov. Roy Cooper's desk.

North Carolina Moves To Greatly Help Agribusiness In Suits

North Carolina lawmakers are pushing ahead with protection for agribusiness by all but blocking neighbors who suffer nuisances from suing farm operations.

A House committee on Tuesday approved the proposal that was unveiled and passed the Senate in the past week.

Supporters say sharply restricting nuisance lawsuits against agribusinesses will keep alive rural towns that turned to livestock after the tobacco and textile industries collapsed.

Opponents say nuisance lawsuits are one of the last tools left to force change from an industrial-scale hog industry that hasn't changed despite decades of complaints about open-air waste pits emptied by spraying on fields.

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