The atmosphere was more Thunderdome than Under the Dome at the annual House vs. Senate milk-chugging for charity contest Wednesday.

Pages and legislative assistants hollered for their favorite chamber ("Go Senate! Come on House!) and specators jockeyed for a view of six distiguished public officeholders sucking on straws jammed into tiny plastic milk bottles.

Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican, was not above a little pre-chug smack talk.

"This is the sound of your defeat," he said to his Senate opponents as he silently popped off the plastic cap of one of his milk bottles.

The contest was sponsored by the state's dairy industry and the Department of Agriculture.

Reps. Lewis, Arthur Williams (D-Washington) and Roger West (R-Marble) challenged Sens. Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville), Bob Atwater (D-Chapel Hill) and Andrew Brock (R-Mocksville).

It appeared to be a fair contest, although there were some rumblings about non-regulation straws and early chugging. The Senate team finished first, earning $200 for their favorite, as yet unnamed, charity. The House team will get $100 for charity.

(News & Observer photo by TAKAAKI IWABU).

Ten state legislators drive more than 500 miles to work.

After Dome learned that Rep. Roger West's 720-mile round trip from Marble to Raleigh is the longest commute, we wondered about the other legislators with long drives:

Sen. John Snow, Murphy, 706 miles
Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville, 552 miles
Sen. Tom Apodaca, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Asheville, 520 miles
Rep. David Guice, Brevard, 582 miles
Rep. Susan Fisher, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Bruce Goforth, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Carolyn Justus, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Rep. Phil Haire, Sylva, 590 miles

Not surprisingly, all 10 represent the mountains. 

A Senate leader wants to make sure the part-time legislature doesn't stay full time.

Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, filed a bill last week that would cut off legislators' daily stipend and travel allowances past a certain number of days: 60 days in short sessions held in even-numbered years, or 135 in an odd-numbered years such as this one.

Legislators get $104 per day in so-called per diems, so their annual stipend would be limited to either $6,240 to $14,040.

(During session, per diems include Saturdays and Sundays, even if the legislature does not meet on those days.)

Reps. Grier Martin and Darren Jackson, both Wake County Democrats, currently do not accept per diem. Rep. Ty Harrell did not accept it in previous sessions.

In addition, legislators receive a reimbursement of 29 cents per mile for one round trip a week from home to the state capital. Rep. Roger West of Marble travels the farthest — 720 miles, or $208, round trip.

The bill has a good chance in the Senate. It already has 35 co-sponsors — a supermajority in the 50-member Senate — including both Republicans and Democrats.

No similar bill has yet been filed in the House.

Related: Conservative blogger calls bill "a pretty good first step."