Lending Tree doubles

its N.C. presence

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Online service LendingTree says it plans to double its presence in North Carolina’s largest city.

News outlets report Gov. Roy Cooper and iMecklenburg County officials announced Thursday that the company that matches lenders with consumers will add 436 jobs over the next five years that pay an average of over $100,000.

Under a deal approved by the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee, the company will receive $8.37 million in state incentives for the Charlotte-based company. According to the deal, LendingTree also is expected to receive $542,818 from Mecklenburg County and $612,560 from the city.

The company currently employs approximately 490 workers in Charlotte.

CEO Doug Ledba, who launched the company in Charlotte in 1996, said the expansion includes a range of job functions, from engineering to finance to data analytics.

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Sheriff ends county’s

agreement with ICE

CHARLOTTE (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff says he’s ending his county’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

News outlets report that on his first day at work, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a news release Wednesday that deputies will stop performing immigration duties when the agreement ends. The program allowed sheriff’s deputies to perform immigration enforcement duties inside the jail with supervision from ICE.

McFadden also said ICE officials will need court-issued warrants or detainers to access the jail while he’s sheriff.

An ICE spokesman confirmed McFadden’s decision.

The 287(g) program has sent thousands of people into deportation proceedings since 2006. Ending it was a major part of McFadden’s election campaign. Former sheriff Irwin Carmichael defended his office’s participation in the program. McFadden defeated Carmichael in May’s Democratic primary.

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Community meeting on

GenX scheduled Tuesday

DUBLIN — Another community meeting is scheduled with the state Department of Environmental Quality and Health and Human services to answer questions about GenX that originated at the Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility.

This will be the seventh session. It is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bladen Community College in the auditorium.

A news release said there will be updates on “post-Hurricane Florence sampling, carbon water filter pilot project and related sampling results, drinking water well sampling results, rainwater sampling results and thermal oxidizer air permit status.”

Officials are also slated to “discuss recent blood serum and urine analysis, the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently released draft toxicity assessment for GenX and the upcoming community health survey.”

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Governor receives voter

ID implementing bill

RALEIGH — The General Assembly has finalized legislation implementing the voter photo identification mandate approved in a statewide referendum last month.

The Senate voted 25-7 on Thursday to accept House changes to the measure and sent it to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a voter ID opponent. Republicans in charge of the legislature can override a Cooper veto if they stay united.

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Senate Democrats urged GOP colleagues to delay the vote until an investigation into absentee ballot fraud in the 9th Congressional District is complete. The measure directs state election officials to set rules requiring mail-in ballot requesters to provide ID.

Thursday’s vote led about 50 protesters to sing and chant outside the House and Senate gallery in opposition. They left when police told them to quiet down or face arrest.

From staff and wire reports.

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