The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 4

STATE EDITION A 5 TUESDAY DECEMBER 12 2006 THE NEWS A 1 1 iftiNt TC (S To REACH US: Capitol editor Bill Krueger (919) 8294522 bkruegernewsobservercom MON State published legislative history in 1993 the Iraq Study Group which recently made recommendations for a new approach to the war in Iraq "Appointing these diplomats who would be charged with obtaining commitments from Iraq's neighbors and other stakeholders to help contain the conflict would provide a strong indication of your commitment to regional diplomacy" the letter reads Barnes said he doesn't understand why Black hired someone to research only the House since legislation can't become law without approval from both chambers "Neither one operates in a vacuum up there" Barnes said Black a Mecklenburg Democrat has justified the position saying in a statement that "I was amazed when I learned that the Legislature did not have a detailed history of our chamber" He should have a copy of Barnes' account Black was in the legislature in 1993 when Barnes sent a copy to every member ill That is one reason he fascinated by 's Obama "He can speak" Matthews said "He "t4e4 4 grew up in a Third i World country He sees America from that perspective He can Matthews write I have never will record come across a politihis 'Hardball' cian not since US talk show at Grant who could UNC today write" Matthews attended graduate school at INC during the 1967- 68 school year leaving to join the Peace Corps in Africa Matthews said he is eager to learn what Edwards knows about foreign something critics said was a weakness when he ran for president in 2004 Since then Edwards has traveled extensively meeting with foreign leaders House Historian Ann Lassiter says she has been so overwhelmed with the work involved in writing a history of the NC House of Representatives that she may not finish it Not to fear history lovers Just 13 years ago former Senate leader Henson Barnes pub-UNDER lished a book on leg-THE DOME islative activities in both chambers 11044441 Barnes wrote "Work in Progress: The North Carolina Legislature" KC POLITICS while he led the Sen- ate It evolved out of GOVERNMENT his research into legislative powers that had accrued over time to the lieutenant governor Barnes a Democrat persuaded his colleagues to take those powers away just as voters elected a Republican lieutenant governor The book provides an account of each session from 1777 through 1992 It identifies the leaders of both chambers and major legislation passed Barnes said much of the information came from newspaper articles and two books on North 10-r7N Carolina history (Barnes book also has a tendency to note his accomplishments dur4 mg his tenure in the legislature) Barnes said he did not charge the public for his work on the Lassiter says book which the state writing the published House's his- Lassiter is being tory has been paid a $50627 salary overwhelming to write a history of the House which she said she will not finish before the temporary job ends She said she expects to finish a 20-page report on House speakers dating to 1963 Lassiter's job has sparked controversy In April 2005 Black allowed her to retire as House page coordinator after learning she had sent pages to stay with her son a felon with a history of drug and alcohol problems Black then hired her a month later for a new job as House historian despite her having little experience in such a position and no college degree MSNBC comes to UNC Chris Matthews the host of "Hardball" on MSNBC thinks John Edwards will have a difficult time overtaking Sens Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president Matthews is in Chapel Hill today to record his talk show which will air live at 5 pm and be rebroadcast at 7 pm on the cable network Edwards is scheduled to be on the show fielding questions from Matthews and students Matthews told Dome the country needs a president who "knows about the world" Price Miller back diplomacy Democratic US Reps David Price of Chapel Hill and Brad Miller of Raleigh are calling on President Bush to pursue diplomatic efforts in Iraq Price and Miller are part of a group of 26 House members who wrote to Bush Monday urging him to name James Baker and Lee Hamilton as special envoys to lead a regional diplomatic initiative Baker and Hamilton were co-chairmen of By staff writers Dan Kane Bill Krueger and Rob Christensen Kane can be reached at 829-4861 or AROUND NORTH CAROLINA LIJI -7 L--k I taytorsviiii MacOe Valley 24 I I NO! irrtri 7iiiiiqiIrlt: I ivrV el oTi1 1 Zoo lets lion triplets play outside THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Triplet African lion cubs had their public debut Monday at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro The lion cubs which were born Oct 23 followed their mother into the outdoor lion exhibit Monday morning Zoo officials said the warm weather