* The state's universities and colleges are being hit hard with cases of flu, most likely of the H1N1 variety.

A type of influenza easily passed among young people, H1N1 is circulating so commonly that health officials don't even test for it specifically. They simply say students have "influenza-like illness" and assume the strain is H1N1.

The largest numbers are at UNC-Chapel Hill, which through last week had nearly 700 cases. That's more than twice the 309 cases reported by N.C. State over essentially the same period, and NCSU is a larger institution.

Most other universities report far lower numbers. Wake Forest has seen about 200 cases, and Duke has had about 170. At Peace, the small women's college in Raleigh, Murray is one of 13 students to get it.

The totals are likely higher. These numbers represent only students who seek help from a campus health office. The cases are mild and so far have not led to mass absences.

More hand washing could help slow the virus spread. One professor says students need to hear how unpleasant the illness is to get them to wash up. (N&O)

* A program set up last year to help North Carolina homeowners with subprime loans avoid foreclosure has been expanded to include those with traditional mortgages.

When the UNC Board of Governors was vetting the details of Mary Easley's new job and big raise at N.C. State last year, UNC system President Erskine Bowles had conversations with both the first lady and her husband.

Bowles, who met Wednesday with News & Observer editors and reporters, said he had been skeptical of the new job, which has since become entangled in a federal investigation into Mike Easley, the former governor, reports Steve Riley. Bowles said he told James Oblinger, then the N.C. State chancellor, that he would have to "justify every single dollar or we would not approve it."

At one point during the process, Bowles said that Oblinger had given up trying to persuade Bowles and the board to approve the deal. But the chancellor later made another run at it, only to have Mrs. Easley balk at one of Bowles' conditions: That all the documents supporting the $170,000 salary be made public.

"I called her and told her that," Bowles said. "She said she'd get back to me." She did, and the board approved the deal with Bowles' blessing.

Bowles said he had also talked to the former governor at the time. "I told Governor Easley the same thing I just told you: That we were going to treat Mary Easley the same way we would treat everybody else."

More after the jump.

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N.C.'S STATE: Something was rotten at N.C. State. After a series of articles in the N&O revealed the involvement of former Gov. Mike Easley in the hiring of his wife, the provost and the chancellor resigned and Mary Easley was fired. (The chairman of the board of trustees had already left.) Though an interim chancellor has already been named, the university is not out of the woods yet. Expect further turmoil.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: The N.C. Republican Party met in Raleigh to plan a comeback. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was scheduled to outline his path to victory this morning, while delegates debated whether candidates should pledge loyalty to the state platform, whether primaries should be closed and — in what's turned out to be the nastiest race in years — who should be the party's new chairman.

SENATE BUZZ: U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says he's not thinking about which Democrat might run against him next year. He's the only one, apparently. The chattering classes spent more time this week wondering whether Secretary of State Elaine Marshall or U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre might make another run for it, while Iraq veteran Cal Cunningham and Obama fundraiser Kenneth Lewis kept trying to build buzz.

IN OTHER NEWS: The fight over the state budget continued, with House Democratic budget writers calling for $784 million in new taxes. ... A House committee passed a bill to allow billboard companies to cut down more trees. ... Elon University police detective Dan Ingle was chosen by Alamance County Republicans to replace former Rep. Cary Allred.

President Obama called Coach Roy Williams last night.

On board Air Force One, the president phoned the UNC-Chapel Hill men's basketball coach to congratulate him on the team's win over Michigan State in the NCAA championship.

"The President offered Coach Williams his congratulations and thanked him and his team for vindicating him in front of the entire country," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement.

Obama had picked Carolina to win in his NCAA bracket. He also played a pickup game with the team during last year's primary.

"The President told him he’d done a great job and asked the Coach to tell the players how proud he was of them and that he looked forward to seeing them at the White House soon," Gibbs added.

No word on what Gibbs, an N.C. State grad, thought of the game.

Gov. Beverly Perdue was wearing light blue for her close-up camera shot last night at the big Tar Heels-Wolfpack basketball battle.

Her attire prompted the play-by-play guys to wonder if Perdue had made a smart political choice. Wasn't she alienating half the state, they mused?

Perdue's powder blue sweater wasn't shocking, though. Her husband, Bob Eaves, is a big Carolina fan and the two often attend games at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

The Tar Heels won last night, 89-80 over the Pack.  

Andy Taylor thinks it will be the usual N.C. fare.

The N.C. State politics professor and ubiquitous academic commentator picks John McCain, Elizabeth Dole and Beverly Perdue to win in North Carolina.

"I have a feeling that it's going to be all 'incumbents' or all the fresh faces—no mixed result," he writes Dome. "Of the two I have a slight hunch that it will be the former—McCain, Dole and Perdue. All very, very close. Not for any particular reason other than a hunch."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole will visit be tailgating on Saturday.

Dole will attend the N.C. State University football game Saturday and participate in the NCSU Students for Dole Tailgate at 10:30 at Carter Finley Stadium. It will be at Gate B off Trinity Road.

If Mary Easley's $170,000 salary is approved this week, she will make more than all but 94 of 3,455 N.C. State faculty and administrators.

An executive in residence who runs a lecture series, the state's first lady received an 88 percent pay increase earlier this year along with new duties. The changes drew criticism at N.C. State and other state universities.

Pay raises that large are supposed to be reviewed by the UNC system's Board of Governors, but N.C. State did not present it initially.

Many of those with higher salaries include Chancellor James Oblinger, who earns $390,835, and Provost Larry Nielsen, who earned $290,000. Others were current and former football coaches.

Just 23 employees who made more than $170,000 were faculty members without administrative duties.

If approved, Easley's pay would put her in the top three percent. (N&O) 

Bill Bradley's trip to North Carolina was set up in the spring.

The former New Jersey senator will speak at N.C. State's Millennium Seminar Series and he will also campaign on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The seminar series is run by First Lady Mary Easley.

N.C. State spokesman Keith Nichols said that Bradley was booked in the spring and will only speak on the conflict in Georgia and Russia. He said it is "up to the speaker" if they want to do other events while in North Carolina.

Bradley is receiving about $350 for hotel and transportation and an honorarium of $5,000 paid for by funds raised for the series. His transportation costs do not include travel to and from the Obama event in Chapel Hill.

"We do not subsidize campaign events," Nichols said.

Paul Cox, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said that Bradley has been campaigning for Obama since the spring.

He said former Democratic Party executive director Ed Turlington, who has worked for Bradley in the past, got in touch with the Obama campaign to suggest that he do a campaign event while in town.

Bill Bradley will talk up Barack Obama today.

The former New Jersey senator and pro basketball player will speak at the UNC-Chapel Hill student union at 2:30 p.m. today.

He is one of the first major surrogates to appear in North Carolina during the general election season, although Obama had a roster of notable politicians speak on his behalf during the run-up to the May primary. 

Bradley's trip was not entirely for campaign purposes, however.

He is in town to speak on Russia and the Georgian conflict at N.C. State's Stewart Theatre at 6 p.m. The speech is free and open to the public.

He will kick off the college's Millennium Seminar Series, which is run by First Lady Mary Easley.