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(09/17/08 4:00am)
Due to an editing error" a bar graph in this story dropped the word ""undergraduate"" when describing the proportion of College of Arts and Sciences faculty involved in research. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error. Chancellor Holden Thorp has stepped into his post at a time when universities are competing ever more intensely for research funds.Thorp is new to the role of chief fundraiser for the University" and he's assumed that mantle in the midst of an ambitious campaign to raise external research funding to $1 billion by 2015.But Thorp is familiar with the on-the-ground complexities of university research — the grant writing the regulations the science and the economics. And those involved with research at UNC expect that to help their cause.Thorp began his research career as a UNC undergraduate in the chemistry labs and it peaked when he returned as professor and department chair.As chancellor he has some ideas about the direction he would like to see other University research take.He said he wants more of a focus on undergraduate research" and he'd like to see more risks taken to get faculty research to market.""I'm an experimentalist; I like to try things"" Thorp said in an interview. At his first open-house forum as chancellor, he told students:If you all don't experience what it is that makes a research university different"" then ultimately the way that we have been doing public higher education for 200 years is going to be in danger.""Undergraduate researchSince 2006" the University has been advocating for an expansion of undergraduate research opportunities in all disciplines.Though that initial push was before Thorp's time as an administrator" he seems to be in step.""That's why I became the chancellor"" Thorp said at the Aug. 26 open house. I became chancellor so I could do everything I could to integrate research and education.""In 2006-07" 49 percent of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences UNC's largest school acted as mentors for undergraduate research.That role is a considerable investment on the part of busy faculty who receive no compensation in return.Thorp said he'd like to see that change" though he hasn't provided specifics.""We've never had any kind of a push system that says" ‘We want you to take this many undergraduates in your lab and here's what we'll do to defray the costs"'"" Thorp said. ""We basically have an all-volunteer army at this point.""Robert Lowman" associate vice chancellor for research said the best faculty care about teaching students. If they don't he said" undergraduates won't understand ""how we create new knowledge"" or learn cutting-edge theories.For example" Lowman said if his own introductory biology professor hadn't emphasized ongoing research to undergraduates he wouldn't have learned about DNA.As more universities especially private ones separate the functions of teaching and research" UNC is looking to make the bond stronger.""We are an extremely collaborative university when it comes to research"" Lowman said. It's important to recognize that there is an interplay between research and teaching.""Technology transferAs a chemistry professor" Thorp stood out in his enthusiasm for moving research from his lab into the marketplace a process called technology transfer.Thorp holds 19 issued or pending patents" and he's spun off two companies based on technology he developed in his UNC lab.He said he'd like to see more faculty do the same.""I think we've got a lot of arcane and complicated procedures about how to do that" which not everybody can take on" he said.Technology transfer is a long and unpredictable journey that starts with a faculty member's invention.After helping to patent the invention — a process that takes time, money and legal know-how — the University's Office of Technology Development looks to license the technology to an existing company or, more rarely, start a new company. It can be years before the University sees any returns on its investment.Though Thorp said he'd like to see the office able to take more risks and push more research into market, staff who direct technology transfer said it will be difficult to become more prolific without more resources.You hit a point where the volume of work grows faster than the staff"" said Cathy Innes, director of the Office of Technology Development. I actually need to expand"" but I don't have the money to do so.""Innes' office has six staff to educate the entire roster of University professors about their works' potential for technology transfer.Funding for the staff comes from overhead costs tacked onto federal research grants. Thorp hasn't talked with the office about his plans since becoming chancellor" but he has said he wants to get new resources for it.As it stands" the office might not be able to meet Thorp and others' hopes for a flood of new research commercialization.""It would smother us"" said Mark Crowell, associate vice chancellor for economic development and technology transfer. But if we had one or 10 more bodies"" there's no question in my mind that we could do more.""Funds for researchThree-quarters of UNC research is funded by federal grants.""Without it we would see a whole host of negative consequences" from a disinclination to go into the hard sciences by students to cuts in ongoing research" said Karen Regan, director of the Office of Federal Affairs.It's just got these ripple effects throughout our campus.""The University ranked 10th in federal research funding among public universities in 2006.Federal funding for UNC research has climbed 26 percent during the past five years" despite cuts to overall federal research spending during that same time.Regan attributes that climb to the quality of UNC faculty and their requests for funds.To maintain that competitive edge the University will need to continue to bolster its reputation and faculty. A hurdle might be the looming retirement age for many senior faculty" Lowman said.""We were concerned about what would happen when some of our older researchers" with international reputations and bringing in millions and millions of dollars" retire.""That could affect younger professors' research as well" since they often work on projects funded by the grants of their older colleagues.The extent to which Thorp can address those issues is still unclear. He has committed to shepherd the expansion of University research however he can" whether through fundraising or general support.""I want to validate what I think is one of the great American ideas" that is" a public research university.""Contact the Projects Editors at dthprojects@gmail.com.
(03/17/08 4:00am)
After opening the world's largest hog-processing plant 110 miles down the road in Tar Heel, Smithfield Foods now slaughters 32,000 hogs there daily, processing their remains and shipping them around the globe.
Since opening her sustainable hog farm 25 miles down the road in Snow Camp, Eliza MacLean has pasture-raised her small herd of hogs. She gets orders from far-away locales but usually declines, instead encouraging would-be customers to buy locally.
(02/18/08 5:00am)
State Treasurer Richard Moore is seeking the Democratic nomination in the N.C. governor's race. Senior writer Lindsey Naylor spoke to Moore at party headquarters in Raleigh.
DTH: Why did you choose to run?
Moore: I think my experience has uniquely qualified me to be the next governor. I am the only person running for governor who's actually managed state agencies before, and I'm very proud of my record.
