News-Record.com

The state auditor finds a lack of monitoring by some Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils. Fortunately, Guilford County seems to be an exception.

North Carolina has a good approach to steering young people out of trouble. It needs to do a better job, however, of making sure its efforts work as well as they should.

Effectiveness and accountability are more important now than ever, with the state getting ready to funnel millions of additional dollars to gang-prevention programs.

The state requires each county to have a Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, which allocates funds to local agencies that provide services for youth considered at risk of delinquency or referred by the court system. Council members include judges, commissioners, police officers and a diverse array of community representatives.

It’s smart for the state to let local experts choose community resources to meet the needs of their own population. At the same time, accountability matters. It’s essential to get results from every dollar invested.

A report from the Office of the State Auditor casts doubt. It examined a sampling of county councils — not including Guilford’s — and found a lack of monitoring of funded programs by both the local councils and the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

“Weak JCPC monitoring procedures may allow programs to receive funding without providing services of the quality and quantity outlined in the program agreement,” the audit stated. “Monitoring helps determine which programs are successful and whether limited funds are spent wisely.”

The Department of Juvenile Justice essentially agreed with the auditor’s findings and said it’s taking steps to do better. It should.

Guilford County seems to be a step ahead. It already follows the state’s monitoring guidelines, Beverly I. Williams, the county’s coordinated services manager, said Wednesday.

“Monitoring has always been inherent here,” she said. One reason: The service providers are generally United Way agencies, which are held strictly accountable by that private funding organization.

Guilford County’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Council reviews agencies’ performances annually and considers assessments by juvenile court counselors before awarding funds, Williams said. The process is competitive.

This year, about $1 million from the Department of Juvenile Justice has been awarded to agencies, including Youth Focus, Family Service of the Piedmont, One Step Further and The Guilford Center, to provide intervention services for young people already in the legal system.

“Our goal is to cut down on recidivism,” Williams said.

Despite local matching funds and grants from other sources, there’s no money left for prevention programs, Williams added. Too many young people are already in trouble.

That’s why every dollar has to count and why every agency spending dollars must be held accountable for results. The state should make sure money goes only where it gets results.

Maurice Green is a lawyer by training, not a teacher. That doesn’t sit well with some critics, who thought the Guilford County school board should have selected an experienced educator as the next superintendent.

Green makes it clear, however, that he’d like to spend time teaching in Guilford County classrooms.

There’s one small problem, which Green noted when asked at a public meeting in Greensboro last week whether he’d consider substitute teaching.

“Absolutely,” he said. But he added that superintendents are prohibited by state law from teaching.

Green, who served as general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools before becoming deputy superintendent there two years ago, knows his stuff.

N.C. General Statute 115C-272(a) says: “The superintendent shall not teach, nor be regularly employed in any other capacity that may limit or interfere with his duties as superintendent.”

Green expressed a desire to get into the classroom anyway.

“As for how to deal with that statute,” he said in an e-mail to the News & Record, “I don’t think it would prohibit a superintendent from assisting a teacher (especially on a limited basis) so long as the superintendent is not the teacher of record for the students. In any event, I am very interested in working with teachers in such a role.”

The law clearly is meant to make sure a superintendent devotes full attention to his or her primary responsibilities, which are tremendously demanding in a district as large as Guilford’s.

Yet, relating directly to teachers and students in a classroom setting can be very helpful to Green as he learns about this system, the challenges teachers face and the needs and interests of his most important customers: the students.

That kind of involvement won’t interfere with his duties but help him perform them better. As a good lawyer, Green is on the right track around an overly restrictive law.

The case of a former Alamance library worker underscores the complexity of illegal immigration and the need to revise immigration policy.

Marxavi Angel Martinez used to assist patrons at the Graham Public Library in Alamance County. Now she sits behind bars facing immigration charges.

Martinez, 23, was brought to this country from Mexico when she was 3 by her parents, who overstayed their visa. Martinez’s husband also has been arrested on immigration charges.

Martinez faces federal charges, including identity theft for using a dead man’s Social Security number. Her case, complicated even more by her 1-year-old, is worthy of a modern-day Solomon, and we’ll let the immigration judge decide it. But her situation shows why U.S. immigration policy needs revising.

Cases like Angel Martinez’s are the result of policy that is contradictory and ineffective. For many years, the nation haphazardly combatted illegal immigration, thus encouraging illegal immigrants and their employment. At the same time, it restricted access to legal immigration channels.

But things seem to be changing.

By defeating an immigration reform bill in Congress last year, opponents sent the message that more enforcement was needed before they would consider reform. The message seems to have been heard. Stepped-up enforcement against illegal aliens and their employers has caused the U.S. illegal immigrant population to drop by 11 percent in the past year, according to a new report by the Center for Immigration Studies. While a slowing economy has been a factor, the center reports that the decline began before the economic downturn.

Tough enforcement might seem heartless, but it is a necessary step toward ending the still-pervasive notion that it’s OK to enter this country illegally. It isn’t. It doesn’t benefit any of us to have millions of people living here whose first act in the country was to break one of its laws.

The lax attitude also isn’t good for the lawbreakers. Illegal aliens exist in a shadow world of limited opportunity that can lead to them being taken advantage of.

Only when strong enforcement has established that illegal entry won’t be tolerated can the United States increase immigration quotas. Only then can Congress consider such measures as the DREAM Act, which would allow those brought here illegally as children the chance to apply for citizenship if they live in the United States several years, finish high school and show “good moral character.”

The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants, not a nation of lawbreakers. Strict enforcement of immigration laws, plus a policy that provides more people the opportunity to legally enter this country, will help the nation hold on to this tradition.

A new law signed by Gov. Easley will help the state better cope with droughts. But North Carolina still needs a broader vision for water use.

The struggle of one High Point woman to decorate her yard with mulch rather than grass illustrates, in plain, front-porch terms, this state’s still-blissful attitude toward water use.

The mulch would save considerable water, not to mention the time, expense and pollution that come with mowing grass. But the woman’s homeowners association has been crystal clear in its response: Plant grass like the rest of us, or else.

The fact is, the state will need to seriously rethink the way it manages its water supply going forward, from whether Mary Fontaine ought to be able to use mulch in her yard to pricing, planning and conservation.

A new law, a new hope

Even as Gov. Mike Easley was signing a new law last week that gives his office and state officials broader latitude to cope with water shortages, the current drought was forcing communities to reimpose restrictions on businesses and residences.

The governor had asked for increased powers to manage statewide droughts, and he got most of them from state lawmakers.

The new law gives North Carolina governors the power to require local water systems to share their water with other regions, even when there isn’t a declared emergency. Under the law, state officials also can tell local systems to impose water restrictions but cannot tell them what those specific restrictions should be.

If those restrictions don’t meet the desired results, the state can order more severe measures.

That’s a promising first drop in the bucket. But in the long run, it’s hardly enough.

The new law will be most helpful in times of crisis, but growth, climate change and the likelihood of future droughts demand major rethinking in how we use water day to day, year-round, even when an emergency doesn’t loom.

Still thirsty for a vision

A pair of experts who are advising a legislative study of the issue say the state lets precious water flow through its collective fingers because of porous policies.

“Overall, it’s fair to say that we’re pretty inefficient when it comes to water use,” one of those experts, Richard Whisnant of the UNC School of Government, told The News & Observer of Raleigh.

Food for thought

Whisnant and Bill Holman, a professor in Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, particularly point to the lack of a big-picture vision in the state for the ongoing management of the state water supplies. Among some of the points they raise:

The state lacks specific goals for using water more efficiently. North Carolina already has a State Energy Plan, they say. Why not a similar master strategy for water conservation that sets clear measures of water use?

Many state water systems set prices that encourage consumption, not conservation. Greensboro recognized this problem several years ago and adopted tiered water rates. But Holman and Whisnant note that rates in 60 North Carolina communities reward those customers who use the most water.

The fact is, water is plenty cheap already. According to the UNC Environmental Finance Center, the median charge for a customer using 6,000 gallons of water a month in this state is four-tenths of 1 cent per gallon. At that rate, $5 will buy you 1,250 gallons of water. A 20-ounce bottle of water from a vending machine will cost you $1.25. Or 2,000 times as much as North Carolina water systems are charging.

Most water restrictions in the state tend to be imposed because they are easy to enforce, not because they are effective. For instance, restrictions on outdoor watering, they say, do little to reduce longer-term demand, even though they tend to command the most emphasis from city officials.

State building codes should be updated to incorporate new water-saving technology. Again, Holman and Whisnant compare the attention given to energy efficiency versus water efficiency in building plans and materials and in appliance choices.

There are other issues: The need to reclaim treated wastewater for nondrinking uses such as irrigation and cooling. The potential usefulness of water-metering devices indoors, in a format average people actually can understand and track. New landscaping approaches that look attractive but call for less watering.

The new state law is a hopeful first step toward more thoughtful and effective water policies. But we can do more. We have to.

Meanwhile, High Point’s Mary Fontaine looks wistfully at her endangered mulch — while the rest of us pray for rain.

Should adult illegal immigants who were brought to the United States as children be deported?

Tuesday's No. 2 editorial.

At least one Guilford County commissioner feels locked out of the tax department’s recent embracing of a lockbox payment system.

Linda Shaw makes a valid point. Apparently commissioners’ only heads-up to the significant procedural revision was buried in a routine communique from County Manager David McNeill back in March. That’s unfortunate, because the switch from labor-intensive in-house manual processing to a farmed-out lockbox system commonly used in the private sector looks like an efficient step in the right direction.

Tax payments previously sent to county offices in Greensboro and High Point now are mailed to a processing center in Charlotte run by Wachovia Bank. There’s also an online pay option.
Tax Director Francis Kinlaw predicts the change will save the county money by lowering labor costs and eliminating replacement of a $200,000 piece of equipment.

But beyond that, the details get a bit fuzzy. Unclear are the implications for the 23 employees who formerly handled 580,000 payments annually. Kinlaw says they now can spend more time answering the phone and processing other paperwork.

But Shaw and the rest of the board are entitled to know about the longer-range ramifications. Will the lighter workload eventually lead to fewer department jobs? Can time gained now be used to corral more tax delinquents and boost lagging county revenue?

Since a number of other counties in the state already have made the transition to lockbox collections, finding answers to those and other questions shouldn’t be all that difficult.

Kinlaw may report to the county manager, but commissioners still should be adequately informed of major changes. A timely update before the full board is in order.

Food for thought, quick and over easy

Not the main attraction

High Point City Council shifted its municipal elections to even-numbered years when more voters would participate. It definitely will see a large turnout this November.

But more High Point voters will have fewer choices on their city ballots. When filing concluded Friday, Mayor Becky Smothers and Council members Bernita Sims in Ward 1, Michael Pugh in Ward 3, Bill Bencini in Ward 4 and Chris Whitley in Ward 5 were unopposed. The seats in Wards 2 and 6, where incumbents are retiring, are contested. And there are four candidates for two at-large seats.

The shortage of competition is disappointing but hardly surprising. With so much interest in state and national races, challengers for local offices likely would find it very difficult to win voters’ attention.

Voting may be down in odd-numbered years, but wouldn’t local candidates prefer to be the main attraction?

The water’s just fine here

First, it was a shark scare.

Now a national study on the cleanliness of the nation’s beaches includes some disquieting details about the kind of unsavory stuff spilling into the tasty blue waves washing ashore.

The good news is that North Carolina is not one of them.

The state’s beaches rank among the cleaner ones, as do the beaches in neighboring Virginia.

Among all of the beaches rated in a study of pollution, only Alaska, New Hampshire and Delaware achieved better reviews for their water quality, the National Resources Defense Council noted.

Only 1 percent of the water samples collected at North Carolina beaches in 2007 violated public health standards, the NRDC report says.

Those pollutants generally come from bacteria contained in animal waste and sewage dumped from some boats directly into the ocean.

There is, of course, a flip side to the good news. One factor that kept North Carolina’s coast so pristine was the lack of runoff because the state has been so starved for rainfall.

For every gray cloud, there’s a blue sky lurking to make us miserable.

Not so fast

The Los Angeles City Council has supersized its objection to rising obesity rates. The council voted unanimously last week to impose a one-year ban on new fast-food restaurants in parts of that city.

We know, it sounds like a very California-like thing to do, but at least the intentions are good. The ban targets the poorest parts of the city, where few options exist beyond fast-food outlets and where obesity is especially rampant.

If approved by the mayor, the ordinance would put a moratorium on the construction of new fast-food outlets in a 32-square-mile area.

Would such a measure ever make it to Greensboro? Probably not, not only because it seems to overstep government’s role in a competitive business market but because the poorest parts of Greensboro don’t have very many fast-food restaurants.

Even unhealthy amenities are missing there, especially in east Greensboro.

Dog repays human kindness

A homeless dog rescued on the streets of New York while hobbling on only three legs may return the kindness of his human friends. And then some.

Veterinary surgeons at N.C. State have fitted the German shepherd mix, named Cassidy Posovsky, with an artificial leg designed to fuse into his bones.

The surgeons already have performed the surgery successfully on two cats, but it’s crucial to see if the procedure will work with a larger animal before moving on to human patients.

Kudos to the State surgeons and to Cassidy, whose restored ability to run on all fours would mean so much to countless numbers of wounded veterans and diabetics who have lost limbs to amputation.

Tuesday's lead editorial.

Tabloid allegations have trickled into mainstream media outlets concerning an alleged affair involving former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and a former campaign videographer.
But if those reports are as scurrilous and flatly wrong as Edwards contends, why does he dignify them by running away from them?

Here is what we know: The National Enquirer has reported that Edwards, a Democrat, had the affair and fathered a child as a result. “SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD!” a headline screamed in blazing red letters two weeks ago.
Considering the source, who knows what’s true? Is part of it? None of it?

Meanwhile, some bloggers have instantly assumed the reports to be correct and have wondered out loud why others haven’t followed suit in excoriating Edwards as a shameless philanderer.

But fairness and common decency call for separating fact from fiction before passing any judgment, if there’s any judgment to be passed. Even though the Enquirer isn’t as reckless and far-fetched as it once was, The Washington Post or New York Times it definitely isn’t. Getting sued for getting things wrong still is de rigueur there — a cost of doing business.

