Category Archives: State/Regional

Lawmakers visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after being blocked

Lawmakers visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after being blocked

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are condemning Florida’s new Everglades immigration detention center after making a state-arranged visit. They are describing crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested conditions that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” But Republican legislators said they saw a clean and well-run facility while on the same tour Saturday. The visit came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention center. The state rapidly built it on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland.… Continue Reading

North Carolina governor vetoes another set of bills, including one on guns in private schools

North Carolina governor vetoes another set of bills, including one on guns in private schools

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has cleared his desk of the last of the legislation passed to him from the North Carolina General Assembly this legislative session. The governor vetoed three of the bills Wednesday. One of the vetoed bills would allow certain people to carry firearms on private school property with permission from certain school administrators. Stein says the bill would make children less safe. Republican proponents say the bill would help private schools in rural areas. The two other vetoes deal with nonprofit donor information and removing unauthorized people from residential property. Possible veto override attempts could occur starting later this month.… Continue Reading

Swain County sheriff steps down after sexual misconduct charges

Swain County sheriff steps down after sexual misconduct charges

BRYSON CITY, N.C. (AP) — The longtime sheriff of a western North Carolina county who was suspended following allegations of sexual misconduct has retired. Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran was first elected in 2006. He stepped down effective July 1. He faces multiple state charges, including sexual battery and felonious restraint, as well as tribal charges from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Two women say Cochran made unwanted sexual advances toward them last month. The local district attorney filed papers seeking to have him permanently removed from office.… Continue Reading

Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina

Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes. The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues, many of them in areas where floodwaters entered or threatened to enter apartments. Chapel Hill officials said Monday that more than 60 people were displaced Sunday and Monday. In Orange County, the possibility of the failure of the Lake Michael Dam prompted officials to issue a voluntary evacuation for areas downstream. In Chatham County, Sheriff Mike Roberson warned residents that water may have subsided in some areas, but it was still dangerous to travel. He says officials were searching for some missing persons.… Continue Reading

North Carolina governor vetoes anti-DEI and transgender rights bills, calling them ‘mean-spirited’

North Carolina governor vetoes anti-DEI and transgender rights bills, calling them ‘mean-spirited’

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed three anti-DEI bills and another targeting transgender rights. Stein criticized on Thursday the Republican-led legislature for prioritizing what he called “mean-spirited” bills that it sent to his desk. The anti-DEI bills would cut or eliminate diversity programs in government and education. The transgender-related bill includes restrictions on state-funded gender-affirming care for prisoners and other provisions. Republicans argue these laws promote fairness and parental rights. The legislature may attempt to override the vetoes later this month. Stein has vetoed 11 bills since January, all within the past two weeks.… Continue Reading

Medicaid, food aid recipients worry about safety net cuts in bill sent to Trump

Medicaid, food aid recipients worry about safety net cuts in bill sent to Trump

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The nation’s social safety net would face massive changes under a bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. There would be a work requirement for many people to get or keep Medicaid health insurance, and a similar requirement for older adults to receive food assistance. Paperwork requirements would also increase. Planned Parenthood could no longer get federal funding for its non-abortion health services. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that by 2034, the bill would result in nearly 12 million more uninsured people in the U.S. Supporters say the measures will save taxpayers money, enhance personal responsibility and block fraud.… Continue Reading

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — An empty hospital in Williamston, North Carolina, offers an evocative illustration of why Republican Sen. Thom Tillis would buck his party and its leaders to vote down President Trump’s signature domestic policy package. It’s one of a dozen hospitals that have closed in North Carolina over the last two decades. It’s a problem that hospital systems and health experts warn may only worsen if the “One Big Beautiful Act,” passes with its $1 trillion cuts to the Medicaid program and new restrictions on enrollment in the coverage. Across the country, 200 hospitals have shut down or reduced their services over the last two decades. Many of these closures occur in red states that have declined to expand Medicaid coverage, the health insurance program for the poorest Americans.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed a bill that would repeal an interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate for power generation. Stein said Wednesday that the legislation would harm consumers and discourage clean energy. The bill would do away with a directive in a 2021 law for electric regulators to take “all reasonable steps to achieve” reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030. Republican supporters say the mandate is unnecessary and costly. They want to focus on a 2050 carbon neutrality goal that would remain in place. Environmentalists praised Stein’s veto of the bill. It would impact Duke Energy, the state’s dominant electric utility.… Continue Reading

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — The electronics company Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in central North Carolina by building a new manufacturing plant. The company is investing $500 million toward a facility to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence data centers. Officials announced Monday that the facility will be in Rowan County, northeast of Charlotte. The project includes a $264 million capital investment and 1,181 jobs by the end of 2030. North Carolina competed with Florida for the project and offered over $21 million in incentives. Jabil already operates three facilities in the state, employing about 1,000 workers.… Continue Reading

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

MURPHY, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say an escaped inmate fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county. The incident started Monday at a medical clinic in Murphy. Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith says 48-year-old inmate Kelvin Simmons will be charged with first-degree murder. Smith says Simmons was a federal inmate being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape. Smith identified the officer as 56-year-old Francisco Paul Flattes. He was a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Smith says Flattes’ wife also works for the county detention center.… Continue Reading

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