A former White House Chief of Staff, a long-time state legislator and the first woman to win a statewide executive office in North Carolina are among the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination in this year's U.S. Senate race.
As the race to determine who will represent the Democratic Party in November's U.S. Senate election heats up, many who have been closely following this year's primaries say the Republican candidate already has been picked. Pundits, pollsters and party insiders appear to be in unanimous agreement that former American Red Cross President and U.S. Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole has a commanding lead over the competition for the Republican party nomination.
Letters exchanged between UNC-Chapel Hill officials and state budget writers indicate there is some disagreement over which parts of the University's budget should be cut. Gov. Mike Easley has called for cuts in all state government departments, including the UNC system, in order to eliminate a more than $1 billion state budget deficit for the 2002-03 fiscal year. Easley sent a letter to UNC-system chancellors March 21 asking them to recommend cuts that could be made to the budgets of their respective universities that would not impact instruction.
S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges asked N.C. legislators Monday to repeal a law that outlaws possessing lottery tickets, according to The Associated Press. The request was made in response to charges brought against an N.C. resident in February for possessing 20 lottery tickets from South Carolina, which started a state lottery this year. The AP reported that Gaston County authorities charged Michael Dean Atkins of Kings Mountain with a Class 2 misdemeanor last week after they discovered he had 20 S.C.
DURHAM -- Area commerce and civic leaders asked U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., for more federal aid to assist the Triangle's unemployed population at a summit Thursday morning The round-table discussion focused on the impact President Bush's proposed budget might have on unemployment benefits and job-training programs. Several of the conference attendees expressed concerns that the budget proposal might force cuts to such programs.
Supporters of a North Carolina lottery hope the $900 million state budget deficit announced last week by Gov. Mike Easley will add leverage to efforts to put a lottery referendum on the November ballot. When announcing the recent problems with the state budget last week, Easley once again called on state legislators to pass a lottery when they reconvene in late May. A major platform goal of Easley's 2000 campaign for governor was instituting a state lottery to fund education.
State officials confirmed Thursday that North Carolina's budget shortfall could reach as high as $900 million, possibly making additional cuts in government spending -- including higher education -- necessary to close the gap. State budget officer David McCoy met with General Assembly budget writers Wednesday to consider options to blot some of the red ink that has continually marked up this year's state budget.
In an effort to compete with some of the nation's best public universities for faculty, University administrators might soon reach into students' wallets for the second time in two years. Faculty leaders and University administrators have long argued that UNC's faculty compensation -- which is below its peer institutions' -- negatively affects retention and recruitment. The UNC Board of Trustees is expected to act on a tuition proposal, which might fund faculty salary increases, Jan. 24.
Admissions officials at universities in urban cities are reporting increases in application numbers, despite speculation after Sept. 11 that students would avoid attending such institutions because of safety concerns. A survey released two weeks after the terrorist attacks by Moody's Investors Service predicted that students likely would elect to attend institutions closer to home and away from major cities.
International students studying at American colleges and universities might be placed under stricter scrutiny as federal authorities begin to closely monitor foreign students. A survey by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers released last week reported 220 colleges had been contacted at least once since Sept. 11 by federal authorities about the academic standing of foreign students, mostly from Middle Eastern countries.
