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(02/16/07 5:00am)
RALEIGH - Like their male counterparts, the North Carolina women's basketball team isn't used to playing from behind.
And, for that reason, like their male counterparts, the Tar Heels failed to beat rival N.C. State in Raleigh, losing 72-65.
No. 2 North Carolina fell behind as many as 26 on the way to a halftime deficit of 46-27.
It was senior night for N.C. State (19-8, 8-4 in the ACC), and the Wolfpack played like it, out-hustling the Tar Heels in just about every facet of the game for the majority of the contest.
"Our intensity level wasn't where it should have been," UNC forward Camille Little said. "Coach (Sylvia) Hatchell kept telling us how big the game was going to be, and we just weren't on the level we were supposed to be to start the game, and they were ready, and the score showed that."
Friday's loss felt a lot like UNC's Feb. 8 loss to Duke - the team played from behind the entire game, was out-rebounded and Ivory Latta couldn't score.
Latta, the Tar Heels' superstar, was less than stellar Friday evening. She scored her first points with four seconds to go in the first half, then failed to score again until almost the 8:00 mark in the second half, finishing with 10 points.
"I really can't explain it, to be honest with you," Latta said of her performance. "I was taking the ball to the whole, hoping to get the foul, but unfortunately I didn't get it. If it falls it falls, if it don't, it don't. I can't keep my head down, I've just gotta keep going."
Latta also finished the night with three fouls, including a technical midway through the first half.
The fiery guard yelled, "Come on, man!" after a foul call, and was given the technical.
"I was trying to get my teammates hyped," Latta explained. "I was talking to my teammates. Unfortunately, I guess it was a miscommunication that I was talking to this person, and unfortunately I got a technical foul."
The Tar Heels (25-2, 9-2 in the ACC) made a valiant effort at the end, narrowing the margin to three with as few as 21.3 seconds to go, but it was too little, too late as N.C. State made its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
"I think we had plenty of opportunities - we missed a couple free throws, missed a couple layups, we got the ball inside, missed a couple easy shots," Latta said. "I guess the little things that we could've done better would've gotten us over the edge."
With three games remaining before the ACC Tournament - including a rematch at Duke - Little said she didn't think the team was in a rut, but added that the players have to continue to get better.
"I feel like we definitely can get over this and look forward to this Sunday (versus Miami)," Little said. "But right now I think our team just needs to focus more."
The game was the first played on Kay Yow Court, dedicated before the game in honor of N.C. State's head coach, who missed a number of games this season to focus on treatment for her breast cancer.
The combination of senior night and the dedication of the court might have been too much for the Tar Heels to overcome.
"I think it was a big factor in a lot of areas," Hatchell said.
"All factors considering, it was going to be hard for us to win over here tonight, no matter what."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/12/07 5:00am)
The question of just how good the North Carolina softball team can be this year remains unanswered after this weekend's season-opening Carolina Classic.
The Tar Heels are 2-2. They took the second-best team in the nation, Tennessee, to extra innings on Saturday, but lost the game 2-1. They scored nine runs in a win against College of Charleston on Friday, but allowed 11 runs on 16 hits Sunday against Penn State.
Senior shortstop Anna Evans said the team will use the early-season matchups as a lesson.
"There were a lot of positives," she said. "We've shown that we can play with one of the best teams in the country, but on the other hand we've seen that there are a lot of things that we can work on."
Sophomore Lisa Norris pitched in all four games, starting three, and finished with an ERA of 3.72.
Though the team, picked to finish fourth in the ACC, was hurt by the graduation of All-American pitcher Crystal Cox, early indications are that Norris is stepping up to try to fill her cleats.
Norris was reluctant to call herself the go-to pitcher on the team, but assistant head coach Beverly Smith was not.
"Lisa has proved herself as our ace right now," she said. "Her strength is that she's a competitor."
Evans agreed.
"Lisa's a great competitor, and that's what we need out on the mound," she said. "She's certainly going to be a force on the field, and we'll look to her for her leadership this season."
Norris said she's up for the task, citing her confidence on the mound.
That confidence was tested Sunday afternoon, as Penn State knocked Norris around for five runs in the top of the first inning.
"I felt like they were hitting everything I tossed out there," Norris said.
North Carolina played sloppily on defense at times. Evans had four errors on the weekend, two of which came against Penn State.
"Errors happen," Evans said. "It's things that can be fixed, individually as well as on a team level. It sucks to make them, but you have to move on."
Smith said the coaches have no doubt that Evans will bounce back.
"She's been a rock for us on defense," she said. "It's unlike her to have those mistakes - we're not worried about it at all."
Smith said it is good that the team got a couple losses out of the way in the early season, and in the end she thinks the Tar Heels can make it to their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament.