(09/13/07 4:00am)
The state will help foot the bill for farmers to transport hay this year, in a move that could salvage the livelihoods of those who depend upon the drought-stricken N.C. livestock industry.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services began looking into avenues for helping farmers as the drought worsened in July. After traveling the state and taking stock of farmers' holdings, officials determined that the magnitude of this year's hay shortage would surpass those faced in earlier years.
"I don't recall anything quite like this," said Brian Long, public affairs director for the department.
A $500,000 grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation will help pay for hay to move from the farmers who have it to those whose livestock need it.
At Boothill Farm in Chapel Hill, Carol Zachary has fielded more than 200 phone calls this year from state livestock farmers looking desperately for hay.
But with the drought at the level it is, Zachary said, she doesn't have any to spare.
"It'll be like that one year when people were stealing it," she said in reference to the 2002 hay shortage. "I came home and was missing a couple hundred bales; it was really horrible."
Long said that the 2002 shortage warranted state relief but that the scale of that year's problem - and of the response - was much smaller.
This year's drought has caused about $80 million in losses of hay, pasture and forage in North Carolina. The Golden Leaf's grant is expected to facilitate the transportation of about 300,000 bales of hay and alternative feed to needy farmers.
A separate $11,000 grant, provided by donations from N.C. farm credit associations, will help to cover moving hay from outside the state.
In a normal year, livestock owners wouldn't need to turn to hay reserves until January, since pastures usually provide the nutrients cattle need up to that point. But the September 2007 demand for hay is already at that point, said Talmage Layton, owner of Layton Farm in Durham.
"What we run into is all our customers have been feeding their winter rations of hay all summer," he said. "We're going to run out of hay before Christmas."
Layton Farm has seen a 40 percent cut in business from 2006 due to the drought's effect on the crop.
Boothill Farm is about $6,000 to $8,000 in the hole when you consider Zachary's investments this year alone. But she said the drought has so thoroughly killed her grass that it will take about four years' worth of investments to get it back to the level she expected for 2007.
Long said he expects the grant programs to ensure that the state's 25,000 livestock owners still have businesses, however stressed, this spring.
Layton said this year's drought wouldn't push him out of the business, just as no past slumps had.
"We won't get rich raising hay, but we won't get broke either," he said. "It's one of those things you were raised to do, and that's all you're going to do."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(08/28/07 4:00am)
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced his resignation Monday, joining the swelling ranks of high-profile Bush administration officials who have left their posts since Democrats won control of Congress less than a year ago.
Gonzales' decision came amid concerns - voiced most strongly by Democrats - that political motives had steered his decision to fire U.S. attorneys and that he had committed perjury in Senate hearings.
His Sept. 17 resignation will follow shortly after that of Karl Rove, Bush's deputy chief of staff and longtime political adviser who announced his resignation earlier this month.
The loss of two of Bush's closest allies - along with his consistently low approval ratings - has prompted mixed campus reaction about the state of the administration.
"I think it's just rats jumping off a sinking ship," said Jake Anderson, president of the UNC Young Democrats.
He added that Bush's low ratings seem to have encouraged greater student interest in the Young Democrats: The organization has had record turnout this year in terms of listserv sign-ups, paid dues and visits to the Fall Fest booth.
Charissa Lloyd, chairwoman of the UNC College Republicans, said Gonzales' resignation was the predictable result of increasingly politicized calls for his dismissal.
"It's certainly disappointing," she said. "I just remember when he was first appointed and everyone was so excited."
Lloyd stressed that the string of White House resignations doesn't necessarily imply discord within the Bush administration. She suggested that the emptied posts are inevitable in an administration nearing its end, with no hope of re-election.
UNC political science professor George Rabinowitz said that while it's common for officials to look to private-sector jobs toward the end of an administration, Gonzales' resignation is another story.
"What was so unusual about it was how long it took to happen," he said, adding that Gonzales' long stand against his critics made it appear increasingly unlikely that he would budge. "Given the fact it hadn't happened sooner, you didn't know when it was going to happen or if it was going to happen."
Gonzales has said that he chose to resign in the best interests of the Justice Department. Bush lamented in a Monday statement that Gonzales' name "was dragged through the mud for political reasons."
Bush accepted Gonzales' decision after having him and his wife, Rebecca, over for a Sunday dinner at the Bush ranch.
Solicitor General Paul Clement will serve as a temporary replacement. Senior administration officials have set an unofficial Labor Day deadline for the departure of any other aides looking to resign.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(08/27/07 4:00am)
Trudy Matheny of Genesis Farm in Chapel Hill can always tell how bad any year's drought has become by checking a certain pond on her property.
This year, Matheny said, she didn't need the pond's 5-foot shortage and thick algae slime to know that the drought was severe.
"The creeks are drying up; everything's drying up," she said. "I use rain barrels, but even my rain barrels are low because there's been no rain."
Gov. Mike Easley has taken steps during the past week to help farmers like Matheny, whose crops and livestock are suffering as N.C. drought conditions worsen.
Once the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency completes its survey of state crop losses, Easley will ask for federal disaster aid for qualifying farmers. The survey is nearly complete, and findings so far indicate that drought conditions in 90 percent of N.C. counties would meet the disaster criteria.
The federal aid would include low-interest Emergency Disaster Loans to help cash-strapped farmers.
Easley also requested late last week that all N.C. residents cut back their water use by 20 percent, in light of shrinking reservoir and groundwater levels. State agencies are required to stop all nonessential water use.
Officials estimate that North Carolina would need about 15 inches of precipitation during the next six months to return to normal water levels.
Forecasters predict no such rainfall, and Matheny, along with other farmers in the same boat, continues to make do with the little water available.
"I pretty much stopped watering the garden," she said.
