WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials say a probation officer with the North Carolina Department of Corrections has been indicted on civil rights charges for coercing a probationer he was supervising into sexual acts. The Department of Justice said Friday 47-year-old Willie James Steele Jr. was indicted on two counts of deprivation of rights and one count of using and carrying a firearm…

RALEIGH, (AP) — Pat McCrory's gubernatorial campaign is demanding television stations stop running a commercial bankrolled by the Democratic Governors Association, arguing it made false claims about his activities linked to a Charlotte-based business. An attorney for McCrory sent a memo to stations running the ad that launched Friday.

WILMINGTON, (AP) — A company producing a new Jennifer Aniston movie has opened offices in Wilmington. The StarNews of Wilmington reports that EUE/Screen Gems Studios has opened the production office and that the film has been scouting locations in the area. Principal photography is expected to begin this summer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, rejecting an Alabama county's challenge to the landmark civil rights law. The provision requires state, county and local governments with a history of discrimination to obtain advance approval from the Justice Department, or from a federal court in Washington, for any changes to election…

CHAPEL HILL, (AP) — University of North Carolina President Emeritus William Friday remains in critical condition at UNC Hospitals, but his family says he's improved slightly after having a permanent pacemaker placed. In a statement Friday's family says the pacemaker was placed Thursday in the 91-year-old. They say they appreciate the outpouring of love and support that people have…