News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Animal control department in Western NC often target of criticism

Published

6 months ago

February 3, 2025

Staff Editor

carolinapublicpress.org – Lucas Thomae – 2025-02-03 08:00:00

Gone to the dogs: NC county’s animal control has been a pet peeve for many

by Lucas Thomae, Carolina Public Press
February 3, 2025

Whose job is it to protect local pets? State law is vague. Because of that, the implementation of animal control and other pet-related services is often left up to the discretion of local governments, Carolina Public Press has learned.

Some counties have robust, well-funded departments that offer shelter and adoption services, rabies vaccination programs and dedicated officers to deal with cases of strays and abused animals. Others take a leaner approach.

And then there’s Rutherford County, which has attempted over the years to meet its residents’ demands for comprehensive animal services but seems to fall short.

With its latest change in management, the county hoped to overcome its long history of problems.

That hasn’t happened just yet.

Animal control controversy

In this rural Western North Carolina community, part of the issue, it seems, is one of identity.

Rutherford County’s animal control has been in a state of flux for years, shifting from department to department. For a long time it was a division of the sheriff’s office. Then it had its own county department. And last year, it was moved once again — this time to the health department.

Each move has come with its own issues.

Residents have been frustrated that the problems persist, despite years of making complaints to elected officials.

Meanwhile, the welfare of local pets hangs in the balance.

‘Incompetence’

In mid-January, Rutherford County mail carrier Sheila Hooper shared an image on Facebook of a dead dog chained to the front porch of a seemingly abandoned house. Hooper said that her co-worker had reported the apparent case of cruelty to local animal control. But nothing had been done about it.

The post garnered hundreds of comments and reactions. Some shared their own stories of witnessing animal abuse and neglect in their neighborhoods. Many questioned the county animal control’s seeming lack of response to these incidents.

The sheriff’s office did open an investigation soon after Hooper shared her post. That led to an arrest just over a week ago.

Still, some residents felt as if nothing would have been done if the Facebook post hadn’t gotten so much attention.

The discourse inspired resident Diane Bahrenburg to start an online petition, demanding Rutherford County’s animal control personnel be replaced. It has since accrued more than 900 signatures.

“We can no longer sit by as animals in our care suffer due to bureaucratic incompetence,” the petition read.

‘Heartbreaking’

Bahrenburg told CPP she’s worried that employees of the Foothills Health District — the regional public health department that manages animal control services for Rutherford County — and interim Health Director Jason Masters don’t have the skills needed for the job.

“(Masters) may be good at his job for being director of the health department, but he has no knowledge of animal control whatsoever,” Bahrenburg said.

In a statement, Masters defended his department. He noted that the two animal services officers employed by Foothills Health District don’t carry the authority of sworn law enforcement. Meaning, they do not have the power to arrest people or charge them with a crime.

“While the situation surrounding animal neglect and cruelty in Rutherford County is heartbreaking and unacceptable, both of our animal services officers are completing as many complaint responses as possible given their scope of jurisdiction,” he said. “We are operating with a nearly full shelter of law enforcement-related animals that we cannot adopt out, foster or euthanize, limiting our ability to house other animals.”

Making the switch

The public health department has only managed Rutherford County Animal Control since February 2024, when the county agreed to transfer operations to Foothills Health District.

From 1995 to 2018, the sheriff’s department managed animal services, including maintenance of the county animal shelter.

And in the intervening years before the health department took over, animal services was its own department under the umbrella of county government.

Each iteration has faced controversy and public scrutiny over the years.

UNC School of Government Dean Aimee Wall, who co-authored a textbook on animal services law in North Carolina, was not surprised to hear about the situation in Rutherford County. Similar stories can be found all over the state, she told CPP.

“The issue of animal cruelty and citizen concerns about its enforcement is pervasive,” Wall said. “It swells in different areas of the state at different times, and it swells around different issues.”

Wall painted a picture of local animal services that is often disjointed and messy. There are few guidelines for local governments to follow in terms of creating an organized animal services department.

“In some jurisdictions it is more coordinated and cohesive, but in others pieces of this work are shared across the municipality or the county in a way that creates some disconnects at times,” she explained.

Animal services may be housed under a health department because the state mandates that local governments mitigate the spread of rabies through tags and vaccination programs.

Other counties organize their animal services as a division of the sheriff’s department.

Sometimes, a county might create an animal services department that is wholly separate from other county departments.

Regardless, each variation has its own limitations.

“One of the things that we see when they’ve been housed in health departments, for example, is if they’re responsible for dangerous dog enforcement or going and seizing animals, they’re not sworn law enforcement officers,” Wall said. “So they’re not able to go in there with that weight of authority.”

