KATIE HOFFMANN

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Father, son face charges in Jason Ray's death

By KATIE HOFFMANN | January 18

Two men were arrested and charged Thursday night for the March car accident that killed UNC mascot Jason Ray in East Rutherford, N.J. Armen Hovsepian, 25, and his father, Gagik Hovsepyan, 52, both of Paramus, N.J., each face multiple charges. Ray, 21, was walking on the shoulder of Route 4 when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Armen Hovsepian, according to a press release from the Bergen County, N.J. Prosecutor’s Office. Ray, who was in New Jersey to perform during the Tar Heels’ NCAA Sweet 16 game, died three days later.

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Misdemeanor raises questions

By KATIE HOFFMANN | November 29

A UNC professor has a warrant out for his arrest in Shelby County, Ala., prompting questions about the University's policy for faculty background checks. Troy Adair, an adjunct assistant professor of finance at Kenan-Flagler Business School, is on the most wanted list in Shelby County for domestic violence in the third degree, according to police. "This involves a nonviolent dispute with my ex-wife," Adair said in an e-mailed statement. "I was not aware of this posting until recently."

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Chancellor search forum draws only 7

By KATIE HOFFMANN | October 29

At the first chance for the public to voice opinions on the chancellor search process, few people spoke up. Only seven people addressed the committee charged with replacing Chancellor James Moeser, who announced his resignation a month ago. Friday's event had time allotted for local elected officials, alumni, members of UNC-affiliated foundations and organizations and local residents. The lack of speakers created empty blocks of time and ended the forum half an hour early.

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Students, town residents protest U.S. involvement in Iraq

By KATIE HOFFMANN | April 27

The Iraq war hit the four-year mark March 20 - surpassing the length of the Civil War. The war now has outlasted all U.S. involvement in military engagements except for the Vietnam War - which lasted eight years and five months - and the Revolutionary War - which lasted six years and nine months. And as the length of the war has grown, tensions have been mounting along with it. Hundreds of UNC students walked out of class March 20 and marched to Franklin Street to mark the four-year anniversary of the conflict's conception.

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A new wave of travelers

By KATIE HOFFMANN | April 17

Your mother probably always told you never to open the door for strangers. But that's exactly what Danielle Doughman, 29, did in July 2005. She opened her door - and her couch - to traveler Edwin Tanedo, 32, who just had quit his job, bought a car for a thousand dollars and was making a cross-country pilgrimage from Oregon to New York. Doughman, executive director of UNC's Difficult Dialogues Initiative, decided to let Tanedo stay with her in Atlanta for two nights. "He was just taking a whole bunch of time off to do this trip," she said.

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Inside the trenches

By KATIE HOFFMANN | February 23

The Daily Tar Heel followed student body president candidate Nick Neptune from the outset of his campaign to give readers an inside look at what it takes to seek the highest office in UNC student government. It's fitting that Nick Neptune's favorite show is "The West Wing." "It gives an insider view of how politics works," said Neptune, a junior American Studies major who said his favorite place is Washington, D.C. "It's the art of government."

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University's Topsail to top list after supercomputer's upgrade

By KATIE HOFFMANN | February 13

Add another top ranking to UNC's r

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The best medicine

By KATIE HOFFMANN | January 18

As Rita Bigham read "The Lady with the Alligator Purse" in the N.C. Children's Hospital, four-year-old Chozzyn Randolph was quick to point out the story's hero: pizza. But it was laughter that entertained Chozzyn and her sister Cherish, 2, while they waited for their 1-month-old sister to finish her doctor's appointment. Laughter is the best medicine, after all. Bigham comes to the hospital about once a week as part of the Carolina Health and Humor Association, a nonprofit service group that takes a Patch-Adams-style approach to health care.

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UNC gay life changing

By KATIE HOFFMANN | September 21

It wasn't something Matt Telford really considered when looking at colleges. But after coming out as a gay student his freshman year at Wake Forest University, the Winston-Salem native realized the importance of a gay-friendly campus. "The students there were hostile to alternative lifestyles," Telford said. "I felt like I stood out in a bad way." That feeling was the main reason he transferred to UNC, where he is now a junior. "I feel like this campus is really willing to work with gay or lesbian people," he said.

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Albright to issue address

By KATIE HOFFMANN | September 14

Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state, will deliver the spring Commencement address, officials announced Wednesday.