RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina officials on Thursday said they were rescinding decades of good behavior credits that had been awarded to dozens of violent inmates – prisoners who thought they were going to be freed because of a quirky 1970s law that limited a life sentence to 80 years.

Gov. Beverly Perdue said the inmates will not be allowed to accrue the credits to shorten their time behind bars. Those credits will only be used to improve an inmate’s chance at parole.

“I will continue to pursue all legal means of preventing the release of these inmates without any review by the parole board or any post-release supervision,” Perdue said in a statement.

Inmate Bobby Bowden had successfully argued in state courts that his life sentence was defined as 80 years – something Perdue conceded in her statement Thursday. He had also argued that credits for good conduct knocked more than half the time off his sentence, meaning he is eligible for unconditional release.

Some of the inmates, most convicted of rape or murder, were set to be released last month. Perdue later blocked the release by arguing that officials had improperly applied some of the credits.

The potential releases appalled victims and their advocates, partially because most of the inmates would be freed without any post-release supervision. Only one would have had official supervision, although those convicted of rape would have to register as sex offenders.

A handful of those inmates have been working toward time outside of prison, using volunteer or work-release programs to spend time in society. They can eventually be approved for supervised release by the parole board.

BY Kim Genardo
NBC17
RALEIGH, N.C. — The rush is on to lose weight and stop smoking.

During the State Employees 2009 Health and Wellness Expo at the North Carolina Fairgrounds Wednesday, among the most crowded booths — weight loss plans, fitness memberships and healthy eating options.

State workers and those covered under the State Health Plan will pay higher premiums next July if they don’t kick the habit.

Then the following year, July 2011, those deemed overweight will pay more too.

Molly Taylor who helped organize the expo said weight loss is all the talk when she’s working in the state auditor’s office.

“We have some wives who are helping their husbands loose weight cause they didn’t do it for any other reason, but now that it’s going to cost them money the husbands will loose the weight,” said Taylor.

Gov. Bev Perdue spoke to the crowd and encouraged them all to become role models.

She told the crowd she lost nearly 100 pounds in the 1990s, she gave up smoking in 2003, and now she exercises everyday and must manage her high blood pressure.

“I just decided I could control my own destiny.  If state employees want to do that, I’m here to cheer them on. But again, this is personal, nobobdy can make you do it. It’s something you have to decide to do,” said Perdue.

But what about those who are not as motivated? Eventually they’ll be paying more for their health coverage. Lawmakers approved changes to the plan during the budget session.

“The health plan is done by the General Assembly and someday I’m hopeful to have that changed. I’ve never been a fan of how decisions are made for premium changes,” said Perdue.

The health plan covers 667,000 state employees and teachers.

Lawmakers will consider a renewal in 2011.

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Gov. Perdue today signed Executive Order #121, reestablishing the North Carolina Film Council, at a ceremony at EUE Screen Gems studios in Wilmington, home to the largest studio lot east of California. The North Carolina Film Council advises the Governor on film industry matters and serves as a forum for film-making concerns and recommendations.

In addition to reestablishing the council, the new executive order will add duties related to the following:

* assisting in ongoing development and growth of the N.C. film industry;
* supporting fiscal incentives that help North Carolina remain competitive in recruiting films;
* assisting in developing a marketing strategy for the N.C. Film Office; and
* monitoring the North Carolina film industry and assist in developing protocol to measure filmmaking activities in North Carolina.

Earlier this summer, Perdue signed a film tax credit bill (SB 943) allowing production companies a 25 percent tax credit for film projects in North Carolina, up from the previous credit of 15 percent.

More than 2,500 North Carolinians are employed in the film industry. In 2008 it contributed $92 million in direct spending to our economy, and $160 million in 2007. Recent major motion pictures filmed in the state include “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Leatherheads” and “The Secret Life of Bees.” The N.C. film industry is also home to the CW Network’s “One Tree Hill” TV series as well as hundreds of commercial and industrial productions each year throughout the state.

