News-Record.com

...I wandered downtown to check on the budget negotiations in person. If you want the virtual experience, stare at this picture for several hours, pretending that someone opens the door every so often to make a head to the bathroom or run down to a similar room on the opposite end of the hall.

Room 612 is a conference room in the legislative office building is where the House budget negotiators have set up their base camp. Senate negotiators have another conference room. Occasionally the two groups of top negotiators will get together - typically in 612 if tradition holds - but I haven't seen that tonight.

Some tidbits from my perch here in the hall:

Rep. Hugh Holliman stopped by to say hello. He seemed pessimistic toward idea that things might finish up tonight.

Rep. Bill Owens also said hello.

"Having a big night?" he asked.

"Well," I replied, "the kids are in bed, the wife is watching a sappy movie and I just couldn't think of something better to do."

"I would have on the way down here," he quipped.

That there is funny.

Other than me, there's one poor television station reporter and her camera man hanging about, although I know other scruffy media types are calling in to check on the action like I was earlier today.

Gerry Cohen, the maestro of bill drafting, is lurking in the hall waiting to see if he can send his staff home or whether the bill typers and proof-readers will bill up late tonight and early tomorrow morning.

Other than that, I have no new news to report since the governor got grumpy earlier today. Someone told me that they were going to wrap up at 9 p.m., but it's 9:32 p.m. and they're still going at it.