CLASSES PACKED: The state's 58 community colleges have been slammed by students who enrolled because they need a job or a new career. One college president is teaching basic political science while another school has ramped up use of online classes to deal with the crush. (N&O)

FLIGHTS PAID: As the date for a hearing on the campaign finance activity of Gov. Mike Easley approached, his campaign quietly paid for five flights, acknowledging they could have been construed as campaign-related. (N&O)

DRIVE MY CAR: Former gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith owned a plane and the State Board of Elections told him that he could treat the plane as his car for the purposes of campaign finance reporting. That fact undercuts an argument by the N.C. Democratic Party that Republicans had unbilled flights just like Easley. (N&O)

A private investigator hired by the N.C. Democratic Party told the State Board of Elections that he believes three Republican candidates for governor took campaign flights that do not appear in their campaign finance reports.

Anthony Asbridge, a retired IRS investigator and a forensic accountant said he reviewed campaign finance reports and news accounts concerning Patrick Ballantine, Fred Smith and Bill Graham.

News reports mentioned flights related to their campaigns, but campaign finance reports for the candidates show no entries related to paying for them.

Board members had few questions for Asbridge who was apparently brought to testify that Republicans, like former Gov. Mike Easley, took unreported campaign flights. 

MSNBC is raising the stakes:

GOP Sen. Richard Burr, who, if he wins re-election in 2010, could end up becoming a rising national star, is taking the lead for the Senate GOP on the issue of health care.

Washington types felt the same way about Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. If he'd won the governor's mansion last year in spite of the Obama blue wave, he would be in the spotlight right now as the new face of the GOP.

On a somewhat related note, Reynolds High is inducting Burr into its sports hall of fame.

A standout high school football player who played in the 1973 Shrine Bowl, Burr went on to play defensive back at Wake Forest University.

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith also played in the Shrine Bowl and went on to Wake Forest.

* Former state Sen. Fred Smith, who once pondered a run for the job himself, has endorsed Woody White for chair of the N.C. Republican Party.

* Republican National Committee member Ada Fisher of North Carolina calls for Michael Steele to step down, criticizes his language.

* Former Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Bill Harrison sworn in to new seat, elected chairman of the State Board of Education. 

* Greensboro News-Record columnist Doug Clark says Gov. Beverly Perdue has a "special obligation" to see that lottery money doesn't go into the general fund. 

Former State Sen. Fred Smith says he will not run for chairman of the state GOP.

Smith, a Clayton businessman, said with the downturn in the economy he needed to focus on his real estate development and paving business, Rob Christensen reports.

"My first duty is to my family and my business," Smith said. "I've got a duty to my employees who stuck with me during the time I was running for governor."

Smith unsucessfully sought the GOP nomination for governor last year.  Late last year, Smith began thinking about running for state chairman.

State Chair Linda Daves has said she will not seek another term at the state GOP Convention in June.

Marcus Kindley, a Guilford County stock broker is running. Looking at running are former state Sen. Woody White and Lee County Commissioner Chad Adams.

Previously: Former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes to run?

Is former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes interested in state GOP chair?

A reliable tipster says the Concord Republican may be considering a run to replace outgoing party chairwoman Linda Daves.

As with the race for Democratic Party chair, much remains in flux.

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith, former Lee County commissioner Chad Adams, and former state Sen. Woody White are also reportedly considering runs.

Guilford County stockbroker Marcus Kindley is already running.

A former Lee County commissioner is pondering a run for GOP chair.

Chad Adams, who served on the Lee board of commissioners from 1998 to 2006, said he's been approached about replacing outgoing state party chairwoman Linda Daves.

"The first couple calls, you think they're just being nice," he said. "But then a number of other calls came from people that I think a lot of, so I went home and talked to my wife."

Adams, 41, served as chairman of the Lee County Republican Party from 2000 to 2002 and as treasurer in the 1990s.

A fifth-generation resident of Lee County, he now works as development vice president for the John Locke Foundation, raising money for the conservative think tank. He also serves as director of the related Center for Local Innovation, which focuses on local government.

If he ran, Adams said he would focus on recruiting candidates for local office, boosting fundraising for the party and getting back "the conservative mantle on fiscal policy."

"We need to make it a much more nimble, forward-thinking kind of party," he said.

Former state Sens. Woody White and Fred Smith are considering a run for chair, and Guilford County stockbroker Marcus Kindley is already running.

Former state Sen. Woody White is considering running for state GOP chairman.

The Wilmington resident said he has been talking to people around the state about a possible bid, but has not yet made up his mind, Rob Christensen reports.

If should become chairman, White said he would work to expand the party.

"We have got to do a better job of reaching out and expanding our base," White said. "If you don't alter the way you deliver your message we run the risk of becoming an anachronism."

White, 39, is an attorney and former law partner of Patrick Ballantine, the GOP nominee for governor in 2004. White was appointed to Ballantine's seat, but lost in the General Election to Democrat Julia Boseman.

He served in 2004 as a member of the national party platform committee, is a former legal counsel to the state GOP, and is a former New Hanover County Republican chairman.

Guilford County stockbroker Marcus Kindley is already running for the post, while state Sen. Fred Smith is considering a run. Current chair Linda Daves said she will not seek re-election.

Another potential governor might have tapped Lanier Cansler too.

Appointing the Republican to lead the state Department of Health and Human Services gave Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue the chance to note that she'll ignore party affiliations to get reliable agency heads, Lynn Bonner reports.

Another candidate for governor, Republican Fred Smith, turned to Cansler, too. Cansler worked with Smith on his health policies and on Smith's mental health position paper. Smith lost in the GOP primary.

Cansler also contributed $1,000 to Smith's campaign in 2006.

An interesting bit of trivia: According to his voter registration information, the "M" stands for Moose.

State Sen. Fred Smith of Clayton said he has not made a decision on whether to run for state GOP chairman.

Smith said he is interested in the post, but he also busy managing his real estate and construction companies through the downturn, Rob Christensen reports. He noted that he just came through a two-year period in which he spent a considerable amount of his time and substantial amounts of money seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

"Right now," Smith said, "My issue involves....whether I feel I can devote the time and energy and passion to the job it deserves."