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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Measures 7 and 8: Pharmacy Ownership and School Start Date

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Friday, October 31, 2014   

BISMARCK, N.D. - When voters in North Dakota head to the polls next week, they'll decide whether or not to keep a 50-year-old law on the books concerning the local ownership of pharmacies. If passed, Measure 7 would open the door for major retail chains by removing the requirement that majority ownership of pharmacies in the state be held by registered pharmacists.

Amanda Godfread, spokewsoma with North Dakotans for Lower Pharmacy Prices, says voting "yes" will mean more options and prescription savings for consumers.

"If they want to use an independent pharmacist, they can absolutely continue to do that," says Godfread. "If they want to use a chain pharmacy, they can have that new opportunity available to them. So really, the consumers get to be the decision-makers which we always feel is a good thing."

Those opposed to Measure 7 say if passed, it will lead to the closing of at least 70 small-town and independent pharmacies, leaving those communities and their residents with fewer choices. Mike Schwab, executive vice president with North Dakota Pharmacists Association, notes prescription prices in the state are already lower than the national average.

"Wal-Mart is bringing nothing new to the state of North Dakota," says Schwab. "Four-dollar drug programs already exist. They exist at a handful of independents as well as CVS stores in the state, mail-order options, Costco in Fargo, as well as all the Thrifty White stores, which is 31 of them, which are all employee-owned."

North Dakota is the only state with such a pharmacy ownership law and it has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The final question to be voted on Tuesday is Measure 8, which would mandate school districts not begin class until after the Labor Day holiday. Supporters say families should be able to have those last couple weeks of summer together. Those opposed to Measure 8 say it would take away local control and could have a negative impact on school sports and other extra-curricular activities.


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