More than 800 movies have been filmed in North Carolina. The state is well known for supporting its motion picture industry with a strong infrastructure and a bevy of locations that can stand in for sites throughout the world. North Carolina boasts an exceptional variety of filming locations from the mountains to the coast, and a world-class film industry infrastructure. Wilmington’s EUE Screen Gems recently opened the largest film and television production soundstage on the East Coast.

or more details on the N.C. Film Office, go to www.ncfilm.com.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. – Gov. Bev Perdue today thanked North Carolina veterans at a Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony in Jacksonville and issued a proclamation honoring the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.

During the ceremony, Gov. Perdue announced the creation of the “I Hire Military” campaign to encourage businesses to hire veterans and military spouses.

“The close relationship between the civilians and the military is one of the biggest reasons I’m proud to call North Carolina home,” said Gov. Perdue.  “The ‘I Hire Military’ campaign is one more example of how North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation.”

To join the “I Hire Military” campaign, businesses must visit IHireMilitary.org, sign a pledge to hire veterans and military spouses whenever practical, display the “I Hire Military” decal in their establishments, and register as part of the “I Hire Military” database.

North Carolina’s military spouses and veterans – including disabled veterans – are highly trained, dedicated workers.  Their contributions can be a bonus for any North Carolina company.  Veterans and spouses looking for work can go online to IHireMilitary.org to find a list of businesses that have signed up for the “I Hire Military” pledge.

The campaign began as a partnership between the N.C. Military Business Center and the Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board.  At present the campaign is running in four counties – Onslow, Carteret, Craven, and Wayne– and will soon expand statewide.

Scott Dorney, executive director of the North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) said, “Transitioning military personnel and spouses bring tremendous skills to the North Carolina workforce.  ‘I Hire Military’ will help identify and connect our ‘military friendly employers’ to these veterans and military spouses – fueling business growth and job creation across our state.”

The “I Hire Military” campaign is part of the Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative.  Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state will work aggressively to create jobs, train and retrain our workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.

Gov. Bev Perdue says the time and energy she placed into a trade mission to Asia will be well worth it.

The governor and commerce secretary spent two weeks in Japan and China to drum up new business for the state.

According to the North Carolina Commerce Department, China is the state’s second largest trading partner importing $1.9 billion in North Carolina goods.

Japan is fourth, importing $1.7 billion in products.

But Japan has a far greater imprint in the state with 150 Japanese-owned companies employing 18,000 people as compared with a dozen Chinese companies employing 2,500 North Carolinians.

This trade mission was also about opening the gateway to China to start developing partnerships that may one day create more jobs.

“My goal is for North Carolina to be a global player and this is one of the ways to make it happen,” said Perdue.

First stop: Tokyo to meet with established business partners that former Gov. Jim Hunt developed over the past twenty years.

“It was called aftercare. They liked the fact that a current governor would come and check on them and thank them for their business in North Carolina,” said Perdue.

Next stop: Beijing to forge new ground with a country that has one of the fastest growing economies.

“This is our first dip in the waters. I think its time and energy invested that’s well worth it for people in North Carolina. Jobs here, jobs there,” said Perdue.

But not everyone agreed with the state spending more than $80,000 on a recruitment mission.

Civitas polled 600 likely voters Oct. 20 and 21 and the survey found 71.8 percent disapproved of spending money on the trade mission.

The state did use $90,000 in private funds to supplement the trip.

So we asked Gov. Perdue if the trade mission worth the price.

“It would’ve been ridiculous for us not to do it. The long term relationship with our number 2 trading partner (China) is limitless,” said Perdue.

In Research Triangle Park, The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences supported the trip and ran two biosciences business seminars for the state in Beijing and Shanghai.

“The governor being there was extremely important. It sent a message to Chinese bioscience companies about North Carolina’s commitment. It’s a great opportunity for the state,” said Dr. Bill Greenlee, The Institutes’ Chief Executive Officer.

“We see this as very critical part in the continuum from technology creation to technology commercialization,” Greenlee added.

Although the ultimate payoff may take a decade, the governor hopes for a real deal soon.

