RALEIGH — North Carolina’s out-of-work residents who just lost their unemployment benefits are telling their stories at the state capitol to protest a political faceoff that halted extended help for 37,000 jobless.

Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed legislation over the weekend that would have kept checks flowing, but only if she accepted a double-digit budget cut that Republican leaders wanted.

Tracy Whitman of Burlington said today he understands what both sides in the political tussle wanted to accomplish, but he risks losing everything unless his benefits are restored.

The 50-year-old was laid off by a road construction company in September 2009 and started studies this year at a Durham community college in health information technology. Without a job or the benefits restored, he said he’ll have to live with his mother in Florida.

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