Forced annexation foes push one-year freeze

Forget red states and blue states. At the Legislative Building on Wednesday, it was red T-shirts and blue name tags.

Residents against forced annexation wore the shirts, and the pro-annexation N.C. League of Municipalities wore the nametags.

The anti-annexation folks want the legislature to approve a one-year freeze on forced annexation. They said they did not want to be forced to pay taxes for services they don't need.

The protest became irreverent at times. One woman had an anti-annexation bumper sticker attached to her pants. She said she pressed her rear end to the glass of the Senate gallery door so those inside could see her message.

The protesters have some legislators behind them. Forced annexation "hurts families, hurts individuals, hurts taxpayers and doesn't benefit our community in any significant way," said Republican Sen. Phil Berger of Eden.

The anti-annexation group then held a "silent protest" march to the League of Municipalities offices a few blocks away. When the protesters arrived, some began to chant, "Let us in."

Susan Burgess, Charlotte mayor pro tem and league president, said she did not sense any decline in legislative support for annexation.

Annexation has served the state well for nearly 50 years, she said, and is one of the reasons for the success of its cities.

Residents should "participate in the support of the city from which they derive a lot of services," she said, and cities should be ready to provide services to areas they annex.

Bush fundraiser set

President Bush will come to Raleigh next month to raise money for GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and the state Republican Party.

Bush is scheduled to attend a fundraiser July 20 at the home of John Kane, the chairman of Kane Realty Corp.

With the president's ratings so low, having Bush come in carries political risks. McCrory, the Charlotte mayor, is facing Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in the governor's race.

"There are still a lot of people in North Carolina that are willing to take part in a fundraising event where the president is a guest of honor," said Jack Hawke, McCrory's chief consultant "We expect to do very well."

Hawke said national issues will have little effect on the governor's race. "Our campaign will concentrate on the state of North Carolina and the problems the state has -- from corruption, to mismanagement, to a high tax rate," he said.

Silence for war dead

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kept her pledge to U.S. Rep. Walter Jones.

Pelosi called the U.S. House to order Wednesday and observed a moment of silence in honor and memory of those killed or injured in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Jones, a Farmville Republican, asked Pelosi several weeks ago to begin each month's legislative business with a moment of silence to the fallen.

Delay protests inaction

Republicans brought work on the U.S. Senate floor to a crawl Wednesday to protest the delay of judicial nominees, including Raleigh lawyer Thomas A. Farr.

In a procedural roadblock, Senate Republicans forced the clerk to read aloud the bill being debated on the floor, the massive climate change legislation. It runs nearly 500 pages.

Farr was nominated Dec. 7, 2006, by President Bush for a seat in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Farr is the longest-pending nominee without a hearing, according to Sen. Elizabeth Dole's office.

Auditor praises NCSU

N.C. State University has successfully avoided major problems with misuse of state procurement cards, State Auditor Les Merritt said Wednesday.

The auditor, who recently issued a string of blistering audits of UNC-Greensboro, N.C. A&T State University and Fayetteville State University, had praise for NCSU in a news release.

A review of spending card use found that NCSU's internal controls had prevented most improper charges. The review said two NCSU employees used the cards for personal expenses, but the university had already detected the improper use, collected reimbursements and dismissed one of them.

Ex-foe endorses Donnan

Mary Fant Donnan has picked up the endorsement of one of her former opponents in the Democratic primary for state labor commissioner.

Robin Anderson is urging other Democrats to support Donnan in her primary runoff June 24 with John Brooks, a former labor commissioner.