It's time for some frank chelada talk.

Rep. Cary Allred has consistently said he was not intoxicated the night of April 27 when he was stopped for driving 102 miles an hour and was seen hugging and possibly kissing a teenaged girl in the House chamber.

What he has said from the start is that he had one chelada, a cocktail he describes as similar to a Bloody Mary made with beer. In a written statement to a House investigator, Allred said the drink was a mixture of tomato juice, clam juice, salt, lime and beer.

That recipe has prompted some facial expressions and conversations around the legislature.

So here's the story.

The name "Chelada" is a shortened form of the Spanish word michelada which loosely translates to "my cold beer," according to a January 2008 news release from Anheuser-Busch announcing that their canned Chelada was going nation-wide. 

Reviews, pro and con, of the drink after the jump.

   Comments (2)

Rep. Thomas Wright pocketed $8,900 in corporate checks intended for a nonprofit, calling the money "sweat equity," according to papers filed Tuesday at the legislature.

On Oct. 5, the Wilmington Democrat was interviewed by SBI Special Agent Johnnie Umphlet about checks totaling $8,900 from Anheuser-Busch, AstraZeneca and AT&T to the Community's Health Foundation, which Wright ran.

Wright admitted that he received, signed and deposited the checks into his personal bank account, according to Umphlet.

"He called his reimbursement 'sweat equity,' " according to a witness list.

Other potential witnesses include an IRS employee and a Wilmington doctor. (Char-O)

A committee considering expelling Rep. Thomas Wright found probable cause on eight counts of misconduct. All votes were unanimous among the six-member bipartisan committee.

* Soliciting a fraudulent letter from Torlen Wade committing nonexistent state funds for a history museum in Wilmington. 

* Presenting a fraudulent letter from Wade to the Coastal Federal Bank in order to improperly obtain a $150,000 loan. 

* Improperly spending a $2,400 donation from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals for the Community's Health Foundation. 

* Improperly spending a $5,000 donation from the Anheuser-Busch Companies for the Community's Health Foundation.

* Improperly spending a $1,500 donation from AT&T Corp. for the Community's Health Foundation.

* Improperly spending $9,910 from a line of credit for the Community's Health Foundation.

* Failing to disclose approximately $185,000 in campaign contributions to the State Board of Elections between 2000 and 2007.

* Improperly solicit donations for the Community's Health Foundation and convert them to personal use between 2001 and 2004. 

Staff attorneys for Attorney General Roy Cooper are presenting evidence of Rep. Thomas Wright's misconduct.

Senior deputy attorneys general William Hart and Alec Peters said they only investigated Wright once the Wake County prosecutor assured them that it would not interfere with criminal proceedings.

They have just handed out a packet of evidence they compiled. It includes:

* Articles of incorporation for The Community's Health Foundation that inlcudes the names of Wright, Daniel Gottovi, James Lofton and Bessie Funderburg, all of Wilmington.

* An e-mail from Wright to Torlen Wade asking him to write a letter saying that $150,000 in funding will be provided by the state, and the subsequent letter from Wade.

* A notice of foreclosure on the Wilmington building owned by the Community Health Foundation.

* A letter from Wright to the Anheuser-Busch Co. asking for a charitable contribution to the foundation to build a museum to the 1898 race riots in Wilmington.

* Bank records showing donations from AT&T, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and Anheuser-Busch worth a total of $8,900.

Hart said that Wright never filed paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service to incorporate the Community Health Foundation as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Thomas Wright is in trouble for work he supposedly did for charity.

In the indictments, the Wilmington Democrat is charged with obtaining property by means of a false pretense for:

* Persuading state employee Torlen Wade to write a letter stating that the state Office of Rural Health would commit a $150,000 grant to renovate a historic building in Wilmington.

* Soliciting a $5,000 donation from Anheuser-Bush Companies, $2,400 from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, and $1,500 from AT&T Corp. for the Community's Health Foundation, then using the money for personal expenses.

* Obtaining a $9,980 loan from South East Community Credit Union for the Community's Health Foundation, then using the money for personal expenses.

* Spending $185,000 worth of campaign donations on personal expenses.