Members of the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to override Gov. Mike Easley's rejection of a new law easing the restrictions on the towing of boats.

Easley rejected a measure approved last month that allows boats up to 10 feet wide to be towed without a permit. The new law also allows boats up to 9 1/2 feet wide to be towed at night.

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman said lawmakers tried to work out a compromise with Easley before Wednesday's vote, but were unsuccessful.

North Carolina lawmakers have never overridden a veto since the state's governors were given the power in 1996.

Governor Easley used his power to veto a plan to ease boat towing rules, now it's back to the drawing board to search for a compromise.

The rejected bill would have let drivers tow boats up to 10 feet wide without a special permit. It would also allow owners to tow boats up to 9.5 feet wide at night.

Right now, boats up to 8.5 feet wide are allowed on the roads only during the day on weekends.
That's because many of the state's roads only have lanes nine feet wide.

Last week, the state highway patrol set up a demonstration to show how a nine-foot-wide boat trailer would knock down the cones set on the center line as it traveled along the lane. The point was to demonstrate there is little or no clearance once you start to get to the bigger boats.

"We're concerned about the potential loss of lives, increased numbers of collisions involving boats, and the potential for fatalities," explained Colonel Walter Wilson Jr., who is the commander state highway patrol.

At Boatworks in Apex, owner Steve Heberly sees lots of watercraft. He believes boats ought to be towed only at certain times.

"I think after hours most folks are off the road. That's the idea time to haul the boats," he said. It's a lot safer. It gets everybody where they're going to go, and at night there's not a lot happening."

In Beaufort, Parker's Marine has been building boats for years. That company's owner says if lawmakers don't override the governor's veto, it'll have a huge economic impact on coastal areas where the larger boats tend to be used.

"It's really is significant, the number of people affected," said Linwood Parker. "It's not just boat builders, but boat dealers, marina owners, restaurants, hotels and motels and tackle shops. The list just goes on and on."

When lawmakers return Wednesday, the governor hopes they'll modify the boat towing bill.

"I'd like lower the alcohol level so that boat towers are held to the same standards as commercial drivers, which is .04," said the Easley. "Secondly, I'd like boat towers to be at least 18 years of age. And third, I'd like to limit nighttime towing hours so you can drive some after sunset and just a bit before sunrise."

TALK BACK TO STEVE ON HIS BLOG AT: http://blogs.wncn.info/betweenthelines

Patrol Lt. Everett Clendenin says Commander Walter J. Wilson Jr. is shifting Maj. Gregory Hayes from Troop Operations, which oversees about 1,600 troopers and civilian employees and much of the day-to-day duties. Hayes will lead the Technical Support Unit, which has about 10 troopers and 60 civilian employees who handle information technology and logistics.

Asheville troop Capt. Mike T. James is being promoted to major to replace Hayes on Sept. 8.

Clendenin says the changes allow the men to expand their knowledge of other duties.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Hayes had been in the position since February 2007 and questions had been raised about the patrol's federally subsidized enforcement of construction work zones.

Coach Tom O'Brien said Friday that Wilson will start in next week's opener at South Carolina and senior Daniel Evans will be his backup.

O'Brien said he picked Wilson because he "gives us the best opportunity to win the football game."

The decision ends a lengthy process in which five players began preseason camp in the mix for the job.

Wilson becomes the third N.C. State freshman quarterback to start his first college game.

He's the Wolfpack's third starting quarterback in O'Brien's two seasons. Evans made eight starts during N.C. State's 5-7 season in 2007, and third-stringer Harrison Beck started four games.

Thursday, Brad Wilson convened the first meeting of the 21st Century Transportation Committee since the short session of the legislature ended. Lawmakers approved more money for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority but didn't address the state's long term transportation needs.

"Sticking our head in the sand under the banner of 'No new taxes' or 'No new fees' is, I think, both irresponsible and a formula for failure," Wilson said after the meeting, although he said the prospect of raising taxes is distasteful.

Wilson said all tax options - including charging drivers for how much they travel - are on the table as the committee looks at ways to fill a projected $64 billion construction shortage over the next 22 years.

Among those options the panel will study is plan to charge drivers for how much they drive - a contentious proposal some other states, including South Dakota, have kicked around. Under the measure, North Carolina motorists would be taxed for every mile over the state's average they drive.

For example, a motorist's first 12,000 miles - an estimated average - would not be taxed, but drivers who go over that average would be charged a fraction of a penny for each additional mile they drive, Wilson said. But how the state could measure and charge that has yet to be determined, he said.