"We have the strength of schedule to get us there, and with our talent and depth, if we continue to play at a high level, we can do it."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/22/07 5:00am)
Whether they were lining up outside the Smith Center at 3:30 a.m. in 30-degree weather, dressing up as Elvis or making togas, UNC students were ready for their big moment when ESPN GameDay came to Chapel Hill for the first time.
Freshman Corey Johnson, who arrived at the Smith Center at 6 a.m., said braving the weather was all part of the experience.
(01/22/07 5:00am)
Ah, the 2006 Carolina Panthers. Such fond memories of 3rd-and-long draw plays, making scrubs like Tony Romo look like Hall-of-Famers, and of course the pinpoint accuracy of Jake "Which team do I throw to again?" Delhomme.
(01/11/07 5:00am)
Just two months after being hired, North Carolina football coach Butch Davis held a press conference Wednesday to introduce members of his coaching staff.
So far, he's hired five assistants:
Chuck Pagano, Defensive Coordinator
Pagano was the defensive backs coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2006. The Raiders ranked first in the NFL in pass defense and third in total defense.
"Playing on a team that's 2-14, that's a pretty good accomplishment," Davis said.
Pagano also worked with Davis at the University of Miami.
Sam Pittman, Offensive Line Coach
Last season, Pittman was the offensive line coach for a Northern Illinois team that boasted the nation's leading rusher, Garrett Wolfe, who ran for more than 1,900 yards. It was the fourth time in Pittman's four years at NIU that a tailback ran for more than 1,500 yards.
Davis said three people he trusts in the NFL named Pittman as one of the top four men they truly respected as a great coach.
John Blake, Defensive Line Coach
Blake garnered a reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters when he was the head coach of Oklahoma, where he recruited the majority of the starters for the Sooners' 2000 National Championship team.
Blake was also the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys in the mid-90s and for Nebraska the past three seasons - the team ranked first in the NCAA in sacks and tackles for loss in 2005.
Steve Hagen, Tight Ends Coach
Hagen worked with Davis for four years with the Cleveland Browns.
"He's coached just about every single conceivable position offensively," Davis said, including receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks.
Hagen was the first coach hired by Davis. Throughout his career in the college ranks, he coached several NFL stars including Keenan McCardell at UNLV.
Charlie Williams, Wide Receivers Coach
Williams worked with Davis at Miami before he left to become the receivers coach for Tony Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He also coached at South Carolina with head coach Lou Holtz, helping groom receiver Troy Williamson into a first-round NFL draft pick.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/10/07 5:00am)
It's easy to understand UNC women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell's mixed reaction after the Tar Heels' victory against Virginia Monday night.
The Tar Heels took 92 shots - a season high - and shot a lowly 37 percent from the field. However, they still scored 96 points.
"I mean we must have missed, man, 15 or 20 (shots) right there under the basket, but maybe that's why we had so many rebounds," Hatchell said.
The Tar Heels jumped out to a 15-0 lead early in the game, and the Cavaliers never cut it closer than 12 points as UNC recorded a 96-62 victory.
LaToya Pringle continued her hot play of late, putting up 11 points and 11 rebounds, good for her fourth double-double in six games.
She is now tied for first on the team in double-doubles, 5, with Erlana Larkins, who also notched her fifth Monday night with 17 points and 13 rebounds, including a career-high 12 offensive boards.
The Cavaliers started out the second half on a 10-2 run, and after two uncontested layups in a row, Hatchell benched all five starters.
Pringle was not surprised.
"It happened last year against Virginia, too," she said. "She warned us, and she did it. So we just gotta be focused more."
There were a few scares in the game as Larkins and Alex Miller each went down with injuries.
Hatchell said Miller has an irritated tendon in her knee, which is something she's had "for a long time" and should be fine.
Larkins fell on her wrist, but luckily the injury was only a floor burn.
"It feels like a third-degree burn," Larkins said. "But it'll be OK."
The Tar Heels (18-0) are off to a 3-0 start in the ACC, and Thursday's game at Clemson will mark the team's fourth conference game in 10 days.
"I'd rather play than practice, and I think the players would, too," Hatchell said. "These games help us get ready for next Monday against Connecticut, too."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/29/06 5:00am)
School shootings are a devastating but rare form of violence in the United States - since 1996, only about 40 such acts of violence have resulted in fatalities nationally.
But the Mental Health Association of Orange County wants to make sure that all local schools are prepared for such an event.
The organization held a public forum Tuesday entitled "School Shootings - Facts and Myths: Keeping Our Schools Safe," which had a large turnout including members of both local school boards and the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Orange County has seen two incidents of students with guns on campus - one at East Chapel Hill High School last spring and one at Orange High School this year.
Mark Fraser, a professor for children in need in the School of Social Work at UNC, was the keynote speaker at the forum. A panel of five officials also spoke to parents and answered questions.
Fraser addressed the crowd about the dangers of school shootings and the intense debate they have spurred all over the country.
