A spokeswoman is defending Attorney General Roy Cooper.

In an e-mail to Dome, public information officer Noelle Talley said that the attorney general's office won't comment on any current or potential investigation.

Cooper has been criticized by Republicans who think he should be more vocal about recent news reports about former Gov. Mike Easley's potential violations of campaign finance laws.

Talley noted that Cooper has investigated a number of high-profile Democrats.

"During Attorney General Cooper's tenure, his lawyers and SBI agents have investigated more than 500 public corruption cases, including Jim Black, Thomas Wright, Meg Scott Phipps and Frank Ballance," she wrote.

She added that the department has often worked with other prosecutors.

"Although we have no original prosecution authority, our Department frequently works with federal authorities and local district attorneys to bring charges against elected and appointed officials," she wrote. "The Attorney General can serve as a Special Prosecutor when requested by a local district attorney."

Previously: Senate Republican leader calls for special prosecutor.

The question North Carolina Democrats whisper in the halls is: when are the Republican U.S. attorneys going to be replaced?

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says the answer is pretty soon, Rob Christensen reports.

Hagan, the Democrat freshman, said she hopes to recommend three new U.S. attorneys for North Carolina in the coming months.

"I would like to get some names fairly soon and make some recommendations," Hagan said in an interview. "I would certainly think by spring or early summer we could have nominees. The timing has a lot do with the president."

She has appointed a panel, headed by former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell to advise her on potential nominees for both federal prosecutors and federal judgeships. Hagan said the group held its first meeting Tuesday.

More after the jump.

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Joe Sinsheimer is back consulting, and his newest client is the State Employees Association of North Carolina.

Sinsheimer said the association hired him this month to help them respond to the many changes expected as Gov. Beverly Perdue and lawmakers hammer out a budget that is expected to include major cuts, Dan Kane reports.

He said he will help the association with communications strategies, but he will not be lobbying governmental officials. He declined to say what SEANC is paying him.

"State employees need to sift through all of the changes that are coming their way, and figure out how they can respond, how they can work with the state to improve service delivery and maintain service delivery," Sinsheimer said. "So they are feeling that given the magnitude of sea change in front of them, they wanted an extra pair of hands to help."

More after the jump.

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A bill would mandate North Carolina schools teach about the 1898 Wilmington race riots.

Introduced by Sen. Julia Boseman, a New Hanover Democrat, the bill orders the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to create teaching materials and provide workshops on the subject.

The idea was first proposed by the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission, which issued a report in 2006.

A previous bill proposed by former Rep. Thomas Wright did not pass in part because of an estimated cost of $200,000.

"It might be an unfortunate part of our history, but it's part of our history, and our students deserve to know about it," Boseman said. (WS-N)

Colon Willoughby says he's not interested in being a U.S. attorney.

The Wake County district attorney said "some folks" had approached him about a possible appointment as a federal prosecutor for the Raleigh-based Eastern District.

But he relayed to his staff Thursday that he would be staying put.

"At this point, I think I'm happy right where I am," he told Dome.

Willoughby, who was first elected district attorney in 1986, said he plans to run again next year.

As the prosecutor for the state capital, Willoughby has worked closely with federal prosecutors on corruption cases involving former Speaker Jim Black and Rep. Thomas Wright.

A Democrat, he had been mentioned by several people knowledgeable with the U.S. attorney's office as a potential appointment under President-elect Barack Obama.

If the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District were a hunter, he'd have some nice trophies.

Over the past eight years, federal prosecutors based in Raleigh have taken down some big Democratic game as part of their anti-corruption efforts.

A short list:

Meg Scott Phipps. The former Agriculture commissioner spent three years in prison for fraud and extortion over inappropriate use of campaign funds.

Jim Black. The former longtime speaker of the N.C. House is serving time for taking $29,000 in bribes from chiropractors who wanted him to push legislation.

Michael Decker. The former state representative is serving time for taking more than $63,000 in cash and campaign checks from Black to switch parties.

Frank Ballance. The former Congressman is serving time for diverting $100,000 in public money he helped direct to a nonprofit to his law firm, church and family.

Garey Ballance. The son of Rep. Ballance, a Democratic district court judge, served time for failing to report money he received from his father to buy a Lincoln Navigator.

