A key Senate committee voted Tuesday to overturn outdoor smoking bans in cities, on beaches and on community college campuses.

Special superior court judges would be allowed to serve out their terms before their positions are eliminated. But lawmakers say two people appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory would not be able to serve out their term under the measure.

A bill that would remove the last vestiges of the Racial Justice Act and make several technical changes to state law would allow executions to be carried out in North Carolina again, its backers say.

Friendly competitions between the state House and Senate a long standing tradition. Today, they added target shooting to the list.