Health officials say testing confirms six cases of a respiratory virus in Children In North Carolina. The state Department of Health and Human Services says the children, all age 10 or younger, tested positive for the entero virus or EV-D68. The state hasn't said where the children live or where they're being treated.
The virus can case mild to severe respiratory problems with the most severe cases needing life support for breathing difficulties.
The entero virus is in almost 30 states in the U. S. No deaths from it have been reported.
Charlotte Stopped Paying Kerrick's Legal Costs
The City of Charlotte has stopped paying CMPD officer Randall Kerrick’s legal costs in a civil suit filed by the family of a man Kerrick shot and killed last year.
Kerrick shot Jonathan Ferrell, who was unarmed, 10 times. Ferrell had wrecked his car and was apparently seeking help at a home when officers arrived, after someone in the home called police.
Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting.
Duke Energy To Participate In Large Renewable Energy Project
Duke Energy is one of four companies proposing an $8 billion renewable energy project to supply power to 1.2 million homes in the Los Angeles area.
It calls for a large wind farm in Wyoming and an underground energy storage facility in Utah. Duke would build the nearly-600 mile transmission line from the storage facility to Los Angeles.
A spokesman says the project could produce up to 9.2 million megawatt hours a year, that’s more than twice the capacity of the Hoover Dam.
The companies plan to submit a request to the Southern California Public Power Authority early next year. If approved, the project could be up and running by 2023.
Charlotte City Council Approves Tax Credit For Software Firm
Charlotte City Council last night approved a tax credit for a software company. Avid-X-change, which automates bill paying and invoicing for mid-sized companies, plans to add 394 jobs in the city over three years. If the company meets that goal, the city and county would refund 90 percent of its property taxes.
The combined grant is worth up to $1.1 million. The city’s portion of that is just over $408,000.
Avid-X-change currently employs 206 people in Charlotte.
Mecklenburg County Launches Website To Explain Sales Tax Referendum
Mecklenburg County is launching a website today to offer information about the quarter-cent county sales tax referendum on November’s ballot. The site includes information about current tax rates, items exempt from sales tax, and the difference between property and sales taxes.
The County says the site designed to be a neutral source of information about the proposed tax. It’s part of a larger public awareness effort running through Election Day.
SC Chamber Of Commerce Pushes For Gas Tax Increase
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce plans to push for an increase in the state’s gas tax. Chamber president Otis Rawl says it’s part of a comprehensive plan to get more money for roads.
Rawl cites a poll of South Carolina Republican voters that shows a majority would support a 10 cent increase over 10 years if it were carefully presented. But he says any increase would likely need the support of the state’s next governor.
South Carolina regularly has some of the lowest gas prices in the U.S.
Neither major party candidate for governor has backed an increase in the state’s gas tax.