Mary Fant Donnan is no stranger to newspapers.

In recent years, the candidate for the Democratic nomination for labor commissioner had two letters to the editor published in the Winston-Salem Journal, her hometown newspaper.

(In Dome's experience, that means she's probably written a few more that didn't make the cut.) 

The first letter ran on Oct. 29, 2002. It praised her neighbor Becky Johnson, then running for state House District 93. 

"She would work tirelessly to use the best of her experience to give Winston-Salem a statewide presence," she wrote. "She can work across party lines and represent the interests of Winston-Salem."

The second letter ran on Nov. 29, 2006. It questioned the need for a state prison in Grayson County, Va., where Donnan grew up.

"The stretch where the new prison is proposed, by Molly Osborne Shoals, is one of the most beautiful," she wrote. "Locating a prison there does not make sense."

Both letters show Donnan trumpeting a lost cause. Johnson lost to Republican Rep. Bill McGee by nearly a 2-1 margin, while construction went ahead on the state prison in Grayson County.

The state House overwhelmingly passed a $21.3 billion budget proposal today that provides modest pay raises for teachers and most state employees, does not raise taxes and borrows roughly $550 million for construction at prisons and public universities.

The vote was 104-10. The budget bill now moves on to the Senate, where leaders say they expect to make their changes by the end of next week, Dan Kane reports.

"This budget proposal does address the critical needs of our state at a time when economic circumstances have made that difficult," said House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat.

The proposal raises spending by 3.3 percent over the current budget, or roughly $690 million. House Republicans said they appreciated the modest budget growth and no new taxes.

Legislation that may move some of the most expensive inmates out of state prisons -- those considered so infirm they are no longer a threat to society -- could come up for a vote in the state House next week.

A House judiciary committee unanimously approved legislation today that creates a means for the release of inmates who are geriatric, terminally ill or are permanently and totally disabled, reports Dan Kane.

Prison officials estimate about 160 inmates would be eligible for release if the legislation becomes law.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand's legislation overwhelmingly passed the state Senate last session. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat and chairman of the House judiciary committee, said she wanted the Correction Department and health care providers to look at the legislation during the interim before she took it up.

Ross said today that she is satisfied that the legislation protects the public, saves the state money and makes sure that those released from prisons are provided adequate care.

"It's good legislation on a number of levels," Ross said. "First of all, it frees up prison beds for younger, violent offenders."

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State lawmakers showed little interest today in avoiding another big prison construction bill this session.

In fact, they laughed when Rep. Ronnie Sutton, a Pembroke Democrat, asked whether they would look at legislation that spends more on prevention and less on incarceration, reports Dan Kane.

"Is there anyone that thinks we're going to change our mode of operation?" Sutton asked, after lawmakers listened to a report of options to deal with a rapidly growing prison population.

Today, the state prison system is again out of space. Prisons Director Boyd Bennett said he has sent notice to county jails that they will have to hold convicted and sentenced inmates until a new 1,500 bed prison opens up in Columbus County at the end of summer.

The prison, though, is only a temporary fix. Projections show that the system could be 1,800 inmates over capacity by 2012.

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The State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Jon Black. 

Investigators have opened an inquiry into how the son of former House Speaker Jim Black received contracts to provide pest control at three state prisons, Dan Kane reports.

The inquiry comes after The News & Observer reported last month that Black Pest Control, a Charlotte-based company, had won the work despite charging roughly three times more for the work than the low bidder.

George Zaborowski, a former project manager for a subcontractor at two of the prisons told The N&O that he was ordered to hire Black Pest Control at its price to satisfy a state lawmaker whose vote was critical for the prisons' construction.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby initially saw no reason to look into the contracts. But on Thursday, he confirmed that he wanted the SBI to conduct a "preliminary inquiry."

"Some of the matters that were publicly reported were things that called into question the bidding process," Willoughby said. "I felt like I needed a better understanding of what had gone on in order to make an informed decision about the necessity of a criminal investigation."

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A company owned by the son of disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black won contracts to provide pest control at three state prisons.

But Black Pest Control was not the lowest bidder.

The 67-year-old company, based in Charlotte, was paid $124,000 for prison construction projects in Bertie and Green Counties, although a Virginia-based business bid $42,000 for the same work.

A project manager for a subcontractor on the construction projects said that two officials with Centex Construction pressured him to hire the company.

Jon Black declined to comment. (N&O)