North Carolina

In an effort to protect young people from increasingly aggressive alcohol marketing, which is permeating not only convenience stores but also fast food restaurants, one group is calling for change through appeals and resolutions.

The American Council on Alcohol Problems, which meets annually to discuss ways to curb alcohol and drug consumption throughout the nation, issued several resolutions on the matter of underage drinking, fast food alcohol and privatized liquor sales during their 2011 conference in Raleigh, N.C., Sept. 19-21.

Their first matter of business dealt with “alcopops,” or brightly-packaged, sweet and fruity drinks that were classified in most states as malt beverages, but actually had alcoholic content. more >>

Government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is pushing for the dismissal of indictments against former presidential candidate John Edwards. The nonprofit organization said the North Carolina Democrat is "loathsome," but not corrupt.

In an amicus – or friend-of-the-court – brief filed Wednesday, CREW asked the court to dismiss the June 3 indictments against Edwards for alleged violations of campaign finance laws.

"In the U.S., we don't prosecute people for being loathsome, we prosecute them for violating the law," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan in a statement. "This case suggests some in the Department of Justice may have lost sight of this principle." more >>

The North Carolina Senate voted on Tuesday in favor of letting voters decide on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

In a 30-16 vote, the Senate agreed to place the measure on the May 2012 ballot. If the amendment is passed, North Carolina would join the rest of the Southeast states in affirming marriage as between a man and a woman in its state constitution.

"The North Carolina Senate did the right thing, voting this afternoon to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012, and trusting the people of North Carolina with the future of marriage," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, in a statement Tuesday. more >>

“Choose Life” specialty license plates approved for sale in the state of North Carolina are being met with challenges, as some citizens say the plates limit freedom of speech because no alternative message exists.

Citing violation of the First and 14th Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit asking the state to stop the sale of pro-life license plates, which the union says express a one-sided view in the abortion debate.

Because the option of pro-choice license plates has been repeatedly rejected in North Carolina, the ACLU accused the state of opening up a “forum for private speech to only one viewpoint in the public debate over abortion,” the lawsuit claims. more >>

North Carolina law already defines marriage in strictly heterosexual terms, but Christian leaders have joined with local politicians in rallying support for a constitutional referendum that would outright ban same-sex marriage.

At a press conference organized Tuesday by state House Speaker Pro Tem Dale Folwell (R-Forsyth) leaders from the Christian community turned out to put their muscle behind the push for the amendment issue to come before voters on the November 2012 ballot.

North Carolina already has a clearly defined explanation of marriage and does not acknowledge same-sex marriages conducted out of state, thanks to a 1996 law, but clergy present during Tuesdays' meeting say a constitutional amendment is necessary to protect biblical marriage against activist judges. more >>

Several counties in North Carolina have been busy preparing for hurricane Irene, which is in the direct path of the southeastern state.

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue issued a state of emergency Wednesday night for counties east of I-95. She has also requested a pre-landfall emergency declaration from President Barack Obama to ensure that the state will be provided with federal assistance in conjunction with relief efforts.

“Hurricane Irene poses a significant threat to our state and we need to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, along with property and infrastructure along our coast,” she told the Gaston Gazette. more >>