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Regional Briefs: Anti-smoking bill would let tougher local rules prevail
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Published: March 18, 2009
RALEIGH -- A proposed law banning smoking in North Carolina bars, restaurants and other public places has lenient penalties, but it allows local governments to impose tougher enforcement if they choose.
The bill discussed in a House committee yesterday would ban smoking in enclosed public places, including workplaces. Smokers asked to stub out their butt who refuse could be fined up to $50, but only by a public-health officer. Businesses could be fined up to $200 after their third failure to stop smokers.
The bill also allows local governments to be tougher on secondhand smoke. They could ban open-air smoking in city parks, or charge smokers with a misdemeanor criminal offense.
UNC Greensboro gets record gift -- $6 million -- from anonymous donor
GREENSBORO -- An anonymous donor has given $6 million to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro -- the largest gift in the school's history.
School officials said yesterday that the donor designated $5 million to provide financial assistance to students and the remaining $1 million to create two distinguished professorships.
The gift pushes the Students First Campaign beyond $110 million from $104.4 million at the end of February.
The university's scholarship program awarded only $1.6 million in need-based scholarships in 2007-08.
The donor contributed $417,000 for each new professorship. That will allow the university to request matching money of $250,000 from the C.D. Spangler Foundation Inc., and $333,000 from the N.C. Distinguished Professorship Endowment Trust Fund.
Section of Waughtown Street to be closed Thursday for utility work
Waughtown Street will be closed to through traffic between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Thomasville Road at 12:01 a.m. Thursday for utility work.
The work is expected to be finished and the street reopened by 7 a.m. A detour will be set up.
Ohio congressman wants Clinton to help in Camp Lejeune murder case
DAYTON, Ohio -- A congressman from Ohio is asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for help with extraditing a Marine accused of killing a pregnant colleague.
Rep. Mike Turner wants Cpl. Cesar Laurean, 22, returned from Mexico to stand trial on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio. Turner, a Republican, has written to Clinton, asking her to intercede.
Laurean fled after Lauterbach's charred remains were found buried in his backyard near Camp Lejeune, N.C., in January 2008. Lauterbach had accused Laurean of rape and was pregnant at the time she was killed.
Laurean, who has dual citizenship, was arrested in Mexico last April but has fought extradition.
Marine from Camp Lejeune killed in non-hostile incident in Afghanistan
CAMP LEJEUNE -- A Camp Lejeune Marine has been killed in what the military said was a non-hostile incident in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense said yesterday that Staff Sgt. Archie A. Taylor, 37, of Tomball, Texas, died Saturday in Kabul province. Details were not released, and the death was being investigated.
Taylor was assigned to the 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II MEF Headquarters Group at the North Carolina base.
27 workers laid off as New Hanover County looks for more savings
WILMINGTON -- Officials said that 27 employees in coastal New Hanover County lost their jobs yesterday to save $1.6 million because the struggling economy hurt local revenue.
County Manager Bruce Shell said he will meet with department heads to talk about the layoffs.
Shell did not discuss details and called the layoff decision "gut-wrenching."
"This is what we tried to avoid," Shell said. "My greatest effort has been to try and prevent a reduction in force."
The workers who lose their jobs will get six weeks in severance pay.
Shell said that his staff is already looking for savings in next year's budget.
He said that the county can save $3.5 million if workers take 10 unpaid furlough days and an additional $2.3 million by freezing the positions of people who accepted early retirement packages.
The county also is looking at cuts in financing for public schools, the county community college, and a regional mental-health center.
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