News-Record.com

Triad Math and Science Academy sounds like a win-win. It offers a promising academic program and will relieve the strain on GCS facilities by 270 students.

The state should lift its charter school cap and encourage more new academies. Yes, there's a risk new charter schools won't succeed. But not all our traditional schools are doing very well, either. The more options, the better.

Background info: DPI's Office of Charter Schools site.

Jeri's column today about the arrest last week of Alexander Kohanowich is heart-aching.

Kohanowich was holding his "God Bless America! We Support Our Troops!" sign too close to Barack Obama's motorcade outside the Greensboro Coliseum last Wednesday. When asked to move by a police officer, he put his hand on the officer's shoulder -- and was taken down, handcuffed, arrested and charged with "assaulting" a government official.

He's 78 years old.

This is just bull. You want an old man to move across the street, and he doesn't seem to hear what you're saying, take him by the elbow and escort him across the street.

The assault charge ought to be thrown out.

I had a small matter to take care of in the Guilford County Clerk of Court's office in High Point this morning.

I was in and out of the courthouse before 8:30, thanks to efficient, courteous and good-humored service.

Just thought I'd mention it ...

My column today:

As an unaffiliated voter, I have twice the choices on May 6. Unfortunately, I can only use half of them.

Don't worry, I'll explain ...

Who's got the better sense of humor ...

Hillary Clinton for making fun of Barack Obama's bowling.

or Obama for making fun of his own bowling?

Of course, Hillary added a serious message in her bowling challenge: She intends to carry the race through the 10th frame.

Also on a far-too-serious note, a pro-Obama blogger analyzes a potential alley fight: "If you bet the Presidential nomination on a bowling match, Barack Obama will win the match. He will learn everything there is to know about bowling including, the origins, the fundamentals, the philosophies of bowling and he will read anything ever written about bowling. And he will beat you." How about that? A new way to settle international conflicts, maybe?

Does John McCain bowl?

More trivia: Mike Huckabee's a lousy bowler, too.

In what sports showdowns would you like to see North Carolina candidates engage?

The latest on the poor probation supervision of a suspect in the Eve Carson murder ...

and, from The News & Observer, the story of another young woman's murder.

The accused killer, the victim's boyfriend, was already on probation when he was charged with assaulting her in December and ordered to stay away from her.

And, he "has convictions in another assault, and drug and weapons possession charges, and breaking and entering and larceny counts in Durham and Guilford counties."

The paper adds:

"Robert Guy, director of the state Division of Community Corrections, said in an interview this past month that probation officers do not immediately move to revoke probation every time an offender is accused of a crime.

" 'We get criticized as much for sending people to prison as not sending them to prison,' he said at the time. 'Our job is to try and help them, not put them back in prison.' "

When they continue to commit crimes, they need to be put back in prison. It's a matter of public safety.

In the Carson case, suspect Laurence Lovette's probation officer has come under fire for failing to meet with him even once. But today's report gets her off the hook. She was assigned 127 cases but never given basic training. Incredible.

I hope someone is checking to see what's going on in those 126 other cases.

Is there some kind of connection between politics and prostitution?

Latest link: Liberal talk-radio executive Tom Athans, who's married to Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

Athans was executive vice president for Air America Radio and now runs TalkUSA Radio.

There's something to talk about.

Note to Eliot Spitzer: Athans paid only $150, according to police in Troy, Mich.

Glen Chapman spent 14 years on death row ... until yesterday.

Fortunately, his time there ended with release, not a dying breath in the execution chamber.

A court-ordered retrial resulted in dismissal of all charges for lack of evidence, The News & Observer reports.

This isn't a matter of legal technicalities. Chapman's conviction in the first place looked bogus.

Some people say we need swifter justice in capital cases. Better justice is more important.

Chris Fitzsimon of N.C. Policy Watch reports on the legislature's Lottery Oversight Committee.

It seems to be misnamed.

"Almost two years after lawmakers hailed the creation of the oversight committee, it has yet to meet and has made no report to the General Assembly. Both failures appear to be a violation of the law," Fitzsimon writes.

The lottery law placed some tight restrictions on the state's gaming operations -- in how it can advertise, for example. But the legislators who pushed the bill through, by hook or crook, apparently have no interest in seeing what's really happening.

Oversight with eyes closed just doesn't work.

Ted Turner says global warming will lead to cannibalism ...

... and people say climate change skeptics are nuts?

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: " 'Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals,' said Turner, 69. 'Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state -- like Somalia or Sudan -- and living conditions will be intolerable.'"

Turner spoke in an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS.

AJC adds that Turner occasionally puts his foot in his mouth but says for himself, "I've gotten a lot better, though. It's been a long time since anybody caught me saying something stupid."

Wrong, Ted.

Allen, Mark and I had an interesting interview yesterday with Katie Dorsett and Bruce Davis, candidates for N.C. Senate District 28. Both are Democrats, and there's no Republican opposition, so the May 6 primary will decide the winner.

Dorsett is the three-term incumbent. She's a former Greensboro City Council member, Guilford County commissioner and Cabinet member for former Gov. Jim Hunt. She lives in Greensboro.

Davis is a second-term county commissioner from High Point, a 20-year retired Marine and a business owner.

One of their most interesting exchanges occurred actually after the interview was over. Davis, professing personal respect for Dorsett, was explaining why he was challenging her.

"I was hoping I'd be the one you passed the torch to," Davis said, noting that others had the same hopes. "You told me you couldn't do that."

"I don't remember that conversation," Dorsett said.

"I'm an ambitious man," Davis said, citing his Marine Corps experience. "I don't let anything stand in my way."

"I believe that," Dorsett said.

During the interview, Davis faulted Dorsett for lack of performance.

"I don't know whether Mrs. Dorsett ... has put forth legislation to address the needs of the 28th District," he said.

Dorsett was ready for that, saying she'd introduced 47 bills as primary sponsor (some are here), including the first to provide state funding for the High Point furniture market.

Market funding has been one of Davis' major concerns.

I asked him how he missed Dorsett's role in supporting the market.

He wasn't counting appropriations as bills on behalf of the district, he said.

But his own example of providing leadership for his district as a commissioner also had to do with appropriations -- $6 million for a new Social Services building in High Point.

Davis was much stronger, in my view, when he took the bold position of endorsing expansion of the state's charter schools program and use of vouchers to help parents send their children to private schools if they want. Families of limited means deserve choices, too, he said. "I'm thinking of pulling my child out" of the public school system, he added.

The voucher concept is hardly novel, Davis continued. It's used at the preschool level: Smart Start is a voucher program, he said.

Dorsett adamantly opposes vouchers and lifting the cap on charter schools above its present level of 100 statewide.

Davis got into more trouble on the question of Thomas Wright, the former state representative expelled from the House last month. He said that action was hasty, coming before Wright's criminal trial.

Davis had just finished saying elected representatives should be held to high standards of ethical conduct, so it struck me as contradictory to then imply that a legislator shouldn't be expelled unless he was first found guilty of a crime.

Dorsett spoke very firmly on this issue: If she had been a House member, she would have voted to expel Wright, who to date had produced no evidence to refute the charges against him. The legislature has a responsibility to keep its house in order, she said, or else every member is tainted by the misdeeds of any.

This is an interesting race between an elder stateswoman (Dorsett is 75) and a self-described ambitious, younger (51) elected official who believes the district needs new representation.

There's also the Greensboro vs. High Point angle, which I wrote about in January.

Keep watching. It's going to be competitive.

Correction: Davis technically is in his third term. He was appointed to his first in 2002, filling the remainder of Donnie Dunovant's term after Dunovant died. He was elected to his first full term later that same year, and re-elected in 2006.

The Skybus grounding is disappointing, to say the least.

Its announcement yesterday was sketchy on details for ticket-holders: "Passengers holding reservations for Skybus flights scheduled to depart on or after Saturday, April 5, 2008 should contact their credit card companies to arrange to apply for a refund. More information for customers and others will be made available on the Skybus web site (www.skybus.com) as it becomes available."

Arrange to apply for a refund? It would be more reassuring to read, "Refunds are being processed." Once the company files for bankruptcy Monday, though, who knows?

But, what about that $160 million in start-up capital? Surely, there's enough of that left for me to get the $200+ refund Skybus owes me ... and everybody else.

Sadly, the prospects of further flying from PTI are diminished for now.

Speaking of which, I wonder how many furniture market visitors planned to arrive on Skybus today, tomorrow or Monday. Or came in Friday -- plenty of market people are in town already -- and now don't have a flight home. This market had enough troubles because of the shaky economy. It'll be worse if some buyers can't get here.

