KATHERINE TOMPKINS

News

Gas prices won't slow Thanksgiving travelers

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | November 24

High gas prices and low airfare have prompted many travelers to opt for the baggage claim instead of traffic jams this Thanksgiving. While air travel is up a staggering 7 percent from last year's Thanksgiving season, auto travel has declined slightly, said Sarah Davis, public relations manager for AAA Carolinas. Since last Thanksgiving, she said gas prices have risen by 49 cents to an average of $1.29 across North Carolina. Despite the increase, Davis said that more than 1 million travelers still are expected to hit the highway this Thanksgiving.

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Speaker brings race relations closer to home

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | November 17

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter lived through the segregation of the 1930s, the civil rights movement of the 1960s and participated in race relations reforms in the 1980s and 1990s. He shared his experiences with a group of more than 100 students at the UNC School of Government on Tuesday, focusing on the political transformation he has seen in his lifetime and ways government can continue to improve.

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Charlotte sprawl among worst in country

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | November 15

Charlotte is facing one of the worst cases of urban sprawl in the country, but city officials say they are working hard to fix the problem. A recent study by Northwest Environment Watch, a nonprofit research and communication center based in Seattle, shows Charlotte as having the worst urban sprawl out of 15 cities across the nation. Charlotte ranked last in every category, including land converted from rural area to suburban and urban areas, average metropolitan density and growth in compact neighborhoods.

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Schools could see windfalls

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | November 10

The newly re-elected president has promised millions of dollars to the ailing community college system, but officials are divided as to whether or not the Bush administration will provide the money to match its campaign claims. "There's been a stagnating funding environment for our colleges," said David Baime, vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges. "Stagnation, at a time when enrollment is surging and we have a state budget crisis, is really a loss."

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Law panel explores Supreme Court appointments

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | October 28

Americans are carefully considering candidates during the 2004 election for positions in both the legislative and executive branches. But for members of the UNC chapter of the American Constitution Society, the judicial branch plays an especially important role in their choices. Experts met in the School of Law's Rotunda on Wednesday to discuss the confirmation and predicted behavior of U.S. Supreme Court justices.

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Washington veteran outlines her experiences

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | October 27

Melody Barnes was met with the aroma of pizza and a bear hug from a colleague when she entered the Rumpus Room of the School of Law on Tuesday evening. In this informal atmosphere, Barnes outlined her experiences in law and the executive and legislative branches of the federal government to almost 20 students of the profession. "For people who are interested in government, interested in Washington, it can be a bit confusing," she said.

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UNC ranks 61st for its lobbying expenditures

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | October 22

During the past five years, higher education institutions more than doubled the amount of money they spent on lobbying, an increase from $23.4 million to $61.7 million. The number of lobbying institutions also more than doubled during that time, according to a review of federal lobbying records by The Chronicle of Higher Education. This is due, in part, to Congress' increased spending on directed, noncompetitive grants, which went up from $495 million to $2 billion.

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Translator tells Iraq stories

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | October 13

Every member of Humala Aqrawee's family suffered under former President Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Her brother was killed in 1991, and her family was sent his arm and leg. Her father was tortured and no longer has use of his hands. Most recently, terrorists searching for Aqrawee mistakenly found and killed her sister instead. American media outlets even have reported Aqrawee as dead.

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Innovative cell observation technique launched

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | October 11

In the world of medicine, the development of drugs and treatments hinges on understanding the body's most complicated functions within its smallest unit - the cell. To fuel this understanding, UNC researcher and professor Klaus Hahn has developed technology to improve the observation of cells while they perform certain functions. Hahn holds a doctorate in organic chemistry, but is interested in cell biology. "I believe cells are the most beautiful and complicated units of life, and they are becoming easier to study," he said.

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Gas prices increase on back of storms

By KATHERINE TOMPKINS | September 30

Changes in gas prices typically spark discussions filled with four-letter words, such as OPEC and Iraq, but recent increases have brought a new word to the conversation - Ivan. "A number of factors have contributed to the rise in gas prices," said Sarah Davis, spokeswoman for AAA Carolinas. "For one, the hurricane did a doozy on oil production. Both oil- drilling flats and refineries were damaged or shut down, and this disrupted production." The cost of a barrel of oil reached a record of $50 earlier this week.