A private trust fund with apparent ties to John Edwards bought a house in Charlotte last month, fueling speculation that it was for his mistress, Rielle Hunter.
Some Eastover residents and real estate agents — as well as tabloids — have been buzzing about the possibility that Hunter and her [...]
Renee Ellmers says fear is preventing an economic recovery.
Ellmers, 45, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat.
"I'm running for Congress because I'm a mom and I'm very afraid of where our country is going and where the [...]
ZIG ZAG: Two inmates serving life terms won their freedom from a judge Monday only to have it revoked by the N.C. Court of Appeals. The political and legal tug-of-war over a group of inmates sentenced in the 1970s continues with Gov. Perdue vowing to oppose release. The inmates argue [...]
Good government watchdog Joe Sinsheimer says Tony Rand must go.
Sinsheimer, a Democratic consultant who has emerged as campaign finance and transparent government watchdog, says Gov. Bev Perdue should reconsider appointing Rand to run the state's parole board.
Sinsheimer noted in a news release that Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat who [...]
Superior Court Judge Ripley Rand has ruled that two inmates sentenced to life in the 1970s should be freed.
His order comes less than a week after Alford Jones and Faye Brown, both convicted of murder, argued that they were being illegally detained by North Carolina prison officials, Mandy [...]
Republican Tim D'Annunzio, a wealthy Hoke County businessman running for Congress in Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell's district, has hired former N.C. Republican chairman Jack Hawke as a top strategist.
"It's obviously a wide-open race," Hawke said today. "Tim has the resources to be a formidable candidate."
D'Annunzio is one [...]
Senate Leader Marc Basnight may not have a favorite political analyst, but he has a least favorite: John Davis.
Davis is the former director of the North Carolina Forum for Research and Economic Education who last year incorrectly predicted a Republican takeover of the state senate, Mark [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue has been visiting the state's military installations.
Perdue visited Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro Friday, and she is scheduled to visit Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville this morning.
Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said Perdue has been thinking a lot lately about military families. [...]
POLITICAL PONG: Thomas Walker, a Charlotte defense attorney who has stood by the side of fallen political figures, is learning about the trouble of standing at the crossroads of law and politics.
President Barack Obama has nominated Walker to the post of U.S. attorney in North Carolina's Eastern District, [...]
Democratic Senate candidate Elaine Marshall said today that she opposes President Barack Obama's move to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
"I acknowledge that there are no easy answers in Afghanistan and I respect the time and consideration that the president took in making his decision," Marshall [...]
State Rep. Verla Insko plans to attend a White House reception next week that is being held to recognize state lawmakers working on health care reform.
Insko, a Chapel Hill Democrat, is one of 40 lawmakers participating in the White House State Legislators Working Group on Health [...]
The law and press release collided in a Wake County courtroom Friday when lawyers for the state tried to explain the significance of an avalanche of news reports in October over the release of dozens of murderers and rapists.
On Friday, one of the prisoners, Faye Brown, asked a judge to [...]
Cal Cunningham has been all over the blogs and newspapers this week since he announced he was entering the race for U.S. Senate.
Another "Cal Cunningham" also got his name in print this week. This Cunningham, also a lawyer, was involved in a messy dispute over six-figure legal fees, [...]
As he strode through the North Raleigh headquarters of Law Enforcement Associates Inc. on Thursday, Tony Rand didn't act much like the chairman of a publicly traded company.
Rather than trying to impress visitors with how hands-on and knowledgeable he is about the security device manufacturer's operations, [...]
Frank Roche, a Republican who wants to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price next year, is making an issue out of charges brought against three Navy SEALs stemming from an allegation of prisoner abuse.
The SEALs have been charged in connection with an incident [...]
PARTY OF THREE: Lexington lawyer Cal Cunningham jumped into the race for U.S. Senate, prompting sharp rebukes from the two other contenders already in the hunt. Cunningham, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis seemed poised for a tough [...]
FILE AGAIN: About 78,000 jobless people in the state who have exhausted their unemployment benefits are about to receive letters urging them to apply for the latest round of extended benefits approved by Congress.
The N.C. Security Employment Commission has heard frustrations for months as it plows through a [...]
A grand jury in Columbus County has found probable cause to indict state Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in connection with an August shooting at Soles' Tabor City home.
Soles, 74, a Democrat, is the longest-serving [...]
