GOP eyes Hagan's Senate seat
The race for Sen. Kay Hagan’s seat in Congress has just begun — the primary election is in May 2014 — but Republicans hoping to take her place are already mobilizing support.
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The race for Sen. Kay Hagan’s seat in Congress has just begun — the primary election is in May 2014 — but Republicans hoping to take her place are already mobilizing support.
Emboldened by victories in last November’s election, Republicans in both chambers of the N.C. General Assembly have worked for months on separate proposals to overhaul the state’s tax code.
RALEIGH — N.C. Democratic leaders old and new gathered Monday morning at the state fairgrounds to reiterate the platform of their party's presidential candidate.That show of support comes as the candidate Barack Obama is making repeat visits in an attempt to turn the traditionally Republican state Democratic.The leaders addressed various aspects of Obama's platform but their theme was clear — they all said they think Obama's platform will bring more prosperity for middle-class families which they said would help everyone in turn.U.S. Rep. Brad Miller D-N.C. who is also a member of the House Committee on Financial Services" talked about the economic crisis.""Now I want to give some credit where credit is due. John McCain has gotten one thing gloriously right in his campaign"" Miller said. He said early on that economics was not his strong suit.""Miller said McCain's reactionary leadership contrasts with Obama's attitude and record on the financial crisis.""(Obama) has shown that he is solid and responsible and has good judgment"" Miller said.Former four-term N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt spoke about farming issues — which he said are paramount for the state, where agriculture is one of the biggest industries.His bills have helped my neighbors and my friends and agriculture in North Carolina"" Hunt said.The farm bill that passed this year is essential for the industry to be successful, Hunt said.John McCain said" ‘If I were president I would veto it in a New York minute" Hunt said. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? And farmers don't know it.""He said McCain's opposition to legislation that benefits farmers demonstrates that the Republican candidate is out of touch with the needs of North Carolinians.When highlighting Obama's education platform" U.S. Rep. David Price D-N.C. cited his experiences as a former teacher and said needs he has observed are addressed in Obama's plans.Price said Obama's plan includes efforts to fully fund No Child Left Behind and alleviate a nationwide teaching shortage that is severe in North Carolina.N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said she's also concerned McCain is out of touch" particularly in the area of health care.""He would run the health care system in a Republican McCain administration just like Wall Street was running the financial services industry" Marshall said. He doesn't get it on the financial dilemmas we're in" and he doesn't get it on health care.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
In light of the dramatic and confusing developments on Wall Street we talked to students to find out what they wanted to know and talked to financial experts to find out some answers. What caused it?The economic crisis stemmed from long-boiling problems in the mortgage lending industry. Interest rates which are essentially the price for loans went down. That meant more people could get loans to buy homes and the housing market boomed.But at the same time people with bad credit or no credit were able to get loans N.C. State University economics professor Michael Walden said.Then the downturn in the economy led the housing market to tumble. Home prices began falling and many people didn't have the money to pay their mortgages.When people defaulted on mortgages the banks seized their homes as collateral. However the weak housing market made it difficult if not impossible" to sell the homes at a price that could compensate for their financial losses.""It really comes down to the individual consumer. Consumers were greedy. They were taking out loans they couldn't afford"" N.C. State business management professor Robert Handfield said.The large lending firms couldn't bear the weight of all the home foreclosures, and many failed or nearly failed. The firms depended on having investments that could quickly be converted into money that could be used for day to day operations. In a normal housing market, houses turn over into money more easily.Normally banks lend back and forth, but they lost trust in each other and stopped doing that, further stemming a flow of money, Handfield said.N.C. State business management professor Mitzi Montoya said eventually the financial institutions couldn't keep afloat.Institutions have lost all kinds of money. Many" many people have defaulted on their loans" she said.The firms ended up with thousands of homes that would not sell, and no way to get quick money.That prompted concern, and investment firms rushed to take money out of the stock market.When one person starts to panic" they all start to panic like lemmings" Handfield said.What is the bailout plan?The bill, passed by U.S. Congress and signed by President Bush last week, aims to pump money into the financial sector to help companies resume normal operations and start lending money again, Walden said.There are some parts of the bill that change regulations of the financial sector, but financial experts are unsure how effective or restrictive the regulations will be.The bill gives the U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. expansive control over the financial sector, enabling him to buy and trade bad loans. Without his intervention, major financial institutions that make up the foundation of the U.S. economy could go bankrupt.However, many experts agree that while the bailout is an emergency