August 1, 2007 - BUDGET FINAL: Gov. Mike Easley gave the final endorsement to a $20.7 billion state budget, saying its General Assembly authors showed courage for boosting education spending and relieving counties' Medicaid burden. The House and Senate gave final approval to their most expansive legislation of the year Monday, with praise from majority party Democrats who said it will improve education, expand health care research and shift Medicaid costs from each county to the state by mid-2009. Easley, also a Democrat, agreed: "It seems like every year I get an opportunity to say, this is the best budget I have ever seen, and I will tell you, this budget is absolutely magnificent."

TRASHED BILL: Lawmakers settled into negotiations on new solid waste regulations, just a few hours before from the expiration of a yearlong moratorium on new landfill permits. The General Assembly tried to write comprehensive bills upgrading permit, construction and siting requirements for new dumps. But supporters ran into dissent and out of time, leading the House to fast-track a bill to a conference committee so that some of the stricter requirements can be enacted before the session ends this week. The Senate, as planned, rejected House modifications to the bill late Tuesday; the committee had by then already begun trying to reach a compromise.

ON THE AGENDA: Wednesday: Lawmakers and educators plan to pat each other on the back for the new University Cancer Research Fund, which will give $25 million in the coming year for study of the disease at the University of North Carolina. Budget co-author Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, will discuss the fund at an 11 a.m. news conference with Dr. Shelton Earp, director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. William Roper, UNC medical school dean; and cancer patient Joni Grandin of Raleigh. - AP