They're taking the heat for something they say they didn't do.

An online commentary published by a Washington, D.C. think tank essentially calls the legislature a bunch of dunces because some adults who left school nearly three decades ago without high school diplomas will be able to get them now.

Only problem: legislators say that's not what they want, and that the state Department of Education has misinterpreted a new law.

The commentary was reprinted in the Friday Report, an online newsletter published by the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a Raleigh-based education think tank. 

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The New Hanover County ABC Board won't tell how much they pay their employees.

The board has so far refused a request from the Wilmington Star-News for salary information on the board's employees, the folks that run the liquor stores. The newspaper is assembling a database of public employee salaries.

Officials at the state ABC Commission said the information is part of the public record, but the state commission does not control the local boards. They are relatively autonomous operations that run the state's liquor stores.

The Star-News has been handling its inquiry through a lawyer for the local ABC board, Doug Fox, who also happens to be a former chairman of the state ABC commission. He was forced out of the job by Gov. Bev Perdue after Fox forwarded a racist email to friends and colleagues.

Gov. Bev Perdue is scheduled to outline a plan this morning to finish construction of the Interstate 485 loop around Charlotte using what an administration official says is a novel financing method that won't touch money slated for other road projects.

Officials said Sunday that Perdue is scheduled to reveal the financing method that would pay for the last segment of the loop, between N.C. 115 and Interstate 85 in northeast Charlotte. The price tag is estimated at $220 million.

The financing method has never been used in North Carolina, and it won't touch money set aside for scheduled improvements to Independence Boulevard or any other local project, according to Chrissy Pearson, Perdue's press secretary and a city official who didn't want to be identified.

Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, won hefty support on Friday when Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight dispatched a letter endorsing Nesbitt for the post of Senate majority leader.

Basnight sent the letter to fellow Senate Democrats, who will pick a replacement for Sen. Tony Rand, of Fayetteville, who is resigning from the legislature and will be leaving by the end of the year, the Asheville Citizen Times reports.

Several Democratic senators last week said Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat, was also seeking the post, but Clodfelter refused to say whether he was a candidate.

"I'm not at that point," he told the newspaper, though he added, "I’m not telling you I’m not a candidate."

Clodfelter said the talk about who gets the majority leader's post is happening too fast.

NO WAITING ROOM: Mental patients in North Carolina often languish in the emergency rooms of hospitals that aren't equipped to handle them. (N&O)

MOSTLY BOYS CLUB: Women hold a quarter of the appointed positions on state boards and commissions. (N&O)

CLEARING THE BENCH: Mecklenburg County District Judge Bill Belk resigned amid misconduct charges. (Charlotte O)

The state's teacher lobby seems to be leaning one way on who it supports to replace Senate majority leader Tony Rand.

But the lobby isn't taking any chances on backing the wrong candidate, either.

In an e-mail to members, the N.C. Association of Educators says that Sen. Martin Nesbitt has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Rand in the second-in-command position within the chamber. The headline on its Nesbitt brief reads, "K-12 Champion Vies for Senate Majority Leader."

Sen. Nesbitt's success comes as no surprise to Buncombe County Association of Educators President Anna Austin, who lunches with the mountain senator regularly. "Sen. Nesbitt checks in with me every week during session and its not surprising to watch issues we bounce around at a lunch table in Ashevillle make it into state law," she said.   

The next item is about Sen. Dan Clodfelter and is written under the decidedly more staid headline: "Charlotte Democrat Eyes Leadership Post." 

The write-up is positive on Clodfelter.

We have immense respect for Sen. Clodfelter, especially his support for public education and a modernized tax structure," said NCAE Vice President Rodney Ellis.  "As educators, we also admire Sen. Clodfelter's  incredible intellect.  He is a strong leader and whatever happens within the caucus, we hope that Sen. Clodfelter continues to lead on tax reform."    

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield has $231,643 in his campaign account, according to federal election records.

Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, received $66,929 in individual contributions and $207,812 from political action committees through September.

Contributors include Arthur R. Collins of Arlington, Va., president of Public Private Partnership ($2,400); lawyers Thomas Taft Sr., Thomas Taft Jr. and Jonathan Taft of Greenville ($2,400 each); the National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC, ($5,000) and the American Association for Justice PAC ($5,000).

Democrat Chad Larkins has not reported raising any money in the race.

News & Observer Dwane Powell, who retired this week, talked about his craft and what goes into a cartoon in this new video.

Ice may be thawing between U.S. Reps. Virginia Foxx and Barney Frank.

Foxx, as Dome readers know, is a conservative Banner Elk Republican who is prone to getting her name in print, on blog posts, in the punchline of late night monologues — you get the idea — for blurting hyperbole that tends to outrage the left.

And Frank is the liberal, openly gay Massachusets Democrat.

And so it's not too surprising that Politico reports that a few months ago, Frank got so annoyed with Foxx's endless questioning that he just walked out of a committee meeting.

This week, though, Frank and Foxx had some friendlier banter. We heard the conversation went something like this:

Foxx: "You’re looking particularly disheveled tonight."

