Goes to a package of anti-gang measures that legislators have been working on for years. Lawmakers agreed to create new felonies for those who commit drive-by shootings, solicit others to join gangs or threaten gang members who try to leave.

THE NOSE-CLIP FOR SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING ...

Goes to Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat who, in lock step with Smithfield Foods, pushed a bill to relax the rules regarding how far hog operations must be from churches, schools and homes. House leaders apparently didn't like the smell of it, though, and declined to bring it up for a vote.

ON THE WRESTLING MAT ...

Lawmakers quickly pinned an effort to get North Carolina to pull out of the presidential Electoral College.

EVEN THE FAVORITES CAN'T WIN THEM ALL ...

In a rare setback, Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand's proposal to require that all college students spend 20 hours a semester tutoring or mentoring elementary, middle or high school students fell with a resounding thud.

A GOLD MEDAL IN THE 100-METER DASH ...

Goes to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which, thanks to some last-minute tweaks in the state budget, can speedily move patients from Dorothea Dix and John Umstead hospitals to the new Central Regional mental hospital.

THE MANY EVENTS OF THE DECATHLON ...

Seeking to repair a mental health system damaged on many fronts, legislators required that all state hospital deaths be reported to a local medical examiner, that more community care be provided by experienced workers with college or advanced degrees and that local crisis services be expanded.

NOTHING HORIZONTAL ABOUT THESE BARS ...

Legislators cleared the way for a new vertical driver's license for people under the age of 21 to help those who sell beer and liquor more easily identify people who are underage.

THE GOLD MEDAL FOR HIGH HURDLES ...

Goes to Gov. Mike Easley, who got $1.4 million for one of his pet education projects, Learn and Earn, after the budget was approved without the money in it. Easley threatened to veto the state budget, prompting legislators to pass another bill with the money for Learn and Earn.

A GOLD MEDAL IN ARCHERY ...

Goes to House Speaker Joe Hackney, who shot a fatal arrow into a bill that would have made it easier for citizens who file public records lawsuits to collect legal fees.

AND NOW TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS ...

Legislators extended a research-and-development tax credit intended to encourage investment in new ideas that could lead to jobs, a health-care tax credit to encourage businesses to offer health benefits to full-time employees, and a tax credit to encourage exporters to use state-owned port.

SETTLING FOR THE BRONZE ...

Easley urged legislators to give governors more water-conservation powers in droughts. The legislature approved a watered-down measure that did not go as far as Easley wanted. But it requires local governments to have approved conservation plans and to use the plans in droughts. In emergencies, the governor could require water-rich systems to share with their dry neighbors.

CAN AN OLYMPIC STADIUM BE FAR BEHIND?

The 16-campus UNC system received the go-ahead for $401 million in borrowing for construction projects that will be backed by user fees, ticket sales and private donations. High on the list of projects were sports facilities -- a $50 million expansion at Kenan Stadium and $9.5 million for Carmichael Auditorium at UNC-Chapel Hill, $24 million for Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium at East Carolina University and $8.3 million for Kidd Brewer Stadium at Appalachian State.

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