Continuing on a gloomy note -- must be the weather -- Freightliner delivered devastating news to Rowan County this week. It will lay off 1,500 employees, about half its work force, at its Cleveland truck plant in June, effectively eliminating its second shift. It cut 1,180 jobs a year ago, shutting down its third shift.

As of today, this apparently still isn't considered news to parent company Daimler Trucks North America, based in Portland, Ore., which also owns High Point's Thomas Built Buses.

Let's hope demand for school buses holds up.

The best sporting events are:

5. Winter Olympics

4. Super Bowl

3. World Series, when the Yankees are playing

2. Summer Olympics

and No. 1 ...

My favorite Charlton Heston movie isn't "The Ten Commandments," "Ben Hur" or even "Planet of the Apes" but a made-for-TV production that aired on TNT in January 1990:

"Treasure Island."

It's a marvelous adaptation of R.L. Stevenson's great novel, starring Heston as Long John Silver and then-child actor Christian Bale as Jack Hawkins.

Excellent performances were delivered by Oliver Reed as Billy Bones and Christopher Lee as Blind Pew.

The movie is faithful to Stevenson, fast-paced, thrilling and beautifully presented. The reproduction of the ship looks authentic, locations are gorgeous and music is provided by The Chieftains. It's by far the best "Treasure Island" ever filmed. My boys and I enjoyed watching it many times on tape -- probably I more than they.

Heston, never regarded as a great actor, played the pirate's role well, with both charm and menace. His son, Frasier, produced and directed. I'm grateful for their work vividly bringing to life Stevenson's terrific tale of hidden treasure, dangerous men and a heroic boy.

I embarked on eco-friendly lawn maintenance today with the purchase of an old-fashioned reel push mower. You know, like your grandfather had.

Took it for a spin across the estate this afternoon. It's a different, but quietly satisfying, experience.

I love the soft tch-tch-tch-tch whirring of the blades.

Thanks to all the recent rain, my patches of grass and weeds were thick and wet ... which meant it often required several passes over each clump to trim it down evenly. The stronger weeds refused to yield and had to be pulled by hand.

So, I'm probably in for more exercise this summer. That must explain how Al Gore stays so fit.

Still, it's actually easier than I expected. My only previous encounter with a reel push mower was years ago when I cut the grass for an older lady in my church. I used my power mower, but she had an ancient reel mower in her shed, and one day I pulled it out for a try. It was rusted and must have weighed 80 pounds. I couldn't have pushed it downhill fast enough to trim a bed of pansies.

My new one, which carries the Scotts brand name and cuts a 16-inch swath, weighs about 25 pounds and glides easily -- at least until a stick wedges between the blades. Then everything stops. I'll get used to it.

I won't miss filling the power mower with gas, changing the oil, air filter and spark plugs, yanking the cord a hundred times trying to start it and drowning out the sound of my own thoughts.

I'm using old-time technology, but environmentally I'm on the cutting edge.

Should SaveWaterNC stop running its PSAs featuring Gov. Easley and his kiddie corps of water nags?

I understand it's good to urge people to waste less water. Conservation is the best method of meeting the state's long-term needs.

But the fact is, North Carolina is no longer "suffering from the worst drought in recorded history." It's over.

The last SaveWaterNC "news" was issued March 17. Since then, we've had nothing but rain. Thankfully, lakes are full again.

What bugs me about the PSA, though, is the governor's urging of kids to nag their adult neighbors about excessive water use. Children today are disrespectful enough of their elders without the governor trying to turn them into smart-alecky do-gooders.

Related: In Charlotte last night, the City Council approved a 15 percent water rate hike ... to make up for declining revenues caused by conservation.

David N. Bass writes in Carolina Journal Online about a subject Skip Alston raised here:

Whether public officials are improperly advocating for bond or tax proposals on the May 6 ballot.

Bass reports:

"They are spending tax dollars so that they can get more tax dollars," said Tim Kent, executive vice president of the N.C. Association of Realtors, an organization opposed to a land transfer tax that four counties will vote on this year.

There's a fine line between advocacy and information.

As I've noted before, however, Guilford County government is scrupulously providing information about the costs of the bond and tax proposals on the ballot here.

Ward Purrington's trying to save Western civilization.

The retired Raleigh attorney has faced tough tasks before. He once worked as legislative liaison for Gov. Jim Martin, a Republican whose every initiative was batted away by Democratic lawmakers. Before that, he ran for Congress as a Republican in 1974, the year Richard Nixon resigned in post-Watergate disgrace, crippling his party in the process.

But his mission these days has nothing to do with partisan politics. He's founder of the Appalachian Institution, which will begin operations in August with two five-day retreats at Lake Logan conference center in mountainous Haywood County. ...

Michelle Obama seemed to be complaining in Winston-Salem yesterday that "they" keep raising the bar for her husband, presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"They tell you to raise money, you raise money," she said at Winston-Salem State University. "They tell you to build an organization, and you build an organization.

"And you work hard and you reach that bar. Sometimes you surpass the bar and you look around and all of a sudden the bar has moved. The bar has changed on you, and you wonder what happened."

I wonder what she was talking about. The "bar" for her husband is 2,024, the number of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. He's not there yet. But it won't shift. If he reaches it, he'll move on to the next bar: 270, the number of electoral votes required to win the election.

Addendum: Our video link to Mrs. Obama's speech yesterday.

Bill and Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, disagree about a proposed trade agreement with Colombia.

Bill Clinton supports it because free trade is good policy. Hillary Clinton opposes it because free trade is bad politics.

You're not in Kansas, Hillary: In an interview with NPR's Michele Norris yesterday, the New York senator compared herself to the Jayhawks basketball team.

"It would have been like calling the championship game last night, with two minutes left to go, because somebody was ahead -- and that's not how it turned out," Clinton said, addressing suggestions that she should quit the race.

But, Hillary, you're trying to win in North Carolina. We don't want to hear any more about Kansas.

Maybe Michelle Obama is right about that bar after all: In the same NPR interview, Clinton questioned how committed "committed" delegates ought to be.

"But Clinton's campaign has also suggested that pledged delegates -- who are awarded to each candidate based on the results of primaries and caucuses -- should also be allowed to switch their allegiances," NPR reported.

" 'There is some fundamental misunderstanding of the way this whole nominating process works,' Clinton says. 'Every delegate has the right to choose whom they will vote for. ... At the end of the day, there is no requirement that anybody do anything other than make their own best judgment.' "

Now, that's the way to make a comeback -- take points off your opponent's score and add them to your own. Those Clintons! They will find a way to win.

If only Carolina could have done that to Kansas.

Sorry, I'm not bothered by the slow pace of granting early release to crack-cocaine offenders in North Carolina.

The state NAACP is pushing for faster freedom, the Charlotte Observer reports.

The issue is the "disparity" in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine trafficking. The law supposedly was racially biased because crack offenders are more likely to be black, powder cocaine offenders white.

Mercy. I assume everyone dealing crack knew it was illegal and there were pretty tough penalties. Claims of unfair treatment ring hollow in my ears.

Unfortunately, federal authorities yielded to political pressure and decided that thousands of crack dealers across the country ought to be turned back out on the streets. Why the NAACP thinks that's a good thing, I don't know. Seems to me like a formula for a jump in crime.

A news release from the Perdue for Governor campaign:

"Raleigh, NC -- Bev Perdue today announced she will run all positive ads for the final weeks of the primary.

" 'Wherever I go people ask me, "Can't we stop the negative campaign?" The simple answer is, yes,' said Bev Perdue. 'So I have decided to take my negative TV ads off the air. It's the right decision for me and it's the right decision for North Carolina.'

"Bev's positive campaign applies to all campaign communications and she is asking all independent 3rd parties not to engage in negative campaigns.

"As of 5:00 a.m. this morning, the Bev Perdue Campaign has pulled all negative television ads off the air and is removing the negative portions of the campaign website.

"Click here to see Bev's new positive ad."

Astounding. Perdue and Democratic opponent Richard Moore have been pounding each other on the airwaves. Now she's going to lay off him?

Sure, the two Democrats have been playing into Republicans' hands by tearing each other down. The winner of their May 6 primary would be a weaker target for the GOP nominee.

But that's to worry about in November. Someone has to win in May.

Moore, trailing in the polls, was the first to go negative ... and the strategy worked. He's caught up. Now he can pour it on.