Also being studied is a plan to transform roadways in dire need of maintenance, such as Interstate 95, into toll routes.

Wilson's call comes just months after the North Carolina Turnpike Authority secured millions in state money to help pay for building new toll roads that won't be covered by user fees.

The panel also will consider hiking existing road and vehicle fees along with transferring some roads under state control to the counties.

State Rep. Nelson Cole, D-Rockingham, said local property taxes then could be raised to cover the maintenance of those transferred roads.

Cole said some new residents, including retirees, have moved to the state to take advantage of low property taxes.

The state's Fiscal Research Division estimates that less than $1 of the average North Carolina resident's local property taxes go toward highways, while the national average is $27.

The call to draft tax increases comes at a time when many states, including North Carolina, are struggling to keep pace fixing their crumbling road and bridges as the cost of construction materials, such as asphalt and steel, have escalated.

North Carolina's primary road funding sources - the vehicle sales tax and the per-gallon fuel tax, capped at 29.9 cents - have declined or been stagnant over the last five years. That's due, in part, to motorists buying more fuel-efficient vehicles and curbing gas consumption amid high oil prices.

"Most of the state's transportation money comes from the gasoline tax, and that's a problem," he said. "People are driving less and buying more fuel efficient cars, so tax revenues are going down and that won't change. Those revenue streams are not going to sustain us. They're not sustaining us now."

On the national level, Congress is grappling with ways to fill a multibillion hole in the federal Highway Trust Fund. That source provides North Carolina with about one-quarter of its roughly $4 billion highway budget.

Wilson said he wants the panel to present lawmakers with a menu they can select from when they return in January. The group will meet again next month.

"Like it or not, we're not going to get out of the hole that we're in, just by shuffling around the current money," Wilson said.

The committee will present a list of recommendations to the General Assembly in January.

Leslie Merritt said in the investigative report that the financial problems led to the resignation of the society's executive director, dismissal of the finance director and layoffs of seven employees. Because of the shortfall, the society was forced to sell assets to meet its payroll and other expenses, the auditor said.

"Responsibility for the success or failure of a nonprofit like the Autism Society rests dually with management and with the board of directors," Merritt said. "In this case, the board did not appear to be engaged to the point of asking appropriate questions and following up on issues related to the Society's financial condition."

The society's $11 million annual budget consists primarily of government funds, Merritt said. Since 2003, the group has received $45 million, including direct appropriations and payments from Medicaid and the State Mental Health Program.

The audit was conducted between January and June after Merritt's office received a hot line tip.

Society President Dr. F. Whitney Jones Jr. said in a written response to the audit that the group recognizes the need for improved financial oversight.

"As your review notes, one of the major causes of the deficit was providing services that were not funded but were consistent with the mission of the organization," Jones said.

The agency is an advocate for individuals and families with autism issues and provides public education about the needs of those with autism.

Jones said new controls include managers monitoring daily cash flow and requiring two authorizations to borrow from a line of credit and to liquidate assets.

The society also was told in 2006 that it had violated federal labor laws and was required to pay $191,840 in overtime to employees, the report said.

Auditors also called for stricter controls on agency credit cards, which are used to pay expenses for some autism programs. The audit said there were questionable charges totaling $2,673 on the finance director's card for staff appreciation lunches, baby showers and gifts.

Jones said stricter credit card controls are in place, including a requirement that any purchase more than $200 be approved in advance.

The society has facilities in Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Laurinburg, New Bern, and Raleigh.
 

Officials for both the Democratic and Republican headquarters said the death of Arkansas Democratic Party chairman Bill Gwatney forced their respective offices to consider whether additional security measures were needed.

Little Rock police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings identified the suspect in the shooting as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50. Police later shot and killed him after a 30-mile chase.

Gwatney died at a hospital four hours after the gunman walked into Arkansas headquarters and shot the 48-year-old former state senator three times.

N.C. Republican Party spokesman Brent Woodcox said a security officer would be brought in next week and confirmed that the shooting directly affected the decision. Democratic Party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton said officials were deciding what additional security measures might be needed.

Bolton said officials were waiting for further details surrounding Gwatney's death before announcing specific security plans.

"We strive for balance between accessibility and safety," she said. We want for people who come into the North Carolina Democratic Party headquarters to feel safe and secure."

Woodcox said small acts of vandalism had occurred at the GOP office during the summer, including the headquarters sign being broken and kicked in.

