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.

Consumers who are cooking in instead of dining out, buying generic, nursing the old car along and brewing their own coffee may soon be able to indulge themselves in one area. High-end liquor in North Carolina is about to get cheaper.

Starting Aug. 1, the cost of a half gallon of Grey Goose vodka will drop from $71.95 to $59.95. The cost of a fifth of Absolut vodka will drop from $21.95 to $19.95. And, for those who can afford it, a half gallon of Glenmorangie scotch is slated to sell for $89.95 instead of $99.95.

Why the price break?

Because the high-end booze has been taking a sales hit as consumers have increasingly turned to bargain-priced liquor. Distillers of the good stuff are chopping their prices to hang on to recession-weary customers.

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