He said many people have begun to focus on issues such as the culture of peer rejection in schools and the influence of the media on students.
"When we talk about increasing the number of school resource officers, implementing school uniforms and metal detectors, are these just Band-Aids?" Fraser asked of potential solutions. "Or is there something deeper that's happening to our moral character?"
Traci Wike, a doctoral student at the UNC School of Social Work, said there are five primary myths about school shootings.
Common misconceptions include the idea that the school shooter is always a loner, and that the shootings are exclusively revenge-motivated, she said.
"There's no checklist you can go down and look through all the characteristics and see who's going to be a school shooter," Wike said.
School officials assured parents that measures are in place to ensure the safety of all children and staff.
"Certainly the big thing that we want students to know is it's OK to share something you know with somebody else," said Margaret Blackwell, executive director of student services in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
"If you have a friend and you think they have a weapon, if they may be suicidal, that there's someone in the building that you can go to with that information."
Blackwell added that schools can do even more to protect students.
Frank Meadows, safety coordinator with Orange County Schools, said the district received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to install security cameras, a job he said will be completed next month.
"What we consider that to be is a first look," Meadows said. "Law enforcement will have the opportunity to look in our schools before they step in it."
Will Dudenhausen, the youth coordinator for the dispute-settlement center of Orange County, said he is grateful the county is so prepared for school violence.
"It's great to live in a community where we have two school systems that are as responsive to the needs of the community as these two systems are."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/21/06 5:00am)
For a team coming into the year with such high expectations, you could say that the North Carolina field hockey team had a disappointing season.
(11/15/06 5:00am)
Imagine you're standing on a packed bus riding home from school one day. The driver is about to make a stop, when all of a sudden a school bus runs through the intersection and rams into the side of your bus. Both buses slam into the side of a building.
Everyone at the scene is screaming, several people were thrown from the buses, and there are a dozen life-threatening injuries. How should first responders react?
That was the dilemma EMT students from across Orange County trained for Tuesday night.
With help from volunteers, East Chapel Hill High School students and other EMT students who participated in the drill as victims, the EMTs-in-training got hands-on experience for the first time.
"At first it was intimidating when you have everyone screaming and blood on the floor," said UNC junior Melanie Santos, an EMT student. "We've never done anything with real blood, only lesson scenarios for maybe five minutes."
Santos said she was "pretty impressed" with how the students handled the stressful situation.
The event - which involved 27 victims, three ambulances, two fire trucks and a converted school bus - was staged to provide an example of a mass-casualty incident.
Durham Technical Community College EMT students, the South Orange Rescue Squad, Orange County Emergency Management and the Chapel Hill Fire Department all participated in the staged event.
Clint Osborn, who designed the drill, said such massive incidents aren't as rare as one would think.
"We get to do this," he said. "This isn't totally out of the ordinary for us in the county."
Osborn cited multiple-car pileups on the interstate and Franklin Street celebrations as similar scenarios.
"That's essentially a scheduled mass-casualty incident," he said. "You've got burn victims, alcohol overdoses ."
Tuesday was the second night the drill had been run, but some guidelines were added to help the students better execute it.
David Silfen, Orange County coordinator for Durham Tech, said learning structure during stressful events is important.
"It's kind of like organized chaos," he said. "The worst thing that could happen on a (mass-casualty incident) is everybody just running in and doing their own thing. Nothing gets done."
Not everything went perfectly in the drill, and several of the victims ended up dying.
One of them was Michelle Gear, a sophomore East Chapel Hill drama student, who said putting on the makeup - a lot of blood made of corn syrup - was one of the most taxing parts of the night.
"I died of a head injury," Gear said. "I think I was worst off of everyone except the pregnant girl."
Silfen said that sadly, death is part of being an EMT, but events like Tuesday's help students prepare for making tough decisions.
"EMS is really interesting," he said. "You learn by making mistakes."
The event gave Gear a newfound respect for emergency responders.
"I didn't know how much work actually went into the EMTs, and I can appreciate it now," she said.
All in all, Silfen said the night went by pretty successfully.
"The biggest problem tonight will be the cleanup."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/10/06 5:00am)
Let's get it started.
The No. 2 North Carolina women's basketball team opens its season Friday night at Carmichael Auditorium, and the Tar Heels are looking to kick it off with a bang.
The team will face the Eastern Tennessee State Lady Bucs, a team that finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference last year. The last time the two schools faced off, in 2002, the Tar Heels came away with a 106-40 victory at Carmichael.
Senior guard Ivory Latta said she is excited that it's time for basketball again, especially with all the hype surrounding the team.
"It's about time; I was tired of running," she said with a laugh. "I'm definitely excited about the season."
Latta said the team wants to come out fast in its first game, something that in recent years has been a strong suit - the Tar Heels have won five straight season openers.
