WFAE

NC Elections Board Chastises Voting Equipment Vendor

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s election supervisors chastised the nation’s largest voting machine manufacturer on Friday for late software and supply changes involving the planned rollout in coming weeks of voting systems that were recently approved for use in 2020 elections.

South Carolina Gets Green Light To Impose Medicaid Work Requirements

CATS lost about $3.2 million in state funding for public transit in the new state budget. — CATS

CATS To Open Dedicated Bus-Bike Lane In Uptown

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Ex-Employee Accused Of Stealing $88K From Charlotte Bank

By Associated Press • 42 seconds ago

Federal authorities are accusing a former Wells Fargo employee of stealing more than $88,000 in cash from the vault of a bank in North Carolina.

An indictment unsealed this week alleges 29-year-old Arlando M. Henderson took the cash from customer deposits on at least 18 occasions throughout 2019 and then rigged the books to try to hide his actions. He is accused of using the money to pay for personal expenses, including a $20,000 down payment on a 2019 Mercedes-Benz.

Did City Council Need To Discuss Soccer In Secret? Some Former Officials Say No

By Steve Harrison • 23 hours ago

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5:21

Some former elected officials say the Charlotte City Council could have discussed incentives for a Major League Soccer team in public.

Charlotte City Council members say that meeting in private about Major League Soccer helped them get the best deal for taxpayers.

SC House Leaders Back Bill To Remove Governor As USC Trustee

By Jeffrey Collins/The Associated Press • Dec 13, 2019

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Some of the most powerful leaders in the South Carolina House, including Speaker Jay Lucas, are supporting a new bill that would remove the governor from the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees.

Gaston Lithium Mine Gets Key Permits, Plans Kings Mountain Processing Plant

By David Boraks • Dec 13, 2019

Workers pull core samples out of the drill. — David Boraks / WFAE

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1:43

A company hoping to mine lithium in northern Gaston County has received key state and federal permits for the project and plans to speed up development of a processing plant in Kings Mountain. But it's pushing back the mine's projected opening by a year.

On His Way Out, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin Pardons Murderers, Rapists, Hundreds More

By Brakkton Booker • Dec 13, 2019

Updated at 4:15 p.m. ET

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin departed the governor's mansion three days ago, but the reverberations of some of his final actions are still being felt across the state.

Bevin, a Republican who narrowly lost a bid for a second term last month, issued pardons to hundreds of people, including convicted rapists, murderers and drug offenders.

Guskiewicz Becomes Permanent UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor

By Cole del Charco & Laura Pellicer • Dec 13, 2019

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted today for Interim UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to step into the role permanently.

Civil Rights Lawyers Stake Claim In Confederate Statue Case

By Martha Waggoner/The Associated Press • Dec 13, 2019

In August 2018, protesters toppled Confederate statue "Silent Sam" on the UNC Chapel Hill campus. — WFAE

RALEIGH, N.C. — A national civil rights group has warned the leaders of the University of North Carolina that they should reconsider a $2.5 million settlement involving a statue of a Confederate soldier that protesters toppled last year at the system’s flagship campus.

House Judiciary Committee Approves 2 Articles Of Impeachment Against Trump

By Amita Kelly • Dec 13, 2019

Updated at 12:12 p.m. ET

The House Judiciary Committee on Friday approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump, making him the fourth president in American history to face impeachment.

In contrast to Thursday's contentious back-and-forth between the two parties, Friday's session was devoid of rancor, or even any debate. Immediately after calling the session to order, Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., ordered two votes, one for each article. Both were approved 23-17 along party lines.

Residents Continue To Seek Answers On Local Cancer Cases

By Claire Donnelly • Dec 13, 2019

This heat map from a local investigation shows the density of point locations where ocular melanoma patients identified as places they spent the most time. The study focused on 15 patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2017. — Geodesy, Inc.

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4:29

For nearly 10 years, residents of Huntersville have been puzzled.

At least 13 people connected to the town--population 57,000--have been diagnosed with a rare eye cancer that affects about six out of every 1,000,000 people. Another three have been diagnosed in nearby Cornelius.

Weekend In Entertainment: Musicals, Gray Holiday Party & The Singing Christmas Tree

By Gwendolyn Glenn • Dec 12, 2019

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5:10

WFAE's Gwendolyn Glenn talks Weekend In Entertainment with Katrina Louis, managing editor of QCity Metro.

The holiday season is in full swing and that means lots of holiday events are on the agenda for this edition of Weekend In Entertainment. There's a musical performance, a holiday party. There's even a singing Christmas tree in the lineup. Joining "All Things Considered" host Gwendolyn Glenn to discuss these and other arts and cultural events is Katrina Louis, managing editor of QCity Metro.

Latest Podcasts From WFAE

SouthBound: Erika Council On Family, Destiny, And The Secrets To A Great Biscuit

Erika Council grew up among food royalty. One of her grandmothers owned the classic soul-food restaurant Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill. And now Erika has found her own prominent place in Southern food, especially through her biscuits, the centerpiece of her Bomb Biscuits pop-up meals in Atlanta.