WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - New Hanover County schools have joined a lawsuit against the state Attorney General’s Office, asking that money from an environmental settlement go to public schools.
The StarNews of Wilmington reported (https://bit.ly/2ke7Ohe ) the lawsuit was filed last fall by the conservative Civitas Institute in Raleigh. The school board joined the lawsuit last month.
The lawsuit says then-Attorney General Roy Cooper improperly directed funds from the settlement with Smithfield Foods Inc. to environmental groups. Cooper was elected governor in November. New Attorney General Josh Stein is now the defendant.
The settlement was reached between Smithfield Foods and the governor’s office after waste from hog arms washed into nearby streams during Hurricane Floyd in 1999
State law says fines must be used for schools. The question is whether the settlement is a fine.
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Information from: The StarNews, https://starnewsonline.com
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