Perdue's gambling that voters will appreciate a candidate taking the high road.

But they might conclude she ran out of mud first.

We'll see what this means. Maybe Perdue just plans to become more positively aggressive in defending herself from Moore's attack ads.

Negative works with voters ... but Perdue may have noticed that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton TV ads are positive. Voters watching them, and then seeing Perdue's and Moore's negative spots, could ask: "What's wrong with THEM?"

Notice that Perdue's pledge only extends until the primary. She's reserving the right to attack the Republicans with no holds barred.

I'll bet they'll feel the same way about the Democrats.

The city issues its account:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2008

Greensboro Police Arrest of Mr. Alexander Kohanowich

On March 26th, at the conclusion of the presidential campaign visit of Senator Barack Obama, Mr. Alexander Kohanowich was arrested for assaulting Greensboro Police Officer L. D. Prescod. In several significant respects, the published account which has led to criticism of the Greensboro Police Department—is not supported by witness interviews.

A review of the incident shows that Mr. Kohanowich and approximately fifteen other people were
standing in the median. They were not challenged until time for the candidate’s motorcade to depart. At that time, as part of required security protocol, the median was to be cleared. Officer Prescod, while traveling south on Coliseum Boulevard in his vehicle with the blue lights activated, sounded the siren to get the group's attention and called out from his vehicle that everyone had to leave the median area. He then continued down Coliseum Boulevard. When Officer Prescod returned, traveling north on Coliseum Boulevard, everyone had cleared the median except for Mr. Kohanowich, a reporter, and one person selling merchandise. Officer Prescod stopped and exited his vehicle and advised them they had to leave. The person selling merchandise immediately left the area. Officer Prescod then again advised the reporter and
Mr. Kohanowich that they had to leave, and the reporter began to leave. According to Officer Prescod and an independent witness, Mr. Kohanowich was advised to leave several times, and he responded to Officer Prescod's request at least three times, while still remaining in the restricted median. Officer Prescod explained to Mr. Kohanowich that he could stand on the other side of the roadway. At one point, Mr. Kohanowich raised his voice to the extent it became noticeable to another officer across the street, who responded to the disturbance Mr. Kohanowich was creating. As the other officer arrived, Mr. Kohanowich held his sign in his right hand and reached forward with his left hand, shoving Officer Prescod's shoulder. Both officers placed Mr. Kohanowich on the ground, and he was arrested for assaulting Officer Prescod.

While it is always the goal at any such event to provide security without any arrests, Mr.
Kohanowich refused repeated directions to leave, at least three of which he had acknowledged by responding to the officer. It is clear that Mr. Kohanowich understood the officer's instructions. Even though Mr. Kohanowich was refusing to obey the officer's lawful instructions, he was not arrested until he reached forward and shoved the officer. Mr. Kohanowich was arrested without incident for assault on a government official and that is now a court issue.

The Greensboro Police Department is committed to the professional delivery of service in
protecting the rights of groups or individuals exercising their 1st Amendment Rights during any event. Officer Prescod exercised patience and restraint with Mr. Kohanowich and did not take any action until he was physically assaulted.

END OF CITY RELEASE

Looks like Jeri didn't tell us the full extent of 78-year-old "Pop" Kohanowich's belligerence.

Kohanowich refused several orders, which he clearly heard, to move from his position ...

He raised his voice ...

He created a disturbance ...

None of which prompted his arrest on charges that probably could have ranged from loitering to inciting a riot ...

Until he held his sign in his right hand -- waving it menacingly? -- and shoved the officer's shoulder with his left.

Not touched, as Kohanowich deviously claimed. Not even pushed. But shoved, which implies significant force and a clear intent to do harm.

This will be a slam dunk in court. The old man will be lucky if he isn't sent up the river for good.

His patriotic right-wing supporters will have to disavow this crazy codger who attacks police officers and hides behind a "God Bless America" sign. The real story: He's a Menace 2 Society, Public Enemy No. 1. He had to be stopped before he could shove again.

I hope the DA won't plead this down. Kohanowich should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible in a jury trial that draws national media coverage. We'll show everyone that in this town you respect the law or the law will drop you down and slap on the cuffs.

Naturally enough, news attention focused on AP-Ipso poll numbers released yesterday showing John McCain basically pulling even with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in potential head-to-head matchups.

Today's Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll, however, puts McCain up 47-44 over Obama and 48-42 over Clinton.

That's more in line with conventional wisdom, which figures Obama as the stronger opponent against McCain.

I go back and forth on the question. I see Clinton as having a better chance to grab some of the moderate or independent voters who might prefer McCain to Obama, who's the most liberal of the three. On the other hand, Clinton wouldn't draw nearly as many black voters to the polls in November as would Obama, and that could cripple her chances of winning.

Rasmussen data from a few days ago showed Obama with a 56-33 lead over Clinton among North Carolina Democrats. She's got a lot of work to do here, but with the surge in black voter registration she might be losing ground.

Nevertheless, it may be wild-card delegates who decide this contest, and the outcome might depend on who's considered a better bet to beat McCain. That's why the head-to-head polls are very important. Right now they're ambiguous.

What's your opinion on how the matchups might shape up?

Even during furniture market, Main Street High Point isn't exactly the Las Vegas Strip ...

but there are moments.

The Christie's Cabaret bus from Greensboro was trolling down the drag a little while ago advertising for business. The driver was a very nice-looking young woman who appeared to be fully clothed. She offered the hint of a smile.

Naturally I followed ... for journalistic reasons only. I wanted to find out where the bus was going and who might get in or out.

The bus has tinted windows, so it was impossible to see any passengers or activities therein. Was Christie's making a delivery, bringing a load of strippers -- I mean exotic dancers -- to the market? Picking up market guys to take them to the club? Or just helping out with market transportation needs?

A lot of local restaurants set up temporary cafes at market. Maybe this was Christie's movable feast.

Alas, the questions remained unanswered. The bus passed straight through the market district and continued down South Main Street -- toward Archdale? Couldn't be any action there.

Frankly, it was kind of slow in downtown High Point. The streets were pretty empty. Market week is just about spent.

So was my wife's patience. We turned off Main Street and headed for home.

High Point's Vegas moment had come and gone.

Today's letter pushing public financing of elections notes that the system works in state appellate judges races, so why wouldn't it work for Greensboro City Council.

It's actually debatable how well it works in statewide judicial contests. True, candidates for N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals are participating in the "voluntary" public financing system, but some have told me they feel like they're forced into it. The reason is the experience of Rusty Duke when he ran for chief justice against Sarah Parker two years ago. He was privately financing his campaign; she was public. As a challenger to a long-time incumbent, he felt he needed to spend more money to make up for the name-recognition gap. But whenever he raised more than the amount she was provided through the public fund, she was granted "rescue funds" to make up the difference. It was like he was raising money for her every time he raised money for himself.

Parker won the election. Indeed, she was deserving. But she also had the advantage of incumbency, which is a factor public-financing proponents rarely acknowledge when they talk about creating a level playing field by limiting candidates to equal amounts of campaign money. It affords challengers less of an opportunity to win. Public financing is a good deal for incumbents.

Comparisons between appellate judicial elections and City Council races are totally invalid. These judicial candidates run statewide. They can't conduct a grassroots, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, knock-on-doors campaign like local candidates can. Furthermore, judges aren't politicians. They're not even allowed to comment on issues that might come before the court, which is just about anything. Very few regular people care to make campaign contributions to judicial candidates, which means they tend to rely on lawyers or others with special interests. I'm not sold on public financing, but by far the strongest case for it is in statewide judicial races.

Even then the amount of public money provided -- about $250,000 per qualifying candidate -- is inadequate. Spread that over 100 counties and it doesn't go very far. You're trying to get your message out to 5 million registered voters. So what does that money give you, a nickel per voter? And to raise even that much, the state had to impose a $50 annual tax on lawyers because state taxpayers by and large aren't willing to pay for political campaigns, even for judges. Plenty of attorneys aren't willing, either, but they're threatened with revocation of their law licenses if they don't pay the 50 bucks. Who ought to be taxed to pay for City Council campaigns?

Another problem encountered in the publicly financed judicial races was the intervention by third parties in 2006. One group ran TV ads in support of certain "fair judges." The candidates who were not deemed "fair judges" -- and some of them were -- had no money to respond because they were limited to the amount of public money they were allotted. The system put them in an unfair situation.

It's too simplistic to say public financing is working in statewide judicial races, therefore it can work for Greensboro City Council. That ignores problems with the judicial campaign finance system and the vast differences between the two.

