60 N.C. State University is highly unlikely to negotiate a settlement with former first lady Mary Easley, who earlier this week indicated she will appeal her firing, the university's new leader said Wednesday. www.newsobserver.com/1592039 Gov. Beverly Perdue urged the legislature Wednesday to agree on a state budget, taking what she called an "in-your-face" approach in warning that North Carolina is missing out on $5 million a day in budget cuts and tax increases. www.newsobserver.com/1591900 A 10 percent cut at UNC-CH will total about $60 million in lost funding. www.newsobserver.com/1592451 A national research organization says North Carolina has one of the best models of taxpayer-financed campaigns in the country. www.newsobserver.com/1591890 A new state law will give the public a glimpse behind the curtain at state psychiatric hospitals and other mental health facilities when a patient dies. www.newsobserver.com/1591976 A former aide to John Edwards who claimed he fathered a child born to the mistress of the two-time Democratic presidential candidate spent Wednesday in a federal courthouse. www.newsobserver.com/1592092 Consumers will soon be able to know whether their doctors have paid medical malpractice awards under a bill approved this week by state lawmakers. www.newsobserver.com/1591894 Raleigh councilwoman Nancy McFarlane said Wednesday that she will resign from her position as president of the N.C. Water Rights Committee, saying her involvement with the group has become a distraction. www.newsobserver.com/1591975 President Barack Obama wanted to put a human face on his plans to overhaul health care, and a Virginia supporter did just that Wednesday. www.newsobserver.com/1591921 South Carolina residents, and the simply curious around the world, have watched Gov. Mark Sanford's lovelorn saga unfold, the central character spewing an odd script that would seem more appropriate for a soap opera than state government. www.newsobserver.com/1591922 Former state Auditor Les Merritt has formed a nonprofit foundation dedicated to rooting out public corruption. www.newsobserver.com/1590279 Al Franken's victory in the long-contested Minnesota U.S. Senate race means that Democrats will control 60 Senate seats for the first time in 30 years. But they will still face obstacles to passing major legislation. www.newsobserver.com/1590394 North Carolina got an extension. The legislature did not pass a new state budget by the end of the fiscal year at midnight last night, but lawmakers did approve a temporary spending bill to keep government operating. www.newsobserver.com/1590295 On Tuesday, North Carolina lawmakers gave Sha Na Na's Jon Bouman his wish, passing the Truth in Music Advertising Act, which makes it a crime punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 for a group of musicians to falsely pass themselves off as an established band. www.newsobserver.com/1590294 A bill to alter a state-created insurance plan known as the Beach Plan has passed its first legislative hurdle in the state House. www.newsobserver.com/1590214