Free Republic

Mooresville may be Race City USA and, yes, stock car racing has its roots in the N.C. foothills, but a number of other states have been quietly working to lure the industry away from here with sweet economic incentives. And for good reason: Seventeen years ago, when the last economic impact study on motorsports was done, the industry did a $500 million per year business in North Carolina. Another study is about to be done, and the numbers are certain to far surpass that. If North Carolina ultimately strengthens its grip on motorsports by fending off the overtures of other...

Although Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has already clinched the Democratic nomination, half the Tar Heel caucus-goers voted for Edwards, the favorite son who dropped out of the presidential race last month. Some Democrats said their vote was meant to be a political telegram to Kerry's Boston headquarters: Choose Edwards to be your vice presidential running mate. "I want to send a message to the rest of the party that we need Edwards on the ticket," said Micky Mills, 42, of Apex, who works for a cleaning company. "That North Carolina is strongly behind John Edwards. If we put him on...