Services to mentally ill slashed

* The mentally ill in North Carolina will have less access to care as the state makes dramatic changes to save money in the recession.

The budget approved by the legislature Wednesday cuts about $40 million, or 12 percent, in mental health treatment for people without other insurance.

The cuts come despite the state's goal of providing more treatment to people where they live. The cuts and changes rip holes in an already-weak mental health system, advocates say.

They predict it will be harder for poor people without insurance to get community mental health care, and more could end up in emergency departments and jails. (N&O)

* As teachers worry about job security and residents pay a penny more on the dollar in sales tax, one interest group is emerging from North Carolina's new budget unscathed: state universities' athletic booster clubs.

Taxpayers will continue to pick up the tab for granting in-state tuition to out-of-state athletes at a cost of $10 million a year. (N&O)