Lawsuit: Hendersonville officer unfairly forced from job

(Asheville Citizen-Times) A former Hendersonville police officer claims in a federal lawsuit that his constitutional rights were violated when officers unfairly pursued criminal charges against him to force him out of his job.

Authorities didn’t have probable cause to arrest Travis Rector for domestic assault, a charge that was later thrown out by the District Attorney’s Office, the suit states.

Rector’s lawsuit claims the Hendersonville Police Department and Henderson County Sheriff’s Office “rushed to place judgment and a conviction on plaintiff with a plan to force plaintiff to resign or be fired from his position with HPD.”

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Reps. Keever, Fisher and Rapp support ‘Move To Amend’ in Raleigh

By Bill Rhodes

(Mountain Xpress) Legislators Susan Fisher, Patsy Keever, and Ray Rapp have lent their support to the nationwide move to amend, a call to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the case of CItizen’s United. A main result of that decision has declared that corporations are people under U.S. law. Activists claim this has tilted the political landscape much more towards corporate control of elections. As Rep. Ray Rapp of Madison County pointed out, “This should be a bi-partisan issue, as this takes the rights of candidates to decide how to run their campaigns.”

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N.C. lawmakers get pushback over vetoes waiting for an override vote

(Raleigh News Observer) Just before they left town on Thursday for the long holiday weekend, Republican leaders in the state House casually added a vetoed bill to the calendar for future consideration.

The bill, repealing the Racial Justice Act, joins four other bills vetoed by Gov. Bev Perdue in what House Speaker Thom Tillis has dubbed the “veto garage,” where they remain parked until Tillis thinks he has enough votes to successfully override. Lawmakers return to work Tuesday.

This concept of a metaphorical parking deck is a new one in North Carolina, arriving last year with the GOP takeover of the General Assembly, pitting the majority of lawmakers against a Democratic governor. But just how long bills can stay parked there before their meters expire is a question coming to a head soon.

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Tillis: NC bill for eugenics victims won’t be pawn

(Raleigh News Observer) A bill to compensate people who were sterilized against their will won’t become a political pawn in the budget process, the House speaker vowed Thursday after a senator said he feared that would happen.

House Speaker Thom Tillis said he doesn’t want the bill, which has bipartisan support and would make North Carolina the first state to compensate such victims, to be tarnished by political games.

“Because anybody who would do that needs to be recognized for what they are, and I don’t believe there’s anybody in the House or Senate that would behave that way,” Tillis said at a news conference.

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NC bill diverts taxes to private school tuition

(Asheville Citizen-Times) Tens of thousands of North Carolina public school students would leave for private classrooms if they got tuition help of up to $4,000 a year funded by corporations able to donate their money instead of paying state taxes, an analysis showed for legislation introduced Wednesday.

The bill introduced by House Majority Leader Paul Stam, R-Wake, and others would allow corporations a tax credit worth their entire yearly state tax debt for a tuition donation to a new plan to help parents afford private schools. Corporations that give more could take it off over five years, if the legislation is passed into law.

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Bill would keep some 16 and 17-year-olds out of adult court

(Raleigh News Observer) State lawmakers are mounting another effort this session to keep more juvenile offenders out of the adult court and prison system.

The “Raise the Age” bill would keep 16- and 17-year-olds in juvenile court for misdemeanors only. North Carolina and New York are currently the only two states where 16- and 17-year-olds are automatically sent to adult court – even though 86 percent of crimes committed by that age group are misdemeanors.

The legislation has been attempted for years but last session received more buy-in from both parties. Supporters hope that changes, which allow for violent offenders to still be tried as adults, will garner it still more support.

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Students will be tracked via chips in IDs

(My San Antonio) Northside Independent School District plans to track students next year on two of its campuses using technology implanted in their student identification cards in a trial that could eventually include all 112 of its schools and all of its nearly 100,000 students.

District officials said the Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) tags would improve safety by allowing them to locate students — and count them more accurately at the beginning of the school day to help offset cuts in state funding, which is partly based on attendance.

