BOOT OR NO BOOT: Gov. Bev Perdue is mulling a policy that would give the boot to any of her appointees who are under indictment or who refuse to cooperate with investigators. Presumably without the policy it would be okay for appointees to continue serving while [...]
It has become an annual Thanksgiving tradition for Dome to imagine what some of the state's politicos may be most thankful for during this holiday season.
For the full list, check out Under the Dome in print editions of The News & Observer. Dome online will be running a light [...]
A California software company has received the contract to build an e-mail archive system for the state.
Mimosa Systems of Santa Clara, Calif., got the $694,448 contract to install, implement and maintain the archiving system, which will archive all messages that clear the state's spam filters.
Gov. Bev Perdue [...]
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is leading other candidates in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate by a wide margin.
Marshall is the choice of 42 percent of voters in a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling. Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis has 7 percent and [...]
State Treasurer Janet Cowell was in the loop on a controversial financing plan to finish building Charlotte’s Interstate 485 — but she did not object until a few hours after it was announced by Gov. Bev Perdue, state transportation officials said today.
Perdue told Charlotte leaders on Nov. [...]
President Barack Obama has pardoned a turkey from Goldsboro named "Courage."
For 50 years, the National Turkey Federation has been delivering birds to the White House. It was only 20 years ago that the tradition of "pardoning" the turkey entered into the tradition.
"Courage" was raised in Goldsboro [...]
The N.C. Republican Party on Tuesday hired Russell Peck to be its new executive director.
Peck was heavily involved in the victory of Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey's governor's race earlier this month, Rob Christensen reports. Christie defeated Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine. Peck had worked last year as North [...]
With Sarah Palin drawing huge crowds on her book tour, and debate continuing about her qualifications for higher office, the Atlantic decided to do a little thinking about who was the worst pick for vice president.
The nominees are (drum roll please):
1. Spiro Agnew. (Richard Nixon)
2. Richard Nixon. (Dwight [...]
LOOP TROUBLE: Gov. Bev Perdue appears committed to moving forward with a special financing plan for finishing Charlotte's Interstate 485 despite questions raised by Treasurer Janet Cowell about the proposed funding mechanism. Backing away from the interstate now could be a minor disaster for Perdue, who [...]
State Treasurer Janet Cowell is not yet signing off on a complicated funding mechanism for finishing the I-485 loop around Charlotte, a step that Gov. Bev Perdue announced with considerable trumpeting earlier this month.
Cowell's spokeswoman, Melissa Waller issued a statement this afternoon saying:
In the absence of contracts specifying [...]
Twenty state lawmakers have signed a letter calling for an investigation into a campaign by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C. that was meant to thwart Democratic proposals for health care legislation.
The letter complains of robocalls made by the insurer as well as the fact that the [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue says her staff is exploring a policy that would give the boot to appointees under indictment.
Perdue, a Democrat, was responding to a letter sent by Democratic consultant and watchdog Joe Sinsheimer. The letter called on Perdue to unappoint Ruffin Poole from the Golden [...]
There are plenty of N.C. voters who think both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt.
A poll of 711 state voters by Public Policy Polling found that 45 percent believe that Democrats are corrupt while 27 percent think they are not. The poll also found that 37 percent of voters believe [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue was in Winston-Salem Monday where she delivered the 4 millionth meal since the Meals on Wheels program began there in 1962.
Perdue delivered the meal to Nancy Hooper, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.Perdue, 62, joked that she may be getting food from Meals [...]
TANK INSURANCE: A new state report says it is time for businesses with underground gas or oil tanks to buy insurance to cover the costs of any cleanup needed because of leaks. The state has a backlog of more than 6,500 leaks that will take another 25 years [...]
An estimated 1,500 people lined up at a PX store at Fort Bragg this morning to see former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and have her sign copies of her new memoir.
Palin greeted people at a table just inside the door of the North Post Exchange, a Wal-Mart-size department [...]
The folks at the Civitas Institute have declared a winner in their "bad bill of the year" contest.
Senate Bill 848, which would allow illegal immigrants to enroll in the state's community colleges, defeated House Bill 120, which would allow public financing of municipal campaigns, to win [...]
The N.C. Republican Party has rejected a proposal to ban unaffiliated voters from participating in its primaries.
Meeting over the weekend in Raleigh, the party's Executive Committee voted by a wide margin to reject a plan to bar independents.
Among those strongly opposing the effort were the leaders of the [...]
On recent trip to the Middle East, U.S. Rep. David Price said he was impressed in Pakistan and Afghanistan with a certain segment of their parliaments: women.