What goes around comes around: Andrew Young is scheduled to talk about his tell-all book Jan. 29 on ABC's 20-20 with Bob Woodruff.
Last August on ABC's "Nightline," Edwards categorically denied to Woodruff that he fathered Rielle Hunter's baby, Jim Morrill of The Charlotte Observer.
"Absolutely not true," [...]
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr does not plan to return his "blue slip" on U.S. attorney nominee Thomas Walker until the current investigations into two of the state’s most prominent Democrats are completed.
Burr informed President Barack Obama of his decision through the White House counsel’s office, Barb [...]
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan specifically mentioned Cary-based SAS as a company that could provide the federal government with software designed to prevent health care fraud.
Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, said the company doesn't have an inside track on getting a federal contract. She said she was using [...]
Former State Sen. Cal Cunningham has made a splash in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Cunningham entered the race this week after months of consideration and announcing he would not run. But all that dithering may have paid off because it's Cunningham that the [...]
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan said from the Senate floor Tuesday that software could prevent billions in Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
It was part of a package of amendments Senate freshman advanced that were meant to lower health care costs by eliminating fraud, abuse and waste.
In [...]
N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said Wednesday she is committed to next year's U.S. Senate race despite the death of her husband and a key national group's backing of another candidate.
"I'm in this race to stay," Marshall, a Democrat, said in interview Wednesday [...]
GOV. REFORMER: Gov. Bev Perdue has sought to reshape her image into that of a reformer. On Wednesday, she signed three executive orders to strengthen ethics requirements for members of state boards and commissions. Critics say Perdue hasn't done enough, but many have to acknowledge that her [...]
Two Florida senators have joined U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan in urging the Navy to fund a study on water contamination at the Marines’ Camp Lejeune.
The Navy has not committed to fully funding a 2010 work plan on the contamination by The Agency for Toxic [...]
The State Board of Elections will call Ruffin Poole to testify next week about the campaign finances of former Gov. Mike Easley.
Poole was called to testify in the board's October hearings, but a judge quashed the subpoena. The N.C. Court of Appeals overruled that decision [...]
State Rep. Paul Stam's proposal to buy anti-fraud software for Medicaid was included in the state's budget.
Early in the legislative session, Stam, an Apex Republican, pitched the idea that buying software meant to prevent fraud before Medicaid payments are made could save millions every year.
Dome [...]
State Sen. David Hoyle, one of the most powerful lawmakers in the Senate, plans to retire.
Hoyle, 70, a Gaston County Democrat who has been in the Senate for 18 years and is consistently placed near the top in effectiveness rankings of legislators, said he will [...]
As health care reform legislation makes it's way through the Senate, Dome will track votes by the state's Senators, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Kay Hagan.
ABORTION LIMITS: Limit insurance companies that are participating in a federal insurance exchange from covering abortions. The Senate voted to table, [...]
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday blocked an amendment that would restrict insurance companies’ ability to pay for abortion coverage for women.
The vote, a procedural move, was to table, or set aside, the amendment, Barb Barrett reports. It passed 54-45, meaning the amendment won’t come back up again.
Gov. Bev Perdue may be winning over critics.
In a poll conducted Dec. 1-3 for the Civitas Institute, 32 percent of likely state voters said they viewed Perdue favorably compared to 38 percent who saw her unfavorably. Another 28 percent of voters had no opinion.
While [...]
These are headlines no Democratic candidate wants to see:
A former governor under investigation for corruption, a top Senate Democrat accused of insider trading, a current governor with approval ratings in the 40s and a big tax increase to cope with the biggest budget shortfall [...]
Ruffin Poole, a top aide to former Gov. Mike Easley, resigned Tuesday from the board of a state foundation that dispenses millions of dollars in grants for economic assistance.
Poole's resignation from the Golden LEAF Foundation board comes just as Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue said she has asked the state Department of Transportation to look into the purchases of expensive high-tech surveillance equipment from a private security firm with ties to Tony Rand, her incoming parole board chairman.
"I think we need to get to the bottom [...]
In addition to two amendments she promoted Tuesday morning, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has two others she plans to introduce as the Senate continues debating health reform.
The first amendment would require health insurance companies to report at least once a year on their reimbursement rates paid [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue's topic Tuesday was like the 1987 movie: "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" — or how to move people and goods around more efficiently.
