House Speaker Joe Hackney isn't too worried about Amazon.com's objections to a proposal that would have required the company to collect sales tax within the state.

Mark Binker, Dome's colleague at the Greensboro News & Record, reports that Hackney is not paying attention to Amazon's decision to end within the state a program that paid Web site owners for referring customers to Amazon.com products.

"Amazon has a history of acting that way. I think they did that in New York and then they backed off and reversed themselves so I’m not sure we should take that too seriously. I have my own way of dealing with it, which is I just won’t deal with Amazon," Hackney told Binker.

Presumably, Hackney will not be purchasing a Kindle soon.

The decade-long effort to overhaul North Carolina's tax system finally has some legs this year, but will they weaken if a budget stalemate drags on?

Taxes are the central debate that delayed passage of the state's $18 billion-plus budget before the new fiscal year began. House and Senate Democrats are at odds over how many additional services should be covered by the sales tax, and whether rates should go up.

"We're back to philosophical differences," said Sen. David Hoyle, a Gastonia Democrat, one of the chief tax negotiators, after a week of closed-door bargaining found little common ground.

It's unclear whether those legs have enough muscle to withstand complaints from interest groups whose customers would be singled out to pay more taxes.

Republicans won't go along with any plan because they say raising taxes is the wrong message from Democrats, who seek $1 billion more this year to help narrow a wide budget gap. (AP)

* The SBI says that 11 witnesses watched guards at a Greene County prison beat a shackled and helpless inmate. Three guards have been charged with felony assault.

* A bill meant to reform annexation now includes a provision that would allow a referendum under certain conditions. The current proposal leaves all sides of the contentious debate unhappy.

* Officials are keeping quiet, but the signs are pointing to the Catawba County town of Maiden as the site of Apple's new $1 billion data center.

Correction: Post now includes a better description of what the annexation changes would do.

Most state agencies fall far short in providing taxpayers with access to information about their work, according to a new survey of transparency in government.

The John Locke Foundation this week unveiled nctranparency.com, an ongoing look at how state and local agencies in terms of making information available to the public.

Most of the 22 state agencies that were graded on the site were given a "D" or an "F". The state Department of Public Instruction earned the highest grade - a "C."

The foundation graded agencies on information that they make readily available online. Joseph Coletti, a fiscal analyst for the foundation, said in a release that grades were weighted to "reflect access to the most important information." Budget information, for example, was given greater weight.

DPI earned the highest grade among state agencies by making available its budget, contracts, the salaries of employees by job code, the salaries of top employees, and other information.

The Office of State Auditor, the state community college system, the Office of the State Controller and others received an "F" because they do not make much of that and other information available online, according to the site.

North Carolina lottery director Tom Shaheen has been elected president of the multi-state association that runs the Powerball.

The Multi-State Lottery Association includes 32 lotteries. Shaheen will continue to run the North Carolina lottery. The multi state association establishes policies, oversees financial matters and approves new lotteries for membership.

Dome checked and is sure that Shaheen can't help anyone get an inside line on Powerball numbers.  

Before coming to North Carolina, Shaheen was the chief executive officer for the New Mexico Lottery Authority for over five years, and prior to that he was the executive vice president of operations and administration for the Georgia Lottery Corporation.

Carter Wrenn says South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford easily tops any politician in North Carolina for sheer moxie.

Even John Edwards.

Wrenn, a longtime Republican political consultant, writes on his Talking About Politics blog that Sanford should get this year's Academy Award for political scandals. He recounts the whole sordid tale of the South Carolina governor's trip to Argentina to see his mistress - and Sanford's claim that it has not prevented him from doing his job, and doing it well.

"There's not a politician in sight in North Carolina who can match that," Wrenn writes. "Not even John Edwards."

A Caswell County jury took a little less than an hour to find former Sen. Hugh Webster not guilty of embezzlement and exploitation of an elder adult Thursday afternoon.

Webster, 65, a certified public accountant of Burlington, has been on trial since Monday on charges that he embezzled and exploited his 83-year-old aunt, Doris Nance, out of $12,115.49, The Burlington Times News reports.

"I am glad this chapter of my life is over," a teary-eyed Webster said. But, he added, "You never recover from this. The bell rang. It can't be unrang."

The state contended the money was meant to be invested on behalf of Nance, since Webster had power of attorney. Webster contended that the money was a gift.

Webster testified Wednesday that Nance was trying to get rid of assets because she was trying to qualify herself and her ex-husband, Robert Nance, for Medicaid.

The defense rested Wednesday shortly after noon but not before calling to the witness stand Fern Shubert, who like Webster is a certified public account and former state senator. Shubert testified about what some of the financial records in the case showed.

An effort this week to help drum up interest in a bill to support past victims of forced sterilization in the state had an unfortunate opening line.

“Good Morning Eugenics Supporters,” read the e-mail sent from Rep. Larry Womble’s office.

Womble, a Winston-Salem Democrat, has been a longtime supporter of reparations for the more than 7,600 estimated people who were sterilized in the state’s former eugenics program. He also is a key sponsor of a bill calling for, among other things, the development of counseling services for eugenics victims, reports April Bethea of The Charlotte Observer.

That bill will be heard Tuesday by the House Education committee. The e-mail urged recipients to attend the meeting to show their support.

Tiffany Jones, an intern in Womble’s office who sent the e-mail, said the message was meant to notify bill supporters and the media that it was on the calendar.

She said the opening line hadn’t drawn any complaints, but noted “it wasn’t intended to offend anyone.”

