RALEIGH, N.C. — Senator Barack Obama is in Raleigh today for an Early Vote for Change rally in Raleigh. The pre-event began at 11:15 a.m.

Thousands of supporters are gathering downtown, as the Illinois senator continues his bid to win a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976.

The crowd is expected grow larger before the midday rally on the Halifax Mall, too. Thousands were waiting in line Wednesday an hour before Obama was scheduled to speak.

Area streets were closed to traffic for the event, but should be back open between 2 and 3 p.m.

Both Obama and John McCain are pressing hard to win the state’s 15 electoral votes. Obama’s visit Wednesday is his seventh visit to the state.

His wife Michelle is campaigning in Rocky Mount and Fayetteville, where McCain held a rally Tuesday.

Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak in Rocky Mount tonight about early voting. She is also attending a private event in Fayetteville.

Early voting in North Carolina began on Oct. 16, and more than 1 million North Carolinians have already cast their vote in this election. The Early Vote period continues through Nov. 1.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Sen. John McCain spoke with voters in Fayetteville, but Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters also came out to rally around their candidate just down the road.

“He is the one candidate that cares about us.   That’s why I’m so passionate about it,” Veteran Lorette Batiste Pereria said.

Lorette Batiste Pereria is a 25 year veteran of the military and says she had to fight for her VA benefits.  She believes Obama will change that and many rights for those who serve the country. She showed her support at a “Set the Record Straight” rally in Fayetteville.

“He is a man of change. He is a man of faith; and he is a man that is willing to give all to the American people,” Batiste Pereria said.

Those who attended the rally, such as veteran Chuck Tilton, said supporters must unite to elect their candidate.

“I think if all the vets get together ad support the cause, we can make a difference and get the change we deserve,” Tilton said.

Veteran Lori Reynolds said Obama not only supports the veterans but also their families.

“There shouldn’t be an expiration on the G.I. bill, like the ten years, because not everybody can get to school the ten years after they retire and your child or grandchild should be able to benefit from it as well,” Reynolds said.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Obama passed legislation to improve care for wounded soldiers returning from war, to help homeless veterans and to enhance treatment for traumatic brain injuries. These veterans agree Obama has a proven track record of making changes the military needs.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Several streets in downtown Raleigh will be closed Wednesday morning to accommodate a rally attended by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The rally will be held on Halifax Mall outside the Legislative Building.

The following roads will be closed at about 9:30 a.m.:
• Wilmington Street from Jones Street to Peace Street;
• Salisbury Street from Peace Street to Lane Street;
• Lane Street from Salisbury Street to Blount Street;
• Polk Street from Wilmington Street to Blount Street; and,
• North Street from Wilmington Street to Blount Street.

Detour signs will be posted for motorists on northbound Wilmington Street, directing the traffic to take Jones Street to Person Street to Peace Street.

Streets are expected to reopen between 2 and 3 p.m.

Capital Area Transit buses will experience detours on Salisbury Street and Wilmington Streets between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. CAT Routes 1 (Capital Boulevard), 2 (Falls of Neuse), 3 (Glascock), 4 (Rex Hospital), 10 (Longview ) and 12 (Method )will not serve bus stops between Jones Street and Peace Street during these hours. For more information on the affected service, call the Regional GoTriangle Call Center at 485-RIDE.

Also, parking will be limited for the rally. Some hourly parking will be available at the City of Raleigh’s Blount Street, Moore Square, and Wilmington Street parking decks. All of these decks have entrances on Wilmington Street. The City of Raleigh’s Performing Arts and Convention Center parking decks have the most available hourly spaces. These decks are several blocks to the south of the rally site and are accessible from Lenoir Street. Hourly parking also is available at the State’s visitor parking facilities. Visitor Lot 1 is across from the State Archives building, with entrances on Jones and Edenton streets. Visitor Lot 2 can be accessed from McDowell Street, just north of Lane Street.

DURHAM N.C. – Hundreds of Black farmers from across North Carolina are scheduled to hold a rally in support of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign Wednesday Oct. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center. 

John W. Boyd, Jr., President and Founder of the National Black Farmers Association, will be leading the rally and addressing the farmers.  Very few people know of Sen Obama’s efforts to help rural North Carolina farmers, Boyd said.

“Senator Obama has been a leader in the Senate not only working on behalf of the nation’s black farmers but also on behalf of all of the American people,” he said. “As the lead sponsor of the Black Farmer Remedy Act, he played a critical role in passing federal legislation in support of the black farmers.”

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Police say they have cited a teenager in connection with the recent tire slashings at the Crown Coliseum during a Barack Obama rally.

Timothy Michael Strickland, 18, of the 8300 block of Norris Road in Dunn is facing eleven citations for his role in vandalizing vehicles during the political rally.

Investigators say Strickland and a 15-year-old suspect “randomly targeted those vehicles as a prank and in no way was politically motivated”.

Juvenile Detectives are continuing to investigate the 15-year old suspect who allegedly conspired with Strickland to damage the vehicles.

Strickland will make a first court appearance in Cumberland County District Courtroom 2-B on October 30, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. on citations for willful injury to personal property.

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Senator Joe Biden returns to North Carolina Monday to hold an Early Vote for Change Rally in Greenville. 

Biden was in the state Thursday for a bus tour, making stops in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Raleigh.

Monday’s event will take place at the Brickyard at Mendenhall Student Center, East Carolina University, Greenville. Gates open at 9 p.m. at the event begins at 10 a.m.
 
Parking and shuttles are available from Minges and Curry Court.
 
The event is free and open to the public.  Tickets are NOT required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Members of the public are invited to RSVP at www.nc.barackobama.com. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Authorities say someone slashed tires on at least 30 parked vehicles while their owners were attending a Barack Obama rally in a North Carolina coliseum.

The tires were cut Sunday outside Fayetteville’s Crown Coliseum, The Fayetteville Observer reported Monday.

Maj. Ennis Wright said deputies are investigating the incident. Campaign representatives for Obama and Republican opponent John McCain said they weren’t aware of the incident. Lynne Steenstra said it cost $120 to get her van towed and repaired. Steenstra said she was concerned that the slashing might be a scare tactic to harass Obama supporters.

“It hasn’t deterred us one bit,” Steenstra said. “It has only encouraged us more. I just hope whoever did this pays the price.”

Obama’s North Carolina campaign spokeswoman Susan Lagana said it was disappointing that the candidate’s supporters had to experience the vandalism.

Sarah Revis lives on Wilkes Road where most of the tires were slashed and said she saw a single mother and a toddler stranded.

“This is an embarrassment to this city and to me as a citizen,” Revis said.

Earlier in the day, the newspaper said, Obama visited a local restaurant where one patron shouted “Boo, socialist! Socialist! Get out of here!”

Other patrons clapped and Obama walked through the dining room shaking hands before leaving to attend the rally. Obama also spoke to the woman who shouted at him.

Wake County leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties plan a protest rally at the Cary Towne Center and Triangle Towne Center malls.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Senator Barack Obama returns to North Carolina this weekend, and will hold a Change We Need Rally in the Fayetteville area on Sunday. 

Obama was last in North Carolina immediately before the last debate. This is the Senator’s sixth trip to North Carolina since the primary.

Senator John McCain will be in North Carolina Saturday.