Edwards has described the report as tabloid trash and “completely untrue,” as has the woman, Rielle Hunter, 44. A former campaign fundraiser for Edwards, Andrew Young, a married father of three, stepped forward in December 2007 and said he was the father of the child, whose birth certificate still lists no father.

The Enquirer reported on July 21 that Edwards had been spotted entering Hunter’s room in a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel. When reporters confronted him, the Enquirer contends, Edwards sought refuge in a basement rest room and had to be escorted out by hotel security.

Edwards has since been cool to reporters, whose questions he avoided twice last week after a speech in Washington.

This has been a difficult story to pin down because the Enquirer is hardly a paragon of journalistic integrity. The allegations are especially sensitive because Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, is battling an incurable form of cancer.

That said, Edwards isn’t helping his cause by not standing up to the charges and by playing hide-and-seek with reporters. From a personal and political standpoint, this situation merits more than Edwards ducking into a car and saying, “Sorry.” While responding to rumors can validate them, this story has spiraled to the point that Edwards needs to say something.

Yes, Edwards already has denied the reports before as “false” and “ridiculous.” But in light of these latest allegations, it wouldn’t hurt for him to say so again.

As a man who has waged two campaigns for president and might well have been vice president, Edwards should clear the air and set the record straight.

Wednesday's lead editorial.

When political opponents trade TV attack ads, it isn’t pretty. But at least the candidates accept responsibility for them.

Not so when it comes to intervention by little-known outside organizations that spend potentially unlimited amounts of money to help or hurt one side or the other.

Two groups trying to influence North Carolina’s gubernatorial race emerged last month. The first was a political action committee formed and funded by the Republican Governors Association, which collected large donations from businessmen from across the country. Only a few days later, the “Alliance for North Carolina” set up shop with a Web site, a Raleigh mailbox and enough out-of-state money to launch attack ads against Republican candidate Pat McCrory.
The campaign of Democrat Beverly Perdue denounced the meddling by the Republican group, while McCrory’s campaign decried the involvement of the Alliance for North Carolina, which is connected to Democrats.

Voters should wish a pox on both. North Carolinians don’t need ill-mannered outsiders telling them how to choose their governor.

Unfortunately, more of this is coming. Known as 527 organizations for the IRS rule that authorizes them, these groups have more of a free hand since a federal appeals court struck down a restrictive North Carolina law in May. Now, instead of limits on individual contributions to 527s, anything goes. Donors can give as much as they want.

Some rules still apply. These groups have to disclose some information about themselves, although not enough about where they get their money. And they can’t coordinate their activities with candidates. Nevertheless, candidates should ask them to butt out.

During the primary campaign, Democratic rivals Perdue and Richard Moore traded TV attack ads. Their exchanges did neither one much credit — and voters could blame both of them for sullying the political climate. Finally, Perdue called a halt and focused on positive messages until May 6. The voters seemed to reward her, as she won going away.

She and McCrory should heed the lesson. So should other candidates in similar circumstances. While they aren’t directing efforts by 527s, they can be associated with their messages. They should disavow false and unfair attacks on their opponents and demand that the sponsoring organizations desist. Otherwise, it should be assumed that they approve of them.

There’s only so much that laws can or should do to limit political speech. The real issue is accountability. The public deserves to know who’s behind these shady organizations and which candidates stand with them.

Wednesday's No. 2 editorial.

North Carolina’s updated law dealing with school bus and DOT truck tire retreads could use some pumping up.

Conveniently ignored is a $110,000 state-commissioned study recommending that state tire-retreading business go to the lowest bidder without regard to the process used.

That questionable concession benefits White’s Tire Service of Wilson, which almost always uses a different process than its competitors. Most retreaders apply a new tread cap while White encapsulates the tire in rubber, obliterating sidewall information.

The study by an acclaimed tire researcher concluded that White’s more expensive method made no difference in customer satisfaction, quality or performance. The findings came on the heels of a state auditor’s report saying that White’s, which has held the state contract for years, consistently overcharged for tire repairs.

Despite those red flags, the rewritten law still allows state agencies and local school boards to specify White’s more expensive tire-retreading process. Such latitude hardly is justified.
There is, however, one small victory. Spot repairs, performed by White’s at an average cost of up to $36 per school bus tire, no longer will be allowed. The state auditor’s report had called those charges excessive.

State Rep. Nelson Cole of Rockingham County, who has led the uphill battle for retreading reform, may try again next session to close loopholes. For now, taxpayers can and should demand more accountability.

School systems that continue to use White’s costlier retreads rather than buying equally good products from competitors should be made to justify the additional expense.

Rising fuel costs alone should persuade schools and state agencies to get the most cost-effective deal without compromising safety or performance.

Thursday's lead editorial.

For a growing number of government workers “TGIF” is now “TGIT.” This week, 17,000 Utah state employees began working four 10-hour days and taking off Fridays.

In North Carolina, Wayne County is shifting workers to a Monday-Thursday, extended-hour schedule as a cost-cutting and convenience measure. Mecklenburg is leaning in a different direction, with a possible four-day staggered work week that still keeps county offices open on Fridays.

A few private employers also are examining scheduling options. Greensboro’s Replacements Ltd., for example, offers a four-day, 10-hour plan and one-day-per-week telecommuting from home.

At the same time, carpooling has taken off as long-distance commuters turn to the Internet to connect with fellow rush-hour travelers. And this summer, PART launched new bus routes in outlying Piedmont communities and opened park-and-ride lots.

As for shorter work weeks, besides saving money and gasoline, they tend to boost morale. Employees surveyed in 150 cities and counties nationwide offering four-day options like it a lot.
But the jury’s out as to whether closing on Fridays shortchanges customers or even results in significant savings. Complaints about poor service prompted Ohio officials to cut back on the number of employees working four-day shifts.

Staying open several hours longer may have only limited impact, particularly in the cold, dark winter months. Once their work day is over, people may be less inclined to visit a county or city office. Nor may others be easily convinced that they should start using the Internet to conduct what they see as personal business.

If service delivery complaints increase markedly, the savings from a four-day work week may not be enough to compensate for constituent discontent. The far-reaching Utah overhaul will save just $3 million out of an $11 billion state budget.

In fact, government agencies already engage in creative scheduling. Emergency responders, including firefighters, paramedics and police officers, are assigned to work based on peak-service demands. However, their nontraditional schedules improve coverage rather than hinder it.
The challenge is coming up with a plan that saves on energy costs but doesn’t drastically reduce services. Guilford County officials are doing their part by compiling and evaluating energy-saving alternatives.

With high fuel prices here to stay, the usual ways of doing business must change, and quickly. TGIT schedules could be part of an innovative, if complex, response. So, it’s worth keeping close tabs on Wayne County.

Thursday's No. 2 editorial..

State lawmakers have done exactly what they needed to do with a nonsensical rule that levied taxes on the free drug samples given by doctors to their patients. They flushed it.

A provision tucked into a property tax bill passed last week by the General Assembly overrides a ruling that penalizes doctors who help patients stretch health care dollars by dispensing the free samples.

Gov. Mike Easley signed the bill into law on Wednesday. Good for him and the rest of us.
Otherwise, doctors would have to pay property taxes on the free pharmaceuticals they give to their patients. This whole notion, of course, bordered on absurdity from the very start. But it was the law.

The state Department of Revenue in 2006 ruled that the free samples were “office supplies” rather than inventory because they were not for sale. That made them personal property, ergo, taxable.

Feeling compelled to obey the ruling, Guilford County Tax Director Francis Kinlaw in June had his department bill Greensboro’s Eagle Physicians and Associates for back taxes after auditors discovered the firm’s doctors didn’t list free drug samples on their tax returns from 2003 to 2007.

The resulting tsunami of outrage spilled from the medical community into the general public. The county was doing what to doctors and their patients?

Kinlaw subsequently wrote a News & Record op-ed to explain his position — that he merely was doing as he was instructed by the state.

Now the state presumably has fixed this problem and we’ll all feel better in the morning, now that the bill officially has become law.

To be sure, dispensing free drug samples is not a purely altruistic gesture. It helps drug companies market lucrative medications.

But it also performs a greater good for cash-strapped patients in an era of spiraling health costs. The General Assembly made a healthy choice and the governor has as well.

Friday's lead editorial.

It was hardly a shock that the skittish Chinese embassy this week would revoke the visa of former Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek. At the 11th hour. For no stated reason.

Cheek, the improbable speedskater from Greensboro, has made no secret of his opposition to China’s human rights policies, especially its tacit endorsement of government-sanctioned genocide in Darfur.

And China, meanwhile, has made no secret of its intentions to suppress political dissent during the Olympic Games there, which begin in earnest today.
Beijing may have scrubbed its streets and plastered smiley faces over its shameful human rights record, but it’s clear that the Chinese don’t want to talk about that. Nor do they want anyone else to.
That obviously includes Cheek, who has called upon fellow Olympians to speak up about human rights and whose organization, Team Darfur, he helped form expressly for that purpose. Cheek had been planning to spend two weeks in China before he was told Tuesday that his visa had been revoked. Chinese authorities said they wouldn’t give a reason for the move because they didn’t have to.

Stopping the carnage in Darfur has been a passion for Cheek since winning gold and silver medals in the 2006 Winter Games gave him a stage for that cause. More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been displaced in that western Sudanese region since 2003.

China is Sudan’s biggest oil customer and has made major investments there. If anyone has the leverage to press for reform in Sudan, it’s the Chinese.

At the very least, China could have asked for a truce in Darfur during the games, an Olympic tradition that dates back to ancient Greece. Cheek had hoped for such a gesture, not the thumbed nose he ultimately received this week. Ironically, Cheek likely would have been respectful to his Chinese hosts. His brand of advocacy consistently has been measured and graceful, calculated to engage, not to embarrass.

For its part, the International Olympic Committee responded to the snub with typical indifference and impotence. Armed with a full quiver of wet noodles, it merely shrugged. “He is a normal citizen in this case,” spokeswoman Giselle Davis said. “... and any citizen has to apply for a visa.”

Press Secretary Dana Perino said the White House would protest. Meanwhile, President Bush cited Chinese human rights abuses in a speech in Thailand Wednesday night. Then he proceeded to Beijing for the opening ceremonies, a trip he decided to make over protests that he shouldn’t, in light of those abuses. Read his lips. Not his itinerary.

So, as Cheek finds himself stranded stateside, the games begin. Amid the fanfare and the noble rhetoric about character and courage and commitment, this Olympics has added a not-so-new event: Smile. Play. Look the other way.

Friday's No. 2 editorial.

Back in 2001, incoming Gov. Mike Easley had to confront a crisis not of his own making. Despite a massive and unexpected revenue shortfall, he still was required by the state constitution to balance the budget.

But his decision to intercept millions of dollars earmarked for North Carolina state employee pension funds was the wrong way to accomplish that goal.

A ruling this week by the state Court of Appeals upholds an earlier Superior Court decision against the governor. Yet the battle may not be over. The state can and probably will appeal to the N.C. Supreme Court.

Even so, the appeals court ruling leaves no doubt that Easley acted improperly.
Diverting retirement funds, it concluded, clearly violates a 1950 constitutional amendment that prohibits loaning money from the retirement fund to the state.

“A balanced budget,” the ruling said, “could have been achieved in another way without diverting retirement system funds that have been afforded special constitutional protection.”
In fact, the amount withheld was less than three-tenths of 1 percent of the fund’s then-$43 billion total, and the money was paid back. But raiding retirement funds was widely perceived as violating a sacred trust.

The outcry was loud enough for Treasurer Richard Moore to suggest a constitutional amendment preventing governors from diverting such funds in future budget crises. However, in light of the appeals court ruling, such a move would be unnecessary and redundant.

Granted, Easley and his successors can find themselves between a rock and a hard place. The state constitution mandates a balanced budget, no matter the circumstances, but gives not a clue on how to do it.

But rather than zeroing in on easy targets like cash-cow state employee pension funds, governors should take the court’s advice and “seek a tax increase or cuts in state programs that don’t enjoy constitutional protection.”

Saturday's lead editorial.

Realizing he could run but not hide from the truth, John Edwards has owned up to “a serious error in judgment.”

The former North Carolina senator and presidential hopeful has admitted to a sexual relationship with a campaign worker, though not to fathering a child from that relationship.
By now, the admission is not all that surprising. After bobbing and weaving for weeks in futile attempts to evade reporters, Edwards had found himself with nowhere else to go. Literally.

While being chased last month by National Enquirer reporters in a Beverly Hills hotel, Edwards ultimately was cornered in a rest room. Maybe it occurred to him then how sad and hopeless the ruse had become.

After flatly dismissing Enquirer reports of his relationship with a former campaign videographer, Rielle Hunter, 44, as “tabloid trash,” Edwards was discovered meeting with her in that hotel, a visit he confirmed in an interview that aired Friday night on ABC’s “Nightline.”

Edwards admitted to a sexual relationship with Hunter.

He said he told his wife, Elizabeth, and other family members of the affair in 2006, though he also said he didn’t tell his wife of the July 2008 hotel meeting with Hunter.

Finally, he insisted he is not the father of Hunter’s daughter. He said he has not taken a paternity test, but added in a written statement that “I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby.”

A former Edwards aide, Andrew Young, has said the baby is his.
Edwards obviously had hoped the allegations would fade with time. Instead, the story gained more and more traction and began to raise doubts among party leaders about Edwards’ role in the Democratic Convention this month in Denver.

Now Edwards’ confession should effectively end any speculation over his potential role as a convention speaker. He should banish any thoughts, as well, of an outside shot as Barack Obama’s running mate. Or as a member of Obama’s cabinet.

As for his long-term political future, the damage isn’t irreparable. (Sad to say, such situations are not exactly uncommon, on either side of the aisle.) But it is serious. “You can’t lie in politics and expect to have people’s confidence,” Edwards’ campaign manager, David Bonior told the Associated Press Friday.

Not only have Edwards’ character and honesty been impugned, but his sense of common decency. He stressed during the ABC interview that his wife, Elizabeth’s, cancer was in remission at the time of the affair.

