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EDWARDS REGROUPS: Former presidential contender John Edwards has reactivated his license to practice law and is setting out on the speaking circuit, the Associated Press reports. The former U.S. senator and 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee is scheduled to appear June 6 at a private retreat in Orlando, Fla., for lawyer clients of the marketing firm PMP.

Edwards has remained largely out of public view since his acquittal in May 2012 on one charge of campaign finance fraud. A judge declared a mistrial on five other criminal counts after jurors couldn’t agree whether Edwards had illegally used campaign money to hide his pregnant mistress as he ran for president in 2008. An itinerary says Edwards will speak for about 45 minutes as part of a program titled “Historic Trials of the Century.” Edwards earned millions as a personal injury lawyer before entering politics.

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo. If you're here, you survived crossover. Get a wrap up below. Now hold your hats for the final weeks of the legislative session. Send news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com.***

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday tried to fight legislation backed by Gov. Pat McCrory to curb civil service protections for state employees -- a day after they missed the bill on the calendar and inadvertently voted to give it preliminary approval.

House Bill 834 received a 110-5 vote Tuesday. But Democrats mounted an effort to amend the measure Wednesday, trying to limit the number of political appointments the governor's office can make for state positions and add protections for workers who are cut under a reorganization plan.

All three failed. But the final vote to approve the bill was much closer at 74-40. A Democratic lawmaker said caucus members didn't realize what the bill did when they voted for it a day earlier.

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: As the final two days of the self-imposed crossover deadline begin, it's crunch time. You can tell from the lobbyists working the halls, either trying to get a bill to move or asking committee chairman to "pray on it" for a little while longer. And the controversial bills are coming the surface. A House committee will consider a bill to extend "protections of conscience" to more medical professionals and cover more things, such as providing contraception. In the same committee, another measure dubbed the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" is sure to recall attempts earlier this session to declare the state's ability to establish an official religion.

The full House - which convenes near 2 p.m. -- will also consider a bill to soften rules on where local governments must post public notices. A controversial amendment would tell newspapers how much they could charge for such advertisements. The Senate this afternoon will consider measures to amend environmental regulations and repeal local smoking bans. Gov. Pat McCrory is spending another day in New Orleans at a Republican Governor's Association event.

WOS ROADSHOW CONTINUES: A week after a major gaffe by Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos, her statewide tour to tout Medicaid reforms continues. She visits Durham on Wednesday where she will encounter members of the Medical Professionals for Expanded Health Access who expect to question her about the state's decision to reject a Medicaid expansion. Wos blamed Democratic Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin for the decision -- even though it was ultimately made by her boss, Gov. Pat McCrory. The event starts at 4 p.m.

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo -- a roundup of North Carolina political news and notes. Send tips to dome@newsobserver.com.***

Gov. Pat McCrory is attending a Republican Governor's Association meeting in New Orleans on Tuesday, his office announced after first saying he had no public schedule.

McCrory is attending the RGA's Corporate Policy Summit. His office noticed the event at 10:30 a.m. and did not release any other details. The night before it released a schedule without public events -- and said it wouldn't issue a daily calendar anymore. McCrory was critical of his predecessor for taking an unannounced trip to Pennsylvania later discovered by The News & Observer.

UPDATE: Kim Genardo, a McCrory spokeswoman, said the governor would fly to New Orleans this afternoon and speak at two workshops on workforce development and technology in education. It's unclear when he would return. Genardo said McCrory's schedule is in flux because of the General Assembly's work this week.

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: The action starts early Tuesday and will likely stretch past 10 p.m. again. The House and Senate plan to convene a skeletal session just before 10 a.m. to read in committee reports, then recess until 2 p.m. House Speaker Thom Tillis said the session will go until 5:15 p.m. or so before a dinner recess for committee meetings. The chamber will reconvene at 7 p.m. and go late. The Senate isn't expected to stay as long but its calendar is getting crowded. Gov. Pat McCrory lists no public events.

