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WATER HAZARD: Former Gov. Mike Easley's office intervened on behalf of an exclusive golf club that needed millions of gallons of water during a devastating drought. The club had given Easley a free membership worth $50,000. (N&O)

HARRELL REPLACED: Chris Heagarty, a former director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, will replace Ty Harrell in the state House. Harrell resigned last month to address a campaign finance investigation. When a legislator resigns, his or her party picks the successor. (N&O)

IN THIS CORNER: Lawyer Kenneth Lewis held a public kick-off for his campaign to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Sunday. Lewis and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall are running for the right to challenge U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican next year. (N&O)

HAPPENING TODAY: Burr, who needs to raise his profile to take on his Demoratic challengers, is holding an economic development summit in Durham.

Four years ago this week, the governor of Ohio made national headlines when he was convicted on ethics lapses.

And the reason for misdemeanor criminal charges against Republican Bob Taft, who is the great grandson of President William Howard Taft?

Taft failed to disclose 52 gifts worth a combined $6,000 over eight years, almost all of them weekend golf outings paid by businessmen he called "friends and acquaintances," J. Andrew Curliss reports.

The situation might sound similar to a report in Sunday's News & Observer that showed former Gov. Mike Easley, a Democrat, had his monthly dues waived at the exclusive Old Chatham Golf Club, whose leaders included a number of politically connected businessmen.

But there's a big difference between Ohio and North Carolina. North Carolina lawmakers have hailed their ethics law as a tough one, but its requirements on disclosures were actually made weaker in recent years than what past North Carolina governors, including Easley, had required by an executive order.

Currently in North Carolina, gifts can't be given to public officials by people who are registered to lobby or employ one, or are considered an "interested" person, essentially someone seeking state business.

Gifts from others, such as a golf club or someone with a personal relationship with the public official, do not automatically need to be disclosed under current law. That was the case for Easley when he did not disclose that he received a free Florida vacation paid by NASCAR titan Rick Hendrick last year. Both said the vacation was based on a personal friendship.

And Easley's lawyer says that, under the current law, Easley simply did not have to disclose that he had a gift of waived dues, which amounted to a roughly $50,000 benefit over eight years.

More after the jump.

The leaders of an exclusive golf club waived monthly membership dues for former Gov. Mike Easley while he was in office, granting the Democratic governor a $50,000 benefit over eight years that he did not disclose.

Members at the private Old Chatham Golf Club near Research Triangle Park include many prominent business and political figures, some of whom Easley appointed to high-level positions during his two terms as governor.

The club's president confirmed in an interview that Easley's dues were waived.

The Old Chatham deal adds to questions about benefits the former governor accepted while in office. State and federal authorities have been investigating reports related to Easley and free flights, his family's use of cars and the purchase of a coastal lot at a favorable price, as well as records that show the governor was involved in the creation of a job for his wife at N.C. State University. (N&O)