Former aide to Mike Easley, Ruffin Poole, has surfaced in Raleigh as he serves the end of his one-year prison term as a halfway house. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson reviews the Poole case, the connection to former Gov. Mike Easley, and the status of Easley’s law license. Then we turn to a serious budget concern for North Carolina. Officials must scramble to find about $150 million to close a hole in the state Medicaid budget. State lawmakers recently discussed the Medicaid shortfall with state budget director Andy Willis. You’ll hear highlights from that conversation. Next is a look at energy policy. As North Carolina debates the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — for natural gas, one issue that has attracted little attention is the potential impact of large-scale fracking operations on state roads. Jim Trogdon, chief operating officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation, recently shared his assessment of the potential road impact in a presentation to state lawmakers. That’s followed by a look at education. State lawmakers recently heard a report from Gary Henry of the Carolina Institute for Public Policy that suggested achievement gains North Carolina public school achievement hit a plateau after major gains in the 1990s. Henry says the data suggest North Carolina needs to do more to train its public school teachers. You’ll hear highlights from Henry’s report, along with reaction from lawmakers and from Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation director of education studies. And finally, tax reform is often discussed but little progress has been made. Roy Cordato, vice president for research for the John Locke Foundation, recommends replacing the income tax with a flat-rate consumed tax. He explains how it would work and why the idea is superior to the current system.