Free Republic

Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance Jr. unleashed a political Maelstrom on Friday in the state's 1st Congressional District by announcing that he would not seek re-election. The one-term congressman from Warrenton said he was, in effect, stepping down due to health problems. "We're pressing on," Ballance told the Daily News during an interview. In a press release, Ballance's congressional office in Washington, D.C., reported that the congressman was diagnosed in February with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease. "With treatment, he was expected to regain normal strength in approximately six weeks, but his condition has not progressed as expected," says the...

Former state Supreme Court Justice G.K. Butterfield of Wilson has decided he won't challenge U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance in the 1st District Democratic primary. Butterfield, who is now a Superior Court judge, had formed an exploratory campaign committee, citing in part a scandal involving a charitable foundation formed by Ballance. Butterfield said he commissioned a poll that found 58 percent of those surveyed were aware of the investigation into the John A. Hyman Memorial Youth Foundation. Still, he said Ballance should not be obstructed in his work and would abide by a promise he made to Ballance not to challenge...

<p>RALEIGH, N.C. -- The state auditor said Wednesday a foundation started by Rep. Frank W. Ballance Jr., D-N.C., was riddled with conflicts of interest and had no formal structure for awarding grants from state funds.</p> <p>Auditor Ralph Campbell said his office found the John A. Hyman Foundation received more than $200,000 a year from the state. The audit was sparked by a call to the auditor's confidential hot line.</p>