Creative Commons License In North Carolina and nationwide, the debate over police body cameras rages on. State lawmakers made a modest splash on the subject during Thursday’s marathon budget talks in the state House, allotting $5 million in grant funding over the next two years for body cameras and the requisite training. It’s a matching […]
Billy Ball
Bio: Billy Ball is an INDY Week staff writer.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/billy_k_ball
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Judge temporarily halts fracking permitting in North Carolina
Creative Commons License Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens has ordered North Carolina to cease accepting or processing fracking permits, pending an ongoing legal battle over the constitutionality of the state’s appointed Mining and Energy Commission (MEC). The Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit that specializes in legal work on environmental issues, announced the […]
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Duke Energy: Guilty of violating the Clean Water Act
Duke Energy is guilty, nine times over, for its handling of coal ash in North Carolina. The energy giant pleaded guilty last week to nine misdemeanor violations of the federal Clean Water Act, accepting a punishment of five years probation and $102 million in fines and restitution. The plea deal came after last year’s 39,000-ton […]
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Smart phone app for taping police now available
Creative Commons License Police accountability, and how best to ensure fairness and transparency from our most scrutinized civil servants, is a hot topic these days. Entering the fray, the ACLU of N.C. has released a free smart phone application which will allow users to record videos of police interactions and submit those videos to the […]
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Duke Energy pleads guilty for its coal ash spills
“Guilty.” Julia Janson, chief legal officer for Duke Energy, had to say that word over and over in a federal courthouse in Greenville Thursday as the giant utility pleaded guilty to nine misdemeanor violations of the federal Clean Water Act. As expected, the company will be required to pay $102 million in fines and restitution […]
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Duke Energy’s coal ash on the cheap
If a controversial plan to dump Duke Energy’s toxic coal ash in rural Chatham and Lee counties wreaks havoc on the environment, $2 million may be the max local landowners can expect in compensation. Officials with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources say they have accepted proposals by Duke Energy contractors to set […]
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Voting rights groups accuse N.C. of breaking federal voter registration law
Creative Commons License Between 2007 and 2012, public agencies in North Carolina helped to register an average of 38,400 residents annually. Since Gov. Pat McCrory took office in 2013, that number has plunged to about 16,000. That’s one of several troubling allegations made Friday by voting rights groups accusing the state of failing to comply […]
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Republicans tout $400 million projected budget surplus
On Wednesday, state budget officials announced a surprising $400 million projected surplus in the current budget year, thanks to a reduction in tax returns. Proving that projections are just projections, the state was expecting a $270 million deficit just weeks ago. Republicans say it’s proof that their fiscal policy is working. “Prudent, responsible budgeting has […]
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Clean Water for North Carolina sues Mining and Energy Commission
Fracking opponents in North Carolina are suing state environmental officials over the sweeping powers of the Mining and Energy Commission. The complaint was filed Friday in Wake County Superior Court by Clean Water for North Carolina, Anna Baucom, chairwoman of the Anson County Board of Commissioners; Creedmoor Mayor Darryl Moss and Chatham County resident Martha […]
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Clean Water for N.C. challenges fracking board’s authority
An environmental nonprofit and three North Carolina residents living in possible fracking destinations are legally challenging the authority of the appointed board that drafted the state’s drilling rules. The complaint, which was filed Friday in Wake County Superior Court, comes from Clean Water for N.C., a group that has lobbied to ban fracking in North […]
