Pat McCrory said two events inspired him to run for governor.

The first was in January of 2007 when he organized a caravan of public safety officials to Raleigh to lobby for courts funding. Gov. Mike Easley wouldn't meet with the group.

The second was in October, during a debate in his race for re-election. State Rep. Beverly Earle, his opponent, implied that state legislators were the boss, McCrory said.

"We cannot put up with this government that stays within the inner beltway of the state capital, that's tough to reach, that is having ethical issues," he said. "This is government that is not deserving of our great state of North Carolina."

McCrory will start the race with $300,000 leftover from his run for mayor. (Char-O)

Pat McCrory will resign from Duke Energy to run for governor.

In his campaign speech, McCrory made a brief allusion to the electric utility where he has worked since 1978, saying he will miss them, David Ingram reports.

He later clarified to Dome that he will resign once he finishes a few remaining projects. McCrory currently works as an economic development consultant, recruiting employers to North Carolina and South Carolina.

"I cannot run for governor, be mayor and work for my outstanding company," he said.

Dome then asked if he was retiring, or just resigning.

"I'm not old enough to retire," he said, laughing.

Dome also asked how he would respond to potential calls from Charlotte Democrats for him to resign as mayor to run for governor.

"They're not giving that same feedback to Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue or to the existing treasurer (Richard Moore)," he said. "Or to my opponent for mayor when (state Rep.) Beverly Earle ran against me."

Charlotte voters elected Republican Pat McCrory to a record seventh term, according to the Associated Press.

McCrory defeated Democratic state Rep. Beverly Earle, according to unofficial totals.

Rep. Beverly Earle defended a controversial lending bill she sponsored.

At a breakfast forum Tuesday, the Charlotte Democrat responded to criticism from Mayor Pat McCrory for sponsoring a bill in 2006 that would have allowed lenders to charge up to 60 percent for short-term loans.

Critics say that such high interest rates hurt consumers. Earle had proposed the bill a year after the state's Banking Commission and Attorney General Roy Cooper efffectively banned payday lending in North Carolina.

McCrory, who is facing Earle in the Charlotte mayoral race, criticized her for sponsoring the bill.

"I did not sponsor a bill on payday lending," Earle told the group. "I've tried to correct that, but it's hard to correct if you don't have enough ink."

She said the bill was designed to give people easier access to loans. (Char-O)

* U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick among a bipartisan group proposing guidelines for withdrawal from Iraq, but no set deadline on ending military involvement. (Roll Call)

* State Rep. Beverly Earle has paid more than $3,800 to settle a loan that she defaulted on in 2006, according to her Charlotte mayoral campaign. (Char-O)

* Humane Society activists plan an Oct. 5 protest outside U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes' office because of two votes on animal fighting and sales of horse meat. (Kannapolis Independent Tribune)

* Reps. Trudi Walend and Carolyn Justus: Wary of House Speaker Joe Hackney for being "very liberal,"  both agree he is "fair and straightforward." (BlueRidgeNow)

Rep. Beverly Earle defaulted on an $8,000 loan for her son.

The Charlotte Democrat, who is running for mayor, was ordered to pay more than $3,000, plus interest, after defaulting on a loan for her son, Steve Jessup, the Charlotte Observer reports.

An attorney for RBC Centura argued in court that Earle and Jessup never replied to the lawsuit.

Earle said she didn't learn about the lawsuit until a few days ago, although a FedEx delivery confirmation from 2006 bears a signature with her name.

It's not the first time Earle's been in trouble with a bank. In three lawsuits from the early 1990s, companies argued that the ice cream shops she ran failed to pay them thousands of dollars it owed.

Earle eventually paid in at least two of the cases.

Three legislators did not report more than $10,000 in donations.

According to a survey of Mecklenburg County lawmakers by The Charlotte Observer, Huntersville Democratic Rep. Drew Saunders' reports did not include $15,250 in donations that political action committees reported giving him.

Rep. Beverly Earle, a Charlotte Democrat running for mayor, did not report $10,700.

Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat, did not report $10,000. He was one of a handful of legislators from other parts of the state included in the survey as part of random sample.

The missing money could be simply bookkeeping errors. But Bob Hall, research director for the nonpartisan Democracy North Carolina, said there were "too many examples" to dismiss them as simply carelessness.

Veteran state Rep. Beverly Earle filed Friday to run for Charlotte mayor.

Earle, a Democrat serving her seventh term, has seen her stature diminish since the fall from grace of former Mecklenburg County colleague Jim Black.

Under Black, the former speaker, Earle was a co-chairwoman of the House budget-writing committee. This year, she is one of the regular members.

Earle has been connected to questions about the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation and foundation scholarships that went to caucus members' relatives. Earle's sister's granddaughter received scholarship money to go to North Carolina A&T in Greensboro.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, a Republican, is running for re-election. Republican Ken Gjertsen is also in the race.

The state House unanimously approved a bill today aimed at protecting older North Carolinians in adult-care homes and better informing family members about the facilities’ records.

The bill, championed by Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a Cary Democrat, originally restored more regular meetings of the Penalty Review Commission, which advises the state on penalties for violations by adult-care homes, reports Thomas Goldsmith.

On Wednesday, the House Aging committee added language that would establish a rated certificate system for adult-care homes.

That means the public would be able to see more easily whether adult-care homes — assisted living centers and family group homes — are meeting minimum state standards.

“We are not asking anyone to do anything they are not already supposed to be doing,” said Rep. Beverly Earle, a Charlotte Democrat.

The bill now goes to the Senate, which had already approved its original form.

The fifth legislator whose relative received a scholarship is Rep. Beverly Earle, a Charlotte Democrat and immediate past chair of the caucus.

Her sister's granddaughter received a scholarship to attend North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, but Earle would not provide the young woman's name, age or other details, Mark Johnson of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Earle said her sister has a small income and was raising two grandchildren, of whom Earle's sister had custody.

"There was nobody more deserving or in need," Earle said Thursday.

Earle also questioned why the black caucus foundation was coming under such scrutiny, saying no other non-profit had been pressured to disclose such information.

"I don't know why the caucus is under attack," she said.