N.C. ABC boards meet – in S.C.

The association for North Carolina ABC boards just wrapped up its summer conference, which it chose to hold in South Carolina, our colleague Ben Niolet writes today in the N&O's Under the Dome blog.

He writes:

The N.C. Association of ABC Boards conference was held at the Marriott Grande Dunes Hotel in Myrtle Beach. There were sessions on ethics and the legislative outlook for the state's alcohol laws.

There was also a session on handling the news media, although its hard to say whether that session included any advice about sending state dollars out of state for a long weekend conference. The conference wrapped upon the same day Gov. Bev Perdue signed into law a bill meant to curb abuses and conflicts of interest by local boards.

Now there's nothing illegal about having a conference out of state, but it doesn't sound great either. The association has received the message on its out of state events. The contract for the most recent conference was signed two years ago and would have been expensive to break.

"We've taken a lot of criticism on that," said Joe Wall, executive director of the N.C. Association of ABC Boards. "We're not going to be beat up on that anymore because we're not going to do that anymore."

This isn't the first time the conference has gotten less than positive attention. In 2007, news reports noted a conference, then held in Asheville, featured lots of drinks and subsidized golf outings provided by liquor companies.

Wall said the conference was held at Myrtle Beach because there just aren't any hotels in the state that could accommodate the whole group at a time. A previous conference at Wrightsville had the group split between a couple hotels.

"I think the question somebody should be asking the governor and our travel — the people that are promoting travel in North Carolina — is why we don't have a first-rate modern hotel on the coast somewhere in North Carolina that can handle groups of 300 or 400," Wall said.

FBI warns letters to Perdue, other governors could provoke violence

Update 2:03: For the record, Perdue's office confirms that she's not resigning, the N&O's Ben Niolet reports.

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The office of N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue received a letter this week from an anti-government group that's written to governors around the country demanding they leave their posts, The Associated Press reports.

Perdue communications director Chrissy Pearson said today that a letter from the Guardians of the free Republics came to Perdue's constituent services office Tuesday or Wednesday.

The letter was forwarded to Perdue's security detail. Pearson couldn't give details about how Perdue's security officers responded except to say the threats are taken very seriously.

The FBI expects governors in all 50 states to receive the letters and has told police nationwide the group's call to remove governors from office could provoke violence.

Perdue was in Charlotte today for President Barack Obama's visit.

N.C. budget: Read it for yourself

For those of us who don't speak "budget," the money report summarizes spending and cuts by category.

The budget bill includes a breakdown of what the individual tax increases are projected to raise this year.

* Individual income surcharge: $172.8 million.
* Corporate Income tax $23.1 million.
* 1-cent sales tax increase: $803.5 million.
* Apply sales tax to digital downloads and Internet purchases: $11.8 million.
* Increase excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol: $68.8 million.

Gov. Beverly Perdue this morning expressed satisfaction and relief that North Carolina was on the verge of getting a budget.

"I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's about over," the governor told the Council of State, a body of statewide elected officials, at their monthly meeting.

Perdue said the budget compromise met her two main conditions: no across-the-board income tax hike and no across-the-board increase in class sizes in the public schools.

But she added that there will be "tremendous cuts" as the state moves to close a huge deficit. The budget would raise income taxes on individuals earning $60,000 or couples earning at least $100,000.

The budget would maintain class sizes from kindergarten through the third grade, and would leave it up to local officials whether to cut the higher grades.

- (Raleigh) News & Observer

Perdue: Pass emergency 1-cent sales tax

Gov. Beverly Perdue told legislative leaders today she wants a 1-cent sales tax increase and a total tax hike package of $1.6 billion to balance the budget.

Perdue, a Democrat, met with lawmakers at the Executive Mansion and gave them a list of tax and other revenue options that she would like to see passed. It was an effort to help break the impasse between Democratic Senate and House leaders over what taxes to increase and how much.

Highlights of Perdue's wish list include: an "emergency" 1-cent increase in the sales tax that would expire in October 2010, an emergency income tax surcharge on single taxpayers who earn more than $500,000 and married couples filing jointly making more than $1 million.

Perdue wants a 50-cent-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes, down from the $1-per-pack she requested in March, plus 2-cents-per-can more on beer and a 2 percent increase on alcohol.

The list included several tax increases that would take effect in the fall of next year, including taxes on some services (warranties, installations, repairs) and a tax increase on "luxury services" such as cosmetic surgery, limousines and chartered flights.

Click here to read Perdue's letter to lawmakers and wish list.

- Mark Johnson