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.

RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue has appointed Kerry Sutton of Durham to the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Sutton is an attorney at the Law Offices of Kerstin Walker Sutton. She is a member of N.C. Advocates for Justice, Executive Committee of the Administration of Justice Committee for the N.C. Bar Association and of the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys. Sutton received her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from N.C. Central University.

The Crime Commission advises the governor on matters related to the criminal justice system and makes recommendations for improving the justice system, protecting individual rights and promoting public safety. The commission has 42 members, each serving a three-year term. The governor appoints 25 members.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Gov. Beverly Perdue has officially told North Carolina lawmakers they won’t have to return to the state capital to consider overriding her first veto.

Perdue signed Wednesday a proclamation rescinding her earlier call for the General Assembly to reconvene in Raleigh this Friday for a veto session.

Legislative leaders decided last week they wouldn’t challenge Perdue’s veto of a bill that would have expanded the list of requests and documents General Assembly members could keep confidential. They said the issue wasn’t urgent and could be handled when the Legislature reconvenes next May.

A majority of lawmakers in the House and Senate had signed petitions asking Perdue to cancel the session.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – The top education leaders in North Carolina are meeting with Gov. Beverly Perdue for the first time since a state budget passed that required painful belt-tightening.

Perdue scheduled a meeting of the North Carolina Education Cabinet on Wednesday in Durham. The cabinet includes state schools Superintendent June Atkinson, State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison, UNC system President Erskine Bowles and community colleges chief Scott Ralls.

The General Assembly approved a budget signed by Perdue last month that required local school districts and UNC to find about $300 million in spending reductions this fiscal year. Less money means layoffs on some campuses and larger class sizes elsewhere.

Perdue has tried to revive the Education Cabinet, designed to provide better cooperation throughout public education.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Gov. Beverly Perdue is running out of time to decide on bills left on her desk by the North Carolina General Assembly before it left town last month.

The state constitution gives Perdue until midnight Thursday to sign or veto legislation. Those not considered within the 30-day window automatically become law.

Perdue has left to consider five of the 108 bills given to her by the Legislature. One bill would make clear that requests made by General Assembly employees to state agencies are exempt from the public records law.

North Carolina was the last state in the country to give veto power to its governor, acting in 1997. A governor has issued vetoes nine times. The Legislature overrode one of those vetoes.