Christopher Geis News Today

Currituck County and its Tourism Development Authority want North Carolina’s highest court to consider a dispute involving local occupancy taxes. The state Court of Appeals ruled against the county in March.

Plaintiffs led by the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP want the state Court of Appeals to revive their lawsuit against the Confederate monument that sits outside the Alamance County Courthouse in Graham. A three-judge appellate panel heard an hour of arguments in the case Tuesday. A trial judge ruled in favor of the county. Opponents urged the panel to reverse that decision.

The N.C. Appeals Court must decide in the weeks ahead whether Currituck County commissioners misspent tax money raised to boost tourism. The court heard oral arguments Monday in a case challenging Currituck’s use of occupancy tax proceeds. A lower court ruled in favor of the county.

Starting in late March 2020, Dare County, North Carolina, prohibited non-resident property owners from entering the county. Although the Virginia plaintiffs were unable to reside in their property for 45 days because of the lockdown, Dare County did not “take” their property within the meaning of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. We affirm ...