Our editorial today about 16-year-old Varren Anderson raises challenging issues about potentially dangerous kids in the public schools.

Anderson and a 15-year-old juvenile were charged with first-degree burglary, armed robbery and second-degree kidnapping in connection with two frightening incidents last October -- basically abducting people and forcing them to withdraw money at ATMs.

The 15-year-old's case is handled in juvenile court and isn't a public record.

Anderson appeared in District Court Dec. 13 where Judge Pete Hunter set bond at $10,000 and put Anderson under the supervision of Pre-Trial Services. He ordered the boy to report once a week in person to that office, observe a 7 p.m. curfew and attend school every day unless prevented by documented medical reasons.

In doing so, the judge passed a big problem to the school system.

GCS sent Anderson to the SCALE school in Greensboro. That's an appropriate setting for discipline problems but not necessarily youngsters charged with serious crimes. How did Anderson do there? Schools don't give out that kind of information for privacy reasons, but I heard unofficially that he didn't do well at all and was suspended more than once.

That meant he wasn't attending school every day and therefore didn't comply with the judge's order. Pre-Trial Services told me he was in compliance, leading me to believe that office didn't check up with the schools as it should have.

Here's where the real puzzler occurred: Sometime around the first of this month, Anderson was sent to High Point Central, which caused a big commotion. Someone quickly figured out a mistake had been made, and he was removed -- but not sent back to SCALE. I couldn't find out where he is.

As Anderson's attorney correctly noted, the young man -- who also has a court date later this month on a charge of affray -- is innocent until proven guilty. A police affidavit says he confessed to the crimes, but that doesn't amount to a conviction in court. He's entitled to due process.

Mixing him into the general student population is another matter. It's simply a bad idea, among other reasons because his presence really disturbed a lot of people at Central.

At this point, it's instructive to mention the Quincy Thomas case. In 2001, he was a senior at Central and was arrested and charged in an armed robbery of a pizza restaurant. The case drew a lot of attention because he also happened to be the star quarterback on the football team, which was headed into the state playoffs. The Central administration did not suspend him from school and let him play.

Why the difference? Because Thomas had never been in trouble before and was considered a fine young man. People simply didn't believe that he had done what the police charged him with doing -- and they were proven right. Thomas was the victim of mistaken identity, and the charges eventually were dropped.

Suffice it to say, attitudes about Anderson are very different.

The bigger issue here, of course, is how young offenders and suspected offenders are handled. We know the schools have to deal with a lot of discipline problems, and part of that is because the court system is telling these kids to go school. How many? Who knows? There are public records about these kids if they're 16 or older but not if they're younger.

These kids shouldn't be denied an education, but there has to be an appropriate setting for that to occur. If the state, through the court system, is going to make them attend school, it should provide the right kind of school.

As adults, a lot of us would be uncomfortable, to say the least, if the courts ordered violent criminal suspects to go to work right next to us. So how do we feel about the courts ordering young violent criminal suspects to attend school right next to our kids?

The Charlotte Observer's Jack Betts writes that Mike Easley created his own problems with the media a long time ago.

The bottom line of Jack's hard-hitting column:

"Easley's hopes of improving his administration's credibility, as welcome as it is here in the last nine months of his administration, must start with a candid recognition that his office doesn't have that much credibility to improve."

Meanwhile, The News & Obserer of Raleigh reports on Easley's recent troubles and his "quirky" style of governing.

The lead: "Gov. Mike Easley's printed schedule is full of empty days."

My question for voters: Which gubernatorial candidates represent the best chance of restoring credibility -- and leadership -- to the executive branch of state government?

Well-off neighborhoods in Charlotte are hiring extra police protection, the Observer reports.

That raises some thorny issues.

Not that I would blame residents of those neighborhoods. If they don't feel safe, the have a right to take additional measures to increase their security. Individuals can install extra lights and burglar alarms, build walls topped by razor wire, bar their windows, acquire vicious dogs or arm themselves with an arsenal if that's what it takes.

Collectively, however, folks in those Charlotte neighborhoods have put together enough money to hire off-duty police officers to patrol their streets as a deterrent to crime.

Obviously they feel the regular service provided by the Charlotte-Meck PD isn't adequate. They can afford to pay for more.

If that's what they think, what about people in poorer neighborhoods where crime tends to be more prevalent? And those folks have less means to hire off-duty cops.

I wonder whether the police department would look at this turn of events as an opportunity to target its resources where they're needed the most. If Dilworth and other well-to-do residential areas hire additional officers on their own, can and should the department reassign on-duty officers from Dilworth to high-crime locations?

After all, if the off-duty cops help suppress crime in Dilworth, then Dilworth needs fewer on-duty officers. They ought to be sent somewhere else, right?

I doubt Dilworth residents would see it that way. Their goal is to rid their neighborhood of crime, and they're willing to pay a premium for better police protection -- not the same level of protection they had before.

Public Policy Polling shows Kay Hagan leading the field of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates by a wide margin, but with only 28 percent. Jim Neal is second with 7 percent; Marcus Williams and Howard Staley have 3 percent; Duskin Lassister is at 2 percent.

A huge 58 percent are undecided.

Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro, began running TV ads last week, undoubtedly giving her a big boost.

The Democrats are running for Republican Elizabeth Dole's seat. The incumbent faces Pete Di Lauro in the GOP primary.

Hagan's lead in the poll is huge but with so many people undecided hardly insurmountable. However, it's unlikely any of the others will overtake her without at least matching her TV presence and building some name ID.

Voters are focused on the upcoming presidential primary, and gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue, Richard Moore and Pat McCrory are also running a lot of TV. The Senate race has generated very little interest. Candidates in that contest have to make an extraordinary and costly effort to grab some attention to have a chance of winning on May 6. Hagan, who reported raising $820,000 in the first quarter of this year, is the only one who seems to have the necessary resources to accomplish that. And, if she wants to be sure, she'd better pour it on.

The best thing that could happen to the others would be for Clinton to lose next week's Pennsylvania primary and quit the race. Only then would a few morre North Carolina Democrats take a closer look at the Senate contest.

Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson gripes his team isn't getting enough support from the business community, the Observer reports today.

He's recently spent time appealing "to the heads of major companies ranging from Wachovia to Harris Teeter."

Wachovia? Man, that's bad timing.

And grocery stores dealing with spiraling costs? Good luck.

The city spent $265 million building a great arena for the Bobcats. But four straight losing seasons have depressed attendance.

A sparkling sports palace and an NBA team are good for uptown Charlotte, but the economic return is questionable. That debate has been going on in Seattle for some time.

Bottom line, a franchise is a business. A business asking for financial crutches from other businesses strikes me as brazen. During an economic downturn, it may also be futile.

Thanks to the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad for hosting a forum for Guilford County District Court judicial candidates today. It was an excellent event giving usually overlooked candidates a chance to talk about themselves in front of real, live voters.

Only those candidates on the primary ballot May 6 were invited to participate. Those were:

Robert Enochs, Linda Falls and Angela Foster, running for the seat currently held by Falls.

Avery Crump, Greg Gorham and A. Robinson Hassell, running for the Hassell seat.

Betty Brown, Lora Cubbage and Charles L. White, running for the seat held by the retiring Lawrence McSwain.

And Randle Jones, Polly Sizemore and Barbara Washington, running for the Sizemore seat.

All but White and Washington attended. They couldn't be there but sent statements that were read on their behalf.

Many other judges sat in the audience. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to get to an interview after the judicial event that I almost ran over Judges Pete Hunter and Teresa Vincent in my car. I wouldn't want to defend myself in court if I'd done that.

I'm not prepared to express any opinions about the qualifications of the candidates, and we won't be offering endorsements until the general election. But I'd like to mention just a few things that impressed me.

Enochs, an assistant district attorney, noted an imbalance in the system: public defenders seem to be more overworked than prosecutors and often have less time to prepare for cases. That's unfair.

Foster, an attorney in private practice and the mother of five, expressed a strong interest in young people: "I want to stop juveniles from becoming adult offenders. I think I can do that. I know I can do that."

Crump, an assistant district attorney, said she's more qualified than any candidate to preside in juvenile court, and that with McSwain retiring, someone has to step up. "My passion, my desire is to go into juvenile court," she said.

Hassell, a member of the city's Bicentennial Commission, noted that Greensboro was established to create a centrally located seat of government for Guilford County, making the point that law and order is the foundation of our society. Unfortunately, the point at the exact center of the county was too marshy, so the courthouse had to be built a little to the south -- meaning it's important to set our legal system on solid ground.

