Latest North Carolina news, sports, business and entertainment

STERILIZATION PROGRAM

NC panel OKs compensation for eugenics victims

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A bill to provide compensation to people who were sterilized against their will continues to move through the North Carolina Legislature.

A House finance committee approved the bill Thursday and sent it to the appropriations committee. Approval came after an amendment to limit the compensation only to living victims failed.

The bill would provide $50,000 to living victims of forced sterilization and some who have died. Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake, told the committee that so far, two people identified as qualified victims under the proposed criteria have died.

A news conference about the bill was scheduled later Thursday.

A task force has reported that 1,500 to 2,000 of the victims may still be alive. So far, 132 victims have been identified, of whom 118 are alive.

EDWARDS TRIAL

Jury in John Edwards trial deliberates for 5th day

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Jurors in the John Edwards campaign corruption trial have started their fifth day of deliberations, as legal experts said don't read too much into the length of their discussions.

The jury resumed deliberations Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

The former presidential candidate is charged with six felony counts related to campaign finance violations. If convicted on all counts, Edwards faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison, though legal experts predict a term of less than five years would be more likely.

The group of eight men and four women mostly come from middle-class backgrounds, including a retired fireman, a special education teacher, a plumber, a retired railroad engineer and two mechanics. There are also jurors with financial backgrounds, including a corporate vice president and a retired accountant.

WILMINGTON BASEBALL

Tourism group: Wilmington ball team helps industry

(Information in the following story is from: The StarNews, http://starnewsonline.com )

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) The New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority wants a minor league baseball team in Wilmington.

The StarNews of Wilmington reports that authority board members agreed Wednesday to support the effort.

A private development team organized by Mandalay Baseball and the Atlanta Braves has proposed bringing in a minor league team if the city approves plans for a $35 million stadium.

Authority chairman John Andrews says the team would enhance tourism just like the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. He says baseball would not be the main reason tourists visit, but it would add to their stay.

Andrews said he hopes the authority's vote of support would encourage elected officials to support the stadium proposal.

BANK FRAUD

NC man gets 50 years in Ponzi scheme

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) An Ashe County man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say had more than 400 victims.

Forty-seven-year-old Keith Simmons of West Jefferson was sentenced in federal court in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say the Black Diamond Ponzi scheme took $40 million from investors, many of whom were more than 75 years old and loss their life savings.

Simmons was convicted of securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in Charlotte in 2010.

Prosecutors said Simmons told investors he was putting their money in a foreign currency trading program with annual returns as high as 137 percent in 2007.

Prosecutor say Simmons invested none of the money and spent millions of dollars on real estate near his home.

GANG ARRESTS

27 people arrested in Charlotte gang roundup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) More than two dozen people have been arrested in a roundup that targeted members of the Bloods gang in the Charlotte area.

The suspects are charged in a racketeering operation involving drugs, robberies and murder conspiracy.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday that 27 members of the United Blood Nation, or the "Bloods," were arrested last week following a two-year investigation.

Federal, state and local officers from Charlotte, Gastonia and Shelby were involved.

The indictment accuses the suspects of drug trafficking between 2007 and May 2012 and using the money to finance other criminal activities.

.Federal prosecutors say the suspects committed armed robberies and home invasions, as well as violence against rival gang members.

The suspects also were accused of intimidating witnesses.

HOUSE BUDGET

NC House panels debating spending adjustments

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina House lawmakers are starting to make official decisions about what their proposed budget adjustments for state government will look like.

House budget subcommittees prepared to meet Thursday to debate and vote on changes to the second year of the two-year North Carolina state government spending plan.

Senior budget chairman Rep. Harold Brubaker of Asheboro said Republican lawmakers are targeting a floor vote on the final plan by the chamber in the middle of next week.

Republicans are trying to find a way to ease spending reductions on local school districts that are projected to reach $503 million next school year. House and Senate leaders say they're committed to reducing that amount by at least $74 million. Many Democrats want the entire amount eliminated, but that's unlikely.

NASCAR HALL OF FAME

Wallace heads Hall of Fame group

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace heads the group of five picked for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Owner Leonard Wood and drivers Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas and Buck Baker joined Wallace in the hall's fourth class.

Baker was tied with Fireball Roberts for the fifth spot after voting, so a second vote was held to determine the final position. NASCAR Chairman Brian France said it was the first time since the hall began that the panel had to break a tie.

Wallace won 55 Sprint Cup races in 706 starts and won the 1989 championship. He now works as a broadcaster.

The five men will be inducted in ceremonies at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in February.