The Civitas Institute is defending its polling.

After reading critiques of the conservative think tank's question wording on Dome, pollster Chris Hayes wrote to say that its mission is being misunderstood.

Hayes said that the think tank is trying to determine the political science on a particular issue, not the social science. While the Elon University Poll aims to find out the complex thoughts people have on the death penalty, Civitas wants to know how they'll vote.

"You could ask people a lengthy survey on their feelings about the death penalty and under which conditions they favor what punishment and get a whole series of what-ifs and partial realities," he said. "But then ask the students of UNC-Chapel Hill if they want to see the two guys who murdered Eve Carson to be executed and you probably get a different answer."

He said Civitas is looking for the "gut reaction" that causes voters to favor one candidate or issue — one reason it polls likely voters and not all residents, as Elon does.

"The Elon poll is more after the answer to the why question," he said. "We're not. Politics is not played on ambivalence. Elections are decided by finding out the issues that move people."

The state's probation system has a new leader, at least for now.

Tim Moose, a 25-year employee who started his correction career with the Wake probation office, will serve as the director of the Division of Community Corrections until a permanent replacement is found, according to an announcement made this morning by the N.C. Department of Correction, Sarah Ovaska reports.

Moose is filling the job left open when Robert Guy stepped aside when Gov. Beverly Perdue came into office this week. Moose was named director by Alvin Keller, the new N.C. Correction Secretary.

The probation office has been rocked by crisis this year, after the March death of UNC-Chapel Hill student Eve Carson exposed problems with the statewide system. The two men accused in her killing were on probation at that time, but received scant supervision.

Last month, the News & Observer reported that 580 probationers had killed since the start of 2000. The series also showed that the probation system had lost track of nearly 14,000 convicted criminals and that Guy and other leaders missed chances to help officers keep up with their charges.

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Friday will be Robert Guy's last day of the state's probation system.

No word yet on who will replace him, Sarah Ovaska reports.

Guy, the director of the state’s probation system since 1997, had been one of the focuses of "Losing Track," an N&O series that ran in December and found, in several cases, probationers had been unwatched, and went on to kill.

The investigation also found that Guy missed several chances to implement technology to help his officers and didn’t respond to years of warnings that in several urban officers the high level of vacancies left remaining staff with unmanageable caseloads.

His retirement won’t be effective until Feb. 1, but he'll be out of his office by the end of the week, he wrote in a letter distributed to community correction staff on Monday.

"The staff of the Division of Community Corrections is the hardest working and most dedicated public servants at any level of government," Guy wrote. "In closing, I love our chosen profession and I will always love and cherish our work together and wish all of you the best!"

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Since 2000, 580 people were convicted of murder or manslaughter while on probation.

The N.C. Division of Community Corrections has allowed vacancies among probation officers to pile up in urban areas with heavy caseloads. They failed to convey to legislators the growing difficulties. And when they did ask for help, the legislature usually said no.

Community Correction head Robert Guy and Correction Secretary Theodis Beck both work for Gov. Mike Easley and have made significant financial contributions to his campaign. Beck held Guy's job for two years under form Gov. Jim Hunt.

Yet for the past decade, problems in the probation system simmered beneath the surface.

The arrests of Demario Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette in the killing of Eve Carson, the popular UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, were followed quickly by the news that the two had scant supervision while on probation.

Beck said his department should have paid more attention to the problems. (N&O)

State corrections officials today named new leaders in the Wake and Durham probation offices as well as a regional office after the arrest of two probationers on murder charges exposed mismanagement in the offices.

Diane Isaacs was named assistant chief for community corrections in a 21-county region that covers Wake, Durham and Cumberland counties. She had been serving as assistant interim manager for the probation office in Wake County and previously was a manager for a district covering Hoke and Scotland counties.

Margaret Brewer was named judicial district manager in Wake County. She will oversee a staff of 141 employees who supervise about 7,400 offenders. Brewer previously served as chief probation/parole officer in Wake County.

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The N.C. House and Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping package of anti-gang measures today that include new penalties for gang-related activity.

The legislation is punitive part of a carrot and stick approach to help reduce gang activity across the state. A Governor's Crime Commission report that said there are more than 550 gangs in the state and nearly 15,000 gang members, Dan Kane reports.

There was no debate in the House, which passed it by a 110-1 vote. In the Senate, the vote was 45-0 after a short debate.

The legislation creates new felonies for those who commit drive-by shootings, take part in gang activities, or solicit others to join gangs. There are also new felonies for gang members who threaten others who try to leave, or threaten those who try to help members leave a gang.

Property acquired for or derived from gang activity could be subject to forfeiture.

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Max Borders says he feel's Pat McCrory's pain.

As a libertarian blogger and a devoted fan of "The Andy Griffith Show," Borders writes that he feels as torn as the Republican gubernatorial nominee over the actor's "shilling for leftwing candidates."

Borders also writes that Griffith's character would face modern challenges: 

A Sheriff Andy Taylor of today would be a more earnest and solemn man. He would find himself in a N.C. that in which summary executions occur perennially by members of foreign gangs. He would find himself cleaning up the Eve Carsons of the world, on the streets near Griffith's alma mater. He would find himself with very little prison space for Otis, because all manner of thugs and murders have pushed the town drunks into the arms of taxpayer-funded social workers.

Borders also writes that the times have changed since the show aired.

"Nowhere in N.C. is there a place that even vaguely resembles Mayberry (if there ever was)," he writes.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand said he won't pursue this session legislation that would require students attending public and private colleges in North Carolina to spend at least 20 hours a semester tutoring or mentoring public school students.

Rand said he would try to rework his bill for next year after hearing a lot of concern from college officials. He said he wants it to be more "volunteer oriented" and not something that creates a new bureaucracy for volunteerism.

"It would require a great deal of planning," said Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat.

Rand filed his bill after two college students were recently killed by gunfire in the Triangle: UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson and Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato. The community service program would be named after them.

It would have required most students entering UNC system schools and private colleges in the fall to begin volunteering. Private colleges would have had to participate or lose out on two state financial aid programs.

By Jan. 1, 2012, all bachelor's degree recipients would have had to have completed the community service requirement.

Those seeking a bachelor's degree in the state's public and private colleges and universities would be required to spend 20 hours a semester tutoring or mentoring students in public elementary, middle or high schools if legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand becomes law.

Rand's legislation seeks to honor two students recently killed by gunfire in the Triangle: UNC-Chapel Hill Student Body President Eve Carson and Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato. The community service program would be named after them, Dan Kane reports.

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, said the legislation would serve a twofold purpose: to instill a sense of community and responsibility in college students and to provide help to struggling public school students.

"In our public schools, we always say if we could get the family involved how much better everything would be," Rand said. "Well, some of our children in public schools don't have families. Sometimes the family doesn't want to be involved. And so programs involving these college students in the schools would be a real boost."

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After years of wrangling, state lawmakers may be close to reaching agreement on legislation to curb gang activity.

The state Senate is expected to vote tomorrow on legislation that creates new crimes for gang activity and community-based prevention and intervention programs. The legislation cleared the Senate Rules Committee today, reports Dan Kane.

The state House passed anti-gang legislation last year, and there remain differences between that and the Senate version. Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat and one of the lead sponsors of the House bill, said the differences will likely be resolved in a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers.

But Michaux was optimistic the differences would be worked out. He said key to an agreement is approval of $10 million in prevention and intervention grants that the House plans to include in its state budget proposal.

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