National Poltics

Tar Heels Batter Old Dominion Pitching in Blowout

NORFOLK, Va. -- The North Carolina baseball team banged out a season-high 21 hits in a 23-3 rout of Old Dominion on Tuesday afternoon at Bud Metheny Stadium. The 23 runs were the most ever allowed by Old Dominion in a baseball game. They were also the most scored by the Tar Heels in a game since last year's season opener against James Madison, a 23-9 victory. The Tar Heels (6-5) scored three or more runs in five of nine innings and were led at the plate by Russ Adams, Ron Braun, Sean Farrell, Adam Greenberg and Chad Prosser. Adams was 4 for 6 with a career-high six RBIs.

S.C. Governor Seeks Repeal Of N.C. Lottery Ticket Law

S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges asked N.C. legislators Monday to repeal a law that outlaws possessing lottery tickets, according to The Associated Press. The request was made in response to charges brought against an N.C. resident in February for possessing 20 lottery tickets from South Carolina, which started a state lottery this year. The AP reported that Gaston County authorities charged Michael Dean Atkins of Kings Mountain with a Class 2 misdemeanor last week after they discovered he had 20 S.C.

UNC Merit Scholars Quadrupled

The number of National Merit Scholars in UNC's freshman class has nearly quadrupled in the three years that the University has sponsored National Merit scholars. UNC enrolled 145 freshman Merit Scholars for the 2001-02 school year, up from 137 last fall. "Carolina is in a fortunate position where it doesn't have to sell itself," said Dan Thornton, spokesman for the UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

Legislators React To Redistricting

N.C. legislators have reacted in a variety of ways to the state Supreme Court's decision to hear a case about congressional redistricting. The lawsuit, originally filed by N.C. Republican legislators, said the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the new district plans violated the N.C. Constitution. The act makes it legal to divide counties to prevent the dilution of minority votes.

Town Council Plans to Refund Bonds Issued in 1992

The Chapel Hill Town Council opted to refund outstanding bonds at a public hearing Monday night to take advantage of low interest rates and save more of its budget dollars. The bonds, which were passed by town voters in 1992, were originally designed to fund public improvement projects.

Campus Calendar

Today 10 a.m. -- The Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross is holding a blood drive on the bloodmobile bus. The event, sponsored by the Black Law Association of Students, will be located outside the School of Law until 3:30 p.m. 12:20 p.m. -- The executive branch of student government encourages you to meet today in front of the ATMs near Davis Library to go to the Board of Governors meeting located at the General Administration Building. 6 p.m. -- The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender-Straight Alliance will hold its kickoff meeting today in 209 Manning Hall.

Town Council Continues Talks On Parking Lot

The Chapel Hill Town Council decided Monday to keep open the option of using a design contest as one possible method in determining the future design of an existing parking lot. Katherine Shields, speaking on behalf of the UNC Student Environmental Action Coalition, asked the council for $5,000 to conduct a design contest for Town Parking Lot No.

Chapel Hill Will Miss Safety Funds

"Less is more" is a catchy slogan for certain businesses. But taxpayers don't find it as cute. Unfortunately, it looks like Chapel Hill residents will face a tax hike -- and a reduction in services to boot. A faltering economy already made local governments reign in spending. To make matters worse, Gov.

Clarence Thomas Visit Causes Boycott at UNC

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is scheduled to speak on campus today, an event that some UNC professors say they plan to boycott. Gene Nichol, dean of the UNC School of Law, said Thomas will meet with students and faculty members at the law school throughout the day, culminating in a speech to law students at 4:30 p.m. Nichol said the speech is not open to the public because it is being held in the Carolina Club, which does not have enough seats to hold all law students.

Trustee Stresses Education in House Race

UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees member Richard Stevens says he is primarily running for a seat in the N.C. House because he wants to make sure public education receives adequate funding. Stevens, who also was chairman of the search committee that chose Chancellor James Moeser, is the only Republican to file to run for the 38th District, which covers part of Wake County. Rep. Bob Hensley, D-Wake, now holds the seat but is retiring. Stevens served as chairman of the BOT for two years, from 1997 to 1999.