Frank: "Well, my partner is the one who keeps me sheveled, and he’s been out of town."

(Please imagine Foxx’s reaction to that. Truly, it would have been priceless.)

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Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge is going to decide soon whether he’s running for U.S. Senate.

Any day now.

Etheridge figured in August he’d have a decision by September. Earlier this week, he was expected to reach a decision by the end of the week. This morning, he told Dome it would be by this weekend, but not today or tomorrow.

(So, not until after Saturday’s anticipated health care vote, about which Etheridge has yet to take a position.)

He’s heard from supporters. He’s heard from the White House. He’s heard from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He’s heard from his wife and family.

The conversations with his family, Etheridge said, might be the most important. In running for state-wide office, he would be away for the next year criss-crossing the state. Etheridge routinely returns home to Lillington on weekends to spend time with his grown children and grandchildren.

“You’ve got to weigh a lot of factors,” Etheridge said. “And I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be in the position, but I’m also in the position to help people right where I am.”

Etheridge last year was appointed to the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, a role he has sought for years.

Rep. Pricey Harrison has asked for an investigation into Blue Cross and Blue Shield's campaign against the public option health care proposal.

Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, has asked the Attorney General and N.C. Department of Insurance to look into whether the insurer violated the state's do-not-call registry with a robocall and whether it is proper for the insurer to use premiums to pay for mailers, reports Mark Binker of the Greensboro News & Record.

"We are a fully taxed medical services and hospital corporation," Borman said, adding that the company paid $162 million in federal, state and local taxes last year.

However, the fact the company paid taxes does not make it a for-profit company, said Adam Searing, a health policy expert with liberal-leaning advocacy group The North Carolina Justice Center.

"They are a nonprofit organization," Searing said. "They are organized under a special part of the nonprofit corporation law in North Carolina. They have a nonprofit board."

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell has $244,952 in his campaign account, according to federal campaign finance records.

Kissell, a Biscoe Democrat, raised $99,000 from individuals and $305,000 from political action committees.

Contributors included Anne B. Wilkins of Cary, a consultant ($2,000); Ronald J. Bernstein of Durham, chief executive of cigarette company Liggett Vector Brands ($2,000); the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association PAC ($5,000) and the American Health Care Association PAC ($5,000).

Four Republicans are competing for the party's nomination to challenge Kissell and the race has generated lots of money already.

Businessman Lou Huddleston has raised $57,641 from individuals and loaned himself $45,125. He has $102,000 in his account.

Tim D'Annunzio, who owns a skydiving business, has loaned himself $303,000 and raised $8,400. Hamlet resident Darrell Day has raised $30 and loaned himself $3,000.

Republican Thomas Sweeney has not reported raising any money.

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble has $525,373 in his campaign account.

Coble, a Greensboro Republican, has received $25,311 in individual contributions and $117,165 from political action committees in his bid to keep his seat, according to federal campaign finance records.

Contributors include Roger Milliken of Spartanburg, S.C., CEO of the Milliken & Co. Textile company ($2,400);  Allen Gant of Burlington, an executive at textile maker Glen-Raven Mills ($1,000); the Major League Baseball PAC ($5,000); the National Football League's Gridiron PAC ($4,000) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC ($5,000).

Coble is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees aspects of professional sports leagues.

RAND OUT: State Sen. Tony Rand is quitting the Senate. The news that the chamber's chief Democratic enforcer and most formidable political gamesmen is leaving likely thrilled liberal Democrats and conservatives alike. Rand is one of the great characters in state politics and the legislature just got a little more boring.

HOW MANY IS THAT: Gov. Bev Perdue's communications director David Kochman has resigned as her approval numbers remain in the sub-basment. From her days as lieutenant governor, Perdue has had four communications directors in six years, making the job a little bit like being the drummer for Spinal Tap. With luck, Perdue's approval rating will go above 11.

REP. HYPERBOLE: U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx said the Democrats' health reform proposals are more dangerous than terrorists. Republicans may have more to fear from Foxx's own mouth than anything Democrats have to say.

IN OTHER NEWS: President Barack Obama has nominated two North Carolina judges to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has had only six Tar Heels since 1801. With the election of a new mayor in Charlotte, Pat McCrory will be out of elected office, but his loss to Perdue is apparently still gnawing at him, so don't expect McCrory to be out of politics. N&O political cartoonist Dwane Powell has retired after 35 years of skewering politicians.

UNCLE SAM'S BUYING: The state is using $140,000 in federal stimulus money to send 16 employees to child development workshops in San Diego while North Carolina has thousands of struggling families seeking subsidized care for their children. Critics say the money should be used to create jobs. (N&O)

LINE INSURANCE: PSNC Energy, the Triangle's natural gas utility, is raising questions with its newest line of business: insuring water lines and sewer lines against damage. The insurance coverage is not regulated by the N.C. Utilities Commission. (N&O)

TAX BREAK: The legislature estimates the state will forgo $1.4 million in tax revenue this weekend, and area retailers say they have high hopes based on how they did last year during tax holiday. (N&O)