Sen. Jean Preston
Carteret County Republican
Ninth Term

What two things would you cut in the state budget? "Maybe we could combine More at Four and Smart Start, because when we added More at Four, a lot of constituents in my district said we are already serving a lot of four year olds."
She also said job training programs should be looked at for possible duplication of services.

Are there any taxes you would be in favor of increasing? "No."

— Dan Kane 

The state Senate will have six women next session.

Three of the women are from major urban areas: Sens. Julia Boseman of Wilmington, Katie Dorsett of Greensboro and Linda Garrou of Winston-Salem.

A fourth, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, is from Carrboro, a liberal enclave near UNC-Chapel Hill.

Only two come from small towns: Sen. Jean Preston of Emerald Isle (population 3,855) and incoming Sen. Debbie Clary of Cherryville (population 5,680), about an hour drive from Charlotte. They are the only Republicans.

Coincidentally or not, both Preston and Clary served seven terms in the state House before being elected senator. None of the other female senators served in the House.

Two former female senators from urban areas have since won statewide races. Former Sen. Janet Cowell of Raleigh was elected state treasurer in November, while former Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro was elected U.S. senator.

As noted previously, rural areas have been slow to elect women.

The women make up 12 percent of the 50-member Senate.

It's after 6 p.m. and the Gov. Sarah Palin show just got under way. It was supposed to begin about 20 minutes ago, but political events often run late.

But the arena in Greenville is looking not-quite-full, with plenty more space left on the floor around the podium, Barb Barrett reports.

The traveling press hasn't yet arrived, but most of the local press are here, including about a dozen satellite TV trucks outside.

Audience members are still arriving, wearing McCain/Palin t-shirts, hauling official campaign signs, waving gold-and-purple ECU Pirate pom-poms and sporting all kinds of stickers. There are some "handmade" signs too, those sketched out by volunteers last night and with sayings such as "Palin Nation."

The press has been cordoned off from audience members, so interviews with Palin fans aren't possible now.

The teleprompters have been set up for Palin's speech.

On the agenda tonight are brief speeches by State Senate candidates Jean Preston and Louis Pate, gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who is running for re-election. According to the schedule, she's on just before Palin and has 45 minutes.

That could just be cushion for the big event — Palin is scheduled to go on at 7:05 p.m., introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

The N.C. Center for Public Policy Research has added three new board members.

Ken Eudy, chief executive officer of Raleigh public relations firm Capstrat; Natalie English, senior vice president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; and Betty Craven, president of the Warner Foundation, were elected to the center's board of directors.

The 23-member board also includes N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Wanda Bryant and state Sen. Jean Preston, among others.

Board members serve three-year terms.

Legislators came up with way this year to lower the state’s high school drop out rate by using new math.

Some legislators wanted to stop counting as drop outs students who transfer to community colleges, colleges or universities to enroll in adult high school or GED programs.

Sen. Jean Preston, the Carteret County Republican who sponsored the bill, said students who use alternatives to traditional high schools should not be considered drop outs.

The proposal came close to becoming law. Preston’s bill passed the Senate and made it to the House floor. Then, legislators had second thoughts pulled the bill from consideration and decided to study the issue.

More after the jump.

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