By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press

More than four times as many blacks have registered to vote in North Carolina during the first few months of 2008 as four years ago, a sign that bodes well for Sen. Barack Obama in the state's May 6 Democratic presidential primary.

There has also been a boom in voter registrations overall across age, race, gender and party affiliation, according to the North Carolina state board of elections. And, even though the traditional registration period closes Friday, the numbers may continue to climb if voters take advantage of North Carolina's new same-day registration law.

Lisa Boone-Wood, JOURNAL REPORTER

Students for Barack Obama set up a sound system in front of the clock tower at Winston-Salem State University one recent afternoon and cranked up the music.

Speakers encouraged political activism while others worked the crowd to sign up new voters. In two hours, 110 students had registered to vote.

College interns for Hillary Clinton met one night last week at her headquarters in an old house at the edge of downtown.

They worked the phones, exchanged ideas about how to get out campaign information and learned how to reply to questions posed by voters on a Web site set up by the campaign.

With the May 6 primary just three weeks away, the presidential campaigns are focusing on young voters and campus organizing more than ever.

The North Carolina Democratic Party pauses today to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was murdered at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead sanitation workers on a protest against low wages and unsafe working conditions.

This grim anniversary comes at a time when Democrats are poised to elect the nation’s first African-American or female President.

We carry the embers of Dr. King’s unfinished work as Democrats have successfully worked to increase state and federal minimum wage rates.

Chelsea Clinton will attend the Young Democrats of North Carolina 80th Anniversary Convention on Saturday, March 29th at 3:45 PM. The Convention will take place at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park.

McHenry Votes Against Tuition Relief for Over 160,000 North Carolina Students

Daniel Johnson, a Congressional Candidate in North Carolina’s 10th District, criticized Rep. Patrick McHenry for voting against the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. McHenry was one of only 58 House members to vote against the bi-partisan bill that makes college more affordable for middle class and low-income families. The bill received the support of both Democrats and Republicans from North Carolina.

“This was a great opportunity to rise above partisan bickering and provide much-needed tuition relief for thousands of North Carolina families,” said Johnson. “But once again, the current representative chose party politics above the needs of his constituents.”

The bill would increase loans and Pell grants to North Carolina students and families by $351 million over five years. Over 160,000 North Carolina students would benefit from the bill’s $500 increase in each Pell grant.

Joint Economic Committee Details High Hidden Costs to U.S. Economy of Borrowing Funds to Pay for War, Foregone Investments, Veterans’ Post-War Care, and Oil Market Disruptions

 Leaders Show that Other Spending Priorities like Health Care and College Aid Are Being Shortchanged; Economic Costs Per U.S. Family Could Reach $46,400

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) along with Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Chairman Sen. Charles E. Schumer, JEC Vice-Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer released a new report exposing the hidden costs of the war in Iraq.  The Joint Economic Committee report entitled, “War at Any Price? The Total Economic Costs of the War” details the high hidden economic costs of the war in Iraq beyond the direct budgetary appropriations, including interest costs of borrowing these funds, lost investment, long term veteran’s health care, and oil market disruptions.  The JEC estimates these costs could total $3.5 trillion depending on how long President Bush pursues the same course of action in Iraq.  The JEC report can also be found at www.jec.senate.gov.

At a time when the leading Republican presidential contenders have refused to even appear in front of a number of groups including African American, Hispanic and young voters, the promises of an inclusive "compassionate conservatism" seem to be a thing of the past. While Bush's low approval numbers account for some of the overall damage to the GOP brand, poll numbers show that the problems Republicans are facing run deeper than President Bush.

As the Wall Street Journal noted, "recent voter surveys, including private polling done by a leading Republican strategist, suggest a broader erosion of Republicans' appeal. In particular, three groups crucial to Mr. Bush's goal of a 'permanent Republican majority' are drifting away: younger voters, Hispanics and independents." [Wall Street Journal, 9/5/07, http://online.wsj.com/]

Even more revealing, poll numbers show the Republican Party's base is shrinking. A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicates two traditionally GOP-leaning groups are now moving away from the Republican Party: young evangelicals and economic conservatives. At the same time, more Americans are identifying with the Democratic Party and trust Democrats on key voting issues.

First Lady Mary Easley today announced that the Coalition for Alcohol & Drug Free Teenagers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro is one of two community-based underage drinking prevention organizations in the nation selected to receive a $100,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to combat underage drinking.  The grant will help fund one year of high visibility law local enforcement efforts focusing on enforcing underage drinking laws.  As a part of this effort, the federal agency will join with the local coalition to launch a new teen drinking prevention campaign to target teen drinkers as well as adults who supply alcohol to underage youth.  The theme of the campaign is: “Youth Access to Alcohol: Underage Drinking, Adult Consequences.”

Program Answers Surgeon General’s National Call to Action on Underage Drinking

First Lady Mary Easley today was joined by Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H., to announce that “Media Ready,” a new 10-lesson media literacy substance abuse prevention program developed in North Carolina will be taught in middle schools across the state beginning next year. The curriculum was developed by innovation, Research and Training, a research and training firm in Durham, with funds from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS.) Media Ready has already been successfully implemented by teachers in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Chatham County Schools. As a result of a partnership between DHHS, the State Board of Education, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the N.C. Teacher Academy, the curriculum will now be shared with educators from across the state in a training scheduled in January 2008.

North Carolina’s Democratic Congressional Delegation fulfilled their promise to lower college costs by sending President Bush the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.

This legislation will bring real help to North Carolina students by providing an additional $500 in need-based grant aid next year, and an additional $5,400 over the next five years. [Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, September, 2007]

But Republicans Richard Burr in the Senate, and Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, and Sue Myrick in the House voted against the bill.

These Republicans voted “no” to cap federal student loan payments at 15 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income.

Republican obstructionists also voted “no” to forgive the debt of borrowers of North Carolina’s nurses, teachers, and law enforcement officers who serve in their profession for 10 years.