Bryan Setser is running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

For those of you who've just said to yourselves 'Bryan who?' Setser is the CEO of the Learn and Earn Online and N.C. Virtual Public School.

More than three years out from the next election, Setser appears to have planned a soft launch for the campaign. The Dome crew didn't get an official announcement. But true to his belief in social networking, Setser, who lives in Raleigh, is active on Facebook.

For those of you who've asked yourselves, 'Who's Walter?' - that's Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

Former Gov. Mike Easley will help push Early College High School week.

The Southport Democrat will serve as a national spokesman for an initiative to encourage high schoolers to take community college courses from May 4-10.

"In today's economy, a college education is a must for every student," he said in a statement. "That's why I'm proud to share my enthusiasm for our early college high schools across the country and to tell parents, teachers, students, policymakers, and others about the success we are seeing in North Carolina — successes that mirror the national initiative."

The promotion is part of Easley's part-time work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation promoting early community college.

It's a bit of a change from recent months. 

Since leaving office in January, Easley has kept a low profile, turning down interview requests and not speaking publicly about joining a law firm or an investigation into his relationship with a Nascar owner.

Former Gov. Mike Easley will promote early community college programs for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The two-term Democrat, who left office in January, is taking a part-time post with the Seattle-based nonprofit promoting his signature Learn and Earn program.

Started in 2004, the program aims to boost college graduation rates through a combination of online classes, special high schools that offer associate degrees and scholarships.

Easley will meet with leaders of other states and do other work to promote similar programs. Neither he nor the foundation would release his salary.

It is the first job announced for Easley since he left the Executive Mansion. He worked as a district attorney and state attorney general before being elected governor in 2000.

Adam Magnus, a spokesman for Easley, said he will also promote early childhood education programs through positions that have not yet been announced.

"He will be doing other work simultaneously," he said.

As governor, Easley worked with the Gates Foundation, set up by the co-founder of Microsoft, on similar education efforts. In recent years, the foundation donated substantial money to a nonprofit Easley created to promote Learn and Earn.

Gov. Mike Easley is discussing foreclosure, education and the law this week.

According to a schedule provided by the governor's office today, Easley had several stops in Washington after going to an economic summit with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia Tuesday.

During a three-hour stopover, he was interviewed by BBC America about the summit, met with state and federal education experts interested in the state's Learn and Earn and 21st Century Skills programs and met with 20 of his colleagues at the Democratic Governors Association.

Easley, a former North Carolina attorney general, is meeting today and tomorrow with the National Association of Attorneys General conference in Florida about the state's predatory lending laws and home foreclosure reduction laws, which other states are considering as a model.

He will make a formal speech in the morning.

"The National Association of Attorneys General winter conference is an all business, non-press event, which is why they asked the Governor not to publicize his speech," wrote spokeswoman Renee Hoffman in an e-mail to Dome.

She added that Easley reimburses the state for any trips "of a political nature."

Previously: Why is Easley stopping in D.C., Florida?

This fall, 17 new Learn and Earn High Schools will open meaning the state will have a total of 60 campuses where students can earn a high school diploma and college credit at the same time.

The schools are set up to allow students to finish high school and earn an associates degree or two years of college credit within five years.

"Every high school student in North Carolina needs to talk to their guidance counselor today about enrolling in Learn and Earn so they can take free college courses, reach their full potential and achieve their dreams," Gov. Mike Easley said in a news release.

The campuses can serve nearly 7,000 students in 53 counties. If students are not enrolled at a campus, they can still earn college credit through Learn and Earn Online, in which students earn college credit in online courses.

Easley has been working to raise the profile of Learn and Earn as his term draws to a close. The governor has said that getting more students college educations will help the state compete in a global economy.

The online program has earned national recognition, but has not attracted as many students as officials want. A list of Learn and Earn High Schools is below.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand was in no mood to argue the merits of a budget "technical corrections" bill that raced through the legislature today as the session comes to a close.

State Sen. Richard Stevens, a Cary Republican, raised questions about a provision that hands another $1 million to Gov. Mike Easley's Learn and Earn initiative. It provides a means for high school students to obtain a four-year college degree tuition free, Dan Kane reports.

Easley had sought the money as part of negotiations that eventually persuaded him to sign the $21.4 billion state budget on Thursday.

The legislation allows the Office of State Budget and Management to take the money from any agency. Stevens said the money should come from the Department of Public Instruction, which oversees Learn and Earn.

"This could come out of prisons; it could come out of universities," Stevens said. "Why don't we take it out of DPI?"

"Because we're going to adjourn in a few minutes, and that's what it says," Rand responded.

Gov. Mike Easley ended the suspense today and signed the $21.4 billion state budget bill into law.

"The governor has signed the budget and thanks legislators for their hard work," said a statement from Easley's office. "He looks forward to the General Assembly finishing work on important remaining issues including legislation on drought, home foreclosure and mental health."

The budget includes modest pay increases for teachers and most state employees, no tax increases and a record $857 million in borrowing without voter approval for construction projects.

Lawmakers approved the budget last week, but Easley has been negotiating for additional money for his Learn and Earn initiative that provides high school students with a four-year college degree tuition free.

He had until the end of Friday to decide whether to sign or veto the budget before it became law — if the legislature remained in session.

If they had left by then, Easley would have received another 30 days to make a decision.

Easley did not hold a public signing of the budget bill as he has in years past. 

Expect state lawmakers to hang around until at least 12:01 a.m. Saturday, if Gov. Mike Easley hasn't decided what to do with the $21.4 billion state budget bill.

While the legislature's in session, Easley has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, or it becomes law. Those 10 days end at midnight Friday, said Gerry Cohen, the legislature's bill drafting director, Dan Kane reports.

But if the legislature closes the session before then, Easley has another 30 days to consider or reject the budget bill. If he vetoes, the legislature would have to be called back to vote to override the veto or produce another budget bill that's more to Easley's liking.

Legislative leaders say they would like to work out Easley's concerns. His staff say that he is seeking more money for his Learn and Earn education initiative that allows high school students to get a four-year college degree tuition free. They also say he has concerns about the record $857 million in borrowing authorized for construction projects.

Lawmakers do not have a lot of time to satisfy those concerns if they want to adjourn by the end of the week. Bills that spend more money typically need to be heard over three days.

If lawmakers can't finish their business this week, they are unlikely to wrap it up the next.

House Speaker Joe Hackney and 35 other House members, three senators and more than 25 legislative staffers are planning to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual conference in New Orleans which runs Tuesday through Friday.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, is president elect of the organization, which provides research and technical assistance to state legislatures.

Gov. Mike Easley's staff confirms that he is seeking more money for one of his education initiatives, but it's not More at Four.

He wants additional money to expand his Learn and Earn initiative that gives high school students the opportunity to earn a four-year college degree tuition free, Dan Kane reports.

His staff did not say how much he was seeking, but the state budget bill that lawmakers passed had cut $8.6 million from Learn and Earn's online education component.

Legislative leaders said that the component was not meeting Easley's projections for student usage. Lawmakers would likely have to add money through some kind of supplemental budget bill.

Easley also has held off signing the budget bill because he is concerned about the record $857 million in borrowing for construction projects, his staff said.