"We paid special attention to women members of parliament — who are a pretty aggressive group," said Price, a Chapel [...]
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Rick Elmore has announced he will run for re-election in 2010, reports Mandy Locke.
Elmore was initially elected to the court in 2002. Prior to that, he practiced law in Greenboro, specializing in criminal defense and real property law. He represented indigent clients in state [...]
The new state Senate majority leader is in a key position to advance ethics reforms this year.
State Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, is not only the majority leader. He is chairman of a committee where three ethics bills are awaiting action, the Asheville Citizen-Times [...]
Members of the N.C. Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism said they are "saddened" by Sen. Kay Hagan's decision to withdraw her support from a judicial nominee.
Hagan asked the White House earlier this month to withdraw Superior Court Judge Calvin Murphy's name from consideration for a federal [...]
Soon-to-be-resigning Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, will be remembered for many things, but helping launch the marijuana smoke-enveloped Peachtree Celebration likely is not one.
State Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin's "Wayne's World" blog, though, explains Rand's role in the 1972 rock festival, a veritable Woodstock-come-to-Richmond-County, complete with [...]
State Treasurer Janet Cowell has issued two new ethics rules for her office, the latest in her efforts at reform.
Employees are banned from accepting any gifts from companies that do business with the department, and staffers covered by the state ethics law are prohibited from soliciting [...]
HAT'S OFF: Lid blown on trooper firing. (N&O)
FAMILY LABEL: The father-son combo running New Hanover County's liquor stores together make nearly $348,000-a-year, and the state is taking a look at all local ABC salaries. (Star-News)
TUITION RISING: N.C. State raises the tab for students. (N&O)
[...]
As President Barack Obama continues to ponder the future of American troops in Afghanistan, U.S. Rep. David Price stressed this week that the matter isn’t just one for the military.
"Nobody thinks this should be a rushed decision – or a decision that should just be about the [...]
There has been some grumbling among lobbyists who thought it was inappropriate that they received a campaign solicitation from Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, whose office regulates lobbyists.
Marshall, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race next year, sent out an e-mail solicitation on her birthday [...]
Local school districts no longer have to hunt for former students who left school without diplomas to offer them the chance at the credential.
Former students who did not graduate because they failed state competency or computer skills tests are now eligible for diplomas if they earned enough credits, Lynn Bonner [...]
Recent overpayments to hospitals by the state health plan are more evidence of the need to put the plan under new management, said the State Employees Association of North Carolina.
A preliminary audit last week showed six hospitals owe the state $2.5 million for overcharges.
"Overpayments in those amounts are [...]
N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight told the state’s congressional delegation today that North Carolina doesn’t need any more study about a Navy outlying landing field.
The Navy, he wrote, can save its money.
“I am pleased to inform you that these studies and their significant costs are [...]
Generally speaking, folks don't like taxes.
But North Carolinians seem divided on the question of tax fairness, according to a new poll by Elon University.
Almost half (48 percent) of North Carolina residents polled Nov. 16-19 say the current state tax system is either "not at all fair" or "not too [...]
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said on the Senate floor this morning that health reform should empower Americans to make healthier choices.
In a conversation ahead of a key Senate vote Saturday about health reform, Burr criticized the bill put forward by Democrats, reports Barb Barrett. He said [...]
Rep. Wil Neumann, a Belmont Republican, plans to run for the Gaston County senate seat currently held by Sen. David Hoyle, a Democrat who lives in Dallas.
The district is Republican, but Hoyle has managed to hold the seat because of his pro-business record and ties to the [...]
With the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee trying to recruit former state Sen. Cal Cunningham into the race, Elaine Marshall has issued a poll memorandum arguing why she would be a strong opponent of Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.
The memo by her pollster, [...]
The N.C. Republican Party's top legislative leaders asked party officials not to block independents from voting in the Republican primary.
Republican candidates have to form a coalition with independents to win races in the state, wrote Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, of Eden, House Republican [...]
Voters are slightly more likely to vote for Republican legislative candidates, according to a recent poll.
The GOP has independents to thank, since they said they would vote Republican by a wide margin, according to the survey by Public Policy Polling.
Voters said they would vote Republican in state legislative races [...]
GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an [...]
NO GOOD TIMES: Gov. Bev Perdue says group of prisoners who could soon be released have to stay. (N&O)
TOLL FREE: Wake County wants to know why they have to pay tolls and Charlotte doesn't. (N&O)
COURTHOUSE ENVIRONMENT: A state environmental regulator was called to the courthouse [...]
