Amanda Jepsen

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Local Stores Get Profitable Holiday

By Amanda Jepsen | January 14

Despite a dismal holiday season for many retailers nationwide, many stores in the Triangle reported returns above the national average returns for the holiday season. The nation's retailers released Jan. 9 weaker-than-expected December sales figures. Usually strong retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. showed the effects of an uncertain economic environment and a shorter holiday season. Same-store sales for the combined November and December period rose only 0.5 percent, in comparison with a 2.2 percent increase for the 2001 holiday season.

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Ill. Act Fuels Moratorium Talk in N.C.

By Amanda Jepsen | January 14

Experts disagree about the likelihood of North Carolina adopting a moratorium on the death penalty despite overwhelming support from many state residents. The issue was pushed into the national spotlight by Illinois Gov. George Ryan's announcement Saturday that he was commuting the sentences of all 167 Illinois prisoners on death row. "I think that the people of North Carolina would support a moratorium," said Ken Rose, director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham. "All the polls show that some 60 percent of North Carolina residents support a moratorium."

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New Security Scans in Place at RDU

By Amanda Jepsen | January 8

Raleigh-Durham International Airport is using beefed-up security measures to comply with regulations that went into effect Jan. 1 requiring airports to screen all checked luggage for explosives. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration installed the new security devices at RDU on Dec. 29, said RDU Communications Manager Mindy Hamlin. Hamlin said RDU is using an explosive detection system called CTX, which uses CT scan X-rays to comply with the new rules.

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New Legislators Prepare for Office

By Amanda Jepsen | November 26

Newly elected members of the N.C. General Assembly say that before beginning their terms in January, much work must be done to familiarize themselves with legislative procedures and the needs of their constituencies. Legislators have to get their families organized, settle business matters and get acquainted with the demands of their jobs before they can concentrate on legislative affairs, said new House member Bonner Stiller, R-Brunswick.

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Female Candidacy on the Rise

By Amanda Jepsen | November 14

An unprecedented number of women ran in gubernatorial races in the Nov. 5 general election, but experts say women are still underrepresented in national government. Ten women ran for governor in their respective states, and four were elected. Those put into office were Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Linda Lingle of Hawaii, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Jennifer Graholm of Michigan. After their inaugurations, a record number of six women will serve as governors. Montana and Delaware did not have gubernatorial races and retained their female governors.

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Non-Tenured Faculty on the Rise

By Amanda Jepsen | October 31

The number of non-tenured professors in colleges and universities across the nation has increased 20 percent in the past 20 years, according to a new study. The study explored the dramatic increase in non-traditional faculty at universities across the nation and discusses the differences between non-tenured faculty and tenured faculty. The study, titled "The New Professoriate," was conducted by the American Council on Education, an organization dedicated to ensuring equal educational opportunities and access to higher education as cornerstones of a democratic society.

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Supreme Court Candidates Discuss Issues

By Amanda Jepsen | October 24

Fair, impartial, nonpartisan judicial elections and judicial reform were the dominant themes of a forum Wednesday night featuring candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court. Justices G.K. Butterfield and Bob Orr and Judge Bob Hunter discussed issues of voter concern as 100 people watched at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Law. The debate was hosted by the school and the N.C. Center for Voter Education. Orr, a Republican who is seeking a second eight-year term on the state's high court, is running against Hunter, a Democratic N.C. appellate court judge.

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Cuts to NIH Could Decrease Money to UNC

By Amanda Jepsen | October 21

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers might be hard-pressed to obtain new research grants from the National Institutes of Health if the U.S. Congress remains deadlocked on a proposed budget for the institutes. The NIH, which is made up of institutes such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, focuses on disease research and has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to UNC-system research institutions and the state.