WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) will return to North Carolina for the April recess, beginning this weekend, to speak with reporters, hold events and meet with constituents across the state.

In total, Hagan will move around 14 North Carolina counties, from Henderson in the west to New Hanover in the east, over the course of the next two weeks. Highlights of Senator Hagan’s schedule include:

·         A tour of Gravelly Hill Middle School with National Teacher of the Year finalist, Cindi Rigsbee

·         Visits to four shovel-ready project sites, funded with help from the stimulus bill that Senator Hagan voted in favor of

·         Welcoming the 18th Airborne Corps home from Iraq at Fort Bragg

·         Meeting with several constituent groups at her office in Raleigh

·         A lunchtime visit to downtown New Bern with Economic Development Director Jim Davis

·         A tour of Appalachian State University

·         A visit to the VA Hospital in Salisbury

Hagan will be in central and eastern North Carolina April 6-8, with events in  Orange, Brunswick, New Hanover, Craven, and Cumberland counties.  Event information is below.

From April 15-17, Hagan will be in western North Carolina and the Piedmont, with events in Henderson, Stanly, Rowan, and Watauga counties. Information about those events will be forthcoming.

MONDAY, APRIL 6
Who: U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan
What: Senator Hagan, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, tours Gravelly Hill Middle School with National Teacher of the Year finalist Cindi Rigsbee
Where: 4801 West Ten Road, Efland, NC
When: 8:45 a.m.

Who: U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan
What: Senator Hagan visits a shovel-ready site in Brunswick County. Senator Hagan voted in favor of the stimulus bill, which will create or keep 105,000 jobs in NC, at project sites like this.
Where: US 17B (Main St.) and Shallotte Crossing Parkway, Shallotte, NC
When: 1 p.m.

Who: U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan
What: Senator Hagan tours Nesbitt Court, a shovel-ready housing site in New Hanover County. Senator Hagan voted in favor of the stimulus bill, which will create or keep 105,000 jobs in NC, at project sites like this.
Where: Corner of 3rd and Meares, Wilmington, NC
When: 3 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7
Who: U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan, New Bern Mayor Tom Bayliss and New Bern Economic Development Director Jim Davis
What: Senator Hagan to stop by City Hall, meet with Mayor and local elected officials, have lunch with New Bern Economic Development Director Jim Davis at Capt. Ratty’s Seafood
NOTE:  Press should meet Senator Hagan at City Hall. After the stop-by, she will walk to Capt. Ratty’s for lunch with Jim Davis.
Where: City Hall, 1st Floor Executive Conference Room, 300 Pollock Street, New Bern, NC
When: 11:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8

Who: U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan
What: Senator Hagan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will hold media availability following welcome home ceremony for the U.S. Army 18th Airborne Corps
Where: Welcome to Ft. Bragg Sign on Randolph Ave., Fayetteville, NC
When: 11:25 a.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Leadership of the N.C. House and Senate are relatively unknown to North Carolina voters, according to a new poll released Monday by the Civitas Institute.

The 600 person live-caller poll of voters in North Carolina asked respondents if they had a favorable, unfavorable or no opinion of Marc Basnight, Tony Rand, Phil Berger, Joe Hackney and Paul Stam.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Marc Basnight had the highest name identification of the five tested, with 12 percent of voters having a favorable opinion and seven percent having an unfavorable opinion. Of the voters who responded, 81 percent of them said they either had no opinion of Basnight or were not aware of him. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand had the second highest name identification with eight percent favorable, five percent unfavorable and 87 percent having no opinion or not aware.

Speaker of the House Joe Hackney was known by 12 percent of voters (nine percent favorable, three percent unfavorable) and 88 percent of voters were either not aware or had no opinion.

“Outside the world of government and inside the Raleigh Beltline, voters of North Carolina know very little about the people who run government,” said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute. “With only half of voters knowing which party is in charge of the General Assembly, it is not surprising that so few actually know the leadership.”

Republican leaders of the N.C. House and Senate faired equally poorly. House Republican leader Paul Stam was known by just nine percent of voters (six percent favorable, three percent unfavorable). While his counterpart in the Senate, Republican leader Phil Berger was known by 11 percent of voters (eight percent favorable, three percent unfavorable).

“The fact that the Republican leadership is similarly unknown shows that very few people are paying attention to government in Raleigh. Whether that is because of lack of interest or lack of coverage by the news media is up for debate,” added De Luca. “At a time when media companies are paring back reporting, these numbers suggest that there actually needs to be more coverage of North Carolina government, not less.”

Full text of questions:

“I am now going to read you a list of names. After I read each name, please tell me if you have heard of that person, and then if you have, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person.”

Opinion of Marc Basnight:

Very Favorable – 4%

Somewhat Favorable – 8%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 4%

Very Unfavorable – 3%

No Opinion – 18%

Not Aware – 63%

Opinion of Tony Rand:

Very Favorable – 3%

Somewhat Favorable – 5%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 3%

Very Unfavorable – 2%

No Opinion – 23%

Not Aware – 64%

Opinion of Phil Berger:

Very Favorable – 1%

Somewhat Favorable – 6%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 2%

Very Unfavorable – 1%

No Opinion – 22%

Not Aware – 68%

Opinion of Joe Hackney:

Very Favorable – 2%

Somewhat Favorable – 6%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 1%

Very Unfavorable – 2%

No Opinion – 21%

Not Aware – 67%

Opinion of Paul Stam:

Very Favorable – 2%

Somewhat Favorable – 4%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 2%

Very Unfavorable – 1%

No Opinion – 16%

Not Aware – 75%

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues and policies facing North Carolina. The study of 600 registered voters was conducted March 16 to 19, 2009. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”  True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

Not all Democrats are in favor of the economic recovery package.

MEBANE, N.C. – Former North Carolina Gov. Bob Scott’s funeral is being held near his family farm in Alamance County and a delegation of former governors will attend.

The 79-year-old Scott died Friday after a period of declining health. The funeral is scheduled Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Hawfields Presbyterian Church.

Gov. Beverly Perdue will lead a delegation of former governors: Mike Easley, Jim Hunt and Jim Holshouser.

Scott served as governor from 1969 to 1973 and was state community college system president from 1983 to 1994. He was the son of a former governor and U.S. senator.

During his administration, Scott helped push through the first retail tax on cigarettes at a time when tobacco was still king in North Carolina. The tax helped finance the first public kindergartens in the state.

“I think ultimately if you have to name a single reason Elizabeth Dole lost her reelection bid, it’s because she was perceived as not attentive enough to North Carolina,” the PPP says.

The North Carolina House and Senate web sites are now active, with updated information on new members.

The two chambers convene Jan. 28.

See the list of House members.

See the list of Senate members.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A state House panel says the chamber should broadcast live video on the Internet of its daily sessions and some committee meetings.

A House committee approved the idea Thursday, sending the findings to House Speaker Joe Hackney for consideration. Democratic Rep. Cullie Tarleton of Watauga County, the committee’s chairman, said all the equipment should produce broadcast-quality video.

He wants television stations to be able to use the footage, and said someday the equipment may be used to broadcast sessions on television.

The Legislature currently provides only audio from the House and Senate floor and two committee rooms. Setting up video coverage could cost the state more than $1 million in upfront costs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

CHAPEL HILL — Liquid Pleasure has played many venues since forming in 1968, but one gig coming up in January is particularly significant for lead vocalist Kenny Mann and the other six members of the Chapel Hill-based band.

On November 4th, a referendum known as Proposition 8 was on the ballot for California voters.  People all across the nation participated, despite it being a California-only measure.