The state’s largest newspapers continue to turn to John Locke Foundation President John Hood for insight about major public policy issues. The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer quoted Hood in a story about the North Carolina NAACP’s vocal opposition to proposed changes in student assignment policies in public schools. Hood’s recent Daily Journal column on that topic also caught the eye of the News & Observer writer who oversees the WakeEd blog. The Winston-Salem Journal contacted Hood for its latest story on targeted tax incentives. The Fayetteville Observer mentioned Hood’s planned participation in next month’s Ronald Reagan Republican Roundup. The Henderson Daily Dispatch also quoted from Hood’s work in a column discussing the state’s new smoking ban. (John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, writes: “Private property rights are fundamental to any free society. It is incoherent to say that one enjoys freedom in a state without protection of private property rights.”) Senate Republicans’ daily e-mail messages highlighted three of Hood’s columns in the past week; they discussed the NAACP‘s school-related concerns, incentives, and a new report on North Carolina’s road system. In addition to his state-level work, Hood continues to enlighten national audiences via National Review Online’s primary blog, “The Corner.” Posts this week included Hood’s analysis of polling data in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, as well as his roundup of state-level public policy think tank developments.