measure that forestalls a deep recession or possible depression, it does not address the issues that led up to the meltdown.This is going to help cut the losses. It's not going to fix the economy"" Walden said. It's taking care of the symptom of the problem.""What's happening now?When Congress passed the bailout plan" it helped restore confidence in the market. The stock market is slowly recovering" Handfield said.""The stock market went up because people believed that the $700 billion is going to help the banks" and people will start loaning" he said.However, Walden said the economy at large is still faltering.We're still looking at an economy that's very weak; we're still looking at an economy where unemployment is going to increase"" Walden said.For now, college students will face three major difficulties: There will be fewer jobs, they will have trouble getting student loans, and they will have trouble getting credit cards.The way it affects college students is banks aren't going to give out college loans. Banks aren't giving loans to anybody"" Handfield said.However, students still should be able to find internships. In economic downturns, as companies cut full-time employees because they are more expensive, they often turn to part-time employees and interns, Montoya said.And most students will fare better overall than other demographic groups because most don't have many financial obligations.The demographic least affected by economic downturn is teens and tweens"" Montoya said. That's the group that has absolutely no financial responsibilities.""What happens next?Most experts expect a long road back to economic stability.""I think we're looking at a few years; that's not atypical"" Montoya said. We're at the beginning of this downswing.""Handfield" who expects it to take closer to two years" said the housing market will worsen before it corrects itself.""Home prices will probably fall some more before they go up" which means that we probably won't be seeing anything stabilizing until the second half of '09 at the earliest" he said.However, Handfield said that he also expects the U.S. Treasury department to make back the money it spends as part of the bailout.I think the taxpayer will get that money back in the long term.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Pennsylvania college students still are waiting to find out how a new smoking ban will be enforced two weeks after the state's university system passed it.State law specifies that the Pennsylvania Department of Health can enforce statewide non-smoking policy.But the department still is trying to decide how it will regulate smoking on the campuses" department spokeswoman Holli Senior said.""The issue with this particular topic is the chancellor interpreted the bill in a way we didn't really anticipate"" Senior said.The university system is going one step further than the state law by extending the ban to all outdoor areas on campuses. The health department is responsible for enforcing the ban.The system ban includes outdoor areas because classes and other learning takes place outside, said Kenneth Marshall, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System for Higher Education.We believe that our entire campus qualifies as an educational facility"" Marshall said.Senior said the state ban should cover more public indoor spaces.Currently, the ban only includes bars that earn more than 20 percent of their revenue from food sales.But health department officials want to eliminate all exemptions in the law and effectively ban smoking in all bars, Senior said.We certainly" as the Department of Health would like to see a tougher law" she said. We'd like to see no smoking across the board.""Some students have taken action" said Peter Gigliotti spokesman for Shippensburg University" a Pennsylvania-system school. ""We've had students protesting; we've had students who think it's great"" he said. We've had faculty complaining and faculty thinking it's a good idea.""Students at Bloomsburg University" another system school didn't react as strongly" spokeswoman Rosalee Rush said.""We haven't had any protests or any real issues on campus" she said.Rush said the campus already had limited anti-smoking policies that could have eased the transition.Gigliotti said his campus is currently preparing for implementation of the new policy.Law requires that we post signs and we are preparing for that" he said. It is the law and this is how we've chosen to implement it.""Despite being partially responsible for implementing the ban"" the universities don't play a role in punishing students for violations.""We don't enforce the law"" Gigliotti said.Campus police will help monitor smoking and eventually report offenders to the health department, but that might not happen immediately, Marshall said.University police will be telling smokers to put it out" but how quickly we'll go farther than that I'm not sure" Marshall said. It's a process that will take some time.""Staff Writer Ian Ager contributed reporting. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Pennsylvania college students still are waiting to find out how a new smoking ban will be enforced two weeks after the state's university system passed it.State law specifies that the Pennsylvania Department of Health can enforce statewide non-smoking policy.But the department still is trying to decide how it will regulate smoking on the campuses" department spokeswoman Holli Senior said.""The issue with this particular topic is the chancellor interpreted the bill in a way we didn't really anticipate"" Senior said.The university system is going one step further than the state law by extending the ban to all outdoor areas on campuses. The health department is responsible for enforcing the ban.The system ban includes outdoor areas because classes and other learning takes place outside, said Kenneth Marshall, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System for Higher Education.We