Apparently, the small band of driveby media types  that loiters in the legislative building is having to move to new office space.  And THAT has them upset.  Never mind all the corruption and malfeasance infesting our legislative branch. Office space is WHAT is important.  Take it from WRAL’s Laura Leslie, who amazingly still has a job covering politics after her social media malfeasance went viral. Her hairy gorilla butt must REALLY be hurting: For 56 years, ever since the Legislative Building opened, media organizations have had workspace across the hall from where news conferences are held and downstairs from the…

Sun Energy1 is arguably one of the world’s biggest players in the renewable energy field.  THAT is why it was surprising to see this: Charlotte area-based Sun Energy1 is arguably one of the world’s biggest players in the renewable energy field.  (They sponsor NASCAR.)  In North Carolina,  most of their projects are clustered in the northeastern corner of the state.   Some are in the western  mountain counties.  D&B Hoovers estimates the company’s revenue to be in the ballpark of $350 million. In 2017,  North Carolina ranked second nationally to California in adding new solar power capability. North Carolina has about…

We’ve reported earlier on how the little guy from Cleveland County is making out like a Rockefeller thanks to his political connections.  Now, it appears he’s spreading the love — with other people’s money — to his staff on Jones Street: A day after his reelection as Speaker of the House, the office of Rep. Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) released details of his full staff and their salaries to ABC11. Moore, himself, will make $38,151 in a part-time role. Most of his 15-member staff, with the exception of two interns, are full-time positions. The Speaker’s Chief of Staff, Scott “Bart” Goodson,…

Diana London wore a lot of hats for rookie senator Bob Steinburg — legislative assistant, campaign manager, and employee of his sports marketing firm. London pleaded guilty in early December to larceny — a charge which involved the misuse and misappropriation of funds belonging to a client of her non-Steinburg-related side business.   Steinburg publicly defended London after the plea — accusing  the prosecutor and the judicial system in Dare County of political malfeasance.    The legislator said he had confidence in her, and would keep her on as an employee.  The prosecutor responded by releasing an audio tape featuring…

We’ve learned that former state board of elections chairman Joshua Malcolm was having  conversations about ballot shenanigans in Bladen County as early as April 2018.    A pair of senators in Raleigh is seeking answers from Malcolm about the substance of those conversations.  They’re also wanting to know WHY he waited so long to say or do anything about what he learned.  (Malcolm did not make any public statements about concerns regarding voter irregularities until well after the November voting had been completed.)  Well, we’ve confirmed that Malcolm himself was briefed by the Robeson County board of elections chairman on…

What a difference (nearly) a decade can make.  Word has come out that the SBI was all over some serious allegations of voting irregularities in Bladen County as early as 2010.  The North Carolina Department of Justice was alerted.  Anyone remember WHO was attorney general (AKA head of that department) in 2010? I believe those questions about 2010 now need  to be asked AT the governor’s mansion. (FYI — here’s what happened to the DA at the time — Rex Gore. ) While working in the driveby media, I got to know quite a few law enforcement types — especially…

A liberal activist group had filed a complaint against State House speaker Tim Moore over some private business dealings in  Chatham County.  Apparently, the belief was that a Moore aide had meddled in a state environmental review of a property Moore and his business partners were trying to sell for BIG $$$.  Well,  Moore’s office has distributed an order of dismissal on the matter, signed by the NC state board of elections and ethics enforcement’s executive director Kim Strach, to several members of the driveby media. What makes this extra interesting?  The dismissal came on the board’s LAST DAY in…

I guess it was too much to expect the NCGOPe to stand strong for an embattled conservative member of their party.  (Or even to fight for clean elections.  Or defend one of their former House colleagues who lost reelection under shady circumstances.)  We told you about a call from a conservative activist group to delay the seating of state Rep.-elect Rachel Hunt (D-Mecklenburg) due to the discovery of some credible evidence of vote fraud in Mecklenburg County.  Some say more credible than that which caused the Ninth Congressional District seat to be denied certification.  Comments from House Majority Leader John…

It appears that we’re starting to see some signs of fight in the NCGOPe.  They’ve gone from rolling over and showing their bellies in the whole NC-09 affair, to showing their teeth and defending Mark Harris. Now, it appears the folks closer to the right side of the political spectrum  are demonstrating that THEY TOO can play political hardball: Today the NC Values Coalition filed with the Clerk of the North Carolina House of Representatives a memorandum and supporting evidence of absentee ballot irregularities that occurred in the 2018 general election in House District 103 (HD103).  Along with this memorandum…

You will get no argument from us when alleging that Tim Moore is, um, ethically-challenged.  We’ve reported at length about his shenanigans against fellow Republicans, his abandonment of the conservative principles that allowed him to become part of the House majority and speaker, and basically putting the House agenda up for sale to the highest bidder at a propensity not seen since Jim Black was shackled and frog-marched off to prison. Moore’s private business affairs (and income) have expanded exponentially since he became top-dog in the House.  He’s opened up a second law office in Raleigh.  He’s creeping right up…