UNEASY STREET: Anyone whose salary is paid by the state government may need to start considering a Plan B. Gov. Beverly Perdue asked for another round of proposed budget cuts this week, and the suggestions that came back included state aid to such sacred cows as "The Lost Colony" drama and the High Point Furniture Market.

JOB RE-SHUFFLING: Fred Aikens' career in constituent services was short — real short. The former Democratic candidate for state auditor and longtime fiscal analyst was hired by U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan last week, and then let go the next day. Hagan's state political director, Muthoni Wambu, was also let go. Hagan is mum on the reasons.

MARRIAGE BAN: Proponents of a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage are trying again. They held a press conference this week to promote a bill that would call for a referendum, but expectations are low. Senate leader Marc Basnight assigned the bill to a committee that hasn't met since 2001.

IN OTHER NEWS: Damon Circosta, named head of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, skateboards to the legislature. ... Former Gov. Mike Easley is starting a part-time job promoting early college programs for Bill Gates' private foundation. His son is following in his footsteps at an internship with the Wake County prosecutor. ... State legislators are considering a number of perks for members of the military and veterans, including free visits to state museums, parks and the U.S.S. North Carolina. That should help with recruitment efforts. 

* Gov. Beverly Perdue ordered proposals for deeper cuts to state government, including "The Lost Colony" drama and the High Point Furniture Market.

* Senate Finance co-chair David Hoyle is worried that the federal stimulus money is not enough to fix a potential $3 billion state budget hole.

* President Obama's speech at Camp Lejeune will be on "the way forward" in Iraq, expected to include more details on 19-month withdrawal plan.

* Democratic polling firm in Raleigh stirs up the blood of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh for tracking how women felt about him.

Being a budget writer has its perks.

As a first-time Senate Appropriations co-chair, Sen. Kay Hagan got a few provisions in the 2003 budget to help out her home district and other pet projects.

Here's a quick look:

Millennium Campus: Hagan canceled the proposed sale of a former school for deaf children, then gave the land to N.C. A&T and UNC-Greensboro for a research campus (Section 6.20).

Tuition Promise: Hagan promoted a provision that gave free tuition to state universities to all graduates of the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics (Section 9.4).

Furniture Market: At Hagan's request, the budget included $900,000 for a free shuttle service for the twice-yearly High Point Furniture Market (Section 29.17).

Civil Rights Museum: Hagan sought $1 million for a long-planned International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, but it was cut by the House.

Hagan also added a provision calling testing the backlog of rape kits a "priority" for the N.C. Department of Justice (Section 14.7) and funding five pilot programs to teach financial literacy to high school students (Section 7.35).

She also limited a Republican proposal to require reports on spending by nonprofits that receive state money to those with grants of more than $300,000 (Section 6.21).