believe that our entire campus qualifies as an educational facility"" Marshall said.Senior said the state ban should cover more public indoor spaces.Currently, the ban only includes bars that earn more than 20 percent of their revenue from food sales.But health department officials want to eliminate all exemptions in the law and effectively ban smoking in all bars, Senior said.We certainly" as the Department of Health would like to see a tougher law" she said. We'd like to see no smoking across the board.""Some students have taken action" said Peter Gigliotti spokesman for Shippensburg University" a Pennsylvania-system school. ""We've had students protesting; we've had students who think it's great"" he said. We've had faculty complaining and faculty thinking it's a good idea.""Students at Bloomsburg University" another system school didn't react as strongly" spokeswoman Rosalee Rush said.""We haven't had any protests or any real issues on campus" she said.Rush said the campus already had limited anti-smoking policies that could have eased the transition.Gigliotti said his campus is currently preparing for implementation of the new policy.Law requires that we post signs and we are preparing for that" he said. It is the law and this is how we've chosen to implement it.""Despite being partially responsible for implementing the ban"" the universities don't play a role in punishing students for violations.""We don't enforce the law"" Gigliotti said.Campus police will help monitor smoking and eventually report offenders to the health department, but that might not happen immediately, Marshall said.University police will be telling smokers to put it out" but how quickly we'll go farther than that I'm not sure" Marshall said. It's a process that will take some time.""Staff Writer Ian Ager contributed reporting. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
The third gubernatorial debate of the general election became a confrontational back-and-forth between the two candidates especially during discussion of school vouchers.Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Republican candidate Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory were noticeably more aggressive than in past debates.Perdue said school vouchers which help parents pay private school tuition are unjustifiably expensive. Her campaign recently released an ad highlighting McCrory's support for vouchers and saying they could cost the state $900 million. McCrory disputed that price tag" saying that he doesn't propose that vouchers be given to all students.""I am for the concept of vouchers"" he said. I have never said I will offer a voucher for every student.""He also turned Perdue's ad on her"" citing its accusation that he is a ""real danger"" to North Carolina's middle class as a prime example of the kind of negative campaigning Perdue pledged to abandon during the primary season.He also said that her past actions imply her support of the program.""She supported vouchers in every budget she ever voted on"" McCrory said. Perdue contradicted that claim, saying that she has supported college scholarships, not K-12 vouchers. The voucher that the mayor is talking about isn't a voucher"" she said, explaining that scholarships are part of the state's mandate to provide free and public education to all N.C. residents.The contentious issue of drilling for oil off the N.C. coast, hashed out at the last debate, came up almost immediately. McCrory tried again to paint Perdue as a flip-flopper, expressing confusion about her position. She repeatedly dodged responding directly to the accusation.During their concluding statements, each candidate returned to the points they've been stressing for the duration of an increasingly tense campaign.Perdue is running on a platform of experience addressing the state's needs.I believe that I've got the experience and capacity to be the governor that can move North Carolina forward" she said.McCrory used Perdue's touting of experience to lump her with a government that he called corrupt and ineffective.I'm running for governor because I want to change the culture of state government" he said. A culture in which you can't trust state government.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
DURHAM - Gang violence remains prevalent because gangs are a social safety net for members who feel they don't fit into mainstream society. For many, gangs meet a need that members can't find elsewhere. "The gang steps in and says we have something for you," said Mengie Parker, a criminal justice professor at N.C. Central University. "You're not dealing with a subculture, you're dealing with a counterculture." Those gathered at a roundtable discussion Saturday on gangs at NCCU said efforts at intervention and prevention are only a piece of the puzzle. Educators, prevention program directors, and law enforcement officials all emphasized the need to reinvent the way the state addresses gangs. N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-Guilford, who led the discussion, encouraged localized efforts to combat gang violence and asked those in attendance about the chief obstacles to making headway. Hagan said the pressure N.C. mayors put on state legislators to pass recent anti-gang legislation paid off when Gov. Mike Easley recently signed the second of two bills addressing gangs. The bill drafted in the N.C. House of Representatives allows first-time offenders who are minors to expunge their records if they don't get caught again for at least two years. That provision might make it easier for former gang members to successfully re-enter the work force. The legislation also reclassifies several gang-related crimes as felonies, which could stymie recruitment efforts. The law drafted in the N.C. Senate set up a reporting system for schools and county governments to monitor gang activity. There was $10 million set aside in the budget for the programs. However, Jim