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Thursday notes: governor cheers on economic development board; gambling revenues fall; more notes

A few notes from this Thursday so far:

Gov. Bev Perdue talked to the first meeting of her Economic Development Board this morning. She did not stop to chat with reporters about potential vetoes (click here) but has scheduled a tentative presser with reporters this afternoon to talk about unfinished business from the legislative session.
In chatting up her new economic development board (which includes a cast of thousands – the list is at this link) Perdue said she wanted an economic development plan from them by Jan. 31. “Every decision that I make, every call I make, is going to be prefaced with the work I’m asking you to do,” Perdue sai
She also suggested a new marketing slogan for the state: “North Carolina: The State of Innovation." I’m not sure how serious she was about that one – it sounded like she was leaving it to the board to decide whether that might be a good marketing ploy.

In more serious business, Perdue charged the board with breaking down barries between the state's various economic development assets. And she talked about her planned trip to China this fall, saying it was necessary for state leaders to go where there are companies that might want to do business here and recruit them.
A New York Times article reported this morning: “Casinos and lotteries in most states are reporting a downturn in revenue for the first time, resulting in a drop in the money collected by state and local governments, according to new state data.” I’m not sure what that might mean for video sweepstakes that are popping up here in the state. Click here for the Times' piece.
Speaking of video sweepstakes, Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin says she won’t seek a fourth term from her Richmond County-based seat. Goodwin has been one of the chief opponents of video poker and all its forms down here at the General Assembly.
Wake County Rep. Ty Harrell is facing both board of elections and ethics inquiries over his used of campaign funds. Click here for the WRAL story.
Sec. of State Elaine Marshall has formed an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Senate. She would be in a Democrat primary to challenge incumbent Richard Burr. I have more thoughts on this race than I want to cover in this post, right at the moment. (Politico)
A good but sad read from the DesMoines Register: “A massive backlog of unresolved disability claims at the Social Security Administration has kept Lindberg and millions of others waiting years for benefits they earned while in the work force. The delays have led to splintered families, foreclosed homes and suicides.” (Click here for that story.)
President Obama did not give a shout out to the Greensboro family mentioned in this blog post, but they were sitting in the box with the first lady for Wednesday night’s health care speech. Click here for the story from my colleage Dioni Wise.
Speaking of the speech, reaction was typical. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, said “I agree with President Obama that our country needs health care reform that stabilizes costs and provides security to our families. A medical condition should never cause a family to declare bankruptcy.” She offered up audio of her full remarks at this link.
Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, was both complimentary and cautious about the president’s speech: “I applaud the president’s call for action on health care reform, and agree that we must do something. Whatever we do, however, we must get it right. Any plan we consider must promote wellness, prevention, and chronic disease management while expanding access to quality care for all Americans. Further, any health care reform legislation must be financially sustainable over the long term. Recently, I have heard from many North Carolinians who are adamant that health care reform not be rushed through Congress. I am hopeful that my colleagues will realize the need to pass responsible health care reform on a bipartisan basis, not just push legislation through without proper debate and consideration of the consequences for all Americans.”