In her new proposed budget, Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue generally agrees with transportation proposals aired by House Republicans last week to put a cap on the state gas tax and to postpone new and increased ferry tolls for a year.

Ferries:  Perdue angered legislators in February when she refused to start collecting new tolls on two toll-free ferry routes, and higher rates on three tolled routes, as ordered in the state budget last year.  She cited economic hardship in ferry-dependent coastal communities.  Republicans sharply criticized Perdue but shied away from fighting her on this.  Both budget drafts, theirs and now hers, would put off the new tolls until July 2013.

But there's a difference here: What to do about the additional $2.5 million in toll collections that had been expected in the budget? ... [MORE]

View I-85 Yadkin River Bridge in a larger map

The work has taken longer than expected, but construction on a long-sought replacement for the harrowing Interstate 85 bridge near Salisbury will mark a milestone this weekend when the current two-lane northbound traffic is moved from the narrow old bridge to a new four-lane bridge.

Gov. Bev Perdue traveled to the site of the half-mile-long I-85 Yadkin River bridges project Thursday to announce the traffic shift, set to take place early Saturday morning.  That's almost two months later than the state Department of Transportation had expected to make the change, according to DOT officials and a timeline posted at the project website.

DOT had predicted that both northbound and southbound drivers would be off the old bridge -- two lanes in each direction -- by May 21.  When that happens, now scheduled for July, northbound and southbound drivers will share the new four-lane northbound bridge temporarily.

The twin four-lane bridge for southbound traffic now is expected to open in early 2013, instead of early November as scheduled earlier.

The narrow bridge, built in 1955, carries 70,000 cars and trucks every day on the main interstate highway between Richmond and Atlanta. Its replacement will give travelers a faster and less frightening trip over the Yadkin River.  DOT is spending more than $200 million to replace the bridge and add new lanes to a nearby stretch of I-85.

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GOP legislative leaders were relentless last year in their determination to have passengers pay a bigger share of operating costs for the state ferry system. But since February, when Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue announced a moratorium on collecting new and increased tolls, Republicans have not been in any hurry to take action that would implement the tolls -- which were supposed to start April 1 -- quickly (see today's story with reader comments). [Update: Legislators back repeal of ferry tolls.] 

The tolls were ordered in state budget legislation for five of the state's seven ferry routes, including two commuter ferries that have always operated without tolls.  Republican legislators in coastal counties have heard more protest about the tolls than they expected, from voters who will decide whether to re-elect them this year.

Today the legislature's joint transportation oversight committee is scheduled to consider a proposal to postpone the new tolls for two years, giving coastal residents more time to recover from the effects of the recession and Hurricane Irene.  Several Republicans expressed sympathy for the idea in a recent meeting before committee leaders cut off debate.

Republicans say it is up to Perdue to heed the advice of Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, who says she had no authority to block collection of the tolls.

But if Perdue declines to back down, Republicans face these options: ... [MORE]

Chris Mackey, press secretary for Gov. Bev Perdue, released this response to the opinion by Attorney General Roy Cooper's office that she exceeded her authority in imposing a moratorium on new and increased ferry tolls:

“The Governor believes her executive order is both legal and right. The Governor issued her order because she doesn’t think it is right to collect ferry taxes from working families in eastern North Carolina.

“If the Republican leaders of the General Assembly are determined to collect the ferry tax, they can do it when they return to Raleigh in ten days. The Governor’s executive order clearly states that the General Assembly can vote to end the moratorium at any time.”

In a five-paragraph letter to a House Republican leader, the state attorney general's office offered its opinion Friday that the legislature's order for new and increased ferry tolls is still in effect, despite Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue's attempt to stop it.

"We believe that an Executive Order which directly conflicts with a law enacted by the General Assembly raises substantial concerns under our Constitution," Grayson G. Kelley, chief deputy attorney general, concluded in a letter to Rep. Phillip Frye. "It is therefore our opinion that a direct conflict between a law enacted by the General Assembly and an Executive Order issued by the Governor must be resolved through implementation of the law."