Woodall, district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, said in a phone interview that the law passed by the House doesn't have any teeth because of the way a gang member is defined. "It's going to be virtually impossible to establish something as gang activity," Woodall said. "We don't think it will have a very big impact because we think it's so watered down it just ain't going to get anything done." Part of the problem, Parker said, is that government officials don't have a clear picture of what gang activity looks like today. Parker said that most people who are involved in gang prevention are using outdated information about gang activity. Parker said it has become common for prospective gang members to join on social networking sites such as MySpace and because programs haven't caught up to the trend, they are misdirecting their prevention efforts. Dave Barciz, coordinator for the Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative for Wake County, said focusing only on prevention and intervention won't solve the problem. "That's not comprehensive enough - we need to talk about re-entry," he said. A chief obstacle to successful rehabilitation is finding employment because often the only jobs the gang members have held were in prison, said Gudrun Parmer, director of the Durham Criminal Justice Resource Center. "Employment is absolutely key for people to become productive citizens, to show them a different world," she said. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
RALEIGH - Leaders of the Wake County Young Republicans say that most people underestimate youth support for the GOP. They're trying to energize their peers in an election year where the spotlight on the youth vote has been focused on Democrats and the sweeping mobilization of young liberals. Part of that is showing youth the party's diversity, said Jonathan Bandy, executive director of the Wake County Young Republicans. "We're not the party that everyone thinks we are," he said, adding that many youth members are more progressive than old guard Republicans.
At the first televised gubernatorial debate between Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue as their political party's official nominees, there were relatively equal amounts of bickering and policy discussion. The debate, hosted by WTVD in Durham, covered wide-ranging issues such as government transparency, gangs and offshore drilling. McCrory has made changing the culture of Raleigh the core of his campaign. Perdue has been a fixture in the capital for many years, and McCrory made a concerted effort to link her with Gov. Mike Easley. McCrory took advantage of a question about transparency in state government and criticized Easley's leadership on the issue. He said that the lack of openness in Easley's administration isn't a new problem and that he felt it would continue with Perdue as governor. He portrayed his tenure in Charlotte as a model of open government, implying a contrast with the current administration. "As mayor of the city of Charlotte, I've been extremely accessible. Actually, the media gets a copy of all my e-mails once a week, I think for the past six years," he said. "Actually, they've gotten pretty bored by reading them. I'm not sure they're reading them anymore." Perdue said she would like to lead the "most transparent administration in the history of the state." Perdue focused on her plans to stream all legislative meetings on the Internet and encourage a culture of accountability. "What you all are doing with technology has opened up the capacity to let people know what's going on," she said. "All of the public meetings need to be used over the Internet. That's just the way it should be." McCrory said that Perdue's vision doesn't reflect how things have gone under Easley. The heated exchange followed last spring's lawsuit filed against Easley alleging that state employees intentionally deleted public records e-mails. Anti-gang legislation that Easley recently approved also was brought up. Perdue said the state should focus on prevention and punishment. "I believe you've got to be tough on gangs and smart on solutions," Perdue said. McCrory reiterated his focus on transparency by describing his experience in lobbying for anti-gang legislation. But both candidates agreed more work needed to be done to come down on gangs. Though Perdue praised legislation strengthening penalties for gang-related offenses, McCrory said the legislation was not strong enough. The recurring issue of offshore drilling also made an appearance in the debate although neither candidate offered any new positions. "I want to be responsible and know for sure that if we drill off the coast of North Carolina that we can do it safely," Perdue said, standing by her opposition to an expansion of drilling off the N.C. coast. McCrory disagreed, citing the practice's ability to potentially alleviate budget shortfalls. "This is the revenue that is desperately needed," he said. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Gov. Mike Easley signed the 2008 N.C. budget July 16, despite wrangling toward the end between the governor and state legislators. The final budget totals $21.4 billion. After passing the adjustments to last year's budget, the N.C. General Assembly passed a few additions in order to fund some of Easley's programs. Easley failed to receive as much funding for several programs as he requested in his budget proposal. Teachers
The N.C. General Assembly adjourned the summer short session July 18. During short sessions, the legislature typically focuses on passing budget adjustments and re-visiting important business from the past year. The following are key proposals from the summer session. Gang Legislation N.C. Sen. Malcolm Graham, D-Mecklenburg, sponsored the Street Gang Prevention Act, which establishes intervention programs and accompanies another bill which stiffens penalties for gang activity. "This is a first step, and it's a good first step," Graham said.
