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Basnight Has Lou Gehrig's Disease

Former Senate leader Marc Basnight has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Jessica Jones: 64-year-old Marc Basnight stepped down after 26 years of service as a state senator last January, citing health reasons. At the time he said doctors hadn't figured out why he was having speech and balance problems. Basnight acknowledged the diagnosis in an interview with the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Manteo mayor Jamie Daniels says it's heartbreaking to know the former Democratic Senate leader has the neuromuscular disease.

Jamie Daniels: He's always just such a friendly, warm character, he's just one of the greatest guys you'll ever meet.

Lou Gehrig's disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Scientists have not found a cure yet.

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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