Actress: Turn Critical Eye to Government

Actress Alfre Woodard urged a captive Memorial Hall audience Tuesday night to continue critiquing the government's actions and not be swept away by the rampant patriotism that sprang up from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Woodard, a social activist and an Emmy award-winning actress, came to the University to give the eighth annual Sonja H. Stone Memorial Lecture.

More at Four Preschool Program Gains Grants

Gov. Mike Easley announced a second round of grant recipients last week for his More at Four preschool program, in spite of the state's dire economic situation. The program will enable more than 1,500 at-risk 4-year-olds to enroll in preschool classes. The grants will be distributed to 53 schools and day care centers in 16 counties. Easley proposed More at Four as a community-based, voluntary program that will prepare at-risk preschool children in North Carolina for success in school. The initiative received $6.5 million in funds from the N.C.

Proposal to Add Faculty BOT Seat Sparks Debate Among University, State Officials

University and state officials are voicing differing opinions about the possibility of adding an ex officio seat for UNC-Chapel Hill faculty to the University's Board of Trustees. A resolution passed at the Feb. 22 Faculty Council meeting called for providing the chairman of the Faculty Council with a nonvoting position on the BOT. The resolution states that professors deserve representation on the board because of their interest in the well-being of the University. Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said the board's decisions are important and warrant faculty perspectives.

Diverse Economy Mitigates Recession

Experts say the state's current fiscal crisis is rooted not only in the economic recession but in tax collection methods and the struggling manufacturing industry. North Carolina is facing a budget deficit estimated at more than $1 billion for the next fiscal year -- about 7 percent of the state's total budget. Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers, said the entire nation is suffering from the recession, but states with a more diverse way of collecting revenue fare better under the current fiscal conditions. For example, he said Flo

Northside Patrolling Won't Expand

Funding problems are preventing the Chapel Hill Police Department from expanding a Neighborhood Initiative program in Northside that would aim to combat the town's 29 percent rise in crime. The rise in crime came within the first six months of the fiscal year. The increase is especially problematic because the police department cannot rely on an increase in its operational budget, as discussed at a town work session last week. But Maj. Tony Oakley, operations commander, said that while the neighborhood initiative will probably not grow, it will not be reduced.

BOG to Confirm Tuition Plans Within Week

The UNC-system Board of Governors will continue a series of tuition discussions tonight, focusing on the possible ramifications of several tuition increase proposals. The board is slated to take a final vote on tuition levels for the UNC system on Wednesday. Board members said today's tuition workshop, scheduled for 7 p.m.

Cartoon

Tar Heels, Hurricanes Finalize 2-Game Series

North Carolina has agreed to a home-and-home football series with Miami in 2006 and 2009. The Tar Heels will play host to the Hurricanes on Sept. 9, 2006, and will travel to Miami on Sept. 26, 2009. North Carolina's game against Connecticut, originally scheduled for Sept. 9, 2006, will be moved to 2008. UNC now will play the Huskies in 2008 and 2009. "I'm excited we were able to work out a two-year series with Miami," said UNC coach John Bunting. "Miami has a great football tradition and it's important that we continue to play teams of that caliber.

Robertson Program Names Chairmans

Staff Writer Former UNC Provost Dick Richardson was recently appointed as the chairman of the External Advisory Board committee for the Robertson Scholars Program. The board has not met yet but will serve in an advisory capacity to the scholarship program, which is in its first year.

Students Need to Attend BOG Meeting to Keep UNC-System Tuition Low

TO THE EDITOR: The Association of Student Governments of the University of North Carolina system is asking for your support and help. On March 6 the Board of Governors of the UNC system will vote to raise tuition. At approximately 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, the BOG will meet to decide how much to raise tuition. Student government at UNC-CH has arranged buses that will leave the ATMs behind Davis Library beginning at 12:30 p.m. to go to the General Administration building on South Road.