Brown, an assistant public defender who has worked in both the Greensboro and High Point courthouses, observes a disparity in resources and says of High Point residents: "They pay taxes, too, and they need services, too."

Jones, also an assistant public defender, has been mayor of Stokesdale for many years: "That gives you the ability to have a judicial temperament," he said.

Sizemore, appointed to the bench last year, responded with a personal experience to a question about the death penalty (although, as some other candidates noted, District Court judges don't handle capital cases except in initial bond hearings). As a private attorney, Sizemore once took a case on appeal for a man who was sentenced to death for the murder of an elderly minister. The killer was 21 when he committed the crime. He had been raised in foster homes his entire life until reaching his 18th birthday, when he was turned out on the street. All the appeals failed and Sizemore attended his execution. "He is on my mind every day when I see children in foster care," she said.

Sorry to have left some out. I'd like to refer you to all their Web sites, but I could find only a couple, linked above. They all need Web sites. They don't get a lot of attention from voters, but those who sit on the District Court bench make countless decisions that affect people's lives.

Please take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about these candidates ... and drive more carefully than I do.

Our editorial board interviews with candidates sometimes take an odd twist or two.

That was the case yesterday when we met with the three Democrats running for the 6th District congressional seat held by Republican Howard Coble.

I brought up a statement Jay Ovittore had made on our questionnaire about one of his rivals:

"John Carter is Howard's plumber, so I certainly have never received payment of any sort from Howard."

I asked Johnny Carter, who's general manager of Williams Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, if that was true.

"I'm not Howard's plumber," he said.

Ovittore answered that Carter's company does plumbing work for Coble.

Carter said that's not true.

I tried to get a clear statement on this critical matter, asking Carter point blank: "Are you now or have you ever been Howard Coble's plumber?"

"No."

I asked Ovittore if that put the matter to rest.

Not really, he said, adding some sort of allegation about Carter's company belonging to a trade association whose PAC made a campaign contribution to Coble.

That just didn't seem worth pursuing.

The third candidate, Teresa Sue Bratton, wisely stuck to serious topics.

Bev Perdue dropped by this morning for a chat with some of our editorial staff. We had a pleasant conversation. Our lieutenant governor really is very charming.

We talked a good bit about her positive campaign pledge, which she called a personal decision and considers a "unilateral risk."

She regretted trading attack ads with Richard Moore, her rival for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

"I thought the whole tone was just toxic," she said. "I was just sick of it."

She referred to herself and Moore, the state treasurer, as good leaders who have "really worked hard for people in North Carolina" but were spending $6 million to $7 million "tearing each other down." It was bad for the party, she said, "like fighting in the family, like a brother and sister fighting."

Outside the "family" might be a different story, however. She declined to commit to a strictly positive campaign against a Republican opponent if she wins the Democratic nomination.

"I don't know yet," she said, saying that's something she'd think about on May 7. "One race at a time."

For consistency, I think she'll have to renew her pledge. If negative campaigning is toxic and sickening in a primary campaign, it can't be justified in a general election race.

Even if you think Republicans deserve it.

Interestingly enough, the GOP candidates have been very respectful in their campaigning to date.

On another political subject, Perdue has broadcast her support for Barack Obama, particularly to black voters. It's a good way to curry favor. Moore's doing the same.

That's the presidential race. I asked Perdue if she's backing anyone in her party's U.S. Senate primary. Arguably, there's a stronger reason to do so because representation for North Carolina is at stake.

Nope. She'll wait until May 7 on that one, too -- meaning she'll support whomever wins the Dem nomination.

Staying out of primaries is customary, but Perdue and Kay Hagan have worked together for many years. As lieutenant governor, Perdue is presiding officer of the state Senate, where Hagan serves. And Perdue was a fellow senator before winning her present office in 2000. But there's not as much political advantage in backing Hagan as there is in hitching on to Obama's star.

Oh, something else on May 7: If Moore beats her, that's the day she'll start working for his election as governor, Perdue said.

But she'd rather that he be the one supporting her. In fact, she's positive about it.

How about this justification for bashing your opponent in the Democratic primaries?

I'm only hitting you with this issue now because you know those nasty Republicans will do it to you later.

Early voting begins today, but I hope people won't cast their ballots too soon.

Sure, everyone's excited about the presidential primary contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They've been campaigning for 15, 16 months already.

But many candidates in lesser races have barely begun to get their message out. Why not give them a little more time to make an impression? It would be a shame for early voters to make uninformed choices as they go down the ballot.

Here's the Guilford County sample ballot. Any unfamiliar candidates? Why not take a few minutes to google them so you know something about who they are before you vote?

We've got to stop giving tax breaks to companies that send American jobs overseas.

Heard any politicians say that lately? I sure have. It's a very popular line.

So how does that apply to a company like RF Micro Devices, one of Greensboro's top corporate citizens with a local work force of about 2,000 ...

... which just announced it's sending some of those jobs overseas?

Does RF Micro receive tax breaks? Sure does, if you count state and local incentives.

So, should government treat this company like a traitor for exporting jobs to China or expanding operations in the U.K. even though it's still a major employer here? Is it an economic good guy or bad guy? Would punitive policies just lead it to pick up and move everything overseas? It's already a multinational player.

Not quite so simple as a political soundbite -- not to me, anyway.

By the way, here's the FactCheck.org take on that line, plus the other favorite about tax breaks for the big oil companies.

Speaking of globalism, how about today's story:

A Japanese company builds jets in Greensboro and sells them in Europe.

Then there was yesterday's story about the Canadian furniture company moving operations to Graham to take advantage of the weak dollar.

Let's please be careful about trade barriers.

Pat McCrory's model governor might surprise you as it did me when the Republican mayor of Charlotte dropped by this afternoon.

I would have expected him to say Jim Martin, the last Republican to hold that office (1985-1993). Instead, it was the Democrat who both preceded and succeeded Martin: Jim Hunt (1977-85; 1993-2001).

Let's hit the brakes for a moment: McCrory wasn't talking about substance but style. He was talking about leadership qualities, about visibility, about meeting the people.

"The governor has to get out," he said. "Gov. Hunt is a very good role model for this."

He's right. In fact, Democrat Bev Perdue made a similar reference during her visit Wednesday. She pledged to meet frequently with the media if she's the next governor, although maybe not as often as Hunt, "who never met a press conference he didn't like."

She just doesn't want reporters to get bored with her, Perdue quipped.

McCrory also promised accessibility, and said he'll meet with editorial writers after the election and not just during the campaign. As if to confirm his sincerity he even revealed his cell phone number -- although he threatened to change it soon.

All this, of course, contrasts 180 degrees with the habits of our current governor. No one in this campaign, Democrat or Republican, wants to Be Like Mike.

Gov. Easley is a friendly guy who actually performs very well in interviews and speaking engagements. He greeted a gathering of editorial writers in Chapel Hill last month very cordially, skillfully working the room and chatting amiably with small groups of us before delivering remarks.

Yet, he must not enjoy that sort of chore. He doesn't do it often, he doesn't make a lot of public appearances, and his administration has been kind of secretive until very recently when the media has just started raising hell about it.

"He's been invisible," said McCrory, who may still be steamed that Easley blew off a delegation of city people McCrory organized to lobby for anti-gang efforts a couple of years ago.

McCrory's record as a very active and popular mayor of the state's largest city indicates he'd be a much more energetic governor than Easley. He has plenty of ideas, which you can read about on his campaign Web site.

My question was whether he might end up more like Martin than Hunt. Martin was given a rough ride by Democratic legislators, and the bunch on Jones Street isn't likely to be more accommodating now. They don't like to yield to Democratic governors, let alone Republicans.

McCrory answered that he's always contended with Democratic majorities on the Charlotte City Council. I suggested that was different because they all were serving the same constituency in Charlotte, more or less. He acknowledged that difference but expressed confidence he could build relationships with leaders in the General Assembly and use his "bully pulpit" to appeal to the people for help if needed. And then there's the veto power.

Maybe McCrory could pull it off. He's got strong leadership qualities and natural allies among the state's metro leaders, who've probably been too much ignored by state government in the past. If he promotes sensible ideas, fills his administration with honest and competent managers, wins over other constituencies and gets out to where the people are, he'll be a successful governor.

Let's face it. There's been a leadership vacuum in Raleigh. The question is, among the candidates for governor, who's best equipped to fill it?

