One-stop absentee voting begins Thursday and will -continue through the Saturday before the May 4 primary -elections.

The polling place will be the Moore County Agricultural Center on Pinehurst Avenue in Carthage. It is across the street from the Board of Elections office in the Moore County Office Park.

The one-stop absentee voting schedule is Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.; and Saturday, May 1, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Registration books were closed Friday, but anyone who did not register will still have an opportunity to do so.

Same-day registration is allowed during the one-stop voting period. Same-day registration and voting will not be available on May 4.

ELECTED - The Moore County Board of Commission-ers will host another special meeting with elected officials Thursday.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at the Senior Enrichment Center on U.S. 15-501 north of the Pinehurst Traffic Circle.

On the agenda are an update on the emergency services study by Solutions for Local Governments, public safety operations, a report on the proposed merger of the Vass/Circle V and Cameron fire departments, and the broadband initiative.

The commissioners will hold a public hearing on the Vass/Circle V/Cameron proposal at a May meeting.

This is one in a series of meetings the commissioners are holding with municipal leaders.

EXPANDED - The list of elected officials participating in the Thursday meeting has been expanded.

In addition to officials from all 11 municipalities and the county, the list now includes representatives of the Moore County Board of Education, the sheriff, register of deeds, clerk of court, state Sen. Harris Blake, state Rep. Jamie Boles and state Rep. Joe Hackney of Orange County (speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives). All will be given an opportunity to discuss special concerns during the session.

HACKNEY - State House Speaker Joe Hackney went on the offensive Saturday when he addressed the Orange County Democratic Convention in Hillsborough.

Hackney, a Chapel Hill attorney, said North Carolina Democrats intend to portray Republicans as "the do-nothing party that is unwilling to govern," according to an item in the Under the Dome column in The News & Observer of Raleigh.

His comments on home turf were designed to refute Republican claims that they will take control of the North Carolina General Assembly next year. Democrats now hold a 68-52 margin in the state House.

"Let's take it to the polls and see if 'no, no, no' is what they want," Hackney said.

Hackney represents House District 54, which includes all of Chatham County, part of Orange County and one and a half precincts in Moore County.

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