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Among other subjects we discussed in Wednesday's meeting:

Gangs and police
I'm putting the finishing touches on another gang editorial, this one on efforts to create an anti-gang unit in the Greensboro Police Department, which currently devotes one (that's not a typo) officer full-time to monitoring gang activity.

We agree that's not enough. We are not so sure the city can find the resources without adding officers. We also believe the emphasis needs to remain mostly on prevention; that's where other cities have gotten the most bang for their bucks in successfully addressing the gang problem.

Military families and abuse
Ken Irons is working on a piece about the prevalence of child abuse among military families and the need for more support services for these families. As we see it, our soldiers are suffering from the unseen tolls of warfare beyond physical injuries -- problems such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, spousal abuse and child abuse.

Those issues need to be dealt with, not suppressed or ignored.

Probably the most interesting topic in this morning's meeting was the strange but true tale of the 4-foot-long python that bit a 15-month-old toddler in a Charlotte park.

The boy suffered a pair of bite marks but no serious injuries. On the other hand, the snake may not make it, having been pummeled by a park maintenance worker with a shovel.

A Charlotte pet store owner has taken the snake into his care and was absolutely beside himself that the worker dared attack the poor reptile.

"It was a totally harmless thing," he told The Charlotte Observer. "Why attack a harmless thing?"

The big question: How in the world does a python wind up in a Charlotte park?

We'll probably write about this one for Monday's Short Stack, a weekly combination of editorial briefs. It's too good not to do something on it.

Today's Editorial Board meeting was entirely agreeable ... which isn't an entirely good thing. But who doesn't agree that a bridge collapse is a terrible disaster?

We take the same view of the 1898 Wilmington race riot, which the state Senate addressed yesterday and the House may consider today.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of official apologies for the evils of the past. To me, they aren't particularly meaningful because they don't come from anyone with personal responsibility for the events in question. But others on our board see it as accepting institutional accountability. Today's legislature is institutionally the same as the legislature of 1898, so it is appropriate for it to apologize for its misdeeds of long ago.

At any rate, the Senate didn't really apologize. Apparently it was easier to get all members on board with a statement of "profound regret," and our board is satisfied with that.

Why does it matter? This is an acknowledgment of one of the most shameful episodes in North Carolina history. The term "race riot" doesn't come close to explaining what happened. It's more accurately described as an armed insurrection or coup d'etat. The democratically elected municipal leaders in Wilmington were driven out of office by armed gangs in a carefully planned and executed quasi-military operation. This was done by white supremacist Democrats at the expense of Republicans and African Americans.

The success of this campaign in Wilmington inspired a white supremacy movement across the state and eventually the South, ushering in the Jim Crow era. By 1900, blacks and white Republicans were largely kept from the polls by violence and intimidation. In effect, the Wilmington coup negated the result of one election and altered the outcomes of all those to come for the next seven decades -- more than regrettable.

The legislature commissioned an extensive study of this dark chapter in our history, and now it owes some sort of statement. Your view? Is an expression of regret sufficient? Or unnecessary? What more, if anything, should be done?

Probably like most readers, our Editorial Board puzzled over this story today. We could only agree that it produces more questions than it answers.

OK, the EEOC has notified at least a half-dozen black police officers that it found evidence they were discriminated against at work.

That would confirm reports out of GPD since the administration of former Chief David Wray, which ended in January 2006. In effect, City Manager Mitchell Johnson and City Council members were saying, "Yeah, there was a lot of discrimination going on there."

Which makes it pretty darn perplexing that Johnson has nothing to say now and some council members are talking about appealing the EEOC rulings.

But we really don't know any more than we did before. What specific complaints did EEOC investigate? Which did it find had merit and which didn't? If EEOC supports only six out of 32 officers who filed complaints, does that mean it ruled against the other 26? Or are those investigations simply not finished yet? And what actions, if any, has the city taken in response to alleged discrimination? If an officer was denied a promotion on account of his race, for example, has he now been given that promotion? Has the officer who received the promotion he didn't deserve been demoted?

Our fearless leader, Allen Johnson, will be looking into all this for a possible editorial next week and would welcome ideas.

For tomorrow, I'm going to put together an editorial on the hits and misses of the finally adjourned General Assembly session, and Ken Irons will write about the needed toughening of procedures for dealing with people who speed like maniacs on our highways and too often get off with a slap on the wrist.

Greensboro's Joey Cheek is fearless on the ice and off. Last week he entererd the Chinese embassy in Washington with petitions urging Beijing to pressure Sudan on the Darfur issue.

