N.C. State fires Easley

Former First Lady Mary Easley has been fired from her job at N.C. State.

On Monday, UNC System President Erskine Bowles announced Mary Easley’s termination from her $170,000 a year job, shortly after the school’s chancellor resigned.

Meanwhile, e-mails released by N.C. State indicate the former governor was involved in the school’s hiring of his wife, who had refused to step down despite calls from top university officials.

In a statement released today by the university, Chancellor James Oblinger said he’s stepping down because the scrutiny of a job given to former First Lady Mary Easley is a distraction for the school.

Oblinger is the third person to resign from the leadership of the university as a result of the Easley investigation. Provost Larry Nielsen and Board Chariman McQueen Campbell resigned last month.