prompted them to let the cubs get their first look at the outdoors even though their official introduction isn't scheduled until March If temperatures reach at least 50 degrees with sunny skies zookeepers said they might let them outside again The male and two female cubs initially will be exhibited only with their mother The adult male lion will be on display when the cubs are inside The litter is the second at the zoo for 7-year-old Sala She delivered two girls Marigold and Dandelion in 2004 7A44 1: A New houses spring up near Piney Creek in Alleghany County near the Virginia line Builders have submitted plans to develop more than 500 acres for housing Most of the lots are intended for vacation homes WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL PHOTO BY DAVID ROLFE Development booms in mountains Complaint against cop ad dropped As industry left housing picked up Smoky Mountains National Park was canceled Monday Conditions in the Cataloochee Valley near Maggie Valley were too damp to get a fire to burn park spokesman Bob Miller said Smokies managers want to help restore the natural state of the oak forest in an area now home to the Smokies' reintroduced elk Burning off maples and hemlocks would allow more sunlight to reach the forest floor and that could stimulate plants that would be attractive to elk The Smokies elk herd has numbered around 55 animals for several years Experimental plane crashes killing two property taxes as values rise Real-estate brokers say the price is in keeping with the value Paula Presnell a real-estate broker in Sparta said like it or not the developers and vacation homeowners coming into Alleghany County are building the tax base "The complexion of the county is changing" she said "I look at this as one of those things that we have an opportunity to progress and progress is never without pain" Part of that pain in developing Western North Carolina is the danger of building on slopes which can trigger landslides like the one that destroyed a Boone house in 2004 In Boone a sprawling apartment complex looms over the college town's southern gateway The 13-building complex is carved high into a hill fortified with retaining walls "It's amazing to me that they can take a place where nobody would consider building and put 1000 college students in it" said Rebecca Barwick a local basket artist "Common sense says not to build in those places" fetch as much as $45 million in land sales alone and many of the homes will be occupied just a few months out of the year they say "The people are just so anxious to come up here" said Mon who's from Pembroke Pines Fla As vacation homes increase a county's tax base and create jobs for residents they can also cost counties to provide fire protection and water and sewer service The homes also drive up taxes on surrounding properties something that can put longtime residents in a financial pinch Property revaluation set to take effect in 2007 will increase taxes dramatically Martha Holder paid $53000 for her 89-year-old farmhouse and 36 acres in the Piney Creek community when she moved to Alleghany County from Greensboro in 1993 This year it was valued at $105000 But when the revaluation takes effect it will be worth $320000 The tax rate is 70 cents per $100 of value Holder worries about how some of her neighbors including laborers farmers or retired factory workers will continue to pay their homes are coming to Alleghany County one of the state's smallest with a population of 10900 people on 233 square miles Builders over the last year or so have presented county officials with plans to develop more than 500 acres into nearly as many lots a 50 percent increase from two years ago Most of those lots are intended for vacation homes In 2000 Alleghany County had about 1560 manufacturing jobs By 2005 it had lost more than 60 percent of them including its biggest employer Bristol Compressors which eliminated 400 jobs Now there are 18 major subdivisions under construction according to Alleghany planning officials They could bring as many as 1347 new homes to the county where land prices have varied from $2000 an acre to $15000 or more Twin Oaks Mountain Estates sits on the site of an old Christmas tree farm above the New River near Sparta Its developers Jorge Mon and Robert Brandt forecast up to 300 luxury homes on the mountainside where evergreens grew just a year ago The new development could THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SPARTA For many Western North Carolina communities manufacturing is history a once vibrant industry that's moved overseas and left locals searching for new ways to earn a living Some are finding that new income in the wealth of outsiders who are flocking to the region's scenic vistas and valleys to build second houses Sandy Herndon a former Alleghany County commissioner thinks the housing trend will expand the local economy as jobs are created to support