News-Record.com

I hauled myself downtown this morning to catch Gov. Mike Easley’s bill signing of HB 1896, “an act to amend the sex offender and public protection registration programs.” Click here for bill text and info. And here is the governor’s news release on the bill.

I had hoped to bring you some audio of a Q+A session with the governor today. But you can't record what doesn't take place.

In my relatively short time covering Cap City, Easley has usually taken the occasion of bill signings to field a few questions from us scrubby media types. He doesn’t do regular briefings, so sporadic announcements and bill signings are usually his only opportunities for Q+A.

Today, however, he bolted from the room before anyone could fire off a question.

I’m told by and older, wiser and longer serving hand that the move “is unusual, but not unprecedented.”

Now maybe Easley had a pressing lunch engagement. Maybe he needed to get his dog to the vet or meet the plumber or something. Heck, maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and didn’t feel like dealing with us.

But it sure felt like he was avoiding questions related to our friendly local Speaker of the House and the upcoming legislative elections.

I could be wrong, but I would bet big money that at least 80 percent of the reporters in the room had questions in their notebooks regarding Speaker Black. And I think Easley would have made that same calculation as well.