Two pairs of stories in today’s N&O capture the shifting state of politics nationally and in North Carolina.

First, North Carolina. The front page spotlights $270 million going to the highway loop in Fayetteville, home of Secretary Lyndo Tippett and Senator Tony Rand. Then Under the Dome says Marc Basnight wants Governor-elect Perdue to name ace fundraiser Lanny Wilson as DOT Secretary.

Then, the national scene, from two stories on facing pages: Henry Waxman, the scourge of corporate America, unseats John Dingell as chair of the most powerful committee in Congress: Energy and Commerce. Next, the Obama campaign asks its three million supporters: how do you want to stay involved in politics?

Clearly, change has come to Washington. What about Raleigh?

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