Thursday Wrap: Hit the road, jack

Despite a continuing debate over the already overdue state budget, state lawmakers hit the road Friday afternoon to begin a two-week vacation.

Before cars peeled out onto Jones Street, however, lawmakers passes a hotly debated measure that redraws Greensboro's city council districts.

Fights over redrawing local school boards, boards of county commissioners and city councils are nothing new for the General Assembly. But the tussle over Greensboro has been particularly nasty and protracted, as community leaders and most city council members pushed lawmakers to call off the bill, or at least give residents a vote in the process.

Gov. Pat McCrory was critical of the two-week vacation for lawmakers during a bill-signing ceremony Thursday morning, saying that business leaders, teachers and others are waiting to see what happens with the budget.