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It’s been five years since Tiffany King lost her 34-year-old son. But walk through her Durham home or take a look at her arms, which are covered with tattoos commemorating her son, and it is as if Maurice King is still here. 

But one tattoo in particular reminds her that he’s not—22:22, military time for exactly when her son died on March 4, 2020. At the time, Maurice King was a federal inmate awaiting sentencing for drug charges at the Orange County Jail in Hillsborough. 

A federal lawsuit his mother filed alleges that after another inmate assaulted him, detention officers neglected to check on King for an hour and a half while he suffered in his cell with cuts and bruises on his face and struggling to breathe. More than two hours passed before he was taken to Duke University Hospital, where he died minutes after arrival, the lawsuit alleges. 

Last month, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro issued a ruling paving the way for a trial to go forward. But the plaintiffs have appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 

But as Michael Hewlett reports, for now, Tiffany King is still waiting.

Suit Alleges Deadly Indifference At Orange County Jail

Five years ago, Maurice King died while in custody on federal charges. His mother is fighting to make sure someone is held responsible for the failures that led to his death. 

The CC Heard ‘Round the World

There was a lot to take away from our recent story on the $21 million UNC-Chapel Hill transferred to the athletic department last year–even before it agreed to spend millions of dollars more hiring football coach Bill Belichick and his staff.

But the bit that had the most resonance wasn’t even in the story! It was something reporter Matt Hartman broke in The Quad, our higher ed newsletter: Buried in 700 pages of UNC-Chapel Hill emails he learned that Belichick has requested that communications staff copy his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, on every email they sent him.

That juicy tidbit has been making the rounds: New York Post, The Ringer, People, Sports Illustrated, and The Defector. It also made the podcasts We’re Obsessed and Who? Weekly.

And Hudson was, in fact, CC’d on later emails.

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

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What We’re Reading

Washed Away: The Hechinger Report looks at the impact Hurricane Helene has had on childcare in Western North Carolina, finding that at least 55 early child care centers were damaged, of which ten remain shut or are operating out of temporary locations.

What the FERC: A Durham-based company accused of selling unsubstantiated energy efficiency claims to electric grid operators has mounted a stiff counteroffensive against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Inside Climate News reports.

Paul Back Plan: State Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton made a surprise announcement Tuesday evening that he is leaving office—effective today. A press release stated that he is “retiring to pursue an opportunity outside of state government.” Read our 2023 profile of Newton, then seen as a rising star in Raleigh.

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