Perdue, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, made a proposal Tuesdayto create the Endowment for Positive Gubernatorial Campaigns -- a $50 million trust fund that would pay for campaigns that avoid negative ads, address "major issues" and agree to a series of debates.

"The people of North Carolina, like the rest of the nation, are losing trust in the political system," she said in a statement. "The perception of corruption and a 'pay to play' environment has led to the belief that ordinary citizens do not have as much influence in politics as the rich and powerful."

The proposal is based on former state Sen. Wib Gulley's 1995 bill, which was praised by Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, and a similar endowment for congressional campaigns proposed by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and former Vice President Al Gore.

A bipartisan board of 12 individuals appointed by legislative leaders would run the endowment, select the major issues and determine whether candidates had qualified with signatures and small donations.

Participating campaigns would not be allowed to use personal wealth or spend additional money on advertising.

Moore's economic stimulus

State Treasurer Richard Moore on Tuesday proposed an economic stimulus package.

Moore, Perdue's chief rival for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, called for property tax relief for senior citizens, reducing the waiting list for day-care subsidies, cutting small-business taxes and tying the minimum wage to inflation.

He noted that pension plans and Social Security already provide cost-of-living adjustments based on inflation. He estimated that the minimum wage would go up a dollar during the next governor's four years in office.

"All you've got to do is go to projected four-dollar-a-gallon gas to understand why," he said.

He also pledged that the state would pay for two years of community college for all high school graduates, though not for students who drop out and get a general equivalency diploma.

"I shudder to think that any high school student in North Carolina does not take the next step to continue their education," he said.

He said the proposal would cost about $50 million and would be paid for using interest earnings from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Hefty price tag for suit

The state's pollution lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority could cost as much as $5 million for outside lawyers and experts.

James C. Gulick, senior deputy attorney general, told the Council of State on Tuesday that the expensive lawsuit could mean a public health benefit of more than $600 million a year for the state if the TVA is required to install pollution monitors and controls on its power plants.

The council was asked to approve $779,495 in legal bills for the lawsuit, in which the state is seeking to force the TVA to curb emissions.

"This is a complex case," Gulick told the council. "They are a very stubborn and efficient opponent."

Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry voted against the expense.

Libertarian challenge

The Libertarian Party plans to post challengers in some legislative races.

The party has collected more than 95,000 signatures and is certifying them with local elections officials and the State Board of Elections, according to would-be gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger.

In an e-mail message to Dome, the Duke University political science professor said the party plans to field candidates in "quite a few" of the 56 races with no competition.

"We'd [the Libertarians] love to be able to have a primary, but the state denied our right to do that when they used their discretion to decertify us after the 2004 election," he wrote.

Lottery prize unclaimed

Somewhere out there is a lottery ticket worth $185,830. But the time to claim it is running short.

State lottery officials announced Tuesday morning that a winning ticket worth $185,830 from the Carolina Cash 5 game has yet to be redeemed. The ticket was bought at Taylor's Store in Nashville.

The holder of the ticket has until March 19 to claim those winnings. If the holder doesn't do so by then, half of the unclaimed money will go to education programs and half will go back into the pot for prizes.