Video decision regrettable: Refusal to release dashboard camera video deprives public of ability to judge case independently

A judge ruled Friday that the dashboard camera video showing Courtland Smith’s interaction with police officers before he was killed should be permanently sealed. This is a regrettable decision that denies the public the ability to examine fully this incident. The decision runs the risk of factoring into future court decisions.

More money, problems: After major Supreme Court ruling on corporate spending in elections, N.C. must act to limit effects

North Carolina lawmakers should act to limit out-of-state corporate spending in state elections.Without limits, state residents could find their voices in elections drowned out by a flood of corporate-funded advertising.

Idea worth patenting: Licensing agreement will help UNC in long run

A new licensing standard for bringing UNC-owned technologies to market should be very promising for the University community and the public at large.Before this agreement, University researchers struggled to bring their creations to the market, as a result of a very burdensome negotiation process.

QuickHits for Jan. 26, 2010

Tax deductible reliefThumbs UpTaxpayers will now be able to deduct their donations to the relief efforts in Haiti. Even after the media coverage stops, there will still be a need for help, so keep donatingAppleThumbs Up

Tutors reign supreme: Mentoring program has seen great success, is an example of positive involvement in education

A local school program that seeks to increase educational achievement among minorities is a great way to get involved in the community. The Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program, which began in 1995, is provided through Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and currently has more than 100 mentors.

Engage in foreign policy dialogue

A statesman once said, “No foreign policy — no matter how ingenious — has any chance of success if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none.” Great Decisions, a program led and taught by undergraduates  on UNC’s campus for more than two decades, embodies this idea by encouraging our generation to analyze and engage major global issues.

Smile, you’re on camera: Installing dashboard cameras in police cars will help to provide an infallible record of incidents

The decision by the Orange County Board of Commissioners to outfit more sheriff’s office vehicles with dashboard cameras addresses an important need for public safety and officer accountability.Dashboard cameras can often provide crucial evidence that officer and witness testimony cannot.

Cartoon for Jan. 26, 2010

Baobab trees, red tape — c’est la vie

In the classic French fable “Le Petit Prince,” the titular tiny prince talks of waking each morning and tending to his equally tiny planet.

UNC must come clean: Pollution from University research facility must stop; transparency and accountability are necessary

The University should follow the steps laid out by a community group to clean up the mess a mysterious UNC research facility made near a local creek.The state issued a notice of violation to the University in December after the Research Resource Facility leaked treated animal waste water into Collins Creek, in the rural western part of the county.

Practice safer sur?ng: New Wi-Fi network will provide safer connection; students should embrace it after kinks are worked out

Information Technology Services is piloting a new, more secure wireless network — and students should give it a try.UNC-Secure is a new Wi-Fi network that will eventually replace UNC-1. It was introduced this month and is a much safer network.

No bloody excuses: Blood shortages or not, donating is important

So you’re a cash-strapped college student who wants to help make the world a better place, but you don’t have the money to donate. You would volunteer, but your schedule is hectic and you don’t have the time. But you can make a difference by giving blood.

A charter for success: lifting cap on privately run, publicly funded schools in North Carolina would bene?t schools, students

North Carolina should lift its cap on charter schools in order to be more competitive for federal grants and give students more choices and opportunities.The state hopes to receive $469.5 million in federal education grants for the next four years.

Leaving basketball games early is never acceptable

TO THE EDITOR:With six minutes left in the men’s basketball game against Wake Forest on Wednesday, a fellow recent alumna and I sat in a crowded Manhattan bar, screaming at the TV in an ultimately futile attempt to encourage our Tar Heel boys to victory. So imagine my disbelief when a scan of the crowd showed a half-empty stadium — with six minutes left!

Hurdles abound in ?lling courses

When I first decided to come to UNC, I was excited about the beautiful quads, the friendly atmosphere and the chance to learn from some of the nation’s best professors. What I wasn’t expecting was to have to jump through a series of daunting hoops in hopes of one day graduating.

Margolis is right; ticket policy must favor students

TO THE EDITOR:Greg Margolis is 100 percent correct with his views on the student ticket policy for Carolina men’s basketball games, “Put ticket policy in hot seat,” (Jan. 20). It’s nice to know that others feel the way that my friends and I feel.Let’s face facts here: Our basketball atmosphere at the Dean Dome is just awful.

Cartoon for Jan. 22, 2010

Contact Mark Viser at mviser@email.unc.edu

End the exploitation: loopholes make it easy for employers to exploit day laborers; Carrboro right to push for just compensation

Thanks to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, a group that is often ignored might soon receive some support. The board approved a motion at Tuesday’s meeting to look into potentially cracking down on employers who don’t fairly compensate day laborers. This is a good first step. The board should look for enforceable ways to punish employers who exploit the work of day laborers.

Download this: e-books often cheaper alternative to print editions

Textbook prices are out of control.In the 2006-07 academic year, students paid an average of about $700 for textbooks. That’s more than triple the proposed tuition increase for the 2010-11 school year for in-state students at UNC.Textbook prices have skyrocketed over the past two decades at double the rate of inflation.

Cartoon for Jan. 21, 2010

Contact Connor Sullivan at cpsully@email.unc.edu