Wednesday Wrap: Budget kabuki

The House Appropriations Committee heard from people complaining about provisions in the Senate plan to cut funding for teaching assistants and shift sales tax revenue for more than two hours. Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, held a news conference to talk up the Senate's plan for transportation funding while dissing Gov. Pat McCrory's push for a November vote on bonds to finance road projects and other infrastructure upgrades.

In non-budget action, the House gave final legislative approval to a measure that would allow executions to be carried out without the presence of a physician and would allow officials to keep secret the protocol used to carry out the death sentence and the drugs used.