McCrory is certainly one of the viable contenders.

Otis Campbell toting a jug of 'shine. The old squad car patrolling Main Street. A bluegrass jam session in front of the theater. Folks lined up outside the Snappy Lunch for their turn to dive into a pork chop sandwich. Checkerboards inviting players to set and pass the time.

That's Saturday afternoon in Mayberry.

Mount Airy, really. Andy Griffith's hometown up in Surry County capitalizes on its Mayberry connection in a fun and friendly way. It might have been cool and threatening to rain, but visitors like the Mrs. and I were happily strolling the sidewalks of the pleasant downtown where practically everyone lures customers with hooks to Andy, Barney, Aunt Bea, Floyd the barber or some other Mayberry favorite.

It might be corny but it works. You can build a tourist trade on the strength of a 1960s TV show if it's one as beloved as Andy Griffith's. If you're a fan, it's worth the drive to see this small town -- actually bigger than the fictional Mayberry -- that does its best to re-create the magic and comes pretty close.

Mount Airy isn't the only popular destination up in Surry County, either. Over at Shelton Vineyards near Dobson, hundreds of mini-car enthusiasts had gathered. Maybe not the best day for taking down the tops on those convertibles, but when it got too wet outside folks could head inside to whet their appreciation for the fine local wine -- something else that seems to get better with age.

I'm watching thousands of people at Yankee Stadium celebrating mass with Pope Benedict XVI. If he's watching, High Point Enterprise columnist Robert Healy must be truly confounded.

Healy writes left-wing screeds every other Saturday but yesterday's effort leapt into irrational loathing. It began:

"So the pope was visiting America. Oh joy.

"Another old man in another funky dress with another bad hat to remind us all how high-heeled and pious he is and how low-footed and in need of sexual healing we are. Oh yes, I caught some of Der Pontiff's monotonous speech Wednesday evening. What a total drag. I mean, seriously. And to top it off, this very pope was once himself a Hitler Youth member for God's sake! And he's the pious one giving us advice! Man of peace? Puh-leeze."

This wasn't written by a surly teenager but by a man described in the tagline as "a veteran of the U.S. Army and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro." And given regular editorial page space in a daily newspaper.

It's amazing at this point in history how much hatred for the Catholic Church and its leader some people openly and proudly proclaim.

Healy's cross-dressing gags are just juvenile. The Nazi Youth issue has been dealt with in countless articles, including this one in the New York Times. At 14, Joseph Ratzinger was required to join the Hitler Youth. He did but wasn't active. His family weren't Nazis. At 16, he was drafted into the military. He never shot at anyone and deserted before the war was over.

Obviously, people who mock the pope and his church can believe anything they like. But a rational view of Benedict finds that he is a man of peace, and that his visit to this country has inspired and, yes, brought joy to many Americans.

Maybe the critics should try to find out why. Some inspiration and joy would be good for them.

Update, April 22: Marita Gates of High Point responds in today's Enterprise to Robert Healy's column:

"I am not of the Catholic faith and I am a firm believer in free speech. However, I read in disbelief and embarrassment - for The High Point Enterprise and for responsible High Point citizens - Robert Healy's April 19 debasing article about the pope's visit and his crude remarks about the president and current presidential candidate nominees. His "journalistic" expression reeks of immaturity and with an almost militant intolerance of others. Perhaps Healy will one day find it expedient to express his opposing views in a more humane manner."

Well said, Marita Gates.

What an excruciating dilemma for a troubled young man's parents.

From the Charlotte Observer:

"The parents of 18-year-old Ryan Shallenberger became concerned after 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate were delivered to their house Saturday, authorities said. They then found a lengthy journal with maps and details of a planned attack the teen called 'Columbine III.' That's when they called police."

In that situation, I'd first look for ways to deal with the situation quietly. Get my son in counseling. Pack up and move the family somewhere else. Whatever.

But clear-headed thinking should tell you the problem had gone too far -- almost to the point of a terrible tragedy.

I honestly can't say I would have acted as Ryan Shallenberger's parents did. But they did the right thing.

The story still had a tragic ending, but only for their family.

Update, April 22: "Baffling portrait emerges" -- fascinating report in The State of Columbia. Straight-A student offered an academic scholarship to Clemson. A bright life takes a sudden dark detour.

Sure, it's disappointing ...

but a debate moderated by Katie Couric might have been the worst yet.

I don't blame Obama for ducking it.

Hillary Clinton's projected win in Pennsylvania tonight keeps her in the race.

That's good news for North Carolina. We're still in play ...

as long as she can raise enough money to keep Bill on the road.

My column today left out most of the information I gathered about the three candidates running for the N.C. Court of Appeals seat held by Jim Wynn.

First, campaign Web sites for ...

Wynn

and Dean Pourier.

Jewel Ann Farlow has no Web site.

You can read the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision in Jewel Farlow v. Wachovia Bank here.

Following is the text of Farlow's Pardon of Forgiveness granted by Gov. Hunt on Jan. 4, 2001:

"Whereas, Jewel Ann Farlow, at the December 1982 term of Durham County District Court, pled guilty to two counts of Misdemeanor Larceny and Trespass, and by judgment of said Court was sentenced to 12 months suspended with two years unsupervised probation with conditions and Prayer for Judgment continued upon payment of costs;

"Whereas, Jewel Ann Farlow now seeks, in light of the circumstances surrounding her crimes and her subsequent record and her current need, forgiveness by the State; and

"Whereas, Jewel Ann Farlow's record since these convictions had been one of responsible civic behavior and community service;

"Now, therefore, I, James B. Hunt Jr., Governor of the State of North Carolina, in consideration of the above factors, and by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution of the State, do by these presents PARDON the said Jewel Ann Farlow, it being a Pardon of Forgiveness, subject to the following conditions: that Jewel Ann Farlow be of general good behavior and not commit any felony or misdemeanor other than a minor traffic offense, and further upon the condition that this Pardon shall not apply to any other offense whereof the said party may be guilty.

"This Order effective this the 4th day of January, 2001."

Greensboro attorney Don Vaughan represented Farlow in seeking this pardon.

In a face-to-face interview with me Tuesday, Farlow would not discuss any of the circumstances of her convictions, which she attributed to "youthful stupidity." Born Jan. 6, 1958, she was 24 at the time and a graduate of Duke University.

After our interview, I learned Farlow was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in Greensboro in 1983, but that charge was dismissed. I have tried to reach her to ask her about this, but she did not return my call by the time I left the office at 5:45.

Why dwell on matters that happened 25 or more years ago and have been officially forgiven? Voters deserve to know. Farlow is running for one of the highest judicial offices in the state. That she was once convicted of criminal offenses is relevant. People can decide for themselves what importance to assign these matters.

Bill Clinton was supposed to arrive at Davidson County Community College at 6:45 this evening. The former president always runs late, so I expected it would be about 7:30 before we saw him.

Boy, was I optimistic.

Rumors started circulating early on that Hillary's husband was two hours behind schedule, and that proved to be almost right. It was 8:58 on my watch when he stepped onto the stage in the DCCC courtyard to cheers from several hundred folks who stuck out the long wait.

The crowd was a pretty good mix of ages but probably 95 percent white. Davidson County doesn't have a large black population anyway, but there's definitely a large racial divide in support for Hillary and Barack Obama. Davidson's also reliably Republican, which made this evening's turnout rather impressive. I thought it likely that many of the people there might not have voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but it looks like they're ready to vote for his wife now.

I sure can't remember Bill Clinton campaigning in Davidson County in '92 and '96, or coming through North Carolina much at all. It's funny that we may be seeing more of him this year than we did when he was the candidate, but that reflects the greater importance of North Carolina to Democrats this year.

It's obviously important to Hillary. Some observers might have wondered whether she'd work hard for North Carolina given how much she trails in the polls. Here's the answer: She's coming tomorrow, Friday, Monday and probably several more times before May 6.

Bill's best line this evening:

"If North Carolina votes for her, you mark my words, she will be the nominee and the next president and you will always be glad you did."

Most of his pitch echoed what I heard when he spoke in Greensboro a few weeks ago. The man is a gifted gabber. And, although he still had places to go and speeches to give tonight, he didn't seem to rush. Concluding his remarks at 9:31 (31 minutes after he was supposed to arrive in Statesville), he plunged into the crowd for handshakes, pictures and autographs for nearly 15 minutes more.

The evening had turned from sunny and warm to dark and cool from the time most people gathered to the time they all left, but I imagine more than a few went home thinking the battle for North Carolina is just beginning to heat up.

