* McGuireWoods makes it official: Former Gov. Mike Easley and two former aides, Franklin Freeman and Ruffin Poole, have joined the firm.

* Former Govs. Jim Hunt and Jim Martin, meantime, have been named to the state advisory board of the N.C. Heroes Fund, which supports veterans.

* Attorney General Roy Cooper, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and other dignitaries to speak at opening of new domestic violence center in Raleigh Friday.

* Another national liberal blogger speculates on the deeper meaning of Sen. Richard Burr's 2010 re-election campaign.