SEN. Hagan addresses
middle class tax
Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.) released the following statement about tonight’s vote in the Senate on a plan to stop taxes from increasing for middle class families:
“While I believe it is unacceptable that Washington has once again waited until the eleventh hour to find a solution, and though I would have preferred a comprehensive, balanced solution to avert the fiscal cliff and begin reducing the deficit, I voted for the plan put forth tonight so that we can stop a tax hike on middle class families in North Carolina. The average family in our state will see their taxes increase by $2,200 without this action.
“We still have issues surrounding the fiscal cliff that we must resolve, including the defense cuts that will have an outsized impact in North Carolina and our skyrocketing federal debt. The challenges we face may be complex, but working together should not be this hard, and I will continue urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol to come together to work on a commonsense solution.”

Teen killed at New
Year’s party in Clayton
CLAYTON (AP) — Johnston County deputies say a 19-year-old man has been killed in a shooting during a New Year’s party in Clayton.
Investigators said three people were shot in the parking lot of the American Legion building around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Deputies say friends took Daniel Laboy Jr. to a nearby hospital was he was pronounced dead. The other two people shot are expected to survive. Their names were not released as officers continue to investigate the shooting.
Investigators haven’t said whether there are any suspects or given a motive for the shooting.
Belmont officer shot
during New Year’s Eve call
BELMONT (AP) — Authorities say a Belmont police officer was shot in the leg by another officer’s gun during a call in a gated community.
Investigators say officers were called to the home around 6 p.m. Monday after someone heard shots fired.
Authorities say several people were in the backyard of the home and started scuffling with the officers when they arrived.
Investigators say one of the officer’s guns fired during the fight, and shrapnel hit officer Randy Berry and a woman in the leg. Both are expected to survive.

Fayetteville’s first 2013
homicide happened quickly
FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Fayetteville police say the city’s first homicide of 2013 happened just two hours after the new year began.
Investigators say doctors at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center called them after someone with a gunshot wound was taken to the hospital around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities say the man died in surgery less than two hours later.
Police have figured out where the victim was when he was shot, but haven’t given a time the shooting took place or a motive. The victim’s name was not released.

400 could be out of work
as N.C. carpet plants close
ABERDEEN (AP) — A carpet company says it is closing two plants this summer, leaving almost 400 workers without jobs in Moore and Scotland counties.
Gulistan Carpet told employees in a letter Friday it will file for bankruptcy and close its plants in Aberdeen and Wagram.
The company bought the carpet plant in Aberdeen in 1957 and is now owned by Hampton Capital Partners.
Moore County Chamber of Commerce President Patrick Coughlin says his group is doing everything it can to help Gulistan find a buyer.