Software for the state's probation system is rooted in the 1980s.

Despite North Carolina's abundance of high-tech companies such as SAS, Red Hat and Lenovo, probation officers spend hours each month looking up clients on a computer system that predates Windows and does not even have a mouse.

Until last month, there was no simple way for a probation officer to check whether new criminal charges have been filed against any of the 114,000 probationers under their watch.

An N&O investigation turned up hundreds of cases where probation offiers lost track of criminals who were violating probation — and then were charged with murder, rape and other serious crimes.

For 14 years, state officials have vowed to fix the patchwork of computer systems that were supposed to help law enforcement keep track of criminals. But a special committee set up in 1994 fixed only one of five problems it identified. (N&O) 

Gov. Mike Easley had some notable lunch dates in 2004.

According to the governor's daily schedules from that year, Easley dined with such notables as then Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Red Hat CEO Matthew Szulik and former Sen. Lauch Faircloth.

With one exception, the lunches were held on Wednesdays at the Governor's Mansion. (Easley held a lunch with his top staffers on a Tuesday before the holidays.)

The schedules are for planning purposes only, so some of the lunches may have been canceled. They were obtained by Dome after a public records request.

Still, they show an interesting cross-section of North Carolina's power players in business, government and political advocacy.

After the jump, a complete list of the 2004 lunches.

Hat Tip: Andy Curliss

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