In early fundraising, Moore leads Perdue

Richard Moore is raising slightly more money than Beverly Perdue in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Moore, the state treasurer, reported raising $1.6 million during the first half of the year, according to reports filed Friday with the State Board of Elections.

Perdue, the lieutenant governor, reported raising $1.3 million during the same period.

Overall, Moore has reported raising $4.3 million in the race, with $3.7 million on hand as of June 30.

Perdue has raised $4.1 million overall, and she had $3.4 million cash on hand at the end of June.

The Republican candidates for governor have not yet reported their latest campaign finance figures.

Aide explains 'no' on 9/11 bill

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole of Salisbury was one of eight senators, all Republican, to vote last week against the final version of a congressional plan to carry out recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission.

Sen. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem voted in favor of the conference report, which President Bush is expected to sign.

Among the bill's provisions are increased inspections of air and sea cargo and a change in the Homeland Security grant formula to give more anti-terrorism dollars to state and local areas deemed at highest risk for attacks.

Amy Auth, a spokeswoman for Dole, said Dole voted for the bill in March, but felt that it was "significantly weakened" when a new version was agreed to by a House-Senate conference committee.

Auth said Dole was concerned, for example, that a provision meant to keep felons from working at ports had been weakened and that a requirement for the screening of cargo at ports was excessive.

Schools not left out of it

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge helped get school safety into a Sept. 11 bill.

The Lillington Democrat was on the conference committee that merged the House and Senate versions of the bill, which was written to implement recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission.

The bill urges the secretary of Homeland Security to take school transportation into consideration when the department makes assessments on security risks and how to respond.

It also includes language spelling out that school systems are among the agencies eligible to receive funding from Homeland Security state grants.

Price to defend security bill

And in this corner, U.S. Rep. David Price ...

The cerebral former professor will take on President Bush, at least in spirit, in a speech today at a Washington think tank. Bush has threatened to veto the Homeland Security spending bill that Price wrote, saying it goes far beyond the president's budget request and wastes money.

Price will defend the spending. The bill includes millions more than Bush requested for state and local emergency response programs, for Border Patrol agents on the northern border and for port and rail security.

Hope for Edwards in Iowa

John Edwards is still doing well in Iowa.

Though the former North Carolina senator is struggling nationally, he continues to hang tough in the site of the first caucuses.

A new poll shows Edwards leading among Iowa Democratic caucus voters with 27 percent, followed by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton with 22 percent, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with 16 percent and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson with 11 percent.

The Iowa caucuses are regarded as a do-or-die test for Edwards, who has spent more time in the state than other Democratic presidential hopefuls.

The poll for KCCI-TV in Des Moines was conducted by Research 2000 of 600 likely voters from July 23 to July 25. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.