The News & Observer’s top stories today cover a stalled state liquor warehouse project, a courtroom clash over a hand-built castle and fresh details in the fatal shooting of a sheriff’s deputy.
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Here’s a rundown of what’s making news in North Carolina.
Liquor warehouse plan shelved: The North Carolina House has dropped plans this session for a $310 million state liquor warehouse after ABC Commission Chairman Hank Bauer publicly described a behind-the-scenes push by House Majority Leader Brenden Jones to steer the project toward a Florida developer whose affiliates have donated roughly $500,000 to state Republicans.
Castle battle heads to jury: Robert Mihaly could lose Castle Mont Rouge, the four-story Rougemont landmark he has hand-built over nearly 30 years. A Durham County jury is expected to weigh Julie Seel’s request to enforce a lien after their brief 2023 romance collapsed into dueling fraud allegations.
Raleigh’s limited nightlife toolkit: State law and the absence of uniform city regulations sharply limit what Raleigh can do to reshape Glenwood South after July Fourth shootings wounded six people amid a crowd police estimated at 8,000, with a 2024 North Carolina statute blocking the city from downzoning without property owner consent.
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Warrants detail deputy’s shooting: Newly released search warrants say Cumberland County Deputy Capt. Adam Bean arrived uninvited on March 27 at the Hope Mills home of a woman he had dated. Records say he advanced aggressively toward State Highway Patrol Sgt. Nekime Oxendine, who fired warning shots before fatally shooting Bean.
Fayetteville Street at 20: Two decades after Raleigh spent $10 million to tear out its failed downtown pedestrian mall and restore cars to Fayetteville Street, the four-block stretch has hosted major events, including last month’s Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup celebration. But it still contends with empty storefronts and panhandling.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
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