Working across the aisle, lawmakers deliver wins for North Carolina

As the year draws to a close in politically divided North Carolina, hostilities have eased somewhat between the Democratic governor and majority-Republican lawmakers, both of whom recently agreed on a comprehensive budget more than three years after the last one was approved. 

Last month, second-term Gov. Roy Cooper signed a two-year, $53 billion state budget bill penned by GOP legislative leaders that was four and a half months late, and with lots inside for him to dislike, such as provisions that rein in his emergency powers and phase out corporate income taxes....