Gurnal Scott

Advocates have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of some state prison inmates. The eight inmates at Central Prison in Raleigh wrote letters to attorneys with the state's Prisoner Legal Services agency saying officers beat them while they were restrained.  

Campbell University students will become the first in North Carolina to take courses toward a major in Homeland Security.  About 50 students are already on the path to the four-year undergraduate degree. The courses will familiarize them with domestic and international terrorist groups and delve into the background of countries where terror organizations have historically formed.

State wildlife officials are continuing to investigate the deaths and injuries of brown pelicans along the North Carolina coast.  They say more than 200 of the birds have been found. 

A controversial House bill that would cut off commercial catching of certain types of fish was the subject of public debate Monday.   Lawmakers would reclassify red drum, speckled trout and striped bass as game fish - only caught by recreational fishermen - if House Bill 983 becomes law.

Gov. Pat McCrory gave a national audience a glimpse into reforms he wants to implement in North Carolina.  He delivered this past weekend's GOP response to President Obama's weekly address. 

McCrory criticized what he called Washington's "weak leadership" and urged national lawmakers to give more flexibility and accountability to states.  He says he needs that kind of freedom to implement a different approach to Medicaid reform.

President Barack Obama has tapped a North Carolina elected official for a federal post for the second time this week.   On Wednesday, he nominated Charlotte congressman Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. 

President Obama has nominated Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx to be the nation's next secretary of transportation. He would replace outgoing secretary Ray LaHood if confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Foxx -- who turns 42 years old today -- is considered a "rising star" among Democrats. 

Friends of workers who died on the job honored their memory in Raleigh.   An observance of what they're calling Workers' Memorial Day included people reciting the names of employees killed on the job in North Carolina. 

Structural engineers will put a pedestrian bridge over I-40 this weekend.  Work crews will stay busy overnight Sunday to install the addition to the historic American Tobacco Trial.  The bridge is a major step in adding four miles to the American Tobacco Trail that connects the existing portion to a stretch that ends at the Chatham County line.

Ed Venable, an engineer on the bridge placement project,  says I-40 will have to be shut down to put this bridge --  now in four sections -- in place.

Johnston County teenagers will lead a discussion today aimed at stopping deadly crashes involving young drivers.  Organizers of the Teen Driving Summit will welcome students from 12 other counties to discuss safer driving practices among teens.  Johnston County currently has the 4th highest number of deaths among high school-age drivers. 

Lynda Carroll is with the county's Teen Driving Committee.  She says the dialogue will focus on five areas of risky behavior behind the wheel.