Republican Sen. Richard Burr, long a critic of Democratic efforts to craft a health care overhaul, says he can not support the new Senate proposal.
Burr said the bill "is yet another attempt by Washington Democrats to take over our nation's health care system," Rob Christensen reports. [...]
Sen. Julia Boseman announced she will not run for reelection to the state Senate.
A Wilmington Democrat in her third term, Boseman is the state's first openly gay state legislator. Her decision not to run again leaves a swing-district seat without an incumbent.
In a statement, Boseman said her greatest [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue was in Charlotte this afternoon to announce a state partnership with Microsoft to offer free technology training.
The governor appeared on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College to announce that North Carolina will receive 10,500 vouchers for Microsoft Windows and Office online [...]
Former Alaska Gov. and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be allowed into Ft. Bragg for her book signing on Monday but the news media won't.
Army officials said they don't want the base outside Fayetteville used as a political platform for criticism of the President. The' [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday that a group of violent offenders who are serving life sentences from the 1970s won't be released from prison until at least 2054.
Perdue said the N.C. Department of Correction will not award time off for good behavior, which was a key point [...]
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler was one of three dozen lawmakers who had been persuaded by lobbyists for a drug company to read the lobbyists' talking points into the Congressional Record.
A spokesman for Shuler acknowledged the language was provided by lobbyists for a subsidiary of Swiss drug maker [...]
The departure of state Sen. Tony Rand has a lot of people wondering how the Senate will operate without the powerful master of rules, legislative maneuvers and hard-ball politics.
It even has state Rep. Paul Stam wondering if he'll finally get a favorite bill [...]
VOTE HAUNTS: Nearly two weeks after U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell bucked his party and voted against health care legislation, Democrats in his district are seething. The talk is that Kissell may face a serious primary challenge. (Charlotte Observer)
PORTRAIT PLEASES: Rene Dickerson was nervous as he prepared [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue told the first meeting of the Energy Policy Council on Wednesday that she wanted her advisors to come up with a plan make the state more energy efficient and environmentally friendly by April in time for the short session of the legislature.
The governor [...]
A longtime aide and the former campaign manager for former Gov. Mike Easley did on Wednesday what he didn't do last month: Answer questions from authorities probing his old boss.
Jay Reiff, Easley's campaign manager in 2000 and 2004 who also was on Easley's administrative staff at different points, was [...]
Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker said Wednesday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.
Wicker, a Raleigh lawyer and a Democrat, said he seriously considered a Senate bid this time and received strong encouragement to take the plunge, Rob Christensen reports.
"The demands of raising $15 [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue is not the woman she used to be — and she's proud of it.
The governor got personal Wednesday morning when she gave a pep talk at the opening ceremony of the State Employees Wellness Fair at the State Fairgrounds, Rob Christensen reports.
"I've always thought [...]
Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin wasn't happy about having to share her campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
We at Dome know the Winston-Salem Republican as a personable guy who's pretty easy going. And so, Palin's unhappiness over her travel companion has us thinking of possible reasons, [...]
Campaign finance watchdog Joe Sinsheimer is urging Gov. Bev Perdue to remove Ruffin Poole, a former top aide to Gov. Mike Easley, from the Golden LEAF board because he refused to testify at last month's state elections board hearing.
Sinsheimer, a Democratic political consultant who has [...]
State Rep. Hugh Holliman didn't have to resort to National Guard troops to defuse a protest at a recent fundraiser.
Holliman's event at a Raleigh restaurant was to come under withering protest from members of the State Employees Association of N.C. who are unhappy with [...]
As she campaigned around the country, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin feuded with Sen. John McCain's senior staff.
In her new book, "Going Rogue," Palin describes those staffers as trying to hold her back and making big blunders. But e-mail messages obtained by the Atlantic [...]
POLITICAL WIND: A decision by the U.S. Capitol Police suggesting that pigs were a threat to spread H1N1 to humans created an unlikely alliance between People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat and farmer. The police were wrong, [...]
NAACP President William J. Barber led a delegation to U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan's Washington office today.
Barber was part of a lobbying effort by the NAACP, which says that 880,000 African-Americans have died over the last 10 years because of a lack of health insurance, Rob Christensen [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue appointed two new district court judges Tuesday.
Perdue appointed Raleigh attorney Margaret Eagles to the bench for the 10th Judicial District for Wake County.
A graduate of Wake Forest University and the Campbell University school of law, Eagles is a former clerk to N.C. Supreme Court Justice [...]
