NC'S CAPITAL STILL IN THE RUNNING FOR NEW ARMY COMMAND CENTER: A U.S. Army spokesman says officials have narrowed to five the number of cities under consideration to house a prestigious command center that's meant to modernize Army operations and technology. Col. Patrick Seiber tells the Austin American-Statesman that Austin, Texas, is a finalist for the Futures Command headquarters along with Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Raleigh, North Carolina. Seiber says 10 other cities — including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle — are no longer candidates. A final decision is expected by the end of June. The Army wants the center to be near experts in technology and innovation who can figure out emerging threats and what equipment will be needed to answer them.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/technology/article213324309.html

BY NOT EXPANDING MEDICAID, LEGISLATORS FAIL THOSE WHO MOST NEED THEIR HELP: If ignorance is bliss, the state Senate might be the happiest place on the planet. It also may be where the largest number of President Barack Obama haters hang out. The logical conclusion: It is not about state money since the state’s hospitals have agreed to a plan that would cover the 10 percent cost of Medicaid expansion that isn’t being paid for through federal funds. That’s the only way to comprehend the unrelenting opposition to even study, much less expand, health care coverage to more than half-a-million citizens who don’t have it now. It is hatred of Obama. Period. It is far past time that North Carolina expands health coverage, as have 34 other states including most recently, Virginia. Does anyone care that refusal to expand Medicaid coverage is, truly, a life and death matter?
https://www.wral.com/editorial-by-not-expanding-medicaid-legislators-fail-those-who-most-need-their-...

COOPER VETOES GOP ATTEMPTS TO MEDDLE IN ELECTIONS PROCEDURES AND JUDICIAL RACES: Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed two bills late Friday, one dealing with elections laws and the other one of two judicial redistricting efforts passed by the General Assembly. Senate Bill 486 deals with various elections issues, from requiring criminal background checks on state and county elections workers to setting parameters for vendors of electronic poll books to barring any candidate who lost a primary election from switching to a third party to run in the general election. One section of the law outlines how judicial races will be handled on the November ballot after lawmakers canceled primaries for those seats this year. "Continued election meddling for partisan advantage weakens public confidence. Judges’ races should be free of partisan labels," Cooper said in a statement. Senate Bill 757 redraws judicial districts in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, splitting Wake County into six districts in which District Court judges would run instead of running in a countywide election.
https://www.wral.com/cooper-vetoes-elections-judiciary-bills/17631549/