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Gov. Bev Perdue was in Charlotte this afternoon to announce a state partnership with Microsoft to offer free technology training.

The governor appeared on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College to announce that North Carolina will receive 10,500 vouchers for Microsoft Windows and Office online training, 10,500 vouchers for Microsoft Business Certification Exams and 2,700 vouchers for advanced technical professional-level online training, Rob Christensen reports.

Each voucher is redeemable for free online training in Microsoft Windows or one of the programs in the Microsoft Suite.

The vouchers will be distributed through the state community college system, the Division of Workforce Development in the N.C. Department of Commerce, and the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

The partnership is called "Microsoft Elevate America."

North Carolina businesses are defecting from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's opposition to clean energy legislation.

The list of companies that are criticizing the U.S. Chamber or have publicly broken with the organization over its head-in-the-sand stance is growing and now includes Apple, Pacific Gas and Electric, Microsoft, Nike, and GE, among others.

On Thursday, officials from three North Carolina companies will hold a news conference affirming their opposition to the chamber and their support of energy legislation.

The companies are Argand Energy Solutions of Charlotte, Burt's Bees of Durham and T.S. Designs of Burlington.

Colin Powell is coming to Raleigh.

The retired Army general and former secretary of state will be at the Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind Thursday afternoon.

The clinic manufactures items for the U.S. Army, including rifle straps, duffel bags and until recently, military uniforms.

Powell is in town for a motivational speech at the Get Motivated Seminar with Forbes CEO Steve Forbes, UNC-Chapel Hill coach Roy Williams and former Microsoft COO Rick Belluzzo. Some of the other guests will speak via satellite hookup.

He is stopping by the clinic at the request of retired Army Col. Al Lanier, a Lions Club member and vice chancellor emeritus at N.C. State.

The visit is closed to the public.

The state treasurer doesn't play the stock market, so to speak.

Yesterday, we posted a spreadsheet of the 2006 investments of the state's pension funds made by Treasurer Richard Moore and invited comments.

To be clear, Moore doesn't actually pick the stocks. He chooses portfolios run by outside firms to invest in. At any time, their managers can buy or sell stocks in those portfolios.

That means the state has major holdings in Microsoft and Exxon Mobil, for example, even though Moore never directly picked those companies.

There are two exceptions. In recent years, Moore has asked the fund managers to sell off the state's shares in companies that engage in payday lending and those profiting from the conflict in Sudan.

More discussion after the jump.