So the governor showed up at a football field-size warehouse near Raleigh-Durham Airport, to sign an executive order creating The Governor's Logistics [...]
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan's amendments to the health care bill are part of a package offered by a group of Democratic freshman senators.
Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, spoke on the Senate floor this morning about two of the group’s amendments which she submitted, Barb Barrett reports. [...]
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says the nation needs software to prevent health care fraud.
The pitch by Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, is probably going to make state Rep. Paul Stam mutter something about already telling us so.
Stam, an Apex Republican and House minority leader, [...]
Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Monday with a Web video.
As Dome expected, it includes plenty of references to Cunningham's military service. Cunningham takes a few digs at Republican Sen. Richard Burr and notes that [...]
A new poll shows that 48 percent of North Carolina voters oppose the Democratic health care reform proposals.
The poll conducted Dec. 1-3 for the Civitas Institute found that 40 percent of voters supported the proposals while 12 percent were undecided. The numbers are similar to Civitas' October polling, which [...]
BUY TWO, GET ONE: A Maryland company has two separate contracts from the state to do the same work. The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a $1.8 million contract to EBX to clean up nitrogen in the Neuse River Basin. The N.C. Department of [...]
PROSECUTOR TROUBLE: President Barack Obama announced his pick to replace U.S. Attorney George Holding, a Republican who is currently investigating two of the state's most prominent Democrats. The announcement puts Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, who has lobbied to let Holding finish his work, in the [...]
The U.S. Senate took another vote on health care today, again on an amendment.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, proposed an amendment that would require insurers to follow doctors recomendations on which women’s preventive health services to cover, Barb Barrett reports.
Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr voted [...]
The U.S. Senate took its first vote a few minutes ago on the massive health reform bill being considered now on the Senate floor.
The amendment — from U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland and Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine — would protect coverage of mammograms [...]
State Rep. Larry Hall is holding a reception and fundraiser tonight in Durham.
Dome's collective eyebrows rose when we saw a copy of the e-mail invite addressed to "Legislative Liaisons," the title generally given to lobbyists for state government agencies. Lobbyists, of course, are forbidden by [...]
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr was feted Wednesday night at a $2,400-a-plate reception and dinner at one of Washington’s popular fundraising locales, Bobby Van’s Steakhouse.
The fundraiser was hosted in part by Charlie Black, a Charlotte native and former Jesse Helms adviser who was a top [...]
N.C. Republican Party chairman Tom Fetzer surprised some editors and reporters at The News & Observer recently when he said he had some positive feelings for the paper.
Executive Editor John Drescher noted on The Editors' Blog that Fetzer got his start in the Jesse Helms organization, which [...]
State Sen. Tony Rand was accused of sharing inside information about a company with other state politicians, an allegation he vehemently denies.
A review of ethics disclosure forms for a handful of notable political figures shows that former Gov. Mike Easley and current Gov. [...]
Apparently shouting an insult at the president makes one a star on the GOP fundraising circuit these days.
The star guest at Rep. Patrick McHenry's Christmas party on Friday will be South Carolina Congressman Joe "You Lie" Wilson, Rob Christensen reports.
Wilson got national attention when he interrupted [...]
Anyone not see this one coming?
Amid a torrent of Tiger Woods jokes Wednesday night, Jay Leno couldn't resist.
"This Tiger Woods thing is having an effect on a lot of people. In fact earlier today, Elizabeth Edwards went out and bought a new set of golf clubs."
HIYOO OO!!
U.S. Rep. David Price said the public debate over American policy in Afghanistan has been too narrowly focused on troop levels.
Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, gave his perspective in a column that was published in The Charlotte Observer. Price recently led a delegation to Pakistan and [...]
Did a new law cure the sick?
State Rep. Dale Folwell, a Winston-Salem Republican, sponsored the State Health Plan/Taxpayer Recovery Act, because a few members of the State Health Plan called for ambulances as many as 25 times in a year.
Before the law, [...]
Employees of the N.C. Department of Correction tend to be unhealthy.
They are often overweight or depressed. Many smoke. Diabetes and chronic disease rates run high, said Jack Walker, executive administrator of the State Health Plan. DOC employees have stressful jobs. They don't make very much money. Those factors [...]
The former president of a publicly traded Raleigh company is accusing state Sen. Tony Rand, one of the state's most powerful lawmakers, of insider trading and other illegal actions.
In a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, Paul Feldman, who claims he was illegally [...]
