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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton of Colorado will be in Raleigh next month for a fundraiser.

The Raleigh connection is her brother-in-law, Charlie Black, the North Carolina native who is a long-time political advisor to GOP political figures from Jesse Helms to John McCain, Rob Christensen.

Norton, a former Colorado lieutenant governor, will be the guest at a fund raiser at the home of former Raleigh City Councilman Kieran Shanahan and his wife Tina on February 18th.  Also hosting the event are Charlie and Judy Black and political consultants Karen and Marc Rotterman.

Norton is running against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. She has the backing of much of the party establishment including 15 sitting GOP senators, but she is being challenged by several candidates who have the backing of grassroots tea party activists who think she is too close to McCain and other establishment figures.

Abe Holtzman, a longtime political science professor at N.C. State University, passed away Monday at 88.

The award-winning professor was a favorite at NCSU and a mentor to some of the state's most well-known Democrats. In a 1988 article in The News & Observer, former Gov. Jim Hunt called Holtzman "the most challenging and stimulating professor I ever had."

But former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms was not a fan. Early in his career as a local TV commentator, Helms labled Holtzman a subversive at NCSU who undermined the values of the South.

Born in Detroit and educated at UCLA and Harvard, Holtzman served as a  congressional aide and a staff assistant to the Democratic National Committee before his teaching career. He taught for more than 45 years at NCSU, where his research  interests included lobbying, political parties and the relationship between the president and Congress.

He was an avid stamp collector and Wolfpack fan, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, three sons and their wives, five children and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Temple Beth Or, 5315 Creedmoor Road.

The Senate health bill scheduled for passage Christmas Eve would provide federal health care to nearly half a million more North Carolinians, force individuals to purchase health insurance and offer subsidies for households earning up to $88,000 a year for a family of four. (N&O)

The state agency that disciplines lawyers has taken the unusual step of chastising the entire prosecutors' office in Johnston County for its mishandling of evidence in a first-degree murder case. The N.C. State Bar is trying to send a message to prosecutors across the state. (N&O)

Partisan storms surrounding the Wake County school board continued Monday, with Republican power broker Art Pope downplaying his role in the election of GOP-backed candidates to the board.

And attorney Thomas Farr, selected as special interim counsel by the board, spoke to clarify his role in controversial mailings by Sen. Jesse Helms' campaigns in 1984 and 1990. (N&O)

Carter Wrenn, who for decades struck fear into the hearts of North Carolina Democrats, is getting back into the political consulting business.

Wrenn has signed on as general consultant and chief strategist to help Renee Ellmers, a registered nurse and Republican who plans to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, Rob Christensen reports. He also agreed to a similar role for Raleigh publisher Bernie Reeves, if Reeves decides to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Miller next year.

Wrenn has been talking with other candidates as well.

Wrenn was a key strategist for the late Sen. Jesse Helms from the 1970's through the 1990's and also played a role in helping elect Republican U.S. Sens. John East and Lauch Faircloth. He also ran Helms' major political organization, the National Congressional Club, until it went out of business in the 1990s.

But Wrenn had basically retired from political campaigns since he was the chief strategist for Richard Vinroot's gubernatorial campaign in 2000. Wrenn has devoted most his energies to writing, working for corporate clients or appearing as a political analyst on TV.

Gov. Bev Perdue said Tuesday that U.S. Attorney George Holding should be kept on until he finishes his investigations of Democrats Mike Easley and John Edwards.

Perdue said she was only speaking as a private citizen and had no influence over political patronage appointments of the administration of President Barack Obama, reports Rob Christensen.

Obama has nominated Thomas Walker, a Charlotte attorney, to be the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina to replace Holding. U.S. attorneys are patronage positions and Holding, a protege of the late Sen. Jesse Helms, got his job through President George W. Bush.

But Holding is in the middle of investigations Easley and Edwards.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan had recommended Walker, but has said Holding should be kept on to handle the Easley and Edwards cases.

Perdue said she would be "very welcoming" of Walker.

"I hear very good things about him," she said

But at an impromptu news conference Tuesday to announce a new task force, Perdue said she would encourage Holding to stay.

"My gut is if I were in the decision-making piece," Perdue said, "it would be to let Mr. Holding stay with the cases he is investigating and bring whatever information he has now to culmination."

North Carolinians want the Republican federal prosecutor investigating Democrats Mike Easley and John Edwards to stay on the job, according to a new poll.

The survey by the Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank, found that 76 percent of those polled want George Holding, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, to finish his investigations before being replaced, reports Rob Christensen.

Federal prosecutors are patronage appointments and Holding, a protege of the late Sen. Jesse Helms, got his job through Republican President George W. Bush.

Democratic President Barack Obama has nominated Charlotte lawyer Thomas G. Walker to be his replacement. But Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, who recommended Walker, has argued that Holding should be allowed to wrap up his investigation of Easley, the former governor, and Edwards, the former senator and former presidential candidate.

The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Dec. 1-3 by Tel Opinion Research of Arlington, Virginia.

N.C. Republican Party chairman Tom Fetzer surprised some editors and reporters at The News & Observer recently when he said he had some positive feelings for the paper.

Executive Editor John Drescher noted on The Editors' Blog that Fetzer got his start in the Jesse Helms organization, which was hardly friendly to The N&O.

"I grew up in the Helms organization," Fetzer said. "We were sort of taught as yearlings that this was the evil empire. I've matured a lot since then."

"I'm very proud of this newspaper," he said. "I'm very proud of what the paper has done about the corruption in North Carolina these last few years. I know that's been a difficult task....Without the diligent work of Andrew Curliss...and others, a lot of this would never have come to the fore. I think the paper can be very proud of its role in this." He was speaking of The N&O's reporting about several Democratic politicians who have gone to prison, as well as our reporting about favors and gifts accepted by former Gov. Mike Easley when he was governor. Easley, a Democrat, is the subject of federal and state investigations.

He concluded: "I want you to know -- I used to consider the newspaper an enemy. I don't anymore."

GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an awkward moment if Burr shows to get a book signed.

POLITICAL PRENUP: Presidential candidate John Edwards offered to quit his campaign and endorse President Barack Obama in exchange for a guaranteed spot on the ticket. Hillary Clinton got the same offer. This reminds us of a time when Edwards' political value meant more than a cheap joke, such as this one.

LIGHTWEIGHT GOVERNOR: At a women's health conference, Gov. Bev Perdue shared stories about her days as a lawmaker when she would scarf a whole bag of Doritos. On a stage in front of a crowd, Perdue challenged her transportation secretary, Gene Conti, to slim down. Woe to any Perdue cabinet members who still smoke.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign manager appeared before a federal grand jury this week. Members of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are heavy political contributors. An African American artist unveiled a portrait of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

VOTE HAUNTS: Nearly two weeks after U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell bucked his party and voted against health care legislation, Democrats in his district are seething. The talk is that Kissell may face a serious primary challenge. (Charlotte Observer)

PORTRAIT PLEASES: Rene Dickerson was nervous as he prepared to unveil his portrait of the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. The cloth over the painting dropped, and the room gasped. The crowd broke into long applause. (N&O)

RESERVES AMPLE: North Carolina state government has at least $620 million at its disposal so far to close any budget hole this fiscal year, the state's budget director says. So far, revenue is down $95 million, a fraction of the multi-billion dollar shortfall faced last year. (AP)