As the dust settles from the recent elections, John Locke Foundation experts are helping audiences across North Carolina learn about possible changes voters and taxpayers can expect in 2011. The JLF research staff’s The First 100 Days: Eleven Action Items for the 2011 Legislative Session offers ideas incoming lawmakers should move to the top of their priority list. Roy Cordato, Vice President for Research and Resident Scholar, wrote a column on the 11-point plan for the Greensboro News & Record. A few days later, the News & Record‘s Doug Clark cited Cordato’s work in calling on the General Assembly to end the state lottery. (Among the 11 initiatives for the 2011 General Assembly proposed by the John Locke Foundation — laid out in a column by Roy Cordato in our Ideas section Sunday — one jumped out at me: “End the North Carolina Education Lottery. Lottery funds don’t supplement education spending: They supplant it. The lottery takes advantage of the poor and uneducated. North Carolina’s most economically distressed counties had higher lottery sales per adult than the state average and much higher sales than the least economically distressed counties.” I strongly concur.) The Charlotte Observer interviewed JLF President John Hood about potential government cuts associated with the state’s $3 billion budget hole. The News & Observer promoted a speech Vice President for Outreach Becki Gray will deliver today to the Republican Women’s Club of Chapel Hill. Gray will discuss the election and the ramifications of Republican control of the General Assembly. Media outlets also have responded to Carolina Journal coverage of election and legislative news. WGHP Television’s blog highlighted information from Video News Editor Anthony Greco‘s report on the state owing its retiree health fund $32 billion. The Bayboro County Compass plans to run a print version of Greco’s video story. The Heartland Institute’s Budget & Tax News published Associate Editor David Bass‘ report on Republicans’ likely response to the state’s budget challenges. The Lincoln Tribune and Tar Heel Tribune promoted Bass’ exclusive on the same topic. The Lincoln Tribune and Watchdog.org picked up Bass’ article on freshmen legislators who have signed a no-new-taxes pledge. The UnitedStatesGovernors.net website also highlighted a video clip of Managing Editor Rick Henderson discussing Gov. Beverly Perdue’s likely response to a Republican-led legislature.