State revenue down; recovery might be slow

State revenues are 1 percent below projections, according to a report by the legislature's Fiscal Research Division.

Revenue collections through the end of September, the first quarter of the fiscal year, were $45 million lower than a $4.2 billion target, according to a report prepared by Barry Boardman, an economist for the legislature.

It's early in the fiscal year, and the most important indicators of whether the state can make its budget won't come until the spring. But the early decline suggests that the state's recovery from the recession will be a slog.

Revenue is down, generally speaking, because consumers are spending less and workers and corporations are making less. Those declines mean the state is collecting less tax revenue.

Other states are doing much worse, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. North Carolina's projected loss in tax revenue is currently less than South Carolina's, but higher than Virginia's and Tennessee's, according to the conference.

Raleigh lawyer to lead State Bar

Barbara Weyher is the new president of the N.C. State Bar, the organization that licenses and regulates lawyers.

Weyher, who succeeds John McMillan of Raleigh, is only the second woman to hold the job, according to a news release.

Weyher is a founding partner of Yates, McLamb & Weyher, a civil defense law firm based in Raleigh. She previously served on the bar's governing council and was chairwoman of a number of committees including the grievance and ethics committees.

In a news release, Weyher said she wants to increase the role of women and minorities in governing the organization.

"I have been privileged over the years to be involved with the North Carolina State Bar and have a great respect for the organization and its members," Weyher said. "In the coming year, we will be exploring ways to increase the number of women and minority lawyers on the State Bar."

Weyher is a 1973 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. She graduated in 1977 from the UNC School of Law and served as a staff member of the North Carolina Law Review.

Boomerang: As stunts go, the Republican Party's "Conservative Voter Survey" ranks right up there with some of Evel Knievel's work. A wheelbarrow full of surveys was meant to show how many people don't like Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat. Over at Perdue's office, staff members sifted through the surveys and found plenty of irate voters upset with Republicans as well as a campaign contribution that was intended for the Republican Party.

I love you, man: Republican Sen. Richard Burr's economicdevelopment summit in Durham will be remembered as a great moment in political reconciliation. Burr and the man he beatalmost six years ago, UNC system President and DemocratErskine Bowles, traded fawning, appreciative comments about each other. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination next year to challenge Burr will surely be seeing lots of Bowles' comments in TV ads.

Pro, con: In Washington, Burr decried the stimulus package. In North Carolina, at a fire station that was getting a grant from stimulus funds, Burr celebrated it.

In other news: Sen. Kay Hagan and U.S. Rep. Brad Miller are pushing for a coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro civil rights sit-ins. Perdue says a 20-year old affair by the head of the highway patrol is irrelevant to his job qualifications. The Gallup Poll has found that John Edwards' standing in the minds of Americans has dropped further than Sammy Sosa's image after he was discovered corking his bat.

By Benjamin Niolet and Mark Johnson

Latest Comment View all comments