RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina's crime lab is still without a permanent leader a year after an audit found that hundreds of cases over 16 years were improperly handled by the lab's blood unit.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports Sunday that leaders at the State Bureau of Investigation say they are making progress in a difficult budget climate and are committed to further reform. 

Last August, former FBI officials hired by Attorney General Roy Cooper called for a thorough examination of 190 criminal cases from 1987 to 2003.

Cooper promised swift reforms. He replaced the head of the SBI and promised to hire a new lab chief with a strong science background.

A year later, the lab is still run by Joe John, a former judge on a temporary contract.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)