Cheek is an effective crusader for the people of Darfur, a region in Sudan beseiged by government-backed guerrillas. China supports the Khartoum regime, and has been holding back efforts to push for U.N. intervention.

The U.N. Security Council last week finally voted to commit a "hybrid" U.N.-African Union military force to Darfur, but apparently with so many limitations that its ability to accomplish much is questionable.

We like Joey Cheek and applaud his activism. The United Nations ought to care as much. Although we don't write about international issues that often, Cheek's role in events related to Darfur gives us an entree into this subject.

Also this week, we'll begin a series of editorials about Greensboro's mayoral race. We'll start with vision statements by Yvonne Johnson and Milton Kern. Offering a compelling vision is the first step in leadership. We'll follow up with a new topic each week or so throughout the campaign.

Ken and I held a brief meeting this morning to set tomorrow's editorial lineup.

First will be Allen's piece about Darfur, discussed on yesterday's post. Ken will write a secondary edit about this week's heat wave.

I'll start working on a Sunday piece about Stanley Battle's agenda at N.C. A&T. We interviewed Battle recently and will print excerpts of that interview on our Ideas front Sunday. I've also done a video interview with the new chancellor, which will be up on our Web site later this week.

You might wonder what happens to some of the editorials mentioned on this blog that you haven't seen in print. We like to squirrel away some editorial acorns that we can pull out in lean times. We'll have a little less time for writing starting next week when we kick off a series of editorial board interviews with City Council candidates. So far we've scheduled two interviews a day every day, except Fridays, for three weeks. And that's only getting the candidates involved in primary elections.

If you have questions you think we should ask as campaign season heats up, please let us know.

We wanted to stand up and cheer for Barry Bonds in our Editorial Board meeting this morning, but we just weren't juiced up enough.

Some of us also love the game of baseball too much.

Let's give credit where it's due: Bonds battled pitcher Mike Bacsik of Allen Johnson's beloved Washington Nationals to a full count before blasting his record 756th home run into deep right-center at San Francisco's AT&T Park last night. The man can hit, and always could -- long before he was alleged to have bulked up with steroids or other performancing-enhancing drugs. Yes, he dramatically improved his power numbers late in his career, definitely an unnatural phenomenon. As a result, many fans will hold him in contempt and never accept the legitimacy of his accomplishments. They're entitled.

But in what context should we place Bonds? Among his generation of sluggers, he stands out only as the most proficient. Should his 2001 single-season mark of 73 home runs be erased? That would leave Mark McGwire as the record-holder. He's tainted, too. Get rid of him, and you're looking at Sammy Sosa, another suspected juicer.

Athletes look for all kinds of ways to improve their abilities or gain a competitive edge. Heck, during my distance-running days at Carolina, I gave hypnosis a shot (it didn't make up for being too slow). What's fair and what's cheating? Innovative training methods? Dietary supplements? Energy drinks? Altitude tents? Surgery to improve vision? Blood transfusions? Stimulants? Hormones? Genetic engineering? Does it matter?

He may not get into all this, but lifelong Chicago White Sox fan Ken Irons is writing about Barry Bonds for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's editorial lineup includes a look back at the precocious 7-year-old who tried to defend her mother against a convenience robber.

Our take on the incident, which made "Good Morning America": Don't do this at home, kids

As heartwarming and charming as the story of Alisha Williams was, it could have ended horrifically. The man , who has since been arrested, turned at pointed a gun at her.

Thanks goodness he didn't shoot.

One of the topics we'll discuss at this morning's meeting is the mega-project that could locate downtown. Maybe. Possibly. If we wish hard and cross our fingers.

The interesting thing about each chapter is the additional detail. Now we know more about the possible locations and the possible components, including a four-star hotel and conference center. The tallest building would be 18 stories.

How hopeful should we be? How real is at all? What, if anything meaningful, can we write about it?

We also agreed in this morning's meeting that we were favorably impressed by the turnout and the overall substance of the district candidates' forum sponsored Thursday night by the Neighborhood Congress. It's a strong start to what ought to be an unusually lively and competitive city election.

Among the issues that surfaced Thursday night were:]

1. The comprehensive plan. How closely should the City Council follow it?
2. Should Greensboro adopt a "strong mayor" form of government?
3. The gang problem. Most candidates agreed that there is one.
4. Developer and real estate influences on the council. Candidates were split.
5. Term limits: Candidates also were split on whether the council terms should be capped.
6. Police staffing. They uniformly agreed that theren't aren't enough police but didn't agree on how to pay for more.

