U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat who represents the 4th Congressional District, discussed in a Q&A how the stimulus plan could benefit his district, which is composed of Orange, Durham, and parts of Wake and Chatham counties. Here's an excerpt from my interview with Price. We talked on the day that the $787 billion plan was signed into law. The full interview will run this Wednesday in The Chapel Hill News. Price said specific projects in the district were not named in the bill. He said Congress decided not to allow the use of so-called earmarks to designate how the money would be spent.

Q: How will the money get from Washington to the Triangle?

PRICE:  In a number of ways. Some of the money will come directly to individuals. For example, extended unemployment insurance, expanded Pell grants, food stamps, small busines loans, premium subsidies for health insurance between jobs - COBRA health insurance. So that's one way - through individuals.

A lot of the money will come through established channels by formulas, to the states or to localities. For example, the Medicaid support for the states will go out to the states according to a formula which incorporates the number of Medicaid beneficiaries. The highway infrastructure money for the states will go out according to the regular formula. School construction money will go to individual school districts according to their Title 1 allocations. So either localities or states by formula.

And then finally some money will go out by a competitive process where agencies will evaluate applications. For example, there is some additional money in here for National Institutes of Health research, for National Science Foundation research, for building out of broadband. Those are examples of programs where there will be no entitlement, but a competitive process to see what proposals have the greatest merit.

It's old but it still works. And now, the vote is in and I can still use it until June.

But the question is, will local stations make the switch anyway? 

I think Joe Straley introduced me to the School of the America's role in overthrowing Central American governments and spreading terror across Latin America.

A post on NC Blue today says local Congressman David Price has put his name to a bill that would shut down the Georgia-based school, which critics say has trained tens of thousands of Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency tactics they later went on to use against their own people. Here is an excerpt.

"Thank you, David Price"

"I would like to thank Rep. Price for his support for closing down
the School of the Americas and his co-sponsorship of HR 1707,
legislation that would suspend operations at the School of the
Americas, renamed WHINSEC, and investigate the history of human rights
abuses and failed policies of the institution."

"Of the 125 co-sponsors of this bill, Rep. Price is the ONLY NC member of congress to put their name on the line."

Read the full post here.