RALEIGH - The N.C. Community College System will continue to bar illegal immigrants from enrolling in degree-seeking programs. The board could have reversed the May 13 directive to deny admittance but decided Friday to keep reviewing the policy. That decision followed a Thursday meeting of the board to discuss its policy on illegal immigrants. On Thursday, general counsel Shanté Martin told the board that the open-door policy in the N.C. Community College System's code would trump the system president's directive to deny admittance to illegal immigrants. "There is no legal authority to maintain the limits on admissions of illegal immigrants," she said. The community college presidents discussed the admissions policy for about four hours when they last met. Steve Scott, president of Wake Technical Community College, said the presidents came to a consensus in favor of admitting illegal immigrants after heated debate. "The bottom line that came out was that the presidents reaffirmed our commitment to the open-door policy," Scott said. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, the Democratic candidate for N.C. governor and an ex officio member of the board, did not attend, but she called in to the Thursday information session. She reminded the board that she staunchly opposes accepting illegal immigrants to degree programs. Perdue also told the board that she had received legal counsel that contradicted Martin's advisement. She said changing the directive now was not necessary. "I think the timing is nearly impossible," Perdue said on the phone to the board. "I don't for the life of me understand why we're being told we have to do it today." But other board members were reticent to disclose their positions at the information session. They decided Friday to hire a consultant to study the issue, a process that could take several months. Board members were cautious to change the system's policy before hearing from the consultant. The system has changed its position on illegal immigrants five times in the past eight years, NCCCS President Scott Ralls said. "Illegal immigration is obviously an extremely difficult issue, one where legitimate arguments, I believe, can be made by people who hold diametrically opposed views," Ralls said. "We have consistently attempted to do what is legal." Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
N.C. military families in Greenville now have a new place to turn for help. On July 10, the state, in cooperation with the National Guard, opened the second of three state-funded family assistance centers that aim to usher in a new level of support for guardsmen and their families. The facilities are intended to make services more readily available to military officers and their families who don't live near military bases. These new centers are modeled after five existing family assistance centers located across the state. But the state-funded centers are more expansively funded than the older ones. The first center opened in May in Greensboro. The last, to be located in Caldwell County at the N.C. National Guard Foothills Readiness Center, will open later in the summer. North Carolina is the first state in the country to fund such centers. State officials are working to develop additional family assistance centers farther across the state to expand service to more rural Guard members. Gov. Mike Easley was at the opening of the Greenville center. He said the centers will help relieve stress for soldiers who are deployed. "Our Guard members have enough to do without worrying if their children are getting medical care or whether their paycheck got deposited in the bank," Easley said in a press release. Three full-time employees will work at each of the $95,000 family assistance centers. The federal family assistance centers are staffed by only one person each. Diane Coffill, N.C. National Guard state family program director, said in a press release that the centers will continue to be state-funded. "These are permanently state-funded facilities," Coffill said. "We have the ability to service more families and with the partners we've created . we are able to provide these services to families that are not living on or near a military installation." Gen. William Ingram, who also attended the ceremony for the opening, said in a press release that the centers will be invaluable for the national guardsmen and their families. "These N.C. Super FACs will be a tremendous resource for hundreds of our Guard members and their families," Ingram said. The family assistance centers will provide services including legal and financial advice to patrons. The staff at the centers will help people to navigate the bureaucratic processes involved in getting federal and state services dedicated to veterans and officers. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
