N.C. judge stops town cellphone ban

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 8 (UPI) -- New ordinances on towing and cellphone use in Chapel Hill, N.C., are unenforceable, a judge said Tuesday.

Judge Orlando Hill granted a preliminary injunction in Orange County Superior Court Tuesday, delaying enforcement of a prohibition on using a cellphone while driving within town limits.

At issue is a new towing ordinance requiring tow truck operators to notify police every time a car is towed, which would violate the cellphone ban, the Raleigh, N.C., News and Observer reported Tuesday.

"The phone is a lifeblood in this kind of business. This is a small business with two wreckers in operation," a lawyer for George King, owner of George's Towing and Recovery in Chapel Hill, said in court. "Like a lot of businesses they use their phones constantly in order to conduct commerce."

The town approved a cellphone ban in March. It was scheduled to take effect June 1, the newspaper said.