News

Buncombe County schools consider free breakfast for students

(Asheville Citizen-Times) Starting next school year, Buncombe County students could begin receiving a free breakfast as part of a federally funded universal breakfast program at county schools.

Buncombe school board members are expected to consider the idea at their June 7 board meeting.

“I decided to put it on the agenda so we can discuss it. While it’s really not costing us, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss,” said Bob Rhinehart, chairman of the county school board. “If it’s not going to cost anything, we should at least try it for a year and see how it goes.”

Lynette Vaughn-Hensley, Buncombe County child nutrition director, said the program would be paid for through reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Want a rare burger? You’re a step closer in NC

(Charlotte Observer) If you’re a burger fan in North Carolina, you just got a big step closer to being able to say “Make it rare.”

The N.C. Commission for Public Health this week approved the adoption of most of the 2009 federal food code. Among other changes, it would allow restaurant customers to order raw or undercooked foods if the restaurant provides a warning – usually a note on the menu – to remind you it’s dangerous. A similar procedure is already followed in many states, including South Carolina.

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Gay prosecutor’s rejection for judgeship lands Virginia back in spotlight

(Richmond Times Dispatch) The House of Delegates’ rejection early Tuesday of a judgeship for Richmond prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland, who would have been the first openly gay person elected to the bench in Virginia, retrained the spotlight on a General Assembly session rife with controversy over social issues.

After 1 a.m. Tuesday, conservative Republicans in the House rejected bipartisan support and committee recommendations for Thorne-Begland to become a general district court judge in Richmond.

The vote came amid a renewed national debate over the rights of same-sex couples, fueled by President Barack Obama’s declaration of support for gay marriage and by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s remarks Saturday to evangelical Christians at Liberty University in Lynchburg that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

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Buncombe commissioners pay cut has support

Written by Jon Ostendorff

(Asheville citizen Times) A pitch to cut the pay of Buncombe County commissioners has the support of some board members and candidates seeking the office.

Others say they want more information before going on record supporting a pay cut.

Commissioner Holly Jones, a Democrat, raised the issue at a board meeting Tuesday night, saying county leaders are still among North Carolina’s highest paid despite recent cuts.

Buncombe is second only to Mecklenburg, which pays commissioners $26,679 a year, according to data Jones gave to the board before the meeting.

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Fracking bill advances in N.C. legislature

(Raleigh News Observer) The state’s debate over fracking resumed Wednesday with the advance of a bill that would legalize the natural gas mining method within two years in this state, giving agency officials until 2014 to come up with provisions to protect the public health and the environment.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County, is controversial even within the Republican-dominated legislature. It will compete for votes against an alternate approach from Rep. Mitch Gillespie, a McDowell County Republican who favors putting in a wide range of public safeguards and environmental protections.

Some say the technology is so dangerous and risky it should never be allowed in this state, but Rucho and Gillespie both say fracking can be done safely with the right laws in place.

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Car inspection industry squelches bill to end required checks for new cars

(Raleigh News Observer) Remember that proposal from House Republicans to stop making new-car owners get safety and emissions inspections until the cars were more than three years old?

Forget it.

As has happened in the past when legislators tried to ease North Carolina’s inspection requirements, the new proposal was killed today after a lot of phone-calling and letter-writing by garage owners who make their living from car inspections.

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Neill charged with stealing $2m from clients

(Asheville Citizen-Times) Former attorney and congressional candidate Sam Neill turned himself in Tuesday on charges of stealing more than $2 million from clients over the last decade.

Neill, according to a Henderson County grand jury indictment, stole nearly $1 million in the span of five months from one of his clients.

The five state embezzlement charges come on top of a plea deal Neill reached last month with federal prosecutors on income tax fraud.

He faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine in the federal case.

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Voters to decide if governor, lt. governor should run jointly

Written by Gina Smith

(The State) Voters will get the final say on whether future gubernatorial candidates and candidates for lieutenant governor should run on a joint ticket just as presidential and vice presidential candidates do.

The change — long supported by Gov. Nikki Haley — will not take effect until after term-limited Haley is out of office.

In a 97 to 16 vote Wednesday, the House agreed with a Senate amendment to put the measure before voters in November.

