Tesla's full-court-press campaign to kill a North Carolina bill that would ban the California company from selling its pricey electric cars here put Gov. Pat McCrory behind the wheel of the $100,000 super auto at lunchtime Monday.

Tesla lobbyists in recent weeks have met with more than a dozen lawmakers in a bid to block the legislation. They usually bring a Tesla Model S for special effect and a complementary test drive.

But putting McCrory in the cockpit of a Model S on Monday was an unplanned coup.

The lobbyists, from Raleigh's Brooks Pierce law firm, took their all-electric road show to John Skvarla, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Skvarla was so excited about the high-performance machine that he decided to drive it to the Governor's Mansion to show the chief executive himself.

"John came up knocking on the door," explained McCrory spokesman Rick Martinez.

View NC tolls for I-95 in a larger map

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the House agreed to let the state collect tolls to help pay for the addition of new lanes on I-95 and other interstate highways -- but only if drivers retain the option to drive toll-free in the old lanes. (5/18/13 update: See today's story with reader comments.)

Eastern North Carolina political leaders and residents of the eight I-95 counties have opposed a state Department of Transportation proposal to collect tolls on both new and old lanes to finance a $4.4 billion widening and overhaul for I-95. The aging interstate would be expanded from four to eight lanes on the busiest 50 miles between I-40 in Johnston County and St. Pauls in Robeson County, and six lanes on the remainder of its 182 miles between the South Carolina and Virginia borders. Under the original proposal, drivers would begin paying tolls in all lanes before the project is finished.

If the Senate agrees with the House approach, DOT will have to adjust its plans.

"If they decide they want to toll any lanes on interstates that exist in North Carolina, they can only do that if they build new lanes," said Rep. Jeff Collins, a Rocky Mount Republican who sponsored the bill. "They can't toll the current lanes now in anticipation of building new non-toll lanes later. They can't build a toll lane unless they keep they same number of non-toll lanes that were in existence before they built those toll lanes."

Rep. Elmer Floyd, a Fayetteville Democrat, said the legislation will be welcome news for local residents and trucking companies that depend on I-95.

"This bill will help the poorest portion of our state," Floyd said.

Collins said DOT officials have spoken tentatively of adding the new lanes and giving them higher speed limits, as an incentive to out-of-state drivers who might be willing to pay the toll.

"There might be a 10 mph advantage to paying the toll, or something like that, if you wanted to fly through our state," Collins said. "People in my area can go up and down I-95 without paying a toll."

During his first campaign for governor in 2008, Republican Pat McCrory hammered his opponent, Bev Perdue, on her ties to major Democratic Party fundraisers on the state Board of Transportation.

McCrory vowed repeatedly in 2008 that he would never appoint campaign fundraisers to the transportation board if he was elected governor.

But that's what he did after he won the 2012 election.

Mike Smith, a Raleigh real estate executive, was sworn into office Thursday (eighth from the left in photo, above) as one of Gov. McCrory's first appointees to the transportation board. Smith reports on campaign disclosure forms that he personally collected $106,000 for McCrory's 2012 campaign. (See copy of his disclosure form, below.) A second appointee, Wilmington lawyer Mike Lee, said he had rounded up $500 as a McCrory fundraiser.... [MORE]

There’s no sugarcoating it: Mason Plumlee played awful—a-w-f-u-l—in the first half. To his credit, though, he was much more efficient down the stretch in the second as he stopped turning the ball over and made four key free throws in the final 2:30 of the game. Let’s take a closer look:

Visit the Dix Visionaries web site and you will find a leadership roster filled with some of North Carolina's most prominent people, from real estate developers and energy executives to educators, lawyers and three former governors.

One name stands out: Pat McCrory.

McCrory is lisited as a member of the Dix Visionaries Business Advisory Council, and his title is given as "Mayor of Charlotte," indicating that the inclusion dates back to his time as Charlotte's top elected official.

Here's where things get unusual: A spokesman for McCrory's gubernatorial team said Wednesday that McCrory has never been involved with Dix Visionaries.

Outgoing Gov. Bev Perdue will appoint a replacement for departing N.C. Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, whose resignation was confirmed Wednesday.

As with any high-profile opening, the news has set off rounds of chatter in political and legal circles on who will get the coveted appointment. Click on "Read more" for some names being mentioned as chatter in political and legal circles.

Updated late Friday: The Romney campaign says it will annouce the VP choice on Saturday in Virginia, at the outset of the bus tour.

