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COULD BE WORSE: North Carolina's state health plan costs less than its counterparts in three neighboring states, even though the plan has required bailouts from the legislature in recent years.

An analysis by Aon Consulting concluded that the North Carolina had the lowest claims costs per member per month when compared with Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. (N&O)

MYRICK DEFENDS, DEBATES: In a testy two-hour town hall meeting, U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick argued Thursday night that the threat of homegrown Islamist terrorism is real and defended herself against charges by local Muslims that she was spreading fear about their religion. (Charlotte Observer)

BILL'S EFFECTS UNCERTAIN: Triangle small business owners say a jobs bill approved by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday includes a number of measures that could spur economic activity and job creation. They also warn that the economy's problems remain profound, and that the proposed mix of tax credits and breaks may offer little relief to companies that most need it. (N&O)

A NEW LIFE: After 17 years behind bars for murder, three judges set Greg Taylor free after finding he was innocent. Taylor's freedom was possible because the state created an innocence commission, the first of its kind in the nation, to give the wrongly convicted a last shot at justice. Taylor's first post-prison meal: pasta salad with shrimp.

NEVER MIND: After weeks of getting slammed over a policy to change the high school history curriculum, state school officials backed down and abandoned plans to focus a history course on more recent events while leaving early history to elementary and middle school. Officials will now work on a new plan. Critics, get your e-mail accounts ready.

IRRELEVANT? State Auditor Beth Wood is delinquent on $1,200 worth of Wake County property taxes. Wood says her personal finances are irrelevant to the job she does as the state's chief financial watchdog.

IN OTHER NEWS: U.S. Sen. John Kerry says he is disappointed by the scandal that has brought down his one-time presidential running mate, John Edwards. State Republican Party Chairman Tom Fetzer attempted to smear former Gov. Mike Easley's legal troubles on Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. On the same day, lawyer and former gubernatorial candidate Bob Orr lost two legal challenges to incentives given to private business.

A whole day passed before Republicans pounced on the delinquent property taxes owed by Beth Wood, the state auditor.

Wood, a Democrat who was elected last year, owes $1,200 in Wake County property taxes, as The N&O reported Wednesday. The taxes began accruing interest in January. Wood said she is late because she owes a $90,000 debt from her campaign.

State Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican and the chamber's minority leader said Wood is tone deaf.

"It is the tone-deaf reaction of Democratic elected officials like Beth Wood that have created problems in state government," Berger said in a news release. "These politicians believe that there is one set of rules for them and another for everyone else."

He continued: "If the state auditor cannot pay her own taxes, how can we trust that she is looking out for how our tax dollars are being spent?"

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller sticks it to the Republicans in a new post on Huffington Post, predicting the GOP won’t like President Barack Obama’s “too-big-to-fail” tax on banks.

“Republicans hate taxes, so they'll probably be against this one,” Miller writes.

But, he says, the GOP had the exact same idea a few years ago, reports Barb Barrett.

Obama this week proposed the fee on big banks in order to recover about $120 billion that the federal government expects to lose through TARP, the Toxic Asset Recovery Program bank bailout, Miller writes.

The case originated in Raleigh after public defenders questioned the constitutionality of a 2006 law aimed at keeping tighter control over sex offenders. The law gave federal prison officials the power to identify sex offenders they determined would molest children or violently attack again if freed. Those offenders could be kept behind bars even after they were due for release. (N&O)

NO STIMULUS EFFECT: A federal spending surge of more than $20 billion for roads and bridges in President Barack Obama's first stimulus has had no effect on local unemployment rates, raising questions about his argument for billions more to address an "urgent need to accelerate job growth." (AP)

BANK TAX: Obama will try to recoup for taxpayers as much as $120 billion of the money spent to bail out the financial system, most likely through a tax on large banks, administration and congressional officials said Monday. (NYT)

Generally speaking, folks don't like taxes.

But North Carolinians seem divided on the question of tax fairness, according to a new poll by Elon University.

Almost half (48 percent) of North Carolina residents polled Nov. 16-19 say the current state tax system is either "not at all fair" or "not too fair." But 43 percent said they considered state taxes to be fair or "very fair."

Asked about local taxes, more than half (51 percent) said they consider them to be fair or "very fair." Less than half (42 percent) said local taxes are "not too fair" or "not at all fair."

As for the fairness of specific taxes, respondents overwhelmingly preferred alcohol taxes (24 percent consider them "not fair" or "not at all fair), retail sales tax (29 percent) and tobacco taxes (33 percent.)

The gas tax was considered "not fair" or "not at all fair" by 64 percent of those surveyed.

Elon surveyed 563 North Carolina residents, with a margin of error or plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

Lew Ebert, president of the N.C. Chamber, expressed his displeasure with the state legislature during a recent civic group luncheon speech in Sanford where the crowd, unfortunately for Ebert, included a lawmaker.

Ebert told the crowd that the legislature not only wasn’t helping business owners, but was hurting them, according to the Sanford Herald:

They’re all about job creation; they’re just not real enamored with the job creators. In my lifetime, I have never seen more potential harm that could be done to business and to the creation of potential jobs.  

Rep. Jimmy Love, of Sanford and a member of the Democratic majority was in the audience, Mark Johnson reports. He said Ebert was mistaken and said Ebert criticized a statewide sales tax increase at the same time that many people in the audience were pushing a local sales tax increase referendum to pay for renovating a high school.

"He just sort of trashed us as to what we were doing or not doing," Love said this week, "and urged people to run against us."

UNCLE SAM'S BUYING: The state is using $140,000 in federal stimulus money to send 16 employees to child development workshops in San Diego while North Carolina has thousands of struggling families seeking subsidized care for their children. Critics say the money should be used to create jobs. (N&O)

LINE INSURANCE: PSNC Energy, the Triangle's natural gas utility, is raising questions with its newest line of business: insuring water lines and sewer lines against damage. The insurance coverage is not regulated by the N.C. Utilities Commission. (N&O)

TAX BREAK: The legislature estimates the state will forgo $1.4 million in tax revenue this weekend, and area retailers say they have high hopes based on how they did last year during tax holiday. (N&O)

CHECK THE MAIL: Gov. Bev Perdue's administration has not responded to a letter from the state's District Attorneys complaining about the erosion of services for the mentally ill who are accused of crimes. (N&O)

JUDGE NOT: Sen. Kay Hagan has withdrawn her support for a possible lifetime federal appointment for a state judge who ruled in favor of a company that includes Hagan's husband. (Greensboro N & R)

SPEND AWAY: A higher sales tax means North Carolina consumers will get a larger break when they purchase energy-efficient appliances during this weekend's tax break. (AP)

NOT SO FAST: The N.C. Office of the Commissioner of Banks has proposed new regulations that would stop foreclosure once a homeowner asks for a loan modification. The rule would give homeowners more time to try to keep their homes. (N&O)

TO THE RIGHT: Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. (AP)

TAX TALKS: Lawmakers met for the first of a series of meetings that will focus on proposals to overhaul the state's tax system. (AP)