OF COURSE THERE'S VIDEO: The least surprising thing that Andrew Young, former close aide to John Edwards, had to say in his book proposal: there's a sex tape. A year ago, that news might have been shocking. But a sex tape now fits comfortably along the downward trajectory Edwards' public image has been following since he begrudgingly acknowledged an extra-marital affair. Of course, we don't think Young visited the federal courthouse this week to talk about film.

BERGER UNLEASHED: Senate minority Leader Phil Berger ran wide open this week. He blasted North Carolina Democrats at home in the usual outlets, and then let 'em have it in the Wall Street Journal. We're not sure, but we think Berger wants people to know he's unhappy with the majority party.

THAT WAS CLOSE: The House and Senate agreed at the last minute to a bill to keep the state running while they wrangle over the budget. The House got its way and the temporary bill sets a two-week deadline for the chambers to agree. Gov. Beverly Perdue says to hurry up.

IN OTHER NEWS: House Republicans don't like the way Democrats name important bills. No charges will be filed in a case where a Blue Cross and Blue Shield lobbyist was accused of attempted bribery. Former auditor Les Merritt has launched a foundation to expose public corruption. The Republican Party is gearing up to go after freshman Democrat U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell in 2010. And the recession has prompted a drop in the prices of premium liquor, so at least there's some good news.

The official story is State Highway Patrol Commander Walter J. Wilson Jr. decided to retire after a year on the job to spend more time with his family. That created the need for a successor, and Gov. Beverly Perdue appointed a lieutenant colonel, Randy Glover, to the post this week.

But Wilson's brother-in-law said in an interview that story is not true. Wilson was forced out, Michael Madras said, because Perdue had someone else in mind for the state's top cop.

Madras said he learned this from Wilson himself minutes after Wilson attended a meeting with Reuben Young, whom Perdue appointed to run the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. Young told Wilson at that meeting June 22, just after Wilson returned from Disney World in Orlando with his family, that he needed to step down.

"He went on vacation and came back, and his boss says, the governor wants you gone," Madras said.

Wilson works at the patrol's headquarters, but he lives in Greenville, so during the workweek he often stays at the home of Madras and his wife, Penny, Wilson's sister. They live in Raleigh.

The alternative version of events leading to Glover's promotion raises questions that Perdue, Young, Wilson and Glover would not discuss. All declined through spokesmen to be interviewed.

Chrissy Pearson, Perdue's press secretary, would not say whether Perdue wanted Wilson out. Pearson also declined to say whether Perdue had sought to promote Glover into the job. (N&O)

The Democrats want your help in promoting President Barack Obama's agenda.

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, will be visiting Durham and Asheville next week as part of a "listening tour" in North Carolina. The stated purpose is for people attending "to offer ideas on how OFA should organize in their community to support President Obama's priorities."

OFA is scheduled to be at St. Joseph's AME Church in Durham at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and at the Mountain Java Coffee Shop in Asheville at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The group says it plans to make visits to several other North Carolina cities, including Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

Republican legislative leaders criticized Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue today for earlier saying she didn't care which legislative tax plan was used to balance the budget.

The GOP grief may have been a factor in Perdue's efforts today to clarify her comments.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, of Eden, and House Republican Leader Paul Stam, of Apex, accused Perdue of failing to provide leadership.

"Governor Perdue needs to start caring," Berger said in a prepared statement. "It is the Governor’s job to care about policies and to care about people. If the Governor is going to propose $1.5 billion in job-destroying tax increases, she needs to care about what their effects will be on North Carolina families and businesses."

The GOP leaders also said Perdue was resorting to raising taxes as the only way to close the gap between revenue and spending.

Legislators consumed with gloomy financial news took a few moments to recognize the North Carolina pop singer from the '60s famous for "Good Morning Starshine."

Lawmakers honored William Oliver Swofford, known as Oliver and namesake of the first annual "Oliverfest" in his native Wilkes County two weeks ago. Swofford's hit from the summer of 1969 was part of the rock musical "Hair," and his other big hit, "Jean," was included on the soundtrack for the Oscar-winning film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie." He appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and other venues, but his music career faded.

Swofford attended UNC Chapel Hill, and his brother, John, later became athletic director for the school and now is ACC commissioner. and his contemporaries who are now senators recalled the summer of "Good Morning Starshine": "A time when rockin' and rollin' was really something," said Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat.

He turned to business ventures and died on Feb. 12, 2000, the same day that Charles M. Schulz, Tom Landry and Screamin' Jay Hawkins died.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is going to celebrate the Fourth of July at Camp Lejeune.

Hagan, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will join Marines at the base for holiday festivities Saturday evening.

A release from Hagan's office notes that her father-in-law is a retired two-star Marine general.

Gov. Beverly Perdue does have preferences about what kinds of taxes are raised to balance the state budget.

Perdue's press secretary, Chrissy Pearson, asked today to clarify Perdue's comments from Wednesday when she told a gaggle of reporters that she wanted the legislature to promptly finish the budget because the state was missing millions of dollars in new cuts and tax increases each day it lacked a budget.

The House plan raises the sales tax rate, adds the sales tax to some services and raises the income tax on high income taxpayers. The Senate plan reduces sales, income and corporate tax rates but adds the sales tax to a variety of services, taxes electricity and taxes Social Security income for those making more than $250,000.

"I don't care which plan it is," Perdue said Tuesday of the competing proposals. She went on to mention the sales tax and income tax on higher income earners in the state.

Pearson clarified on Thursday: "It's not so much that she does not care which taxes. She supports the idea of sales, high income, (sales tax on) services and, of course, she originally proposed the sin taxes (on tobacco and alcohol). She understands that there could be a combination of solutions from the two chambers that could get us where we need to be."