Easley fired up over VIPs' use of state ferry

Gov. Mike Easley made it clear Thursday that he's upset by the diversion of a state ferry, the Floyd Lupton, from its regular duties to host a party cruise for VIPs during this month's tall ships festival at Beaufort.

Easley has already asked for a full report on the cruise, which ferried more than 200 state and local officials near the tall ships and along the Beaufort waterfront July 1.

The Lupton was out of service for five days while crews cleaned and painted the ship, then it hosted the party, which was sponsored by the state Ports Authority.

A smaller ship replaced the Lupton, and traffic backed up at its regular crossing between Cherry Branch and Minnesott Beach. The cruise also took officials up close as regular festival ticket holders complained about overcrowding and missed tours.

In his first public comments about the cruise, Easley said he wants an accounting of what happened and how it happened. He said he did not approve of the "lavish" outing, which featured shrimp, scallops, a steel drum band, and beer and wine.

"I don't think it was a smart move," he said.

Asked if jobs were in jeopardy, Easley said he is focused first on "how we got here to begin with."

"Hopefully, we'll prevent this in the future," he said.

Ports officials have apologized for the cruise.

Billboard deal on hold

A legislative proposal to cut more trees for better billboard-viewing is dead for this year.

The billboard industry and Rep. Nelson Cole, a Reidsville Democrat, want to increase tree-cutting around billboards to keep the ads in drivers' view twice as long. State regulations now allow trees to be removed along a 250-foot stretch in front of billboards. The bill would double that to 500 feet.

The state Board of Transportation rejected the billboard industry's proposal for additional cutting this year.

Cole trimmed the tree-cutting provision from a larger bill into which he inserted it this session. He said a standing committee on transportation will study the issue.

Boyle roils opponents

U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle's written response to accusations about conflicts of interest is drawing fire.

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Boyle's response doesn't help the judge's case.

"These breaches and his avoiding full accountability compound the already compelling reasons why this nomination has become so controversial," Leahy said in a statement. He called on the White House to withdraw Boyle's nomination.

Boyle has been nominated to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, but has run into significant opposition in the Senate.

Boyle wrote a letter this week to U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, trying to explain why he had several conflicts of interest in cases he heard. He said the cases slipped through the screening process, were inadvertent and had no impact on his rulings.

Burr analyzing Katrina

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of a Senate subcommittee on bioterrorism and public health preparedness, will hold a hearing today in New Orleans to consider lessons learned in public health care from Hurricane Katrina.

The hearing, at the Louisiana Supreme Court building, will include testimony from area doctors, academics and the deputy of the city coroner's office.