"We're constantly vigilant about who is coming into our office," he said. "But we don't want to be a closed-off office."

Woodcox said the incident transcended party lines and their political differences.

"We have important disagreements," he said. "But obviously when a human situation like this occurs, it's not any longer about parties."

"She couldn't say, 'Well, maybe we'll work through this for years, or maybe we should separate for two years,"' said Hargrave McElroy, a friend, told the magazine for its Aug. 25 issue. "(The cancer) forced her to choose whether to move forward."

Edwards, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate, admitted last week to having a short affair in 2006 with a filmmaker named Rielle Hunter, who was hired that year to produce short videos for his political action committee. The former North Carolina senator denied he was the father of Hunter's five-month old daughter, and offered to take a paternity test to prove it.

Through her attorney, Hunter rejected the idea of such a test and said she has no intention to speak publicly about the affair. Through a spokeswoman, both John and Elizabeth Edwards declined a request for an interview Wednesday.

Edwards has said he both ended the affair and told Elizabeth about his infidelity in 2006. He kicked off his second bid for the White House in New Orleans a few days after Christmas, at an event that Hunter attended and Elizabeth did not.

But Elizabeth was out campaigning soon thereafter, and continued to do so after the couple disclosed in March that her breast cancer has spread to her bone and could not be cured. In July of that year, the Edwards renewed their vows to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in the presence of a small group of friends and family, including their three children.

Now Easley is talking strategy on Obama's behalf.

The two-term outgoing governor was set to participate Wednesday in a conference call with two Obama political operatives to outline the campaign's plan to win North Carolina's 15 electoral votes.

Easley endorsed Clinton a week before the May 6 primary. But Obama won the election handily. The victory is considered by some a turning point in Obama's drive to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Obama national political director Patrick Gaspard and state director Marc Farinella also will participate with Easley.

A Democrat hasn't won North Carolina's electoral votes since 1976.

The independent liberal group Majority Action on Thursday began running a television ad targeting GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole's relationship with the oil industry. The ad says that Dole has taken hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions from the industry while voting to give oil companies tax breaks.

The conservative group Americans for Prosperity also announced it has paid for a radio ad praising Dole for pushing to allow offshore drilling.

The state GOP released an online video questioning Democratic challenger Kay Hagan's position on offshore drilling in light of her recent decision to support a measure which allows offshore drilling.

The North Carolina State Health Plan announced Thursday it's discontinuing the "Blue Points" program at the end of the month. Blue Points allows members who are physically active or participate in wellness activities to earn points they can use toward prizes.

Health Plan officials say less than 10,000 of the plan's 650,000 members participate in the plan. Eliminating it will save the plan $1 million.

The State Health Plan is tightening its belt after legislators said the plan's finances fell $115 million short of expectations for the fiscal year ending in June.

Plan executive director George Stokes was fired.

While attending Scotland High School of Math, Science and Technology in Laurinburg, the 17-year-old began her day at Richmond Community College in Hamlet and earned other credits in an online course. Now she's got college friends and college credits, and a head start toward becoming a pharmacist.

"Moving (for college) is going to be a big change for me, and now knowing what to expect will make it easier for me," said Patterson, who also was able to juggle athletics and two jobs while taking classes and enjoying the high school life.

The statewide North Carolina Virtual Public School program allows students like Patterson to take online courses, recover missing credits, earn college credit or get to college faster. It's available statewide to public middle school and high school students.

Interest has ballooned since the program was created by the Legislature in 2006, funded with a $2.6 million appropriation. Enrollment grew from an initial 4,968 in summer 2007 to nearly 13,000 in spring 2008.

Of the 72 courses offered online, students have mostly taken advantage of Advanced Placement and foreign language courses, and officials say that's because those subjects aren't available at all of North Carolina's public schools.

Students must sign up at the beginning of a semester and complete the course by semester's end. Officials said in 45 of the 52 courses offered in Spring 2008, 86.5 percent of students scored above 70 percent, equivalent to a C.

Patterson, who will transfer 31 credits to fulfill her general education requirements at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, is among the success stories being touted by those championing efforts to expand the online offerings of North Carolina's public schools.

After studying models of online learning from Florida, Georgia and Idaho, program executive director Bryan Setser said North Carolina decided on a hybrid method.

"Our results are extremely promising," Setser said. "We're seeing our classes and our courses compete with face-to-face averages and above in many areas."

