A quick breakdown on the political stories in this morning's paper:
-- With three different candidates winning the first three GOP presidential primary contests, North Carolina's chances of influencing the Republican presidential primary increased slightly over the weekend. "It's pretty remote, but it's a possibility where two weeks ago I would have told you there was no possibility whatsoever," said Jack Hawke, a veteran party strategist and former state GOP chairman. Read more here.
-- WakeMed CEO Bill Atkinson finally found his audience Monday at a legislative committee charged with deciding whether the state should own Rex Hospital, WakeMed's cross-town rival. For more than a year, Atkinson has lodged the same litany of complaints against Rex and its owner, UNC Health Care. Read more from reporter Mandy Locke here.
-- In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, the Charlotte City Council voted Monday night to approve new ordinances that will give police more power to stop and search people during the convention. The vote was met with shouts of "Shame!" from a packed council chamber. The American Civil Liberties Union has said some of the measures go too far, including giving the police power to arrest people carrying backpacks, satchels or coolers if they believe the items are being used to carry weapons. Read more here from The Charlotte Observer.
--Conflicts between individual homeowners and the homeowners associations that govern many housing developments took center stage at a state legislative hearing Monday. Read more here.