McCRORY'S OFFICE WON'T RELEASE DAILY SCHEDULE ANYMORE: The governor's Communications Director Kim Genardo is changing the office's policy of releasing a daily calendar. Genardo said if there is no event scheduled, she won't send out a notice stating as much, meaning some days will have no notice to the governor's schedule. McCrory pledged to release a daily schedule during the gubernatorial campaign as he bashed his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, for taking a "secret" trip to Pennsylvania to study fracking rigs. Republicans jumped on McCrory's Democratic opponent for not pledging to do the same. “Everyone knew where I was as mayor,” McCrory said a year ago. “My records were open."

***A busy week means lots of news below in the Dome Morning Memo. Send more news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com. ****

Welcome to Crossover Week on Jones Street. Think the action’s been fast so far? Well, hold onto our elephant ears, this week lawmakers will be shoveling as many bills as possible through committee and out to their floors for a vote to meet a Thursday deadline dubbed crossover.

The House and Senate rules say that bills that don’t raise or spend money or propose amendments to the state constitution must pass either the House or Senate by Thursday to be considered during the session. Of course, rules are made to be circumvented, so there are many ways to keep legislation alive. Dome’s favorite: Strip a bill that has already crossed over of its language and insert your bill of choice.

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo. Read more about the issues hanging in the balance this week at the legislature. And send news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com.***

Eric Guckian has been named by Gov. Pat McCrory as his senior education advisor.

Guckian joins the McCrory administration after serving as the regional executive director of New Leaders, a national non profit in Charlotte that works to develop

Prior to that, Guckian led Teach for America in North Carolina where he worked with 10 urban and rural school districts when teachers in that program in the state had the highest achievement outcomes in the country.

Guckian has a BA from Colgate and a MA from Harvard. He began his professional career as an elementary science teacher in the and Teach for America corp member in the South Bronx.. He has also taught in public schools in Massachusetts and in North Carolina.

“Education is a top priority of this administration,'' McCrory said. “Eric has the thorough understanding of education that this position needs. His passion for narrowing the achievement gap in public schools will drive North Carolina ahead.''

Aldona Wos, head of the state Department of Health and Human Services, gave a strange and inaccurate response when challenged on the decision not to expand Medicaid, North Carolina Health News reports.

Wos was speaking in Reidsville, one of the stops on a tour to sell a managed care plan for Medicaid.

When challenged by a doctor on the decision not to expand the government health insurance to about 500,000 working-class people, Wos said state Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin made the decision.

Um, no.

That decision came from the legislature and Gov. Pat McCrory, who hired Wos.

UPDATE: Ricky Diaz, communications director for DHHS, explains:

“The Secretary was talking broadly about the Insurance Commissioner’s oversight authority over the health care insurance industry in North Carolina, and it is unfortunate that her remarks were taken out of context.”

UPDATE: On Saturday evening, North Carolina Health News posted an audio of Wos' remarks. Judge for yourself.

Former state Rep. Mitch Gillespie is taking on two new roles in the McCrory administration. The governor appointed the Marion Republican to the Southern States Energy Board and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. He is currently the assistant secretary at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Other recent appointments from Gov. Pat McCrory:

--George Howard, the former business partner with DENR Secretary John Skvarla, was named to the Interstate Mining Commission. Howard is the co-founder and CEO of Raleigh-based Restoration Systems, an environmental mitigation company. He is also on the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission.

The gloves were given to him by Foreman after he lost the race for governor in 2008 to Democrat Bev Perdue. McCrory said he was feeling down, and was especially bummed about losing Charlotte, a city which had elected him mayor seven times.

“Losing your adopted home town tears at your heart,” McCrory said during a commencement speech at Campbell University law school Friday morning.

But Foreman, saw that he was down. He sent him a pair of gloves. On one gloves was inscribed: “Patrick with this hand, I missed a lot but I kept swinging. Your friend George Foreman.''

The other glove mentioned that he had get over the people of Africa booing him when he lost a 1974 heavyweight fight to Muhammad Ali. It read: “I had to reach out and forgive Africa. They pulled against me in 1974. For you the best is yet to come.''

Foreman came back in 1994 to become the oldest world heavyweight champion and famous for his grill.