Delta jet makes unscheduled landing in North Carolina
MORRISVILLE — Officials of Delta Air Lines say a jet bound for Baltimore from Atlanta made an unscheduled stop in North Carolina due to an apparent mechanical problem.
A statement from the carrier on Monday said the flight crew on Delta Flight 1425 elected to divert to Raleigh-Durham International Airport “out of an abundance of caution” after getting an indication of a potential issue with one of the aircraft’s engines. The MD-88 with 148 passengers on board landed safely at around 1 p.m.
No injuries were reported, and Delta says arrangements were made to get the passengers onto another aircraft.
Ride-sharing bill a little lighter while advancing in Senate
RALEIGH — House legislation creating new rules for North Carolina drivers of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft has been trimmed a little as it goes through the Senate.
The bill approved Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee still would require drivers to display license tag numbers at the front of their vehicles. Starting next year, a driver’s company logo also would have to be seen clearly day and night. There are new crimes for impersonating a driver.
The measure now heading to another Senate committee responds to the death of a university student in South Carolina who police say got into the car of an Uber driver impersonator.
An amendment approved Monday deleted a special commission to study other ride-sharing issues and $500,000 to help universities with ride-sharing education campaigns.
McNeely takes new North Carolina House job, succeeds Turner
RALEIGH — A county commissioner has joined the North Carolina House days after his predecessor resigned from the chamber following more than six years in the seat.
Republican Rep. Jeffery McNeely appeared on the House floor on Monday, hours after he took the oath of office. McNeely was an Iredell County commissioner whom local Republican activists chose last week to succeed Rep. Rena Turner. Turner stepped down because she wanted to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.
McNeely will serve out the remainder of Turner’s two-year term representing the 84th House District. He arrives in Raleigh as GOP lawmakers are fighting with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper over the state budget bill that the governor vetoed.
The Statesville Record & Landmark reports Iredell commissioners meet on Tuesday to determine McNeely’s successor.
Cooper signs bills addressing drug dealers, financial skills
RALEIGH — Legislation designed to give North Carolina prosecutors a new tool to convict drug dealers and to require public schools to teach more finance education is now law.
The bills are among a dozen that Gov. Roy Cooper said on Monday he’s signed into law.
One bill makes it a felony to illegally sell drugs that result in an overdose death, punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Supporters say the “death by distribution” law will help fight the opioid epidemic, but critics say it will deter people from calling 911 during an overdose.
Another new law requires high school students to pass a personal finance and economics class to graduate. Some teachers worry this will detract from other instruction, but supporters believe financial literacy is critical to real-world success.
Sheriff’s office K-9 spooked by fireworks found safe
CONCORD — A North Carolina sheriff’s office says one of its K-9s which ran from its handler when some fireworks went off nearby has been found safe.
The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office says Igor was outside with his handler and without a leash on Thursday. Chief Deputy James Bailey said at the time some fireworks went off near the handler’s home and Igor ran away despite the handler’s verbal commands.
The sheriff’s office said on its Facebook page that a person going to work in Concord found the dog on Monday morning about a mile away from where he ran off.
According to the sheriff’s office, Igor appeared to be in good shape and was being examined by a veterinarian.
Police charge registered sex offender with multiple crimes
WILMINGTON — Police say a registered sex offender is in jail again after being charged with multiple sex crimes involving children.
The Wilmington Police Department said on its Facebook page that 57-year-old Bobby Lee Keyser was arrested on Sunday after he was released from the hospital for an undisclosed reason.
Police filed multiple charges against Keyser, including indecent liberties with a child and statutory sex offenses. The news release provided no additional information.
According to the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, Keyser was convicted in 2004 for several crimes involving children in Cabarrus County. He was released from prison in 2015 and then had to register as a sex offender for at least 10 years.
Keyser is jailed on a $1 million bond. It’s not known if he has an attorney.
Police accuse woman of setting apartment building on fire
GREENVILLE — Police in North Carolina have accused a women recently evicted from a townhome of setting it on fire.
News sources report Greenville police have filed multiple charges against 32-year-old Sierra Theresa Foreman, including first-degree arson.
Police say they were already investigating a suspicious fire call from June 27 when they got the call for the second fire at the same location the next day. Investigators determined both fires started in the same apartment unit and they interviewed Foreman, who was the listed occupant of the townhome and had recently received an eviction notice.
No one was hurt, but police say four families were displaced,
Foreman is being held under a $75,000 bond. Online records didn’t indicate whether she has an attorney.
Judges overturn child sex abuse conviction of Marine colonel
CAMP LEJEUNE — A three-judge military panel has overturned the child sexual abuse conviction of a decorated Marine colonel who was based in North Carolina.
The Daily News of Jacksonville reports the judges overturned the conviction of Col. Daniel H. Wilson of Mason, Washington.
In September 2017 in a hearing at Camp Lejeune, Wilson was found guilty of sexual abuse of a child; six counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman and absence without leave. He was sentenced to 5 ½ years of confinement and was dismissed from service.
The United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his sex abuse conviction this month, ruling that the evidence was legally and factually insufficient.
The panel remanded the case for a rehearing to deliver a sentence on the other convictions.
Toddler, vehicle stolen while mother makes food delivery
SOUTHERN PINES — North Carolina authorities are searching for a suspect they say stole a car with a 2-year-old child inside while the toddler’s mother was making a food delivery for an online service.
The News and Observer reports Southern Pines Police say they found the child unharmed about an hour after the car was stolen, and he was reunited with his mother.
Southern Pines police said in a release that the female driver for DoorDash, an on-demand food delivery service, left the car running and unlocked while making a delivery to an apartment. Police say the suspect then got into the car and drove away with the child inside.
Officers recovered the child and the car a few miles away in a parking lot but the suspect remains at large.
House schedules override vote on Cooper’s NC budget veto
RALEIGH — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper won’t get to influence a final state budget unless enough fellow Democrats uphold his veto of a spending plan penned by General Assembly Republicans.
The GOP-controlled state House scheduled for Monday an override vote on Cooper’s budget veto. Only three Democrats sided with House Republicans during a final budget vote last week. Republicans likely won’t be successful unless that number more than doubles.
Both the House and Senate would have to agree to an override. Cooper and Democratic legislative leaders are confident that won’t happen, leading to potentially protracted negotiations with Republicans.
Cooper called the GOP budget an “absolute failure” for lacking Medicaid expansion and cutting corporate taxes. Republicans say Cooper is blocking state worker pay raises and other health care benefits with his veto.