North Carolinians turned in 3.5 million dosage units of potentially dangerous old prescription and over-the-counter drugs during a single day as part of Operation Medicine Drop events held statewide on Oct. 29, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced.

“When used correctly, prescription drugs can improve and even save lives. But when abused, prescription drugs can be dangerous and even deadly,” Cooper said. “Getting these drugs out of homes where they can be easily stolen or taken by the wrong person can prevent prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths.”

Transportation Secretary Gene Conti announced today that state and local law enforcement officers cited 758 motorists for driving while impaired during the “Booze It & Lose It” Halloween campaign, which ran Oct. 28-31. A total of 20,786 traffic and criminal citations were issued statewide.

“It is important to remove drivers under the influence from our roadways,” Secretary Conti said. “The Governor’s Highway Safety Program, along with state and local law enforcement officers, is dedicated to preventing crashes and making our roadways safer.”

During the Governor’s Highway Safety Program campaign, officers statewide conducted 1,664 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated patrols. Counties with the highest number of DWI citations were Mecklenburg (58), Wake (51), Robeson (51) and Guilford (46).

Tickets are still available for the annual AdvantageWest Economic Summit, Monday, Nov. 14, at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC. The event starts with a networking reception at 5:30 p.m., followed at 7:15 p.m. by a panel discussion on the role of public-private partnerships in economic development.

Panelists for the summit are: Darold Londo, senior vice-president and general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, currently overseeing a $633 million expansion that is reported to be one of the biggest in the nation's hospitality industry; former Western Carolina University chancellor John Bardo, who guided WCU through a period of unprecedented growth in student enrollment, campus construction and academic stature during his tenure; State Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Hendersonville), chair of the NC Senate Rules Committee; and State Sen. Martin Nesbitt (D-Asheville), the current minority leader of the NC Senate.

Western North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler’s third quarter campaign financing report indicates that the 11th Congressional race may actually be competitive next fall, as the two term incumbent raised only $87,178. Meanwhile, two GOP candidates vying for his seat, district attorney Jeff Hunt and Jackson County’s Mark Meadows posted impressive gains in the last quarter, each taking in more than Shuler. Democratic challenger and Asheville City-Councilman Cecil Bothwell took in a surprising $16,500 from individual contributions as well, besting Shuler by more than $6,000 in that particular category.

The campaign cycle is still in its infant stages and Shuler has already raised over $400,000 for his reelection bid next year. Although it is difficult to make predictions about the 2012 Congressional race from one quarter of fundraising, we can at least take a deeper look into the campaign finances of Shuler and his opponents.