Gov. Beverly Perdue today signed an executive order extending the state’s gift ban to all state employees in agencies under her control.

"This executive order makes it clear — those of us who serve the people of North Carolina must be held to the highest ethical standards and act accordingly," Perdue said in a prepared statement. "Citizens expect and deserve nothing less."

The order follows stories this week in the N&O/Charlotte Observer about employees of the state Division of Motor Vehicles and other agencies accepting $21,800 in freebies, such as pricey dinners, a hockey ticket and a spa visit, from representatives of Verizon since 2006. The communications company won a $51.5 million, no-bid contract last year to provide computer services and technical support to the state's vehicle inspections program.

The state’s current gift ban applies only to employees who handle state contracts. Perdue also asked the legislature, when they return in May, to expand the state law to all state employees, not just those in agencies that Perdue oversees.

* The State Bureau of Investigation is probing whether officials at the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles accepted improper gifts and meals from employees of Verizon Business, which holds a lucrative no-bid contract to provide computers to state inspection stations.

Investigators also are seeking to determine whether the state paid Verizon for hundreds of computers that were never delivered, at a cost of more than $1,700 each. (N&O)

* When Beverly Perdue was sworn in as North Carolina's first female governor in January, many women cheered her historic achievement.

And though many of those same women give Perdue high marks for her first months in office, there has been some grumbling among Democratic women that Perdue has not done more to bring other women along with her.

Perdue has appointed fewer women to Cabinet posts than any North Carolina governor in a generation and has fewer females among her top policy advisers than her recent male predecessors in the Executive Mansion. (N&O)

* At first, some Latino advocates celebrated news that North Carolina community colleges would open their doors to illegal immigrants.

Last week, they lamented that the opening was no more than a crack. The Sept. 18 decision from the State Board of Community Colleges allows undocumented students to enroll in degree programs at all of the state's 58 campuses, but it won't take effect until at least next fall because of a slow-moving administrative rules review process. And if enough people object, the rule could face a vote by the General Assembly, which has the power to kill it.

If the rule is approved, undocumented students will get last priority for classes at a time when surging enrollments have filled classrooms to capacity. And out-of-state tuition of $7,700 per year will be out of reach for many of the children of low-wage workers. (N&O)

The State Bureau of Investigation has finished its probe into a vintage vehicle title given to a friend of former DMV Commissioner George Tatum for a replica of a 1937 Ford truck built three years ago.

But it may take a while longer before the public learns what the SBI found.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said he received the SBI report about two weeks ago, but he is still reviewing it, Dan Kane reports.

He would not say whether the report indicates any wrongdoing. SBI reports are generally not public under state law.

The investigation began after The News & Observer learned earlier this year that DMV staff had been alerted that Tatum's friend, Robert Kinlaw of Fayetteville, was seeking the vintage title.

More after the jump.

   Comments (0)

A former examiner for the state Division of Motor Vehicles claims in a lawsuit filed today that he was fired for raising concerns about drivers licenses being issued to people who may be here illegally, or who would be given driving privileges long after their visas expire.

Jeffrey M. Brown, 34, of Jones County worked for the DMV from July 2006 until early April, when he said the division made up reasons to fire him, reports Dan Kane.

According to the lawsuit, DMV officials said he had unnecessarily detained a customer over concerns the man may have been in the United States illegally, that Brown had become “loud and argumentative” when his request to leave early one day per week to coach his daughter’s soccer team was turned down, and that he had made inappropriate comments regarding someone of Middle Eastern descent.

Brown could not be reached for comment, but his attorney, Michael Byrne of Raleigh, said Brown should be praised for his efforts to make sure that driver’s licenses do not go to illegal immigrants, or that people in the United States on visas do not get licenses that last beyond their sanctioned stays.

Instead, Byrne said Brown was punished by supervisors who did not like his raising questions about the residency status of customers.

Read more after the jump.

   Comments (0)

Former Chief Superior Court Judge William "Bill" Gore Jr. of Whiteville will take over as the new commissioner of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

Gov. Mike Easley announced the appointment this morning. Gore replaces George Tatum, who resigned July 18, a week after The News & Observer reported that Tatum helped a friend get a replica of a 1937 Ford truck titled as the real thing. The report prompted an inquiry by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Gore, 55, was the senior resident Superior Court judge for a district that included Bladen and Columbus counties. He retired July 31.

"I am confident that he will continue to serve North Carolinians with the same standard of excellence in his new role as DMV Commissioner," Easley said.

Some lawmakers are bored with North Carolina's license plate.

Under a House bill approved today, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles would sponsor a statewide contest to come up with a new design.

The current "First in Flight" plates, with a blue outline of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, have been in use since 1982.

But it will be tough for the state's graphic designers to come up with something as representative of North Carolina. A few options:

* A tobacco barn. Pro: Easy to recognize, definitely historical. Con: Doesn't fit well with efforts to discourage smoking. Odds: Poor.

* A lighthouse. Pro: Easy to recognize, uncontroversial. Con: The coast had its turn. Might be time for the Piedmont or the mountains to get a plate. Odds: Middling.

* The Blue Ridge Mountains. Pro: State could reuse that light blue ink. Con: Geographically narrow. Odds: Decent.

* Andy and Opie at the fishin' hole. Pro: Nostalgic, uncontroversial. Con: Two actors? This ain't California, you know. Odds: Good. Senate president Marc Basnight and Gov. Mike Easley are friends with Griffith, and House speaker Joe Hackney could be a grown-up Opie.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

Dome has to wonder, after a purse, cash and checks were stolen from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles in December, what is the purpose of having visitors sign in if no one checks the log?

Police say a man entered the building twice, on Dec. 11 and 12, and made off with the items. They say they have him on video at the DMV and at a State Employees Credit Union across the street attempting to cash a check he found in the purse, which belonged to a DMV employee.

But they don't have his name. When he signed in the first time, he called himself "Muhammed Ali." The second time he only pretended to write a name down.

We believe they call that the "rope-a-dope" strategy.