A crowded race for the top elected education job in North Carolina prompted WPTF Radio news to turn this week to Terry Stoops for analysis. The John Locke Foundation’s Director of Education Studies discussed the battle for the job of superintendent of public instruction. Michael Sanera, Director of Research and Local Government Studies, joined Chad Adams on the WLTT Radio morning program to discuss Wilmington’s proposed baseball stadium. The Gaston Gazette quoted Fergus Hodgson, Director of Fiscal Policy Studies, in an article about NASCAR’s collaboration with the U.S. military. N.C. Senate Republicans promoted Hodgson’s column on raw milk legalization. Hodgson participated in an America’s Future Foundation debate in Raleigh about the marriage amendment on the May primary ballot. He also discussed recent events in Syria with Russia Today Television. The News & Observer‘s “Crosstown Traffic” blog noted David Hartgen’s participation in last week’s Triangle Community Coalition forum on the Wake County transit plan. Hartgen co-wrote a critique of that plan for the Locke Foundation. The Gaston Gazette interviewed Policy Analyst Michael Lowrey about his most recent By The Numbers report. The Newton Observer-News-Enterprise published an op-ed in which state auditor candidate and Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright discussed his city’s BTN rankings. ([O]ur per capita burden of sales and property taxes and fees reported by John Locke Foundation compared to those of other larger cities in North Carolina has improved from second highest in 2001 to 16th in 2010 (most recent calculations).) New Hampshire has repealed its certificate-of-need law, based at least in part on research from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. Bartlett’s report cited earlier CON research from Roy Cordato, JLF Vice President for Research and Resident Scholar.