"I had to stop watering the vegetables just to make sure the animals have enough water."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(08/27/07 4:00am)
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., will continue her tour of the state and meetings with county sheriffs this week to tout a federal program aimed at identifying and deporting illegal immigrants.
Four N.C. counties already have adopted the 287(g) program, which gives local law enforcement the authority to run the fingerprints of any foreign-born person they arrest through a national database to see if they're eligible for deportation.
The response from N.C. sheriffs has been mixed, with some sweating the details and others waiting eagerly in line for federal acceptance into the program.
"Those of us who have applied for it, we're just kind of sitting back and waiting," said Capt. Barry Bunting of the Randolph County Sheriff's Office. "The funding just isn't there, and there won't be any possible funding until October."
Dole has attempted to address the funding snag at the national level: She added a last-minute amendment to a Homeland Security appropriations act that would set aside $5 million this year for the 287(g) program.
That money would help convince some N.C. sheriffs to apply for the program. Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said that's his biggest concern because his force would need funding to replace the 10 to 15 officers who would receive Immigration and Customs Enforcement training.
The training is meant to prepare officers for often-complicated matters of immigration law because the program gives them the authority to hold arrested, foreign-born individuals for deportation proceedings.
Some legal activists worry that, even with federal training, the broader scope of authority afforded to local ICE officers in their interaction with foreign-born suspects could lead to racial profiling.
"There's no reason to believe there won't be a certain amount of racism that enters someone's decision to arrest someone," said Sarah Preston, legal coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina.
The program allows local officers to fingerprint and hold any foreign-born person arrested for anything as minor as driving with windows too darkly tinted. Preston said there's too much leeway for officers to arrest someone on the basis of race and with little knowledge of the "alphabet soup" of immigration policies.
Sheriff's offices denied that the program would encourage officers to target people they suspect of being in the country illegally.
Dole spokeswoman Katie Hallaway said the program's merit comes largely from its ability to address a concern widely held by North Carolinians. She said Dole's office fielded many questions and concerns about immigration and border security during the crafting of bills that stood to affect those arenas.
"Constituents were just calling, calling, calling - the Senate phone lines actually went down, there was so much coming in on that issue," Hallaway said. "Constituents just don't feel secure in their own communities."
Officials from N.C. counties that already have adopted the 287(g) program agree that they're satisfied with its results.
In Mecklenburg County, one of the first in the nation to adopt the program, there have been about 4,600 arrests of foreign-born individuals since ICE officers started in May 2006. Of those, whose fingerprints all were sent to the national database, about 2,600 have been placed in removal proceedings.
Bunting said he expects the program to cut down on gang- and drug-related crimes in Randolph County.
"We're just excited about it; we hope we get it," Bunting said. "If we don't, that's not going to stop us from trying again."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(08/20/07 4:00am)
Faced with an embattled Medicaid funding system and a general outcry from the poor N.C. regions it left behind, state legislators took steps this summer aimed to even financial footing in counties across the state.
The budget measure, which has received mixed reviews, establishes a plan to phase out the county burden of Medicaid costs in two years. Until then, North Carolina remains the only state to require its counties to pick up a portion of the nonfederal costs of the program, which provides health care for the poor.
That state tradition has met criticism for years from representatives of poor counties because their populations are most in need of Medicaid but least able to provide the tax base to fund it.
"When you think that some of the counties were spending more on Medicaid than they were on schools, it shows you what a truly draconian method of financing Medicaid this was," said state Sen. Tony Rand, a Cumberland County Democrat and supporter of the reform.
"I'm delighted we were able to get it done because it gives the poor counties of North Carolina a chance to help themselves."
The 2007-08 budget provides for 25 percent of the traditional county Medicaid burden to be assumed by the state. The next year will take on 50 percent, followed by a 100 percent state takeover of nonfederal costs July 1, 2009. Each county is guaranteed at least $500,000 in annual relief.
But Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb said the plan falls short of providing the kind of targeted relief expected from rural counties. He cited the additional revenue authority provided in the phaseout plan to allow each county to address needs unique to its area.
Urban counties such as Mecklenburg, which has spent about 4 percent of its property tax on Medicaid, could enjoy more than $44 million in freed-up tax revenue from the additional authority.
Bertie County, which devotes a state-high 33 percent of its property tax to Medicaid, will have about $200,000 in freed-up revenue.
"The rural areas in North Carolina do not have the power that the urban areas do, and we were outflanked by the urban counties who were able to get that switch," Lamb said of the revenue options. "Our county did not fare very well."
The N.C. Association of County Commissioners has lobbied in favor of state Medicaid reform for years. Todd McGee, communications director for the association, said the phaseout plan meets expectations.
He said the additional revenue authority will allow counties to address those needs - including investment in schools, economic development and infrastructure - that traditionally lack funding in poor counties whose coffers are stretched to cover Medicaid costs.
"It should help equalize a lot of things because the Medicaid burden was so disproportionate," he said.
But Lamb argued that the new form of relief is just as disproportionate in the revenue it frees up for counties. He estimated that Bertie County ultimately will see only $500,000 of extra funds, which falls significantly short of what was promised in other Medicaid reform plans targeted at poor county needs.
"It's sort of like the poor counties were used as a poster child on why we need this relief, but the real benefit is going to go to the urban counties," he said.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(08/20/07 4:00am)
When the founders of Piedmont Biofuels expanded their backyard biodiesel operation, they knew the large-scale plant in bucolic Pittsboro would test the industry waters as the first of its kind in North Carolina.
Six months after the plant opened at full capacity, the overwhelming local demand for biodiesel already is more than the plant can handle without further upgrades.
"They're using a lot more than we can make right now, and we're kind of running at full throttle," said Piedmont's chief engineer, Leif Forer.
Funding set aside this summer by the N.C. General Assembly could help Piedmont - and other green businesses throughout the state - feed the growing market for green industry alternatives and energy conservation.
