Thomas Aaron Whitlock, 31. Photo courtesy of the York County Sheriff's Office.

North Carolina was among 26 states Wednesday applying for freedom from key provisions of the controversial federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.
State Superintendent June Atkinson says the waiver will give North Carolina the ability to tailor targets for student groups rather than the one-size-fits all approach required by the federal government. Atkinson says that will mean more specialized help for students with disabilities and delays or English as a Second Language.
It will also mean the state can offer more help to districts that need it most.

Thomas Aaron Whitlock. Photo courtesy of the York County Sheriff's Office.

A Cleveland County man is accused of trying to bury his dog alive.

Sean Davis, 38, of King's Mountain was arrested Monday on animal cruelty charges, the Shelby Star reports. Cleveland County Animal Control Supervisor Tripp Bowling says Davis was convinced his dog had been poisoned, and then buried the German shepherd mix's head in a shallow hole and packed its nose and mouth with dirt.

The dog was too dehydrated to test for poisoning, and was euthanized.

"We see a lot of animal cruelty nowadays, and we don't know why," Bowling said. "But this one tops them all."

Harrisburg Town council members must decide how they will compensate for a $550,000 drop in property tax revenue caused by a weakened housing industry, the Independent Tribune reports.

Officials are now debating whether they will generate the money through town departmental budget cuts of 5 to 10 percent or through a property tax increase.

Last week, evangelist Franklin Graham questioned whether President Obama is a Christian. Graham said "Islam has gotten a free pass under Obama," and that the president seems more concerned about Muslims than "Christians that are being murdered in Muslim countries."

Now, Graham has issued an apology, reports Religion News Service:

"I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama," he said in a statement.

Last August, the Associated Press launched a series detailing how the New York Police Department has extensively investigated Muslims in New York and other states, including preparing reports on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses, apparently without any suspicion of crimes being committed.

Two developers who built The EpiCentre in uptown Charlotte are no longer associated with the project. Afshin Ghazi and George Cornelson agreed to a settlement Monday that will have them each pay $1.5M to investors that now own the entertainment complex. As part of the settlement, claims the developers fraudulently transferred money before taking bankruptcy on the EpiCentre two years ago won't be investigated.

The settlement ends a rocky run for the two men, who by most accounts gave Charlotte a needed nightlife hub in the Center City.

Thomas Aaron Whitlock, 31. Photo courtesy of the York County Sheriff's Office.