The classes use technology such as Skype software that allows for Internet phone calls, live video chats, real-time assessments and live messaging for the coursework, and allow students the flexibility to work from home or school.

The program includes the state's Learn and Earn Online program, which enables students like Patterson to attend community colleges as part of their school day.

Gov. Mike Easley told a group of superintendents and educators this week that the economy is demanding more creativity and innovation in education. That's why the Learn and Earn Online part of the virtual school, which offers high school juniors and seniors college credit, is so important.

And for students like Phone Keosouma, who had dropped out of West Montgomery High School in Troy, the program will help them graduate on time. Encouraged by officials at his school, Keosouma returned and took online courses to recover the credits he'd missed. He also earned some college credits.

"I returned last fall determined to graduate," Keosouma said during a public forum on the program.

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson said she believes online learning will contribute to lifelong learning and redefine what school means.

"A student's address does not determine a student's access," Atkinson said. "Just like we have social networks, we need schools to be a part of a student's social network. This is just one step in the progression of redefining the place called school."

Gov. Mike Easley signed a measure into law Monday that temporarily legalizes ticket scalping over the Internet.

The new law carves an exemption in the state's no-scalping law by allowing vendors to use Internet auction and resale Web sites to flip tickets for profit. Selling tickets for more than $3 above face value in any other way is still prohibited.

The measure also protects consumers who shop for seats on the Internet.

For example, Web scalpers now must guarantee that the tickets are legitimate and will be received on time. If those conditions aren't met, consumers are eligible for refunds.

Many venues and sports teams had pushed for the change because they said it could help cut down on bogus ticket sales online.

Legislators approved the measure last month after a heated House debate where some lawmakers questioned if the state was moving to legalize online scalping only because it couldn't regulate it.

The new law also makes it illegal for people to use software programs that block out other consumers and allow them to buy large groups of tickets.

The measure takes effect immediately and expires June 30, 2009.

Bill sponsor Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, R-Cabarrus, has said the sunset date will give lawmakers a chance to study scalping and change the law next year if needed.

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama addressed La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic advocacy group in California last month.
    
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in North Carolina about 20 percent of Latinos are eligible to vote. That’s just about 120,000 Hispanics. The number may only account for two percent of eligible voters in the state, but four months before voters hit the polls, some key issues are in the minds of many.
    
With the help of his supporters, Mark Perry is reaching out to the Hispanic community.

Hoping to win the seat of the Wake County District Court Judge, criminal defense attorney, Mark Perry says his language barrier won't keep him away from reaching out to as many voters.

"Because I want to reach out to all the voters, in Wake County, everyone ought to exercise their franchise,” Perry said. “I jokingly refer to that as your license to complain, so anywhere there are registered voters, I want to meet them, because I need their assistance in trying to prevail in the elections this November the fourth."

Hundreds from the Hispanic community gathered in Cary at the La Ley music festival.
Although his opponent, Anna Worley, wasn't scheduled to attend, Perry’s volunteers say it was the perfect opportunity to spread voter awareness.

"I really do think we can make a difference,” said registered voter, Esther Gonzales. “Everyone who is Hispanic, who has a right to vote, should vote, and that's what's going to make our mark, right there."

"We can let the people know, those who are on top, what we need, what we want," said Alfredo Ramirez, another voter.

And while families where out to have a good time at the festival, when asked about the upcoming election, Gonzales was happy to share her opinion on what she believes really affects her community.

"Like if the gas goes up, then yeah, everything is going to go up eventually,” Gonzales said, “but I think that we should hit more on immigration, so they can be here more and be able to work and stuff. "

State education officials say they can't give teachers the maximum $1,500 bonus that's meant as a reward for students' performance on state exams. Instead, teachers could likely see a few hundred dollars less in their bonus checks.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that the State Board of Education will announce Thursday how severe the cuts will be when the bonus eligibility numbers are released.

Education officials had warned that $107 million might be needed for bonuses this year.

But in the budget adopted last month, the General Assembly ordered the department not to spend more than $94 million in bonuses.

The board asked the state Supreme Court to reverse a Superior Court judge's decision from September 2007 that determined the board overstepped its authority by threatening to punish physicians for participating in executions.

The medical board said in the appeal it filed Wednesday that it "would be abandoning its own mission were it not to enforce and protect the ethics of the medical profession, especially one so central to the medical profession as the preservation of life."

The board's policy effectively triggered a moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina, which has not executed an inmate since August 2006.

