Readers of the New York Times recently spotted the name of Daren Bakst, John Locke Foundation Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, among writers of letters to the editor. Bakst took the Times to task for its analysis of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in an Arizona campaign-finance case. National Review Online’s “Bench Memos” blog also published Bakst’s reaction to the high court’s order. Bakst shared with News & Observer readers this week his concerns about the implications of a North Carolina bill that would require law enforcement agencies to take DNA samples from people arrested on certain felony charges. The privacy news website PogoWasRight.org also highlighted Bakst’s work on the DNA bill. Bakst submitted a comment (pdf link) to the state’s Rules Review Commission on a proposal to limit pets’ access to restaurant dining areas in North Carolina. In his spare time, he also delivered featured remarks during an annexation reform rally outside the Legislative Building. In other news, the Winston-Salem Journal published an op-ed from Joseph Coletti, Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies, highlighting ideas governors in other states have pursued to shore up their governments’ fiscal stability. The Smoky Mountain News is slated to run an op-ed featuring Coletti’s work on the “bang for the buck” North Carolinians can expect from their tax burden. Speaking of tax burden, several media outlets prepared reports this week relying on Policy Analyst Michael Lowrey‘s annual By The Numbers report. The High Point Enterprise, Greensboro News & Record, Chapel Hill’s WCHL Radio, and Bull City Rising blog all cited data connected to Lowrey’s study.