* U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre tells Wilmington TV station "you never say never" when asked about running for Senate.

* Transportation blogger Bruce Siceloff notes that the House gave preliminary approval to a local-option sales tax for bus and trail transit.

* Mark Binker notes that a McGuire Woods staffer who worked for (then Lt.) Gov. Beverly Perdue's campaign is lobbying for video poker.

* Plastic bag manufacturers have announced they'll use 40 percent recycled material by 2015. They called Dome about it because of this.

Former Gov. Mike Easley is joining the Raleigh offices of McGuire Woods, a prominent Richmond-based law firm.

Two of Easley's former aides, Franklin Freeman and Ruffin Poole, also appear to be joining the firm. Voicemail and staff at the firm's offices took messages for all three today.

"We're in final discussions with Gov. Easley and a couple of his key aides, and we're very hopeful that we'll have something more to say early next week," said Richard Cullen, McGuire Woods' chairman, who served as Virginia attorney general during part of Easley's tenure as N.C. attorney general in the '90s. 

McGuire Woods operates a rapidly growing lobbying operation in North Carolina. Former Gov. Jim Martin, a Republican, joined as a senior adviser last summer. Another former top Easley aide, John Merritt, serves as a senior vice president. Veteran lobbyists Johnny Tillett, Harry Kaplan and Gardner Payne also hold vice president titles.

In February Easley announced he would play a part time role for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation promoting early college programs, such as the Learn and Earn initiative he started in North Carolina. Easley has been in the news more recently over his relationship with NASCAR and car dealership owner Rick Hendrick. Easley accepted free travel from Hendrick while in office and Easley's wife has been driving a car owned by one of Hendrick's dealerships. The owner of an unrelated dealership, which provided a car to Easley's son, has been questioned by federal authorities.

* Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jordan Schrader notes that new sex ed bill leaves out some of the provisions that upset Christian conservatives in 2007.

* Conservative blogger Celtic wonders if the state's curriculum on the 1898 Wilmington riots will include the angle that riots were led by Democrats to overthrow Republicans.

* N&O launches e-mail newsletter on health care written by lobbyist with McGuire Woods; health care advocate and blogger Adam Searing objects to partnership.

* State Employees Association of N.C. to hold lobbying day at the legislature on Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the Bicentennial Mall.

DENVER - While delegates to the Democratic National Convention are paying their own way, there are plenty of corporate sponsors to help feed and entertain them.

When the North Carolina delegation gathered at the Doubletree Hotel's ballroom this morning, AT&T footed the bill for the breakfast buffet of eggs, bacon, etc., reports Rob Christensen.

Other breakfast sponsors will be Fidelity Investments, Merck, Waste Management and the state's congressional delegation.

Sponsors for evening receptions include AT&T, McGuire Woods and Parker, Poe, Adams and Bernstein.