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I'm back at the day job after hosting Capitolbeat 2008 with the Barkeep and able assists from Jordan, Eszter and James.

Speaking of Capitolbeat, locals may be interested in former N+O reporter Pat Stith's reflections on investigative journalism. Stith was our keynoter Saturday night and we were honored to have him.

In the mean time, Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue is getting ready to become Gov. Perdue early next month.

The Junior League here in Raleigh is hosting a series of inaugural events, including a big shindig the night before the actual swearing in.

NOTED: the sponsors of the events include AT&T, Duke Energy, McGuire Woods, GlaxoSmithKline, University of Phoenix and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina. In every case, I can think of one or two things they might be asking various organs of state government over the next four years. (And full disclosure, my Capitolbeat conference had quite a few sponsors, including Pew and the national Wine and Spirit's Wholesalers.)

In other newly elected governor news:

• * Perdue has put up a "suggestion box" on the internet. "During this transition period I believe it's important for citizens to be engaged in their government and to have input – this is a way for them to do that," Perdue said in a press release.

• * Zach Ambrose will be Perdue's chief of staff when the new administration takes hold. According to the news release, "Ambrose served as Lt. Governor Perdue’s Chief of Staff from 2005 – 2007 and managed her gubernatorial campaign. A North Carolina native, Ambrose has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Russian from MIT and served five years in the US Navy."

Looking toward the General Assembly, the legislative calendar is filling up with a bunch of study and oversight committees in advance of the honorables scheduled return on Jan. 28.

Recommendations from the study committee don't have a whole lot more procedural oomph at this point than bills filed cold, but you can get a sense of what leadership considers critical issues for the upcoming session. Consider there are the following:

• * Municipal Incorporations, Joint Legislative Commission on
• * Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation, Joint Legislative Commission
• * N.C. Zoological Park Funding and Organization Study Committee
• * House Select Committee on the Legal Aspects of Using Lottery Proceeds for Charter School Funding
• * Potential Impact of Major Hurricanes on the NC Insurance Industry, Joint Select Committee on the

That's in addition to the regular litany of oversight and study committees.

And just to round this out to the third branch of government, the N.C. Supreme Court is due to take up Dept. of Correction v Medical Board, which is the case involving the issues that have the state's death penalty in a virtual deadlock. I found the AMA brief useful in understanding both sides of the discussion.

With all that going on, what's on your mind? What corner of state government ought to get a check-up in the coming months? Drop me a line via the comment link below.