* Senate candidate Jim Neal wants to cut military spending, boost education spending, provide universal health care and publicly finance campaigns. (Independent Weekly)

* U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler's bill making it tougher to hire illegal immigrants gets support from his Republican challengers, John Armor, Spence Campbell and Carl Mumpower. (AC-T)

* Gov. Mike Easley, a UNC-Chapel Hill grad, doesn't think the annual matchup between N.C. State and UNC's football teams needs a nickname or trophy. (N&O)

* U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole likely to support override of veto by President Bush. Bill would spend $23.2 billion on water resources, including infrastructure. (AP)

John Armor has joined the crowded field of Republicans in the 11th Congressional race.

The Highlands lawyer, who challenged then U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor in the 2006 primary, says he will run for the Republican nomination to face U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat.

He will have to beat former Henderson County Republican Party Chairman Spence Campbell and Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower first.

Taylor has not said whether he will run again for his old seat. 

Blue Ridge Now reports that Armor is concerned about the loss of agriculure and manufacturing jobs, dislikes illegal immigration and wants to improve tourism. He also took a shot at his old rival.

"I don't know if Charles Taylor — being it is Halloween — can rise from the dead," Armor said. "The sad thing is he would probably win (the nomination) in a crowded field ... (but) he would get his hat handed to him in the general election."

The Henderson County GOP is looking for a good Webmaster.

The party's previous online guru, Dennis Justice, apparently has a few issues with its leadership and recent political decisions.

Dome learned all of this from the party's Web site, which Justice personally defaced shortly before resigning.

In a long rant, Justice argues that the party should have rebuked former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor for not making a decision on whether to run again in 2008, and well, lots of other things.

I have run this website for seven years, even when I ran for public office in the past nobody could say I ran it unfairly. I'm not going to advertise a candidate that I myself have no intentions to vote for. I have way too many other things in my life more important than codifying Mr. Taylor's ego.

In an all-capital letters update at the bottom, Justice notes that Campbell is now running with some more choice words for his chairmanship.

Spence Campbell will run for the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District.

Campbell, chairman of the Henderson County Republican Party, announced Monday that he will face off against Carl Mumpower for the Republican nomination, according to Blue Ridge Now.

The winner will face first-term Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler in the general election.

"Heath Shuler ran as a conservative Democrat, but has voted overwhelmingly with the liberal leadership in Congress," Campbell said. "My life experience instilled in me the conservative values that Western North Carolinians cherish."

Campbell, 63, is a retired Army colonel who served two combat tours in Vietnam. Previously, he worked as president of Ewbank & Ewbank Insurance and Real Estate in Hendersonville.

He has chaired the Henderson County GOP for three years.

Rep. Carolyn Justus is fighting for apple cobbler.

The Henderson County Republican told the Hendersonville Times-News that she is writing a bill that would loosen state ethics laws to help bring back a Republican cobbler fundraiser.

The local GOP, it seems, has long raised money at its annual Apple Festival by selling $3 slices of cobbler and ice cream. The event usually brings in about $4,000.

But the party called off the party this year because of a 2006 ethics law that requires any such donation be attached to a name.

"The public isn't interested in giving you that kind of information for $3 worth of apple cobbler," Henderson GOP Chairman Spence Campbell told the paper.

In an appearance at the local Republican Men's Club, Justus said the ethics bill was an overreaction to scandals surrounding Jim Black. She pledged to rewrite the law to allow cobbler sales.