November 4th, 2009, 6:21 pm by Barry Smith
Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, suggests that a leftward shift among Democratic senators may have contributed to Senate Minority Leader Tony Rand’s decision to leave the chamber and take a post heading the state’s parole commission.
“Sen. Rand has had a long and distinguished career in the N.C. Senate and maintained a deep respect for Senate traditions,” Berger said in a statement. “While he and I have often disagreed on matters of policy, he was always someone who kept his word. Given the dramatic leftward drift of the state Senate Democratic caucus, Sen. Rand increasingly found his views at odds with his more liberal Democratic colleagues, and that may have led to this decision.”
N.C. Public Radio’s Laura Leslie reports that Rand told her that at age 70, he’s ready for a new challenge.
“When it’s time to go, it’s time to go,” Rand told Leslie.
Posted in: General Assembly • State government | Post a Comment »
November 4th, 2009, 5:09 pm by Barry Smith
Wow! What’s the N.C. Senate going to be like without Tony Rand?
Rand is leaving the Senate to head the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, who just appointed Rand, said, “North Carolina is fortunate that Sen. Rand decided to take this position. He, like me, cares first and foremost about protecting the public but also understands the importance of giving people a fair shot and a second chance.”
Rand, a Cumberland County Democrat, is a fixture in the Senate. He is the chamber’s majority leader and Rules Committee chairman. He has been a lawmaker for 11-plus terms.
The commission is responsible for releasing offenders who meet eligibility requirements and establishing conditions for post-release supervision. Commission members advise the governor on clemency matters, the Perdue news release says.
Reaction to the move came swiftly.
Senate President Pro-tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, issued a statement saying, “Tony has been as good a friend as I’ve ever had. And all of North Carolina couldn’t have had a better friend than Tony Rand.I am confident that I speak for the entire Senate when I say that his service and expertise in this institution are unmatched and unlikely to ever be.”
Basnight went on to say that he expects Rand to do a good job for public safety in his new role.
Said House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange: “Sen. Rand served the people of Cumberland County and the state with great distinction in the Senate and he will continue to do so as a member of the parole board. He has dedicated many years of his life to making North Carolina better, most especially by working to provide quality and affordable higher education to all.”
Rand is expected to take his new post early next year.
Posted in: Bev Perdue • Crime • General Assembly • State government | Post a Comment »
November 3rd, 2009, 1:03 pm by Barry Smith
The N.C. Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of former state Rep. Thomas Wright, D-New Hanover, of three counts of obtaining property by false pretense.
Wright was expelled from the House on March 20, 2008. Eleven days later, his trial on the false pretense charges began in Wake County Superior Court.
The charges related to his attempt to secure a bank loan for an African-American history museum by getting a letter from a state official that grant money for the museum would be forthcoming. Also, testimony at his trial revealed that Wright deposited donations from businesses for a related foundation into his own personal account.
Posted in: Courts • Crime • General Assembly • Government Corruption • State government | Post a Comment »
November 2nd, 2009, 5:03 pm by Barry Smith
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr’s office says that the House has passed his bill aimed at making it easier for military spouses to maintain or change their residency when military orders require their family to relocate.
“Our military families are often called on to make frequent relocations, and it is only fair that we give the same residency benefits to spouses as we do to service members,” said Burr, a North Carolina Republican, in a statement released by his office.
The office news release says that military men and women can already claim a state of residency or maintain their residency no matter where the military sends them. The bill, which is headed to President Obama’s desk, now gives spouses who move out of state because of military orders the option to claim one state of domicile, regardless of where they move.
It should remove the need to update driver’s licenses, filing tax returns for multiple states and changing vehicle and voter registrations with each move, Burr’s office says.
Posted in: Federal government • Military • Richard Burr | Post a Comment »
October 21st, 2009, 1:13 pm by Barry Smith
A week from tomorrow could be a skippidity-do-da-day in the Surry County town of Mount Airy. That’s when the N.C. Department of Transportation plans to dedicate a 5.8-mile stretch of N.C. 103 from the city limits north as the Donna Fargo Highway.
Fargo, a Mount Airy native, won a Grammy Award for “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” in 1973. Fargo’s music played quite frequently in our household when I was growing up. My Mom, also a Mount Airy native, was quite proud of her.
Transportation Secretary Gene Conti plans to be on-hand for the 11 a.m. Oct. 29 ceremony in the downtown municipal parking lot.
