North Carolina: Extra congressional seat expected. North Carolina’s growth rate has slowed from its peak, but the state is still expected to pick up another seat in Congress following the 2020 census. The state’s population increased 1.1 percent in the past year, outpacing the national growth rate of 0.6 percent. Alabama: Sheriff pleads guilty on tax charge. Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin has agreed to plead guilty on charges of willful failure to file a tax return, with prosecutors saying they are leaving it up to the judge whether Franklin should serve prison time or be allowed to serve her sentence on house arrest or probation. Franklin faces up to a year in prison and a fine up to $100,000. Her term ends this January. Texas: GOP donor threatens Abbott. Dallas businessman and GOP donor Christopher Ekstrom has threatened to take action against state officials who support the removal of Confederate monuments on state property, saying he and his group will make more than 100,000 robocalls telling voters to contact their elected officials and voice their opposition to the move. Republican Governor Greg Abbott publicly opposed the removal of a Confederate plaque in the Capitol in November, which many have taken offense to because it contains the “Children of the Confederacy creed,” stating that slavery was not the underlying cause behind the Civil War.