"It's very important," Latta said. "The first game will set the tone and tell us the things we need to work on."
She added that the game will help sort out who will be getting more playing time.
"You'll start to find out as you go through the first few games, just trying to find the right rotation," she said.
The Tar Heels won their two exhibition games by a total of 85 points, including a 60-point victory against Carson-Newman.
In addition to worrying about stopping the fast-paced Tar Heel offense, ETSU could struggle against the aggressive Tar Heel defense after losing its top two scorers from last year.
Latta said that she didn't know exactly what to expect out of the Lady Bucs, but that she did know they would come ready to play.
"I think they're gonna come out with a lot of fire and poise," she said. "To be honest, at first, it's going to be a game of runs, but hopefully we will pull away at the end."
The Tar Heels will look to keep up the fast-paced, aggressive style of play that earned them a 33-2 record and a Final Four appearance last season.
The team has been picked by several experts to get back to the Final Four, and Latta said the players are confident they can live up to the hype.
"Expectations, I definitely can say they're very high for us, but as a team we're going to keep our composure," she said. "We know teams are coming after us so we have to keep our focus."
"Yeah, I'm expecting us to get back to the Final Four, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/15/06 4:00am)
Listen up: The No. 4 North Carolina field hockey team is undefeated.
And heading into two top-10 matchups at Henry Stadium this weekend, it doesn't look like the Tar Heels will slow down any time soon.
Led by senior co-captain Brooke Miller and a group of talented freshmen, the team is confident and poised to make a run at a National Championship.
"I don't think we want to count all our chickens before they hatch," warned talented freshman Dani Forword. "But I think the goal of any team would be to win a National Championship."
The Tar Heels (6-0) will have a better idea of how close they are to that goal after this weekend, when No. 3 Old Dominion - a field hockey powerhouse and traditional rival of the Heels - and ACC rival No. 10 Virginia come to town.
Coach Karen Shelton acknowledged the importance of both games this weekend - Old Dominion (6-1) today, and Virginia (5-1) on Sunday.
"The ACC regular season is always very important," she said. "We play one of our archrivals the day before that. We can't even think about Virginia until we get through Old Dominion."
The players said they understand the one-game-at-a-time mentality necessary for crucial stretches, but Forword said she's ready to play.
"We're just excited to play against some tough competition," she said. "Just to see where we are, how we can compare against the other ranked teams."
Miller seconded Forword's excitement, adding that the teams coming to town make this weekend even more intriguing.
"Old Dominion is historically our biggest rival, and any ACC game is super tough," Miller said. "We're really getting into the heart of the season."
The Tar Heels have kept it interesting getting here, mixing 6-0 and 7-1 blowouts with nail-biters, including a 2-1 last-minute victory against Iowa during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Among the many story lines this year is the emergence of Forword, who scored the winning goal against Iowa.
Forword has four goals and two assists after six games, good for third on the team behind Miller and fellow senior Karen Mann.
The South African native credits the seniors for much of her success and that of her fellow freshmen.
"It's great to have them as mentors," she said. "They lead by example, which makes it so much easier. All of the freshmen, I think, because of the seniors, have stepped their level up."
Shelton said the leadership of the seniors combined with the exuberance of freshmen such as Illse Davids and Riley Foster have created tremendous team chemistry.
"I think it's a good blend of veterans and newcomers," Shelton said. "The freshmen are stepping up to be leaders in their own way."
Miller said part of that chemistry stems from the lack of class distinction once the games begin.
Forword agreed. "On the field, we're all equal. We're all playing for each other."
The team chemistry has been a big reason for the team's strong start, and Shelton said she hopes to keep it that way.
"I want to create an unselfish philosophy on the team where everyone feels good about their role and relies on everyone else," she said.
If the feel-good story of the undefeated team continues through the weekend, it could speak volumes about the Tar Heels' championship aspirations.
"We just need to keep a steady progression throughout the season," Miller said.
"We all know what we want our end result to be."
(08/19/06 4:00am)
July 20 - Another big business could be headed to Franklin Street.
Walgreens Co. is opening new stores in North Carolina and is looking specifically at Chapel Hill, said Carol Hively, the corporate spokeswoman for the drug store.
"We have been growing very quickly in the state, and we're looking at a lot of locations," Hively said.
"It's just too soon to say where we're opening a store and when. It could be that we've asked or made inquiries, but there's nothing (in our database) right now."
The potential location is expected to be on the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets, underneath Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery.
"What we're looking for is the very corner of a major intersection," Hively said of typical Walgreens locations.
Hively said the time frame for opening a Walgreens drug store ranges from nine months to three years, because of factors such as who owns the property and how long it takes to get a project green-lighted by Walgreens itself.
Joe Riddle, of Fayetteville-based Riddle Commercial Properties, owns the property under Top of the Hill.
He was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but has told The Daily Tar Heel in past interviews that he hoped to fill the space with a single tenant.
