News Briefs for December 12, 2024
Legislators overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382 Tuesday amid protests and threats of a lawsuit by Cooper. The bill provides $227 million in disaster relief, and weakens the governor’s control over the state board of elections. It also tightens voter ID laws and moves some appointments from the governor to the legislature.
A Cerro Gordo man is out on bond facing ten charges of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Landon Adam Powell, 25, was arrested Wednesday and released on a $15,000 secured bond. The State Bureau of Investigation said Powell was caught using sexually explicit pictures of a juvenile in a sextortion scheme.
Whiteville City Council on Tuesday received a bid of $2.1 million to renovate the former High Publishing building on Columbus Street for the Provalus project. The city and county purchased the building together for $750,000, and agreed to renovate the structure for the tech support firm. Provalus is expected to bring 250 jobs to Columbus County. Most of the funding for the renovations is coming from a series of grants.