Mitt Romney is bus touring through so-called "swing" states beginning Saturday, including planned stops on Sunday in North Carolina that include a barbecue restaurant in Morrisville. He'll also visit Ohio, Virginia and Florida on the four-day trip.

The bus trip is raising yet again speculation about when Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, will annouce his running mate. Potential choices are from Virginia (Gov. Bob McDonnell), Ohio (Sen. Rob Portman), and Florida (Sen. Marco Rubio).

Might Romney announce his choice on Friday, then hit the road through key states, as John McCain did after announcing Sarah Palin as his choice in 2008? It is unclear, of course.

But here's some math that makes that scenario seem unlikely: Most of the recent choices for VP were announced in the week before the party's convention, according to an analysis by Dome of data compiled by HLNTV.com. (Find its slide show here.)

The one exception was John Edwards in 2004 -- announced nearly three weeks before that year's convention in Boston.

The GOP convention kicks off on Aug. 27 in Tampa, Fla., which is still more than two weeks after the Romney swing state bus tour begins.

If you take into account the past two decades, and exclude the Edwards choice, then VP picks have been announced, on average, about four days prior to the party's convention.

Here's when recent choices were announced:

2008: Joe Biden -- Aug. 23, two days before the convention.

2008: Sarah Palin -- Aug. 29, three days before the convention.

2004: John Edwards -- July 6, 20 days before the convention.

2000: Joe Lieberman -- Aug. 7, seven days before the convention.

2000: Dick Cheney -- July 25, six days before the convention.

1996: Jack Kemp -- Aug. 10, two days before the convention.

1992: Al Gore -- July 9, four days before the convention.

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's comments on immigration during a speech at Duke yesterday have caught the attention of pundits in D.C.

During her remarks Tuesday night Rice said one of her biggest regrets during her time in the Bush adminstration was failing to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2007.  Immigration policies at the state level like in Arizona aren't working, she said.

“That immigrant culture that has renewed us … has been at the core of our strength,” she said. “I don’t know when immigrants became the enemy.”

The N&O first reported her comments after the lecture at Duke's Page Auditorium. Since then they've been relinked and posted on blogs throughout outlets in D.C. including The Huffington Post and The Hill, a D.C. paper that reports on Congress and national politics.

Some political observers have speculated whether Rice might be tapped to be likely GOP-presidential nominee Mitt Romney's running mate, but she has denied such reports.

UNC system President Tom Ross is defending a proposal to remove university workers from the State Personnel Act.

In tomorrow's N&O and Chapel Hill News, the president of the university system, says having one personnel system for workers exempt from and currently subject to the State Personnel Act would benefit everyone.

“We’re not interested in taking away the rights of our SPA employees,” he says. “Unfortunately some outside groups have attempted to create that fear. What we want to do is create flexibility to do more for our employees.”

Senate Bill 575 would put 22,000 workers under the UNC Board of Governors. The bill's dead this session, but its HR change could be inserted in the final budget bill. Among other provisions, the board would adopt policies on compensation, health and disability benefits, and “any other human resource policy the Board deems appropriate to promote the recruitment and retention of capable, diligent, and effective employees.”

Last week, a group sent a letter signed by 130 individuals and organizations to UNC-CH  Chancellor Holden Thorp, asking him to publicly state where he stands and to speak at a rally at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday outside South Building on the UNC-CH campus. We'll be at the rally and have a report Thursday in print and online. 

Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton has launched his bid to replace Gov. Bev Perdue, who earlier today said she will not run for re-election.

He announced his intentions in this prepared statement to the media:

“I believe that our future economy and better jobs depend on our historic commitment to education. After all, education is in North Carolina’s DNA – it's what sets us apart and it's what will determine our future. However, you can’t make progress if you are pointed in the wrong direction. Pat McCrory and the Republican leadership are facing the wrong way by cutting teachers, reducing scholarships and abandoning economic development. They are doing lasting damage to our state. I’ve dedicated my career to improving education at all levels and making North Carolina a great place to do business.

“Today, I'm announcing that I am running for Governor. Lucille and I love this state and we understand tough political races. I am the only candidate who has run and won statewide and I look forward to waging an aggressive campaign. Elections are about choices. As a state we must decide the direction in which we will turn. With this campaign, I choose to look ahead to a brighter future.  I choose progress.  I choose a future where public education is the foundation of our economy.”