Attorney General Roy Cooper has steadfastly refused to discuss the advisory letter his office sent out last week, which recommended barring illegal immigrants from the state's 58 community colleges.

On Monday, after speaking at a conference on gangs, he brushed off a reporter's questions about the letter.

Cooper would not comment about the letter, which advised that federal law banned allowing illegal immigrants to attend public colleges and universities, or about the response to it from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Officials there said federal law does not determine who can be admitted to state schools.

"You wouldn't print our statement," Cooper said before walking away from the reporter. He was referring to a two-sentence statement that his spokeswoman, Noelle Talley, sent on Friday after federal officials contradicted his office's advice.

The News & Observer printed a portion of it but did not print it in full. The statement was a summary of the advisory letter released earlier in the week.

"The letter advises that although the law is unsettled, a return to the admission policy adopted by the Community College System in 2001 [which barred illegal immigrants], which had been in place for several years, would more likely withstand judicial scrutiny," read the statement. "The letter also advises that the system can rely on the Department of Homeland Security for guidance."

Polls show tight race

North Carolina may be in for a close U.S. Senate race after all, according to two new polls.

Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has a 5-point lead over Democratic nominee Kay Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro, according to the latest survey by Public Policy Polling.

And a new poll by Rasmussen Reports shows the race essentially tied. Hagan was the choice of 48 percent of those surveyed, while Dole was the choice of 47 percent.

The Rasmussen phone poll of 500 likely voters was conducted on May 8. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Public Policy Polling took an automated poll of 616 likely voters on May 8-9. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Dole was the choice of 48 percent of those surveyed, while 43 percent favored Hagan.

Burr sees McCain win

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says John McCain will win the presidential race on the issues. The Winston-Salem Republican promoted his Senate colleague on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" show on Friday.

"They know his background as a war hero, as a prisoner of war," Burr said. "He's got a solid foundation and more importantly, he's got a track record that the American people have endorsed over and over again."

Burr gets new chief

Burr's chief of staff, Alicia Peterson Clark, is leaving to take a job for a public relations firm in Washington.

Clark started with Burr during his House of Representatives days, serving as scheduler, press secretary and chief of staff.

She worked with the Bush-Cheney campaign in the 2000 presidential race and in the White House during the first Bush term. She returned to Burr's Senate office as his chief of staff in 2005.

Replacing Clark will be Chris Joyner, Burr's former policy director. Joyner is returning to Capitol Hill from the lobbying world.

Etheridge on Obama

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge had this to say about his meeting last week with Barack Obama in Washington:

"It was the first time to have a personal, face-to-face conversation with him. You can tell a lot about a person that way."

So what did Etheridge, a superdelegate, learn?

"He's a good listener, and that's always healthy in a leader."

Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, said he had previously spoken with Hillary Rodham Clinton. So when is he making an endorsement?

"I don't know," he said. "I haven't laid out a timeline yet."