? Kay Hagan, Beverly Perdue, and other Democratic candidates will speak this weekend at the state party convention in New Bern. Organizers expect a large attendance.

? Perdue makes a musical selection for her inaugural ceremony, perhaps a bit prematurely.

? Responding to President Bush’s call for an end to the federal prohibition of offshore drilling, both Hagan and Elizabeth Dole express doubts. The division is clearer among the gubernatorial candidates, with Perdue saying she is ?100 percent opposed? to offshore drilling and Pat McCrory expressing interest in exploring the possibility.