N.C. first lady Mary Easley's recent salary hike of nearly $80,000 for her post in the provost's office at N.C. State University brought scrutiny which has led to the discovery that the raise violated UNC-system policy. NCSU officials said that the violation was simply due to a long-standing misinterpretation of the salary raise policy, and that there are several other employees whose raises also might violate the policy. Questions for first lady Easley were directed to the N.C. State press office. The policy states that raises of more than $10,000, or 15 percent, must be approved by the UNC-system Board of Governors. N.C. State Provost Larry Nielsen issued a statement explaining the school's incorrect interpretation of the policy. "Historically, N.C. State has interpreted Board of Governors policy to mean that salary increases associated with fixed-term appointments, such as the one offered to Mrs. Easley, do not require Board of Governors approval," Nielsen stated. He added that UNC General Administration has advised the school that its interpretation differs both from that of other schools and the Board of Governors. Joni Worthington, a UNC-system spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that all raises from 2002 to the present which should have gone before the Board of Governors will be reviewed. "The campus is now reviewing all fixed-term contracts to identify salary increases that may warrant BOG review," she said. "All such increases will be reviewed by the Board of Governors in September." UNC-system officials said that all employee raises are subject to the policy, with a few exceptions. The raise policy does not apply to current employees who get large raises when they are promoted through a competitive process or to a higher rank. N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger issued a statement describing the next steps for the school. "I will convene a task force to take a look at our contract processes, including examining how and when contracts should be issued and the processes for approving them," he said. Oblinger added that officials weren't intentionally violating the policy. "We believed we were using the right approach," Oblinger said in the statement. "We are embarrassed by this difference of interpretation and will take immediate steps to ensure that our contract approval processes are consistent with board guidelines." The news of first lady Easley's raise comes on the heels of a media frenzy surrounding taxpayer-funded trips she and Gov. Mike Easley took overseas. The trips, the costs of which equaled hundreds of thousands of dollars, were justified as cultural exchanges intended to encourage tourism to North Carolina. The Easleys defended the cost of the trips, saying that traveling in Europe is unavoidably expensive, but critics questioned hiring 24-hour chauffeurs and other expenses from the trips. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
RALEIGH - Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms undoubtedly will be remembered for his unapologetic conservatism and his role in building the South into a Republican Party stronghold. But, Helms' family and friends tell a different story about the conservative icon. They would tell you Helms was a sweet and humble man, attributes that shone through even on Capitol Hill. Donna Moyar, an Apex resident, was one of the 1,200 who attended the July 7 funeral at the Hayes Barton Baptist Church. Moyar described Helms as a leader for the people who never forgot his small town roots. "He wasn't there for the power, he was there to serve," she said. She remembered how Helms twice intervened in her family's life. She told the story of how Helms hand-carried her son's last minute application for a passport to Washington, D.C., from his office in Raleigh, to ensure that the youth would be able to travel to Germany with his parents. She also said that when her disabled daughter graduated from elementary school in 1995, the disabled students were asked to sit in the audience instead of on stage with the rest of the students. Helms responded to the outraged 13-page letter Moyar wrote about the incident by bringing it to the attention of the U.S. Department of Education, to the chagrin of Wake County Schools. Moyar said she never knew Helms personally, adding that she believes his acts were done out of compassion for others. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Republican Senate leader, said Helms never let the power he had as a senator go to his head. "He never let the seriousness of his duty be an excuse for pretense," McConnell said. Jimmy Broughton, a former Helms staffer, also recalled the leader's concern for his constituents. Broughton said that dedication was evident in Helms' attitude about letters he received from North Carolinians. "If a person takes the time to write, he or she deserves a thoughtful, timely response," Broughton said, recalling Helms' words. But some professors and administrators at UNC might remember a harsher Helms. Before he became a senator, Helms infamously referred to UNC as the "University of Negroes and Communists." Though Helms did rail against the school's liberalism, he was never a state lawmaker, so he never had power to make policy decisions that directly targeted the UNC system. Helms' service was attended by Democrats and Republicans alike. Several Democratic leaders were in attendance, including U.S. Senators Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Joseph Biden, D-Del., as well as Gov. Mike Easley. Notable Republicans at the service included Vice President Dick Cheney and N.C. gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., were also at the funeral. Although he didn't speak at the service, Easley's words from a press release issued Sunday were paraphrased in the service. "Whether we were working together to stop international drug trafficking or opposing each other on the campaign trail, he was always a gentleman to me." Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