Leaders in the realms of state politics, business and higher education worked in concert this summer to provide millions of dollars for green building practices and the state biofuels industry.
Hopes are high among many legislators and environmentalists, who expect the measures ultimately to save money, conserve resources and propel North Carolina into the top tier of energy-conscious states.
"It's a win situation all the way around," said Rep. Bill Faison, an Orange County Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill to establish a $15 million N.C. Green Business Fund. "By working with folks - getting them talking - everybody recognizes we've got to protect the environment."
Legislators agreed that one of the biggest obstacles to environmental regulations is finding ways to compromise and to justify initial investments.
Faison said lobbyists for the construction industry, for example, were hesitant to foot the initial costs of green-building incentives that would save consumers money and energy in the long run.
Sen. Janet Cowell, D-Wake, said the cost of a measure to save energy in state, community college and university buildings will be $5 million this fiscal year, but she said the long-term savings will be exponentially more from the state's annual $300 million utility bill.
Experts attributed the summer success of so many green initiatives to the help of higher-ups, including N.C. Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, UNC-system President Erskine Bowles and UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Chairman Roger Perry.
And with so much support coming from above, Cowell said, it's only a matter of time before industries and consumers feel the effect.
"North Carolina is such a big state and is such a large consumer of electricity, I hope that the requirements for the state will help drive the market," she said. "And while there may be bumps in the road, there will be leadership there to get us through that."
UNC-system campuses won't likely see the short-term cost-cutting effects of the state energy conservation plan, which allows one year for architects and engineers to learn about new building standards before applying them to plans.
But when the first year is up, Cowell said, state construction is likely to have a new - and more environmentally friendly - face.
Douglas Crawford-Brown, director of the UNC-CH Institute for the Environment, said the steps taken this summer by legislators bode well for the future of N.C. green industries.
"It's a massive sort of task, so the fact that the legislature has taken this on very much over the past year is very promising," he said. "I'm excited about the speed with which we're moving forward in North Carolina."
Crawford-Brown said he expects up to 10 new and diverse green technology businesses to crop up this year with the help of the green business fund, which he called "a business angel."
And with several agricultural industries faltering in eastern North Carolina, many believe investment in green industries could act as an impetus for economic development in rural or poor areas of the state.
Forer said Piedmont Biofuels will look into using a portion of the fund to increase output, boost efficiency and incorporate glycerin into the production of green alternative energy.
He said he hopes to see the fund encourage and support the startup of biofuel plants, which is a "laborious task."
"Some of the politicians like to say that North Carolina is a leader in biofuel, which is not true," he said. "We can be, we could be, and it's leadership like this and funds and acts like this that will help us."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/07 4:00am)
Funding for the UNC system hangs in the balance as members of the N.C. General Assembly continue to forge the state budget.
The House appropriations subcommittee on education planned to release a report Thursday to its parent committee, and the full House was scheduled to roll out a spending plan next week.
But Democratic leaders said Wednesday that the process would be delayed to allow representatives more time and a chance to consider the latest state tax figures after the April filing deadline.
Andy Willis, the UNC-system vice president for government relations, said the system submitted 32 pages of priorities for the General Assembly to consider when appropriating funds.
"It will be difficult," he said. "I'd love to see it all in there; I know it won't happen."
The UNC system's requests focused on financial aid, research, health services, K-12 education and securing system faculty salaries in the 80th percentile of peer institutions.
Gov. Mike Easley released in March his budget proposal calling for an 11.3 percent increase in state funding for the UNC system. That increase would have the potential to prevent hikes in resident undergraduate tuition.
If the General Assembly does not raise higher education funding, however, tuition rates likely will increase to cover system costs.
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-Guilford, is co-chairwoman of the Senate appropriations committee and said she hopes to see the legislature uphold Easley's education spending requests.
"I would certainly hope that we could do what Gov. Easley has done and even more," she said.
"Education is the most important thing we do in state government."
Once the House decides by vote on a final budget draft, the bill will continue to Senate committees.
Hagan said senators already are working every day in preparation for budget discussions.
Both chambers of the General Assembly are working toward a final budget by the end of the fiscal year June 30.
"It's all behind closed doors," Willis said of the House subcommittee discussions.
"They're being very hush-hush, and I'm just trying to figure out information I can pick apart."
He said he won't know of any certain spending decisions from the House subcommittee until it releases its report.
"They've got a lot of work to do," he said.
Hagan said that once the budget bill reaches the Senate, she plans to fight for generous levels of educations spending.
"The university holds the key to much of the future of our state going forward into the 21st century," she said.
"We need to continue to do more for our university."
She stressed that members of the state government have an interest in working with UNC-system President Erskine Bowles to improve higher education.
"We have extremely high regard for President Bowles and his recommendations."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/24/07 4:00am)
John and Elizabeth Edwards, along with an audience packed into the Student Union Auditorium, made national airwaves Monday as they talked politics, jogging, cancer and haircuts.
The couple appeared as guests on the Ed Schultz Show, which is based in Fargo, N.D., but aired from UNC's campus through the local radio station WCHL-AM 1360.
Edwards fielded questions from his host and audience, chatting and politicking for about an hour as he swung through town on his way to another campaign stop in Washington, D.C.
Dorothy Moore, a retired UNC secretary and Chapel Hill Democrat, said she came to hear the former N.C. senator speak because she couldn't decide among him and the other 2008 Democratic presidential frontrunners: Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
"It's very good to hear candidates speak," she said after the event. "I was impressed - I wish there had been more time."
Edwards briefly discussed some specific campaign points, including his plans to expand health care, address the Darfur crisis and end the war in Iraq.
The candidate gave Schultz a copy of "Ending Poverty in America: How to Restore the American Dream," the book of expert contributions Edwards compiled during his time as director of the UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity.
