Town: UNC Plan Must Go Public

A new development project on the UNC-owned Horace Williams tract has surfaced, prompting the Chapel Hill Town Council to demand answers from University officials. During the past two years, UNC officials and consultants have researched how to transform the 975-acre wooded lot into a 8 million-square-foot research park. The land, located along Airport Road and Estes Drive, is owned by UNC, but several town facilities are on the tract.

Cartoon 11/15/00

Students Make Great Decisions

Students interested in studying foreign affairs or still need one credit hour can find both elements in one course offered next semester. International Studies 093 is an undergraduate-run, for-credit course offered during the spring semester. Entitled Great Decisions, the mission of the eight-week course is to facilitate national awareness and critical analysis of the current events shaping foreign affairs. Established 12 years ago, UNC's Great Decisions program is the largest of more than 2,000 nationally accredited courses sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association.

Merritt Pasture: Drivers Wanted

Dog walkers and kite fliers who have been banned from parking near Merritt Pasture may soon be able to return if a recommendation by the Greenways Commission is approved by the Chapel Hill Town Council this month. Police say parking on the N.C. 54 entrance ramp creates a traffic hazard and the town is planning to put up no-parking signs along the ramp near Merritt Pasture. The land was purchased by the town in 1991, but parking has only recently become a concern.

Most Hot Spots Booked for Graduation Weekend

Family and friends of graduating seniors might be out of luck if they have not yet secured a place to stay or dine during graduation weekend. Most hotel managers and restaurant owners said they were completely booked for the weekend of graduation on May 16. "We sold out the day after graduation last year," said Carolina Inn reservations manager Robert Perinka. Perinka said rooms went on sale each year at 9 a.m. the day after graduation and usually sold out that day.

Gov. Hunt Snags Service Award

Gov. Jim Hunt, a former UNC law student, returned to his alma mater Tuesday to accept the school's first Lifetime Achievement in Public Service Award. Hunt, who is leaving office this year after serving a historic four terms as governor, encouraged UNC students to pursue careers in public service and touted his own accomplishments. School of Law Dean Gene Nichol said the award was created with Hunt in mind. "Frankly, we can't think of another living human who fits the description more accurately," he said.

Waste Wars

Twenty-two miles outside Raleigh, a battle rages about more nuclear waste coming into the area, pitting Carolina Power & Light Co.

Congress Metes Out Diminishing Funds

Worries over money woes and the effects of nuclear waste storage in the Chapel Hill area dominated Tuesday night's Student Congress meeting. Congress passed several bills allocating money to student groups and also passed a resolution calling for safety at the Carolina Power & Light Co. Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. Congress members have found themselves with much less money to distribute to student organizations than originally expected for the year and had to confront that problem in giving out the night's appropriations. "Be steady. Be consistent.

Dibert 11/15/00

Despite Craziness, Democracy Rules

What is up with the presidential madness? I said I wasn't going to bore you again with politics after encouraging you to vote and making fun of both presidential candidates equally, but how can I resist when Florida is about to erupt into a civil war and we still aren't completely sure who the president will be? This just in: We are currently the ass of the universe, truly a laughing stock.

WCU Moving Mountains to Improve Image

Brenna Farmer graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, led the student board of her university's honors college and researched human leukemia cells for her honors thesis. Yet when she walked into her medical school interview at UNC, her interviewer questioned whether her education at Western Carolina University prepared her as well as classes at Chapel Hill or at Duke. "It was really frustrating for me," said Farmer, now a first-year medical student at East Carolina University.

UNC Gives Opposing Coach Rare Chance

Houston Fancher isn't shocked. Not after building up such an immunity to the rumors and speculation. The fact that he - not Buzz Peterson - is the head basketball coach at Appalachian State heading into Friday's game against North Carolina really comes as no surprise. Fancher watched his former boss entertain all the offers. Peterson's name came up for the Georgia job in 1999. He actually agreed to coach at Southwest Missouri State that same summer before deciding to return to Boone. The possibilities didn't end there. After last season, Georgia Tech became an option.

