Officials from three municipalities in Moore County have been appointed to key positions with the North Carolina League of Municipalities.

Pinehurst Village Manager Andy Wilkison is a league board representative, and Foxfire Village Mayor George Erickson and Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie have been named to the Planning and Services Legislative Action Committee for District 7.

Gerald A. (Jerry) Jones Jr., president of the N.C. League, announced the appointments this week. Jones is mayor of Morehead City.

The legislative action committee focuses on utilities, land use planning, housing, environmental issues (air, water, solid waste), public safety, emergency response, transportation, ordinance enforcement and building codes. Mooresville Mayor Bill Thunberg chairs the committee with Raleigh Council Member Russ Stephenson and Louisburg Council Member Emma Stewart as co-chairs.

The League of Municipalities is a nonpartisan association of more than 540 cities, towns and villages and provides advocacy, insurance, legal inquiry service, publications, research and other services to members.

GOP CANDIDATES -- Four of the five candidates for chairmanship of the North Carolina Republican Party will be guest speakers for the Monday, April 6, luncheon meeting of the Moore Republican Women.

They are Chad Adams, Tom Fetzer, Marcus Kindley and David Robinson.

The meeting will be held at the Pinehurst Member's Club, beginning with a social gathering at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon. The cost of the luncheon is $15, which can be paid at the door. Reservations must be made by April 1 by calling Joan Ward at 295-6544.

HACKNEY -- State House Speaker Joe Hackney enjoyed a chat with President Obama Friday and also exchanged pleasantries about UNC's prospects in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Hackney was in Washington for a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures, of which he is president. The Chapel Hill Democrat serves a district that includes one and a half precincts in Moore County.

After spending three hours with members of the Cabinet, Hackney and other legislative leaders from across the nation met with the president to discuss economic stimulus money and how to foster a strong state-federal partnership.

The Under the Dome column of The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that Hackney thanked Obama for predicting that UNC would win the basketball tournament and that the president noted Hackney's Carolina blue tie.

HOUSE ONLINE -- A news release from Hackney's office this week discloses that the speaker has cleared the way for sessions of the North Carolina House of Representatives to be digitally recorded and published online.

The archive of each day's floor session is available by visiting the General Assembly's Web site at www.ncleg.net. The site has been visited about 1,400 times since the legislative session opened Jan. 28, according to the General Assembly's Information Systems Division.

"I want the people of North Carolina to understand what happens in the House of Representatives," Hackney said. "That's essential to good government," Hackney said. "Recording our sessions and making that audio available to anyone at any time allows everyone a chance to follow our votes and debates. It's truly an easy, cost-effective way to provide access."

Previously the House broadcast live streaming audio of its sessions online but did not record or archive sessions. ISD officials said the General Assembly has sufficient storage space for the archive and did not buy additional software.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.