District 4 Councilman Mike Barber’s suggestion that the city dump its Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise program to fund a police gang unit.

Meanwhile, we begin the first of 33 candidate interviews for the city elections next week. This is a departure from previous elections when we've conducted group interviews.

Here is our schedule thus far:

Aug 13, 11 a.m. -- Joseph Rahenkamp (AL, or at-large)

Aug. 13, 1 p.m. -- Robbie Perkins (AL)

Aug 14, 11 a.m. -- Donna Riechmann (AL)

Aug. 14, 1 p.m. -- Joe Venable (AL)

Aug. 15, 11:30 a.m -- Joel Landau (AL)

Aug 15, 1 p.m. -- Kevin Green (AL)

Aug. 16, 11 a.m. -- Charles Coffey (Dist. 1)

Aug. 16, 1 p.m. -- Joe Wilson (Dist. 3)

Aug. 20, 11 a.m. -- Bill Knight (AL)

Aug. 20, 1 p.m. -- Angela Carmichael (Dist. 5)

Aug. 21, 11 a.m. -- Mary Rakestraw (AL)

Aug. 21, 1 p.m. -- Sandy Carmany (Dist. 5)

Aug. 22, 11 a.m -- Gary Nixon (Dist. 3)

Aug 22, 1 p.m. -- Janet Wallace (AL)

Aug 23, 11 a.m. --Tonya Clinkscale (Dist. 1)

Aug. 23, 1 p.m. --Trudy Wade (Dist. 5)

Aug. 27, 11 a.m. -- Berkley Blanks (Dist. 3)

Aug. 27, 1 p.m. -- Dianne Bellamy-Small (Dist. 1)

Aug. 28, 11:00 -- Cyndy Hayworth (Dist. 3)

Aug. 28, 1:00 -- James Carpenter (Dist. 1)

Aug. 29, 11:00 -- Sidney Gray (AL)

Aug. 29 , 1:00 --Greg Woodard (AL)

Aug. 30, 11:00 --Sandra Anderson Groat (AL)

Aug. 30. 1:00 -- Greg Woodard (AL)

Sept. 4, 11:00 -- Luther Falls (Dist. 1)

Sept. 4, 1:00 -- Zack Matheny (Dist. 3)

If there are questions or issues you'd like the candidates to address, please let us know.

Checklist for your college-bound kid:

Linens, towels, toiletries, refrigerator, computer, desk lamp, handgun & ammo, tennis racket, easy chair, toaster ...

Wait a minute. Something not quite right there? We think so, too. The movement in favor of letting (properly licensed) students carry concealed handguns on college campuses in Virginia strikes us an approach that could do more harm than good. What's your view?

On another subject, we're certainly interested in the Downtown Greenway proposal, but the potential cost of $20 million to $40 million over 10 years to make it happen is staggering.

If that much money could be raised for big projects, could it yield more value for Greensboro by, say, completing the International Civil Rights Center and Museum and building a first-class competitive swim facility?

Greensboro already has a good system of greenways, and the downtown area is already pedestrian-friendly. Certainly, improvements are possible and many are planned. But it's all about priorities.

What are we missing here?

Ken and I devoted most of our discussion this morning to the Tolly Carr sentence of 25 to 39 months in prison, plus a suspended sentence of 16 to 20 months, a $10,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and five years probation.

Carr's status as a former TV anchorman did not let him escape hard time. Considering that Carr had no previous record, the sentence by Judge John W. Smith hit the target. The legislature clearly intended for people guilty of felony death by motor vehicle to go to prison.

Some may say the punishment should have been more severe. But the law doesn't intend that drunken drivers be charged with second-degree murder. Carr hasn't gotten off easy. He'll carry this for the rest of his life -- and he could spend more time in prison if he violates what surely will be strict terms of probation. Prospects of resuming a TV career may not be very good.

And we can't forget that he also faces a civil suit. After pleading guilty in court yesterday, he has virtually no defense against that.

Nothing can compare to the cost of victim Casey Bokhoven's life. Nothing can erase that tragedy. Nothing can excuse Carr's actions. But would anything be gained by even harsher punishment? It seems to us that justice is being done.

What do you say?

We welcomed Elma Sabo to our Editorial Board meeting today -- a great moment for Allen, Ken and myself as we've unfortunately been an all-guy's club since Tracie Fellers left to pursue her career as a fiction writer and teacher a couple of months ago.

