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Ferguson selected to fill vacant NC House seat
Anna Ferguson, an Eastern Band of Cherokee member, was selected by GOP leaders to fill a vacant western North Carolina House seat after Rep. Mike Clampitt’s death.
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Court Says ‘Community Caregiving’ Empowers Searches
RALEIGH — In a January decision, the N.C. Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of an officer’s decision to stop a car even though he didn’t suspect the driver of any wrongdoing. The court concluded that there was a “community caregiving” obligation in this instance that overruled the protections against unreasonable searches and seizures in the Fourth Amendment.
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Audit: Child Care Provider Set Up Sham Company To Avoid Sanctions
RALEIGH — The report by State Auditor Beth Wood says Where Dreams Come True, which at one time operated three day care facilities in Transylvania and Henderson counties, received $68,239 from a subsidized child care program for new enrollments after the front company was set up. The original owner, who was cited for 85 violations over a four-year period, would not have been entitled to the subsidies.
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JLF Experts Hope New Report Will Boost County Privatization Efforts
RALEIGH — County governments across North Carolina should have an easier time sharing information about their privatization efforts, thanks to a first-of-its-kind survey from the John Locke Foundation. The report also lists county-by-county contact information for taxpayers and government officials seeking additional details.
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State Budget Would Shift Forestry Division To Ag Department
RALEIGH — Supporters say most of North Carolina’s forest lands are tree farms. Opponents say the move should not be part of the budget and that it would give logging interests too much power.
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Move To Reclassify Boylston Creek May Be Swimming Upstream
BREVARD — Should the reclassification take place, landowners along the designated areas of the creek would have to leave a 25-foot buffer of the creek bank undisturbed and could, in the view of critics, invite trout fishermen to trespass on private property included in the buffer.
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Stream Reclassification Proposal Irks Transylvania County Residents
BREVARD — If the reclassification occurs, 200 residents owning property in the Boylston Creek watershed will have to provide an undisturbed buffer zone of 25 feet along any portion of a stream, creek, or significant area of run-off leading into the French Broad River.
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Lawmakers Push Unborn Victims Bill
RALEIGH — As the law currently stands, North Carolina seems to value unborn deer more than unborn humans, Rep. Trudi Walend said Tuesday at a press conference in support of the Unborn Victims of Violence Bill.
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NC 11th Race One to Watch
RALEIGH — U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, N.C. 11, has faced well-financed challengers and been considered vulnerable before in his eight previous House campaigns, but a confluence of events and a high-profile candidate might make 2006 especially challenging for him.
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NC Schools Achieve Top Distinction
RALEIGH — Seven public schools and three private schools in North Carolina were recently named 2004 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools by Education Secretary Rod Paige. Those elementary schools were among 205 public and 50 private schools to achieve the honor. They included schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improved student performance on state tests; schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests; and private schools that achieve in the top 10 percent in the nation.
