Commission Begins Election Systems Overhaul

The Modernization of Election Data Systems (MEDS) Commission held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday to begin the process of overhauling North Carolina’s outdated election systems.

Backed by a $15 million legislative appropriation, the 22-member bipartisan group was created by State Auditor Dave Boliek. It will target the Statewide Elections Information Management System, developed in 1998, along with early-2000s campaign finance reporting software.

MEDS aims to enhance security, speed up election results and data management, improve accessibility for county boards and the public, and enable quicker adaptations to legal changes. Officials seek a user-friendly web-based platform to replace outdated code and standalone applications.

Public and vendor input will continue to inform the phased process, with campaign finance upgrades projected by summer 2027 and broader modernization expected to take place over the next two years. Find out how to submit project feedback here.

ICE Arrests 4 in Mecklenburg Courthouse

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested four men at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in Charlotte on Tuesday as they were scheduled to appear for court hearings.

The individuals were identified as Elder Andrade Nascimiento, Gerson Molina, Nestor Ponce Rivas, and Alfredo Xocua-Xitlama. Court records indicate at least three faced active cases involving charges such as domestic violence, assault, driving while impaired, child abuse, resisting arrest, and drug possession.

Three attorneys attempted to intervene, prompting ICE agents to warn that their interference could lead to arrests in the future.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office stated it remains impartial and follows the law, noting that ICE typically notifies them after such actions and that courthouse arrests occasionally occur.

Duke Aims for CPR World Record

Duke School of Medicine led an effort across 30 North Carolina counties on Wednesday to break the world record for the most people trained in hands-only CPR in a single day, aiming to train at least 30,000 people.

Led by Duke cardiologist and researcher Dr. Chris Granger, the event was organized through the Randomized Cluster Evaluation of Cardiac Arrest Systems (RACE CARS) trial.

Community volunteers, hospitals, EMS agencies, and partners coordinated free sessions to train participants in the lifesaving technique, which requires no certification and can double or triple the survival chances of cardiac arrest victims. According to the American Heart Association, 9.1% of adults treated by EMS for non-traumatic cardiac arrest outside a hospital survived in 2021.

Progress was tracked throughout the day on the event’s website, which also lists training locations.

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➤ Statewide: North Carolina lawmakers are considering reforms to involuntary commitment and outpatient treatment laws to curb repeat arrests of seriously mentally ill defendants, including possible changes to capacity restoration access and community oversight. (More)

➤ Charlotte: President Trump recognized Iryna Zarutska’s mother, Anna Zarutska, during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, citing her daughter’s killing on a Charlotte light rail train and criticizing cashless bail policies. (More)

➤ Western NC: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Jamie Ager to its “Red to Blue” program Monday, backing his general election bid in NC-11 as he aims to unseat GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards. (More)

➤ Henderson County: Prosecutors filed a motion to hold a Rule 24 pretrial conference in the case of Gudrun Linda Jean Casper-Leinenkugel, accused of lacing wine with acetonitrile during a 2025 Thanksgiving dinner, killing her daughter, and attempting to murder two others—charges that make the case eligible for the death penalty. Court records allege she is responsible for the 2007 death of Michael Schmidt, which investigators now say involved poisoning. (More)

➤ Etowah: U.S. Forest Service vocational development specialist Joel Smith sued U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Feb. 18, alleging age discrimination after being excluded from a 2025 deferred resignation program. (More)

➤ Raleigh: A campus-wide report for Meredith College shows widespread concern among students, faculty, and staff about the institution’s finances, inadequate salaries, increased workloads, and deteriorating campus facilities, with nearly half saying they have seriously considered leaving at some point. (More)

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➤ Duke’s 100-56 men’s basketball victory over Notre Dame marked the Irish’s worst home loss since 1898. (More)

➤ Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales revealed he’s giving up playcalling duties for the team next season, passing the responsibility to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. (More)

➤ Former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen has raised over $1 million for charity through his annual event supporting families of children with congenital heart disease. NASCAR driver William Byron and former Panthers teammate Luke Kuechly were also in attendance. (More)

➤ Tepper Sports & Entertainment unveiled plans for a privately funded, 15,700-square-foot sales experience center in the Legacy Union building near Bank of America Stadium. The space will feature a replicated suite and club lounge, an interactive stadium model, a hologram room, and a memory bank. (See Renderings)

➤ The Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships are underway in Greensboro, where they’re expected to generate around $5 million for the city’s local economy. Officials announced the city will host the event again in 2027. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ Duke Energy’s proposed 10.95% return on equity in its North Carolina rate increase filing ranks third-highest among 53 U.S. utility requests since November 2024, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. The proposal would raise average residential bills by about 13% starting in 2027. (More)

➤ Maersk is delaying its plan to establish Charlotte as its North American headquarters by one year, shifting the addition of 520 jobs and a $16 million investment from 2026-28 to 2027-29, while maintaining eligibility for a $9.8 million state incentive package. (More)

➤ Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued wedding photographers Holly Christina Scott Ayscue and Christopher Owen Ayscue and their business, Holly Christina Photography, on Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges the company caused clients to lose about $750,000 after the state received 166 complaints accusing it of taking deposits, failing to deliver services, double-booking weddings, and not issuing refunds. (More)

➤ Breeze Airways announced new nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Tallahassee, Florida, starting July 2 with fares from $39 one way, and to Birmingham, Alabama, starting July 3 with fares from $49 one way. (More)

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➤ A visual artist attending North Carolina A&T State University created a live portrait of ESPN anchor Amina Smith and presented it to her during a SportsCenter event in Greensboro. (See Painting)

➤ A Thomasville Police K-9 named Macho escaped his wind-damaged kennel on Monday. He was found hours later cozied up with goats in a nearby barn and was safely returned home. (See Photo)

➤ Waymo has confirmed that its self-driving cars are coming to Charlotte, with plans to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to Uptown, following sightings of a fleet of vehicles near the Carolina Panthers’ practice fields. (Watch Report)

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Would you ride in a self-driving car?

1. I’ll try anything
2. No way!
3. Need to think it over

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you try “sound healing”?

1. What’s sound healing? 38%
2. Sure, why not? 33%
3. Nope, not for me! 29%

How did North Carolina’s pre-1929 ballot system work?

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