Gov.-Elect To Push For Lottery

Although Governor-elect Mike Easley is a vocal lottery supporter, some N.C. legislators harbor reservations about using the lottery to supplement state revenue. During his campaign, a major plank in Easley's platform was using a statewide lottery to fund education. In an interview minutes after his Nov. 7 victory, Easley said he will continue pushing for a lottery when he takes the governor's office in January. But he added that the likelihood of establishing a statewide lottery in North Carolina would depend on the passage of a lottery referendum in South Carolina.

Poor Audio Quality, Lack Of Publicity Put Damper On OutKast Concert

TO THE EDITOR: OutKast was cast out of Carmichael Auditorium on Sunday night during the Homecoming concert. I would like to commend the Carolina Athletic Association, or the Carolina Union Activities Board or whoever was the genius behind bringing OutKast to UNC for our Homecoming. That was sheer brilliance. I think that this should be a common Homecoming activity. However, I think that they should hire someone who has more audio expertise than the high school A-V team or whoever was responsible for the countless technical difficulties.

Vacant Downtown Storefronts Slated to Be Filled Before Long

While some vacant Franklin Street area properties are scheduled to get a new look, others will remain under the thumb of corporations until the owners decide to sell. Henderson Street Bar & Grill, Wicked Burrito Restaurant, Hardee's and the Trailways Bus Station are all properties on or near Franklin Street that have been closed down and not been filled with other businesses over the past two years. Robert Humphreys, executive director of the Downtown Commission, said Franklin Street properties are always in demand. "There are never any empty spaces," Humphreys said. "The currently

OutKast Ticket-Holders Deserve Refund After Sound Screw-Up

TO THE EDITOR: I just wanted to voice my displeasure with end-of-Homecoming concert featuring OutKast. When I heard OutKast was coming to Carolina, I was excited to know that one of my favorite groups would be headlining our Homecoming concert. I, like many others, bought tickets (two for $30) and got ready for the "big show" Sunday night. Then on Sunday night my friends and I walked to Carmichael Auditorium. We were forced to wait in line for 45 minutes to get in, but thought, "It's OutKast, it's worth it." Finally the big moment came, and OutKast began to perform.

LGBT Students Seek Campus Center

By Rachel Clarke and Stephanie Horvath Staff Writers A group of UNC students working to organize a new resource center for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders on campus met Tuesday night to discuss the needs of the LGBT community and to begin planning efforts.

Graduate Student Struck by Car, In Fair Condition

A University epidemiology graduate student was listed in fair condition Wednesday night after being struck by a car in front of Whitehead Residence Hall. Janet Gale Alexander, 31, of 102 Lilac Drive in Carrboro was bicycling east on McCauley Street when she was hit by a car turning left onto Pharmacy Lane, University Police Maj. Jeff McCracken said. The two vehicles collided, throwing Alexander, who was not wearing a helmet, from her bicycle and over the hood of the car. Her head hit the windshield and smashed the glass.

Friends, Family Celebrate UNC Freshman's Life

Only four days after UNC freshman Angela Campbell Pratt's 19th birthday, her family and friends packed elbow-to-elbow into Angela's hometown church to celebrate her life - cut short by a fatal car accident. Services were held Sunday and Monday for Pratt, who died in a car accident early Friday morning.

CP&L Supporters Defend Safety of Plant; Activists Cite Risks

Officials at Carolina Power & Light Co. say that while there are some minor drawbacks to their plans to expand their nuclear waste facility, they believe it is the best solution to their situation. But environmental activists and local officials disagree. They argue that CP&L is unnecessarily putting people in harm's way. CP&L wants to expand its existing nuclear storage facility at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, but opponents of the plan think this will dramatically increase the risk of a nuclear disaster. Members of N.C.