Tattle tales.

• Author: McIntyre, John

* Silence is golden: Complaining that Mecklenburg County tax appraisers had overvalued Ericsson Stadium, Carolina Panthers owners appealed. A board then raised the valuation $11.2 million--to $161.5 million--which could hike the tax bill by $132,539.

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* Purr-fect timing: With the Panthers likely to make the playoffs for the first time since 1996, Duke Energy figured the time was right to zap a few expenses and raise some scratch by selling 300 permanent seat licenses at $4,000 a pop. Employees get first crack, so the market isn't at its peak. Duke has pared its N.C. work force by some 3,000 since 1995.

* Shudder: Tremors from an earthquake centered near Richmond, Va., were felt in Raleigh Dec. 9. Or was that just the $240 million incentives package Gov. Mike Easley dropped on the legislature?

* Bad medicine: Rhonda Kay Smith's note to Dubya--"I'm going to kill you! Mr. President[,] Enjoy the anthrax"--got her arrested, which the 50-year-old Marion resident says was her goal. A diabetic with lung problems, she'd heard on the news that prisoners get better medical care than people on the outside. Alas, the note tested negative, and she was released under pretrial supervision until her January court date.

* Fast food: Annoyed by wags who say state employees are so efficient that they get off work at 5 and are home by 4:30, the Department of Transportation nixed a policy that let office workers leave a half-hour early if they cut their lunch hour in half.

* Feat of Clay: Miffed at Clay Aiken for calling cats Satans in a Rolling Stone interview, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals enraged the Raleigh crooner's fans and piqued his lawyer's interest with a new ad campaign slogan: "Get neutered--it didn't hurt Clay Aiken."

* Beggars can't be choosers: Barred from meeting at a county building after President Alice Singh went to Raleigh to complain about conditions at the animal shelter, Yadkin County Humane Society members were forced to chew the fat at Prime Sirloin Restaurant. "Have you ever been to Yadkin County?" Singh sighs. "You pretty much go to wherever you can find a spot. But I will tell you, we didn't eat cat or dog."

* Try to collect: The Charlotte City Council tabled a measure to license panhandlers. It would fine violators $500.

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FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING

* Percentage of American franchise owners who would not have...