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GOP Nominates Moore for House Speaker

tim moore
North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina Republican legislators have nominated a new House Speaker. State Representative Tim Mooreof Kings Mountain, in Cleveland County, is in line to take over as the House leader after US Senator-elect Thom Tills steps down.   Republicans picked Moore from among six candidates during a meeting Saturday in Asheboro. 

The House won’t actually meet to choose a speaker and other leaders until January, but with Republicans holding a big majority, Moore is in line for the job.  The 44-year-old lawyer has been a House member for 12 years, and has been a top lieutenant to Tillis. He once served as speaker of the Student Congress at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

GAS PRICES LOWER FOR HOLIDAY    

Lower gas prices could fuel an increase in cars on the roads for Thanksgiving this week.AAA Carolinas says the average price for a gallon of gas in North Carolina is now  $2.77, down 57 cents from $3.34 on Labor Day a couple of months ago.  That’s also cheaper than last Thanksgiving, when gas averaged $3.23 a gallon in the state.  Triple A says almost 1.35 million North Carolinians are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home for the holiday, up from about 1.2 million a year ago. Where are we going? The automobile organization says the top 5 destinations for people who live in the Carolinas at this time of the year are Charlotte, Charleston, Asheville, Orlando and Myrtle Beach. Meanwhile, more people also are expected to fly this year, with air fares only up about 1 percent from a year ago.  Tomorrow will be the busiest day for air travel, with Monday, Dec. 1, the most popular return date.  

NC STATE SEEKS TUITION HIKE

NC State University's trustees are recommending tuition increases of 3 percent for in-state students and 6 percent for out-of-state students in each of the next two years. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors must approve the increases. In-state tuition would rise to $6,400 and $24,000 for out-of-state students in the fall of 2016.

MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN BOATING DEATH

A Guilford County man has avoided prison after pleading guilty to causing a boat crash that killed a pregnant woman and her 3-year-old son.   The Winston-Salem Journal reports 54-year-old Michael Greene of McLeansville pleaded guilty to three counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest. He must pay a $500 fine and perform 50 hours of community service. Greene also can't operate a boat for three years.  Greene was driving a speedboat on High Rock Lake on May 25, 2013, when he collided with a pontoon boat.  A 32-year-old woman and her three-year-old son died, and her bother was seriously injured.  Greene also has settled a civil lawsuit in the case.

REYNOLDS ARTWORK UP FOR AUCTION

Artwork originally part of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. collection is up for auction in Winston-Salem today. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County now own the artwork that will be auctioned this afternoon at The Gallery on 1st Street.  Included are original oil paintings, watercolors, engravings, charcoals and limited-edition prints along with porcelains and metalwork figurines. The auction also includes items from the estate of former Gov. William Bickett, who served from 1917 to 1921.

David Boraks previously covered climate change and the environment for WFAE. See more at www.wfae.org/climate-news. He also has covered housing and homelessness, energy and the environment, transportation and business.