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Asheville’s Mission Hospital reapplies for controversial endoscopy unit in Fletcher

(Asheville Citizen-Times) Mission Hospital has again applied to put an endoscopy suite at a planned medical campus in Fletcher, a move strongly opposed by nearby Park Ridge Hospital.

State regulators last year denied an application for the unit, ruling that Mission hadn’t demonstrated a sufficient need for the $1.6 million project.

But Brian Moore, director of planning and public policy, said he’s hopeful the new request will be seen in a better light.

“This application is different in that there is more supportive data regarding the needs of the community for improved access and convenience in the rapidly growing area of south Buncombe and north Henderson,” Moore said.

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SBI to investigate possible financial crimes at UNC Read more: The Herald-Sun – SBI to investigate possible financial crimes at UNC

(The Herald Sun) Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jim Woodall has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into UNC’s African and Afro-American Studies Department to determine if any crimes may have been committed in regard to courses that may or may not have been taught there.

After reading a UNC report issued last week about the possibility of academic fraud in the department, Woodall said he became concerned about whether any professors were paid for classes that they did not teach or supervise, he said.

Woodall on Friday asked the SBI to specifically investigate academic and financial fraud, forgery, computer misuse or computer fraud, any conspiracy to commit any of those crimes and any conspiracy to hide any of those crimes, he said.

The university issued a statement Monday saying UNC’s Public Safety Department also contacted the SBI on Friday.

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Legislators at odds over capping N.C. gas tax

(Star News Online) In the General Assembly session that begins Wednesday, the state’s gasoline tax could be a divisive issue.

Top Republican lawmakers and the governor – at least for now – agree the tax should be capped at 37.5 cents per gallon for the coming fiscal year.

But some area legislators think the cap is an unwise move unless another way is found to pay for road and bridge projects.

The state gas tax is currently 38.9 cents per gallon, the highest rate ever in North Carolina. It increased from 35 cents a gallon on Jan. 1. The tax is recalculated automatically twice annually – Jan. 1 and July 1 – based on a formula linked to wholesale gas prices

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Dream Act students sue to stop Senate filibuster

(Washington Times) Illegal immigrant students and members of the House sued the Senate this week to try to overturn the upper chamber’s filibuster rule, arguing that the 60-vote supermajority requirement violates the Constitution and is blocking important legislation such as legalization for illegal immigrants.

If successful, the lawsuit, filed Monday, would rewrite the way the Senate operates — though courts generally have been reluctant to meddle in internal congressional rules

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Dalton, McCrory start jabbing in governor’s race

(Rocky Mount Telegram via AP) When Republican Pat McCrory ran for North Carolina governor four years ago, he tried to prod then-Democratic Lt. Governor Bev Perdue to make more joint appearances with him beyond their televised debates.

This time, it is the Democratic nominee — Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton — who is calling for more joint appearances. Dalton is preparing for a race against the better-funded McCrory, who is seeking the office again.

Dalton had to scramble to put together a campaign after Perdue, who narrowly beat McCrory in 2008, abruptly announced this year she wouldn’t seek reelection. On Monday, Dalton called on McCrory to commit to eight debates over the next four months in their general election race.

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Police investigate downtown Asheville assault

(Asheville Citizen Times) Asheville police are investigating a weekend assault in front of a jewelry store downtown.

Police responded to a report of an assault around 2:30 a.m. Sunday in front of Wick & Greene Jewelers, 121 Patton Ave.

Two men, both veterans, had been assaulted, police said. One of the men was unconscious and the other suffered bruises and scrapes.

The victims were ages 36 and 32 and had interacted with the suspects earlier in the night, police said. Both of the victims had been drinking, according to a police report.

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John Edwards Defense Relies on Definition of ‘The’

By JAMES HILL and BETH LOYD | ABC OTUS News

(Yahoo News) Not since Bill Clinton challenged the definition of “is” has so much hinged on a very short word.

John Edwards appears to basing much of his defense, which begins today in a North Carolina courtroom, on the legal interpretation of the word “the.”

Edwards has listened to three weeks of testimony meant to prove that he violated federal campaign finance laws by using nearly $1million in donations to hide his mistress Rielle Hunter and her pregnancy during his bid for the 2008 presidential election and in the months after he dropped out — but was still angling to be vice president or attorney general.

If convicted Edwards could be sentenced to 30 years in prison.

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