-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Cullen Browder |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
A former North Carolina state lawmaker appeared in federal court Monday on charges he used taxpayer money to buy personal items including jewelry, a house and Faberge eggs. Former Republican Rep. Stephen LaRoque of Kinston made his first court appearance in Raleigh. The judge read the charges, described the potential penalties and explained LaRoque's rights. "Rep.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Amanda Lamb |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
Supporters of a man on North Carolina’s death row want a new look at the case after revelations that the state’s top crime lab was plagued by overstated or falsely reported evidence. Attorneys and four men freed from prison because of faulty evidence presented at their trials on Monday urged a review of Melvin White’s death sentence. Two of the released inmates also were on death row. White was sentenced to death in 1996 for the slayings of an elderly Craven County woman and her boyfriend.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Bruce Mildwurf |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
The group that represents many North Carolina state employees on Tuesday rolled out a series of ideas from its members about how to close the state budget gap. The State Employees Association of North Carolina said its ideas would save the state more than $10 billion, or almost four times the projected $2.7 billion deficit for the fiscal year that starts in July. Democratic Gov.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Bruce Mildwurf |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
Former presidential candidate John Edwards will again be asked a series of questions he earlier refused to answer under oath, this time with a judge on hand to immediately rule what's fair or foul in the privacy lawsuit filed by his mistress.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Kevin Holmes |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
The North Carolina board that sets rules for how homes are built wants builders to improve energy efficiency by 15 percent within two years. The North Carolina Building Code Council decided Tuesday to order the increase in home energy efficiency and to consider changes to building standards that could cut building costs. Commercial buildings would be required to meet a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
The drumbeat of companies seeking to protect their Pentagon revenues continued to build Wednesday at a North Carolina event opposing more than $1 trillion in budget cuts to both domestic and defense programs. Aerospace and defense industry executives met in Cary to draw attention to the cuts looming at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Gov. Beverly Perdue told them that the so-called sequestration cuts also are poised to harm schools and other domestic priorities.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Bruce Mildwurf |Terry Cantrell |Keith Baker |Matt Burns
North Carolina Supreme Court justices peppered redistricting lawyers with questions Tuesday about whether the law requires state-funded private attorneys to release more information about how they advised their Republican clients on drawing political maps. The disclosure question must be settled before lawsuits challenging the maps approved by the legislature in 2011 can be tried.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Renee Chou |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
North Carolina's commissioner of agriculture said Wednesday that he will not suggest areas to cut his department's budget, despite Gov. Beverly Perdue's request that agencies pinpoint ways to trim spending. Commissioner Steve Troxler said his agency operates efficiently and has seen a stagnant budget over the past decade. He argued that additional cuts would impede the work that the agency does, such as food safety inspections.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Cullen Browder |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
Republican Pat McCrory confirmed Monday what's been the least-disguised decision in North Carolina politics for months – the former Charlotte mayor is running for governor again. In an interview with The Associated Press, the GOP's 2008 gubernatorial nominee said he's "100 percent committed" to seek the Republican nomination in May. He expects to make a formal announcement early next year. McCrory lost to Democrat Beverly Perdue in 2008 in the closest general election for the job in 36 years.
-
Aug 25, 2023 | 
wral.com | Cullen Browder |Terry Cantrell |Matt Burns
North Carolina residents won't have to wait for months to get their tax refunds this year if Gov. Beverly Perdue gets her way. Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said Tuesday that the governor has told Revenue Secretary David Hoyle and Budget Director Charlie Perusse to find a way to pay refunds to individual tax filers within 30 to 45 days of receiving their returns.