Scott Maitland, the owner of Top of the Hill, wrote in an e-mail that his restaurant was originally planning to move into some space in Riddle's property.
"At one point there was discussion about Top of the Hill taking some space downstairs that was unwanted by a national organization that would be taking the rest of the space," Maitland wrote.
"Unfortunately, it appears as if there is some holdup with the national organization and, quite frankly, it is unclear if the deal will work out with our landlord."
If Walgreens is the national organization, it would compete with Kerr Drug, located across the street at 109 E. Franklin St. and Sutton's Drug Store, at 159 E. Franklin St.
Hively said the location in Chapel Hill, within walking distance of campus, as well as so close to UNC Hospitals, would be very beneficial to the drug store.
"The pharmacy is the biggest part of the business at the store," she said.
"The other part, the convenience items, may be of interest to students," she said.
The business would join companies, such as Wachovia, Buffalo Wild Wings, Ben & Jerry's and Qdoba Mexican Grill on Franklin Street, in a town where much emphasis is put on keeping things local.
Hively maintained that nothing is certain yet, but it seems promising that a Walgreens could be coming to Franklin Street.
"We are interested in having a store in Chapel Hill, but it's just no farther than that right now," she said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
After a brief scare, patrons of the Chapel Hill staple The Rathskeller can rest easy. The Rat will reopen.
Owner Francis Henry said he expects the restaurant to be open by the Week of Welcome - Aug. 17 - when students arrive back at Carolina for the new school year.
"I need to be open for them," he said.
The restaurant, located in Amber Alley below Franklin Street, has served meals such as lasagna, steak and even a bowl of cheese for more than 50 years. It closed its doors about a month ago, citing the need for "long overdue repairs."
After talks with the property owners, Henry said, he can reopen.
He said some of the repairs expected to be completed before the reopening include fixing up the Cave room, which was flooded about two years ago. An artist will come to the restaurant in the next few days and fix up "a few fine points," he added.
"Basically, we're going to try and spend this time refinishing and trying to figure out what to do with the graffiti," Henry said, clarifying that he doesn't plan to completely eliminate the markings that generations of students have made in the restaurant.
"Graffiti will never end in the Rat, but I'm gonna get it out of the front room for sure," he said. "The kids seem to enjoy it so much, but we need to make it a little more reasonable."
John Riddle, who was a graduate student at UNC in 1963, said he doesn't mind the markings.
"Normally, I don't like graffiti, but it seems to be so much of the ambiance of the place that I like it," he said. "I'll still come, but if they paint it like a hospital then it won't be the same thing."
Riddle said news of the Rat's reopening came as a pleasant surprise.
Henry, who purchased the restaurant in 2000 along with three business partners - eventually buying them out - said he hopes other Chapel Hill residents share Riddle's sentiments.
He also said he expects a "wonderful football schedule" to contribute to a successful fall season for the restaurant.
Still, he said, he will be looking in the near future for a younger manager to take over the business for him, as he has other projects"that he has held back since he purchased the restaurant.
"I'm ready to move on, but it has to be the person that has the same ideological outlook on the place (as me)," he said. "As everything changes on Franklin Street, I want the Rat to be as close to the old days as possible."
He said he plans to rehire all of the old wait staff and will hire a few "fun-type" college students to add to the Rat's laid-back atmosphere.
Riddle said the Rat holds a special place in UNC alumni's hearts.
"It's just vintage Chapel Hill," he said. "There's just so many generations of students that have used that to have long conversations over their great tea. A lot of philosophy went across those tables. A lot of politics."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
June 29 - The man who drove a rented SUV through the Pit on March 3 said June 21 in Orange County Superior Court that he plans to plead guilty on all 18 felony counts he faces.
Mohammad Taheri-Azar, who is being held in Raleigh's Central Prison on $5.5 million bail, also decided against his earlier requests to represent himself.
Taheri-Azar told Judge Carl Fox he would rather allow defense attorney James Williams to speak on his behalf on the condition he can speak with the attorney prior to continuing the psychiatric evaluations he had to go through in order to legally represent himself.
Williams was not available for comment Tuesday.
Fox said he would not hold Taheri-Azar to his statement that he would plead guilty.
Both of Taheri-Azar's decisions came as a surprise, as they contradict letters he sent in recent weeks to The Daily Tar Heel.
He wrote that he would plead not guilty to his charges - nine counts of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. He also stated that he would represent himself and that he planned to give the court only two statements:
"First, that 'I promise to never plan or carry out another attack on Americans,' and second, that if the court finds me 'not guilty,' then I intend to continue living in the United States of America and working full-time.'"
He added that he could neither confirm nor deny whether he intended to uphold the promises.
In court, Taheri-Azar initially voiced a request to dismiss Williams and represent himself.