H1N1 flu is contributing to the state's Medicaid spending running over budget.
N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler said a mix of forces is pushing the program's spending such that, on its present course, it would be $160 million or more over [...]
HOLDING ON HOLD: The Obama administration declined to say Tuesday whether Republican U.S. Attorney George Holding will be allowed to complete his investigations into two of North Carolina's most prominent Democrats, former Gov. Mike Easley and two-time presidential candidate John Edwards. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat from [...]
Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham of Lexington has apparently changed his mind, and is moving toward entering the U.S. Senate race next year.
Cunningham, an Iraq war veteran, last month announced he was ending an exploratory effort and would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr [...]
N.C. Republican Party Chairman Tom Fetzer said President Barack Obama should keep U.S. Attorney George Holding.
Fetzer, in a statement, said that Obama's nomination of Thomas Walker is an example of putting politics first.
"You'd be hard pressed to find someone who had put more [...]
Elizabeth Edwards is scheduled to speak in Raleigh this weekend about health care reform.
Edwards, a health care advocate and wife of former U.S. senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, will speak at a luncheon sponsored by Common Cause North Carolina. The nonpartisan organization, which [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue is headed to Washington on Wednesday where among other things she is looking for help on Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for the poor.
Perdue said she hopes to meet with Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, [...]
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx is the richest member of the state's U.S. House delegation.
Foxx, a Banner Elk Republican, has a minimum net worth of $2.4 million, according to an analysis of disclosure forms by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a [...]
President Barack Obama has nominated Thomas Walker for U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District.
Under George Holding, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, the office is currently running a wide-ranging investigation into former Gov. Mike Easley. He has also convened a grand jury to investigate the [...]
HOLD THAT PLAN: Documents released by State Treasurer Janet Cowell's office Monday afternoon show her staff raised concerns nearly two weeks before the state announced a plan to borrow tens of millions of dollars from a private contractor to finish Interstate 485 in Charlotte. (N&O)
BRIDGE DEATHS STUDY: [...]
BOOT OR NO BOOT: Gov. Bev Perdue is mulling a policy that would give the boot to any of her appointees who are under indictment or who refuse to cooperate with investigators. Presumably without the policy it would be okay for appointees to continue serving while [...]
It has become an annual Thanksgiving tradition for Dome to imagine what some of the state's politicos may be most thankful for during this holiday season.
For the full list, check out Under the Dome in print editions of The News & Observer. Dome online will be running a light [...]
A California software company has received the contract to build an e-mail archive system for the state.
Mimosa Systems of Santa Clara, Calif., got the $694,448 contract to install, implement and maintain the archiving system, which will archive all messages that clear the state's spam filters.
Gov. Bev Perdue [...]
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is leading other candidates in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate by a wide margin.
Marshall is the choice of 42 percent of voters in a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling. Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis has 7 percent and [...]
State Treasurer Janet Cowell was in the loop on a controversial financing plan to finish building Charlotte’s Interstate 485 — but she did not object until a few hours after it was announced by Gov. Bev Perdue, state transportation officials said today.
Perdue told Charlotte leaders on Nov. [...]
President Barack Obama has pardoned a turkey from Goldsboro named "Courage."
For 50 years, the National Turkey Federation has been delivering birds to the White House. It was only 20 years ago that the tradition of "pardoning" the turkey entered into the tradition.
"Courage" was raised in Goldsboro [...]
The N.C. Republican Party on Tuesday hired Russell Peck to be its new executive director.
Peck was heavily involved in the victory of Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey's governor's race earlier this month, Rob Christensen reports. Christie defeated Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine. Peck had worked last year as North [...]
With Sarah Palin drawing huge crowds on her book tour, and debate continuing about her qualifications for higher office, the Atlantic decided to do a little thinking about who was the worst pick for vice president.
The nominees are (drum roll please):
1. Spiro Agnew. (Richard Nixon)
2. Richard Nixon. (Dwight [...]
LOOP TROUBLE: Gov. Bev Perdue appears committed to moving forward with a special financing plan for finishing Charlotte's Interstate 485 despite questions raised by Treasurer Janet Cowell about the proposed funding mechanism. Backing away from the interstate now could be a minor disaster for Perdue, who [...]
Twenty state lawmakers have signed a letter calling for an investigation into a campaign by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C. that was meant to thwart Democratic proposals for health care legislation.
