In addition to his coverage of the Easley scandal, David Bass’ exclusive on the Wake County public school system’s inability to sell land tied to former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black attracted notice from the News & Observer‘s “WakeEd” blog and the Lincoln Tribune. The Conservative Refocus website picked up Bass’ article on the implications of 2010 election results for the upcoming 2012 contests. Mountain XPress highlighted in its “WNC Wellness Review” Associate Editor Sara Burrows‘ report about the impact of the state’s certificate-of-need law on an Asheville breast cancer hospital. The Lincoln Tribune promoted two other CJ exclusives this week. Contributor Kristy Bailey discussed Durham City Council’s decision to accept the controversial Mexican matricula consular card as official identification. Contributor Karen McMahan explored the potential for increased clout among North Carolina Republicans in the new Congress. The Tar Heel Tribune also promoted McMahan’s article. The Jefferson Post recently published two CJ columns: Carolina Journal Radio Co-Host Donna Martinez highlighted bizarre government regulations, while N.C. Education Alliance Fellow Kristen Blair discussed teenage drug use. The Witty Sparks website highlighted a video clip of Publisher Jon Ham dissecting mainstream media coverage of the Tea Party movement. The Kentucky Retirement Systems’ hiring of a new chief investment officer also led to media exposure for Carolina Journal. The Lexington Herald Leader, Bluegrass Politics website, and BlueBluegrass.com all noted CJ coverage of a dispute over management fees for North Carolina’s state pension fund investments.