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General Assembly Ends, But Lawmakers To Return Soon, Often
The North Carolina General Assembly has completed its primary work session for the year, but legislators plan to return to Raleigh in the weeks ahead to deal with unfinished business, including the replacement of electoral maps.
The House closed the 5½-month session shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, about a half-hour after the Senate gaveled out its members. Legislators had been working since Thursday morning, shuffling favored bills between the two chambers. Dozens of approved measures wound up on Gov. Roy Cooper's desk.
Measure Targets Untested Rape Kits In North Carolina
New legislation in North Carolina aims to determine exactly how many untested rape kits there are in the state.
The state budget, enacted this week following a veto override, requires that local law enforcement agencies take inventory of their kits and report the findings to the State Crime Lab by Jan. 1. The goal is that once there's a count on the kits, funding can be appropriated to begin testing them and eliminating any backlog.
The move is a first for North Carolina, which was one of several states without legislation regarding the testing of kits. Some legislators estimate that there could be thousands of untested kits statewide.
Guilford County Municipalities Can Post Legal Notices On Gov't Websites
A provision that gives Guilford County municipalities the option of posting legal notices on government web sites was tucked into a bill dealing with worker's compensation for prison inmates.
Currently, state law requires municipalities to pay for notices to be published in local newspapers. An earlier effort to extend the public notice law statewide failed, but Republican Senator Trudy Wade of Greensboro managed to tack the Guilford County provision into the unrelated bill.
Critics of the legislation say it's driven by Senator Wade's personal disagreements with the Greensboro News and Record. Wade has not responded to messages seeking comment.
Judges Face Hard Task In NC School Power Struggle
Judges deciding a dispute over how North Carolina's schools are run say they face a difficult task in ruling on the power balance between legislators, the state school board and the statewide superintendent.
The three-judge panel heard oral arguments Thursday over a new law that would shift some power from the state Board of Education to the elected superintendent. The judges indicated that they would issue their ruling at a later date.
Highway Patrol To Focus On Safety During July 4th Travel
The N.C. Highway Patrol wants motorists to focus on safety as they head to their destinations for the July 4th holiday.
The patrol is also placing an emphasis on impaired driving through Operation Firecracker, an effort launched by the Governor's Highway Safety Campaign. Troopers will conduct checkpoints and saturation patrols in each county, attempting to combat the number of collisions that occur from impaired driving.
In 2016, the patrol investigated 111 collisions during the July 4 holiday in which alcohol was a contributing factor. Among those collisions, 76 resulted in an injury and four people were killed.
Woman Runs Over Alleged Thief; Now Both Face Charges
A woman ran over a man in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina after she caught him going through her purse, and now they both face charges.
Video from WLOS-TV shows Christine Braswell accelerate across several parking spots at the Asheville store Wednesday and hit Robert Raines in the back. Braswell told the television station that she wasn't going to let him get away. She says she is five months pregnant.
Asheville Police spokesman Wallace Welch said in a news release that Raines dropped the purse before running away and suffered minor injuries when he was hit by the car.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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