RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined a coalition of 25 other attorneys general calling on Shopify, a popular e-commerce platform, to take stronger action against merchants who use its services to sell illegal tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

In a Nov. 24 news release, the AG’s office said there are more than two dozen illegal e-cigarette websites that utilize Shopify’s platform and another 200 websites that are selling illegal tobacco products.

“If states and the federal government create laws to protect our residents, companies can’t sidestep those for their own profit,” Jackson said in the news release. “We have protections against selling e-cigarettes to children because we know how harmful it is for them, and we need Shopify to step up and keep those products off of its platforms.”

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The AG’s office said that due to their highly addictive nature and potential health risks, especially for young people, e-cigarettes are strictly regulated by federal law, as well as by many state laws across the country. E-cigarettes also cannot be sold to people under the age of 21.

Jackson’s office said Shopify has removed merchants for using its services for unlawful activities in recent years, but merchants continue using it to sell e-cigarettes.

The bipartisan attorneys general are asking Shopify to work together to find a solution that keeps unlawful products off their platforms and out of the market, according to the release.

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In 2019, North Carolina sued electronic cigarette company JUUL for unlawfully designing, marketing, and selling e-cigarettes to teenagers. It won a $47.8 million judgment against Juul in 2021.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Safety is top of mind for many people in the Triangle after a violent week of apparent road rage shootings, including one over the weekend in Wake County on Knightdale Blvd., where one person died.

“It’s a little overwhelming, it’s like anxiety inducing,” Raj Rana said.

Rana said he’s seen firsthand how driving behavior can escalate on North Carolina roads.

“I’ll try to understand my surroundings and get to a place where I cannot be in someone’s way or have their anger not be directed at me,” Rana said.

AAA is projecting nearly 90% of Thanksgiving travelers will travel by car, including in Durham County, where driving instructor Calvin Brewer is teaching students how to avoid and manage road rage.

“We have been seeing a lot more road rage and a lot more incidents about road rage, especially with the population increase,” Brewer said.

North Carolina is home to more than 11 million people, meaning more drivers on the road.

Some of the safety tips Brewer said include:

• Removing yourself from the situation

He added that there could be legal consequences depending on how you react to aggressive behaviors on the road.

“Remember the value of staying calm in stressful situations,” Brewer said. “We always teach that safety is top priority. If you feel threatened or if you know something like that, it’s better to just drive away rather than confront other drivers.”

SEE ALSO | Deadly shooting may have been sparked by road rage in Wake County

SEE ALSO | 1 person injured after shooting in south Raleigh, police say

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — A state scholarship aimed at giving the children of disabled veterans a chance at a college education is facing budget cuts, leaving students wondering what’s next.

In June, ABC11 reported that the North Carolina Scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans was cutting its program for future applications for children of disabled veterans in Tier 2, which covers veterans 20-90% disabled.

Now, ABC11 has learned that cuts are going a step further. Current scholars are learning their benefits will be cut beginning the spring semester, prorated by 25%.

Victoria Morales still remembers learning her UNC dreams would become a reality thanks to her dad’s service. Her dad is fully disabled.

“He was relieved that his service actually meant something for his kids,” she said. “Giving that amount of time to something, believing so hard in your government and so hard in the things it can do for you, be promised that your children will be taken care of, and then when you’re daughter’s almost done, it’s just over now.”

The cut for current scholars is leaving students and their families figuring things out, including William Dishmon and his dad.

“He had to quit his job, and it was hard for him to find, you know, a lower-stress job for him. But it was a big impact on our family,” Dishmon said.

Isabella McGee’s sister couldn’t get the scholarship because of the cuts to future scholarships, and now she’s wondering if she can finish nursing school with the scholarship she has.

“Honestly, it’s just the uncertainty because we don’t know what the next semester’s going to look like, we don’t know what senior year’s going to look like, and that just puts an excess stressor on our life on top of being a student,” McGee said.

In the meantime, students had a message for lawmakers: To not turn their backs on those who served.

“To lawmakers. I would say fulfill your promise. We, the people, are being affected by this. And this is real. This is a real situation that will affect multiple students across North Carolina,” Dishmon said.