Senate Democrats elected Sen. Martin Nesbitt, a racing crew chief and self-described mountain populist from Asheville, as their new majority leader today.
Nesbitt quickly tried to quell any fears – or hopes, depending on the perspective – that he would steer the Senate down a more [...]
A portrait of the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, done by an African-American artist, will be unveiled Wednesday in Washington's Capitol Hill Club.
The unveiling of the painting by Rene Dickerson is expected to bring together Helms friends and admirers, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, conservative activist [...]
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be in Harnett County on Friday to meet with farmers and discuss agriculture issues. He’ll be joined by U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat.
Comments (1) [...]President Barack Obama has nominated North Carolina’s top consumer advocate for a position on the Federal Trade Commission.
Julie Brill became the senior deputy attorney general and chief of consumer protection and antitrust for the N.C. Department of Justice in February. Before that role, she spent 20 years in [...]
Democratic senators are scheduled to meet at 11:30 this morning to elect a new majority leader, a proceeding which is expected to be a coronation of Sen. Martin Nesbitt, of Asheville.
Nesbitt goes into the meeting with the endorsement of Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight [...]
The N.C. Republican Party's executive committee will consider banning unaffiliated voters from voting in Republican primaries.
The party has until Dec. 1 to decide whether to allow both Republicans and unaffiliated voters to participate in primaries and will consider a ban this weekend.
According to the proposed resolution, the participation of [...]
Ahead of the South Carolina primary last year, a high-level aide to then-candidate John Edwards made an offer to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
He would quit the race and back whoever agreed to add him to the ticket, Obama's campaign manager writes in a new book. Talking Points [...]
U.S. Rep. David Price has returned from a week-long trip to the Middle East.
Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, led a congressional delegation with the House Democracy Assistance Commission, a bi-partisan group that mentors new democracies around the world, Barb Barrett reports.
The group was in Lebanon when [...]
CHARGE IT: Former state Rep. Thomas Wright's 2008 obstruction of justice conviction came on a made-up charge, his lawyer argued before an N.C. Court of Appeals panel Monday. An attorney for the state told the judges that the charge fit well with Wright's actions. (N&O)
HIRING THAWED: [...]
The creative and instinctive nature of innovation will now be channeled through, yes, a government agency.
Gov. Bev Perdue, by executive order, established the state's first Innovation Council on Monday. The group's mission is to: coordinate public and private investment to promote innovation, help move ideas faster from the lab [...]
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Sanford Steelman announced Monday he is seeking a second term.
First elected in 2002 as a Republican, Steelman is the only judge on the Court of Appeals from the Charlotte area. He and his wife, Buff, live in Weddington.
Steelman plans to participate in [...]
Add talk show host and comedian Wanda Sykes to the list of national shows that have taken a shot at U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk.
Sykes derided Foxx's most recent outrage-inducing remark, that health care reform legislation poses a greater danger than any [...]
George Holding, the Republican-appointed U.S. attorney for North Carolina's eastern district, expressed some angst over changes in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which includes North Carolina.
Holding was attending the conservative Federalists Society annual convention in Washington last week when he stepped to [...]
Now, Dome isn’t sure whether U.S. Rep. Brad Miller got his penchant for witty zingers from his mom, but Margaret Miller did serve on her college debate team more than 70 years ago.
Ms. Miller was featured in her hometown newspaper Sunday with a story [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue appointed five men to the N.C. Board of Transportation on Monday. Four have ties to the real estate and development industry.
The new appointees are Sam Halsey, David Burns, Gary Ciccone and Ronnie Wall, Current board member Stan White was reappointed. The DOT board consists of [...]
Another poll shows Gov. Bev Perdue clawing her way out of basement-dwelling public support numbers.
Perdue received 30 percent approval in a survey released Monday by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm. It's the first time since June that the group's survey has shown Perdue's approval out of [...]
Three North Carolina congressional Democrats changed their views on U.S. relations with Cuba in recent years, just as they began receiving thousands of dollars in donations from the country's largest Cuban-American political action committee.
U.S. Reps. Brad Miller of Raleigh and Mike McIntyre of [...]
For all the hours they devote to hunting, fishing and other outdoors matters, many members of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission also give generously to their political patrons.
The commission's 19 current members and their spouses have donated $263,187 to the governors and state House and Senate leaders who appointed [...]
The N.C. Housing Coalition recently honored Sen. Floyd McKissick, a Durham Democrat, and Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, for their efforts to increase and improve affordable housing.