Elma was helpful right away in bringing a mom's perspective to the toy recall issue, which she'll be writing about.

Elma has written editorials for the N&R before -- and she's an excellent writer -- but in recent years she's been our Sunday Ideas editor. She'll continue in that role a couple of days a week and contribute to the editorial page the rest of the time. With Elma stepping up, Ken will resume a part-time schedule next week. He's been laboring with us five days a week since Tracie's departure, pulling us through the dog days of editorial writing.

Ken's writing about the Wyndham for tomorrow, when the tournament tees off. It's run into some bad luck. Heck, you know you're unlucky when your pro-am stars, like Dean Smith and Kyle Petty, drop out because of injury. Worse, defending champ Davis Love III also withdrew for health reasons. And the first couple of days out at Forest Oaks are going to be really, really hot.

This is an important event for Greensboro, so we hope it's a success despite some setbacks and difficulties. And no reason it can't be. On one level, it's about the game, not the names. Fans can still see first-rate competitive golf, and it's likely that some good story lines will emerge once the players tee off.

In the meantime, we've got more candidate interviews to conduct. Talk about a competitive field!

We haven't weighed in yet on Guilford County Schools' proposed revision of its Community Use of School Facilities policy, but Elma volunteered at our meeting today to look into it. There's that parents' perspective again.

The revised policy is more restrictive. Is that necessary for security or other reasons in today's environment, or does it push legitimate and beneficial groups from facilities that belong to all of us?

My college is better than yours.

U.S. News & World Report says so.

Does that win the argument? Do the magazine's much-publicized but increasingly controversial rankings really provide a reliable guide to the quality of the nation's institutions of higher learning? Should you and your college-bound kids pay attention when deciding where to apply and enroll?

The answers to those questions, it seems to our Editorial Board, are: no, not necessarily and why not?

Before going further, we'd have to congratulate Duke, Carolina, Wake Forest, Elon, Davidson and High Point, North Carolina schools that ranked highest in their categories. Their boosters probably think there's a lot of value to these ratings.

But if we're all honest about it, we'd have to acknowledge drawbacks. U.S. News paints with a broad brush. There's no way, based on its manipulation of various statistics, to capture the likely experiences that students will find on each campus. While it's easy for anyone to recognize the academic quality at Duke, that doesn't mean every student there will receive a better education, or derive more value, than he or she could get at a lesser-ranked school. Certainly, not every department at Duke is better than every department somewhere else. Not every Duke professor is more professionally accomplished, or a better teacher, than every professor elsewhere. Besides, don't they take into account how many games the football team won last year?

There are a lot of college guides and rankings in addition to this one. They all have strengths and weaknesses. What's a parent to think? We'd say read them for the information that seems important but with some skepticism. Do plenty of independent research. Try to find out how well graduates have done. Visit each campus and get a feel for the place. And hope for the best.

What's your experience with colleges and your advice for high school students and their parents?

Oh, yeah, and why isn't my college better than yours?

Today's highlight for your N&R Editorial Board will be a tour of the Greensboro Urban Loop led by transportation officials.

This may launch us on a look at state and area transportation needs. The tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis prompted national discussion about infrastructure. In North Carolina, we're not replacing substandard bridges quickly enough or keeping highways in acceptable condition. How can we afford to do better on that front and still build the new roads we'll need to meet future demand?

We'll try to keep our heads from spinning as we ponder those questions on today's big roundabout.

Meanwhile, Allen is writing about drunken driving and how to get a handle on it. The laws have been toughened and the problem persists. Education, treatment and enforcement have to be part of the solution, but it begins and ends with personal responsibility.

We'll also, ahem, put into print an editorial that prematurely was posted on our Web site. We know online publication is fast, but it's not supposed to be that fast.

Greensboro's tightening the tap. Your use of lawn sprinklers or irrigation systems will be limited to one day each week.

That may burn residents who simply must have a green, green lawn even during a long dry spell.

Turn 'em in.

Yes, we're advocating snitching. After all, water belongs to everyone, and the faster supplies are depleted the sooner more stringent restrictions will be imposed on everyone.

In the past, the city has sent water police to patrol neighborhoods looking for violators early in the morning when people like to water their lawns. The same enforcement measures will be required this time. But citizens ought to help.

We would recommend that first they try the neighborly approach: "Say, Bob, I notice you've watered your lawn every day this week. Don't you know about the restrictions?" If Bob tells you to jump in the lake, then you can rat him out -- before there's no lake to jump into.

Anyway, that's an angle we're exploring. What would you say?

Now, about pit bulls. Reports keep coming about dangerous, aggressive behavior by pit bulls. Is there a public policy response?

I've launched a discussion over at my blog about New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram's directive yesterday to state, county and local law-enforcement agencies. She wants officers, when there is reason to believe someone arrested for a serious criminal offense, including DWI, may be an undocumented immigrant, to alert federal immigration officials, the prosecuting agency and the judiciary.

I am checking with N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper's office for find out whether he thinks a similar policy might be needed in North Carolina.

On another subject, Ken is looking into campus safety issues. Yesterday, Virginia Tech issued a report related to the April 16 shootings. The UNC system also has come out with some recommendations related to campus safety (apparently not available on the system Web site). I'm sure Ken can dig it out and write some good analysis.

What do you think would make college campuses safer?

As you know from news reports published Sunday and today, a new audit points out financial improprieties at N.C. A&T.

The findings largely echo information in an A&T internal audit Lanita Withers reported on back in May. However, the new report from the N.C. Auditor's Office seems to contain more detail, including the conclusion that $380,000 from a vending contract, which should have been used for scholarships and student aid, instead went into a chancellor's discretionary account and paid for such things as travel expenses for the wife of then-Chancellor James Renick.

Renick, who now works for the American Council on Education, has declined to speak with the media. He needs to be a lot more cooperative with investigators -- and his new employer should insist on it. At the same time, Renick's defenders here in Greensboro have every right to stand up for the former chancellor. Renick hasn't been charged with misconduct, much less convicted of doing anything wrong.

Fortunately, the UNC system administration, former Interim Chancellor Lloyd Hackley and new Chancellor Stanley Battle have made cleaning up these problems a top priority.

Also down and on his way out is Alberto Gonzales, the embattled U.S. attorney general who finally announced his resignation today. We'll have some commentary about that.

What's the best gang plan? Greensboro City Council is looking at two options.

Both call for a new gang unit. One would draw from existing resources in the department. The other would add to police manpower, apparently at a cost of more than one million dollars to taxpayers.

In the background is the fact that police patrol divisions already have dozens of vacancies. Will overall police coverage decline for the sake of a new concentration on the gang problem no matter which way the city goes?

This is the time to address crime/gang/public safety issues. Just about all the City Council candidates we've interviewed so far put those issues at the top of their priority lists. If they're in tune with citizens, then the people of Greensboro want more done to make this city safer.

How? And at what cost? Should taxes be raised, or should funding be diverted from less urgent needs?

Our Editorial Board strongly supports completion of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. Leaving that historic landmark in its present condition is an embarrassment for Greensboro and simply unacceptable.

So, we are encouraged that a new opportunity may have presented itself to raise the additional money needed to get the job done.

But it would require $1.5 million from the city.

That's a lot of money, but it could pay big dividends. The museum would be a great asset for downtown, not only in terms of the people it could draw to Greensboro but for its historical significance.

The issue may be politically sticky for the City Council because voters twice have said no to bond proposals for the museum, including last year. But this is for a smaller amount of money, and if it completes funding for the project we think there's strong justification for going forward.

What do you think?

On my tree stump yesterday, I applauded Gov. Mike Easley for slapping down a really bad incentives deal slipped through the legislature this summer.

We talked about that this morning, and about the governor's proposed American Productivity And Competitiveness Act of North Carolina, which he plans to submit to the legislature next spring. Underneath its over-inflated title, the measure sets out some sensible parameters:

"Grants would be available to manufacturing facilities that require assistance to modernize in the state and that employ at least 1,500 workers in high-paying jobs in Tier 1 distressed counties. Companies receiving grants would be required to maintain current levels of company jobs, pay wages that equal or exceed 140% of the county average wage, and provide quality health insurance and benefits. They would also be required to maintain clean environmental and workforce safety records and not be delinquent on taxes owed."

One problem with the Goodyear deal that Easley vetoed was that the company actually could eliminate up to 750 jobs and still earn millions in incentives. Bad policy!

I think there also was something of a power struggle going on. The governor, through his Commerce Department, really needs to run North Carolina's economic development programs. The administration's authority and credibility are undercut every time the legislature -- at the behest of powerful senators or representatives -- makes special deals for this company or that.

We'll be working on this for an editorial next week.

Also on the radar: Older drivers and traffic safety. What are your observations?