He began seeking and crafting settlements on prison crowding and environmental problems, pumping up consumer protection efforts and quietly seeking a national tobacco settlement with the tobacco companies that have traditionally been the underpinning of the state s agricultural sector. But the key legislative and executive agenda will start where it always does for North Carolina governors with education. For All North Carolina Data Click below for specific categories. It s still out there, as fresh in the minds of many Americans as the memories of this morning s traffic jam. Lawmakers and governors in at least two dozen states made proposals to deal with the issue this year.
Action is still possible in several, but so far only a few have followed through.
As state revenues nosedive, educators are bracing for major cutbacks in spending, and the the pinch comes just as they're being held accountable for student performance. Faced with the potential cost of school finance court cases and shrinking budgets, many lawmakers are scrambling to find dollars to support school reforms. Click on headline for full story in new browser window. Budget writers held a series of private meetings in Room 612 Tuesday with the leaders of the appropriations subcommittees to discuss their budget recommendations. By Dianne Whitacre, Charlotte Observer Transportation North Carolina Judge's Nomination Splits US Senators A bitter feud between North Carolina's two U.S. senators could lead to a partisan showdown over an N.C. judge President Bush is expected to nominate to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today.