State lawmakers got their first look today at a brewing crisis in the Correction Department as projections indicate the state will not be able to build its way out of a surge in the inmate population over the decade.

The large print in the report delivered to lawmakers said it all: "The State faces a serious prison bed shortage in the next year, and a huge deficit in the long term," Dan Kane reports.

They learned:

* They can not build or expand space fast enough to house the roughly 2,300 additional inmates expected to arrive by the end of the next fiscal year;

* Counties do not have enough jail cells to house the projected backlog; and

* That adopting some sentence-reduction suggestions that have been offered in recent years also may not slow the growth soon enough.

More after the jump.

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Some recent House bills of note:

H.B. 266: Use of Deadly Force/Public Web Site, Rep. Elmer Floyd

H.B. 269: Concealed Handgun Permit Valid in Parks, Reps. Mark Hilton, Justin Burr, George Cleveland and Jim Gulley

H.B. 270: Personal Protection in Restaurants, Reps. Hilton, Fred Steen, Burr and Cleveland

H.B. 275: Sex Offenders Can't be EMS Personnel, Reps. Carolyn Justus, Annie Mobley and Shirley Randleman

Ten state legislators drive more than 500 miles to work.

After Dome learned that Rep. Roger West's 720-mile round trip from Marble to Raleigh is the longest commute, we wondered about the other legislators with long drives:

Sen. John Snow, Murphy, 706 miles
Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville, 552 miles
Sen. Tom Apodaca, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Asheville, 520 miles
Rep. David Guice, Brevard, 582 miles
Rep. Susan Fisher, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Bruce Goforth, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Carolyn Justus, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Rep. Phil Haire, Sylva, 590 miles

Not surprisingly, all 10 represent the mountains. 

Fred Smith has received $14,500 from other politician's campaign funds since 2007.

According to his mid-year and year-end campaign finance reports, the Republican gubernatorial candidate received donations from 13 campaigns.

The top contributors were state Rep. Mitch Gillespie, who gave $4,000; Rep. Leo Daughtry, who gave $3,000; and former Senate candidate Todd Siebels, who gave $2,000.

He also received $1,000 each from Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson and Sen. Jim Forrester, $750 each from Sens. Richard Stevens of Cary and Jerry Tillman of Randolph County, and $500 each from Reps. James H. Langdon, Carolyn Justus of Henderson County and Mark Hilton of Catawba County.

He also received donations from Rep. Phillip Frye of Mitchell County, former Rep. Russell Capps of Wake County and Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman.

Bob Orr raised $227,873 by the end of 2007.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate raised $217,153 from large donors, including Raleigh attorney Gene Boyce, Square One Bank CEO Richard Casey and conservative philanthropist Art Pope.

He raised $3,620 from donors who gave less than $50, $1,500 from the Embarq and Coca-Cola PACs and $600 from the campaigns of state Rep. Carolyn Justus and former Wake County Commissioner Phil Jeffreys, according to a campaign finance report filed last week.

In addition, he loaned his campaign $5,000.

At the same time, Orr spent $225,660 on rent, staff salaries, gas, phone bills and fundraising letters.

That left him with $2,212 in cash on hand.

Bob Orr received $600 from other politicians' campaign funds in 2007.

According to his mid-year and year-end campaign finance reports, the Republican gubernatorial candidate received donations from two campaigns.

State Rep. Carolyn Justus, a Hendersonville Republican, gave $100 and former Wake County Commissioner Phil Jeffreys gave $500. 

Rep. Carolyn Justus is fighting for apple cobbler.

The Henderson County Republican told the Hendersonville Times-News that she is writing a bill that would loosen state ethics laws to help bring back a Republican cobbler fundraiser.

The local GOP, it seems, has long raised money at its annual Apple Festival by selling $3 slices of cobbler and ice cream. The event usually brings in about $4,000.

But the party called off the party this year because of a 2006 ethics law that requires any such donation be attached to a name.

"The public isn't interested in giving you that kind of information for $3 worth of apple cobbler," Henderson GOP Chairman Spence Campbell told the paper.

In an appearance at the local Republican Men's Club, Justus said the ethics bill was an overreaction to scandals surrounding Jim Black. She pledged to rewrite the law to allow cobbler sales.

* 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)

Opponents of a proposed transfer tax on home sales have found a new medium: Trash cans.

The trash can pictured above was spotted in the 1100 Court of the General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon. The bumper sticker refers to this anti-tax Web site from the N.C. Association of Realtors.

In all fairness, the trash can has taken positions on other issues:

* "I Brake for Trains" supports Operation Lifesaver.

* "Women's healthcare for a lifetime" backs midwives.

* "N.C. Children Cavity-Free" supports dental health.

* "Re-Elect Justus" is for Rep. Carolyn Justus.

* "Kids' Safe Zone" is anti-spanking.

* "Behind every successful woman is herself!" speaks for itself.