Moore urges renaming Vance-Aycock dinner

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore on Monday called for changing the name of the state Democratic Party's annual Vance-Aycock fundraising dinner because of former Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock's involvement in white supremacy campaigns in 1898 and 1900.

"When you read Gov. Aycock's speeches and understand the full, unvarnished history, the only conclusion is that he fought against the principles that the Democratic Party stands for," Moore, the state treasurer, said in a news release.

The comments come a week before the annual Vance-Aycock Dinner, which is held at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.

Aycock, a Goldsboro lawyer who was elected in 1900, is one of North Carolina's best-known governors because of his advocacy for education. But he was also the voice of white supremacy campaigns of 1898 and 1900 that led to the disfranchisement of black voters.

"I can no longer defend naming a Democratic Party dinner after Gov. Aycock," Moore said. "The tactics Aycock embraced -- fear, hatred, and voter intimidation at the hands of a band of 'red shirts' -- must be acknowledged and repudiated. We have so many heroes, like Harvey Gantt, Liston Ramsey and Marie Colton, and they would serve as more appropriate honorees."

Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor, was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1990 and 1996. Ramsey is a former state House speaker. Colton was the first female state House speaker pro tem.

State Democratic Chairman Jerry Meek could not be reached for comment. Kerra Bolton, a party spokeswoman, said the issue would be discussed at the state Democratic Executive Committee meeting in January.

"We respect the views of all North Carolina Democrats on this issue," Bolton said in a statement. "This is a statewide dinner and is therefore worthy of a statewide discussion from all Democrats."

War unpopular in N.C.

Nearly two-thirds of North Carolina residents disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the war in Iraq, according to a new poll.

The Elon University Poll found that 65 percent disapprove of the war, while 38 percent approve of Bush's performance.

"The war in Iraq continues to burden the Bush administration," said Hunter Bacot, the poll's director. "Citizens are unhappy with the war and apparently becoming more disenchanted with the prospects of its ending any time soon. More telling is that a majority of people now believe we should not be there, and two-thirds want to see troops start coming home by the beginning of next year."

The poll of 664 North Carolina residents was conducted Sept. 24 to 27 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Price preps contractors bill

U.S. Rep. David Price's bill on prosecuting private security contractors is scheduled to hit the House floor this week, possibly as soon as today.

Price's staff is working long hours putting together background papers and trying to anticipate potential arguments from opponents to his bill.

The bill would bring private security contractors operating in "contingency operations," such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, under the federal criminal code. That means any contractors suspected of committing crimes could be investigated and prosecuted under U.S. law.

Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, has been working on the bill for months, but it gained new attention in the past two weeks when Iraq threatened to take the operating license of Blackwater, a Moyock-based company. Blackwater employees killed at least 11 Iraqis last month while protecting a convoy for the U.S. State Department.

Community Colleges search

Today is shaping up to be a long day for the Presidential Search Committee of the N.C. Community College System.

The panel will narrow down a slate of about 10 candidates to five semifinalists who want to succeed retiring President Martin Lancaster.

The review of the applicants will happen behind closed doors. But the committee has stated its intention to make public the names of three finalists, which are expected to be sent to the full State Board of Community Colleges in November.

The board will then schedule final interviews. A president could be named in December or January.

Lancaster, who has served as president of the system since 1997, plans to retire May 1.