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NC Sen. Joel Ford Officially Running For Mayor; 2 Men Arrested At Airport With Loaded Guns

North Carolina State Senator Joel Ford is officially tossing his hat into the race for Charlotte mayor.

"It's time for new leadership and a bold vision for our city," Ford said in a campaign-produced video released Wednesday, "We need a mayor who will focus on the issues that unite our city, not divide it."

Ford currently represents parts of Mecklenburg County as a Democratic state senator, a position he's held since 2012. Ford becomes the third Democrat to run for mayor in the upcoming election. He'll go up against Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles and incumbent Mayor Jennifer Roberts in the primaries. So far, all the candidates running for mayor are Democrats.

Two Men Arrested At Charlotte-Douglas Airport Thursday

The TSA says two men were arrested at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport early Thursday morning when officers found loaded handguns in each of the men's carry-ons.

The first incident happened just after 6 a.m. The second occurred just after 6:30 a.m. Officials say they do not believe the incidents are related.

Officers detected the firearms as the men's carry-on bags were passing through an x-ray machine on a conveyor belt. TSA is reminding passengers that they can travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-side suitcase, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.

Amid Political Power Struggle, NC Nominee Answers Questions

A Republican-dominated Senate committee is approving Gov. Roy Cooper's pick to be secretary of military and veterans affairs, Larry Hall.

Hall won committee approval Thursday after he obeyed a subpoena demanding his attendance. He had skipped three previous hearings.

Hall's earlier no-shows were part of Cooper's resistance to a new law passed by GOP legislators that requires his Cabinet appointments to win Senate approval. Cooper has filed suit against the law, and a three-judge panel will next week consider whether the law is constitutional. Hall's confirmation faces to more levels of Senate approval unless courts decide to strike the law down.

NC Bill Restricts Opioid Drugs, Boosts Recovery

Republican lawmakers and North Carolina's new Democratic attorney general, Josh Stein, are introducing a plan to address the state's opioid abuse problem.

The bill unveiled Thursday morning in Raleigh would place more mandates upon medical providers before prescribing anti-pain drugs like OxyContin, morphine, and other drugs with a high risk of addiction.

The measure would set aside $20 million over two years for more community-based addiction treatment and recovery services.

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