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Morning Headlines: Thursday, June 23, 2016

North Carolina Governor Pat MCrory. Credit: WFDD file photo

Carolinas Border Redraw Bill Among Nine Signed By McCrory

Legislation designed to resolve tax, education and property issues associated with redrawing the North Carolina-South Carolina border has been signed by Gov. Pat McCrory.

McCrory's signature Wednesday — combined with South Carolina's similar legislation approved this month — clears the way to enforce the original 18th-century boundary again starting in January.

McCrory's office said he signed nine bills Wednesday. Others require "beach bingo" operators to be licensed and make it easier for veterans considered "partially disabled" to use special parking spots for people with disabilities.

Budget Negotiations Getting Down To Final Sticking Points

Budget negotiations are getting down to the short rows at the North Carolina General Assembly.

House and Senate Republicans have been talking for the last two weeks about differences in their competing legislation to run state government for the next 12 months.

Legislative leaders say they've resolved most of the differences, and it's gotten to the point where Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore are involved to unstick the remaining issues.

Clinton Says Nation Needs Better-Paying Jobs

Hillary Clinton drew thousands of people for a speech in Raleigh Wednesday. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee outlined her plans for the U.S. economy in an address just hours after Donald Trump questioned her credentials to be president.

Clinton said the nation needs better-paying jobs, debt-free college, steps to allow companies to share their profits with workers, assurances Wall Street and corporations pay their fair share in taxes, and policies to help families.

Clinton said the nation needs to "make sure that our economy works for everyone, not just for the rich or the well-connected."

The former secretary of state said she is offering an alternative to Trump, whom she says is spouting "reckless ideas that will run up our debt and cause another economic crash."

Protesters Demand LGBT Law Repeal This Session

Opponents of North Carolina's law preventing local governments from passing anti-discrimination protections and directing which bathrooms transgender people can use say they will blame the General Assembly for future violence against members of the LGBT community if lawmakers do not abolish the law before the session adjourns in a few weeks.

Between 300 and 400 people attended a "rally against hate" late Wednesday between the Legislative Building and the old Capitol building where Gov. Pat McCrory keeps his office. Protesters called for a full repeal of the law and increased protections for members of the LGBT community.

Interactive Map To Provide North Carolina Hog Lagoon Sites

Environmental groups have joined to produce an interactive map revealing the locations of more than 6,500 animal feeding operations across North Carolina.

The interactive map points out swine and cattle operations, as well as more than 3,900 poultry operations, which the groups say had been shielded from residents.

The maps were constructed over more than three years by researchers from Environmental Working Group, Waterkeeper Alliance and North Carolina Riverkeeper organizations. Included are manure lagoons from swine operations, detailing how close they are to streams, rivers and other public water sources.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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