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NC lawmakers mull how much schools should pay back

(Asheville Citizen-Times) Some House Republicans would like to slash by more than half the amount North Carolina public school districts will be required to return to the state next year, but it’s unclear whether they’ll have enough money to do it, a budget-writer said Tuesday.

Republican leaders for the House education budget subcommittee rolled out ideas the panel will consider as adjustments to the second year of the two-year budget to begin July 1. The full House could vote next week on its proposal to alter the entire $19.9 billion state government spending plan already in place.

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Some raise concerns over Fayetteville’s new annexation policy regarding water and sewer lines

(FayObserver) Some elected officials and plant managers say Fayetteville’s new policy of requiring annexation as a condition to getting city water and sewer service could hurt industrial recruitment.

But Fayetteville’s mayor disagrees, saying the policy won’t end up costing companies more money.

Cumberland County Commissioner Kenneth Edge raised the concern at a recent Public Works Commission meeting.

“If they have to pay an additional tax bill, that could be a deal-breaker,” Edge said of potential industries looking to expand or build just outside the city limits.

Preston Hubble, president of the local Plant Managers Association, agreed with Edge.

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Racy yearbook photo blown out of proportion, other parents say

(WSOCTV) While many students graduating high school and moving on to the world beyond want to leave a lasting impression on their alma maters, most don’t attempt a legacy by exposing their private parts during graduation.

However, a student at Lake Norman High School’s 2011 graduation ceremony did just that, and the incident went largely unnoticed until the school issued yearbooks this year.

That’s when students and parents — who paid $100 for the book — noticed the girl on page 14 lifting her gown and exposing herself.

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Successful petition forcing Wrightsville Beach’s hand on smoking ban

(Star News Online) The Wrightsville Beach smoking ban has been reignited.

New Hanover County Board of Elections officials said Wednesday that they have validated the signatures on a petition to pass the smoke-free beach ordinance.

Marvin McFadyen, director of the Board of Elections, said the board verified 233 signatures of the 294 submitted in the petition – exceeding the 211 required to move the ban forward. That number represented 35 percent of the voters who participated in the town’s last municipal election.

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NC House wants to go slow on prisoner health care

(Star News Online) Legislators are trying to prevent North Carolina prison officials from privatizing inmate medical care for all of the state’s adult prisoners unless they get the express approval of the General Assembly.

The full House agreed unanimously Wednesday to a Senate bill designed to set aside $205.5 million to eliminate a shortfall in the state Medicaid program this fiscal year by pooling money from several government pots and some unanticipated tax collections.

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N.C. House members expected to vote on de-annexation of Gates Four

(Fay Observer) Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne went to the capital Wednesday to try to stave off a law that will de-annex the Gates Four neighborhood from Fayetteville.

He and other lawmakers were in Raleigh as part of an effort by the N.C. League of Municipalities to put off another law that will effectively end involuntary annexation statewide.

The state House is scheduled to vote on the two bills this afternoon.

Chavonne said Wednesday he hopes the House rejects the de-annexation bill. If the House votes not to concur with the legislation as approved by the Senate this week, a final vote on the bill would likely be delayed by a week, Chavonne said.

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NC House panels roll out spending adjustments

(WWAY News Channel 3) A North Carolina budget subcommittee recommends a two-thirds reduction in the amount of money local school districts would be required to return to state government next year.

The House education subcommittee and similar panels that oversee spending for large government categories met Thursday and voted on changes to the second year of the two-year government spending plan. The full budget is expected to be considered next week by the House.

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N.C. approves Apple’s plans to build fuel cell center facility

(WRAL) North Carolina’s Utilities Commission has approved Apple’s plans to build a fuel cell center for renewable power generation at its data facility in western North Carolina.
The commission decision was made Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), targeted by Greenpeace International over its energy consumption, said its 500,000-square-foot data center in Maiden, N.C., will be powered entirely by renewable sources by the end of the year.

The Utilities Commission had already approved Apple’s request to build a solar farm at the facility on Thursday.

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