* Conservative blogger Joe Guarino thinks Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan's image as a moderate Democrat is belied by her votes.

* State Senate hopes to pass budget by Passover because tax receipts will be lower than expected. (Or because they can't raise any dough?) 

* A bill would implement a $3 per ticket tax in Roanoke Rapids to help the city pay down its debt on the Randy Parton Theatre.

* U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx gets in trouble for using the term "tar baby" during a speech about the bailouts on the House floor. 

Robert Pittenger, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, has a new TV ad about pork projects in North Carolina, reports David Ingram.

What the ad says: Announcer: ‘The politicians in Raleigh are pigging out, and we’re paying for it. They spent over $200,000 to dig up an old pirate ship. $400,000 on a teapot museum. Half a million on the Randy Parton theater. But one conservative leader said no: Robert Pittenger.’

Pittenger: ‘I’m Robert Pittenger. I opposed wasteful spending in Raleigh, even when it wasn’t popular. That’s exactly what I’ll do as your lieutenant governor.’

Announcer: ‘For lieutenant governor, the conservative is Robert Pittenger.’

The background: The pirate ship was the Queen Anne’s Revenge, once belonging to Blackbeard and now on the National Register of Historic Places. The proposed Sparta teapot museum was to hold the collection of a wealthy Los Angeles lawyer but has since been scaled back. And the theater in Roanoke Rapids has been a money-losing attempt to draw tourism.

Pittenger opposed the projects, along with at least 14 other senators, out of 50 total.

Pittenger, first elected to the state Senate in 2002, has been an outspoken opponent of ‘pork projects,’ and his opposition was not always popular. Many of the projects moved forward despite his opposition.

It should be noted that the office of lieutenant governor has few powers beyond presiding over daily sessions of the state Senate. The lieutenant governor does not vote on legislation, except in cases of a tie vote, and would have limited powers to change how state money is spent.

Is the ad accurate? The ad’s account of the projects and the amounts the state contributed are all accurate. Whether they are worthy of public money is up to the viewer.

Sometimes the jokes write themselves.

The Roanoke Rapids Theatre, formerly known as the Randy Parton Theatre, will be hosting a three-hour casting call for the "Big Brother" reality show on Saturday.

"We feel that this is a great opportunity for the community, the theatre, and for us to connect with our wonderful viewers in the Roanoke Rapids area," said WNCT-TV Vice President Vickie Jones in a statement.

Dome immediately thought: Big Brother? Wasn't Randy Parton better known for his Big Sister?

A colleague suggested that it's ironic that a government-owned theater that has tried so hard to avoid public scrutiny is now hosting a reality show in which participants are filmed 24 hours a day.

Maybe they can loan a few cameras to the Roanoke Rapids City Council.

Check your caller ID for a phone call from Rick Watson.

At Randy Parton's press conference Friday, Watson, the former head of the Northeast Partnership who brought Parton to North Carolina in the first place, spoke in your stead, Jonathan Cox reports.

"I'd just like to, on behalf of over 8 million people in the state of North Carolina and the leadership in the state of North Carolina and also the city of Roanoke Rapids, I'd like to apologize ... to Randy Parton for coming here and lending himself and his family and his name to create an entirely new industry in the state of North Carolina and to be treated the way he's been treated," Watson said.

Watson doesn’t work for the state. In fact, his employment was terminated with the partnership in 2006 after the State Auditor deemed he had a conflict of interest. He continued to lead the state-funded economic development group after he signed on to work for Parton’s company, Moonlight Bandit.

Pressed at the news conference, Watson said he had a right to apologize because he was born and raised in North Carolina.

Dome called Gov. Mike Easley's press office to see if he shared Watson's view. After all, Watson said he was speaking on behalf of the leadership.

"I'm not going to ask the governor to respond to something that dumb," said Seth Effron, his spokesman.

Randy Parton will speak out Friday.

The country singer, who has recently been the focus of a bitter fight over a theater project in Roanoke Rapids, will hold a press conference at the Umstead Hotel in Cary.

Additional Parton family members will attend, according to a news release. It did not specify which Partons, but Dome presumes it's not his sister, Dolly.

"This will provide Mr. Parton an opportunity to set the record straight and to tell his side of the story," said political consultant Brad Crone, who is representing Parton. "Mr. Parton is looking forward to explaining his work and letting the people of Roanoke Rapids and the state of North Carolina know the inside story on the project."

Tim Boyum thinks Democrats may be fighting over minor differences.

In a post on his Political Connections blog, the News 14 Carolina reporter writes that the Republican candidates for president have much different plans, but are fighting more polite campaigns.

Meantime, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who are closer on policy, have been fighting hard.

They're not the only ones, Boyum writes:

In North Carolina's race for governor, there are clear differences with the Republicans yet they do little bickering with each other in the press (although that appears to be changing a bit). On the Democratic side, they have very similar beliefs yet spend most of their time arguing in the press about a theater that sits in a rural county that many voters probably don't even know exists. That campaign is close to getting nasty.

Boyum is in South Carolina reporting on the primary.

Who says the forum format won't allow the candidates to spar?

During a question about illegal immigration, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue gave a quick answer about federal law change and then said that state Treasurer Richard Moore should release whatever information he has about his office's involvement with the Randy Parton deal in Roanoke Rapids.

She asked Moore to release a feasibility study that said the city's plans to build a theater wouldn't succeed without other amenities.

"A lot of us have been watching what's been going on with Randy Parton's party palace and that's been problematic," she said. "We'd like to know the background on it. We'd like to know why the decisions were made. And I'd like to ask the treasurer publicly—because a lot of us have asked the treasurer—to soon release the feasibility study." 

In response, Moore said that the state asked cities and counties to be more creative in their investments. He said that it was "typical of someone who led the go-along get-along club" in Raleigh to go after a project in one of the poorest places in the state.

"They've tried something new," he said. "They're six months into it. Y'all the Research Triangle Park took 30 years to be successful. The New Bern convention center. The Raleigh convention center. All these things take time." 

He then said that his office released the documents and said if Perdue would participate in more debates, which she has so far been reluctant to do, they could have a long talk about Roanoke Rapids.

For the record, Dome has a copy of the study that it obtained through a request to Moore's office.

It is the Randy Parton Theatre no more. Now it's the Roanoke Rapids Theatre.

The city council officially renamed the troubled entertainment venue Tuesday night in an attempt to relaunch the project with a new logo, Web site and phone number.

The vote was a symbolic, but highly visible, gesture to reboot the theater, which has struggled with poor ticket sales and criticism of management decisions.

"I think it's hugely important," said Rick Reno, who took over as general manager Jan. 2. "The city's name will get out there in a very positive manner."

Parton was relieved of management responsibilities in November, and UGL-Unicco, based near Boston, was brought in to oversee the theater. (N&O)