Two North Carolina politicians dealing with serious legal problems have received news about what the future holds for them. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson explains separate legal rulings that impact disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black and current state Sen. R.C. Soles. Black will leave federal prison early and Soles will only pay a $1,000 fine related to a shooting at his home last summer. Then we turn to the issue of the separation of church and state. We learn about it in school, but Michael Novak, American Enterprise Institute scholar in religion, philosophy, and public policy, says few of us learn the degree to which religious faith guided the nation’s Founders. Novak explains how religion plays an important role in preserving the American constitutional republic. Next is a look at the nonprofit group MCNC, which secured more than $28 million in federal stimulus money to build a 480-mile fiber-optic network in North Carolina. MCNC’s Joe Freddoso recently explained to lawmakers why it makes sense for taxpayers to foot the bill for this project, which normally would be left to private-sector businesses. You’ll hear his comments, along with a rebuttal from Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation director of health care and fiscal policy studies. That’s followed by a look at students and how much they learn – or don’t learn — in school about the free-enterprise system and entrepreneurship. The Jesse Helms Center hopes to fill that need with a special program targeting high school students. Center president John Dodd explains the Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge. And finally, JLF’s Roy Cordato delves into the latest local fight over hospital and medical facility expansion. Several Wake County organizations want to expand their services but the state has the power to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Cordato explains the outdated regulatory mechanism known as ‘certificate of need’ and its negative impact on competition and choice of services in the medical field.