Black to plead guilty GARY L. WRIGHT and DAVID INGRAM and MARK JOHNSON The Charlotte Observer Former House Speaker Jim Black is expected to plead guilty to a public corruption charge in federal court in Raleigh Thursday, ending the career of North Carolina's most powerful speaker of the modern political era. Under the deal, Black is expected to plead guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities, according to his lawyer and an Observer source. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. In response to questions from the Observer, Black's...
