Hello! The Carolinas News Editor is Tim Rogers. The breaking news supervisor is Seanna Adcox.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date.

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TOP STORIES:

CHANCE AT FREEDOM

WILMINGTON — A man convicted of murder as a teenager and imprisoned 28 years ago is now able to relax on his cousin’s living room sofa, now that a North Carolina judge has ruled he did not get a fair trial. Johnny Small, 43, said he looked forward to a hot bath and getting used to an amped-up world full of cellphones he never knew now that he’s left prison after nearly three decades. After prison cots, he said Thursday he preferred the sofa in a big, open room to a private bedroom. By Emery P. Dalesio. SENT: 860 words, AP Photos NCWSN101, NCWSN102, NCWSN101, NCWSN102, NCWSN103.

DHHS SUBPOENAS

RALEIGH — An investigation by federal prosecutors who sought information about contractor work agreements at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and records about agency employees has ended. Top lawyers within the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Raleigh wrote letters this week to private lawyers representing DHHS related to the issuance of grand jury subpoenas in August 2015 that sought documents from the department. Documents demanded included correspondence between contractors and former department Secretary Aldona Wos. SENT: 400 words.

TERROR CHARGE-PROPHET CARTOON

CHARLOTTE — A North Carolina man accused of trying to recruit people to join the Islamic State group says he had been paid by the FBI since 2009 to help identify potential terrorists. In a statement his mother delivered to The Charlotte Observer (http://bit.ly/2b42fyx ), Erick Jamal Hendricks said his code name was “Ahkie,” a variation of the Muslim term for “brother.” SENT: 300 words.

NORTH CAROLINA-ACADEMIC PROBE-LAWSUIT

RALEIGH — A federal judge has granted the NCAA’s motion to dismiss the governing body from a lawsuit filed by two former North Carolina athletes seeking to hold it at least partly responsible for the school’s long-running academic fraud scandal. In a ruling signed Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs stated attorneys for former women’s basketball player Rashanda McCants and ex-football player Devon Ramsay hadn’t proven that the NCAA had a legal obligation to ensure the soundness of classes offered at UNC under state law. By Sports Writer Aaron Beard. SENT: 650 words.

TURNPIKE-LOST TEDDY BEAR

OLDMANS TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The New Jersey Turnpike is reuniting a New York boy with the teddy bear that he lost on a road trip to North Carolina. The 12-year-old’s mother, Julissa Viana, of New City, New York, tweeted that the bear was missing when the family reached the Outer Banks on Aug. 6. She said the family had stopped at one of the turnpike’s service areas and the bear likely fell out. SENT: 220 words. Please note N.C. interest.

EXCHANGE-NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE

MOYOCK — Marlin Stoltz put on a hard hat and bright yellow vest before walking out into the 4-acre work area of the Moyock Casting Facility, a new operation in the business of spent nuclear fuel storage. A line of concrete cases, each 21 feet long and weighing 100 tons, rested along a rail spur, ready for shipment. Several men stood atop a steel form where hydraulic power vibrated and settled four truckloads of concrete for the next case. By Jeff Hampton, The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. SENT: 640 words.

IN BRIEF:

— GAY MARRIAGE, from ASHEVILLE — A federal judge won’t allow North Carolina legislative leaders and some state magistrates for now to become defendants in a lawsuit seeking to overturn a state law allowing magistrates to refuse officiate at gay marriages because of religious beliefs. SENT: 130 words.

— GOVERNOR 2016-DEBATE, from RALEIGH — North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and challenger Attorney General Roy Cooper have agreed to their second public debate. SENT: 110 words.

— WIND ENERGY-CAROLINAS, from KITTY HAWK — The Obama Administration is inviting companies to bid for the right to build wind energy turbines off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. SENT: 130 words.

— TOBACCO WORM MURAL, from WENDELL — It’s unlikely that tobacco farmers in North Carolina would celebrate a crop-destroying pest, yet a Chapel Hill artist plans to pay artistic tribute to it. SENT: 130 words.

SPORTS:

FBC–NORTH CAROLINA PREVIEW

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Larry Fedora spent the past two seasons saying it was time for his Tar Heels to compete for an Atlantic Coast Conference division title. Now that his Tar Heels have won one, the next step is winning an ACC championship and topping a season in which his team matched a program record for wins. By Sports Writer Aaron Beard. SENT: 610 words, AP Photos NCGB316, NCGB315, NCGB311, NCGB310.

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The AP, Raleigh