Pardon Our Dust
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Agriculture & Natural Resources
WNCT-NEWS: Sunday hunting in North Carolina expanded in advancing bill
Hunters’ opportunities to shoot game on Sundays would be expanded underlegislation moving through the Senate, less than two years after it becamelegal.
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD: Cooper scrutinizing bill authorizinglandfill water spray
Legislation telling North Carolina regulators to authorize spraying liquidcollected under landfills into the air over a small area will get a closelook from Gov. Roy Cooper.
Budget Negotiations
WRAL-NEWS: Budget deal expected Monday
After two weeks of closed-door negotiations, House and Senate leaderspredict they’ll have a final budget deal to unveil Monday.
Economic Development
WILMINGTON STAR NEWS: NC struggles to dole out film funding
The state does not intend to approve any more film or televisionproductions for grant funding before the end of the fiscal year, accordingto a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Commerce.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Should cities and towns have their own sales taxes?NC House panel backs proposal
Cities and towns would be able to have their own sales taxes to raise moneyfor infrastructure and economic development projects under a bill movingforward in the N.C. House.
Education
NEWS & OBSERVER: NC Senate envisions non-traditional teacher prepprograms
The state Senate wants to ease the teacher shortage, but critics said abill passed Monday will make it hard for people to switch careers to teach.
Elections & Legislative Districts
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD: US Supreme Court won’t speed up return ofremap rulings
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to speed up returning to NorthCarolina its rulings in the case of nearly 30 legislative districts thathave been declared illegal racial gerrymanders.
NEWS & OBSERVER: NC has no elections board until Cooper makesappointments – but he’s suing
The board that oversees elections and government ethics in North Carolinahas no members because Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper hasn’t appointed anyoneas he continues his court challenge against the law merging the two boards.
Health Care
GREENVILLE DAILY REFLECTOR: Senate considers new reforms of mentalhealth services
A Senate panel has passed legislation to accelerate mental health Medicaidreform and free up nearly $1 billion in frozen assets to provide morebehavioral health services.
Justice & Public Safety
WRAL-NEWS: Senate approves changes to child protective services
The state Senate voted Monday night to approve changes to the state’s childwelfare and foster care system, but the major system overhaul originallyproposed has been scaled back for now.
WECT-NEWS: “Safe Harbor” bills gets final approval, headed to Gov’sdesk
Proposed tougher penalties for human trafficking passed an N.C. Senatecommittee Tuesday.
Regulatory Reform
WRAL-NEWS: House panel rolls out annual regulatory reform proposal
In what’s become an annual hallmark of the approaching end of session,House lawmakers rolled out this year’s regulatory reform omnibus incommittee Wednesday.
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD: Local control is at the root of abillboard battle in Raleigh
The perennial battle pitting the billboard industry and its ardentsupporters against a host of passionate critics has returned to the GeneralAssembly with a vengeance this session.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Compromise proposed in battle over newspaper legalnotices
State House legislators want to scale back a controversial Senate plan toend requirements for government legal notices to be published in newspapers– a change that publishers say would harm “the public’s right to know.”
Transportation
NEWS & OBSERVER: NC airports to get $35.4 million in improvements
Improvements are on the way for 11 North Carolina airports followingapproval of $35.4 million in state funding for aviation projects by theN.C. Board of Transportation.