As if that made it any better.

Saturday's First Person column.

Regrettably, I know all too well the feeling of almost falling asleep at the wheel when driving on the highway for more than an hour or two. Even listening to the radio and singing so loudly that the windshield could crack any moment fail to relieve my weariness (but the two activities do pass the time).

And when I stare at the same stretch of road minute after minute on trips to Maryland to visit family, I can’t resist imagining at least a hundred things I could be doing instead of driving and spending more than $140 on the two tanks of gas it requires. But during one of these reflections, I realized that taking the train the next time I visited could rescue me from another seven-hour drive and further pain at the pump.

Even after upgrading to business class, I saved almost $40 by taking Amtrak recently as opposed to paying for the gas to drive.

It is true that the journey took an additional hour and a half, but I spent that time in comfort with my feet placed on footrests rather than gas and brake pedals and a novel in my hand instead of a steering wheel.

At any moment, I could glance out the window to witness beautiful countryside passing by without worrying about keeping an eye on the road.

According to the International Union of Railways, the United States trailed 14 other countries in passenger rail use in 2007.

Thus, it came as no surprise that when I stepped into the train terminal at the Greensboro Depot, I saw no more than 40 or 50 people over the course of an hour.

Yet Americans are constantly searching for solutions to the problem of skyrocketing gas prices when there is an alternative to driving in 46 states. Trains are never going to be the ultimate answer to the oil crisis, but for long-term travel they provide an option that is often less expensive, less trouble, and in my eyes, offers a more comfortable experience than driving.
Rather than endure another long car ride and painful gas expenses, why not catch the train instead?

You just might enjoy the ride.

— Rebecca Kabatchnick, editorial intern

Sunday's editorial.

As Jason Hardin’s front-page story shows, mixed-use development is making its mark on Greensboro. From Southside to the Village at North Elm, communities that combine a variety of uses are becoming more popular in the city. And with high gas prices now a permanent reality, it’s likely the trend will continue, as increasing numbers of people will prefer living in these neighborhoods.

Still, Greensboro is known more for its sprawl than walkability. The Smart Growth America study that ranked the city No. 2 on its U.S. sprawl index made sure of that. But Greensboro has walkable core sections that were built before much of the zoning that segregated housing from business and retail. As Sue Schwartz, the city’s neighborhood planning manager, says, “the city’s got good bones.”

Old Greensboro
In the last decade Greensboro has started showing off its older self — and showcasing the vibrancy that can come from mixed-use communities. Witness the transformation downtown, with its dynamic mix of shops, restaurants and residences. It was not too long ago that we were writing about the dearth of housing downtown. (Still needed, though, to make downtown truly livable, is a grocery store.)

Southside also is a tremendous success. Skeptics questioned the viability of such a project; now it’s viewed as a model of urban redevelopment. People call the city wanting to know how to create such a place in their towns. And Southside has spurred redevelopment in adjoining neighborhoods.

The truth is that mixed use abounds in Greensboro’s older neighborhoods, many of which maintain eclectic business areas. Think Elam and Walker in Lindley Park; Tate Street in College Hill.

What’s ahead?
While much of the 20th century brought Greensboro High Point Road and Wendover Avenue business strips and single-family housing developments, the 21st century is likely to bring projects that hark back to Greensboro’s earlier days.

As the city’s Schwartz says, “Greensboro grew ... and now we will have to spend time knitting things together again.”

That knitting already is taking place.

The city’s establishment of traditional neighborhood district zoning led to the mixed-use infill development projects that are helping downtown, Southside and other places thrive.

Mixed use also is a main part of Connections 2025, Greensboro’s comprehensive plan.
The city’s use of overlay districts help neighborhoods better control mixed uses.
The city also is focusing on building community in its neighborhoods built upon mixed use: those hosting colleges. It has directed a smart-growth grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Association toward that end. A May “university roundtable” city staff held with representatives from area universities, the neighborhoods surrounding them and developers got all parties talking with one another and envisioning the components of healthy town-gown communities. A report stemming from the roundtable should soon be released.

But even before the EPA’s grant the city already was taking steps to improve these communities. Reimagining the Lee Street/High Point Road corridor near UNCG has long been in the city’s scope. The city also has taken measures to make the area around N.C. A&T more friendly to student pedestrians. Street and landscape changes have calmed traffic, given the area more definition and make it more walkable.

One of the first ways today’s push for mixed use has shown itself is in the mixing of housing stock. A challenge remains in the incorporation of affordable housing into new mixed-use projects. Greensboro isn’t like Chapel Hill, where high house prices force many of its workers to live elsewhere. Still, affordable housing often isn’t a part of new mixed-use development. Willow Oaks, which contains single-family homes as well as subsidized housing, is an exception.

Mixing in the green
Want a look at how exciting 21st century mixed-use can be? Take a look at the condominium complex Somerset at Friendly, now under construction at Northline and Holden and with half of its 100 units presold. Its residents not only will be able to walk to the many stores, services and restaurants in the city’s beloved shopping area — but they also will have two of the city’s signature parks — the Bog Garden and the Bicentennial Gardens — almost at their door.
It’s likely that Greensboro’s extensive greenway and park system will spur other such development, as more people choose a walk to the park (and restaurant and post office) over big lots and lots of driving.

Who should John McCain and Barack Obama pick as their running mates?

Drought and politics
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that Gov. Mike Easley drought awareness ads cost North Carolina taxpayers more than $1 million — $1,152,000, to be exact.

The ads aired on television stations throughout the state in the spring.

You could quibble that Easley was promoting himself, since the governor appeared in the ads. That would be illegal, since state law says state money should not be used for an elected official to promote himself or herself for political purposes.

The law, however, does allow such appearances during states of emergency.

North Carolina was not in a state emergency when the ads aired. In fact, the governor has yet to declare a state of emergency related to the drought.

But we’ll cut Easley some slack in this case. The drought problems were severe and he needed to lead on that issue.

(We complained at one point that he should be doing even more in light of the worsening lack of rainfall.)

Plus, he’s in his final months of office and has no plans to run for anything else.

Then again, as more and more rains came, the ads didn’t ease up. Given the cost involved, maybe some of the ads should have been shelved and saved for a sunny day.

Triad tigers in Baghdad
The Baghdad Zoo has a Triad connection: Two Bengal tiger cubs arrived at the zoo a week ago from the Conservators’ Center, an animal sanctuary north of Mebane in Caswell County.

While both Iraqis and U.S. military appear delighted with the tigers, some animal-rights activists have spoken out against the cubs being in a country so prone to violence.

But the decision was not one the Conservators’ Center entered into lightly. It came, said co-founder Mindy Stinner, only after months of research into the area and the zoo and its staff.

The two cats — Riley and Hope — are also only on loan to the zoo, so the center could pull the animals out if it decided conditions aren’t up to par. (The center also provided Greensboro’s Natural Science Center its two tigers on a loan.)

Stinner says the center hopes to install equipment that allows visitors to the Caswell facility to see the Baghdad tigers and communicate with the zoo’s visitors. A field trip to the facility to learn about its work in Iraq and its other conservation efforts would be a good deal for area students.

Police to-do list
In a healthy first step toward increased morale and public confidence, a consultant’s report has pointed out the good and not-so-good in the Greensboro Police Department.

In a similarly promising second step, City Manager Mitchell Johnson’s office has compiled a hefty, 120-page to-do list of actions in response to the report, which said a number of very good things about the department, in addition to pointing out opportunities to improve.

But the third step may be the most difficult and most important: turning that document into tangible changes that address such issues as work schedules, promotions policies and procedures, personnel redeployment and plans for a new headquarters.

As Johnson said, this is one document that can’t gather dust on somebody’s shelf. “Don’t just stick it in your pocket and forget it,” he said.

Create clear goals and objectives. Add ownership and timetables.

And keep the people informed.

Two doors close ...
... But another opens.
City Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat shuttered her construction company in the wake of mounting bills and a flagging housing market.

Now another longtime builder, Pierce Homes, has been forced to close. Still, there was some good news amid all the gloom.

Habitat for Humanity broke ground on a new town home development, Arbor Court, in Eastside Park near Willow Oaks.

The $1.5 million development will provide affordable homes for 20 families. The multi-unit development represents a first for Habitat, a nonprofit which traditionally has built single-family homes.

It fills an important need and keeps the steady rebirth of a once-troubled neighborhood moving forward.

Tuesday's lead editorial.

Greensboro has a situation that many other cities would die for: It has a booming nightlife downtown. Instead of rolling up the carpets after 5, as many downtowns do, the city has rolled them out. And it’s not just the weekends that see the crowds; they’re also there some weeknights.

But now some downtown proprietors are worried that the scene could go bad: Specifically, there’s concern that at 2 or 3 a.m., when the bars close, drunken clubbers could create situations that harm them — and the image of the downtown.

These concerns are valid. Nobody wants the city to be the location for a 100-person fight. But the way some in the city want to address this issue seems misguided: Instead of thinking about posting more officers downtown to keep things in check and to prevent loitering, the focus has been on opposing any increase in sidewalk dining.

Some club owners want to be allowed to serve on public sidewalks during all their opening hours. Now the city limits dining on public sidewalks to 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m.-midnight on Friday, Saturday and holidays.

Opponents think extending dining hours might be the spark that incites a downtown riot. They say that clubs’ nighttime closings can put several hundred people, many drunk, on the sidewalks simultaneously. The police have all they can do to keep these people moving to their cars now, without having sidewalk furniture as impediments. They also say extending sidewalk cafes’ hours would mean more people for the police to patrol.

We can understand not adding kindling to a possibly explosive situation. But diners aren’t that kindling.

The most logical way to ensure order downtown would be to put more police on patrol there. Of course, that raises an important question: How would the strapped-for-cash city pay for them?
Why not get funds from clubbers? Many of downtown’s nighttime visitors are parking for free in the decks — decks that drivers in the day have to pay to use. If nighttime visitors paid to park, that could raise enough money to pay for more officers.

Also, the issue of extended sidewalk hours doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Why not a compromise between the two sides? The city could increase hours for dining but still require clubs to close sidewalk cafes an hour before last call.

Or, the city might even consider allowing bars to stay open until 6 a.m. Most clubbers would leave long before then and their departure would be gradual instead of all at once as happens now. That should help police with crowd control. There are many ways to keep the peace downtown besides targeting sidewalk dining.

Tuesday's No. 2 editorial.

Suppose a teacher promised students a reward for achieving an academic goal, then retracted the prize even though the kids reached their mark.

Pretty lousy teacher, right?

And a terrible lesson for children.

Actually, teachers are the victims rather than the perpetrators of just such an act of duplicity. They were notified last week that bonuses promised under the state’s ABCs testing program will be cut because the legislature didn’t appropriate enough money.

Teachers at schools whose students exceeded expectations on 2008 exams were due $1,500, but that amount will be slashed to $1,053. Bonuses of $750 for meeting expectations will shrink to $527.

Sure, legislators struggled to approve a budget without raising taxes. In addition, more schools posted better scores. The state was obligated to provide more bonuses at a time when less money was available. That prompted the decision to reduce the amount of each bonus.

The state’s solution to its problem was mathematically inevitable but morally indefensible. Promises should be kept, no matter what. It’s not an acceptable excuse to say we can’t afford to pay because the schools did better than anticipated. Legislators should have budgeted for the best so they could pay what was promised.

Instead, leaders in Raleigh have told teachers they don’t value the hard work of education as much as previously professed. It’s not worth $1,500 to exceed established academic goals after all, but only $1,053.

It may be that the bonus plan ought to be reconsidered. The state’s standards keep changing, and it’s questionable whether all teachers have a fair chance to qualify for bonuses.

But the rules for 2008 can’t be changed now. Commitments must be honored and the state should pay up.

Wednesday's lead editorial.

Saying enough was enough, Jorge Cornell stepped forward on June 30 and called for a truce among rival gangs.

Barely more than a month later, he was shot multiple times in front of a Greensboro apartment complex.

Fortunately, Cornell, state leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, survived the attack on Sunday night. So, it appears, has his commitment to peace.

During a news conference Monday, leaders of a local ministers group, the Pulpit Forum, said Cornell had ordered his gang not to retaliate for the shooting and restated his commitment to peace from his hospital bed.

“We’re still gonna progress with this. ... We’re still going to fight for this,” said the Rev. Nelson Johnson, who has worked with Cornell to arrange summit meetings among gang members. “We’re not going to stop.

“He shared that he is as committed as ever to continuing with the process of peacemaking.”
It was hard to know at first what to make of Cornell’s call for unity on June 30. Was it a ruse or an honest attempt to change things for the better?

Based on the actions that followed his words, Cornell meant what he was saying. Two meetings among gang leaders have occurred since that day. The July 23 session produced an agreement among local branches of the Latin Kings, the Almighty Black Peace Stone Nation, the Crips and the Five Percenters “to lay down violence and join us in working together for peace among us and within our community.”

According to a printed statement, the representatives agreed that they would clean up graffiti and “bring about more unity and understanding between Black and Brown people.” Some members of those groups attended Monday’s news conference.

Of course, the attack on Cornell raises obvious concerns: Was he targeted because he had spoken against gang violence? Did the incident involve members of a rival gang? Or was it completely unrelated to gangs?

Johnson opened Monday’s news conference by saying the shooting “appeared to be a negative reaction to the initiative for peace and unity.” He said Cornell had been placed under “a lot of pressure and scrutiny” since his peace appeal on June 30. But no one who attended Monday’s news conference said they could identify the attackers, and members of the Greensboro police’s gang unit said they had few leads. Cornell was cooperating with their investigation, police said Tuesday, yet he remembered little about the incident.

For his part, Johnson said he hoped the police would find Cornell’s assailants, but that his bigger concern was that the broader push for nonviolence would continue. Johnson added that his confidence in Cornell has only grown as he has worked with him in recent weeks.

Cornell, meanwhile, was in stable condition at Wesley Long Hospital. He, and the fragile hopes for gang peace in Greensboro, were wounded but, thankfully, still alive.

Wednesday's No. 2 editorial.

The Wyndham Championship’s opening ceremonies won’t be held until later today, but it already seems the latest incarnation of the golf event is a winning one.

Returning the tournament to its inaugural location at the historic Sedgefield Country Club in southwest Greensboro will better brand the event with golfers. And defining it as a Piedmont Triad event will boost regionalism.

Sedgefield is all about history. Its golf course was designed in the 1920s by the legendary Donald Ross. Many golf greats have played there. Sam Snead golfed there so often he began calling it “my second home,” while Sedgefield’s Tudor-style clubhouse is a veritable museum to golfing greats.

Now with Wyndham’s return, golfers worldwide will become familiar with Sedgefield’s history. A recent, wise course renovation adds to the allure. Greensboro golf course architect Kris Spence held to Ross’ design while incorporating advances in such things as grasses to provide a course that should prove both inspirational and challenging. The course itself is a big tournament drawing card, as the Wyndham is the only PGA Tour regular season tournament played on an original Ross course. Already, Wyndham players have given it their approval.
The Wyndham also should help golf fans from other areas learn more about the region.

Tournament participants are staying at Grandover, and the Wyndham’s choice of charities also educates about the Triad: It ranges from the Pettys’ Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman to the civil rights museum.

The participation of Richard Petty and Arnold Palmer in the opening ceremonies also should attract attention.

Who knows? Maybe the event will one day catch the eye of Tiger Woods, and he, too, will become part of Sedgefield and Wyndham history.

Thursday's lead editorial.

It’s now been five years since textile giant Pillowtex closed its doors, leaving more than 4,000 workers jobless in Rowan and Cabarrus counties. The massive layoff remains the state’s largest.

Bouncing back hasn’t been easy. However, there are hopeful signs. California billionaire and one-time Pillowtex owner David Murdock is rapidly moving ahead with his $1.5 billion technology center at the old mill site.

His vision calls for the N.C. Research Campus to focus on health and nutrition issues and includes hiring thousands of workers. An Atlanta-based consultant predicts that, by 2032, jobs at and related to the Kannapolis campus will employ 13,616 workers in Cabarrus and 4,520 more in Rowan.

Yet the same report warns that a lack of marketable skills, low education levels and limited learning opportunities prevent local job hunters from landing a fair share of those jobs. So far, only modest numbers of former Pillowtex workers have enrolled in state-funded retraining classes that would prepare them for new careers.

That mind-set needs to change. High school dropouts who followed parents and older siblings into the mills must realize that the classroom is the best path to 21st century jobs. No matter who gets them, the thousands of new high-quality jobs will benefit the region and state, but it will be a hollow victory if displaced local residents are on the outside looking in.

And unless there is a marked turnaround, that easily could happen. According to the consultants, community colleges in the area lack the capacity to train enough candidates for the anticipated high-tech work.

Even more troubling is the reluctance of laid-off workers to upgrade their educational levels. The study estimates that fewer than 25 percent of former Pillowtex workers have taken full advantage of low-cost community college classes to obtain diplomas or advanced degrees.
A Rowan-Cabarrus Community College facility to be located on the N.C. Research Campus will add needed class space. It is a $44 million commitment to biotech training that will pay dividends over the next 20 years.

Going forward often begins with looking through the prism of the past. And in the southern Piedmont, tobacco and textiles no longer rule. For downsized workers, accepting that as fact is the first step in moving on.

Murdock’s multifaceted research campus project offers a unique chance for economic redirection. But unless the local work force buys in, full potential can’t be achieved.
While the state can help by funding high-tech training, people who have lost out in manufacturing’s demise must now seize a rare opportunity.

Thursday's No. 2 editorial.

For a generation of college kids that thinks money comes out of a machine, having a credit card is a no-brainer. Parents, however, may have second thoughts as bills start rolling in and budding credit ratings take a hit.

When students invade campuses in a few days, they’ll be met with a barrage of enticing credit card come-ons. Some have the schools’ blessing. Kickbacks from banks for campus exclusives can seal such lucrative deals.

And a fertile market it is. A recent survey reported that 42 percent of college freshmen have credit cards. By senior year, the number jumps to 91 percent and four cards per student.
The more sobering statistic is the average card-related debt: $2,700. Falling behind on payments inevitably leads to steep penalties and weakened credit scores. Card issuers that always seem to hold the upper hand count on, and likely will get, parental bailouts.

A little prior financial planning is in order. Rather than credit cards, experts recommend debit cards that allow parents to keep closer tabs on students’ spending. The downside can be costly transaction fees.

But if a credit card’s the choice, shopping the Internet can result in a better deal than what’s usually available on campus. Experts say a credit card should never be used for high-dollar bills like tuition. There are lower-cost, longer-term options.

Finally, parents are advised against card co-signing that can result in paying off big debts they didn’t run up.

Legislation pending in Congress could prove helpful. It would require students younger than 21 and without jobs to get written parental approval to qualify for a credit card.

That makes sense. Parents should not give permission until their sons or daughters demonstrate financial responsibility. Those lessons should be learned well before college beckons.

Friday's lead editorial.

Community college leaders should have stuck to their policy barring illegal immigrants from enrolling in degree programs. Instead, meeting Thursday, they called for a study of the issue but in the meantime agreed to allow open enrollment.

“This study will be critical to our working out a reasoned policy on this hot-potato issue,” State Board of Community Colleges member Stuart Fountain of Asheboro said.

Unfortunately, the board ignored a reasoned statement from member Beverly Perdue: “I’m against allowing illegal immigrants who can never work legally in North Carolina to attend community colleges in North Carolina.”

No one else on the board wanted to handle the hot potato. Then again, no one else is running for governor.

Perdue, the Democratic lieutenant governor, has it right. While some argue that access to higher education affords better employment opportunities and promises to boost the state’s economy, such thinking ignores the inconvenient fact that federal law prohibits hiring undocumented workers.

Community college leaders are fooling themselves if they expect a study to clear away that and other obstacles.

Perdue’s opposition as governor would be formidable. The Republican candidate, Pat McCrory, also vows if he’s elected to overturn an open-enrollment policy.

Furthermore, a North Carolina congresswoman, Republican Sue Myrick of Charlotte, announced Wednesday she’ll introduce a bill to cut off federal funds for colleges and universities that knowingly admit illegal immigrants. Then there are more frequent crackdowns at companies that employ illegal immigrants. And, in Alamance County Wednesday, state troopers stopped a charter bus on its way to Mexico. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took into custody several people who weren’t suspected of any other criminal behavior but were deemed not to be legal residents. Proceedings were initiated that could lead to deportation.

The climate is not conducive to leniency for illegal immigrants.

It’s difficult to fault the intentions of leaders who want to open doors to students who, after all, are granted the benefit of a K-12 education and hope to better themselves through study at community colleges. But setting policies that conflict with the law isn’t wise. The only way to proceed should be by legal means. Colleges and universities that want to admit noncitizens should help them secure student visas. When they graduate, those individuals should seek the necessary documents to gain legal employment.

Meanwhile, Congress should try again to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that will better control our borders and employment issues but also provide a path for established immigrants who meet certain requirements to gain legal status — including the privilege of attending public colleges.

Those colleges should wait for a better time to welcome students who don’t yet belong.

Friday's No. 2 editorial.

Watching the widely disseminated amateur video of a confrontation between Greensboro police officers and an uncooperative suspect is like walking in on the middle of a movie.

Police officials correctly point out that to put the ugly incident in perspective viewers need to know what happened before the video was shot.

According to their version, two officers from the Police Community Response Center responded on the afternoon of June 19 to reports of shots being fired at Smith Homes. One of three men, identified as Charles Montgomery, reportedly ignored commands to stop. When officers grabbed him, he reportedly took out a handgun and then threw it to the ground.

Adding a weapon to the mix puts officers, suspects and bystanders at risk. Pepper spray, unfortunately, had little effect on a highly agitated Montgomery, who later was arrested.

What follows on the video is a slow-motion struggle that in the eyes of some viewers goes on far too long. One is City Council member Mary Rakestraw, who asks, “Why didn’t they get this guy to the ground?”

An internal investigation has determined the officers involved acted appropriately. Still, questions about excessive force persist because of the Web and television attention. Even if the incident didn’t involve excessive force, neither did it appear to involve textbook technique.

Chief Tim Bellamy and his staff might be well-served by shedding more light on this incident, as well as how officers are trained to respond to such potentially volatile situations.

Second-guessing how they do their thankless, dangerous job based on a shaky video is fraught with pitfalls. Yet public perception matters. Knowing more about what happened this time might help calm nerves and improve community and police relations.

Saturday's lead editorial.

This announcement hit us, frankly, like a Mack truck.

The manufacturer of big rigs will move its corporate headquarters to Greensboro and add muscle to the local economy.

This is good news in so many ways it’s hard to know where to begin.

Mack Trucks’ operations here will bring with them 493 jobs, at an average yearly salary of $73,800, or twice the average annual pay in Greensboro. Those jobs will include top executives, engineers and managers, as well as support staff and information technology specialists.

The company also will bring a precious commodity, a new corporate headquarters. The city has been especially hard hit by steep declines in the textile industry that have gradually thinned the ranks of home offices here. Corporate headquarters not only add jobs and prestige but the clout that comes from having CEOs as local residents who step forward to champion local causes.
Greensboro saw the flip side of that equation when Philadelphia-based Lincoln National acquired Jefferson-Pilot in 2006, a move that not only cost Greensboro its most iconic corporate headquarters, but JP CEO Dennis Glass, who had been an important player in civic affairs.

Ironically, this time Greensboro’s gain is Pennsylvania’s loss. Allentown had been home to Mack’s corporate headquarters since 1965. The company’s plans to relocate caught Pennsylvania officials by surprise, including Gov. Ed Rendell, who told the Allentown Morning Call he was disappointed his state didn’t have a chance to convince Mack officials to stay.
There’s no joy in Greensboro over Allentown’s pain. We’ve had our own share. But Mack does snugly fit into this area’s growing portfolio of transportation and logistics companies. It will split a campus with its sister company, Volvo Trucks North America, and will invest nearly $18 million into expanding that site.

Unlike other corporate arrivals, this one came quietly, and without the customary two-step over incentives. Mack sought no such sweeteners, though the state will provide the company with Job Development Investment Grants of as much as $8.5 million if it meets certain job-creation benchmarks.

Of course, Mack comes here as part of a restructuring in reaction to new emissions rules and a soft economy. It faces some of the same challenges confronting other companies in uncertain times.

But Mack reported a 14 percent increase in U.S. truck sales in the second quarter. And company executives obviously saw Greensboro as part of a longer-term solution.
The feeling is mutual.

Saturday's No. 2 editorial.

Downtown High Point is slow-paced and quiet most of the time, except during furniture markets.
Now another event promises to add traffic to the central business district — very fast traffic.

Furniture City Motorsports, a local nonprofit corporation formed earlier this year, wants to develop a series of races beginning as soon as 2010. Racetrack designer Chris Kneifel already has laid out a course that covers about 1.7 miles around furniture showroom buildings, City Hall and other downtown landmarks.

Those streets are jammed with 80,000 or more market visitors during April and October, but at other times activity is limited. City boosters continually look for events to fill in the gaps. A road race could be perfect, City Councilman John Faircloth said.

He’s right. Not only could streets be blocked with less inconvenience than other cities might experience, but this could be a big draw. People in the Triad are passionate about motorsports but don’t find as many races nearby as they’d like. Road courses are becoming more popular, and a layout amid High Point’s impressive furniture properties would be appealing. If successful, races could draw attract crowds and raise High Point’s profile and decibel level.
This is a bold idea that would take a big commitment to fulfill. But it’s worth pursuing. If the goal is to put downtown on a faster track between markets, what could work better?

Should illegal aliens be allowed to attend community colleges?

On Friday, the State Board of Community Colleges voted to continue the ban on admitting illegal aliens to North Carolina's community colleges while a study is done on the issue. What is your opinion? Should the ban be permanent, even for children brought here (albeit illegally) as toddlers?

Sunday's editorial.

What does it mean for Guilford County to go green?

That’s a topic that will be discussed a lot during the next three months, as the county has before it a draft plan of how it can best incorporate conservation and other environmental practices into county government and the larger community.

At a work session last week, the county commissioners voted to put the plan, drawn up by county staff with input from various sectors of the community, up for public review and comment for 90 days. The county hopes to have the plan, as well as a place for you to comment on it, on its Web site — www.co.guilford.nc.us — by today. (If not there now, it should be soon.)

Origin of the plan
Green Guilford grew out of the Green Government Initiative of the National Association of Counties. That initiative’s goal is to “assist counties with efforts to protect and improve the environment, especially through emissions reductions, while saving tax money and improving services.”

We’re glad they included the last two points. Any successful green program in Guilford County must be tied to efficient use of public money.

(The county staff seems to agree. The Guilford plan’s executive summary clearly spells out that cost-containment is a priority.)

Another good sign about the national initiative is its diverse group of sponsors. They include the U.S. Green Building Council, The Real Estate Advocacy Group for States, the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, Office Depot, Waste Management and Walmart. In other words, there’s no room for saying that this is a project conceived by environmental radicals.

Guilford plan
Robert Bencini, the staff person who spearheaded the Guilford plan, stresses that its overall purpose is to provide a framework for county policy. He also is quick to point out that the report obviously would not supersede the commissioners’ authority. They would still hold the county’s purse strings.

Guilford’s draft plan is divided into two parts. The first takes a look at 10 areas within or affected by county government, including vehicle management, purchasing and county operations, mobility, open space protection and soil and water conservation. Each area has objectives and strategies. Much of this section pulls together work the county already has done.

But the report still has plenty that will stir debate. Here are a few items that will likely draw comment:

-- One hundred acres of land should be protected for every 1,000 residents of Guilford County.
-- Downtown Greensboro should have a trolley service.
-- County government should go to a four-day, 10-hour workweek.
-- The county should have a bike-lending program.
-- Green building practices should be incorporated into new school construction. (The debate on this item is sure to have many facets: what practices and how many, at what cost and with what projected cost savings?)

The plan’s second part looks at how to promote green issues in the larger community. A key recommendation is the establishment of a sustainability advisory board. The plan envisions the board promoting many conservation-education efforts in the community, such as wrapping hot-water tanks, using low-flow shower heads and washing clothes in cold water. (Let’s hope there’s promotion of clotheslines and water-conserving yard coverings. Maybe some neighborhood associations would stop opposing them.)

The county also hopes to develop a Web site on green issues and to promote recycling at local colleges’ athletic events and at other public events.

What’s ahead
What happens with the draft plan will depend in large part on the public’s response. While it’s a given that groups such as TREBIC and the local chapter of the Sierra Club will comment, it would be good if individuals living in the county read and reflected on it. The individual taxpayer’s view is one that must be heard.

Overall, the idea of having such a plan is a good one. Rising energy costs are going to make the next decade challenging. Already most of us realize we all will need to do more with less. But the expense also will cause us to have to rethink things beyond conservation and pollution measures. In one area alone, education, the decisions that may need to be made to contain costs could be enormous: They could affect the length of school days, weeks and years; the number and kind of after-school activities and school attendance zones. And that’s just for starters.

The Green Guilford plan, with its emphasis on holding down costs, should put the county on good footing for tackling such tough issues.

Putting cell phones on hold
Cell phone users at Thomasville High School will get the silent treatment next semester. The school’s revised policy allows cell phones on campus but prohibits their use during class or lunch.

First-time violators will have phones confiscated, and they won’t be returned until a parent calls or comes to school. Second violations lead to a 10-day confiscation. Three-time losers won’t get phones back until the end of the semester.

That’s an improvement over last year’s guidelines, which placed students in in-school suspension after a third violation. The goal should be ending the gabfest, not interfering with the learning process.
After school, the yakking can commence

Setting the table for growth
A homegrown company is expanding its operations here. In a big way.

Replacements Ltd., which specializes in crystal, china, silver and collectibles, is planning to triple the square footage of its headquarters off Interstate 40/85.

The expanded headquarters will add more than 500,000 square feet at a cost of about $15 million.

The expansion won’t bring new jobs but it does plant the company’s local roots a lot deeper.
Replacements Ltd. is often overlooked as a local economic engine, but it is a major success story in niche marketing, with a well-earned national profile.

And it’s ours.

The lottery’s foul ball

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some scratch-offs and Powerball,
I don’t care if I do lose it all ...

Baseball and gambling didn’t work out well for Pete Rose, but the N.C. Education Lottery apparently can’t resist a park full of potential players. It’s using minor-league baseball venues, including Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank Park, to pitch its promises of easy riches. Where better to find fans with dreams of hitting a home run, but more likely to strike out?

This is just more evidence that the lottery has failed to perform as promised and will employ more aggressive promotional ploys to sell tickets.

Advice to patrons: Buy a bag of peanuts instead, and enjoy the game on the field.

Chickens come home to roost
The Greensboro City Council will talk about the birds and the bees at its meeting Tuesday. It will consider making it easier for people who live on small lots to raise bees and poultry.

The issue came up a few months ago after the crowing of a Lindley Park couple’s rooster caused a neighbor to complain to the city. The couple then discovered that, under city law, their lot size was too small to keep poultry, so they worked with city planning staff to revise the ordinance.

The proposed ordinance does try to accommodate the concerns of neighbors: It bans male chickens older than six months and also requires that poultry be kept in some type of fenced enclosure. However, it would reduce the setback from 50 feet to 25 feet on lots between 7,000 and 12,000 square feet for coops and other enclosures. (Enclosures still would have to be located at least 50 feet from an adjoining property owner’s home.) It also would put tougher restrictions on the number of colonies and chicks for smaller lots.

It’s going to be an uphill battle. The planning board rejected loosening the ordinance, saying doing so could cause runoff problems and also pose a health hazard.

Backyard poultry enthusiasts (and we hear there are quite a few in Greensboro) may want to make it to the meeting Tuesday to give their side of the story. A mention of how easily Raleigh seems to accommodate backyard birds — and how it is a drawing card to that city — might be in order. We’ve seen some people considering a move to North Carolina ask on the Internet which of our state’s cities are the most friendly to backyard birds.

Tuesday's No. 2 editorial.

There’s no question that engaged parents are a precious commodity. There’s also no question that Guilford County’s public schools need more parents to take active roles in their children’s education.

Does that include an expenses-paid trip to a national conference in another state?

The Guilford County school board wrangled with that delicate dilemma last week, as a group requested funding for as many as 41 parents to attend a Birmingham, Ala., conference on increasing parental involvement. These parents represented the poorest schools in the district, where there’s a particular need for parental support. The October conference is sponsored by the National Coalition of ESEA Title 1 Parents, which specifically targets these types of parents.

On the one hand, it’s encouraging to see such initiative, especially from poorer schools, where parents tend not to be as involved. On the other, the total cost could have reached $74,000 if all 41 parents, each representing one of the 41 neediest schools in the county, were to make the trip.

School board member Garth Hebert called the trip “a junket.” That’s too harsh a judgment, but he makes a good point when he wonders whether that money could be better spent in nuts-and-bolts ways, such as transportation expenses to school activities for parents of lesser means.
In an 8-2 vote, the board settled on sending four parents to the conference. That seems reasonable. But what happens when they return? How will they share what they’ve learned with others? Reports? Workshops? And wouldn’t it make more sense to bring the experts here, to reach more parents for less expense?

If the school district were flush with cash, maybe all 41 could have gone. But as Hebert said, it isn’t. “At the same meeting I’m looking at having to cut teachers and classrooms again.” Couldn’t as much, if not more, be accomplished for less if more parents simply would make regular trips to their children’s schools?

Tuesday's lead editorial.

Sunday was a golden day for Greensboro, thanks to Caroline Lind, Carl Pettersson and the Wyndham Championship.

Greensboro native Lind and teammates powered the U.S. women’s eight to Olympic victory in an impressive performance. She becomes the city’s second gold medalist since Joey Cheek earned speed-skating honors at the 2006 Winter Games.

Rowing and skating (on ice) aren’t sports normally associated with Greensboro. Cheek moved to Canada to train, while Lind joined the national team in Princeton, N.J.

That’s another point in common: Cheek attends Princeton University; Lind graduated in 2006.
Greensboro is more closely linked to golf, and that long tradition was reinforced with this year’s Wyndham. The return to Sedgefield Country Club, where Sam Snead once ruled the tournament, attracted sell-out galleries — also helped by nearly perfect weather — and generated competitive play.

All the better that the winner, Pettersson, holds local ties. A native of Sweden, Pettersson lived in Greensboro as a teenager and graduated from Grimsley High School. Currently a Raleigh-area resident, he serves on the board of the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation, which operates the tournament and decided to shift it back to Sedgefield after an absence of 32 years. It turned out to be a good call for the event, for the Triad and for Pettersson.

Other players seemed to enjoy the course, too, and word’s likely to get around the tour that this is a tournament that shouldn’t be missed. This year’s leaderboard included names unfamiliar to the general public, and some of those players took full advantage of the chance to collect big paychecks. Maybe bigger stars will realize they missed a golden opportunity and put the Wyndham on their calendars next year.

Lind’s monetary reward will be relatively modest. Her team wasn’t racing for riches but for pride and glory like the amateur Olympians of old. These athletes trained for years, and expended tremendous energy, to become the best in their sport. Their moment of acclaim might be brief, but the title of Olympic gold medalist lasts forever.

For most cities, gold medals are scarce. From these Games, Charlotte claims resident Cullen Jones, a relay teammate of record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps. Winston-Salem’s Chris Paul, a member of the men’s basketball team, looks like a good bet to return with gold of his own.

Caroline Lind has provided Greensboro with its share of Olympic bragging rights this year, while Carl Pettersson and the Wyndham have given Greensboro a brighter name in golf.

Wednesday's No. 2 editorial.

It’s difficult to comprehend, but the staff at the state mental hospital in Goldsboro ignored the needs of a patient seated in full view for more than 22 hours before he died.

This troubling revelation about Cherry Hospital is just the latest in a string of patient abuse and neglect allegations dogging the four state-run mental hospitals. The shocking details are enough for federal officials to threaten to withhold funding from Cherry. Yet what happened there in April again underscores that the state’s much-maligned mental health system still lacks accountability and professionalism.

A hospital security video recorded the 50-year-old man seated in a busy day room for four shifts while staff watched television, played cards and talked on cell phones. His got no more attention than a piece of furniture.

Unacceptable care is all too commonplace at Cherry. A developmentally disabled teenager reportedly was punched by a doctor — a violation of state law. Last fall, the hospital almost lost federal funding because of illegal patient restraint.

But it isn’t alone. Abuse complaints resulted in Broughton Hospital in Morganton losing federal dollars for nearly a year. Safety violations now could cost it its accreditation.

Last session, the General Assembly began the arduous task of repairing a dysfunctional system. While increased funding helps, the state also must demand higher performance and supervisory standards.

A law signed last month by Gov. Mike Easley is a welcome step forward. All patient deaths in state mental hospitals now will be reviewed by a state medical examiner. Also, Department of Health and Human Services officials have promised to post abuse investigation results online.
Beyond that, a more effective patient-advocacy system is in order. And there must be a renewed emphasis on community-based care options.

But when hospital admission is necessary, safeguards must prevent a repeat of such callous disregard for a human being as occurred at Cherry.

Tuesday lead editorial.

Several state agencies held back money owed to schools, and Judge Howard Manning nailed them.

He also admitted they could still get away with it. And maybe they should, if only for the sake of taxpayers.

Manning, a Wake County Superior Court judge who handles big school cases at the behest of the N.C. Supreme Court, last week issued an order dripping with derision for agencies that for years failed to give schools “clear proceeds of specific civil penalties” as required by law and the state constitution. Not only that, the state refused efforts by plaintiffs — local school systems — to settle for less than what was due.

“The plaintiffs have been exceptionally patient in pressing their claim for relief for moneys that clearly were owed to them over a long period of time,” Manning wrote. That left him no choice but to order a reckoning: nearly $750 million.

The judge’s scorn is appropriate. The “long period of time” ran from January 1996 through June 2005. The agencies involved were run by the administrations of Govs. Jim Hunt and Mike Easley, both strong proponents of public education who in this case didn’t back up their talk with money.

Easley’s response now? A spokesman in his office said it’s up to the General Assembly to deal with Manning’s order. As a governor on his way out of office, Easley’s passing the buck.
Yet Manning agrees: “The ultimate responsibility for the satisfaction of this judgment will depend on the manner in which the General Assembly discharges its constitutional duties.”

The courts don’t have the authority to appropriate funds from the state treasury, he said.
So, who enforces the edict? No one.

In comments to the media, key legislators hint they may dance around the order, deducting the $750 million from funds already budgeted for schools. Manning anticipated that possibility:
“The Court also recognizes that the General Assembly has final responsibility for state appropriations to the public schools and can use that power to determine the net benefit the schools derive from this judgment,” he wrote.

The “net benefit” might be none.

That would spare taxpayers, from whose pockets the $750 million would come. It’s the easier course, politically, for legislators. Yet it would deny schools what ought to be paid.

Given the choice between the expedient and the ethical, the legislature likely will choose the former. Going forward, however, the legislature and the next governor should make sure that schools each year receive all funds to which they’re legally entitled. Ignoring the law is a poor state policy, and some top leaders are lucky Manning didn’t hold them in contempt of court.

Thursday's No. 1 editorial.

The good news is North Carolinians are driving less because of high gasoline prices. The downside is less money for the state to maintain and build new roads and bridges.

In the fiscal year ended June 30, the Department of Transportation took in $66 million less than a year earlier in gas and fuel taxes and highway-use taxes on car sales. The shortfall comes as road construction costs escalate. Mark Foster, DOT’s chief financial officer, told The News & Observer of Raleigh, “A dollar of revenue today buys about half of what it did back in 2002.”

With an declining funding stream, DOT must rely more heavily on federal funding, which already covers more than 25 percent of the agency’s budget. However, the federal government is experiencing a similar funding gap because the rest of the nation also is driving less. And unless Congress acts soon, the federal Highway Trust Fund could go bankrupt in 2009.
For North Carolina, the funding crisis comes as population booms and traffic chokes urban centers. The state ranks fourth in the nation in urban interstate congestion. No longer can we be called the “good roads state.”

There are no simple answers to a problem that neglect and political infighting have exacerbated for years. It’s going to take more than keeping hands off the Highway Trust Fund or demanding that DOT be more efficient.

One option, albeit controversial, is moving forward with toll roads. The N.C. Turnpike Authority two weeks ago took a major step by opening bids on the state’s first toll road in Wake County.
Work will start in October when the authority sells $625 million in revenue bonds to finance the job. But even after the road’s completion, the state may still have to pay some maintenance costs until tolls start rolling in.

Other states facing the same tax dilemma are taking a variety of innovative approaches. Oregon, for example, is trying a road user fee. Motorists are taxed on the number of miles they drive rather than the amount of fuel they use.

The reasoning is that more fuel-efficient cars entering the marketplace may result in leveled-off gasoline sales but continue boosting traffic volume.

In North Carolina, the 21st Century Transportation Committee, set up by the General Assembly in 2007, is examining how best to address the state’s mounting transportation woes.

To their credit, members say that simply building more highways may not be the answer. They’re also looking at mass transit, local funding options and improved high-speed rail service.

Comprehensive solutions won’t come cheaply or easily. Higher gas prices are just part of the equation.

Thursday's No. 2 editorial.

High Point hopes erasing small problems will help avoid bigger ones.

The City Council approved a graffiti ordinance Monday that mirrors measures already in force in Greensboro and other communities.

It prohibits graffiti virtually everywhere, sets penalties for violations and requires those responsible to clean it up. If offenders can’t be found, property owners must remove it.
High Point acted so it would qualify for an anti-gang grant from the state. Graffiti don’t simply deface property, they mark gang territory or send messages. Leaving graffiti not only invites more but surrenders control.

“That area is going to become less safe,” police Chief Jim Fealy told the council. “People are going to think it’s a bad area. You’re going to see more crime.”

Fealy means for High Point police to take the challenge seriously, as other law-enforcement agencies already do. In Alamance County Monday, the Sheriff’s Office charged three teenagers with injury to real and personal property for spraying graffiti on a public building. Deputies said the three are gang members.

These ordinances seem harsh to those who think of graffiti as street art. But those are naive notions. Gang members aren’t budding Picassos, and they have no right to use someone else’s property as a canvas. Their work is akin to vandalism or stealing, using someone else’s property for their own purposes. If they get away with it, they’re encouraged to proceed to bolder criminal actions.

High Point’s ordinance does impose a burden on property owners, who are the victims of graffiti. But they and their communities are better off if they remove or paint over gang symbols quickly. Police also have to do their part by patrolling areas where gangs are active, discouraging criminal behavior and employing intervention strategies to keep young people out of gangs.

There are more ways than one to erase small problems before they grow into big trouble.

Friday's lead editorial.

For someone under 21, any drinking before driving is illegal and ought to stay that way.

Carolina basketball star Ty Lawson pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of underage drinking and driving. The 20-year-old point guard registered a blood-alcohol level of only .03 after his arrest in Chapel Hill in June, legal if he were older but not at his age. The strict law aims to deter young people from drinking if they’re planning to drive.

Another Tar Heel athlete, tennis player Christopher Kearney, also 20, should have known better. Driving an SUV in Chapel Hill early Sunday, he veered off the road and struck two young women, causing serious injuries. Police said his blood-alcohol level was 0.18, more than twice the legal limit for an adult. He faces serious charges.

These incidents occurred just when college presidents across the country renewed a debate about the legal drinking age. Joining a movement called the Amethyst Initiative, they called on lawmakers to consider allowing 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to legally purchase alcoholic beverages.

The administrators have a problem. Their student bodies are divided between those who are 21 and older and those who aren’t. It’s hard to police the consumption of alcoholic beverages and easy to see that younger students not only can get their hands on beer, wine and liquor but drink too much, too often. Because the younger students can’t drink legally, some tend to drink behind closed doors, often recklessly.

Dropping the legal age to 18 surely would relieve colleges of their enforcement obligations. Whether it would promote more responsible behavior, however, is doubtful. If anything, an 18-year-old freshman experiencing the freedom of living away from home for the first time might be more likely to abuse the freedom to drink — at a bar or in his dorm room.

The advocacy organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving strongly opposes lowering the drinking age, citing valid traffic-safety concerns. Making it permissible for people 20 and under to drink a little before driving could lead them to drink too much. But even a little can impair an 18-year-old’s ability to drive safely.

The common argument that young men and women serving in the military at 18 should be trusted to drink is powerful. That’s why the services more or less set their own rules. The Army’s Fort Bliss in Texas was the last stateside installation to allow soldiers to drink at 18, but that policy ended in May because of problems involving young soldiers and drinking.
The college presidents are pushing in the wrong direction. The answer to campus alcohol problems isn’t increasing availability but discouraging underage drinking.

Friday's No. 2 editorial.

The United States has long focused on the health status of immigrants. Talk to anyone who knew someone who came through Ellis Island in the early 20th century and you’ll hear a story about the physical exam. Scrutiny continues today. A medical exam with approved doctors is required for immigration; it includes screening for certain communicable illnesses. Immigrants also have to show proof of immunization for many diseases.

None of this oversight, of course, happens to the millions who enter the country illegally. This has led to a resurgence in some diseases here. Tuberculosis, typhoid fever, malaria and other diseases have been found in illegal immigrants in the United States in recent years.
The need to contain these diseases — and other, more common ones — is a given. Yet some health professionals are concerned that medical treatment of illegal immigrants will become more difficult if they think their health records may be used to determine their immigration status.

The issue has become more of a local concern lately because of an investigation in Alamance County concerning illegal immigrants using aliases. It entailed examining a few people’s public health records. Some worry this will cause illegal immigrants to shy away from getting health care.

The concern is valid, but it won’t be addressed by blaming Alamance County for aggravating it. The reality is that the Alamance investigation has unearthed a mess: Manuals for health department workers contain contradictory state and federal policies that affect illegal immigrants. They range from prohibiting the release of confidential information to requiring workers to act aggressively to catch fraud.

Congress and the next president must clear up such problems. They need to clamp down consistently (and provide consistent policy) on illegal immigration, but they also need to provide more opportunities for legal entry. The public health will best be served when all immigrants follow the legal path to entering the country.

Saturday's lead editorial.

Linda Brady posed a welcome question in her first convocation address Wednesday: “How can UNCG help?”

The new chancellor promised to pursue answers as part of the university’s strategic planning process during the next few months.

The result should produce further benefits for Greensboro, the Triad and North Carolina. That, said Brady, is a big part of UNCG’s purpose.

“Universities are social institutions with a responsibility to the public we serve,” she said. For UNCG, the mission includes “improving the quality of K-12 education, enhancing public health and ensuring sustainable development. The public expects our universities to improve quality of life, for individuals and communities.”

Brady, appointed after two years as provost at the University of Oregon, didn’t set a new course for UNCG just three weeks into her Greensboro tenure, but she did promote a higher standard: UNCG should “determine areas in which we can be best is the world ... UNCG has an unparalleled opportunity to build a metropolitan research university based on a new model — one that is grounded in our commitment to students and our passion for improving quality of life. We must define our competitive advantage and pursue it. This means we must make strategic choices because we cannot do everything and be excellent in all that we do.”

That’s a daunting challenge. But Brady urges a new look at UNCG, viewing its recent changes and accomplishments “through new eyes and with new appreciation — as this newcomer sees them.” She cited the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering with N.C. A&T and the $100 million Students First fundraising campaign as examples of exciting progress.
Translating the successes so far into true excellence requires vision, commitment and collaboration. As UNCG serves the state and community, to reach its potential it needs support from those sources, too. If given enough resources and encouraged in their development, Greensboro’s universities can make as great an impact here as UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State have in their region.

Brady promised to attend to the details of her job, getting to know students and faculty, cheering on the Spartans, visiting campus police and housekeeping workers during the overnight hours, and delivering the occasional lecture in political science classes. She even pitched in to help freshmen move in to a residence hall Tuesday.

Those activities will broaden her knowledge of the UNCG community, but she was hired for bigger things.

Brady is here to inspire, lead and, in relation to its many responsibilities, find out how UNCG can help best.

Saturday's No. 2 editorial.

School-based driver’s education programs haven’t changed that much in the last 30 years. Dad and even grandad would feel right at home in the classroom or behind the wheel.

Rather than a case of “don’t mess with success,” the years-long status quo more likely can be attributed to “leave well-enough alone.”

However, a task force assembled by the state medical examiner’s office may propose changes to the legislature. And those may not set well with companies that hold lucrative contracts with counties to provide driver’s ed instruction.

An overriding concern is the rising number of deaths among young drivers. Someone age 20 or younger dies in a vehicle-related accident in the state every three days.

Currently, driver’s ed involves more in-class instruction than actual driving time. New technology, such as driving simulators that mimic popular video games, seldom is available.
One option is to follow behind other states and get out of the driver’s training business. Only one in four California high schools offers it.

Worth noting is a Georgia study showing that teens who took driver’s training had as many accidents as those who didn’t. Critics say classroom time can be put to better use.
But opting out of school-based instruction would be inconsistent with the state’s commendable efforts to tighten licensing requirements for young drivers. Getting and keeping a license or permit is closely linked to school attendance and performance.

Besides, parents may balk at arranging and paying for driving lessons, not to mention the stress of riding shotgun as Junior takes on city traffic.

Yet after decades of sameness, it’s time to reassess. Changes should include fewer hours studying rules of the road, more road time and better use of state-of-the-art driving simulators.

Saturday's editorial.

Barely seven months after opening its doors, the county’s drug treatment facility for the indigent has had admissions of new patients suspended by state regulators for a number of basic and very serious violations.

The Guilford County Substance Abuse Treatment Center, located on West Wendover Avenue in High Point, also was fined $1,500 by the state.

The facility was supposed to herald an era of more effective and comprehensive treatment of substance abuse in the county. The nature and quantity of these misfires casts significant doubt on those hopes.

The infractions were cited during an announced, annual “on-site survey” June 17-19 by officials from the state Division of Health Service Regulators. They included:

--lack of proper and secure storage of medications;
-- lack of adequate supervision of clients;
-- failure to ensure that medications were administered by qualified personnel;
-- lack of documentation of staff training;
-- lack of job descriptions in personnel files;
-- lack of required criminal background checks for some employees;
-- and failure to follow proper procedures in approving medications previously prescribed to patients by outside physicians.

Some of the violations could be blamed on technicalities. But most of the infractions are just plain dumb and reckless. In the case of the improperly stored medications, the drugs were kept in an unlocked room.

This is like fielding a pro basketball team that has trouble dribbling the ball.

County mental health director Billie Martin Pierce conceded in an interview last week that she had been aware of some deficiencies at the center, and that county mental health officials were working with Bridgeway to help correct them. “But I did not know that admissions were going to be suspended until I got the report from the state.”

Pierce added: “To me, these are really what I would call the fundamentals.”

The right choice?
These problems call into question the decision by county mental health officials, and the county commissioners, to award the contract to Bridgeway Behavioral Health System, based in St. Louis, in the first place.

Critics then questioned whether the facility would employ the right approach, and provide enough beds, to adequately address the county’s chronic crack cocaine problem.

Despite those concerns, the county commissioners approved Bridgeway as the facility’s operator. Bridgeway’s personable COO, Mike Morrison, boasted to the commissioners that “we’re good” last December. But he provided almost no data to support that claim.

How and why?
Guilford commissioners said then that they would hold Bridgeway accountable for its performance. But Commissioner Paul Gibson seemed more interested last week in finding excuses.

“It’s not like we injured someone. It’s not like we gave them an overdose of drugs,” he told the News & Record’s Gerald Witt. “We didn’t follow the correct procedures and those procedures are very tough and stringent.”

Pierce added the facility’s brief time in operation also likely contributed to the problems: “This is basically a new, big operation,” she said. Still, Bridgeway clearly should have known better.
To her credit, Pierce also said Bridgeway will draft a plan to address the problems, as required by the state. She then will give it six months to make improvements.

If progress isn’t satisfactory, she said, “then we will have a very different conversation with Bridgeway.”

Where the buck stops
How this issue unfolds will say a lot about how committed Guilford County is to battling substance abuse. Bridgeway’s sloppiness and incompetence are indefensible. Yet the accountability hardly stops there. It’s ultimately the county’s responsibility to ensure that this facility is professionally staffed and run.

Pierce’s preference to give Bridgeway the opportunity to clean up its act is probably a reasonable course. It would be a shame to have to begin from square one, again.
But, based on its dubious start, there are grounds enough to fire Bridgeway right here and now.

The following editorial was published on Dec. 23, 2007.

"Crack is whack," the drug-addled star singer, Whitney Houston, once famously told a television interviewer.

Amen to that, say area law enforcement officials, who expressed concern last week about the potential early release of scores of crack cocaine offenders from prison.

Many said they feared that the more than 400-plus inmates from the Triad who may see their sentences reduced could pick up precisely where they left off, selling and using the viciously addictive drug.

In principle, the changes in federal sentencing guidelines are fair and reasonable. They shortened prison sentences for crack convictions to make them comparable to sentences for powdered cocaine, and also made them retroactive. That means some offenders will be eligible for early release. But will they be ready for lawful lives on the outside?

"Whatever the law is - crack or powder cocaine - I think we need to enforce it the same and be consistent," Sheriff BJ Barnes told the News & Record. "But I can tell you that you can make a lot of crack with a little powdered cocaine, and there are a lot of addicts out there."

Also last week, the Guilford commissioners heard a presentation from the operators of the soon-to-open drug treatment facility on West Wendover Avenue. Given the county's well-documented problems with crack addiction in particular, some critics question whether the operator of the center, Missouri-based Bridgeway Behavioral Health , is the right agency. They also question whether its new treatment model is the right approach.

The facility will treat crack addicts, among others. Yet, even if it is successful, the center will make only a small dent in the county's crack epidemic. The county still needs a broader, more urgent strategy to stem crack use and the crime, disease, prostitution and homelessness it breeds here.

To their credit, mental health officials have crafted a new drug treatment model that stresses partnerships and intervention. But how much of that plan is funded and implemented and at what pace is not clear.

At the commissioners' meeting on Dec. 13, several additional questions surfaced:

l Why couldn't Bridgeway provide hard data on the effectiveness of its treatment programs beyond assurances by its COO, Mike Morrison, that "we're good." He's from Missouri; surely he could show us how good they are.

l Where is a viable local option for long-term residential care? With only 56 available beds, only some of which will be devoted to crack treatment, the Bridgeway facility can't begin to scratch the surface.

Paul Nagy, a Duke University consultant, cited TROSA, or Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, in Durham, as an option during the commissioners' meeting. But he conceded last week via e-mail that TROSA "is only able to accept a limited number of these individuals due to capacity and type of patient the program can effectively serve."

l Finally, the proponents of the new center argue that long-term residential treatment is necessary only for some patients. They cite research to support that view. But doesn't that same research also say that long-term residential treatment is more effective with poor and homeless patients, which describes the majority of crack addicts in the county?

Duke's Nagy agreed. However, he said in an e-mail that "supportive housing can also be offered in lieu of expensive residential treatment." Yet many of those programs already are strained to capacity.

Despite those loose ends, the commissioners seem intent on moving ahead with the facility anyway. County mental health Director Billie Martin Pierce and her staff told the commissioners that Bridgeway will be held to strict accountability measures even though it produced very little such data to the commissioners. County leaders owe it to the taxpayers to hold fast to those benchmarks.

If Bridgeway doesn't show the results, the county should show Bridgeway the door.
Memo: * The county still lacks a comprehensive anti-crack strategy. Meanwhile, a new treatment facility will at best make only a small impact on the problem.

This editorial was published on Nov. 18, 2007.

Guilford County officials have found a private agency to run a new, 56-bed drug-treatment facility in High Point.

St. Charles, Mo.-based Bridgeway Behavioral Health Inc. will operate the facility in the same location as a previous service provider, Alcohol and Drug Services, or ADS, on West Wendover Avenue in High Point.

That's welcome and overdue news. All too often you can trace violent crime, jail overcrowding, homelessness, prostitution and the spread of AIDS and HIV in Guilford County back to the dirty needles of IV drug users and, especially, the seductive killer high on crack cocaine.

In announcing the contract with Bridgeway, a county news release cited its "strong record for innovative outpatient and residential treatment." Some however, question whether the facility truly delivers what the county commissioners originally promised to make a dent in the county's considerable crack-addiction problem.

The right approach?
A 2004 News & Record series on the local crack addiction problem noted a 20-year grip by crack on the local community that had reached epidemic proportions. It also pointed out a critical need for, and a glaring shortage of, long-term treatment centers in Guilford County. Later, a consultant's assessment of the now-defunct ADS made clear the agency's failure to adequately provide long-term drug-treatment services.

But the new facility has earmarked fewer than half of its beds for "low-intensity long-term residential treatment." Bridgeway typically provides a 21-day stay for patients, then a regimen of outpatient treatment.

When it comes to crack addiction, some say, this is nowhere near enough. In the 2004 News & Record series, a facility frequently cited as a model for crack addiction treatment, Triangle Residential Options for Drug Abusers, or TROSA, typically involves a one-year residential stay and another year of outpatient treatment and support.

This county's new facility "is just going to be turning over beds and putting crack addicts right back on the streets," said Susan Mills, a local drug-treatment advocate.

Has the mission changed?
Mills said the county commissioners gave the impression the new facility would specialize more in long-term treatment. Others in the drug-treatment community say they are surprised that the facility appears to place so little emphasis on long-term inpatient care. "It is the only treatment modality that allows the patient to begin the process of getting better," said Brenda Smith-Williams, who operates a treatment center called DREAMS.

Smith-Williams said she had hoped patients at DREAMS, which provides up to 30 days of treatment, could graduate to long-term care at the county facility.

Added Craig Thomas, executive director of Mary's House, which provides long-term treatment to women with children, including pregnant women: "There is much more of a success rate for long-term treatment. If they go back to their old playgrounds and playmates, we're in trouble.

"When you're on a diet, you ought to not work at the Krispy Kreme."

Mixed messages
Joe Fortin, a substance abuse "best practices" specialist with the county's mental health agency, The Guilford Center, said last week that the terms of treatment in the new facility have not yet been determined, although it could include 90-day stays.

That seems more than odd, given that Bridgeway has already been picked for the contract and length and nature of treatment are no small details. Fortin also argued that not every patient requires a long-term stay at a treatment facility. "There's no agreement that certain drugs require certain amounts of time," he said.

That's not what he told News & Record reporter Stan Swofford in 2004. Fortin cited numbers back then that seemed to support the effectiveness of longer-term care. After 90 days, the success rate of treating crack addiction is 40 percent to 60 percent, Fortin said in 2004. It rises to 60 percent to 80 percent after a year of treatment, he said.

What gives? Has the conventional wisdom changed? Can we get straighter talk about what's going on here?

Of course, the proof of the new facility's effectiveness will be in the results, and county officials say they will closely monitor those results. They also rightly point out that the new facility was never intended to be the be-all and end-all of drug treatment in Guilford County, just one of the solutions.

But the new facility does seem to veer from the earlier commitment to longer-term inpatient care.

Given the scourge crack has been in Guilford County, the millions of dollars it costs the taxpayers every year and the many ways it threatens public safety and the quality of life here, we need straight facts and clear, candid talk about how to fix this vexing problem.

Spirited debate about which path to take is healthy. But the last thing we need is mixed signals and muddled missions.

This is too important not to get right

Do you think Barack Obama can win any Southern states? If so, which ones and why?

State loses fine educators
His family drugstore on South Elm Street in Greensboro inspired Christopher Fordham’s interest in medicine. He pursued that interest to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as dean of the School of Medicine and then chancellor from 1980 to 1988.
It was during that period — 1983 — when Thomas K. Hearn Jr. was named president of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. He held the post for 22 years.

Fordham and Hearn both passed away this month, casting a pall of sadness over the universities they loved so well and where they accomplished so much.

Their tenures were marked by growth, success in fundraising, academic progress, service and outreach. The high national rankings both universities enjoy today owe much to the work of these leaders.

Fordham was a physician who practiced in Greensboro but was called to greater responsibilities. A notable initiative was to establish a statewide health-education centers program based at UNC-CH.

Hearn was a Baptist minister who expanded Wake Forest’s horizons after cutting its governing ties with the Baptist State Convention.

Both men meant a great deal to the Triad and to North Carolina and will be fondly remembered.

Old-fashioned politics welcome
We may be old-fashioned, but we enjoy seeing presidential candidates shaking hands and hoisting babies at a farmers’ market more than watching TV ads or getting text-message campaign updates.

Barack Obama delighted sellers and shoppers with his surprise appearance at the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market last week, and John McCain would do the same if he happened to show up at a yard sale or church bazaar in town.

The candidates won’t quit TV ads, but informal drop-ins at regular events make them seem a lot more like plain folks.

Sentencing while impaired?
The former N.C. State student who struck and killed a 60-year-old woman while driving drunk will get zero prison time.

Brian Anthony Reid of Graham hit Nancy Leidy as she was riding her bicycle on April 23. He had been drinking, ironically, in celebration of turning the legal drinking age of 21. His Breathalyzer test read 0.12, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Leidy’s widower had asked the judge to be lenient, but this outcome has to be disturbing to bicyclists, who have complained that the legal system doesn’t take seriously enough cases in which motorists injure or kill cyclists.

And it seems wildly inconsistent with, say, the sentence given former WXII (Channel 12) morning anchor Tolly Carr, who struck and killed a Winston-Salem pedestrian with his pickup truck while driving drunk.

Carr’s sentence: 25 to 39 months in prison, a $10,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and five years probation.

Reid’s sentence: three years probation, 400 hours of community service, $10,000 in restitution and five weekends in jail. He also will not be allowed to drink or drive for three years.
The issue isn’t that Carr’s sentence is too harsh. It’s that Reid’s is too lenient.

Parent U. for Guilford too?
We suggested in an editorial that an alternative to the costly notion of sending more than three-dozen parents to a national conference on parental involvement at taxpayer expense was to conduct such training here.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system is doing precisely that. They call it “Parent University” and it will provide courses to equip parents to better support their children’s education.

The classes will be offered not only on school grounds but throughout the community, including churches, businesses and libraries.

They will include courses in computer literacy and math, among others. The idea: To help parents help their children.

By the way, the concept did not originate in Charlotte. Other districts already sponsor parent universities. It may be worth copying for use here as well.

Tuesday's No. 2 editorial.

Joe Biden is a world-wise veteran senator with working-class roots and a gift for gab, or sometimes gaffes.

He’ll likely strengthen Barack Obama’s ticket and give John McCain fits, when he’s not blurting out embarrassing sound bites.

Like this early reference to Obama’s candidacy: “I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”

Or, while campaigning on his own behalf in South Carolina two years ago, trying to identify with Southerners: “My state (Delaware) was a slave state.” Something to brag about? Biden added that Delaware fought with the North in the Civil War “only because we couldn’t figure out how to get to the South. There were a couple of states in the way.” Was he pandering for the Confederate vote?

Biden’s presidential runs in 1988 and 2008 sputtered quickly, but he’s suddenly on the national ticket now thanks to Obama’s need to add an older, more experienced running mate. A senator since 1973 and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden knows world leaders personally, understands other countries and grasps the complexities of international relations.
Yet, he’s hardly diplomatic. A blunt and occasionally long-winded speaker, he’s already shown a willingness to criticize his “old friend” McCain. Their association of many years in the Senate means Biden knows McCain’s vulnerabilities. Their friendship might not survive the campaign, but there are always casualties in politics.

Obama might have disappointed Hillary Clinton loyalists, but Obama-Clinton (and Clinton) would have made an awkward team. Iraq war opponents remember that Biden voted for authorization. He’s said he was wrong. And, of course, Biden does not represent the change from the Washington status quo that Obama promises.

Overall, though, the choice addresses concerns about Obama’s lack of experience and foreign-policy credentials. Biden could help Democrats, if he watches his words.

Tuesday's lead editorial.

Should the city of Greensboro have a point person to oversee public records requests? That’s what the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress proposed at the last City Council meeting. It also proposed a process for handling such requests.

Donna Newton, an adviser to the group, says it came up with the idea because there is a need for it.
“Over a number of years, we’ve heard complaints from neighborhood leaders about not getting requested information on a timely basis or simply never getting the information they requested and finally giving up.”

It’s understandable that could happen. People could contact an inappropriate city worker for records. Someone who is overworked, and whose job doesn’t include handling such requests, might ignore the inquiry.

And there have been times when the city has seemed to purposefully delay the release of material.
The congress thinks creating a formal process, one with deadlines, would help the public by making departments more accountable. It has proposed these steps in handling requests:

-- acknowledgment of the request by letter within five days;
-- an initial response letter within 15 days;
-- a detailed response letter within 45 days, if the request wasn’t completed when the initial response was made;
-- a public hearing about the request before the City Council within 75 days of the request, if the request wasn’t fully answered by 45 days.

Attaching deadlines isn’t a bad idea. Local bloggers also have mentioned how long it takes the city to fulfill records requests. Some structure seems needed. As Newton says, “Even if we had never received a complaint, we would have thought there should be such a policy that holds all city departments accountable for responding timely and thoroughly to requests for public records.”

But are these deadlines too generous? For reporters on daily, if not hourly, deadlines, they appear drawn out. Often, city workers now respond within an hour or two to media information requests. The last thing needed is an ordinance that would discourage staff from doing this.
Still, the congress’ overall idea has merit. A worker who focused on public records requests would provide an entry point into the city bureaucracy for the public. It also would be good for city workers, as they would have someone to whom they could direct the public.

The neighborhood group also is right to want unmet requests to get the City Council’s attention. That would provide a way to ensure that a request doesn’t disappear down a bureaucratic rabbit hole. It also would keep the council apprised of problems staff might face in handling records requests.

Any process created for handling records requests should make city government more accessible. What isn’t needed is a process that unnecessarily complicates things. No one benefits from red tape.

Wednesday's lead editorial.

Craig M. Copeland admitted he went to Cedarock Park in Alamance County Feb. 6 for one reason: to stalk and rape a woman. He found an 18-year-old victim walking on a trail, forced her into the woods, tied her hands, gagged and choked her. She lost consciousness; he panicked and ran away.

Fortunately, the young woman survived the encounter without serious injuries. But her terrifying ordeal buttresses calls by local governments to ban sex offenders from public parks. City Councilman Mike Barber proposes such an ordinance for Greensboro.

There’s only one part of the Copeland story that doesn’t fit: He wasn’t a registered sex offender.
He was arrested, convicted and sentenced to up to 33 years in prison for the Feb. 6 incident. His previous record included several other convictions but nothing that put him on the state’s registry of sex offenders. He was free to enter any public park in the state.

The town of Woodfin in Buncombe County enacted one of North Carolina’s first ordinances aimed at keeping sex offenders out of its parks. Challenged as unconstitutional, the measure was upheld by the N.C. Supreme Court in June. The town had a compelling public safety interest in closing off parks to people who had committed certain crimes and might again, the court said.

Absent from the case record, however, was evidence that Woodfin parks were crawling with sex offenders. Nor does Greensboro seem to have that problem. Certainly, anyone can argue that ordinances like this are bound to make parks safer from sexual predators by discouraging them from entering. A man was arrested in a Charlotte park last week for violating the brand-new ordinance there. Who knows what he might have done?

Statistically speaking, probably nothing. Few sex crimes occur in parks. In most cases, the victim is not a stranger. And, recidivism rates for sex offenders are lower than for the general criminal population, the Center for Sex Offender Management in Silver Spring, Md., reports. From a public safety perspective, it might be more beneficial to ban muggers, purse-snatchers or known gang members.

Concerns about sex offenders shouldn’t be taken lightly, of course. Those who commit serious sex crimes should be locked up for long terms and, if they’re released, monitored closely with restrictions imposed on their activities. Registration is important so people can know if they have a sex offender in their neighborhood.

Yet, barring every sex offender from tennis courts, jogging paths or lakes won’t necessarily remove a real threat in each case and could be unreasonably punitive in some.

If parks aren’t safe, a more pragmatic approach is to provide better police protection. People should take precautions: Keep an eye on children, don’t walk alone in remote areas.
Craig Copeland shows there can be more dangerous people in the park than a one-time offender who only wants to sit and enjoy a summer day.

Wednesday's No. 2 editorial.

A fair promotion policy is good for the police department and for the public. That’s why Greensboro Chief Tim Bellamy was right to act quickly to adopt recommendations in a consultant’s report issued last month.

Carroll Buracker & Associates’ study found problems that needed urgent attention. The system for deciding promotions was too subjective and clouded in uncertainty, inviting suspicions of favoritism or discrimination. One unfortunate outcome was a slew of still-unresolved complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The department can’t change what’s already happened, but it can implement better procedures to use from now on. Promotions will hinge on a point system determined by written test scores, a graded interactive assessment and other factors, including tenure and supervisory experience. It won’t be completely objective, but officers will have a much better idea of where they stand and, if they miss promotion, where they fell short.

A fair promotion policy is essential for many reasons. It’s the proper way to treat people in any employment situation but perhaps particularly important for police.

Police officers don’t make big salaries, at least not at the lower ranks. They deserve the chance to increase their earnings by rising in grade. And, despite the poor job market generally, good police officers are hard to find. Those who don’t think they’ve been given a fair shake at advancement here probably can move to another agency somewhere else.

More critically, a promotion policy should make sure that the most qualified officers move up to positions of greatest responsibility. A system that allows favoritism or discrimination to override merit won’t get the best result. The department will suffer, and the public will be poorly served.
As chief, Bellamy must make sure his agency is staffed with the right people in the right positions. Putting in place a sound promotion policy was a necessary action.

Thursday's lead editorial.

Ask 10 residents of Greensboro their 10 favorite spots in the city, and it's likely a majority would name the Farmers' Curb Market on Yanceyville Street as one. The market in the Charles B. Aycock Historic District has become such an attraction that even Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama stopped there for a quick visit and some peaches last week.

Its vitality also has attracted the attention of an out-of-town consulting firm that Downtown Greensboro Inc. hired. In a recently released report on boosting retail in center city, the firm recommended moving the market, which is managed by the city, to the central business district. In fact, the president of the consulting firm was so sure about this idea that he called it "low-hanging fruit."

Maybe it's "low-hanging" if you don't have a personal connection to the Farmers' Curb Market. But to many who do, the idea is more like forbidden fruit. It's equivalent to suggesting that Philadelphia's Italian Market move out of South Philly. No can do.

The Yanceyville market and the Aycock community have shaped each other and have a long, interconnected history; the market defines Aycock in the same way that the Lincoln Financial Building defines downtown. To move the market would mean killing an established market to start a new one. It doesn't serve the city to entertain such an idea. As Aycock resident David Hoggard writes on his blog: "It makes little sense to promote the development of one area of a city to the detriment of another, which is exactly what this idea would do."

As Hoggard points out, the city of Greensboro's own redevelopment plan for the area, the Summit Avenue Corridor Study, sees the market as central to revitalization efforts in east Greensboro. Take away the market and you take away a lot of the possibilities for the neighborhood.

It also would be detrimental to downtown to diminish Aycock. As the first paragraph in the Summit study points out: "The economic health of the neighborhoods that surround Downtown, such as Aycock, are (sic) directly linked to Downtown. Therefore the proposals contained in this plan are important not only for the Aycock Neighborhood but also for Downtown Greensboro."

(Just think how much Southside's renewal has helped downtown.)

One good thing about this brouhaha is that it has put the spotlight on Aycock. The truth is that Aycock is not all that far from downtown: As the Summit corridor study says, it might be most beneficial to consider Aycock as another part of it, as the neighborhood is only a 15-minute walk, or half a mile, from downtown's center.

Instead of creating a rift between the two areas, why not follow the Summit corridor study's plans to improve the Yanceyville market and to improve connections between Aycock and downtown? A bigger, better farmers' market at the Yanceyville site could be a catalyst for a bigger, better downtown.

Thursday's No. 2 editorial.

The first time a boat hits a school bus on a North Carolina road, look for a legislator to blame.

Lawmakers returned to Raleigh Wednesday to override Gov. Mike Eas­ley's veto of a foolish and dangerous bill. It allows towing of boats as wide as 9 1/2 feet on any state road, anytime, and 10 feet during the day.

"I sincerely believe that this bill puts families at a risk on the highways and would result in death or serious injury," Easley said in his veto message. The governor, repeating concerns expressed by the State Highway Patrol, said North Carolina has 60,000 miles of narrow two-lane roads that can't accommodate wide trailers and 1,000 bridges that are only 18 feet wide or less. Easley expressed particular worry about a wide boat meeting a school bus, which could occur in early morning darkness.

The governor was right to try to sink this unwise legislation, which lawmakers pushed through in a misguided effort to help the coastal economy. It paves the way for more vacationers or fishermen to haul their boats, but it doesn't pave wider roads. Sacrificing safety for possible economic gain is a shortsighted policy.

Unfortunately, not a single senator and only eight representatives -- including Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro -- voted to support Easley's veto. Both chambers took a total of only 43 minutes to override the governor, but at a cost of thousands of dollars to taxpayers for expenses related to the special session. If Easley's right about the impact (literally) of the legislation, the price will climb with every accident.

This should have been avoided. If the previous law was too strict -- it didn't allow towing of boats wider than 8 1/2 feet at night, on Sundays or holidays and required special permits at other times -- an acceptable compromise should have been forged, saving a veto showdown.

The hope now is that boat owners use better judgment. Don't tow boats that are too wide for the roads. An outing on the water won't happen if the boat hits a school bus on the way.

Friday's lead editorial.

With rainfall nearly nine inches below normal, Greensboro residents prayed for storm clouds earlier this week.

Those prayers were answered with a deluge of nearly 5 inches from a fading Hurricane Fay, and more could be on the way, depending on Gustav’s meanderings.

Confronted with a good old “frog strangler,” emergency responders performed admirably. In Greensboro, police blocked off flooded roadways and rescued water-logged motorists.

To our south, rising water took a greater toll. Over a three-day period, Charlotte recorded up to 11 inches of rain. Hundreds of homes were damaged or evacuated, roads became impassable and schools closed. Emergency crews in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties were stretched to the limit.

The Piedmont’s persistent drought has minimized the hazards of living in low-lying floodplains and created a false sense of security.

Latham Park off Wendover Avenue, one of Greensboro’s most vulnerable areas, faced rising waters from Buffalo Creek Wednesday morning. Residents soon found water lapping at their doorsteps. Over the years, they’ve grown accustomed to such occasional storm-related inconveniences.

Charlotte has chosen to deal more proactively with flooding. A county ordinance sets aside local funds to buy threatened homes and apartments. It also sets tough standards for renovating property with a goal of making it less susceptible to damage.

Legislation, however, can’t take the place of common sense. Building on a floodplain only invites trouble. For starters, zoning for land that might be in harm’s way should be highly restrictive and limited in scope.

As residents of New Orleans can attest, the 100-year storm doesn’t always wait that long for a return visit. That’s even more evident as current projections put Hurricane Gustav somewhere between Pensacola, Fla., and Galveston, Texas, Monday night with New Orleans quite likely at ground zero.

Tragic lessons learned just three years ago when Katrina devastated much of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi have resulted in better “pre-landfall” planning, including possible mandatory evacuations. National Guard troops already have been activated, shelter preparation is under way and FEMA food and medical supplies are in place. But no matter where Gustav makes an unwelcome appearance, a repeat of the chaos, confusion, lawlessness and human suffering in Katrina’s aftermath can’t be tolerated.

Meanwhile, North Carolina’s coastal interests should take note. Forecasts of an active hurricane season could mean we also might be treading water this fall.

Friday's No. 2 editorial.

In a welcome stroke of prudence and common sense, the City Council voted last week to extend sidewalk dining hours in the city from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. That’s only fair. Why clamp down on one of the amenities that make downtown such a pleasant destination in the first place?
The council also rightly recognized that downtown has broader issues with traffic and crowds — neither of which is caused by people having dinner or cocktails outdoors.

That notion was dubious from the start, and a downtown nightclub employee’s arrest for leaving tables and chairs on the sidewalk after 10 p.m. was a case of overkill, at best.
Still, this is a good time to take stock of what’s working and what isn’t as nightlife starts to sizzle in the center city. To address those and other issues, the council will hold a special briefing session in September. Good move.

One issue the council definitely will need to consider then is how to increase the police presence, or at least supplement it, at certain times of the week. Suddenly even the wee hours of Wednesday night are becoming prime time for downtown clubs. One possible option is using off-duty deputies from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. But the city would have to pay the tab, Sheriff BJ Barnes said Tuesday.

September also will provide a good chance to consider how to factor safety, noise and crowding into the longer-term plan for downtown growth.

These problems arise just as two separate reports make several intriguing suggestions about what should come next for downtown. For instance, one consultant, Blount Hunter of Norfolk, Va., believes too much of downtown’s business mix consists of restaurants and bars and cites a critical need for more retail there. A second report recommends that the city invest $14 million over the next 10 years to expand downtown’s cultural district.

So, come September, and beyond, there definitely will be bigger fish to fry in the center city. For now, it’s nice to know we still can have that fish at a sidewalk cafe.

Saturday's lead editorial.

It’s only eight steps from here to a stronger, more prosperous Greensboro, Tim Rice said Wednesday.

They’re big steps, but the sooner Greensboro gets moving the better.

Rice, CEO of Moses Cone Health System, spoke at the State of Our Community meeting Wednesday as chairman of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Operating Group.

He noted recent tough times but pointed to hopeful developments that, cumulatively, contribute to a sense of momentum. To keep that going, and build a stronger economy, eight actions must be executed:

Attract more young professionals to fuel a creative, knowledge-based economy, nurture entrepreneurial activity and build a work force that can attract major investment in targeted clusters.
Rice said in an interview Thursday he’s seen progress, but he challenged companies to provide more internships and hire more local graduates.

Complete the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which promises to become both a point of civic pride and an economic development opportunity.
This project has dragged on for years, in part because of poor decisions, Rice said. It’s time for public and private efforts to finish the job.

Complete the interstate loop around Greensboro.
Greensboro has to “wake up and realize the state’s not going to get it done,” Rice said Thursday, mentioning the possibility of building the neglected northern segment as a toll road. Completion will open the northern part of the county for investment and development.

Make public education “absolutely top quality in Guilford County.”
Rice noted some positive indicators but conceded schools need to make continuous improvement.

“Connect local companies with our colleges and universities.”
They offer a wealth of intellectual resources that must be utilized.

Develop the “airport submarket” for long-term benefit and reject shortsighted growth.
Reserve the airport for companies that need to be there.

Continue to focus on corridor development with consistent and faithful implementation.

The private and public sectors must collaborate.
Businesses, foundations and state and local governments can do more by working together.

Rice didn’t invent new issues, but he did lay out an inventory for progress. It should be checked regularly, with community leaders and elected officials held accountable for results. None of those steps is too big if Greensboro and Guilford County really want to create a stronger community.

Saturday's No. 2 editorial.

John McCain showed Friday he’s not opposed to change, or surprises. His selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate dramatically added a new dimension to the presidential race.

At the same time, McCain might have weakened his best argument against Barack Obama’s candidacy: that the 47-year-old first-term senator is too young and inexperienced to be president. Palin, 44 and only two years in office, is younger and less experienced — not counting her earlier tenure as mayor of Wasilla, population 6,700. Yet, if the Republicans win in November, she would occupy an office a heartbeat from the presidency. The heartbeat of a 72-year-old president, at that. Is she remotely prepared to accept that responsibility?

Americans can decide as they learn more about her. There’s bound to be a relentless demand for news about Palin at least through the weekend — cutting short the media attention focused on Obama after his historic night in Denver Thursday. McCain deftly managed to steal his rival’s thunder.

He’s also obviously trying to lure former supporters of Hillary Clinton. That’s a more difficult mission. Palin is conservative on social issues, including abortion. But her personal story — deciding to carry to term a baby she knew would be born with Down syndrome — will earn sympathy among women of all political views. Palin has five children altogether, including a son in the Army, and has built an impressive career. She’s the model of a successful working mother.

The two tickets now present a study in opposites. The Democrats pair Obama and Joe Biden, the young, fresh agent of change with the old Washington hand. The Republicans counter with McCain and Palin, a tough veteran senator with a young outsider who’s shaken up the political establishment in her home state.

The outcome will make history: either the country’s first black president or its first female vice president. Whatever happens, the race suddenly has become more interesting.

Sunday's editorial.
From all the recent talk about the crowds in downtown Greensboro, you’d think the place was absolutely jumping, from one edge to another.

And you’d be wrong.

For all of the good things that are suddenly happening in the center city, 90 percent of them occur within a two-block area of South Elm Street.

Even when downtown is at its rowdiest, take a brief stroll only a few yards east, west, north or south, and the shadows grow so long and the silence so conspicuous, you’d wonder if you were on another planet.

That’s not altogether a bad thing. Downtown needs quiet buffers that separate the party crowd from residents simply looking for a good night’s sleep. But it also needs balanced growth and activity.

That’s why a consultant’s recommendations to create an expanded cultural district along Church Street make good sense. It’s also why another consultant’s study about downtown’s retail needs is equally intriguing.

The 50-page report on the cultural district is the more ambitious of the two. It suggests concentrating that activity east of Elm Street to jump-start more activity and investment there. As it is now, the study says, downtown contains scattered “clusters of vitality” with “no critical mass in any one location.”

And it offers some useful suggestions on how to fix that.

Spreading the wealth
Among the ideas the consultant, HR&A Advisors of New York, shared last week at a briefing with City Council members:

-- Invest $14 million over the next 10 years to expand the cultural district, primarily along Church Street.
-- Designate sites for development in that area, including the GTA site at Church and East Market Street (shops and residential); the 3.6-acre News & Record parking lot at Washington, Church and Davie streets (“cultural anchor”); and land owned by the Weaver Foundation at Church and Friendly Avenue (“north cultural campus”) for key development.

-- Use streetscaping improvements to connect various downtown attractions.
-- Create a “Church Street Investment Council” to oversee the execution of the plan.
-- Finish what’s being done on Elm Street, most notably the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, whose completion has been delayed by politics, construction problems and funding needs.

HR&A concluded that the museum “is by far the most critical initiative in undertaking any plan to advance Greensboro’s cultural community.” Three of the four speakers at last week’s State of the Community luncheon seconded that motion, mentioning it as a top priority.

The museum is the most glaring example of unfinished business in the center city and needs to get done. Sooner rather than later.

When you are imagineering like this, the sky’s the limit. For instance, the HR&A report features a cover photo of the Greensboro skyline that not only depicts the new Center Pointe tower, but a much taller sister high-rise beside it — which does not currently exist. We can only wish.

But the report takes a realistic look at how downtown can leverage such assets as the Children’s Museum and the Cultural Center to spread growth beyond South Elm.

Shopping for shops
The second report, by H. Blount Hunter Retail & Real Estate Research of Norfolk, Va., makes some humbling assessments about how far downtown has — and has not — come. The report acknowledges the thriving nightlife downtown, then questions whether that might be too much of a good thing. Downtowns should include no more than 60 percent restaurants and bars, said the firm’s president, Blount Hunter. Greensboro “is more like 80-20 or 90-10.”

The study casts a healthy focus on retail downtown, and it reminds us of the spotty performance of many businesses there. Among Hunter’s recommendations: create a “priority retail zone” along the first six blocks of South Elm Street that prefers shops over offices and bars.

The other obvious advantage of such a plan would be to contain the nightlife far enough away from residences such as Southside so those homeowners avoid being disturbed by other people’s good times.

Both reports couldn’t be timelier, as recent concerns about crowds and public safety on Elm Street point out the need to manage growth more carefully and proactively.

Many of the success stories downtown have come on their own, with no over-arching master plan to drive them.

Now’s a good time to take stock of that progress and to connect the dots moving forward.

Seven years after 9/11: What are your thoughts?