Posted in: State government • Transportation | Post a Comment »
October 16th, 2009, 12:24 pm by Barry Smith
The good news is that North Carolina’s unemployment rate didn’t get any worse in September. The bad news is that it didn’t get any better either. And our unemployment rate remains higher than the national rate.
New figures released by the N.C. Employment Security Commission show the state’s unemployment rate remaining at 10.8 percent for September, the same as it was in August. The highest the rate has been in the past 12 months occurred in May, when it was 11.1 percent. The lowest was in October 2008, when it was 7 percent.
Nationally, 9.8 percent were unemployed last month, putting us a full percentage point above the national rate.
Posted in: Economy • State government | Post a Comment »
October 13th, 2009, 5:51 pm by Barry Smith
Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, Sen. Tony Foriest, D-Alamance, and Rep. Van Braxton, D-Lenoir, are among the lawmakers appointed to the Joint Legislative Joining Our Business and Schools (JOBS) Study Commission, which is to look at ways the state can do a better job at creating programs to prepare students for the needs of the job market.
Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton of Rutherford County will chair the commission. State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison and former Chairman Howard Lee will also serve on the committee.
Sen. A.B. Swindell, D-Nash, and Reps. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, and Doug Yongue, D-Scotland, have also been selected to serve on the commission.
Public members include Robert J. Beichner, Swadesh B. Chatterjee, Mike Murphy, Sheri Strickland, Felicia Gray Watson, Laura Carpenter Bingham, Joseph D. Crocker, Grant Godwin, Caroline Watts McCullen and Susan R. Purser.
Posted in: Economy • Education • General Assembly • State government | Post a Comment »
October 1st, 2009, 4:34 pm by Barry Smith
Gov. Bev Perdue has signed an executive order extending the state’s gift ban to cover all executive branch employees under the Office of the Governor and Cabinet departments. The order does not cover employees under other Council of State departments, although the heads of those agencies, along with the UNC Board of Governors and State Board of Community Colleges, are encouraged to participate in the executive order.
The order follows a report that the Division of Motor Vehicles gave Verizon Business a no-bid contract to develop an eSticker inspections program. According to The Insider, the contract that could be worth more than $35 million is being looked at bh the SBI following revelations that Verizon staffers provided meals and gifts to high-ranking DMV and Division of Air quality officials.
The executive order takes effect immediately and prohibits the executive branch employees from accepting gifts from state vendors and contractors. Current state law makes accepting such gifts a misdemeanor for state employees responsible for awarding contracts or supervising construction to accept such gifts. While the expansion does not make it a crime for other state employees, it does make them subject to disciplinary action.
Posted in: Bev Perdue • Government Corruption • State government | Post a Comment »
October 1st, 2009, 2:41 pm by Barry Smith
The offices of North Carolina’s two U.S. senators, Richard Burr and Kay Hagan, have announced that they have sponsored a bill granting the Lumbee Indian tribe federal recognition.
“I am proud to introduce this legislation because the Lumbee Tribe should receive the federal recognition they deserve,” Burr, a Republican, said in a statement. “Currently, this can only happen through an act of Congress. I hope that the Senate will fulfill its commitment to achieve fairness and justice for the Lumbees.”
“This bill will give the Lumbee Tribe federal recognition, which is long overdue,” Hagan, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I am pushing for this bill to be promptly considered in the Senate so the thousands of Lumbees will finally get the credit they deserve.”
Both senators’ offices note that a 1956 act prevents the Lumbees from accessing benefits that other federally recognized tribes receive.
Posted in: Federal government • Kay Hagan • Richard Burr | Post a Comment »
September 29th, 2009, 10:17 am by Barry Smith
I was going through my email and found this one. Attendance at state parks in North Carolina is up 14 percent for the first eight months of the year. It appears that when times get rough, North Carolinians look for a bargain in ways to spend their leisure time.
“Citizens in North Carolina traditionally have turned to state parks for affordable family recreation during difficult economic times, and these attendance numbers reflect that,” said Lewis Ledford, state parks director.
Attendance is up 25 percent at Fort Macon State Park and a whopping 78 percent at Crowders Mountain State Park. Other strong increases were reported at Stone Mountain, 23 percent; Pilot Mountain, 31 percent; Cliffs of the Neuse, 40 percent; Lake Waccamas, 35 percent; Raven Rock, 50 percent; Falls Lake, 24 percent; and Jordan Lake, 52 percent.
With the weather turning cooler, it might be time to break out my tent and take my dog camping.
Posted in: Economy • State government | Post a Comment »
