Laura Leslie

Laura Leslie expresses my own sentiments about the next phase of dismantling two once-great daily papers. The news is grim for staffers at both the Raleigh News and Observer and the Charlotte Observer. The Charlotte paper appears to be getting hit hardest:

Publisher Ann Caulkins said the Carolinas' largest newspaper aims to eliminate more than 9 percent of its workforce, roughly 75 positions, with a nearly companywide buyout offer. The reductions are to be completed Oct. 3. “The economy is really, really tough,” Caulkins told the newsroom this morning.

Laura Leslie has a story I missed. A good case for IQ testing sheriff candidates.

Recent data shows more unlicensed drivers on NC roads since the state stopped giving licenses to illegal immigrants. The N&O's Kristin Collins has the story - and like her story last week, this one features an angry local official, too.

"It's about high time that the DMV make it more strict," said Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell. "We have bowed down. You go to DMV now and everything is Spanish, and people are tired of it. This is America."

As you may know, one of our frequent visitors, Radiogirl is none other than Laura Leslie of WUNC-FM. She's a good sport, a great writer, and a tireless reporter ... and her take on our governors debate last night is well worth reading.

Still, it’s an important first– especially because it puts candidates face to face with informed voters who want to know a lot about a lot more things than the race is currently addressing. Both Moore and Perdue played it safe tonight, which was the politically smart thing to do. But I’d bet they both came away with an enhanced understanding of the difference between what grassroots Dems care about and what big party donors do.

Laura Leslie wrote some witty words yesterday about a small protest in Raleigh. The story involved animal rights activists calling out a candidate for not using his influence to support their cause. Laura asked the activists if the candidate has responded to their concerns.

“Well, we sent him an email and a letter and we never heard back.” Look, I'm sympathetic to the goal of ending unnecessary animal testing. But I don’t know of any government institution that’s ever been changed by being yelled at. Next time, maybe they could pick up the phone and ask for a meeting. They might just get one. On the other hand, if they’d set up a meeting instead of a protest, I might not be writing about them, and you might not be reading about it. So what do I know, right?

Laura Leslie has an interesting take on the relationship between the presidential and gubernatorial races.

Char-O’s Mark Johnson and the N&O’s Rob Christensen weighed in on how a meaningful national primary might influence NC’s state-level races. I think they both make good points, but I have to say - I think the two who stand to gain the most from activity in their respective party primaries are Bev Perdue and Fred Smith.

If you missed the candidates for governor debating last night, you can get a pretty good read on the highlights from Laura Leslie. She has a way of cutting to the chase, which I find more and more appealing as the campaigns slog on. Health care was front and center in this UNC-TV debate.

Health care is one of Perdue's core issues and she did a good job on the details. Richard did as well. On the Republican side, the only person with a lick of sense is Bob Orr, who undoubtedly ran afoul of the Puppetmaster with his comments, summarized below by Radiogirl.

If you're not reading Laura Leslie's blog at WUNC-FM, you should be. It's the sharpest coverage of statewide politics coming out of the Capital Press Corpse by a wide margin. Her report on Friday of the Four Horsemen in the Replicant race for governor is a work of art. I've chosen the "cons" for highlights here, but the whole thing is worth the read.

Since the news broke today about lobbyist Don Beason's lavish spending habits, I've been struggling to understand how and why this story has been covered up for so long. After doing some digging today, I have to conclude it's a pretty ugly picture of North Carolina's political press.

First off, Beason is not a household word in North Carolina, even though he should be. Up until today, the only definitive story on the influential Republican I could find was written in 2005 by Dan Kane, full of cushy stuff like this:

Top legislators say they like Beason, who was ranked as the most effective lobbyist last session, because he gives solid information and he's honest. "The operative word with Don Beason is 'professionalism,' " said Rep. Richard Morgan, a former Republican House speaker from Moore County.

But there might be other reasons for Beason's success, too. He has skillfully worked with his business clients to direct money to top legislators' campaigns and to cover the costs of their political meetings and events.

Dan Kane wrote that story in 2005, right? And now here we are in 2007, with everyone wondering who's the mystery man that funneled a half-a-million dollars into Jim Black's dirty pockets. And no one fingers Don Beason?

What gives?