Kevin Geddings. The former state lottery commissioner is serving time for failing to disclose that he worked for a lottery vendor when he took his seat.

The U.S. attorney's office may have also helped investigate former Rep. Thomas Wright, who was found guilty in state courts of improperly spending campaign donations, though it has never confirmed or denied the assistance.

Not all of their targets were Democrats, either. Federal prosecutors also put former state GOP chairman and former U.S. attorney Sam Currin in prison for laundering money for a client.

Kieran Shanahan hopes the next U.S. attorneys keep the focus on corruption.

The Raleigh lawyer, who worked as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1984 to 1989, notes that federal prosecutors have played an important role in rooting out corruption in North Carolina.

Shanahan, a Republican, points to the successful prosecutions of former Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps, former Speaker Jim Black and former Reps. Michael Decker and Thomas Wright, all Democrats.

"The one watchdog for the people of North Carolina has been prosecutors in the Eastern District," he said. "It would be a disappointment if they did not continue that effort."

Shanahan said that federal prosecutors are "uniquely equipped" to handle corruption investigations because they are politically insulated, have larger budgets and nationwide subpoena powers and can empanel investigative grand juries, a power that state and local prosecutors do not have.

He noted that U.S. attorneys often have different priorities in Republican and Democratic administrations, saying he expects the next prosecutors to focus more on cases involving white collar crime and environmental regulations.

"I think this administration might be more inclined to go after business," he said.

John McCain cast himself as the underdog Monday.

In a rally attended by 2,500 people at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, the Republican presidential candidate said that Democrat Barack Obama is "measuring the drapes" in the White House.

"Friends, we got them just where we want them," he said. "What America needs in this hour is a fighter." (N&O)

The event had originally been billed as a "town hall meeting" where voters could ask questions, and McCain said in his speech that he would take questions. But when he finished his speech, speakers blared the theme from "Rocky." 

McCain shook hands with several members of the crowd, then left for two television interviews. (GN-R) 

A banner that read "NO BAMA!" was briefly posted outside that showed images of Obama, Osama bin Laden and former state Rep. Thomas Wright. It was unclear who posted it and it was quickly taken down. (W-SJ)

Beulaville artist Rodney Hall lined up oversized portraits of McCain, Obama and a number of former presidents along a fence across from the college. Some attendees lined up for snapshots between the portraits. (WS-N)

Some Republicans worry that state ethics problems may not sway voters.

With another former Democratic legislator in jail, an $80,000 pay raise for the wife of Gov. Mike Easley and a mental health system in turmoil, it might seem like an ideal time to argue for change in state government.

But some say it may not be enough.

"Raleigh scandals, like state government operations themselves, are of less importance [to voters] than the car wreck down the street and the son or daughter shipping off to Afghanistan," said Joel Raupe, an assistant to the Republican leadership in the state House. "Somewhere in between, what is happening in Raleigh gets lost."

Still, both Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and Democrat Beverly Perdue used a forum Tuesday as a chance to seize the mantle of reformer.

McCrory seemed frustrated by the difficult of focusing voters on such incidents as former Democratic state Rep. Thomas Wright being sent to prison after being convicted of public corruption or Easley's pay raise.

"Where is the outrage?" he said. (N&O)

Joe Sinsheimer says more change is needed at the General Assembly.

The former Democratic campaign consultant released a statement Wednesday on the conviction of former state Rep. Thomas Wright. Sinsheimer filed the initial complaint against the Wilmington Democrat in December 2006 with the State Board of Elections.

Here's his statement:

Thomas Wright's latest felony conviction is a sad end to a once promising political career.

Wright seems to have been undone by the same toxic combination of arrogance, hubris and greed that led to the downfall of former Speaker Jim Black. The indictments and convictions will continue until either the leadership of the General Assembly decides to change the culture of the institution or voters adopt a 'throw-the-bums-out' mentality.

Neither seems imminent, although both would be welcome.

Several lawmakers are subjects of ongoing investigations. The State Board of Elections is investigating a complaint about Sen. Julia Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, and it has been reviewing the campaign finances of several Mecklenburg County Democrats in response to an investigation by The Charlotte Observer.

The House of Representatives voted in March to expel Wright from office, the first expulsion since the 19th century.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated whether any lawmakers are under investigation.