NC PRISON FATALITIES BRING TO LIGHT NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH SYSTEM: Policies and procedures have been changed, safety equipment is being distributed, hiring has sped up and more training is being conducted at state prisons, officials told lawmakers Thursday. Last year was the deadliest year in the history of North Carolina's prison system. One corrections officer was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution last April, and a failed prison break at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in October left four prison workers dead. The state Department of Public Safety called in federal investigators after the October incident to review prison operations, and they made more than 100 recommendations. Larry Reid, who led the team from the National Institute of Corrections, said investigators found many problems and deficiencies at Pasquotank Correctional.
http://www.wral.com/deaths-of-nc-prison-workers-spur-changes/17420015/

DEMOCRAT LAMB CLAIMS VICTORY IN CLOSE PA 18 CONGRESSIONAL RACE: A razor's edge separated Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone early Wednesday in their closely watched special election in Pennsylvania, where a surprisingly strong bid by first-time candidate Lamb severely tested Donald Trump's sway in a GOP stronghold. Lamb claimed victory before exuberant supporters early Wednesday as the number of votes still to be counted dwindled in a contest that has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm elections in November when the Republican Party's House and Senate majorities are at risk. Wednesday morning, Lamb's lead stood at 641 votes — out of more than 224,000 votes cast, according to unofficial results. Election officials said there are about 200 absentee votes and an unknown number of provisional ballots still to be counted.
http://www.wral.com/pa-race-tighter-than-tight-dem-claims-win-gop-hangs-in/17415366/

AS SUNSHINE WEEK BEGINS, SOME LOCAL BOARDS FAIL THE GRADE: To test how government boards handle these accounts of closed meetings, 10 news organizations simultaneously submitted requests in early January for a year’s worth of minutes from closed sessions at nearly 50 public bodies on the local, state and county level. The requests went to 10 local and state school boards, including one school board that refused outright to release any records. After more than two months, about a dozen boards had yet to turn over any minutes from closed sessions. Others provided accounts of only some of their 2017 meetings, or versions that were heavily redacted. In many cases, Jones said, what ends up being redacted is ultimately a judgment call. But he said the shorter the account of the meeting, the more doubt there is about whether public boards are keeping with the spirit of the law.
http://www.wral.com/months-after-closed-meetings-details-often-remain-off-limits/17397175/

LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO GIVE GOP UPPER HAND ONLY GAIN ELECTION CONFUSION: The continuing efforts by the Republican leadership to push a heavy thumb on the elections process -- through significant changes in the way the state Board of Elections was composed -- were rushed into law. There was no investigation as to the need for the changes or how they’d make the elections process work better for voters or candidates. The only justifications were it would enshrine Republican Party domination of the election process and they had the votes to do it. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has rightly challenged the law. Even setting aside any legitimate questions as to the very need for the changes, there are significant questions as to whether the legislature acted within its authority and if the laws are constitutional. The state’s courts are the appropriate forum to address these very real issues.
http://www.wral.com/editorial-legislative-efforts-to-give-gop-an-upper-hand-only-gain-election-confu...

JUDGE REFUSES TO RELEASE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FROM LEANDRO LAWSUIT: A judge has refused to drop the State Board of Education from a long-running public school lawsuit because he says hundreds of thousands of North Carolina students still aren't getting their constitutional right to a sound basic education. In an order released Tuesday, Superior Judge David Lee wrote that the state board failed to present convincing evidence that North Carolina is moving closer to providing students with their fundamental rights guaranteed in the state constitution. The ruling was hailed by Melanie Black Dubis, partner with Parker Poe, the lead counsel for the school districts suing the state and the state board. "It confirms that, notwithstanding changes and State Board initiatives over the years, there remains an ongoing constitutional violation because all children are not being provided the opportunity to achieve a sound basic education," Dubis said in an email message.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article204118229.html