Rachel Cottone

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Hunt, Dole Most Likely To Win, Study Indicates

By Rachel Cottone | August 30

Results of a recent telephone survey of almost 1,300 likely voters revealed former Gov. Jim Hunt as the Democrats' best chance to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. The survey -- conducted by Portrait of America, a nonpartisan research company -- compared the field of potential Senate candidates from both parties to see who might win in a race. Hunt, who officials in the Democratic Party have said has no intentions of running, was shown to beat two of three likely Republican candidates -- losing only to Elizabeth Dole.

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UT Officials Disregard Party School Ranking

By Rachel Cottone | August 23

Administrators at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville are defending the school's commitment to academics after the Princeton Review named UT the top party school in the nation. Each year, Princeton Review releases a publication called "331 Best Colleges," which ranks colleges nationwide in nine main categories. The 2001 edition, which was released Monday, indicates that Louisiana State University -- ranked first in the party school category last year -- has passed the torch to UT.

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Vote on Hate Crimes Delayed

By Rachel Cottone | April 30

Legislation that will extend hate-crime laws to cover gays and lesbians was heard by a Senate committee last month but was referred to an appropriations committee last week after the bill appeared it would fail in a vote before the legislature crossover deadline.All non-appropriations bills must have been approved by one of the houses by last Thursday to be passed during this legislative session.The bill, which will also include age, gender and disability hate crimes if passed, was sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Lucas, D-Durham, and Sen.

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DOE Seeks to Clarify Drug Conviction Question

By Rachel Cottone | April 24

An ambiguous question on the federal financial aid form requiring students to disclose prior drug convictions was reworded on March 26 -- and must now be answered by all college applicants.Many applicants have left the question blank, leading education officials to suspect the question is often misunderstood.The revised wording explicitly states that students are required to answer the question. The new question asks if the student has "ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs."Roger Murphey, spokesman for the U.S.

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Commission Recommends New Sales Taxes

By Rachel Cottone | April 17

That late-night vending machine run might leave college students with even less money in their pockets if Gov. Mike Easley and the N.C. General Assembly approve suggestions from a commission that hopes to save the state close to $200 million.Gov. Mike Easley appointed the Commission on Efficiency and Loophole Closing in early March to find the money needed to remedy the state's budget shortfall, which has approached $800 million.

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ASG President Ponders Run for City Council

By Rachel Cottone | March 28

UNC Association of Student Governments President Andrew Payne is toying with the idea of running for a seat on the Raleigh City Council in November. But Payne has not hit the campaign trail quite yet. "The idea has crossed my mind, but I haven't sat down and planned a course of action." Payne's motivation to run for City Council is deeply rooted in a recent ordinance that targets students, he said.The Nuisance Ordinance, which was passed last summer, halted the traditional Brent Road party, which attracted thousands of students from N.C.

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Foot-and-Mouth Poses Threat to N.C. Hog Industry

By Rachel Cottone | March 21

The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe, especially England, is a major concern for the agricultural officials in North Carolina.In England, large numbers of livestock have been slaughtered and then burned to control the epidemic - but the disease is still running rampant and has spread to mainland Europe and several other parts of the world.Jerry Hostetter, vice president of corporate communications for North Carolina-based Smithfield Foods, the country's largest pork producer, said the disease's contagious nature poses a threat to the state's livestock.

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Law Enforcement Program to Offer Paid Education

By Rachel Cottone | March 19

A booming economy has left some N.C. police departments struggling to find recruits, but one has started to offer incentives such as a paid college education.Greensboro Police Chief Robert White started Student Outreach and Recruiting in 1999 to boost a slumping number of law enforcement applications.Fred Rafilson, president of the International Fire and Police Recruitment, said the number of new people entering the law enforcement field has reached an all-time low."It's a very national problem," he said."The numbers started to decline seven years ago.

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Edwards Discusses Surplus, HMOs at UNC

By Rachel Cottone | February 21

Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., met with members of the Chapel Hill community Tuesday at about noon to talk about pressing issues such as the budget surplus and health care.Edwards fielded questions from the moderator and the audience as part of Tuesdays with Friday, a discussion forum hosted by former UNC-system President Bill Friday. Having appeared on the Fox News program "The O'Reilly Factor" and PBS' "The McLaughlin Group," Edwards showed poise and confidence while answering questions.A major issue brought up first by Friday, then again by the audience, was HMOs.

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Texas A&M Gives Scholarship Gift to UT

By Rachel Cottone | December 8

Although the two schools are still bitter rivals on the football field, last year's bonfire collapse before the annual football game between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas-Austin might have forged a new bond between the schools.Texas A&M University recently endowed a $50,000 scholarship to thank the University of Texas-Austin for its support in the wake of last year's tragedy.An enormous wooden structure, which is lighted every year on the eve of the A&M-UT game, collapsed early Nov.