Campaign officials have said Edwards used his time at the center to prepare for the 2008 campaign, and he told his audience of UNC students and town residents that about half of his time since the 2004 election cycle was spent either overseas or addressing foreign policy issues. The result, he said, is a uniquely in-depth understanding of a variety of important issues.
"I don't think America's looking for the next great politician to be president - I think we've got plenty of politicians," he said. "If you don't have specific proposals, you are not ready to be president of the United States."
Elizabeth Edwards joined the conversation about halfway through the hour. She described her husband's ability, when he still was a trial lawyer, to break down complicated cases for jury members of all backgrounds - an experience she said prepared him to communicate his points to voters.
"I wish the entire election were an interview, with every candidate and every citizen," she said. "When people ask him questions, they get actual answers, and you can see them nod. It's a great thing to watch."
UNC sophomore Brian Cline, who attended the broadcast on a whim between classes, said he's seen Edwards before and found him to be a good public speaker but occasionally "wishy-washy."
"I'm sure all politicians are like that, though," he said. "I guess they have to be."
Moore said she thought Edwards articulated good ideas for change, and she added that his wife was at least as stirring.
Elizabeth Edwards, whose incurable cancer was diagnosed last month, talked about her plans and dedication to the campaign.
"The reason that we're willing to make this sacrifice as a family is that we truly believe we need his voice," she said to the crowd.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/16/07 4:00am)
WINDSOR - In counties such as Bertie, where more than a third of residents are eligible for Medicaid, the drive to expel poverty often is stalled by state demands for contributions.
But last week, four legislators introduced a bill in the N.C. House that would cap county Medicaid spending and provide millions of dollars in additional relief to the state's poorest counties.
North Carolina is the only state to require its counties to pay a fixed portion - 15 percent - of the cost of Medicaid, a federal program providing health insurance for low-income individuals and families.
Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb said the bill could go a long way toward easing the expense of care.
"It is strangleholding some of our counties," Lamb said. "The sooner we can get relief, the better off we are."
A foot in the political door
The amount that N.C. counties pay toward Medicaid costs is determined by the number of area residents who are eligible for the program.
But counties with the highest percentages of low-wealth eligible citizens often don't have the tax base to foot Medicaid expenses while adequately providing for other county initiatives.
"The current policy has the effect, though it might not have had the original intent, to punish and to penalize poor counties for being poor," Lamb said.
"If you have a county that has a high Medicaid-eligible population, as we do, it just compounds the problem."
For a long time, he said, county commissioners lobbied for the state to assume more of the Medicaid burden, only to be ignored by their elected state officials, especially the powerhouses who hailed from urban and wealthy regions.
But today the N.C. General Assembly has six Medicaid reform bills in the works, including the one introduced last week.
Co-sponsored by a former county commissioner, two Democratic chairmen of the House appropriations committee and the House minority leader, the bill has 119 signed supporters: every representative except House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange, who declined because of his post.
Todd McGee, director of communications for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, said years of persistent lobbying and failed legislative attempts at reform have culminated in the latest bill.
"This is the most significant piece of Medicaid relief legislation that's ever been introduced because of the amount of relief involved and also because of the amount of support it has in the House," he said.
"The big issue is going to be where will the state come up with the money for it."
Setting priorities
The House bill introduced last week calls for $100 million in 2007-08 state appropriations, which would pay for counties' Medicaid costs past the cap set at 2005-06 spending levels.
A $90 million portion of those funds would be distributed among all counties, and the remaining $10 million would target only the counties suffering most from Medicaid costs.
County and state officials agree that county Medicaid expenses ideally would be phased out and taken up entirely by the state.
Rep. Bill Owens, a bill co-sponsor and Pasquotank County Democrat, estimated that a phaseout would cost North Carolina about half a billion dollars this year and even more later, as medical costs and the number of eligible citizens rise.
"As much as we'd like to do away with it permanently," he said. "All we can hope to afford is to freeze it at current levels and give relief to the poorest counties."
The bill doesn't give specifics, but legislators said counties receiving targeted relief probably will be chosen based on the percentage of Medicaid-eligible residents and how much of the county budget is spent on the program.
Bertie County devoted nearly 15 percent of its budget to Medicaid in 2006-07, compared to the state average 5 percent and Orange County's 2.7 percent.
Half of all counties spent more on Medicaid than on school construction, renovation and other capital projects.
Rep. Douglas Yongue, a bill co-sponsor and Scotland County Democrat, said that substituting state funding for county contributions will be a matter of convincing legislators to pass the bill.
"We have money in a pileup there," he said. "We've just got to set priorities."
Backdoor help for schools
Bertie County is home to inferior educational facilities, Lamb said, and often produces students with low test scores and expectations.
Six of Bertie County's 10 public schools are labeled "Priority Schools" by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction's 2005-06 Accountability Model, and the system failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
He said that Medicaid spending takes a significant chunk of potential funds away from the lagging school system and that the House bill could help.
House Minority Leader Paul Stam, R-Wake, co-sponsored the bill and said one of its indirect aims is to improve state education.
"It's sort of a backdoor way of helping the low-wealth county schools," he said. "By limiting this burden on counties, it frees them up to do what counties do, which is build schools."
North Carolina faces about $10 billion in school construction needs, and Lamb said decreasing the county Medicaid burden could be a formula for improvement.
"We're struggling, and we need relief," he said. "This is a good first step."
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(04/10/07 4:00am)
As project proponents and top scientists eagerly anticipate the birth of a self-contained research community in Kannapolis, measures to secure state funding remain missing from the governor's budget and stalled in legislative committees.
A conference starting at the end of the week will boast dozens of prominent nutrition researchers and a tour of the blossoming N.C. Research Campus.