“One business I spoke with I think will announce some kind of North Carolina investment sometime mid-year 2010, maybe before that,” said Perdue.

“Success overtime will be in reverse investment. Companies like Lenovo and Honda Jet are two examples from Asia,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dale Carroll. “They’ll continue to grow their presence here and allow us to attract other companies in various sectors of the economy.”

RALEIGH, N.C. – Gov. Bev Perdue today launched racetothetop.nc.gov and called upon North Carolinians to participate in the federal “Race to the Top” initiative.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Race to the Top is a federal $4.5 billion competitive grant fund that rewards states for educational innovation and achieving significant improvements in how students perform.

In addition to providing information about North Carolina’s Race to the Top efforts, the new website seeks ideas and suggestions from the public regarding new education innovations and reforms.

“North Carolina is already a national leader in educational innovation,” said Perdue. “We are turning around low-performing schools, working to lower the dropout rate and creating a network for virtual school learning opportunities so all students are career ready. I’m confident that our state is in a good position to receive Race to the Top funding.”

As part of Race to the Top requirements, each state must submit an application from the Governor and signed by the Chairman of State Board of Education and the Chief State School Officer. The application must assess the state’s current education reform efforts and build on those by presenting a comprehensive plan for improving student outcomes in four areas:

· Internationally-benchmarked standards and assessments.

· Development of data systems that measure success and improve instruction.

· Supporting effective teachers and leaders.

· Turning around low-performing schools.

North Carolina is already working on higher standards, better curriculum, developing teachers, and improving low performing schools. In addition, the state is creating new and meaningful assessments, including putting in place a Pre-K to 20 data information system to help keep students on grade level, and to ensure graduates are career ready and prepared for higher education.

The U.S. Department of Education will award the first Race to the Top grants in early 2010.

By Michael Hewlett
Media General News Service

Gov. Bev Perdue can stall but not stop the release of 27 inmates convicted of violent crimes in the 1970s, legal experts said.

The inmates, convicted in the 1970s of crimes that included murder, rape and robbery, are eligible for release because of credits – time off their sentences – they have earned during their time in prison.

Bobby E. Bowden, a Cumberland County man serving life in prison for killing two people in 1975, successfully argued in court that had served his time under state law at the time he was convicted.
Bowden said that he has accumulated enough credits to cut his sentence from 80 years to 40 years, making him eligible for release this year.

The N.C. Supreme Court agreed, upholding a lower court ruling that state law defined a life sentence as 80 years for inmates convicted in the 1970s.

The court’s decision becomes official today, 20 days after it was issued.

State correction officials are reviewing the inmates’ cases to determine how many credits they earned.

Perdue is trying to delay the inmates’ release, arguing that they shouldn’t have gotten the credits in the first place.

But legal experts said the law that was in effect when they were sentenced is clear.

“There’s nothing for us to be debating,” said Carol Turowski, a professor of law at Wake Forest University and a co-director of the school’s Innocence and Justice Clinic.

Inmates can get time off, or credits, for good conduct, attending classes or working. There are three kinds of credit – good time, gain time and merit time, said Keith Acree, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Correction.

The 27 inmates – including three convicted in Forsyth County – scheduled for release have earned some combination of all three credits, which has significantly reduced the time they have to spend in prison.

In 1981, the Fair Sentencing Act was passed, and inmates became eligible for getting time shaved off their sentences, Acree said. The secretary of correction extended the credits to inmates convicted before 1981 regardless of their crimes, he said.

Perdue said that the secretary of correction overstepped his authority, but according to general statutes, he had the discretion to give the credits to inmates who were sentenced to life before 1981.

“It’s understandable people’s fears about having individuals convicted of violent crimes back in the general population,” Turowski said. “However, individuals are released from jail with violent backgrounds all the time.”

About 28,000 inmates are released from North Carolina prisons each year, Acree said, some of whom are violent.

And the law is clear that when these inmates were convicted, a life sentence meant 80 years, Turowski said.