The impact of the recent economic downturn is outlined in the newest report on the fiscal health of the nation made biannually by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers. The Fiscal Survey of States was released last week and details budget challenges and fiscal growth for each state and examines regional and nationwide trends. Across the country, many states are falling on hard times, according to the report. "Fiscal 2008 marked a turning point for state finances, with a significant increase in states seeing fiscal difficulties, in stark contrast to the preceding several years," the report states. Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers, said the concerns for the states mirror the difficulties of the average American. "Economic concerns the budget officers have, as recorded in this data, are just like the American consumer. They've got the same concerns and worries," Pattison said. But Raymond Scheppach, executive director of the National Governors Association, said that despite the gloomy outlook at the national level, there are huge disparities between the states' fiscal situations. And the news for North Carolina is relatively positive, in part because the state has a relatively diversified economy with substantial agricultural sectors. The report projects a 10 percent growth in expenditures for the state. Expenditure growths are correlated with economic growth. The national average for expenditure growth this fiscal year is 5.1 percent, and the historical national average is 6.7 percent. Scheppach said that in hard times, state leaders are prone to cut funding for higher education quickly. "They really do freeze that," he said. That tendency is evident here in North Carolina, where the N.C. General Assembly has proposed funding cuts for the UNC system. The N.C. Senate's budget proposal includes $11 million in funding cuts for the 17-campus system. But Scheppach said the worst is yet to come for the states. "Biggest impact on states is a year after recession or two years," Scheppach said. "We saw this in 2001 - the downturn ended in 2001, but the impact was still felt for the next two years." He went on to predict that the economic slump hasn't even bottomed out yet. "We probably haven't peaked in terms of the downturn, and we're already struggling," Scheppach said. The report also listed the two most pressing health care issues for North Carolina as reforming the mental health care system and funding health care for the state's uninsured. Senior Writer Ariel Zirulnick contributed reporting. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
The lawsuit alleging that State Treasurer Richard Moore has withheld public records is now embroiled in a different controversy. Moore's lawyers have accused the State Employees Association of North Carolina of trying to bribe Moore. Kieran Shanahan, Moore's chief counsel, said the organization offered to settle the lawsuit if Moore pledged to support a bill in the N.C. General Assembly that the organization is striving to get passed. "We were basically in disbelief, we thought that maybe we misunderstood," he said. Shanahan said he was so surprised he asked the employees association to put the offer in writing. SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope admits an offer to settle was made. Cope said they sent an e-mail stating, "The only way that we would be willing to settle this case is if the treasurer would come out and support the retirement system reform bill." Cope claimed that Shanahan is twisting the issue. "It's ludicrous, it's absolutely funny. His lawyer is kind of a showman who likes to get his name in the newspaper," he said. Cope added that he thinks Shanahan is trying to draw attention away from the real issue of the lawsuit. "I think it's kind of Shanahan shenanigans," he said. "To make some doubts to take the public eye off the real issue." For his part, Shanahan says he felt an ethical obligation to report the offer. "It was unethical and possibly illegal," he said. "We were duty bound by ethics to advise the court." He said the employees association argues the offer was not problematic. "The employees association has defended themselves by saying the offer has a long precedent," he said. "They're trying to say this is business as usual. They're not trying to deny that they did it. "They're just saying that's hardball politics." Shanahan also alleges that the lawsuit itself was foul play. Cope said the employees association was seeking documents to determine if Moore had been giving out-of-state contracts in exchange for political support. The employees association was also looking to see if he had used his state office to conduct campaign business. Shanahan said the lawsuit merely was intended to smear Moore during the Democratic gubernatorial campaign, because SEANC supported Bev Perdue. "In context, the SEANC filed a lawsuit, allegedly seeking documents," he said. "The treasurer had in fact produced some 2000 plus documents in response to the request." Shanahan said that the lawsuit should be dropped because the employees association cannot prove that documents were withheld. "There were no documents that were not produced and they cannot point to a single document that has not been produced," he said. