BOWTIE PASTA: Maggiano's in Durham was among the many restaurants Raleigh Rep. Ty Harrell has dined at the expense of his campaign account. Those expenditures have led to an audit by the State Board of Elections and an ethics investigation in the House. Harrell, who is being divorced by his wife, has moved in with a friend. Problem is, the friend lives outside Harrell’s district. Hint: the state-issued legislative license plate is a dead give away.

BACK AWAY FROM THE CHILDREN: President Barack Obama’s plan to give students across the nation a back-to-school pep talk generated quite a furor among parents who worried that the president was trying to indoctrinate the nation’s youth. The administration did walk back a proposed lesson plan that asked children to talk about how they could help the president. In the end, the speech was as useful for adults (set goals, take care of yourself) as it was for children.

PAGING SECRETARY MARSHALL: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall officially became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate this week, or so we were told, since Marshall didn’t return reporters’ calls. Note to candidates: If you want to be heard, you have to speak.

IN OTHER NEWS: Leaders at the state Republican Party are in the middle of a spectacular mess, with the chairman cautioning the vice chairman not to berate the staff in public and the vice chairman accusing the chairman of racism. Gov. Beverly Perdue and key cabinet members got flu shots. U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield says campaign contributions won't affect an ethics investigation into embattled New York Rep. Charlie Rangel.

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield says that campaign contributions from New York Rep. Charlie Rangel won't affect an ethics probe.

Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, is one of three members of the House ethics committee who has received campaign contributions from Rangel. The committee is investigating Rangel, a Democrat, over what appears to be under-reported income from a rental property as well as other issues.

The contributions are not new, but the story has been appearing in news reports and blogs a lot lately.

Nothing has changed, Butterfield spokesman Ken Willis told Dome, who previously said that Butterfield's "integrity is not for sale, and certainly not [for] $5,000."

Willis told Dome last week that "The donations were made well before the investigation began and will have no bearing on his decision."

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield is keeping a donation from Rep. Charlie Rangel.

In recent years, the Wilson Democrat has received $5,000 from Rangel, a powerful New York Democrat who faces an investigation by the House ethics committee that Butterfield just joined, The Hill reports.

A spokesman for Butterfield said he may recuse himself from Rangel's case, but he doesn't believe the contribution could bias him for Rangel:

"The congressman got the donation long before he even considered joining the ethics committee,” said spokesman Ken Willis. "[Butterfield] was a judge in North Carolina for 15 years and certainly understands how to proceed in a judicial and nonpartisan manner.

"His integrity is not for sale, and certainly not [for] $5,000," Willis added.

Another member of the committee returned nearly $20,000 in donations he received from Rangel.

In a recent interview, Butterfield said he would be more circumspect in his interactions with other members because of his position on the committee.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge says a House ethics investigation should take its course.

As one of the newest members of the House Ways and Means Committee, Etheridge will soon be working closely with Rep. Charlie Rangel, a New York Democrat who chairs in the influential committee.

The House ethics committee is investigating whether Rangel helped preserve a lucractive tax break that benefited an oil-drilling company while its CEO was pledging $1 million to a college center in his honor. Rangel has called the allegations "ridiculous."

Etheridge said he'll refrain from comment while the investigation continues.

"Normally, when it's in the Ethics committee, you kind of stay away from it until they get through with all their work," he told Dome. "Some of those charges are pretty serious if they're true and we'll probably get an answer on those in the next several months."

Should Rangel step aside in the meantime? 

"If they found out as they do the ethics work how much of it is true or if it was tied to his responsibilities as a member of Congress, then appropriate action will be taken," Etheridge said.

It seems Pat McCrory is not the only politician handing out demotions.

As we noted yesterday, the Republican gubernatorial candidate demoted former U.S. Sen. Jim Broyhill to a state legislator on his campaign finance report.

Now Washington-based newspaper Roll Call reports that U.S. Rep. Mel Watt had a little trouble with two donors on his report: Fellow Congressmen Charlie Rangel and Jim Clyburn.

For employers, he listed: "Information requested."

Watt told Roll Call he was following Federal Election Commission protocol and requesting the information from the contributors.

"It does seem very funny, but we're just following protocol," he said. 

Apparently the FEC won't accept information readily available on Wikipedia.