Kay Hagan can thank redistricting for her budget-writing powers.

After a Republican lawsuit made its way to the Supreme Court, a Superior Court judge drew districts more favorable to the GOP that eventually put the Senate's three budget co-chairs out of office:

Sen. Aaron Plyer: After 14 terms in the Senate, the Monroe Democrat, was drawn into a district with just 35 percent Democrats. He chose not to run again and was replaced by then Rep. Fern Shubert.

Sen. Fountain Odom: A seven-term senator, Odom was drawn into a district with 32 percent Democrats. He lost an expensive race against Robert Pittenger, now a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Sen. Howard Lee: The former Chapel Hill mayor was forced to run against fellow Democratic Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, losing by 119 votes. He now heads the state Board of Education.

With the three budget writers gone, Senate leader Marc Basnight tapped three younger legislators: Hagan, Walter Dalton of Rutherfordton and Linda Garrou of Winston-Salem.

"She'll go outside of that box," Basnight said of Hagan. "She'll do a bang-up job."

Much has been made of the hand-delivered letter Mike Easley "chunked" from his former Department of Health and Human Services secretary Carmen Hooker Odom.

But a thus far unanswered question has been who exactly it was that went to the executive mansion last week to put the letter into Easley's hand, Michael Biesecker reports.

In the interview where he first disclosed the letter's existence Sunday, Easley said he couldn't recall who the delivery person was.

"This was hand-delivered by someone she knew down here, and I don't know who," he said.

On several occasions this week, spokespeople for the governor either said they couldn't answer or didn't respond when asked for clarification about precisely who brought Easley the letter and on what date it was delivered.

One of those mysteries has now been solved.

Former Sen. Fountain Odom, Hooker Odom's husband, confirmed Tuesday he was the delivery man. But he, too, said he couldn't remember exactly what date he saw Easley.

"I've been in Raleigh two or three times lately," he said.

Asked if he knew what his wife wrote in the note, Odom said: "I don't read my wife's mail. Do you?"