Jim Coleman, a professor of law at Duke University, said what Perdue is doing is political grandstanding. Perdue has an obligation to respect the law, even if she doesn’t like it, he said.

“This is about the law,” he said. “It isn’t about this political crap.”

Tim Crowley, a spokesman for Perdue, said the inmates pose a threat to the general public and that there are legal issues that have to be resolved.

“She and her legal counsel believe there’s a strong argument that can be made in the courts and is committed to looking at every legal option,” he said.

Many of these inmates were initially sentenced to death, Crowley said.

Turowski said she understands that people are upset that these inmates might be released, but the law is the law.

“Even if the public doesn’t like the result, even if the governor doesn’t like the result, we are a nation of laws, not of men and women, and therefore, the law has to stand,” she said.

Inmates can get time off their sentences through three different kinds of credit, said Keith Acree, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Correction.

The most common is good time credit, for which every inmate is eligible. In 1981, state law changed so that inmates convicted of serious felonies such as murder and rape would not be allowed to get time off their sentence.

An inmate can get a day off their sentence for every day they serve in prison without an infraction.

Acree said that even though most of the 27 inmates have had infractions, they have far more credits because they’ve been in prison for more than 30 years.

Inmates can also get what is known as gain time credit. This type of credit is awarded to inmates who are taking classes or working in a job assignment, Acree said. Inmates can earn as much as 6 credits for every month they are working or taking classes.

Merit time is the third kind of credit inmates can get, Acree said. Inmates can earn time off their sentence for working overtime, working in inclement weather or for doing things such as getting a college degree. The prison superintendent has the discretion to determine how much time off inmates will get.

RALEIGH, N.C.- Gov. Beverly Perdue is returning to North Carolina after a nearly two-week trade and cultural mission to China and Japan.

Perdue’s office has said she would arrive in the state Tuesday night after leaving from Shanghai. The trip also included visits to Tokyo and Beijing and focused largely on building relationships with two of the state’s top four trading partners.

The governor told reporters last week by phone she saw her first overseas trade trip as one focused on building a long-term relationship with Chinese firms and expand already fruitful ties in Japan.

Perdue leaves behind a contingent of about 20 North Carolina residents – including several legislators – visiting China on a separate trip paid by outside groups. They will return this weekend.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A new poll released today by the Civitas Institute that shows nearly three-fourths of voters disapprove of Gov. Bev Perdue’s journey to Japan and China.

Perdue returns from her trade mission today.

The live caller poll of 600 likely 2010 voters were asked if they approved or disapproved of Gov. Perdue spending $80,000 to go on a trade mission to Japan and China.

A majority of voters,71.8 percent of them, said they disapproved of Perdue’s trip. Only 20.7 percent of voters approved and 7.5 percent said they were unsure.

“While Perdue said this trip was about recruiting jobs, all the polled voters see is another wasteful expenditure of their tax dollars,” said Civitas Institute Executive Director Francis De Luca. “Perdue will need to show some tangible results of the trip in order for the public to think it was worthwhile.”

The trip was disliked even by a majority of Perdue’s supporters; with 53.8 percent of them who said they had a favorable opinion of the Governor also said they disapproved of the spending of money on the trade mission.

“When your own base of supporters think it was a bad idea, it’s pretty clear that her trip was not well received,” added De Luca.

Full results of the poll will be revealed at the Civitas Institute’s monthly poll luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh.

Full text of question: Now I am going to read you a list of issues affecting North Carolina, would you please tell me if you approve or disapprove of each of the following?

“Governor Bev Perdue spending $80,000 to go on a trade mission to Japan and China?”
APPROVE – 20.7%
Strongly Approve – 9.2%
Somewhat Approve – 11.5%
DISAPPROVE – 71.8%
Somewhat Disapprove – 13.8%
Strongly Disapprove – 58.0%
DON’T KNOW – 7.5%

This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted October 20-21, 2009 by McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Virginia. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers. Interview selection was random within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter distributions in a statewide general election. The poll of 600 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 4.0% at a 95% confidence interval.