"It's the way I feel most comfortable
regarding my legal situation," he said, citing his knowledge of philosophy that he planned to use to his advantage in court.
But Fox began to explain to Taheri-Azar that it would not be advantageous for him to represent himself because of the many years of experience of the other lawyers in the court.
"Because of your lack of experience and lack of knowledge of the law, it puts you at an uneven position relative to the state, because there are some things that you can't ask without it seeming almost ludicrous,"
Fox said, giving the example of jury selection.
Fox told the suspect that he would consider granting his request only if he could prove through psychological exams that he was capable of representing himself in court.
Taheri-Azar stated that he would rather keep his attorney than participate in the examinations.
During the hearing, Taheri-Azar's sisters, Lida and Laila, were sitting a few rows behind him, softly crying.
Taheri-Azar avoided eye contact with them until Fox asked if they were his sisters.
Taheri-Azar confirmed that they were, and when asked if he would like to speak to them, he declined, causing one of the sisters to let out an audible cry.
"I have not allowed them to visit me," Taheri-Azar told the judge.
Fox spoke quietly with the sisters, who have not seen their brother in a number of months, after the hearing was over.
It is unclear whether the sisters have been able to speak with Taheri-Azar since the hearing, as neither could be reached for comment.
Fox scheduled Taheri-Azar's next court appearance for Sept. 19 to see how the arrangement between he and Williams is going.
Williams told the court that "if there's a need to get in sooner, we can."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
June 8 - There have been mixed reactions from parents regarding news of Gravelly Hill Middle School's delayed opening.
But from the few responses Orange County Schools has received, it seems most parents accept the Board of Education's plan.
"It's one of those things that was not foreseen," said board chairman Randy Copeland. "Most parents have been understanding."
Gravelly Hill, the district's third middle school, will open more than a month later than expected, forcing students assigned to the school to attend C. W. Stanford Middle School until Gravelly Hill is completed.
Stanford principal Richard Kozak said many of the students zoned for Gravelly Hill currently attend Stanford, so they will simply remain there until the new middle school is ready.
Forty students will move from the A.L. Stanback Middle School district to Stanford for the first part of the school year before moving on to Gravelly Hill.
Gayane Chambless, president of the Stanback PTSA, said she might have preferred a different plan but added that she hasn't heard much reaction from other parents.
Chambless said one parent wondered why students couldn't stay at Stanback until Gravelly Hill opened.
"She didn't understand why the kids would have to be moved twice," she said. "I have talked to one other parent, and that child actually wanted to go ahead and move with her friends over to Stanford.
"We do what we have to do to make our kids comfortable in a school setting, and you kind of move forward."
Kozak said the 40-student enrollment increase at Stanford will be very manageable for the school and administration.
"It won't really be a major impact on us," he said.
The 40 students will be rising sixth- and seventh-graders. Eighth-graders will be allowed to stay at Stanback.
Gravelly Hill's delay is caused by an issue with water and sewer installation, but the school board hopes Gravelly Hill students will only attend Stanford for 25 school days.
"The contractors are telling us that their deadline is Aug. 1," Copeland said. "Hopefully we can get in a little sooner."
School board member Libbie Hough said Gravelly Hill students at Stanford will have separate busses, teachers and rooms from other students so that they can be in the same classes when they move to the new middle school.
"The only difference is going to be on day 26, ideally, they'll be doing everything they've been doing at Stanford at Gravelly Hill," she said.
"This is not something that we wanted to have happen, but I'm not sure that we have really another option before us."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
July 20 - Carrboro Elementary School failed to meet federally mandated standards for student performance last year - and the school could lose students because of it.
School officials announced July 18 that the school's Latino students failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress standards outlined by the federal No Child Left Behind law. Because at least one of the school's populations hasn't met those standards for the second straight year, parents have the option of taking their students out of the school and sending them to either Ephesus Road Elementary or Estes Hills Elementary instead.
But Stephanie Knott, assistant to the school superintendent for community relations, said all other elementary schools in the district would be in danger of overcrowding if students tried to transfer there.
"I think the message for parents in particular is: If your child is proficient and is well adjusted in the environment at Carrboro . you want to stay at Carrboro," she said.
"The school choice option is specifically made available for parents who feel their children's needs are not being met."
Under the law, certain populations of pupils in every school must meet federal standards. If even one group fails, the entire school is considered to have failed.
That's what happened to Carrboro Elementary. Only 62 percent of Latino students at the school achieved proficiency in reading - short of the 77 percent required for the group to have met the benchmark.
Because students who receive free or reduced lunch didn't meet federal standards last year, Carrboro Elementary is considered to have failed Annual Yearly Progress standards for two years in a row - leading to parents' ability to transfer their students out of the school.
Estes Hills was on a federal watch list after failing to meet mandated reading proficiency scores last year, but the school met all standards this year.