On April 18, attending dignitaries will witness topping-off and breaking-ground ceremonies to demonstrate the whirlwind pace of construction.
So far, the price of that progress has been fielded mainly by David Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke Inc. and Dole Food Co. Inc.
But initial equipment costs, long-term employee funding and the expectations of Murdock and the UNC system call for state contributions.
Russ Lea, vice president for research for the UNC system, said he doesn't expect the absence of the campus in Easley's budget to be cause for concern.
"Many initiatives have not been in the governor's budget from the start but have been picked up," he said.
"Every legislative session is a give-and-take, and I think there's great support in the legislature for the Kannapolis campus."
The system is asking the state for about $19 million in one-time funds and $30 million in recurring appropriations.
Bills in N.C. General Assembly committees call for funding that comes close to meeting the system's request.
Tom Sanctis, vice president of commercial construction for Castle & Cooke, said that he expects state funding to come through and that he most likely would have heard of any unforeseen problems.
So far, he said, interactions with the state have been efficient and productive.
Lea called the negotiations "remarkably friendly" and said the economic payoff of the campus should justify state spending.
"You're going to be able to compete for the marketplace of funds," he said.
He cited federal research grants, private companies and even small businesses as sources for possible future funding.
"For every dollar that we would invest from the UNC system or state appropriations, we would expect another five dollars to be invested from interested investors," he said.
The topping-off ceremony next week will commemorate the completion of the structural steel frame for the UNC-Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute.
Construction will officially begin on the Dole-N.C. State University Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science the same day.
Karen Whichard, marketing director for the city of Kannapolis, said the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory at the center of campus is visibly nearing its November completion deadline.
She said progress is promising for the research campus that is expected to be a financial catalyst for the Kannapolis and state economies.
"It's coming right along."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/27/07 4:00am)
Ed Turlington met John and Elizabeth Edwards 18 years ago when he and the former senator worked in the same Raleigh law firm.
He remembers John Edwards as the office's hardest-working attorney, who put in unconventional hours in preparation for the courtroom, but he also remembers how every once in a while his colleague would slip away around 4 p.m.
Turlington, a long-time political adviser to the 2008 presidential candidate, said that when Edwards left the office, he knew it was to catch his children's soccer games or school functions. "That was an appointment he didn't want to miss."
Political candidates like to emphasize the strong families that stand behind them, and Edwards is no exception.
But with the announcement last week of the recurrence of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer, pundits are left speculating about the impact it could have on the race as the competition for donations heats up.
"The style of American politics nowadays is that you campaign with your family - you know, your spouse and kids and grandkids and dog," said Steffen Schmidt, an Iowa State University political science professor. "You want a person in there who kind of fits whatever used to be the family ideal."
Other '08 contenders with families in the spotlight include former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the twice-divorced Republican with an estranged son, and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Democrat married to former President Bill Clinton.
Schmidt said that voter reaction to Edwards' family situation has been mixed and that it will be difficult to gauge the effect of his campaign decision until polls are complete.
Andy Smith, political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, said American voters place less importance on issues than on a candidate's personal story.
He said such scrutiny of candidates' private lives and problems is a modern development that stems from greater media exposure.
Past presidents with health- or family-related obstacles - including Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt - largely abstained from encouraging personal inquiries.
"You can imagine F.D.R. today: he'd be talking about his lifelong struggle with the ravages of polio," Smith said. "At that time he didn't say those things; it just wasn't done."
The effect of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer on her husband's campaign could be a matter of public perception, Schmidt said, citing those who are questioning his political standing in the announcement's wake.
Some donors might not support Edwards if they see his prospects as weaker than those of other Democrats, he said. Edwards said last week he would drop anything if his wife's health demanded it.
But sympathy votes could balance the equation.
"Sometimes it's possible for people to essentially say, 'Wow, he's going through so much; he's such a smart guy, he's really likeable, and now he has this on top of everything else,'" Schmidt said. "People sometimes are willing to bend your way a little bit to give you a chance."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/26/07 4:00am)
CHARLOTTE - More than 100 North Carolinians paid $75 for Friday night hors d'oeuvres, wine and the chance to hear a controversial national figure.
John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, spoke at the Westin Charlotte upon invitation from the John Locke Foundation, an independent N.C. think tank interested in Bolton's unique international perspective.
Before his speech, the former ambassador refuted speculation that he would accept a new White House position.
"I think after six years of being in the Bush administration, I'm ready for the private sector," he said.
Bolton said his upcoming book, "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations," is designed to have an impact on the 2008 presidential race. He has yet to endorse a Republican candidate, but said he hopes to campaign for one with the international political strength of President Ronald Reagan. "We have been hard-pressed, obviously, to find his equal again."
President Bush appointed Bolton to the U.N. in August 2005, against congressional objections that he had been too outspoken against the international organization. Bolton resigned his post in December 2006.
The former ambassador concluded in his speech Friday that he and the Bush administration had failed in their plans to implement reform in the U.N., which he called "a deeply flawed institution."
Bolton cited corruption in U.N. agencies and proposed that each agency should prove its merit to receive funding. Ineffectiveness Bolton said, prevents the U.N.'s legitimacy as an international problem-solver.
"We can't hold ourselves hostage to their concern," he said. "What deference we give to the U.N., what deference we give to our allies, has to be measured against what protects our best interests."
Bolton said Democratic presidential candidates who believe the U.N. should play a dominant role in negotiating with Iran and North Korea fail to recognize their historical tendencies to ignore U.N. resolutions.
William McKenna, a Charlotte Democrat and retired U.S. Marine Corps captain whose son has toured in Iraq, attended the speech and said afterward that the U.S. military is too exhausted to successfully confront more countries with nuclear ambitions.