Update: It was almost 11 when he reached Statesville, The Record & Landmark reports. But a big crowd waited and greeted him enthusiastically.

By the way, I don't think Hillary will win North Carolina. Her position here is like Obama's was in Pennsylvania. If she can make it closer than expected May 6, losing in single digits, she can claim a strong showing. He didn't quite manage that in Pennsylvania.

Obama has the money to run more TV here, and he's endorsed by more North Carolina politicians. But the Clintons -- this is a tag-team campaign -- appear determined to work harder and meet more people personally. That will close the gap.

The N.C. Republican Party's ad linking Democratic gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore to controversial black minister Jeremiah Wright because they've endorsed Barack Obama strikes me as unfair. More foolish is its defiance of the Republican National Committee and John McCain, who asked the state party not to run it.

State GOP Chairwoman Linda Daves is more on target in the part of her statement that faults poor leadership in Raleigh under Democrats for many years. She may also be correct in saying Obama is too liberal to appeal to most North Carolina voters, but he's not running for governor here. Her comments about Perdue and Moore are pretty much in line with what they've said about each other, but that sure hasn't been pretty.

Nevertheless, just as Democrats nationally can score points by attacking the mismanagement of the Bush administration in Washington, North Carolina Republicans can win the governor's race in November by attacking the mismanagement of the Democratic Easley administration and corruption in the Democrat-controlled legislature. They'd be smart to follow that strategy and leave Obama and his minister out of it.

The violent assault on Holi Grant at Leslie's House in High Point last Friday was terrible enough. She was badly beaten by a man who forced his way into the women's shelter run by West End Ministries, and the alleged assailant had been released only three days earlier on a written promise to appear for an alleged assault on Grant March 30.

You can read today's news story and editorial about the case.

What may be more disturbing is how many dangerous criminal suspects are out on the streets, sometimes because our jails don't have room to keep them.

The Grant case is another argument for building a new jail, a courthouse official told me the other day.

I agree in a symbolic sense. But jail overcrowding wasn't the reason alleged assailant Phillip J. Holland wasn't jailed after his first arrest April 15.

From what I've gleaned from various sources, I believe there were three reasons, all bad:

* The magistrate thought the March 30 incident wasn't very serious, that Grant was exaggerating the assault or that she didn't want Holland prosecuted and that the case would "go nowhere," in the words of one courthouse official, without her cooperation.

These can be difficult cases because, sometimes, women do make false charges against men. But sometimes they back away from legitimate charges because of fear or because they let themselves be sweet-talked into reconciliation. How can a court official tell? That leads to the next point.

* The magistrate didn't do an adequate background check. It would take very little effort to pull up Holland's Department of Correction record to see he had a history of violence, including assault on female. Anyone with Internet access can do this. It would have informed the magistrate that this was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of behavior.

* Finally, the March 30 incident was not officially classified as "domestic violence," which applies to situations in which the couple lives together or has had a long-term relationship. Grant and Holland had dated a short time.

The DV label makes a big difference in how the case is handled. For starters, the suspect is automatically held in custody for 48 hours before he sees a judge. This is for cooling down and immediate protection of the victim. Then, prosecution MUST proceed, even if the victim wants the charges dropped.

The DV definition was applied too narrowly in this case. The March 30 incident occurred at Grant's residence. The responding officer found a man and woman who'd been having a dispute. (Correction: He had left the scene; police went to his last known address and put out a lookout for him but couldn't find him.) What has the dispute about? I'm told Grant was upset that he was seeing another woman. That sounds like she thought their relationship was more than casual. In his report, the officer indicated the victim's relationship to the offender was "BG," for boyfriend/girlfriend. This should have been considered DV, and Holland should have been jailed for 48 hours. After those 48 hours, he would have been brought before a judge, rather than a magistrate, who surely would have seen his complete file and set an appropriate bond.

After last Friday's attack, of course, the response was completely different.

"Once we got our hands on him the second time we were in immediate contact with the DA and everyone was aware of his background," High Point police Capt. Larry Casterline told me yesterday.

Too bad police had to get their hands on him a second time.

Worse that he got his hands on Holi Grant a second time ... allegedly.

Incoming! Our email in-box for letters to the editor (edpage@news-record.com) is under attack by the Clinton campaign.

Just in the last hour we've received missives from a bunch of Hillary supporters, most from out of state:

Nicholson, Ga.; Atlanta; Xenia, Ohio; Dallas; Austin. A woman in Greenville, S.C., writes:

"I would like your paper to support Senator Clinton."

Would you? Well, sorry to disappoint.

Sure, the attention comes with the political spotlight North Carolina is under for the next 11 days. But, bottom line: This is our primary.

Georgia, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina: You've already had your say. We can make up our minds without your help.

Get the message? We won't be printing your letters.

Update, 12:57 p.m.: Obama camp responds with a letter from a supporter in Philly. Hey, Pennsylvania: You're old news. Nobody cares what you think anymore.

Sad news for Carolina sports fans today ...

And it has nothing to do with which Tar Heel basketball stars might or might not leave early for the NBA.

The scoop from our editorialist Elma Sabo:

"Rob Hogan of Hogan's Magnolia View Farm outside Carrboro said that UNC's former mascot, Rameses XVII, died about 10 a.m. Thursday at his farm from complications resulting from the head-butting he received from son Pablo earlier this month. The area around where the ram had lost a horn got infected. The Hogans buried the ram on their farm Thursday night. Pablo, who will become known as Rameses XVIII, will take over his father's mascot duties."

Here's the previously reported story of R17's downfall.

Well, maybe the football team needed a new mascot anyway. Sure can't say R17 inspired many victories at Kenan Stadium.

In response to the Holland/Grant case, District Court Judge Susan Bray has sent a strongly worded, comprehensive memo to Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Catherine Eagles and Chief District Court Judge Joseph Turner.

She describes her knowledge of the case and states in no uncertain terms that it was "completely inappropriate" to release Holland from custody on a written promise to appear on April 15 for a charge of assault by strangulation.

Bray further proposes 12 changes in bond guidelines for Guilford County District Court judges and magistrates.

From my reading, Bray put a lot of thought and maybe even more heart into this memo. Bottom line, in her words: "I hope we can debate this and come up with guidelines that are more responsive to protection of the community."

The full memo appears below:

Here's something to chew on over the weekend:

USPoliticstoday.com editor Joe Rothstein's suggestion (acid trip?) that HRC will lose the Dem nomination but keep running ... as an independent.

And she could win, he writes.

I can tell some pundits are having so much fun with Clinton vs. Obama, they just don't want to let it go.

Does Hillary?

Is this far-fetched?

I'm in Michigan this weekend looking for the lost Wolverine delegates (possibly set adrift on Lake Huron). Please have at it in my absence.

Thanks, Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson, for not wasting the court's time with the assault charge against Alexander Kohanowich. He declined to prosecute.

Maybe police should have consulted with Henderson before insisting there was good reason to arrest the elderly Greensboro resident.

This embarrassing episode could have been avoided with perhaps a lighter touch in dealing with Kohanowich, who didn't move when ordered by a police officer following a Barack Obama rally at the coliseum.

Clearly the DA didn't see anything to gain by proceeding further. Dropping the charge was the right thing to do.

Isn't this a great time of year?

No, I don't mean the April showers, May flowers, whatever.

I'm talking about telephone push polls. Just got off the phone with a robo-push-poller from the Fred Smith campaign: "If you knew Fred Smith invented the bacon and egg breakfast, would you vote for him for governor?" Hey, what about the grits?

I'm talking about TV ads: "Bev Perdue supports the Ku Klux Klan. I'm Richard Moore and I paid for this ad warning you about Bev "Grand Dragon Lady" Perdue."

Followed by: "I'm Alma Adams, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, and Bev Perdue is my home girl. I mean, she may be white but she's got soul."

I'm talking about mailings, like the newsletter for public employees from the N.C. Department of State Treasurer, featuring "a message from State Treasurer Richard H. Moore," who's flashing his handsome smile, that just happened to land in our mailbox one week before primary day.

"200,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $8,822.20, or 3 cents per copy," it tells me.

Wonder what Bev said when she got hers.

Gov. Easley's support for Hillary Clinton gives her exactly one more superdelegate. I don't know how many voters it will sway.

