The state House of Representatives approved Thursday a measure that would make it illegal to use a fake identification card to get into an establishment that sells alcohol.
Using a fake ID to buy alcohol is already illegal, but the bill that passed the House 112-3 would make it a misdemeanor just to use the ID to enter a place where alcohol is sold, as well as make it illegal to possess or manufacture a fake ID with criminal intent.
"This bill sends the message that they need to obey the law, and possession or use of a fraudulent ID is serious and shouldn't be taken lightly," Rep. Phil Baddour said during floor debate.
The bill would also establish a program to allow stores to electronically check the validity of customers' driver's licenses against Division of Motor Vehicles records. The program would receive no tax money, and be funded by a $200,000 grant from a private foundation. But Rep. David Redwine worried that the state might eventually bear the cost for the program.
In April, the Senate approved a version of the bill that does not include the program; senators must now decide whether to accept the House's changes.
Easley tells local governments to speed hurricane recovery: More than two years after the worst flooding North Carolina has seen in a century, the rebuilding process is still far from complete, Gov. Mike Easley said.
Easley called on local governments to speed up Hurricane Floyd recovery efforts, saying most local governments have completed less than 25 percent of the rebuilding, and only three are more than half complete.
"All the grant applications have been processed, and the awards have been made. It is now up to the local governments to get the job done," Easley said. "Our local governments must complete the recovery process in order to allow families to return to their homes and restore our communities."
Floyd hit the state in September 1999, killing 51 people, damaging 55,000 homes and completely destroying 7,000. In response, state legislators passed an $836 million aid package while the U.S. government pledged to chip in $3 billion.
But the process of buying out and replacing ruined homes, which the state assigned local governments to administer, is taking a long time.
Nuclear plant receives permission to boost output: A nuclear power plant in Wake County will increase its output by 4.5 percent over the next several weeks, after winning federal approval to do so.
The Shearon Harris nuclear plant, run by Carolina Power and Light, will produce 40 megawatts of additional power after making improvements such as the installation of three new steam generators and the use of richer uranium in the reactor core.
The plant is the 63rd nationwide to receive approval from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an increase in capacity.
"We're able to get more electricity out of Harris without any significant changes to the way the plant operates," said Keith Poston, a spokesperson for Progress Energy, the parent company of CP&L. "It's a big cost saving for customers and the company."
Poston said it would cost five times as much to produce an additional 40 megawatts of electricity by building a new gas-powered plant.
Progress Energy's total capacity is 20,000 megawatts.
Jobless claims rise: North Carolina reported the third-largest increase in jobless claims among 52 states and territories for the work week ending Oct. 6.
According to the state, 3,273 more people filed jobless claims, mostly due to the loss of positions in the furniture and textile industries. That put the state behind California and Illinois for total number of claims filed. Forty states or territories also reported an increase in claims, while 12 saw a decrease.
The state's unemployment difficulties mirror those nationwide.
The four-week moving average in the number of claims across the country hit 491,250 last week, the highest level since April 6, 1991, when the country was emerging from the last recession.
Many economists say the unemployment picture will only get worse for the rest of the year, and that a recession is probably inevitable.
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