He said the crowd, which delivered standing ovations before and after Bolton's address, was too willing to accept the diplomat's arguments.
"He's speaking to an audience who already agrees with everything he's telling them," McKenna said.
Bolton stressed to the crowd the importance of electing a leader willing to take preventive action against terrorism and rogue states. He said candidates should propose the next course in Iraq as a U.S. troop exit that doesn't portray the United States as vulnerable.
"We were never going to solve all of Iraq's problems," he said. "I think we have met our obligation to them."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/20/07 4:00am)
Bill filing deadlines are fast approaching in the N.C. General Assembly, and Rocky Mount area legislators are introducing measures to maintain the momentum of their drive for a 17th UNC-system school.
The study process is behind deadline, but bills prepared by area legislators ensure that debating the conversion of the private N.C. Wesleyan College into a public university will not be off-limits this session.
Jim Dickens, a businessman and member of the local committee for a UNC-Rocky Mount, has lobbied for years in favor of a system school and its potential economic benefits in the northeastern part of the state.
He said he's optimistic about the attention the idea is receiving from the state and UNC system.
"They haven't said no, and that's a good thing," he said.
The General Assembly commissioned a $50,000 study in May to determine the feasibility of converting the private college into a public university. The report originally was slated to be complete by March 1.
The study committee will present its recommendation to system President Erskine Bowles, who will make his own recommendation to the system Board of Governors. The board then will suggest a plan of action to the General Assembly.
The Senate bill - filed shortly before the March 21 deadline and calling for the addition of Wesleyan to the UNC system - is only four sentences long, and the House bill has yet to be introduced before its April 10 deadline.
The legislation is tenuous and is meant to leave the option of considering UNC-Rocky Mount if the BOG presents its findings when expected: after the bill filing deadline but before the end of the legislative session.
"It's simply a placemark," said Sen. A.B. Swindell, D-Nash, who introduced the Senate bill.
"I would hate for the BOG to come up and say it's a wonderful idea and then somebody say we can't move forward because of a technicality."
The assembly, the BOG and Bowles will wait for the findings of the study before proceeding further.
Rep. Bill Daughtridge, R-Nash, is preparing the House bill. He said the committee seems to be stuck on the final question of enrollment.
In order for a 17th system school to be financially feasible, the number of enrolled students would have to increase dramatically from Wesleyan's 2,200.
Daughtridge said it is unclear whether the local public school and community college systems can provide enough students.
Alec Brinn, a UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore from Rocky Mount, said the proximity and affordability of a UNC-Rocky Mount would attract local students who are put off by the Wesleyan expense.
Dickens speculated that Bowles will be able to make his decision in May and that by the end of that month it should be clear whether Wesleyan will become the 17th system school.
"I am confident that the final report will be such that there will ultimately be a UNC campus in Rocky Mount."
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(02/20/07 5:00am)
Durham police arrested a 21-year-old man Monday for the alleged assault of the female Duke University student at a Feb. 11 off-campus party.
Michael Jermaine Burch was charged with the second-degree rape of the 18-year-old student, who told police she was assaulted at about 3 a.m. in the bathroom of a duplex rented by six Duke seniors.
The campus community expressed relief at the charges.
"My colleagues and I appreciate the efforts by the Duke police to identify a suspect in this case," stated Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, in a release issued Monday.
"We welcome the news they have made an arrest."
The sexual assault case prompted initial comparisons to the Durham incident last spring, in which three former Duke lacrosse players were accused of assaulting a black, female N.C. Central University student hired to dance at their off-campus party.
But neighbors in the residential area said the students who hosted the Feb. 11 party were not known as troublemakers.
Duke officials, who agreed to cooperate with the investigation from its beginning and who have provided support services to the alleged victim, stressed the importance of maintaining a level of dialogue about these issues.
"This has been a difficult week for the woman involved and for others in the Duke community," Moneta stated.
"We are continuing to provide support to them and also are encouraging continued discussion about the serious issues related to sexual assault."
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(02/15/07 5:00am)
Former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black resigned from his seat Wednesday amid speculation that he will issue a guilty plea to federal charges of public corruption.
The Democratic representative of Mecklenburg County held one of the most powerful positions in N.C. politics for eight years, working tirelessly to earn the money and support necessary to maintain the post.
"There's a very fine line these people walk between raising their money and crossing the line into illegality," said UNC political science professor Thad Beyle.
"Black overstepped the line."
The Charlotte optometrist, set to appear in federal court Thursday, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for charges that he accepted illegal gratuities.
The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday that Black intends to plead guilty. His resignation came as no surprise in light of an N.C. statute barring felons from public office.
After allegations of political impropriety began surfacing in 2005, Black narrowly retained his position as state representative and forfeited his speaker seat to Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, in January.
The power accumulated by Black during his time as speaker, Beyle said, stemmed from his ability to raise and distribute money to potential supporters in the House.
He said Black helped forge the competitive, money-driven style of politics that led to his downfall.
"The cost of running for office in state government has gone up," he said. "It's not easy."
John Aneralla, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party, called the timing of Black's resignation disappointing and said he should have come clean before his 2006 run for re-election.
"I'm not surprised that Black is being convicted of some type of corruption charge," he said.
"The real tragedy is that he continued to mislead people to the point that he still was elected, then resigned, and the Democratic party will be able to replace him."
Michael D. Evans, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, said a replacement probably will not be chosen before March. Of the three people who had expressed interest in the post as of Wednesday afternoon, only one - Jack Flynn, who ran for Congress in 2004 against U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., - was willing to make his interest public.
Aneralla said the state's political environment should serve as a springboard for dialogue about Democratic control in Raleigh.
Both parties agreed that the case signals a need for new ethics legislation and a bipartisan discussion of the N.C. political culture.
Beyle stressed the need for legitimate dedication to change.
