Kay Hagan got a few pet projects in the 2004 budget.

As a Senate Appropriations co-chair for the second year in 2004, the Greensboro Democrat got a few more provisions than in her first go-round to help our her home district.

Here's a quick look:

Millennium Campus: Hagan secured $4 million to convert buildings at a former school for deaf children for a research campus run by N.C. A&T and UNC-Greensboro. (Section 32.1)

Design Center: The N.C. School of the Arts got $2 million to start the Center for Design Innovation in a Greensboro research park. (Section 32.1)

Tuition Promise: Hagan's provision to give free tuition at state universities to graduates of the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics added $780,000 to the budget.

Rape Kits: After getting the reduction of a backlog of untested rape kits labeled a "priority" in 2003, Hagan got $250,000 set aside to test them. (Section 15.2)

Previously: Hagan's pet projects from 2003. 

The state legisalture agreed to change the name of the N.C. School of the Arts to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Without debate, the Senate took a final, unamimous vote Thursday, sending the name-change bill to Gov. Mike Easley for his signature, Lynn Bonner reports. The school would get its new name Aug. 1.

The UNC Board of Governors asiked for the change, saying it would make clear the professional training school in Winston-Salem is part of the UNC system.

Alumni fought the change.

Despite opposition from some alumni and supporters, the Winston-Salem-based N.C. School of the Arts has moved one step closer to a name change.

The UNC Board of Governors voted last week to seek legislative approval to change the school's name to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Jane Stancill reports. The issue will go before the legislature in the upcoming session.

UNC board members had been on the receiving end of e-mail from alumni opposed to the name change for the school, which is the state's professional training institution for performing and visual artists.

Leaders of the school had argued that the name change would tie the school more clearly to the UNC System, identify it as a university and raise its visibility among donors.

A bill pending in the legislature probably won't affect Mike Nifong.

The legislation would allow the governor to immediately replace district attorneys and judges who are disbarred. But the Durham D.A. won't technically lose his law license for weeks or even months.

Although a three-member panel of the N.C. Bar decided Saturday to disbar Nifong, it still has to file a written order, which will likely take weeks to write. And Nifong still has another 30 days after that before he becomes a non-lawyer.

Even if Gov. Mike Easley signs the bill Friday, he'd still have to wait until long after Nifong's official resignation on July 13 before he could replace him.

More than three dozen public officials have not filed their ethics statements yet.

The State Ethics Commission sent letters to the 38 public officials last week notifying them that they face a $250 fine and other disciplinary action for not providing a statement of economic interest to prevent potential conflicts of interest on the boards and commissions they serve, reports Dan Kane.

The state's new ethics law requires roughly 4,400 public officials provide these ethics statements by March 15. Those who had not filed by then were given a notice in mid April that if they did not file within the next 30 days, they could face the fine and be removed from their public positions.

Most got the message the second time around. According to the commission, more than 500 had not filed by March 15, but after the second notice less than 40 had still not sent anything in.

More after the jump.

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Rep. Cary Allred unsuccessfully tried tonight to make out-of-state high school students pay full price tuition at the N.C. School of the Arts .

The Burlington Republican said that half of the students at the Winston-Salem school are from out of state and are not paying any more than state residents. He said that meant taxpayers were subsidizing the out-of-staters by $14,000 a year.

"I believe that the N.C. School of the Arts was established for North Carolina students," he said.

Rep. Dale Folwell, a Winston-Salem Republican, said that wasn't true. He said the school was designed to be a regional institution — the "Juilliard of the South."

He also brought up George Clooney — budget magic for the second time this week — noting that the actor and Renee Zellweger have been at the school for the last few weeks.

The amendment was defeated on a 41-74 vote.