North Carolina retiree group sues to block 30-day voter residency requirement

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina laws requiring citizens to reside in the state and within a precinct at least 30 days before an election date to be eligible to vote are unlawful and must be blocked, a union-affiliated retiree group said in a federal lawsuit this week. Lawyers for the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans write that the 30-day residency mandate violates the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act and

Raleigh Housing Authority Closing All Waitlists

On October 31st at 5 pm, the Raleigh Housing Authority will close its waiting lists for Public Housing and Section 8. Once closed, no new applications will be accepted until a waiting list is reopened.  According to RHA, this summer, over 9,000 families waited for housing vouchers and over 6,000 families waited for public housing on waiting lists. That being said, representatives from RHA stated that it would take them

House is left paralyzed as divided Republicans search for new leader after McCarthy’s ouster

WASHINGTON (AP) - The stunning removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker left the House effectively paralyzed Wednesday as Republicans struggled to bring order to their fractured majority and begin the difficult - and potentially prolonged - process of uniting around a new leader. The House opened briefly then shuttered closed, with caretaker speaker pro-tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry serving in the job with very little power for the foreseeable future. Other Republicans left

5 people were wounded in a shooting after a homecoming event at Morgan State University in Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP) - A shooting interrupted a homecoming week celebration at Baltimore's Morgan State University on Tuesday, wounding five people and prompting an hourslong lockdown of the historically Black college. Students hunkered down for several hours, as police went room to room looking for suspects. No arrests were made. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the five victims, four men and one woman, are between the ages of 18 and 22.

What to know about the emergency alert test hitting your cellphones and TVs

WASHINGTON (AP) - "THIS IS A TEST": If you have a cellphone or are watching television Wednesday, that message will flash across your screen as the federal government tests its emergency alert system used to tell people about emergencies. The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System sends out messages via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The Emergency Alert System is a national public warning system that's designed to allow the president to

The US warns of a Chinese global disinformation campaign that could undermine peace and stability

WASHINGTON (AP) - For much of the world, China's Xinjiang region is notorious, a place where ethnic Uyghurs face forced labor and arbitrary detention. But a group of visiting foreign journalists was left with a decidedly different impression. On a tour in late September sponsored by Beijing, the 22 journalists from 17 countries visited bazaars and chatted with residents over dates and watermelon slices. They later told state media they were impressed

Rep. Jamaal Bowman triggered a fire alarm in a House office building amid voting on a funding bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman acknowledged triggering a fire alarm Saturday in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings as lawmakers scrambled to pass a bill to fund the government before the midnight shutdown deadline. The fire alarm sounded out around noon in the Cannon House Office Building and prompted a building-wide evacuation at a time when the House was in session and staffers were working in the building. The

FDA wants to regulate thousands of lab tests that have long skirted oversight

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration on Friday laid out a proposal to begin regulating laboratory medical tests, a multibillion-dollar industry that the agency says poses a growing risk to patients because of potentially inaccurate results. The proposed rule would end decades of regulatory ambiguity and formally bring thousands of tests performed in large laboratories under FDA oversight. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said the change will help ensure

The farm bill has expired. Congress is months away from a new version

NC NEWSLINE - As the deadline for Congress to enact a new farm bill passed this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months - if not longer - until they reach agreement on a new bill. By averting a federal shutdown, at least until mid-November, Congress kept some critical government agricultural programs alive. But others will effectively be in limbo until lawmakers pass a

More suspects to be charged in ransacking of Philadelphia stores, district attorney says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Additional suspects will be charged with smashing into stores in Philadelphia last week as law enforcement officials review video of the social-media fueled mayhem, prosecutors said Monday. More than 70 people already face a range of charges, such as burglary, conspiracy and riot, in the flash mob-style break-ins Tuesday night at dozens of stores including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple. All but six of the defendants are adults. "There