Easley comes a-courtin'?

Gov. Mike Easley may be courting the legislature.

On the heels of state legislators talking skeptically about his proposed increases in "sin taxes" on alcohol and cigarettes, Easley will reportedly be making a personal visit this afternoon.

It is unusual for Easley — or any other governor — to make their budget pitch directly. They usually leave that to the designated number cruncher — in Easley's case, Dan Gerlach.

This could be a sign that Easley is concerned his budget may not pass. Or he's feeling more gregarious after spending all that time campaigning for Hillary Clinton.

Or he's not coming after all, and this is all a ruse to get us to pay more attention to Gerlach.

Update: Easley's not coming, after all. No word on how the rumor started.