Department of Correction spokesman Keith Acree said his office couldn't immediately comment because the agency had not seen the filing.

The board wrote in its appeal that the main question before the court "is whether the legislature ever intended to jeopardize the trust between the people of North Carolina and their physicians for the sake of unnecessary participation by physicians in judicial executions."

The filing argued that the General Assembly has consistently shown through legislative acts that it "never intended for physicians to actively participate in judicial executions."

The medical board licenses and disciplines doctors in North Carolina. It adopted the policy in January 2007, saying the participation of physicians in executions violates the ethics of a profession tasked with saving life.

But Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens said last year that state law does not grant the medical board the right to prohibit doctors from assisting in executions. He also ruled that executions are not medical procedures.

The filing said that it's irrelevant whether an execution is a medical procedure because the Legislature has given the board the authority to discipline doctors for violations of medical ethics, regardless of whether they involve the practice of medicine. Such violations include sexual relationships with patients and fraudulent billing.

State law requires that a doctor be present during a lethal injection, and a federal judge demanded last year that a doctor oversee the process of putting an inmate to death.

The state had revised its lethal injection process in an attempt to satisfy the judge, requiring that a physician monitor "the essential body functions of the condemned inmate" and notify the warden if the inmate shows signs of "undue pain and suffering."

The medical board said in the court filing that the state Department of Correction and the Central Prison warden had given contradictory statements about the extent of doctors' involvement in executions.

Democracy North Carolina filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Board of Elections. Group leader Bob Hall argues the method by which the Republican Governors Association is raising money for the independent expenditure committee is unlawful.

Campaign reports show the RGA North Carolina 2008 Political Action Committee already has raised nearly $390,000.

Hall says the association raised money from out-of-state donors who aren't being told the money is going to the North Carolina committee. Hall argues that state law doesn't allow that.

McCrory, the Charlotte mayor, faces Democrat Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in November.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina said Monday its political action committee's endorsement was approved by the association's board over the weekend.

The 55,000-member organization chose Perdue, currently the state's lieutenant governor, over Republican Pat McCrory, Charlotte's mayor.

Four years ago, the group picked GOP nominee Patrick Ballantine over incumbent Democratic Gov. Mike Easley. The State Employees Association had been at odds with Easley during his first term.

The association endorsed seven Democrats and one Republican in eight other partisan statewide positions. The lone Republican is State Auditor Les Merritt.

The measure, approved overwhelmingly by the House and Senate means a tougher penalty for sex offenders. Jessica's Law will require a mandatory 25-year to life in prison sentence for some sex offenders.

"I believe in my heart it's one of the most important things that we as elected members of the general assembly can do on behalf of our children," said State Rep. Julia Howard of Davie County.

Three years ago, Jessica Lunsford was abducted from her Florida home, and was raped and killed by a convicted sex offender.

"It makes me absolutely sick that we even have to address this problem but we have to acknowledge it's there and do anything and everything we can," said North Carolina Senator Julia Boseman.

The Jessica Lunsford act for North Carolina will mean mandatory life in prison without parole or 25 years in prison followed by satellite based monitoring for life, for an adult convicted of rape or first degree sexual offenses against someone under 13.

And they would have to register as a sex offender for 30 years instead of 10. But, offenders would have the opportunity to ask for a shorter registration after 10 years.

"The goal of this bill is two fold, it's to lock these guys up as possible and when and if they do get out of prison put them on monitoring and restrictions we know where they are and their opportunities to re-offend are not readily available," Rep. Tim Moore said.

The push for Jessica's Law was started by her father, Mark Lunsford, who fought to get this legislation since the death of his daughter, three years ago.

Jessica's Law will go into affect this December.

Superior Court Judge Jim Hardin entered the dismissal motion Monday in Wake County court.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina accused Moore of failing to comply fully with records requests for information about the pension fund. But Moore said it had provided all documents that the group had asked to receive and called the lawsuit politically motivated.

Hardin dismissed the lawsuit because he wrote the group failed to provide facts that support a claim meriting relief.

Moore's lawyer last month accused an association attorney of offering a bribe to drop the lawsuit. The group called the accusation preposterous.

Lawmakers are aiming to leave town for the year as soon as Friday. They've still got a lot of work to do to please Gov. Mike Easley and others before adjournment.

The Senate planned to debate Thursday drought response legislation sought by Easley. And the House was expected to take a final vote on an Easley-backed mortgage foreclosure bill.

