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Senate Unanimously Passes Bill To Crack Down On Opioid Abuse
Legislation aimed at reducing opioid abuse and overdoses has passed the North Carolina Senate with unanimous bipartisan support.
The measure approved Wednesday changes how drugs such as OxyContin and morphine are prescribed and dispensed.
The bill requires electronic prescriptions for controlled substances and generally limits doctors to five- and seven-day supplies when first prescribing the potent drugs for pain or after operations.
It would also strengthen the controlled substances reporting system, which tracks prescriptions for the drugs.
Bill Regulating Massage Parlors Advances In NC House
A bill to regulate North Carolina's massage parlors to crack down on human trafficking has received preliminary House approval.
In a 110-5 vote Wednesday, members backed legislation requiring massage and bodywork therapy establishments to be licensed.
The law now requires only that massage therapists be licensed. It would cost $20 to apply for a license and there would be initial license and renewal fees.
Eased Ballot Access For Independents, Third Parties Advances
A longstanding effort to reduce the signatures needed for independent or third-party candidates to get on North Carolina ballots has gotten some traction at the General Assembly this year.
The House elections committee voted Wednesday for the Senate ballot access measure. It would also lower the threshold for a leading candidate in a multi-candidate primary race to avoid a runoff from receiving more than 40 percent of the vote to more than 30 percent.
Auditors Fault NC Milk Cleanliness Checks As Too Lenient
A state investigation finds North Carolina milk inspectors found hundreds of sanitation violations without penalizing dairy farmers.
The report Wednesday by the state Auditor Beth Wood's investigators faulted the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is responsible for enforcing sanitation requirements that keep the supply of Grade A milk safe for consumers.
The report says state agriculture inspectors found hundreds of problems with cleanliness at milking facilities, including insect and rodent control. Auditors say milk inspectors were too lenient, only suspending one milking permit for repeated violations out of 5,000 inspections over a three-year period.
Flags To Be Lowered For NC Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered that all U.S. flags at state facilities be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of a North Carolina soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Cooper has ordered that all flags be flown at half-staff beginning Thursday and continuing until sunset Friday in remembrance of Sgt. Dillon Baldridge of Youngsville.
The 22-year-old Baldridge was one of three soldiers who died of gunshot wounds on June 10 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.