the growth "They will need electricians painters carpenters plumbers all of those subsidiary businesses that are a part of the general contractors" she said "I think there's no question we're becoming more of a service-oriented county than we are manufacturing" Ashe Watauga and other mountain communities have already seen a rise in the construction of second homes Now the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The state has ended a two-year legal fight with a national Republican group over a television advertisement that highlighted the party's 2004 gubernatorial candidate The state Attorney General's Office filed a motion last week with the Court of Appeals to withdraw a complaint involving the Republican Governors Association which ran an advertisement supporting Patrick Ballantine in 2004 The State Board of Elections in Raleigh fined the group nearly $200000 in September 2004 arguing the ad was paid for using corporate and union donations which is unlawful in North Carolina if the ad specifically supports or opposes a candidate The fine was overturned in May by Wake County Judge Robert Hobgood whose decision will now stand because the state dropped its appeal Hobgood ruled that the elections board missed a 60-day deadline to accept reject or modify a ruling from an administrative law judge who had determined the governors' association didn't qualify as a political committee and therefore wasn't constrained by the union and corporate donation rules Damp day delays controlled burn THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Two people died Sunday when their small plane crashed just after take-off in Alexander County authorities said The plane crashed behind a service station just before 3:30 pm near Taylorsville about 65 miles north of Charlotte according to the Alexander County Sheriffs Office The single-engine fixed-wing plane was an experimental aircraft Kathleen Bergen a spokeswoman with the Federal Aviation Administration said Killed were Leon Marion Fagan Jr 44 the plane's owner and William Kermit Tilly" Little 53 both of Taylorsville the sheriffs office said The plane a RANS Coyote S-6 was heading back to the airstrip at Taylorsville Airport an airstrip owned by the Taylorsville Flying Club when it began to have engine trouble said sheriffs Chief Deputy Chris Bowman Lejeune Marine dies in Iraq apparently of illness THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A plan for a controlled burn of about 530 acres on the North Carolina side of the Great follower until he Susan Watson he became a just loved to mother said to be where the kind of be where Cody survived by his and sister where his mother is a teacher A field radio operator Watson had joined the Marines a year ago and was assigned to his unit 2nd Battalion 10th Marine Regiment in June He was deployed in Anbar province west of Baghdad in September His death was under investigation said Staff Sgt Timothy Edwards a spokesman for the 2nd Marine Division Watson loved the outdoors boating and swimming and riding his mountain bike He had spent "thousands of hours" hunting with his father she said "He was never still" she said He was a spirited teenager his mother said sometimes too spirited dio back in camp "If it was something he wanted "He was a foil to do he'd do it and worry about joined the Marin( the consequences later" she said son said "Then After high school Watson had leader" taken a maintenance job with the "He was a can school system but did not view it entertain" his as permanent "Everybody want When he joined the Marines Cody was that he told his family that he wanted teenager he was to do something that would make "Now I want to him proud of himself that he is" she said wanted to join the best Watson also is Watson embraced the Marines father Brian Wat even managing to enjoy boot Lacey Watson 23 camp she said and earned two promotions in just nine months In Iraq he loved going out on mis- Staff writer Jay sions and complained whenever reached at 82 he was got stuck operating a ra- Ipricehewsob Staff writer Jay reached at loricenewsobserv "He was a joined the Marines" said "Then leader" "He was a card entertain" his "Everybody wanted Cody was that's teenager he was "Now I want to is" she said Watson also is father Brian Watson Lacey Watson 23 BY JAY PRICE STAFF WRITER A young Marine based at Camp Lejeune died in Iraq last week after falling ill The Pentagon announced his death Monday Lance Cpl Cody Watson 21 of Anniston Ala collapsed while in formation outside his living quarters Dec 6 said his mother Susan Watson He had talked to the family a few days earlier and mention7d that he was sick she said in a telephone interview Monday night The family hasn't been told of the exact cause of his death Watson graduated from Wellborn High School in Anniston HOW TO REACH US Have a story idea or comment? 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