The full text of Kelley's letter, dated Thursday and delivered Friday to Frye's office, is below. Check here for details on Perdue's attempt to block the ferry tolls, and here for the texts of two related documents: Perdue's Feb. 29 order and a March 8 memo on the legal issues from Gerry Cohen, one of the legislature's lawyers.

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Frequently the folks who add their clever comments to online stories disagree on absolutely everything -- whether Barack Obama is a Muslim, or whether the sun rose this morning -- whether or not it has anything to do with the news story itself.

Today, though, there is a nearly unanimous chorus of jubilation in the comments about this morning's news: RDU airport will get its first daily nonstop to the West Coast in a long time starting on the morning of Aug. 15, when a United Airlines Boeing 737 takes off for San Francisco.

As a silicon valley startup (uservoice) who's just opened an office in downtown Raleigh this is GREAT news! It removes the only major issue we've had with growing our team in NC. - Richard White

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!! I live in both San Francisco (I work for a Silicon Valley startup) and Durham, and y'all've just made my day! - Alex Leviton  ... [MORE]

News 14 Carolina, the local cable news network available to Time Warner Cable customers, will launch a live, half-hour political issues show tonight, hosted by Tim Boyum.

"Capital Tonight" will air Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. on News 14. Episodes will also be available through Carolina On Demand (channels 199 and 1047) and on the station's website.

The nightly program will feature interviews with local, state and federal newsmakers and elected officials about a range of political issues.

Tonight's inaugural episode features an interview with Governor Bev Perdue.

Also this week, House Speaker Thom Tillis is on Tuesday's show; Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger is on Wednesday; Republican activist/fundraiser Art Pope is on Thursday; and principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest is on Friday.

"Capital Tonight" will also use reports from other newsrooms in their network, including Charlotte, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Washington, D.C.

Boyum is a full-time correspondent who has covered the North Carolina state legislature for News 14 for the past 10 years. Reporter Loretta Boniti will also contribute to the program.

A previous version of the show called"Political Connections" aired once a week.

News 14 airs on channel 14, 114, 414, and 1114 on Time Warner Cable.

Republican legislators are unhappy about Gov. Bev Perdue's decision to block new and increased ferry tolls, and they are looking into the legality of her move.

In a budget they passed over the Democratic governor's veto, Republicans ordered new tolls on two river ferries now used, toll-free, by commuters, and rate increases on three other ferry routes that have tolls now. Perdue declared that DOT has legal discretion to determine whether tolls will be increased, and she announced a one-year moratorium on any toll change.

"Right now we're trying to find out if the governor's decision is legal, to take action on a budget that has been approved," Rep. Phillip Frye, an Avery County Republican, said Thursday. Frye is co-chair of the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, which will hear from DOT ferry officials at a meeting next Thursday. "It's a line item in our transportation budget for money going toward the ferries." ... [MORE]

View NC 12 & NC Ferry Routes in a larger map

Gov. Bev Perdue said today she will block new tolls on two free river ferries used by commuters, and rate increases on three ferries that collect tolls now, ordered by the legislature to take effect April 1. [2/29/12 update: see today's story with reader comments.]

"This new ferry tax -- which I have always opposed -- is both excessive and discriminatory," Perdue said in a news release. "It is unjust for the General Assembly to balance their budget on the backs of coastal working men and women." ... [MORE]

The state has a new Chief Information Officer.

On Monday, Gov. Bev Perdue named Jonathan Womer to the post, replacing Gerald L "Jerry" Fralick.

Womer is currently deputy director for management in the Office of State Budget and Management. Before coming to work for the state budget office seven years ago, Womer worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

In his new job, he'll oversee IT decision-making for executive branch agencies.

“Jonathan will bring to this new role the same quick intellect and incisive analysis that have made him indispensable to the managing of North Carolina’s finances,” Perdue said in a statement. “And I want to commend Jerry for helping steer us through some of the most difficult days and some of the fastest technological changes in the state’s history.”

Fralick, whose resume includes more than 30 years working for the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Justice, and a stint owning his own company, said he was moving on to "pursue other interests." He had been in the job since September 2009.