Lack of animal control oversight

Wall told CPP that state oversight is relatively minimal and limited to only certain functions of local animal services. Those functions do not include animal cruelty investigations, making that responsibility, for the most part, a discretionary duty.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services oversees county health departments and ensures they are following rabies vaccine and tagging mandates.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Agriculture has a veterinary services division that annually inspects licensed animal shelters. Counties are not required to maintain an animal shelter under state law, but many choose to do so.

CPP learned through public documents that the Rutherford County Animal Shelter has been fined by the Department of Agriculture at least twice since 2014 for failed inspections.

The most recent violation occurred in 2023, shortly before the county shifted its animal services to the health department. One inspection revealed that the shelter housed dead and sick puppies in its euthanasia room, failed to keep accurate records and did not administer rabies vaccines.

The county was fined $6,100 for the violations.

The conditions at the animal shelter seem to have improved since being taken over by the health department. Masters provided CPP with annual inspection reports from 2024 and 2025 that showed the shelter was better maintained.

The county is also finishing construction of a new shelter, which will have better ventilation and more space for animals.

As for resident concerns regarding animal cruelty, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office signaled its commitment to investigating complaints by making a public announcement after arresting the man charged with six counts of felony animal cruelty.

However, the arrest might not bring an end to the drama. Several outspoken residents have said they plan to voice their concerns during this week’s county commissioners meeting.

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency? Will Trump be okay?

Published

6 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WRAL – 2025-07-18 12:56:16

SUMMARY: President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in people over 70 causing leg swelling due to blood pooling in veins. The White House confirmed no deep vein thrombosis, arterial disease, or heart issues were found, with normal cardiac function and no signs of systemic illness. Despite visible ankle swelling and bruised hands, attributed to frequent handshaking and aspirin use, the president remains in excellent health and experiences no discomfort. At 79, he stays active, working continuously. The White House emphasized these symptoms are minor and consistent with his busy public engagements and cardiovascular prevention measures.

Swollen legs led to President Donald Trump being diagnosed with what’s called chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a fairly common condition among older adults but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of swelling in the legs. Here are some things to know.

Chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, happens when veins in the legs can’t properly carry blood back to the heart. That can lead to blood pooling in the lower legs. In addition to swelling, usually around the feet and ankles, symptoms can include legs that are achy, heavy feeling or tingly, and varicose veins. Severe cases could trigger leg sores known as ulcers.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

US House votes to yank funding for NPR, PBS, foreign aid, sending bill to Trump’s desk

Published

13 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Staff Editor

ncnewsline.com – Jennifer Shutt – 2025-07-18 05:46:00

SUMMARY: On July 2, 2025, the U.S. House approved legislation to cancel $9 billion in previously authorized spending on public broadcasting and foreign aid, marking only the second time in over 30 years Congress approved a presidential rescissions request. The 216-213 mostly party-line vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump for signature. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will lose $1.1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS, and local stations. The bill also cuts $8 billion in foreign aid but protects HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal health programs. This follows Senate approval with some adjustments and reflects the White House’s push to focus spending on American interests.

Read the full article

The post US House votes to yank funding for NPR, PBS, foreign aid, sending bill to Trump’s desk appeared first on ncnewsline.com

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Missing voter information the objection of NC search

Published

23 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Staff Editor

carolinapublicpress.org – Sarah Michels – 2025-07-17 14:07:00

by Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press
July 17, 2025

North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes is setting off on a mission to correct 103,000 North Carolinians’ voting records from which some information is missing.

He maintains that the process, dubbed the Registration Repair Project, will not remove any eligible voters from the state’s voter rolls.

According to the state elections board, 103,270 North Carolina registered voters have records that lack either their driver’s license number, the last four digits of their Social Security number or an indication that they have neither.

Last year, this missing information became the stuff of headlines, lawsuits and the high-profile election protest of Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, who lost his bid for state Supreme Court to the incumbent justice, Democrat Allison Riggs, by 734 votes.

In April, the North Carolina Supreme Court declined to remove ballots from the count based on missing identification numbers; they said the state elections board, not voters, was responsible for a faulty voter registration form that didn’t make it abundantly clear that this information was required.

While Griffin lost, the issue he raised remains salient for a newly Republican elections board and the U.S. Department of Justice, which promptly sued the state board over alleged violations of the federal Help America Vote Act’s voter registration provisions.

Thursday, Hayes told reporters that a process he unveiled in late June to gather these missing identification numbers had begun in earnest.

