Eight members of the House voted against overriding Gov. Mike Easley's veto of a wide boats bill.

Those members are:

Alice Bordsen, D-Alamance

Susan Fisher, D-Buncombe

Sandra Spaulding Hughes, D-Wilmington

Verla Insko, D-Orange

Maggie Jeffus, D-Guilford

Paul Luebke, D-Durham

Mickey Michaux, D-Durham

Jennifer Weiss, D-Wake

In the Senate, Ed Jones, D-Halifax, voted against override, but Jones' vote was not recorded because he paired his vote with the absent Doug Berger, D-Franklin. Under the Senate's rules, Jones can cast Berger's vote for him, but it means neither vote is recorded.

The House and Senate roll call votes are below.

Reps. Larry Womble and Maggie Jeffus explained their votes.

Womble, a Winston-Salem Democrat, voted for censure, and when that failed, against expulsion. He told the Associated Press he agreed with Thomas Wright's arguments.

"Not only has he not been convicted, but he has not had his day in court," Womble said.

Jeffus, a Greensboro Democrat, voted against censure, and when that failed, for expulsion.

She told Mark Binker of the Greensboro News & Record that she has sat next to Wright for at least two sessions.

"I felt like we might give that a chance and see. In my own mind I think censure and expulsion are both very serious and in the end would have the same kind of result," she said.

Current and former women legislators have endorsed Richard Moore.

State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, Reps. Pricey Harrison andd Maggie Jeffus and former Reps. Marie Watters Colton, Ruth Cook and Bertha "B." Merrill Holt have announced their support of the state treasurer's gubernatorial campaign.

In an open letter, six women praise his "steady leadership."

Richard has built this record of achievement through hard work and by surrounding himself with a diverse and highly talented professional team, including the first African American female chief investment officer to run a public pension plan. In fact, more than half of Richard's current leadership team is female, including his chief of staff.

"I am honored that such an outstanding group of women leaders support my candidacy," Moore said in a statement.

He faces Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in the Democratic primary.

* High school students stump John Edwards on conflict diamonds, recycling nuclear waste and North American currency consolidation at N.H. event. (NYT)

* BlueNC founder James Protzman, a.k.a. Anglico, announces he's leaving the Democratic Party to become unaffiliated over state Sen. Kay Hagan's U.S. Senate run. (BlueNC)

* Hagan replacements mentioned: Reps. Maggie Jeffus and Pricey Harrison, education activist Margaret Arbuckle; Republicans Mark McDaniel and Rep. John Blust. (Capital Beat)

* U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx holds "virtual town hall," fielding mostly positive calls and questions about illegal immigration. Democratic opponent Roy Carter cries foul. (W-SJ)

A House bill would make abstinence more about health than morals.

The legislation would change the wording on state statutes on health education. Though middle-schoolers would still be taught an "abstinence-based" course, it would not be as strict.

Currently, the state requires a curriculum that:

Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the expected standard for all school‑age children.

Under the legislation, it would instead be required to:

Teach that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy, teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to reduce the risk of sexual transmission of diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and provide information about the value of abstinence.

Supporters with NARAL North Carolina and Planned Parenthood and opponents with the Christian advocacy group Called2Action will be at a hearing tomorrow morning.

The bill is sponsored by Democratic Reps. Linda Coleman of Wake County and Susan Fisher, Maggie Jeffus, and Melanie Wade Goodwin.