THE ANTI-CZAR CZAR: Rep. Patrick McHenry helped Republicans rail against President Barack Obama's "czars," which he says are making huge decisions and should be confirmed by the Senate. Democrats were quick to mention that a few years ago, McHenry met with President George W. Bush's drug czar. It may be time to appoint a special czar to sort out this czar mess.

CHEF U: The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law has sued the state over its support for Johnson & Wales University, a private culinary and hospitality school in Charlotte. The center says the $10 million promised by then-House Speaker Jim Black amounted to little more than a patronage gift from Black, who went onto to federal prison fame. The school will argue that educating students is a public purpose. Dome expects testimony to focus on proper hollandaise preparation techniques. The case is a real potboiler.

BREAKER, BREAKER: A last-minute letter from Gov. Beverly Perdue sure got the attention of the N.C. Building Code Council, which voted to keep a special circuit breaker in the building codes.

IN OTHER NEWS: The real "Norma Rae" has died. Former Treasurer Richard Moore has taken a gig at a San Diego investment firm. An appeals court ruled that former Gov. Mike Easley was wrong to borrow highway money to shore up the state's finances.

Electronic circuit breakers meant to prevent fires will be required throughout new homes.

The Building Code Council, the state agency which sets minimum building standards, halted Tuesday a proposal to drop the requirement for the devices, known as arc fault circuit interrupters.

The switches sense minor fluctuations in current that could be a symptom of a dangerous and unseen exposed wire. The switches are more expensive than standard circuit breakers and homebuilders have opposed them, saying the added expense isn't worth what they saw as a marginal benefit.

The devices were previously required for bedrooms. They were then required in all living areas and the council was considering a move to roll back that change. On Friday, Gov. Beverly Perdue wrote a letter to the council chairman, expressing her support for the devices.

Perdue appoints all members of the council and her letter may have been the reason the council unanimously voted Tuesday to keep the devices in the code.

"You pick your battles," said Mack Nixon, an Albemarle homebuilder and member of the council who opposes expanded use of the devices.

Kim Reitterer, a Charlotte electrical engineer and council member, said the governor's letter likely reversed the council's intention to roll back use of the breakers.

"I think the governor's letter let people know how important fire safety is to North Carolina citizens," Reitterer said.  

Gov. Beverly Perdue supports a building code requirement for an electronic switch designed to prevent house fires.

On Friday, Perdue sent a letter to Dan Tingen, the chairman of the Building Code Council, which sets building codes for the state. The council has been considering whether to roll back a requirement that arc fault circuit interrupters be used for all rooms of new homes. The council appeared ready to roll back that requirement until Perdue asked for a delay.

The devices replace regular circuit breakers and are designed to electronically sense fluctuations in current that could lead to an electrical fire. Opponents, mostly from the home building industry, say the devices add hundreds of dollars to the cost of building a home and can trip when devices such as ceiling fans are turned on. Perdue wrote that she had her staff research the issue.

"The real benefits of fires prevented and injuries and deaths averted do outweigh the incremental cost and the occasional nuisance tripping," Perdue wrote. "I strongly believe we should not roll back important advances in fire prevention and consumer safety."

Perdue's support isn't binding on the council. But members are appointed by the governor's office and when they meet next week, Perdue's letter will likely play an important role in the vote.