"Every time you pass reform, there are people around there who know how to get around what you've done," he said. "They say, 'OK, we'll just have to play the game a little differently.'"
Black's replacement will be chosen by executive committee members of the Mecklenburg Democratic Party, which will submit the name to Gov. Mike Easley for approval.
But with the party's annual precinct organization set to begin next week, the 15-member group will be overhauled before discussion can begin.
Evans said the prospect of choosing Black's replacement will energize the committee selection process.
The fallout of Black's resignation, he said, should not reflect poorly on the party or on Black's fundamental character, which fostered a positive legacy of initiatives including advocacy for nonprofits and public education.
"Jim Black has always been a person willing to serve the people and willing to do anything for his party. The allegations against him are inconsistent with the Jim Black that I know," Evans said.
"We regret that this is how his career has come to an end."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/23/07 5:00am)
A state-appointed committee met Thursday and Friday with eastern N.C. citizens to discuss UNC-Rocky Mount, a proposed institution seen by many locals as the key to their region's educational and economic rebirth.
During the summer the N.C. General Assembly provided $50,000 for a study exploring the possible merits of bringing the private N.C. Wesleyan College into the UNC-system fold.
Using information gathered partly during last week's meetings, the committee is expected to present its recommendation to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles in March.
Bowles, who is conducting his own fiscal and demographic analysis of the proposal, will then advise the system's Board of Governors, which could submit its plan to the state legislature by May or June.
"The earliest it could get rolling would be 2007," said Rep. Bill Daughtridge, a Nash County Republican who co-sponsored the study bill. "From there it's a complicated process converting a private college to a public university."
He estimated a transition process could take three to five years but stressed that the positive effects of a system school in eastern North Carolina would be worth the wait.
The two meetings last week in Rocky Mount engaged about 75 people in three hours of discussion.
Business delegates from N.C. counties east of Interstate 95 argued that the larger size of a UNC-system school, along with the greater access it would afford residents, would mean an increased job market and the educated workforce to fill it.
Education officials representing K-12 schools, community colleges and universities discussed ways in which area public schools could step up efforts to push higher education as a reality for their students.
And local delegates stressed that while the 11-county region stands to benefit from a system presence, it has plenty to offer in return.
The 200 acres of Wesleyan real estate would provide a solid foundation for UNC operations, Daughtridge said. While the private college enrolls about 900 students, the campus could accommodate 8,000, he said.
The investigative five-person committee includes UNC-Wilmington Chancellor Emeritus James Leutze, N.C. State University Vice Chancellor Emeritus George Worsley, Shaw University President Clarence Newsome, Wake Forest University Provost William Gordon and attorney Elizabeth LeVan Riley.
Members are still compiling and digesting information on the feasibility of a UNC-Rocky Mount.
Shannon Blosser, spokesman for the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, said the needs of eastern N.C. residents should first be served by pursuing local and regional efforts, rather than adding a campus that would detract funding and attention from the 16 system campuses.
"Looking at private funding, at areas where businesses can come in and maybe donate some money - I think those areas need to be looked at before looking to the state," Blosser said.
Jim Dickens, a Rocky Mount businessman and member of the local committee to convert N.C. Wesleyan, said the larger size and lower tuition of a UNC-system school would produce the educational access and economic growth the region needs.
"We find in eastern North Carolina that so many of the young people that do go away to get a college education don't come back home because there's nothing here for them," he said.
"If we can keep young people here and provide them with an affordable and accessible higher education, we can reverse that trend and have an economy like that in Chapel Hill and the Triangle."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/12/07 5:00am)
Generation Next, the product of technological advances and diversity, is more tolerant and less religious than Generation X, baby boomers and seniors.
It values fortune and fame and believes both to be attainable.
And while about half of Gen Nexters have a tattoo or nontraditional piercing or hair color, they are closer to their parents than any previous generation.
On Tuesday the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released a study of the demographic, which includes 18- to 25-year-olds. The Generation Next Initiative prompted the study, along with a documentary to air this month on PBS stations nationwide.
Judy Woodruff, the documentary's editor and correspondent, traveled cross-country to interview hundreds in the age group. As a mother of three Gen Nexters, she was surprised by how much she had to learn.
Generation Next is 17 percent Latino and 14 percent black. One in eight were born outside the United States. Kim Parker, senior researcher at the center, said greater exposure to immigration and nontraditional families sets Gen Nexters apart from preceding generations.
"Because they've grown up in a more diverse society, they have really progressive views on immigration, homosexuality and racial issues," she said. "They haven't just heard of that stuff, they've experienced it."
Woodruff said an awareness of the generation's diversity and exposure to alternative lifestyles is essential to understanding the youth.
Technological know-how also shapes their lifestyles and expectations, in that they demand results and often aren't willing to wait.
But those expectations fuel more than impatience, she said. Most Gen Nexters are certain of a solution for almost any problem.
Woodruff said the prevalence of self-esteem-oriented child psychology during the cohorts' formative years could have contributed to their optimism and self-assurance.
"They were told by their parents, growing up, that they're special," she said. "Among the younger generation there's this notion that if there's a problem, we can fix it."
This seemingly carefree attitude translates into a less rigorous perception of the workplace, as opposed to what Woodruff called the "workaholic, 24/7 routine" of their parents.
Aisha Forte, a UNC sophomore majoring in political science, agreed with Woodruff's findings that members of the generation are less willing to be defined by their careers.
"I think our parents tend to view things in terms of making money," Forte said. "But I think we're more about doing what makes us happy."
Woodruff said many Gen Nexters deemed the rewards of their baby-boomer parents' diligent work ethics as not enough, which could have contributed to their unwillingness to make similar sacrifices of time and effort.
"Maybe they know something my generation doesn't," she said laughingly.
"I've really fallen in love with this generation."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.