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For three consecutive nights this week, the major Democratic candidates for governor will debate each other on television in what could be a pivotal moment in the race to become North Carolina’s next chief executive.

The debates are seen as particularly critical this year, because with just three weeks until the May 8 primary, the governor’s race has so far attracted little attention, created little buzz and produced few political commercials. Read more here.

In other headlines:

--The N.C. Democratic Party remains shrouded in questions after the resignation of Executive Director Jay Parmley amid a fast-moving scandal.

--A former speech writer for John Edwards is trying to quash a subpoena from her former boss calling on her to testify.

--The Nature Conservancy's North Carolina chapter fights to preserve land even after state lawmakers made deep cuts to the conservation trust funds.

Environmentalists today praised Republican Sen. Richard Burr for supporting full and permanent funding of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Burr announced today that he’s co-sponsoring a bill that would give the fund $900 million a year, the Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill reports.

In supporting the bill, Burr "recognizes that land and water conservation is vital to our economy and our environment,” said Katherine Skinner, executive director of the N.C. chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

“Passage of this legislation will be an historic conservation achievement for this Congress and we are pleased with the role that Senator Burr is playing in this very important work.”

Burr is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is the ranking member of the National Parks Subcommittee.

Debbie Crane has a new job.

The former N.C. Department of Health and Human Services information director fired at the direction of Gov. Mike Easley's office started work June 20 at the North Carolina offices of The Nature Conservancy, a private non-profit, Michael Biesecker reports.

A public information officer with the state for 18 years, Crane was fired in early March amid fallout from an N&O investigation of the state's mental-health system.

After her dismissal, she ignited an ongoing controversy by disclosing that she and other public information officers had been directed to delete e-mails to and from Easley's office every day.

"I'm loving this place," Crane said of her new job. "My blood pressure is lower and I feel like I'm doing good work."