Lisa Stuckey, chairwoman of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Board of Education, said the federal numbers don't necessarily mean that Carrboro Elementary is a bad school. Since the standards only refer to small parts of school populations, she said, that's not the case.
"We want each category of students to be successful," she said. "But the failure of one group of students results in the failure of the entire school. That does not mean that the vast majority of students aren't doing very well."
Tammy LeMoine, president of the Carrboro Elementary PTA, said the response she has heard from parents indicates that most students will stay put.
"It sounds pretty positive," she said. "The majority of the population that I know of seems to think they're going to hang around."
Other schools' results will be released Oct. 5.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
June 29 - The Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously to name Roger Stancil the new town manager at a meeting June 21 in which it also honored the man he will replace.
Stancil, the former city manager of Fayetteville, will take over Sept. 1 for Cal Horton, who has served as town manager for more than 15 years.
Former mayor Jonathan Howes, who hired Horton in 1989 as public safety director, had kind words for the retiring manager.
"For us and for the town councils that followed, Cal really personifies the art of town management," he said.
Mayor Kevin Foy spoke as well. "I will miss Cal's wise council and his warm smile and even his occasional scowl," he said.
The council held 12 hours of deliberations before deciding on Horton's replacement and offering him a contract. Stancil will make a starting salary of $147,400.
Foy said Stancil's extensive experience and skills separated him from the other two finalists.
"Roger demonstrated not just a long history of experience in city management but also a calm demeanor, a very reflective way of responding to questions, an ability to analyze situations and suggest creative ways of approaching them," Foy said. "All of those things combined, along with his general ability to align with the candidate profile that we had established early on, just pointed to him as clearly the best qualified candidate for the job."
Stancil, a native of Rocky Mount, attended graduate school at UNC to earn his master's of public administration in 1982.
Stancil was not available for comment Tuesday.
"Roger has 20 years of experience in dealing with North Carolina issues that certainly could be similar to the kinds of issues that we deal with," Foy said of Stanci.
"Certainly that helps him to hit the ground running," Foy said.
Stancil resigned from his position as Fayetteville city manager after being forced out after a 42,000-person annexation and large changes in the council.
"It was probably a good time to make a change," Stancil said in a previous interview.
Foy said Stancil was willing to elaborate on the issue of his resignation from Fayetteville for anyone who wanted to know, and so it was not an issue for the council.
"Roger didn't do anything wrong," he said. "All things considered, we're lucky that he left Fayetteville."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
July 6 - For Laurin Easthom, one isn't necessarily the loneliest number. It just seems to keep popping up.
Easthom, who joined the Chapel Hill Town Council after her November election, has already been on the losing side of several 8-1 votes - unusual, though not unheard of, in a town where many decisions are made unanimously.
Some of her decisions include voting against dissolving the Horace Williams citizens committee and technology committee, against raising the home-occupation application fee for stay-at-home workers, and - most recently - against a $50,000 contract for a consultant to help acclimate new Town Manager Roger Stancil to Chapel Hill.
Easthom said she votes on an issue-by-issue basis and isn't trying to ruffle feathers on the council.
Still, she said, "I did not get elected to the council to sit up there and react and rubber-stamp. ... If something comes along that I feel like I don't agree with, I'm not going to vote for it. It's as simple as that."
Easthom's philosophy has not gone unnoticed.
"It is a symbolic vote when you vote against the council," said member Cam Hill. "It could be construed that she's not a team player."
After the council's June 26 meeting, Hill wrote on local politics blog Orange Politics that "Laurin was the lone vote against three items tonight and she didn't come close to offering a cogent reason."
But Easthom said she explains the reasoning behind her decisions. As an example, she pointed to her vote against raising the application fee for home-owned businesses by $50.
"The purpose is really to reward people who can have the opportunity to work at home and save the environment in the process," she said. "Again, the council didn't feel the same way.
"I'm not trying to breathe new life into the board," she said. "That's not why I vote the way I do - maybe that is what's happening, but I'm not trying to do anything. It's what I really, truly feel is best."
Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said that he has been on the losing side of a few 8-1 votes and that he believes Easthom has handled each situation well.
"When I approach a vote when I think I'm going to go down, I try my best to articulate my position as clearly as possible and make it understood that I am standing up for principles that direct my leadership style, and I think that she has done that really well," Kleinschmidt said.
He said Easthom has demonstrated an ability to "articulate what her position is, understand the political realities, continue to educate and keep the door open for changes in the future."
Easthom said her political role on the council is a work in progress.
"I may have differing opinions from the rest of the council, but you know, I'm new. Maybe it's a good thing."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
July 6 - Chapel Hill residents are unsure of how effective requiring permits to purchase kegs will be at preventing underage drinking and driving while impaired.
But if a bill recently passed by the judiciary committee of the N.C. Senate is enacted, anyone attempting to buy a keg of beer will be required to obtain a permit beforehand.