Bills to exempt Internet sales from the ticket-scalping law and to prohibit more children from sitting alone in the back of pickup truck also are being considered.

Other measures aren't likely to be heard, such as a moratorium on involuntary annexations. Prospects for the Senate to consider an anti-bullying measure are uncertain.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that the North Carolina Medical Board decided to post only settlements that total more than $25,000 on its Web site. The amount is the level at which a doctor's malpractice insurance premiums are affected.

The information won't be posted until fall 2009.

Medical board members also voted to only show malpractice data dating to October 2007, which is when the Legislature created the rule requiring the information be posted. Initially, the information was to be shown for a seven-year period.

Some doctors and their attorneys have threatened to sue, arguing that publishing malpractice settlements could violate secrecy clauses.

But even the watered-down rules could be vulnerable to a legal challenge, said Stephen Keene, the N.C. Medical Society's general counsel. The society is a lobbying group for doctors.

Malpractice information already is published by more than 20 states.

Doctors have said that publishing the information could lead patients and the public to believe that a settlement is the same as admitting negligence or poor care.

A research company that looked into the issue for the board said North Carolinians wanted access to the information.

The bill was approved Wednesday on a 43-1 vote. It would allow 53-foot long tractor trailers to be driven on all primary roadways. Current state law restricts them to interstates and designated highways, while 48-foot trailers are not bound by restrictions.

Supporters say long trailers have become the industry standard. Allowing the 53-foot trucks on more roads will help North Carolina businesses so that goods can be delivered.

The plan also gives the Department of Transportation the power to restrict truck traffic on roads it deems unsafe for the large vehicles.

If Easley signs the bill, it would go into effect Sept. 1.

The Senate voted 43-0 on Wednesday to allow boats up to 10 feet wide to be towed without a permit any day of the week, and allow watercraft up to 9 1/2 feet wide to be pulled at night.

Current state law allows boats up to 8 1/2 feet wide to be towed during daylight hours only on weekdays.

Easley's chief lobbyist has said the governor is not likely to sign the bill into law, because he is concerned the changes are unsafe.

The Senate vote sends the bill back to the House, which approved a less-restrictive version last month.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Monday the Federal Highway Administration provided more than $1.6 million for special patrols in work zones. But the newspaper says some troopers listed work zone enforcement as part of their duty as they drove through zones on the way to and from work.

Doug Hecox with the federal agency says it expects more than what officers do as part of their regular duties.

The newspaper says it found a surge in 15-minute construction zone patrols after a major sent an e-mail last year telling troopers to record all time spent in or traveling through a work zone. Maj. Gregory Hayes says he didn't mean for troopers to count the time driving through a zone.

Another dozen cases have been reported in Mecklenburg.

Despite the fact that tomatoes have been taken off tables nationwide, local growers are still selling them by the bushel.

"Oh goodness. Hundreds and hundreds," said Carmel O'Rourke, who's got a produce table at the State Farmers' Market.

O'Rourke said people are a little wary at first, and ask a lot of questions about salmonella, but usually feel comfortable buying local.

"I think it's actually boosted it. I think people find that this is a safe place to buy tomatoes, being that they're grown right here in the state of North Carolina," said O'Rourke.

Meanwhile, state health investigators are busy trying to track down what has gotten at least 14 people sick. Originally, they were focused only on tomatoes, but now they're broadening their search.

"It's a food product that contains tomatoes in it -- but it might not be the tomatoes themselves, so we're looking at fresh cilantro, fresh peppers, things that go into salsas," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Jeff Engel.

He said it's been a little tough trying to figure out if the 14 victims all ate similar meals.

"We have vigorous interviews, and we try to reach these people as quick as we can," said Dr. Engel. "But often times it's a week or later by the time we get the report, it's confirmed and we get our initial interview done."

Local growers say they hope the source is found quickly, but in the meantime, they're happy to answer concerns from cautious customers.

"I think it's good that people ask questions so they do stay educated," said O'Rourke.

Those 14 cases here in North Carolina are a tiny percentage of the national outbreak, which has topped 1,000 already.

Dr. Engel says more than 2,000 North Carolinians get other types of salmonella that are just as dangerous every year; the best way to keep safe is cook your chicken to at least 165 degrees, don't eat raw eggs and always wash fruits and vegetables.

Health investigators have converged on a Charlotte-area restaurant as a source of several of the salmonella-related illnesses. Investigators are analyzing the facility's suppliers.