The letter complains of robocalls made by the insurer as well as the fact that the [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue says her staff is exploring a policy that would give the boot to appointees under indictment.
Perdue, a Democrat, was responding to a letter sent by Democratic consultant and watchdog Joe Sinsheimer. The letter called on Perdue to unappoint Ruffin Poole from the Golden [...]
There are plenty of N.C. voters who think both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt.
A poll of 711 state voters by Public Policy Polling found that 45 percent believe that Democrats are corrupt while 27 percent think they are not. The poll also found that 37 percent of voters believe [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue was in Winston-Salem Monday where she delivered the 4 millionth meal since the Meals on Wheels program began there in 1962.
Perdue delivered the meal to Nancy Hooper, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.Perdue, 62, joked that she may be getting food from Meals [...]
TANK INSURANCE: A new state report says it is time for businesses with underground gas or oil tanks to buy insurance to cover the costs of any cleanup needed because of leaks. The state has a backlog of more than 6,500 leaks that will take another 25 years [...]
An estimated 1,500 people lined up at a PX store at Fort Bragg this morning to see former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and have her sign copies of her new memoir.
Palin greeted people at a table just inside the door of the North Post Exchange, a Wal-Mart-size department [...]
The N.C. Republican Party has rejected a proposal to ban unaffiliated voters from participating in its primaries.
Meeting over the weekend in Raleigh, the party's Executive Committee voted by a wide margin to reject a plan to bar independents.
Among those strongly opposing the effort were the leaders of the [...]
The new state Senate majority leader is in a key position to advance ethics reforms this year.
State Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, is not only the majority leader. He is chairman of a committee where three ethics bills are awaiting action, the Asheville Citizen-Times [...]
GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue was in Charlotte this afternoon to announce a state partnership with Microsoft to offer free technology training.
The governor appeared on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College to announce that North Carolina will receive 10,500 vouchers for Microsoft Windows and Office online [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday that a group of violent offenders who are serving life sentences from the 1970s won't be released from prison until at least 2054.
Perdue said the N.C. Department of Correction will not award time off for good behavior, which was a key point [...]
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler was one of three dozen lawmakers who had been persuaded by lobbyists for a drug company to read the lobbyists' talking points into the Congressional Record.
A spokesman for Shuler acknowledged the language was provided by lobbyists for a subsidiary of Swiss drug maker [...]
The departure of state Sen. Tony Rand has a lot of people wondering how the Senate will operate without the powerful master of rules, legislative maneuvers and hard-ball politics.
It even has state Rep. Paul Stam wondering if he'll finally get a favorite bill [...]
VOTE HAUNTS: Nearly two weeks after U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell bucked his party and voted against health care legislation, Democrats in his district are seething. The talk is that Kissell may face a serious primary challenge. (Charlotte Observer)
PORTRAIT PLEASES: Rene Dickerson was nervous as he prepared [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue told the first meeting of the Energy Policy Council on Wednesday that she wanted her advisors to come up with a plan make the state more energy efficient and environmentally friendly by April in time for the short session of the legislature.
The governor [...]
A longtime aide and the former campaign manager for former Gov. Mike Easley did on Wednesday what he didn't do last month: Answer questions from authorities probing his old boss.
Jay Reiff, Easley's campaign manager in 2000 and 2004 who also was on Easley's administrative staff at different points, was [...]
Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker said Wednesday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.
Wicker, a Raleigh lawyer and a Democrat, said he seriously considered a Senate bid this time and received strong encouragement to take the plunge, Rob Christensen reports.
"The demands of raising $15 [...]
Gov. Bev Perdue is not the woman she used to be — and she's proud of it.
The governor got personal Wednesday morning when she gave a pep talk at the opening ceremony of the State Employees Wellness Fair at the State Fairgrounds, Rob Christensen reports.
"I've always thought [...]
Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin wasn't happy about having to share her campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
We at Dome know the Winston-Salem Republican as a personable guy who's pretty easy going. And so, Palin's unhappiness over her travel companion has us thinking of possible reasons, [...]
Campaign finance watchdog Joe Sinsheimer is urging Gov. Bev Perdue to remove Ruffin Poole, a former top aide to Gov. Mike Easley, from the Golden LEAF board because he refused to testify at last month's state elections board hearing.
Sinsheimer, a Democratic political consultant who has [...]