Chapel Hill Town Council member Jim Ward said the council supported legislation on the bill last year and continues to support the idea.
"I am aware that other municipalities ... have done this that have felt like it has been a clear tool in reducing the negative impacts of underage drinking - primarily drinking and driving," Ward said.
The hope is that requiring a permit would serve as a deterrent for underage drinkers and legal drinkers who purchase alcohol for minors.
"Those people that are 21 years and older who are buying kegs for somebody else, those folks might think twice about doing that," Ward added.
Larry Trollinger, the owner of Ken's Quickie Mart in University Square, sells kegs at his store and said he isn't sure how requiring a permit would affect sales, but he doesn't think it will be any sort of deterrent against underage drinking or drinking and driving.
"I don't see where you need that," he said. "I don't see where that's a plus at all."
Rising senior Daniel Lunk, 21, agreed with Trollinger, saying he doubted people who would buy kegs now would worry about buying kegs with a permit.
"I doubt that they would really care about that because they want to get people to their parties and make them fun," Lunk said.
Lunk said he has never bought a keg, but having to get a permit would not stop him from buying or drinking from a keg in the future.
"It probably wouldn't be that much of a deterrent."
Local parents, including Dale Pratt-Wilson - who helped found the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug-Free Teenagers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro - hope Lunk is wrong.
"I think it would be a tremendous idea," Pratt-Wilson said.
"(A 2005 study showed) 48 percent of our high schoolers said that they'd had a drink in the last 30 days. That's pretty alarming."
Pratt-Wilson added that the idea will be "not so much a good idea" if the Senate version of the bill is adopted, rather than the House version.
The Senate version of the bill defines a keg as a "portable container designed to hold and dispense in excess of eight gallons of malt beverage," while the House version includes smaller pony or party kegs as well.
Kegs are being focused on in particular because of studies that have shown people are more likely to drink more at a party with a keg.
"It's a popular form of drinking at college and elsewhere because it's inexpensive," Ward said.
"Anybody can come up to keg and pour themselves a beer."
Pratt-Wilson agreed that kegs provide an easier means for binge drinking, as people can continue to refill their cups without thinking rather than grabbing beers out of a fridge.
"There's something different about not being accountable for how much beer you've had," she said.
Lunk disagreed.
"I've been to parties that have kegs and parties that have cans, and I haven't noticed any difference in how they drink or the amount that people drink," he said.
Whatever decision is made will not immediately fix the problems of underage drinking or drunk driving, but Ward said it would be a good start.
"Keg registration isn't going to stop those problems," he said.
"I think it's important for us to have a variety of tools."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/06 4:00am)
June 1 - Orange County could look to satisfy future agricultural needs by providing a center to help serve the increasing number of farmers in the county.
"The face of agriculture in Orange County is changing," said Betty Tom Davidson, chairwoman of the agricultural center work group.
Though the average age of farmers in the county is 55, Davidson said the number of farmers is increasing, and some younger faces are beginning to surface.
Davidson's group, appointed in January 2005 by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, presented its findings to the commissioners at a meeting May 25.
In 2002, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture data recorded 627 farms in Orange County - 50 more than were found in 1997. But 2002 marked a decrease of 1,633 acres in farm acreage since 1997.
Davidson cited the increasing number of farms, along with the lack of adequate facilities for agricultural programs and the 2004 tobacco buyout, as reasons the county needs a fresh look that an agricultural center could bring.
The county has a Planning-Agriculture Environmental Complex in Carrboro, but Davidson's group found a need for a new center, she said.
The group split into two committees: a short-term committee headed by farmer Morris Shambley, and a long-term committee
headed by Tony Kleese, executive director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.
The short-term committee found that in order for the current center to be serviceable, there is an immediate need for more space for parking, meetings, storage and offices, in addition to the need for outdoor demonstration space.
Davidson's work group sent out more than 3,400 surveys addressing the long-term vision for an agricultural center and received only 49 back.
Thirty-eight of the 49 supported a new agricultural center, and most responders envisioned medium-sized meeting rooms, outdoor event facilities and a place for youth education and learning about farm animals.
The long-term committee reported the need to further engage the farming community and identified six key areas - land, water, seed, farmers, processing, distribution and consumers.
Commissioner Stephen Halkiotis said he would support the building of an agricultural center.
"(County Manager) John Link made sure that in his budget recommendations 18, 19 years ago, he had money in it for an agricultural center," Halkiotis said. "The agriculture population at the time said they didn't want it."
"I'm glad you young people are here now so us old-timers can go sit on a porch and read a book and let you fight the next wave of wars that need to be fought," he said.
Commissioners Chairman Barry Jacobs said he was disappointed the work group didn't recognize the commissioners' work on agricultural issues, but he was pleased with the group's results.
"I'm pleased to see members of this task force essentially arrived at some of the same places that we have."
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