U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has postponed his visit to the UNC campus -- originally scheduled for today -- until Jan. 14. Chris Brook, president of the UNC Young Democrats, said Feingold will speak at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 in Memorial Hall.
Some N.C. House members say the recent push by a prominent lobbying group to limit the length of the legislature's session likely will fail because it lacks support. Officials from N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, the largest business group in the state, said Nov. 15 that they were concerned by the length of this year's session, the longest in state history. As a result, NCCBI has thrown its support behind term limits for the General Assembly. The legislature began meeting at the end of January and is still in session.
RALEIGH -- Airport officials said Sunday that this year's Thanksgiving weekend traffic resembled last year's despite concerns that fewer passengers would take to the air after the recent terrorist attacks. The U.S. Airways customer service supervisor at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, who asked to be called Shelia A., said business has risen since an initial drop after Sept. 11. She added that "compared to last year's Thanksgiving weekend we had as many passengers this year or maybe more."
RALEIGH -- Some Raleigh postal workers plan to take the U.S. Postal Service to court Monday to shut down a postal facility where anthrax was found Thursday. The Local 1078 of the American Postal Workers Union is requesting a temporary restraining order to close down the Westgate Road postal service processing and distribution center. The presence of anthrax was announced Thursday night after it was discovered on a shrink-wrapped pallet of stamps in a sample taken by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Anti-terrorism legislation in Congress might hinder research programs at universities across the country by increasing security and restricting possession of biological agents at laboratory facilities. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., introduced a bill last week in the U.S. Senate that forbids any individual from possessing biological agents outside a government certified lab. Labs that work with biological agents will have to register with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and follow certain guidelines to be certified.
DURHAM -- As golden earrings shone against the dark skin with each beat, the odd meter followed the cracking sound of a wooden spoon in the hand of a Roma dancer covered in golden jewelry. Four distinct nationalities joined Oct. 6 in the Page Auditorium on Duke University campus for the Gypsy Caravan 2. They were brought together not only because of the quality of their rhythm but also because they all identified themselves as the gypsies or, more correctly, as the Roma.
California is the first state to endorse a federal law, passed earlier this month, that requires sex offenders to register with campus police before enrolling in classes or working at a university. But N.C. officials are uncertain when the legislation will be adopted in the state.
The N.C. House today will consider alternative redistricting plans from each party, as legislative leaders try to bring the longest session in state history to a close. The N.C. Legislative Redistricting Committee voted Tuesday to support the Sutton II plan, which is favored mainly by Democrats, over the Justus plan, which primarily has Republican backing. The plans are named for the legislators who drew the districts. The committee, which is almost equally split between Democrats and Republicans, approved the Sutton II plan in a 22-20 vote.
President Bush announced Thursday evening the creation of the Office of Homeland Security to improve security nationwide, but the new position may come under fire in the future. The Cabinet-level office will coordinate the FBI, CIA and 40 other federal bureaus to protect the United States from future terrorist attacks. Bush appointed Tom Ridge, Pennsylvania's Republican governor, to oversee the office.
