New law strips Cooper of appointments at Berger home campus

The North Carolina General Assembly has ended Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s appointment powers on the trustee board for the community college where Senate leader Phil Berger lives. The Senate voted on Tuesday to give Cooper's four appointments to the Rockingham Community College board to Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore. The House approved the bill last week, so it now becomes law because Cooper's veto stamp can't be used on local measures. Bill supporters say there needs to be more local input on the board, but Cooper's office says the measure will harm the school in the long run.