Jonathan Tugman

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Court grants 60-day reprieve

By Jonathan Tugman | November 28

Convicted murderer Guy LeGrande was granted a 60-day reprieve Monday, four days before he was scheduled to be executed. After 10 years on death row for the murder-for-hire of Ellen Munford, LeGrande was granted a stay by the Stanly County Superior Court to allow psychiatrists to examine his mental competency. The psychiatrists have 45 days to submit their observations and reports to the court. "This is huge because now the truth will come out," said Durham attorney Jay Ferguson, who is representing LeGrande.

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Ballot issues may aid Black

By Jonathan Tugman | November 16

Mecklenburg County voters might have another decision on their hands - one with implications for N.C. House leadership. Several hundred ballots were improperly cast in District 100, leaving Rep. Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, ahead of Republican challenger Hal Jordan by only seven votes in the unofficial election-night count. Almost 450 voters in precinct 106, which is split between districts 100 and 104, were given incorrect ballots at McClintock Middle School in southeast Charlotte.

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DOT to redo section of I-40

By Jonathan Tugman | November 14

Drivers frustrated by continuous road construction on Interstate 40 won't see relief any time soon. The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to repair an improperly built section of I-40 between the Durham Freeway and the U.S. 15-501 exit in Chapel Hill. "It's certainly going to cause a headache for students traveling," said Katy Jones, marketing manager for the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. Work will be done at night and nonpeak times to minimize the hindrance to I-40 drivers, but this schedule fails to please everyone.

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N.C. absentee ballots allow for voting ease

By Jonathan Tugman | October 31

Today is the deadline to request an absentee ballot in North Carolina, and people registered in the state can take advantage of it, whether they are out of town or are just lazy. "We have what is called no-excuse absentee voting," said Johnnie McLean, chief deputy director of the N.C. State Board of Elections. "They do not have to have a reason to vote by that method." A ballot can be mailed from anywhere in the country, but motivation still is key to starting the process.

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Legislators weigh in on tuition plan

By Jonathan Tugman | October 26

Despite the four-year tuition plan approved unanimously by the UNC-system Board of Governors on Oct. 13, the system can't count on any guarantees from the N.C. General Assembly. State legislators cautioned against assuming the General Assembly would provide the six percent increase in funding requested by UNC-system President Erskine Bowles' tuition plan. "No one gets a blank check," said Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Madison, vice chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on education, which will review budgets from various departments in the spring.

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Panel examines poverty situation

By Jonathan Tugman | October 12

A panel of experts sponsored by the UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity and the UNC Center for Banking and Finance discussed the financial plight of 37 million Americans below the federal poverty line. The panel discussion, called "The High Cost of Being Poor" and moderated by poverty center director and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, was held Wednesday at the School of Social Work. Buffalo News reporters Rod Watson and Jonathan Epstein, who have covered issues concerning the working poor in upstate New York, were two panelists.

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Study finds rise in men having eating disorders

By Jonathan Tugman | October 10

It's not just her problem anymore. Eating disorders historically are more prevalent in women, but a new national trend shows a rise in the same disorders in men. As many as 10 million American women have eating disorders, compared to just one million men, but that ratio is changing. Carolina House, a residential treatment center for eating disorders in Durham, is doubling the size of its current facility in January and is considering a separate facility just for men. "We are very aware that services are limited for men," said Stacie McEntyre, executive director of Carolina House.

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More schools end dealings with Sudan

By Jonathan Tugman | September 27

American University in Washington, D.C., divested last week from companies doing business with the Sudanese government, joining the ranks of other states and universities nationwide. The Darfur region of Sudan has garnered international attention the past three years as human rights activists have protested government-sponsored retaliation against rebel factions in the area. In Chapel Hill, Crister Brady, the coordinator of the divestment committee of Students United for Darfur Awareness Now, is heading up the UNC divestment campaign.

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Bush approval spikes in N.C.

By Jonathan Tugman | September 21

President Bush seems to be regaining the high approval ratings he once enjoyed in North Carolina. The September Civitas DecisionMaker Poll shows that Bush's N.C. approval rating rose to 50 percent, up 10 points from last May. A Gallup poll gauges the national approval rating at 39 percent. "A 10-point jump in a four-month period is a sizeable increase," said Jack Hawke, president of the Civitas Institute. Experts, including Hawke, said falling gas prices likely played a role in the rising approval ratings.

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NCSU says prof can't hawk lectures

By Jonathan Tugman | September 19

It's either a great resource for students or an excuse to sleep in through that 8 a.m. lecture. More and more universities are allowing professors to "podcast" their lectures, recording them and making them available to students online. Robert Schrag, a communications professor at N.C. State University, was charging his students $2.50 to download his lectures from Independent Music Online.