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Local water boards could be facing new oversight from the state if legislation aimed at streamlining drought management requirements passes through the N.C. General Assembly. N.C. Rep. Lucy Allen, D-Franklin, is chairwoman of the N.C. House committee handling the bill. Gov. Mike Easley has pushed for the bill to pass in the wake of the worst drought in state history. "The legislature has been in town five weeks and still has not taken up our request on authorization to deal with this drought," Easley stated in a press release issued June 12. Currently the N.C. Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have regulations for water quality, said Greg Feller, spokesman for Orange Water and Sewer Authority. Feller said it's too early to say how new legislation might impact OWASA. "It's really a hypothetical question because we don't know what will be adopted." OWASA already has drought management models, which might be impacted by the legislation. The techniques use adjustable water rates, among other techniques, to reduce the water demand in times of drought. They also use consumer awareness programs to help reduce water demand, Feller said. "We provide info to our customers about conservation and what are the best ways to conserve," he said. Even if legislation doesn't pass, OWASA will be retooling its drought management techniques in the next year, Feller said. "We're planning to do an overall review of our water supply and demand management planning in the next year, and obviously the reasons for doing that is that we've had two serious droughts in six years," he said. Currently, OWASA works most closely with local government. Feller said that in 2003, the utility got local regulations for water use passed. "OWASA worked with the local governments, and there are now adopted water conservation ordinances," he said. Feller said the relationship between OWASA and the state is currently two-fold. "In addition to the regulatory relationship with the state regarding drinking water quality, we also keep data on the amount of water that we treat and the lake levels and so forth, and we report to the state Division of Water Resources." Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
North Carolina has a large illegal immigrant population, partly due to the large number of jobs in the meat and construction industries in the state, and this has led officials to take action. An increasing number of counties across the state are participating in what are called 287(g) programs, which allow sheriff's department officials to decrease the number of illegal immigrants in county jails. By about July 1, deputies in Wake, Cumberland and Henderson counties plan to begin combing the jails for foreign-born offenders and subsequently sort out those who are in the country illegally. Alamance, Cabarrus, Gaston and Mecklenburg counties all already have the 287(g) programs. The Durham Police Department has one detective who has training in investigating immigration status. Wake County has placed a priority on the new tactics, hiring 12 deputies to carry out the 287(g) program, at an annual cost of about $540,000. The county also saw $90,000 in start-up costs. Once the trained deputies determine immigration statuses of people accused of crimes, they can begin the process of deporting those who are determined to be in the U.S. illegally. Ben Balderas, executive director of El Centro Latino, said there's a risk it could fracture the relationship between the Latino community and the police. "By involving the police, and there's a risk they'll be deported, I think there will definitely be a strain," he said. Balderas also said that some in the Latino community might feel as though they're being racially profiled in the jails. "When you look at the program itself, how would you know if someone might or might not be targeted?" he said. "You won't get the law enforcement agencies or any one person in 287(g) to admit to it, but I think there's definitely a feeling in the community." Law enforcement officials say that it will free up space in the at-capacity jails in counties with the program. Since 2006 statewide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) estimates that the 287(g) program has processed more than 5,300 people for deportation. North Carolina has 300,000 illegal immigrants, according to Pew Hispanic Center estimates. Phyllis Stevens, spokeswoman for the Wake County Sheriff's office, said the department is waiting for computer equipment to connect to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement system database. "Our graduates are ready to go, it's a matter of dotting our Is, crossing our Ts," Stevens said The three Wake County jails house approximately 1,200 people daily, and Sheriff Donnie Harrison estimated that about 10 percent of those housed are foreign-born. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu