Bill puts school kids in security plans

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge wants the Department of Homeland Security to consider schoolchildren as it plans the nation's response to disaster and terrorist attacks.

Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, plans to introduce legislation that would give schools greater access to homeland security grants. It would also offer districts resources on the best ways to prepare schools to respond to disasters.

Etheridge will discuss the legislation this morning at Carnage Middle School in Raleigh.

His bill would:

* Explicitly say that schools are eligible for homeland security block grants.

* Create an office for school preparedness and response within the Department of Homeland Security.

* Offer a one-stop shop within the agency for schools to research best practices in response planning.

Etheridge wrote the bill in response to a survey he conducted of schools in the 2nd Congressional District. There, principals said they want more federal help in responding to disasters and other threats, said Etheridge's spokeswoman, Joanne Peters. A study by the Government Accountability Office last year found similar views among school leaders nationwide.

First official visitor

U.S. Rep. David Price led a congressional delegation to Kosovo over the weekend, the first official visit to the region since it declared independence this winter.

The country declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, and the United States is one of 26 countries recognizing its independence.

Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, is chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, a group of congressional members who partner with parliaments in new democracies around the world.

Price met with Kosovo leaders Saturday morning. He also met with members of the N.C. National Guard stationed in Kosovo, talking with soldiers from the 430th Explosives and Ordnance Disposal unit out of Greenville.

The bipartisan congressional delegation is also visiting Macedonia and Ukraine.

Wedding plans

Jerry Meek, North Carolina's Democratic Party chairman, has become engaged to Tricia Cotham, a Democratic legislator from Charlotte.

Meek, of Fayetteville, popped the question Friday night at a cabin in Bryson City, but only after clearing the schedule with Cotham's campaign manager.

Cotham, 29, is the state's youngest legislator. Meek, 37, is the nation's youngest party chairman.

The two started dating last summer, a few months after Cotham won a special election to fill the seat of disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black. Cotham faces a primary on May 6 and, if she wins, a Republican challenge in November.

All that, plus the legislature's schedule, makes it hard to set a wedding date.

"So I have a little different things to think about than the average bride," Cotham said.

Clinton's N.C. director

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has named Averell "Ace" Smith as the North Carolina political director for her presidential campaign.

In a press release Monday, Clinton noted Smith's successful efforts in California and Texas.