“We must put this issue behind us so we can focus our attention squarely on preparations for accurate and secure municipal elections this fall,” he said.

The plan to collect missing information

There are two groups of voters under Hayes’ plan.

The first group includes registered voters who have never provided a driver’s license, the last four digits of their Social Security number or an affirmation that they lack both. The state elections board has asked county election boards to check their records for these numbers, in case they were provided but not correctly entered into the voting system.

In early August, the state elections board will send letters to the remaining voters in this group requesting the missing information. If affected voters do not comply, they will vote provisionally in future elections. The elections board will create a flag on these voters’ records for poll workers.

The second group includes registered voters whose records do not show that they’ve provided an identification number, but have shown additional documentation at the polls proving their identity and eligibility under HAVA. These voters may vote a regular ballot.

However, the elections board will still send them a letter in a second mailing asking for the missing identification number to bolster the state’s voter records. Even so, if they do not oblige, they still will not be at risk of being disenfranchised, NCSBE General Counsel Paul Cox said.

County election boards have already made progress, and their work will continue as the mailings go out, Hayes said.

Voters can check to see whether they’re on the list of those with missing information by using the Registration Repair Search Tool. If voters don’t want to wait for the August mailing, they can submit an updated voter registration form using their driver’s license through the online DMV portal or visit their county elections board in person with their driver’s license or Social Security card.

“We anticipate the number of voters on the list will decrease quickly as word spreads about this important effort,” Hayes said.

The State Board of Elections unanimously approved the plan last month, despite some concerns from Democrat Jeff Carmon about putting up an extra obstacle for voters because of a problem with missing information that the voters didn’t cause.

“It’s hard to understand starvation if you’ve never felt the pangs of hunger,” Carmon said. “It’s the same situation with voting obstacles. Your perspective of an obstacle may not be the same as someone who’s consistently had their identity and their validity questioned.”

Nonetheless, Carmon and fellow Democrat board member Siobhan Millen ultimately voted in support of the plan.

Same ballot, different rules

Normally, when a voter casts a provisional ballot, the county elections board determines whether their ballot counts by the post-election canvass, held nine days after an election.

Voters may have to provide documentation or information to prove their eligibility to vote in order to be accepted.

The same process applies to the 103,000 affected voters, with a catch. Their vote may be accepted for federal contests, but not state contests, due to a difference in law.

According to the DOJ’s interpretation, the National Voter Registration Act requires all provisional votes of “duly registered voters” to count, Cox said.

But the state elections board has interpreted the state Supreme Court and North Carolina Court of Appeals’ decisions in the Griffin case as requiring a driver’s license, the last four digits of a Social Security number or an affirmation that a voter has neither before accepting their votes in state and local contests.

Under a recent election law change, county election boards have three days to validate and count or reject provisional ballots.

But sometimes, mismatches happen during validation due to database trouble with reading hyphenated names or connecting maiden and married names, for example, Cox said. The board has designed a “fail safe” in case this comes up.

When there’s a mismatch during the validation process, state law allows voters to provide additional documentation — like a driver’s license, bank statement or government document with a voter’s name and address — to prove their eligibility.

“A big chunk of these voters will have already shown HAVA ID, and that’s because in the past, when this information was not supplied, the county boards would still require these voters to show that alternative form of HAVA ID when they voted for the first time,” Cox said.

Poll workers will ask provisional voters to provide this additional documentation so that they can mark it down for later, if validation doesn’t work, he added.

Democrats threaten countersuit

Last week, the Democratic National Committee threatened the state board with litigation if they went ahead with their plan regarding those with missing information.

The letter claimed that the plan would remove eligible voters from the rolls illegally.

Hayes disagrees. In his view, he’s just following the law.

“It’s not the fault of the voters,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re required by the law to go back and collect this information, which should have been done at the time, and it certainly should have been done in the intervening time.”

He also clarified that North Carolina’s photo voter ID requirement won’t suffice for the impacted voters. They still have to vote provisionally so that their identification numbers can go through the validation process, he said.

As for whether his fully fleshed out plan will appease the DNC?

“We hope so,” Hayes said.

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Missing voter information the objection of NC search appeared first on carolinapublicpress.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents a balanced and factual report on North Carolina’s voter registration issue, focusing on the administrative process and legal context without overt editorializing. It includes perspectives from both Republican and Democratic figures, highlights legal rulings and procedural details, and covers concerns from Democrats alongside the state elections board’s explanations. The language is neutral, aiming to inform about the complexities of voter ID requirements and the Registration Repair Project without endorsing a particular political stance or framing the issue through a partisan lens.