Probably fewer than Jeremiah Wright's latest spoutings. He's the worst thing that's happened to Barack Obama during this campaign, and he won't go away.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory tells about being dissed by Easley a couple of years ago when McCrory led a group of mayors and local law-enforcement officials to Raleigh seeking more help fighting crime. So I wonder: Was McCrory there when, according to the Charlotte Observer, "Scared and frustrated, a group of Charlotte residents marched on city hall Monday and demanded that leaders do something about crime"?

Bill Clinton watch: The former president starts in Boone this afternoon and works his way downhill. Expect delays.

Check out all the presidential campaign events.

Hillary Clinton gets Mike Easley's endorsement ...

and Barack Obama plays ball with the Tar Heels.

I'd say this day in North Carolina goes to Obama, hands down.

BlueNC is all upset about Mike Easley using a "gay slur" to praise Hillary Clinton.

I think the Guv just mangled his words.

He said HIllary "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy" ...

but he meant to say Hillary "looks like Rocky Balboa in a pantsuit."

My column today:

An angry judge is pushing for changes that could make it harder for dangerous criminal suspects to get out of jail.

Guilford County’s top judge was already on the case.

Whatever happens, District Court Judge Susan Bray deserves credit for speaking out about a problem that makes a lot of people mad: alleged offenders being turned loose while waiting for trial — and then committing more crimes.

Bray reached the boiling point after Phillip Jeremy Holland was charged with assaulting Holi Olga Grant for the second time in three weeks. The first time, a magistrate released Holland on a written promise to appear, despite a record that included assault on a female and violating protective orders.

The second attack, April 18 at a women’s shelter in High Point, put Grant “in the hospital with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain,” Bray wrote in a memo to Catherine Eagles, Guilford County’s senior resident Superior Court judge, and Chief District Court Judge Joseph Turner. Releasing Holland without bond after his initial arrest was “completely inappropriate,” Bray fumed.

Once he was arrested again, Holland’s bond was set at $500,000.

Bray went on to propose a dozen changes to bond guidelines. Among them:

• Considering “weight of evidence against the defendant” when setting bond.

• Placing “very high” bonds on individuals charged with new crimes while on pretrial release for an earlier offense, “and I mean VERY HIGH.”

• “Verified gang involvement should trigger a high bond ... We can’t make it easy for gang members to get right back out of jail and terrorize the community.”

• Consider higher bonds for offenses “against children, the elderly and women (by men).”

Bray, who’s running unopposed for re-election, stated her objective in the memo: “We do have an obligation to put the safety of our community first.”

But community safety isn’t the only obligation the courts have. Another is to protect people’s rights, even people accused of crimes.

“Everybody is entitled to consideration of a bond,” Judge Eagles said Monday. “That’s a constitutional requirement.”

The Bill of Rights prohibits “excessive bail.”

Greensboro attorney Samuel Spagnola raised a similar concern on my blog in response to Bray’s memo: “A charge is NO evidence of guilt, and to base a bond merely on the charge alone as opposed to the factual basis for the charge and the other factors set out by statute runs counter to our system of justice.”

Eagles agreed that “you’re not going to have a trial” when a magistrate decides whether to set bond. But clear guidelines can help. She and Turner are working on the first update since 1995.
It’s overdue, District Court Judge Tom Jarrell said Monday. Bray “is right on the money, and I agree with her completely,” he said.

But bond guidelines, Jarrell added, are “merely guidelines.” When it comes to setting bonds, Guilford’s 14 District Court judges “all have a different take on that part of the job.” He named himself, Bray, Teresa Vincent and Wendy Enochs as those who draw “a hard line on bonds.” All are former prosecutors.

At the same time, keeping more offenders locked up requires jail space.

“The fact the jail is full is not a factor a judge should have to consider,” Jarrell said. But to Eagles it’s inescapable.

“The reality is the jail is really overcrowded. It’s not a safe place for the folks who work there. Something needs to be done,” she said.

Eagles supports building a new jail, but even with voter approval, that’s years away. In the meantime, judges and magistrates make decisions daily that determine whether accused offenders sit in jail, get out on bond or walk free.

Bray’s goal is laudable: “guidelines that are more responsive to protection of the community.”
What’s so difficult is balancing public safety against defendants’ rights and the reality of limited jail space. There’s no “mathematical formula,” Eagles said.

But, somehow, the equation should favor victims who don’t deserve to be hurt again and again.

I didn't attend last night's debate among four Democrats running for U.S. Senate, but I was very surprised to read that Jim Neal said he's the only one who could beat Republican Elizabeth Dole.

Kay Hagan, in contrast, said she thought any Democrat would have a good chance of defeating the incumbent.

Maybe Hagan doesn't actually believe that. I don't. As we said in our endorsement of Hagan Sunday, she's the only Democrat who can give Dole a credible challenge, let alone unseat her.

But, for the sake of Democratic esprit de corps, it was wise for Hagan to say her party rivals might be able to knock off Dole, too. It makes the point that Dole's record is so poor that she's on shaky ground with voters no matter who her opponent turns out to be after May 6.

Neal, on the other hand, just conceded a Dole victory in November should he not earn his party's nomination.

The me-or-nobody attitude also strikes me as terribly egotistical. Maybe that's not surprising for a guy who's never run for public office and was unknown to almost everyone in North Carolina -- Democratic Gov. Mike Easley said he'd never heard of him -- and decided to launch his political career at just about the highest level.

In our editorial board interview with the Democratic candidates, Neal cited John Edwards as someone who had done exactly the same thing successfully.

Yeah, Edwards did that in 1998. Three big differences: Edwards was a well-known lawyer in North Carolina, while Neal lived and worked out of state for most of his life; Edwards had much more money to dump into his campaign; and Edwards was a once-in-a-lifetime political talent.

Even then, the comparison is a poor one because, once he was elected, Edwards demonstrated little interest in actually being a senator but an intense desire to become president.

Of course, voters didn't know that about Edwards back in '98. He'd never held public office, had no record to show how faithfully he would serve his constituents.

That's where Hagan has a decisive advantage over Neal and the other candidates. She's held office for going on 10 years now and has proven herself over and over. She's worked hard, delivered on promises and kept faith with her constituents.

"We have to offer a contrast," Neal said at the debate.

He's right. Hagan can offer a contrast between how she's performed in office against how Dole has performed.

Neal can't offer that. He's still an unknown.

Could he beat Dole? It's foolish to say that would be impossible, but it's a long shot. Democrats could give themselves much better odds by going with Hagan.

The wealthiest charitable entity in Guilford County is not the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greensboro.

In the most recent 990 filing with the IRS, the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation Inc. of High Point reported its "fair market value of all assets" at a staggering $142.6 million at the end of 2006.

The Bryan Foundation reported $132.9 million.

The Terry Foundation reported only $83.1 million at the end of 2005, meaning its assets increased by nearly 72 percent in a year. Bryan Foundation assets were listed as $128.1 million at the end of 2005.

Randall B. Terry Jr. was part owner of the High Point Enterprise (and therefore my former employer) and a major stockholder in the International Home Furnishings Center. He died in 2004. His half of the HPE was purchased by Paxton Media, which already owned the other half. I'm guessing that proceeds from the sale contributed to the increase in foundation assets. It reported a gain of $48.7 million from the Terry estate.

So, why do you hear so much more about the Bryan Foundation than the Terry Foundation? Let's say there were striking differences in the desires of the founders of those organizations.

The Bryan Foundation uses its assets primarily to benefit Greensboro and Guilford County. The Terry Foundation does next to nothing for High Point, even though Terry himself lived in High Point and derived his income there.

The Bryan Foundation reported making dozens of charitable contributions totaling $5.9 million in 2006, almost all supporting local entities including the United Way, Elon Law School, Guilford County Schools, N.C. A&T and Greensboro College, to name a few.

The Terry Foundation reported $6,210,000 in charitable contributions to just five organizations, only one of them in High Point: It gave $100,000 to Youth Unlimited.

It also gave $10,000 to the United Animal Coalition in Greensboro.

The big gifts were $3 million to Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Va., where Terry prepped; and $3 million to the N.C. Veterinary Medical Foundation in Raleigh. Terry supported the Vet School at N.C. State after it treated one or more of his golden retrievers (he left more money in his will to their care than to any individual person or family).

The foundation also gave $100,000 to the Montpelier Foundation in Montpelier Station, Va.

I've written about the Terry Foundation before and check up on its activities about once a year. It operates under the guidelines established by its founder, who unfortunately was never very charitable toward his hometown.

It's a shame, because the Terry Foundation now has the assets to do even more for High Point than the Bryan Foundation does for Greensboro. But it never will.