The lawmakers were singled out for their work on the Housing Trust Fund, consumer protections and other efforts [...]
Dan Mansell, a Selma businessman and local Republican leader, will make another run at the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge.
Mansell, 52, announced last week that he's a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2nd congressional district. He has run for the seat twice [...]
RIGHT RALLY: Conservatives rallied at the state capitol over the weekend to protest federal health care legislation. (N&O)
WILEY OUT: Rep. Laura Wiley, a High Point Republican, said she won't run for reelection. (News & Record)
PROSECUTOR PROBE: The SBI is investigating undisclosed issues involving Joel Brewer, district [...]
Congressman Bob Etheridge said Friday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year, despite a concerted effort by the national Democratic Party to coax him into the race.
The decision is another setback for the Democrats, who earlier this year failed to entice Attorney [...]
The Free Enterprise Foundation's recent rankings of what legislators are most supportive of business included a few notable elements:
GOP INC. - Republicans, who nationally are seen as more sympathetic to business, fared much better in the rankings than Democrats. Republicans accounted for 18 of the 21 senators rated as "consistent" [...]
Six hospitals owe the state more than $2.5 million as the result of overcharges to the State Health Plan, according to preliminary audit results the plan released today.
The six hospitals include Johnston Memorial Hospital which owes $229,675, a health plan release said. Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro owes [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue has named the members of the reorganized Energy Policy Council.
Legislation passed during the last legislative session restructured the council as part of Perdue's efforts to strengthen state leadership on environmental policy and to cultivate more "green" jobs.
The group's first meeting is next Wednesday at 10 a.m., at the [...]
State Auditor Beth Wood is not out to get you.
That was the message Wood brought Friday to a meeting of the UNC system’s Board of Governors, Eric Ferreri reports. Wood, who was elected last year, presides over an office that conducts routine and special [...]
Six months before former state Treasurer Richard Moore left office, the North Carolina pension fund that he oversaw invested more than $500 million in the investment fund firm that now employs him, the Insider reports.
Moore was named a managing director at San Diego-based Relational [...]
There were times earlier this year, when it seemed that Gov. Bev. Perdue and the legislature were making everybody mad as they cut programs, laid off employees and raised taxes during the worst fiscal crisis since the 1930s. But North Carolina's leaders are getting decent marks from outsiders for [...]
The principal at the Goldsboro school who approved a grades-for-cash fundraiser is no longer on the job.
Susie Shepherd, principal at Rosewood Middle School, is on leave beginning today and will retire Dec. 1, said Wayne County school district spokesman Ken Derksen.
Rosewood Middle was held up to national ridicule [...]
Voters would rather Republicans run the show at the legislature, according to a poll released this week by the conservative Civitas Institute.
Of those surveyed, 40.7 percent said they would vote for a Republican legislator if the election were held today, compared to 37.8 percent for a Democrat. [...]
Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, a Chapel Hill Democrat, has joined the ranks of those calling for an investigation of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina's recent mailing.
Just weeks after raising its premiums, the insurer mailed flyers that encouraged recipients to send the attached postcard to [...]
The health insurance plan for North Carolina state employees is still paying out more claims than budgeted for the first three months of the fiscal year.
Lawmakers received State Health Plan data Thursday showing paid medical claims are 4 percent higher than expected through Sept. 30. That's better compared [...]
The UNC Board of Governors is poised to clamp down on leave policies that wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on UNC administrators who were supposed to return to teaching but instead retired, found work elsewhere or were shown the door.
A board committee Thursday approved a revised policy [...]
GRADE STIMULUS: A Goldsboro middle school was lambasted this week for its plan to award extra test points — enough to raise a letter grade — in exchange for cash contributions for the school. The lesson for students: Hard work, perseverance and positive attitude will be [...]
THOSE PESKY SUBPOENAS: Federal investigators are looking into more possible payoffs of state officials and land developments tied to former Gov. Mike Easley. (N&O)
BANKS VS. BUREAUCRATS?: Charlotte's lawmakers fare better in a ranking of business-friendly legislators. (N&O)
T FOR TROUBLESOME: A Tennessee Valley Authority report contradicts U.S. [...]
U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge has still has not issued a statement on whether he will challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.
But Dome would be shocked if he announces for the Senate. The word in Democratic circles is that Etheridge has decided to seek re-election to [...]
Late night host Jay Leno declared a Goldsboro middle school's plans to sell bonus points to raise money for the school his "Outrage of the Week."
Comments (6) [...]
markjohnson, bniolet, mbieseck, bkrueger, lbonner
